Chapter Twenty-Six: A Fight for Life

Tumu's expression darkened as he stared in astonishment at the illusory figure of Jinmo, a chill creeping into his heart. Jinmo was not a physical being; it resembled a ghost from legends, and such abnormal phenomena made even a brave mercenary like Tumu feel uneasy, prompting him to take a step back and assess the situation. As soon as he stepped back, Shiyan seized the opportunity, darting forward like a leopard with a dagger in hand, calling for Diyalan to attack as well. Though Diyalan felt some fear, she gathered her courage, knowing that the ghostly figure was summoned by Shiyan, and joined him in attacking Tumu.

A pale mist, coalescing from various negative energies, twisted around them like a venomous snake, with Jinmo’s ghostly figure following closely behind, arriving in front of Tumu in an instant. Tumu's heart sank, and without hesitation, he channeled the dense essence of his peak innate third level, unleashing it into his left palm, which burst forth with dazzling red light. In a moment, a red shield, entirely formed of pure essence, appeared in his palm. It was bright and radiant, only the size of a basin, yet it emanated intense heat.

This shield, crafted purely from essence, was undoubtedly Tumu’s trump card, but it was extremely energy-consuming to activate. As the shield formed, beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead, indicating a significant expenditure of essence. The shield adhered to Tumu's left hand, and as Shiyan's negative energy surged toward him, he raised the shield without a second thought, ready to block both the negative force and Jinmo’s ghostly figure.

With a sizzling sound, the mist imbued with various negative energies collided with the shield, sparking as it did. The white mist dissipated amid the sparks, and the ghostly figure seemed to melt away, scattering into the void. Seeing that the shield could counter these two strange entities, Tumu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, sneering coldly, "Kid, let’s see what else you can do!"

A cold, sinister aura seeped from the dissipating entities, silently entering Tumu's body through his pores, unnoticed by him. After his mocking smile, Tumu suddenly froze, confusion and panic flashing in his eyes. Shiyan noticed a glimmer of light in his eyes! From the change in Tumu's expression, it was clear that while he had dispelled the energy attached to the negative forces, he could not cleanse the negative emotions that had infiltrated his mind.

"Attack!" Shiyan roared, pushing his speed to the maximum, creating a faint illusion in the void before suddenly appearing in front of Tumu. The blue-glowing dagger shot toward Tumu's neck like lightning! The energy within Tumu's shield surged, seemingly awakening him from his stupor. He suddenly opened his eyes wide!

With a howl, Tumu suppressed the flood of negative emotions that rushed into his mind and swung his battle axe in a wide arc. The clash of metal rang out as Shiyan's dagger struck the axe, releasing a terrifying force that surged back toward Shiyan's arm.

Feeling a numbness in his arm, Shiyan quickly withdrew the dagger from the axe. Tumu ignored Shiyan, spinning like a whirlwind to block Diyalan's short sword from behind with his axe. With a cold snort, he stated icily, "I’m going to make you pay dearly for this!"

Shiyan's expression darkened, and murderous intent surged within him. As he brandished his dagger, the muscles in his legs began to contract, negative energies seeping from his pores and enveloping his legs in a pale mist. After his arms and legs transformed, his murderous aura became uncontrollable. A fierce, red glow emerged in his eyes, giving him a terrifying appearance like a demon crawling out of hell, causing Mu Yudie, nearby, to cover her mouth in fear.

Breathing heavily, Shiyan stomped, feeling an immense power coursing through his legs, and in an instant, his slender body dashed forward ten meters like an arrow! Tumu's battle axe danced, forcing Diyalan to retreat step by step, her arms growing increasingly weak from the overwhelming essence impacting her.

A fierce wave of murderous intent suddenly surged from behind. Tumu's eyes flashed with menace, and with a mighty swing of his axe, he forced Diyalan to stagger back.

With an impatient kick, Tumu struck Diyalan's smooth abdomen, sending her flying seven or eight meters away. She landed on her back, blood trickling from her mouth, her essence in disarray, unable to muster any strength. This kick contained Tumu's explosive power, aimed at rendering her entirely incapable of fighting so he could deal with Shiyan without concerns.

