Wu Jian and Zhou Lihua discussed how to defeat Black and Blonde for several hours, trading ideas back and forth. The biggest issue they came up against after Wu Jian shared what happened during his battle was how strong they were together. Separating them sounded like the key to victory, but if it was so easy to separate them in combat, someone would have already done that. There was also a chance they had a hidden trump card to use in the event they did get separated. Wu Jian had no way of knowing since that didn’t happen in his last battle with them.

Since he didn’t think separating them was possible, Wu Jian’s suggestion was to have the pair focus all their attention on him, while Zhou Lihua hid in somewhere close by and attacked only when she was certain she could kill one of them in a single hit. That meant all the pressure would be on Wu Jian. He would have to once again fight them both at the same time. His job was to not only distract them, but also to weaken them.

Once they had a basic plan worked out, Wu Jian and Zhou Lihua decided to search for the pair. They were actually surprised the two hadn’t already found them. It was true they were located quite deep within the forest, but it should have been obvious to anyone where they were hiding. Then again, this forest was very big, and the many trees all looked the same. It was very easy to get lost inside of this massive space.

Because Wu Jian was supposed to be the bait, he made sure to walk far enough away from Zhou Lihua that the two women would see him first. They didn’t want Black and Blonde to see her. That would have ruined their plans. But maybe they were being too careful? Several days had passed since they had entered this forest and they still hadn’t found the two. What if that meant they hadn’t entered? No, no, no. There was no way. Those two had gone after him and Zhou Lihua with avengeance. He didn’t believe for a second that they hadn’t chased after them.

Oh, but he had sorta vanished on his own. Maybe they didn’t realize he had teleported all the way to the forest and were still searching the plains? That would be bad. The plan they had spent hours creating would go up in smoke if that was the case. And it also meant they were wasting their time here.

Just as he was beginning to worry that maybe the two actually hadn’t come into this forest, Wu Jian caught sight of the pair. He couldn’t actually see them in the traditional sense. He was extending his perceptions across the forest by relying on his understanding into the Dao of Space. He called it Spatial Sense. It normally acted like a dome around his person, but he had learned that he could extend his perception so long as he wasn’t in combat. Right now, his radius was about one hundred square mǐ, which equated to roughly one hundred steps in any direction.

Are they… arguing?

Wu Jian wished he could actually see and hear what they were doing. Spatial Sense was simply the ability to sense objects within a certain range. He could tell the two were standing face to face, and he assumed they were talking. Through his ability, he got the sense they were making wild gesticulations because their limbs cut through the air, which affected the space around him. That said, his ability to sense them was indistinct.

“I think I found them,” Wu Jian called out to Zhou Lihua. “Follow a safe distance behind me and keep yourself hidden.”

“Okay. Be careful,” said Zhou Lihua before she leapt onto a treebranch and disappeared into the canopy high overhead.

Wu Jian took several deep breaths and placed a hand on his chest. He wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t somewhat scared. His battle with those two was the closest to death he had ever come. He had even lost a limb thanks to them… though that was still mostly his own fault. However, they were the ones who had forced him to use an ability beyond his means.

Though I suppose I should thank them as well. My understanding into the Dao of Space has increased ever so slightly.

Using Teleportation like he did had forced him to gain some extra comprehension into the Dao of Space. He now understood a little about how long-distance teleportation worked. It was different from line of sight teleportation, which was something he could use once a day. Short distance teleportation only required him to see where he wanted to transport himself. Long-distance teleportation was different. Since he could not see where he was teleporting, he needed to know the coordinates of where he wanted to go, lest he wind up teleporting himself into a rock or the ground.

He had also learned to control his abilities a bit better. He didn’t use as much chi when manipulating space, which meant he could use more techniques than he had before. These were the primary benefits from his battle against those two. Wu Jian didn’t know if that would be enough to help him win against them, however.

