World’s End: My Keyword is One More Than Others

Victory?

Luo Shuang glared angrily at Huangfu Yue.

Didn't you see Master being knocked into the water? You treacherous woman...

She shook off Huangfu Yue's hand and moved to rescue Du Ge.

But the next scene froze her in place. Cao Lin, who had been pursuing Du Ge in mid-air, suddenly seemed to be paused, then let out a sound that was completely out of place on the battlefield.

"Ugh!"

Short and urgent.

As if someone had stabbed him in the butt.

Luo Shuang clearly saw Cao Lin's legs clench together, and the myriad of blade shadows vanished instantly.

She quickly turned to Huangfu Yue, seeking answers, but saw only a glimmer in Huangfu Yue's eyes. Her cheeks were flushed, her breath rapid, and her gaze held a mix of excitement and anticipation.

Recalling Huangfu Yue's earlier words that Du Ge had won, Luo Shuang frowned.

What had happened?

Why did Huangfu Yue know, but she didn't?

Had her master and Huangfu Yue been hiding something from her?

The thought made Luo Shuang's heart sink, and she clenched her fists tightly. No, she didn't want another mistress over her head.

...

The most frustrated was Cao Lin.

He never expected someone to use such a despicable technique in battle.

Who would have thought those soft water currents could be controlled so deftly?

Who would have thought that water could turn to ice?

How could he attack there...

Not a eunuch!

It was only his quick reflexes that allowed him to expel the invading ice block in time.

Otherwise.

The ice block that stabbed into his abdomen might have pierced right through.

Even so, Cao Lin still felt a burning pain in his rear and a twisting agony in his abdomen, unsure how many intestines had been severed.

Since becoming a grandmaster, he hadn't suffered such a severe injury in a long time.

And those scattered water currents continued to annoyingly invade his mouth, nose, and cloaca...

Disgusting!

Unforgivable!

Cao Lin's true energy spread throughout his body, blocking the water currents that coiled around him. Enduring the excruciating pain in his abdomen, he raised his blade again, slashing at Du Ge in the Yang River below. ℝ

Every grandmaster has their own martial insights, and Cao Lin, having risen from the battlefield, had comprehended the way of slaughter. His path of slaughter carried a strong aura of bloodshed, unstoppable and unbreakable.

After reaching the innate stage, his true energy was endless, but it couldn't withstand the killing intent.

In Cao Lin's view, Du Ge being able to withstand his three strikes already showed he had the strength of a half-step grandmaster.

But a half-step grandmaster was not a grandmaster.

Without comprehending his own martial path, he would never be his match.

...

Difficult!

Hiding in the water, Du Ge looked at Cao Lin in the sky and sighed inwardly. His strength and speed were not inferior to Cao Lin's, but his true energy couldn't extend as far.

After one water-based sneak attack, Cao Lin had sealed all his wounds, making an internal breakthrough impossible.

Unlike his half-baked master in Dragon Fang, Cao Lin could genuinely protect himself with true energy for extended periods.

To defeat him, Du Ge had to get close...

In the Yang River, Du Ge was like a fish in water.

Cao Lin's blade energy slashed towards the riverbed, raising waves over ten meters high, but they couldn't harm Du Ge at all.

In the water, Du Ge could almost teleport, and controlling water was easier.

One water dragon after another surged upstream, forming a continuous stream, as if half the Yang River was being lifted to the sky.

The steam, under the sunlight, created countless rainbows, looking splendid and colorful.

The momentum was grand, but it had little lethality against Cao Lin.

The two entered a stalemate, neither able to overpower the other, but overall, Du Ge was at a disadvantage.

...

"A water technique grandmaster?"

The imperial teacher, hidden in the shadows, couldn't help but smack his lips. "Someone can use water magic to such an extent? The power of the Heavenly Demon is indeed terrifying. Unfortunately, water is too soft. If it were fire magic, Cao Lin would be doomed. Water magic's combat power is too weak; injuring him once by surprise was already lucky. Retrograde? Ha!"

Despite his words.

The imperial teacher, who had come to assist Cao Lin, had no intention of helping. He saw the water snakes coiling around Cao Lin but didn't take them seriously.

In his view, those tiny water currents couldn't cause any harm, at least not yet, and hadn't affected Cao Lin's blade strikes.

It wasn't time for him to act yet.

...

Other Alien Star warriors hidden in the shadows were equally astonished by the powerful combat abilities of Cao Lin and Du Ge.

If Cao Lin targeted them, one strike would be the end.

A month was too short.

Damn Du Ge, insisting on a fast push. Without good keywords, growing in such harsh conditions was getting harder and harder for Alien Star warriors.

