"Apologies, I overexerted myself," the Jadeblood Mantis rasped in a sinister voice. It leaped to one side, clearly reluctant to have created those two spatial rifts. The creature eyed the fissures with palpable wariness.
Qin Yang's expression turned peculiar as he stared at the Jadeblood Mantis.
The Jadeblood Mantis cackled maliciously. "What exquisite morsels you are! I can hardly contain myself from devouring you! After all these years, I've never encountered such delectable prey!"
Waving its massive forelimbs like twin blades, the Jadeblood Mantis chattered incessantly: "Your body carries the essence of both Ice Dragons and Gold Flame Explosion Dragons. Consuming you would be akin to devouring those two mythical beasts... With this power, that damned Silver-backed Great Peng would be no match for me! At last, the tables turn, and I shall hunt it down!"
The gaping wound on the Jadeblood Mantis' back had already healed by more than half. Devouring Qin Yang would not only restore it completely but exponentially enhance its strength!
Though its current explosive power already reached the zenith of this secret realm's limitations.
"Is this not the fable of the mantis catching cicadas?" Qin Yang chuckled softly. "Pity... you've mistaken me for the cicada."
The Jadeblood Mantis's compound eyes locked onto Qin Yang. It had witnessed every move he'd made earlier. That heaven-shaking divine sword had even made this mighty creature tremble in fear.
"If you want a swift end, close your eyes. Otherwise..."
"Otherwise what?" Qin Yang's lips curled into a smirk, his grin widening.
"Then savor the taste of being hunted!" The Jadeblood Mantis's taunting voice faded as its form vanished.
"I thought the system upgrade's new abilities were strange and useless. Seems... I was the one mistaken." Qin Yang shook his head lightly and stepped forward.
With that single step, his figure disappeared just as completely.
Like the Jadeblood Mantis, he vanished without a trace!
It turned out that during the system upgrade, Qin Yang had acquired two new abilities.
The first was: He could now actively copy anything except cultivation techniques and martial arts!
This included: Pill Refining! Talisman Crafting! Artificing! Formation Arrays!
Qin Yang, having only superficial knowledge of these arts, hadn't paid much attention to this ability.
The second ability was: He could replicate a monster's power and use it as a martial art. However, this still couldn't be done actively.
Though these abilities were powerful, they didn't count toward his advancement requirements.
In other words, they offered no help in elevating Qin Yang's cultivation realm.
This was why Qin Yang had initially dismissed the system upgrade's capabilities as useless.
Yet when facing the Jadeblood Mantis, Qin Yang immediately copied two of its abilities.
"Hunting Posture!"
This was the ability that made Qin Yang's figure vanish. His true energy connected with the heavens and earth, seemingly merging into the world around him. Like a master of stealth, he became undetectable except by those far superior in cultivation.
"Where did the brat go?" The Jadeblood Mantis was startled; the boy had been standing there moments ago. What kind of movement technique was this? With its keen senses, it detected that Qin Yang had also gone into hiding - and remained in the same spot!
Qin Yang, now in Hunting Posture himself, naturally sensed the Jadeblood Mantis' location. However, he paid it no mind, instead pondering:
If I integrate Hunting Posture into Dragon Soaring Steps, the technique could become truly formless and shadowless!
Cultivation technique circulating, martial arts shifting, Qin Yang remained invisible as he executed the Hunting Posture-enhanced Dragon Soaring Steps!
In an instant, Qin Yang's figure blurred. The Jadeblood Mantis suddenly couldn't sense his location!
Though it couldn't perceive him, Qin Yang remained fully aware of its position!
"Jadeblood Twin Daggers... Sword! Beheading Strike!"
Qin Yang's command rang out as two divine blades materialized in his hands. Mimicking the Jadeblood Mantis' earlier ambush, he materialized behind the creature and aimed a lethal strike at its head.
Both combatants stood at the pinnacle of power within the secret realm. Having spent years teetering on the edge of danger, the Jadeblood Mantis instinctively fled.
It manifested its form, casting a terrified glance over its shoulder. The sudden surge of spiritual energy and shadow of death had been so real, yet now nothing remained but two spatial rifts - as if the entire encounter had been an illusion.
"Have some guts and face me head-on! What kind of skill is sneaking attacks?" the Jadeblood Mantis roared in fury.
For centuries, it had been the master of ambushes. Never had it imagined experiencing such tactics itself.
"Fascinating. Just playing around, no need for anger." Qin Yang materialized, appearing within three meters of the Jadeblood Mantis!
The Jadeblood Mantis startled and darted to the side, eyeing Qin Yang warily.
"Salivating over my flesh? Come at me!" Qin Yang extended a finger, beckoning with a crook of his hand.
