Jiang Chen watched the events transpire from a distance.
He took the opportunity provided by the fierce fighting in the distance to recuperate his internal injuries and assess the state of the fight from an unbiased viewpoint. Watching the progression of the fight, he couldn't help but frown heavily.
Their opponent was a true madman. He was a battle maniac. His improvements during the battle were simply mindboggling. He was fighting like a cornered animal with everything he had. Such a style of fighting was creating more pressure on them.
When he had been in the midst of the fight, he had a feeling that they were suppressing their opponent with unrelenting attacks. But, after watching the fight from a distance for a few minutes, he didn't have the same feeling.
To those who might not have an intuitive feeling regarding the battle, both sides looked equal on the surface. Hell, even he thought the same. But, now that he watched the back and forth between the two parties from an unbiased view, things were looking bleak for them.
To others, the fight looked pretty even. Both trading dominance for a few minutes before the other party comes up with a countermeasure and negating it. It was akin to a sea-saw battle with equal possibility for either side winning. That was the impression the fight gave to the onlookers.
But, Jiang Chen disagreed with it vehemently.
From the moment it started to till now, they had never seriously inconvenienced their opponent. All the attacks they had dealt so far were easily resolved by the opponent. They had to team up to keep him from dominating them. Even the slight advantage they had in the beginning was becoming slim as time passed.
Jiang Chen felt uneasy for the first time since the fight began. There was a niggling thought in the back of his head that was worrying about what would happen if they couldn't suppress and kill this demonic cultivator.
He once thought that with the three of them teaming up, it would be easy to subdue the demonic cultivator and kill him. However, the reality gave him a different answer. And now, with so far into the fight, they were still equal.
Both Lu Tianxin and Wu Dongmin had already started using their trademark attacks. Usually, fights didn't last long after they started using their signature techniques. These techniques weren't some random run-of-the-mill techniques. They were powerful ones that helped cultivators to suppress their generation and establish flourishing sects.
Even after pulling out these techniques, their opponent was able to go toe to toe with them while still fighting one against two. That meant, their strength was far below than their opponent. The difference between the two sides was very clearly seen from this.
What made Jiang Chen's heart go cold was that their opponent was only using a commonly looked down technique to fight against them now. Their opponent was someone from a hegemonic sect. The techniques and skills he had access to would be far better than theirs.
There is a reason that sects were differentiated in grades. It all came down to the inheritance of techniques and resources. People in the same cultivation level can exhibit differing power while fighting due to the different cultivation techniques they practiced.
The hegemonic sects reigned supreme because of the long-lasting inheritance and powerful techniques they carried. How can a direct disciple of the Vice-Sect Master of a hegemonic sect not practice powerful techniques that the sect had in their library? That was something unthinkable.
That means, their opponent was still holding back even now.
The fight might look intense. The battle might seem as if it had reached a crescendo. But, was that the truth? The three of them were being led around by their noses by their opponent. Jiang Chen felt that something must be done.
He didn't want to play fair any longer.
Righteousness and fairness in a fight are all well and good. But, it wasn't as important as their lives. Only when they have their lives could they possibly enjoy the rewards of killing this demonic cultivator. What use are the rewards if the injuries they sustain prevent them from utilizing them fully?
With how the fight was progressing, it was clear to Jiang Chen that even if they won, it would be a hard-fought victory. There was a high chance of them being seriously injured and halting their cultivation progress. Such a result wasn't what he wanted.
With a determined look, Jiang Chen looked at the distant fight and waited for the right opportunity.
Within a few minutes, an opportunity arose. Not wasting a single moment, Jiang Chen waved his hands and a large circular seal appeared on his hand. He injected his qi and sent the seal flying toward Duncan without pausing even slightly.
Duncan had just fended off two attacks from his opponents. Even though he wanted to smash those attacks apart with his fist, his fist technique hadn't reached that level yet. As a result, the most he could do was fight to a standstill.
