Chapter 111: Twin Blades

“I’ve told you countless times: if you’d just knelt down and admitted your mistake earlier, you wouldn’t have to suffer this kind of pain,” Hai Chao sneered darkly, his eyes fixed on Nangong Lin.

At one end of the bluestone arena, Nangong Lin stood gripping a massive hammer with his right hand, his left arm hanging limp. Crimson blood continuously oozed from a wound on his arm, trickling down steadily. Nangong Lin quietly summoned his blood energy, attempting to seal the injury and stem the flow. Yet, he sensed an invasive external blood energy swirling around the wound on his left arm.

Despite his efforts to close the wound using his own blood energy, the presence of this foreign blood energy caused the healing to progress agonizingly slowly.

“Damn Hai Chao—his dog’s claw is infused with blood energy. This is bad,” Nangong Lin muttered under his breath. His voice was low, but every word landed squarely in the ears of the smug Hai Chao opposite him.

A twitch appeared at the corner of Hai Chao’s mouth, especially at the phrase “dog’s claw,” which deeply enraged him. His expression darkened as he stared at Nangong Lin. “Looks like you won’t weep until you see your coffin. If that won’t shut your mouth, then I’ll just have to lay you down quietly.”

His arrogant words were laced with anger as he slammed his feet hard against the ground. His body shot forward like an arrow. So swift was his movement that a series of afterimages trailed behind him.

“This is bad!” Ye Cheng sensed the fury radiating from Hai Chao. It was clear that in the next phase of the duel, Hai Chao would strike harder. From their prior exchanges, Nangong Lin’s injury indicated a significant gap in their abilities. If things continued this way, Nangong Lin’s safety was in jeopardy.

Before arriving, Ye Cheng had studied the duel’s rules carefully. One rule forbade forfeiting outright before the fight began—no raising a hand to concede at the start. This rule was imposed by the Blood Fiend Gang, aiming to snuff out the talents of the Nangong family in their cradle.

However, once the duel reached a certain point, a contestant could choose to forfeit. This was the minimal concession the Nangong family insisted upon, understanding the opponent’s intentions. Their goal was to buy some time, confident their prodigies could endure a few rounds. If a disciple couldn’t last that long, then they were not worthy of cultivation.

Observing Hai Chao’s sullen face on the arena, Nangong Xue noticed a murderous gleam in Hai Chao’s gaze directed at Nangong Lin. Her brow furrowed, but she remained silent.

“I didn’t want to go all out at first, but you’ve truly angered me. And the consequences are beyond what you can bear,” Hai Chao said with a flash in his eyes. Suddenly, a pair of short blades appeared in his hands—one in each.

“Dual daggers?”

“The prodigy of the Hai family is wielding dual daggers?”

“Oh my god, could he be a dual dagger master? That’s a difficult path, even harder than mastering advanced martial arts!”

A ripple of murmurs swept through the crowd. Most spectators were martial artists, and many were mercenaries accustomed to swordplay. Their experience gave them a broad perspective.

Dual dagger techniques were rarely chosen because they demanded immense mental focus and were difficult to master. Imagine holding a branch in each hand, drawing a circle with one and a square with the other on muddy ground—seemingly simple, yet truly challenging. The difficulty of dual dagger mastery was dozens, even hundreds of times greater. This technique required true ambidexterity, allowing the user to unleash martial arts with both hands simultaneously—essentially doubling one’s combat effectiveness.

Blood energy surged through Hai Chao’s body. Each hand gripped a short dagger, shimmering with a bloody glow. As he wielded both blades, the surrounding air was stirred, creating a small whirlwind.

From the crowd’s perspective, Hai Chao radiated unstoppable momentum, his twin daggers cloaked in a sanguine light, closing in on Nangong Lin.

“Lord Jinmen, do you think Nangong Lin can withstand this attack?” Jian Nu, leader of the Flying Sword Sect, asked Jin Cheng, leader of the True Martial Sect, who stood beside him in warrior’s attire.

“Nangong Lin’s chances look grim. But I hope the Hai family’s prodigy from Poison Dragon City won’t fatally harm him. Destroying his cultivation is acceptable,” Jin Cheng replied slowly after a pause.

“I share that hope,” Jian Nu responded softly.

If they could eliminate some of the Nangong family’s promising talents, it would lessen future threats. However, the death of a disciple was not something True Martial or Flying Sword sect desired—that was Blood Fiend Gang’s aim.

Should a disciple die in this duel, their two sects would inevitably face unwanted trouble. While the Blood Fiend Gang was powerful and unafraid, their sects lacked such backing. Naturally, they dared not overstep.

Meanwhile, Nangong Lin’s face grew heavy. The usual smile had vanished from his round cheeks. In the brief moment since his injury, he had purged the invasive blood energy from his left arm, and the wound had stopped bleeding.

Facing the overwhelming onslaught, he firmly clasped his hammer with both hands. A ruthless gleam flashed across his chubby face. Spinning rapidly, he transformed into a whirlwind powered by his massive hammer. Blood energy flowed through him as he declared, “If you want my life, you’ll have to pay a price.”

Hai Chao’s eyes narrowed at this sudden counterattack. “This guy still has tricks up his sleeve,” he thought but pressed on without hesitation, shouting, “Like a moth to the flame—overestimating yourself!”

“Hai Chao is merciless, cutting off all of Nangong Lin’s escape routes, forcing him into a desperate fight,” Ye Cheng observed as he watched the fierce battle unfold. Hai Chao’s relentless assault gave Ye Cheng the impression that if he were on the receiving end, his only option would be to grit his teeth and endure.

“But Nangong Lin is pretty fierce too,” Ye Cheng admitted, his eyes filled with concern. Nangong Lin’s tenacity exceeded his expectations. One should never judge a person by first impressions alone, which often mislead. Although Ye Cheng expected to see this side of Nangong Lin, he did not approve. Continuing like this would only worsen his injuries—at best causing severe wounds to Hai Chao, but at the cost of his own crippling damage. It wasn’t worth it.

Just as Ye Cheng pondered this, the two figures—Nangong Lin and Hai Chao—collided fiercely under the intense gaze of the onlookers, resulting in a tremendous explosion that echoed throughout the arena.