Wu Jian walked toward where he sensed the pair, and it wasn’t long before they turned in his direction. Their senses were quite sharp. He took another deep breath. He was worried, but that wasn’t going to stop him from acting. These two needed to die.

“We know you’re there,” Blonde said.

“Come out now,” Black added.

Wu Jian smiled behind his mask as he walked out from behind several trees. The pair stood only a few dozen chih away. They didn’t look any worse for wear, but they did appear frustrated. He wondered if they’d been searching for him and Zhou Lihua this entire time. They must have been, right?

“I never expected you to escape that attack. You have given us a lot of trouble,” Blonde said.

“I could say the same to you.” Wu Jian shrugged. “I don’t know either of you and have caused you no grievance before now, and yet you have attacked me and mine without provocation. Why?”

“You don’t need to know that,” Black said.

Blonde nodded. “Just come with us quietly. All we want is for you and Zhou Lihua.”

The fact that they were talking to him meant they were wary. It also seemed like killing him and Zhou Lihua wasn’t the goal. They wanted him and Zhou Lihua alive. Wu Jian could understand why they wanted Zhou Lihua, especially if they were working for Cì Chuān, but what could they want with him? Well, it didn’t matter.

“I have no intention of allowing myself to be captured.” Wu Jian summoned Pale Moon, centered himself, and pointed the massive blade at the pair. “If you want me, you’ll have to come and get me.”

***

The clash of metal echoed in the distance. Zhou Lihua crouched low on a branch high above the forest floor and looked at where the sound was coming from, eyes narrowed as she studied the battle. Wu Jian was fighting against the two women who had attacked them. Wielding Pale Moon as though it was an extension of his own body, he sliced at the one he called Blonde--but her body seemed to vanish as though she were a mirage. She just seemed to flicker out of existence.

The one called Black (Wu Jian’s name for her) tried to attack him from behind, thrusting her sword forward, but he moved aside, avoiding the blade entirely, then spun around and swung his massive sword diagonally upward. His attack would have cleaved a normal person from hip to shoulder. Black moved backward as though she had sensed the attack, then thrust her sword forward once more. Her sword struck Pale Moon and knocked it upward. Wu Jian was forced to jerk his sword over his head.

Now off balance, he seemed defenseless against Blonde. The woman’s hand was bathed in lightning. A sound not unlike the chirping of a thousand birds echoed around the forest as she thrust her hand forward. There was hesitancy in her movements as though she was expecting something to happen.

Then her hand passed through Wu Jian’s body.

Wu Jian regained his balance and swung his sword down.

Blonde leapt back to avoid the attack, but Wu Jian’s sword sudenly disappeared and the blade reappeared behind her. An attack like that would have killed her. It should have killed her. However, Black intercepted the attack with her own sword, holding her weapon at an angle so Pale Moon glanced off it instead of accepting the full brunt of Wu Jian’s strength. Even so, her knees buckled.

Hmm. Something’s off. The blonde one isn’t using the fire techniques she used during her previous fight.

Wu Jian had told her all about the techniques those two had used, specifically the intense fire techniques and the lightning qilin they had attacked with. Was there a reason Blonde hadn’t used either of those techniques so far? They were the most powerful in their arsenal, an attack so powerful it could destroy even a Deva Realm cultivator. If she were in their shoes, she would have used that attack the moment the battle started.

Perhaps there are certain conditions they have to meet to use it? Maybe that woman needs to build up her chi? Or maybe there’s a reason she can’t use it…?

It would be bad if Blonde didn’t use that technique. A technique like that obvious used up a lot of chi, which was exactly what she and Wu Jian wanted. Their entire plan relied on exhausting the pair of their chi and strength, then having her attack while they were weakened. If they couldn’t weaken then, she wouldn’t be able to attack them. Zhou Lihua lacked the power needed to deal a decisive blow unless they were exhausted.

Maybe they can’t use that attack very often, or perhaps it’s because of the environment?