Creating a break, Duncan wanted to take the initiative and find some way to break through the current stalemate that had been established. However, the moment he steadied his feet, a sense of danger shot through him causing him to look up in haste.
The next moment he saw a large seal flying towards him with incomparable speed. The moment he laid eyes on that seal, Duncan knew that he wouldn't be able to contend with it in his current situation.
For the first time since the fight began, Duncan went into full defense mode. Until now, he mostly tanked the attacks that came at him. Duncan crossed his arms in front of his face and protected his vitals, just in time for the seal to smash into him. It was an instinctive reaction. He didn't even have time to evade. The chosen opportunity had been perfect.
The seal slammed into Duncan with the weight of a mountain. Duncan felt his insides rolling. The blood in his body almost flowed in reverse due to the suppression exuded by the seal. Naturally, he was smashed into the distance without any hurdle.
Duncan felt as if his entire body was on the verge of being crushed. He smashed into the ground and couldn't stop rolling for a long time. The bruises and scratches that he had accumulated so far suddenly started to ache all over. His entire body felt as if it was being pressed and demolished. He groaned in pain for the first time since the fight began.
Silence engulfed the battlefield as even Jiang Chen's comrade looked at him in surprise. Jiang Chen didn't bother to look at them at all. His eyes were on their opponent in the distance.
As the dust cleared, Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed. He couldn't believe that their enemy could take a head-on attack from his seal and still move about. But, reality was telling him differently. The groans of pain and coughs that spew blood were indicative that their opponent had been injured.
But, that was it.
He could already see their opponent slowly getting back to his feet. The seal he used as a weapon was given to him by his master to use in emergencies. When used in defense, it could tank hits from late-stage Violet Palace realm cultivators.
It had the offensive power of a mid-stage Violet Palace realm cultivator as well. Even after taking a direct hit from such an attack, their opponent was already getting back to his feet.
That meant even the offensive power of a mid-stage Violet Palace realm cultivator wasn't enough to keep their opponent down. That was disastrous news for them. Right then, Jiang Chen recalled how this all began in the first place.
He had initially refused to believe that their enemy could kill Violet Palace realm cultivators easily. Both common sense and his ego told him that wasn't possible. Since he couldn't do it, no one else could do it either.
At that time, Envoy Ming had looked at him as if he was a fool. He hadn't taken it seriously then. But now, standing in front of naked truth, he couldn't help but panic a little. He didn't really even think about what would happen if he were to lose.
He had been too sure of his victory. After teaming with Lu Tianxin and Wu Dongmin, that thought never even flashed past his mind. But, now he had woken up to reality. It was hard not to after seeing their opponent stand up after a sneak attack that should have killed him by all accounts.
"What was that?" Wu Dongmin interrupted Jiang Chen's spiraling thoughts a little angrily.
"What do you mean?" Jiang Chen snapped back at Wu Dongmin.
"Why did you sneak attack him like that?" Wu Dongmin asked a little dissatisfiedly.
"Hmph," Jiang Chen sneered. "If I don't sneak attack him now, when do you think I should attack? After he killed both of you?"
"What do you mean?" Wu Dongmin asked angrily as if Jiang Chen had stepped on his tail.
"What do I mean? Do you think you both were winning? Wake up! He is playing with us," Jiang Chen said a little dissatisfiedly.
"Let me stop you there. I don't think the difference between us is that huge," Lu Tianxin interrupted angrily. "If you had joined forces with us, we could have suppressed him now. He was barely hanging on there. There was no need for a sneak attack like that. Did you forget the people watching us from a distance?"
Lu Tianxin hissed in displeasure and looked furtively toward the distant group. Jiang Chen sneered at Lu Tianxin's righteous façade. Unlike Wu Dongmin who was genuinely dissatisfied with his interruption in what he perceived as an even fight, Lu Tianxin only wanted to maintain his righteousness in front of the crowd. Looking at him now, Jiang Chen felt a little disgusted.