The Jadeblood Mantis erupted in fury, charging forward. Its twin jade-green forelimbs whirled through the air, creating countless afterimages.
"Jadeblood Twin Swords, Continuous Attack!" Qin Yang's eyes narrowed as he swept both hands forward in sword-like gestures. Blades of sword qi clashed against the phantom limbs.
The fabric of space tore. At the collapsing edge of the secret realm, reality itself grew brittle.
When its initial assault failed, the Jadeblood Mantis closed the distance. Relying on its monstrous physique and ferocious strikes, it resolved to shred Qin Yang into pieces.
Anticipation of devouring his flesh made saliva drip from its mandibles.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Man and mantis clashed violently. Qin Yang met the creature's blade-like forelimbs with true qi channeled through his fingers, shattering space around them.
Both combatants shifted positions rapidly. Within moments, the arena floor was riddled with spatial fractures.
As the fissures merged, the entire area began to collapse. Their battle only accelerated the secret realm's destruction.
The scene unfolding was so utterly insane that it could make even Zongshi masters' eyes pop out of their sockets.
On the second floor, Jin Wanshan nearly did the same.
"Damn, when did Qin Yang get so strong? Or was that mantis not actually a Zongshi-level beast? Just some high-level monster? Was I overreacting before?" Jin Wanshan's face twisted with confusion.
"You've thoroughly enraged me, boy!" the Jadeblood Mantis roared. Its invincible assault had been repeatedly thwarted, easily blocked by a mere human!
Even the Silver-backed Great Peng couldn't have inflicted such humiliation! The great bird had never dared to engage in close combat with it!
"What, weren't you angry before? Playing around now?" Qin Yang rolled his eyes.
"Have the guts to not mimic my attacks!" the Jadeblood Mantis snarled, realizing the human's sword-like techniques bore striking resemblance to its own. If he'd been using a blade instead, they'd have been identical!
"Oh?" Qin Yang's offensive paused. "You'll regret this!"
"Regret you..." The Jadeblood Mantis began cursing, but before it could finish, a sharp pain shot through its jaw. It felt as if its head might be kicked clean off its body.
"Heaven-Piercing Kick!" Qin Yang executed a perfect split, lifting his leg toward the sky. What would have been an ordinary kick became extraordinary as it infused with the true essence of the Boulder Crushing Hand technique.
The mantis was sent flying into the heavens, its mind completely dazed!
Qin Yang darted forward, soaring through the air to intercept the Jadeblood Mantis. With a thunderous shout, he cried out, "Explosive Thrust Kick!"
What was originally an Explosive Punch technique was now executed with his footwork. His body twisted mid-air, and his kick connected squarely with the Jadeblood Mantis' abdomen.
Ferocious true qi erupted, collapsing a portion of space as powerful shockwaves radiated outward. Terrifying ripples spread through the dimensional fabric as the Jadeblood Mantis was sent flying, moving even faster than the shockwaves themselves.
The impact carved a gaping hole through the Demon Hunter's Field's wall, creating a direct breach to the outside world.
"I told you you'd regret this," Qin Yang shrugged, walking toward Jin Wanshan.
His eyebrow twitched as he sensed the Jadeblood Mantis charging back - no, charging directly at Jin Wanshan!
Qin Yang's face darkened. "Are you looking to die?!" he roared, his figure vanishing in a blur as he materialized directly in front of Jin Wanshan.
"Your martial arts are so..." Jin Wanshan began, but didn't finish his sentence.
A scene of cataclysmic proportions unfolded as the Jadeblood Mantis shattered through layers of walls, materializing directly before them.
Jin Wanshan drew in a sharp breath, his scalp prickling with unease. Before fear could take hold, Qin Yang's foot shot out.
The Jadeblood Mantis was sent flying once more. This time, Qin Yang gave chase without hesitation.
"Beasts have such robust physiques," Qin Yang remarked, narrowing his eyes. "If it were a human, that kick would've blown them apart." The Jadeblood Mantis' chest bore horrific wounds, its jade-green blood staining its entire body.
"Regardless of your strength, I'll smash you into mincemeat! Mantis catching cicadas? Hmph!"
"Ground-Shaking Fist!"
Qin Yang's fists clenched, then shot upward before crashing downward. A massive true qi fist materialized, resembling countless giant fists descending simultaneously - a technique he'd copied from the Thousand Hidden Sect's forbidden manuals!
Like a bomber unleashing carpet bombing, the attack rained down on the Jadeblood Mantis's position.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The earth shook violently, the entire structure crumbling into ruins.
Jin Wanshan's jaw dropped. Was this god-like Qin Yang still the same man he knew?