Turning around, Tumu raised his axe, a fierce expression on his face, "Kid, I’m going to chop you into a hundred pieces!" Shiyan charged like an arrow, pouring all his essence into the dagger. As he swung, countless illusions of daggers rained down like a storm, an icy, malevolent force enveloping Tumu.

"Hmph!" Tumu took a deep breath, activating the shield with his left hand. Waves of warm air surged from the shield, dispersing the cold and evil aura, and he swung his axe, striking Shiyan’s dagger with precision.

With a loud clang, the force of the impact jolted Shiyan’s wrist, sending the dagger flying several dozen meters behind him. Tumu also felt the backlash from the violent energy that erupted from Shiyan's dagger; he staggered back, unsteady. At the same time, a chilling, sinister, and terrifying aura slithered along his arm, quickly invading his mind and dragging him into a bloody secret realm.

Shiyan, firmly grounded, noticed Tumu's dazed expression as he staggered backward toward Diyalan. His dagger was still several dozen meters behind; if he rushed to retrieve it and charged at Tumu, he might miss the best opportunity, and Tumu could regain his senses.

A thought flashed through his mind, and with a cold glint in his eyes, Shiyan made a decisive charge toward Tumu, clamping his arms around Tumu’s waist, exerting all his strength to push Tumu toward Diyalan, bellowing, "Raise your sword! Stab!"

Diyalan, limp on the ground, heard Shiyan's roar and saw a massive shadow looming over her. Without thinking, she gathered all her strength and raised her short sword high.

With a thrust, the short sword pierced Tumu's back, jolting him awake. As he roared in fury, he struggled to maintain his balance. The blade lodged in his back held him at an angle, keeping him from collapsing onto Diyalan. Using the sword for leverage, Tumu miraculously managed to maintain his position, as if his feet had taken root.

Tumu struggled fiercely but found both of his hands firmly trapped by Shiyan. At this moment, Shiyan’s face was cold, grinning wickedly, "Wild dog, you're finished!"

Maintaining his position, Tumu shouted, "Kid, let go of me! If the sword pierces me, it will pierce you too! Let go, you don’t want to die with me, do you?" Tumu was indeed fierce; despite the circumstances, he raised his knee and slammed it hard into Shiyan’s abdomen.

Shiyan channeled his essence into his arms, unable to use the Shadow Shield for now, relying instead on the "Petrifying Martial Spirit." Tumu’s repeated knee strikes concentrated Shiyan’s defense in his abdomen, while the rest of his body quickly returned to normal, only his abdomen turning a grayish-white, as hard as iron.

Under Tumu’s full-force strikes at the peak of the innate third level, Shiyan’s "Petrifying Martial Spirit" managed to hold on, though his abdomen ached terribly, he did not spit out a single drop of blood; his physical defense was extraordinarily resilient.

Diyalan’s expression changed as she realized Shiyan and Tumu were locked in a tight embrace. If she thrust her short sword down hard, or if Tumu slammed down, the sword would pierce through Tumu and into Shiyan as well, pinning them both together.

Thinking of Shiyan being penetrated alongside Tumu, Diyalan hesitated, screaming, "Kid, let go!"

"Wild dog, I’m shorter than you! You’ll die, I’ll only lose an arm at worst!" Shiyan’s expression was cold, and he grinned wickedly, suddenly exerting all his strength, pressing both himself and Tumu down onto Diyalan.

With two sickening sounds of flesh being pierced, Diyalan lay on her back, pinned under Tumu, while Shiyan pressed down onto him. Her short sword, as expected, pierced through both their bodies — it stabbed through Tumu's heart from his back and continued, penetrating Shiyan's shoulder.

Tumu's heart was pierced; he swayed twice, fear evident on his face as he gradually lost his vitality. Shiyan, with his shoulder pierced, had a twisted expression, yet his grip on Tumu remained unyielding, showing no intention of letting go.

It was only when Tumu's essence dissipated, flowing back into his body, that Shiyan confirmed Tumu was indeed dead; he slowly released his grip, his body going limp as he sank down.