Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

Having decided to take action, Yan Yu and Li Minghu, both decisive in nature, certainly did not hesitate.

They drew their swords!

The moment Huang Tingjian and Sky Flash Sword were unleashed, the two also simultaneously activated the Shifting Technique to rapidly retreat backward.

At the moment, the most threatening aspect of the dragon-headed monster seemed to be its immense strength, along with its weapon being an iron pick, which made it crucial to avoid close combat.

Both retreated dozens of meters in an instant, but the dragon-headed monster, sensing something was amiss, had already turned around. Swinging its iron pick like a steel whip, it knocked Huang Tingjian and Sky Flash Sword flying away in no time.

The Sky Flash Sword, being relatively slender, was expected to fall back in a clash of metals; but Huang Tingjian was a heavy sword, strong and forceful, yet it was also sent flying like a light blade, showing that the strength of the dragon-headed monster was far superior to the Iron Corpse in the Mysterious Realm of days past.

Without the need for words, with mutual understanding, Yan Yu and Li Minghu continued to back away, increasing the distance, only to see the dragon-headed monster revealing a ferocious smile, opening its long snout, and unleashing an earth-shattering, high-decibel roar.

The roaring was so shocking that it even generated a violent wind, causing the iron bars of the fences on both sides to emit a piercing, grating sound as if they were being scraped by a knife.

Huang Tingjian and Sky Flash Sword stabilized and flew back. Li Minghu hesitated for a moment, only to see Yan Yu not wavering at all, controlling his sword to chop down fiercely at the monstrous figure that loomed like a mountain!

In what seemed to be empty space directly ahead, Huang Tingjian actually struck something—the visible ripple of the sound wave shattered, resembling river water crashing against a protruding rock, reluctantly forced to scour and part to its sides.

Li Minghu finally understood that the roar was not just a sound but some kind of forceful invisible shockwave.

Unfortunately, her realization came a bit too late, and before her body could react, she was already thrown into the air by the shockwave coming from the side.

But Yan Yu's hand was quicker than her reflexes, grasping her left hand like lightning the moment her feet had just lifted off the ground, preventing her from being completely thrown away.

Li Minghu, out of balance, was tossed sideways like a flag in the wind, her left hand held firm by Yan Yu, her eyes suddenly sharp, her right hand swiftly executing a sword technique.

The Sky Flash Sword, also sent flying by the shockwave, suddenly accelerated, thrusting forward like a streak of lightning and striking the iron pick thrown by the dragon-headed monster, producing a muffled, dull thud of metal on metal.

The dragon-headed monster, taking advantage of Yan Yu's distraction in grabbing Li Minghu, threw its iron pick in a sneak attack aimed to kill him, but it was intercepted midway by the Sky Flash Sword.

However, the force on the iron pick was so strong that even though the Sky Flash Sword managed to block it, it only succeeded in slightly deflecting it by a few inches, changing the trajectory from the back of Yan Yu's head to his ear.

"Be careful!" Li Minghu could only shout these two words, only to see Yan Yu, who was holding onto her, suddenly shift half a step to the side.

It was the classic speed boost of the Shifting Technique followed by an abrupt halt mid-air—clichéd but still effective, dodging the attack by just the right margin, letting the iron pick graze past his face.

The iron pick that missed its target embedded itself in the distant ground as if a toothpick was thrust into a block of tofu, sinking in halfway, its tail end trembling uncontrollably.

The momentum of the Dragon's Roar Shockwave was halted, Li Minghu finally landed and steadied herself, and before she could catch her breath or cough, she saw the weaponless dragon-headed monster grab hold of the iron bars of a nearby water prison, forcefully tearing off a piece to use as a new weapon.

New weapon acquired!

Seeing this scenario unfold, Li Minghu immediately understood that the dragon-headed monster indeed had long-range attack capabilities: it used the roar shockwave to throw its target off, following up with throwing the iron bar to kill from a distance. If the attempt failed, it would simply tear off another piece to use as a weapon and repeat the process.

They could not retreat any further; they needed to seize the rhythm and counter-attack!

She quickly looked toward Yan Yu. Without the need for any spoken communication, Yan Yu had already grasped her intentions, quickly executing a sword technique, leading Huang Tingjian to attack the dragon-headed monster head-on.