Zhou Lihua glanced around at the forest. Trees as far as the eye could see, shrubs under and other plants lining the ground. This place was very flammable. She pursed her lips. It was possible Blonde wasn’t using her fire techniques because doing so would cause this forest to burn.

Cuòjué Forest was a treasure trove of high-quality medicinal ingredients and magical beasts. This forest was the very reason the Zhou Kingdom had several Human Limit Realm cultivators and why the emperor had reached the Deva Realm. Burning it down would cause issues. There was also the magical beasts who made it their home. If this forest burned, the magical beasts would be forced to flee, and the only place they could flee to was into the Zhou Kingdom.

Emperor Cì Shā did not care about his people, but even he acknowledged that an emperor without people to rule wasn’t an emperor at all. If the magical beasts attacked his nation, it would be a massacre. His people would die and he would become an emperor of nothing.

The battle down below picked up intensity. Wu Jian was making liberal use of his spatial techniques to avoid Blonde, whose body was now covered in lightning. Her hair stood straight up like spikes as blue bolts skittered across her skin. Zhou Lihua struggled to keep up with the woman as she zipped around the battlefield too fast for her eyes to completely track. That technique reminded her of one she had seen in the Zhou Clan archives called Lightning Cloak. The cultivator wrapped their body in a layer of lightning to increase their physical parameters.

Lightning affinity cultivators were some of the best close-combat specialists. They could use the lightning element to stimulate their nervous system, enhancing their speed and reaction time. Since their reflexes were enhanced far beyond what a normal cultivator could do, they were able to increase their body’s performance and perform high-speed manuvers that average cultivators couldn’t keep up with.

While Blonde attacked Wu Jian from what seemed like multiple angles at the same time, Black sent several powerful wind blades at Wu Jian. They passed right through him. He was using Nihility to avoid taking damage. However, because he was so busy defending himself against the pair, he was unable to attack. Zhou Lihua bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. If this kept up, he would run out of chi before they did.

Thus, Zhou Lihua came to a decision.

Just as Black was about to attack again, Zhou Lihua sent a wave of white hot silver flames at the woman, then leapt from the tree branch. Her enemy sensed the attack and spun around. She slashed at the flames with her blade. However, Zhou Lihua didn’t just attack her. She sent her flames into the forest itself, lighting it ablaze. Black’s eyes blazed with rage as she quickly sheathed her blade, clapped her hands, and used a different technique.

[Great Vacuum Sphere]

Black took a deep breath, then expelled the air from her lungs. The invisible currents created an intense sucking force that absorbed all the flames and crushed them.

Blonde also saw what was happening and tried to attack Zhou Lihua as she descended, but Wu Jian saw this as his chance and swung his sword.

[Spatial Severing]

The black crescent unleashed from Pale Moon cut the space before him and would have struck Blonde had she not avoided it at the last second. Her reflexes were simply too great. He clicked his tongue as the woman landed beside her partner. Meanwhile, Zhou Lihua landed next to him.

“I thought we agreed you wouldn’t come out until they were exhausted,” he said.

“Plans change. If the battle kept up, you would have been the one who exhausted themselves,” Zhou Lihua said with a shrug. “Anyway, did you notice they haven’t been using any fire techniques?”

“I did. Guess they can’t afford to in this forest.”

“Yes. I suspected as much already. We might not be able to exhaust them, but we have the terrain advantage.” After all, neither of them cared if this forest burned to the ground. “So here’s the new plan. I’ll provide a distraction, while you finish them off.”

Blonde and Black hadn’t attacked them again. The wariness in their eyes as they stared at Zhou Lihua, who produced silver flames above her left palm, made it clear who held the advantage now. Zhou Lihua actually smiled when she saw them staring at her Heavenly Ghost Flame. They must have regretted their kingdom giving her this flame now. She would make great use of it burning this entire place to ash if she had to.

“All right,” Wu Jian said, sliding his feet shoulder width apart and adopting a wide sword stance. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Now that’s what I like to hear,” said Zhou Lihua.