At this moment, most Alien Star warriors considered Du Ge a lucky guy who had possessed a water technique grandmaster, much like Shi Pingchuan, who had possessed the prime minister of Chongming Kingdom, relying purely on luck, not ability.

Qi Yuan Star warriors were no exception; they even doubted if the guy fighting Cao Lin was really Du Ge.

As for other martial artists hidden in the shadows, they had a new understanding of the Heavenly Demon's combat power. They had no intention of intervening in court struggles but quietly changed their view of the Heavenly Demon.

Leng Shi, previously unknown in the martial world, could now fight on par with an old-school grandmaster like Cao Lin. There was no other explanation but possession by the Heavenly Demon.

...

"Leng Shi, hiding in the water doesn't count as... Ugh!"

After missing Du Ge with over ten strikes, Cao Lin's lower abdomen hurt more and more. Feeling that if the battle didn't end soon, the suppressed blood in his body would burst out, he couldn't help but taunt Du Ge.

Du Ge's water control was too formidable. Once his thirty thousand elite soldiers arrived and Leng Shi used the Yang River's water against them, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The soldiers, though elite, didn't have his true energy protection.

But as soon as he opened his mouth.

A water snake slithering across his face seized the opportunity, plunging into his mouth and forcing its way down his throat.

Cao Lin was horrified and quickly activated his true energy, expelling the water from his throat.

Already injured below, he couldn't let the water invade his abdomen. The organs in his upper body were more critical. If his heart or lungs were severely damaged, even as a grandmaster, he couldn't withstand it.

In that brief moment, the water in his throat had already turned to ice. As he spat it out, it brought a trace of blood; his throat had been cut by the sharp ice.

Damn it!

Cao Lin tightly closed his mouth, not daring to speak again.

The imperial teacher, witnessing this, couldn't help but grow more serious.

Turning water to ice!

This was beyond the capability of a water technique grandmaster.

A water technique great grandmaster?

The imperial teacher furrowed his brows deeply, placing himself in Cao Lin's position. He realized that even he might not be able to handle Leng Shi quickly.

...

Hiding in the water, Du Ge racked his brain for a way to break the stalemate. Suddenly, he sensed something unusual.

His affinity with the surrounding water seemed to be increasing.

Something's wrong?

Mental power?

He instinctively opened his personal interface.

Sure enough.

In the short time he had been fighting, his mental power had surged again, reaching an astonishing 330,000?

What was going on?

Was someone secretly helping him?

Bai Long?

But Bai Long had no reason to do so.

If Pan-Universal Entertainment rigged the odds by secretly boosting his mental power, wouldn't that ruin the casino's reputation if discovered?

Thinking too much in battle was obviously inappropriate.

Du Ge quickly discarded his doubts.

No matter what, an increase in mental power was a good thing, meaning he could now easily accomplish what he couldn't before.

Du Ge had an exceptional combat talent.

He looked at Cao Lin in the sky, then at the water he had lifted into the air. An idea struck him, and a large mass of water suddenly condensed above Cao Lin, forming a smooth, large ice block.

Then.

The shape of the ice block rapidly changed, becoming a convex lens with a thick center and thin edges. He adjusted the direction of the lens.

Sunlight passed through the lens, converging into a dazzling bright spot, directly shining on Cao Lin's face.

Blinded by the strong light.

Cao Lin instinctively squinted. Having experienced countless battles, he had used the blade to reflect sunlight and affect the enemy's vision.

He was prepared for this.

But the next second, he screamed in agony. When the bright spot moved to his face, it felt like scalding molten iron was poured onto his skin.

Blisters formed on his face, his eyes were burned, and he was plunged into darkness.

Damn it?

What was happening?

He had clearly formed an ice block; why was it emitting such scorching heat, hotter than boiling water...

Cao Lin was puzzled, but his hands didn't stop. One slash shattered the lens Du Ge had formed.

Water magic could be this terrifying?

Blood tears streamed down Cao Lin's face.

He tightly closed his eyes, relying on his senses to strike at Du Ge in the Yang River with the most ferocious slash of his life.

This slash nearly split the Yang River in two. The water surged to the banks, unable to flow back for a long time, even exposing the riverbed mud.

At this moment, Cao Lin was filled with immense grief. Before coming, he thought he could easily defeat Du Ge. Who would have thought he would be the first to get injured?

Moreover.

Up to now, he hadn't even wounded his opponent.

Now, his injuries were worsening.

He could only unleash his river-splitting slash three times at most.

He had already decided that if he couldn't kill Du Ge within three slashes, he must retreat.

Judging by the time, his troops should be arriving soon.

In his current state, if Du Ge used the Yang River's water, he couldn't stop him...