The monster once again swung the iron bar, attempting to knock away Huang Tingjian but did not expect that this was precisely Yan Yu's tactical intent—in the moment it completed its move, the deliberately belated Sky Flash Sword suddenly accelerated into a swift streak of golden light, stabbing through the wide-open gap into its chest.

Assassinate!

The Sky Flash Sword retracted, pulling out a swath of golden blood as the dragon-headed monster fell backward with a thud, unable to rise again.

Li Minghu breathed a sigh of relief but scanned the area with her Divine Sense just to be sure.

The lifeforce had ceased; it was indeed dead.

Given the terrifying brute force of the opponent, no Transcendent could withstand a direct hit. The reason they could assassinate this monster so cleanly was mainly due to the perfect coordination between Yan Yu and herself, with the former feigning an attack to draw out its close combat strike, and the latter seizing the moment it left itself open.

If one had to say, the latter was undoubtedly more challenging, as the window for assassination was fleeting. But instead of feeling pride, Li Minghu found it strange that Yan Yu could understand her tactical intent—Originally, I wanted to discuss the plan with you through mental communication.

"Our cooperation is quite in sync," she remarked casually.

Yan Yu didn't bother explaining to her, "In a past life, my style of fighting was initially influenced by yours. It's a shame you died too early." Otherwise, Li Minghu would have been utterly baffled.

Faced with Li Minghu's probe, he simply smiled and said:

"It was just that you seized the right moment, it has nothing to do with me."

No, that's not it.

Your seemingly straightforward attack, but the flight path of the Huang Tingjian precisely obscured the slightly behind Sky Flash Sword, preventing the dragon-headed monster from catching a glimpse of the sword light; otherwise, our assassination wouldn't have gone so smoothly.

So... cough, cough, cough!

Li Minghu wanted to ask more, but a sudden bout of coughing interrupted the words she intended to ask.

"Quickly dry your clothes," Yan Yu found a corner and released the Flame Curse, "Continuing to fight in wet clothes is too much for me."

The one who really couldn't bear it was actually me... Li Minghu knew that Yan Yu was taking care of her dignity, so she didn't say much, smiled embarrassedly, and began to undress.

Yan Yu calmly turned away, looking toward the stairs leading to the upper levels, when suddenly he heard Li Minghu's soft voice from behind, like a kitten scratching at the heart:

"You wouldn't use Divine Sense to peek, would you?"

"Oh my," Yan Yu feigned a sigh, "I hadn't thought of it until you reminded me."

Li Minghu was unconcerned, knowing that since Yan Yu deliberately said so, he definitely wouldn't peek with Divine Sense.

She removed all her clothing, trousers, socks, and shoes, leaving only her underwear, then used the heat from the Flame Curse to dry her clothes while sweeping the surroundings with Divine Sense uneasily.

Although the two had followed the dragon-headed monster and had explored the entire area, ensuring no one else was nearby, it was still better to be safe than sorry.

The heat from the Flame Curse was intense, quickly drying the moisture.

Li Minghu quickly redressed, let out a sigh of relief, and said:

"I'm ready. Here's your outer garment back."

Yan Yu turned around, declining:

"No need. You're not well; better you keep it on."

"Fine." It was just a piece of clothing, Li Minghu wasn't too fussed, and continued, "Your turn to warm up then, do you need... cough, cough, cough, do you need me to turn around?"

"No need, I'm a guy, it doesn't matter." Yan Yu started taking off his shirt.

As he took off his shirt and was about to remove his trousers, Li Minghu's mind slightly trembled, and she unconsciously turned away.

She tiptoed nervously, repeatedly tapping her feet on the ground, her hands clasped behind her back at the waist, her fingers continuously trembling interlocked.

Yan Yu also used Divine Sense to monitor the staircase behind until all of his clothing was dry, then he put them back on and extinguished the Flame Curse.

"Let's go."

"Okay." Li Minghu turned around, her face showing a relieved expression.

When they reached the stairs, Li Minghu suddenly suggested:

"I'll take the lead. My Sky Flash Sword is faster, better suited for sudden situations."
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"I should do it," Yan Yu disagreed, "What matters is not the sword, but the person."

Li Minghu wanted to say more, but then remembered the Dragon's Roar Shockwave from the dragon-headed monster earlier; indeed, Yan Yu had reacted faster than her, so she nodded and said:

"Then I'll cover you from behind."

"Be careful, Yan Yu."