Standing outside, the gasping Tai Yingui watched the smoke caving back in over the dying embers’ glow. “Dead?”

  What does the law of smoke and shadows say?

  Nothing. Only silence. No, it was too silent.

  Doll Seed Sense, activate!

  Tai Yingui’s eyes searched the curtain of whitish gray, but there was only smoke and more smoke.

  “Even my seed is gone?”

  Tai Yingui frowned and reflexively stretched the mouth of his pouch, pulling out a dormant doll tattooed with a grassy theme.

  Just when the low-grade doll twitched and entered its awakening sequence, a flash of yellow flickered in the smoke at the edge of his vision.

  Tai Yingui barely got a chance to react before a streak of lightning zapped over!

  Zzzz! The bolt from the blue battered his turtle-shell barrier, sending a shockwave rippling through it!

  Just when the crackling lightning fizzled out, the smoke curtain was violently blown apart by the hunter rocketing out with windbreaker billowing and fist flying!

  Bam! Wham! BAM!

  Seeing the rapid fists making the translucent shield ripple like water, Tai Yingui clutched his turtle shield and shuffled a few steps back, trying to retreat.

  But his agility simply couldn’t keep up and the tempest whacking his barrier darted from the front to the side.

  Muda! Muda! Mudaaaa! Pow!

  After landing another heavy punch, Bubai barely spared a glance at the pretty doll creepily skittering over with limbs clicking like a giant spider…

  He instantly kicked off the ground, vaulting up and over the barrier!

  Mid-air, Bubai slapped his storage pouch.

  In the blink of an eye, a large bronze vat full of water appeared and expanded overhead, smashing down upon the runic barrier like a cauldron!

  DEEENG!

  The impact made the projected runic shell cave inward like a balloon!

  Underneath, Tai Yingui’s face changed.

  The veins on his skinny arms bulged and he strained to push his tortoise shell upwards against the weight. “Gehhh… Get. Off!”

  In the end, the power of the artifact triumphed over the mortal object.

  With an oom of protest, the runic projection’s shape snapped back to its original form, rebounding the vat skyward!

  Seeing his first tactic fail, Bubai adjusted quickly and delivered a light kick to tip over the airborne vat.

  Water churned and out they all poured like a waterfall, coating the barrier below in a curtain of water.

  Riding the slippery surface down, Bubai kicked off the barrier and launched forward, kneeing the oncoming doll right in the face!

  Crack! A ragdoll was sent flying away like a kite with a broken string!

  Landing with a light splash, Bubai tapped-danced a few steps back, staring at the doll owner who pulled away while looking in the direction of the missing doll with a pained face.

  Bubai brushed a finger across his nose.

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  "Those broken toys of yours are useless against me. Unless you’ve got another mid-tier doll hiding somewhere, I suggest you stop wasting everybody’s time and just surrender. There’s no chance for a comeback."

  Tai Yingui’s grip tightened on his shield like grasping a lifeline and straightened up.

  “Don’t speak as if you’ve won. You did a good job of covering it up, but I can smell the burnt flesh even from in here! I know you definitely aren’t feeling too well. Gehehe. I wonder… how long you can last?”

  Bubai didn’t even flinch, simply cracking his knuckles and banged on the barrier once more!

  “I have no problem lasting until I break this turtle shell of yours!”

  Ta Yingui threw his head back and his cackle rang out like the jeering of a crow.

  “Geh-gehehe! Keep bragging! This Desert Tortoise Guardian of mine isn’t so easy to break! Those peak refiners who have cracked it can be counted on one hand!”

  Here, Tai Yingui condescendingly looked back at Bubai and smiled.

  “That reminds me... I really should thank you for getting rid of that poisonous eyesore in the last round.”

  “At our realm, only power at the level of his secret knife arts stand a chance of penetrating my shell. As for you? Judging by all the pitiful skills you’ve shown so far, gehehe... there’s no way it’s happening!”

  Bubai hated to admit it, but… he wasn’t wrong.

  Without bypassing that accursed barrier, there really wasn’t any way to beat this royal egghead.

  A skilled assassin might have the tools to counter this frustrating textbook turtling playstyle.

  Find the weak point. Stack critical hits. Pierce through the shield in, at most, a few shots...

  But that wasn’t Bubai’s strength.

  Unless he’s the protagonist, there’s no way he can master such godly cross-realm one-shotters.

  Merlin’s beard, it has only been only half a year since he entered this Sun Furnace Sect. His skill bank is still rather limited.

  Hence why he relied so heavily on clever mortal means.

  Of course, don’t underestimate mundane tricks.

  Perhaps if there was another vat of water to act as a second meteor, a certain infamous “what will you do about the second one” scene could’ve been reenacted and the sheer weight might’ve done the job.

  Alas, Bubai didn’t have a spare.

  Still, that was the closest he got, and it gave him a good estimate of that barrier’s power.

  Most physical attacks at the Qi-refinement level weren’t getting through. This meant…

  Weapons are just as useful as his fists. Ranged tools like his newly-acquired needle ball will only kiss the ground.

  Anything requiring physical contact, like his dream transmission illusion, were just as useless.

  Basically, anything in his current public arsenal was just another pebble tossed against a mountain.

  If he wants to break through, he’ll have to explode with more power beyond his current level!

  But he still wanted to save that explosion to be a trump card for another fight.

  It wasn’t worth burning an ace for a win that was pretty much already in the bag.

  Well… since brute force wouldn’t work, Bubai decided to try something else.

  Click. Click. Click.

  Bubai’s eyes strayed over to the doll eerily crawling back over.

  A single glance let him notice her rather unsightly, half-broken face...

  Bloody Merlin! It really did look like those broken dolls right out of a low-budget horror films!

  And that’s the handiwork from a single hit.

  Gotta say, the difference in quality between dolls is real!

  Now, that face really did look a bit uneven for his tastes.

  Bubai was determined to fix that!

  So, a single kick decisively gave the other half of its face the equal treatment it deserved, punting its owner far, far away!

  There it goes… job’s done.

  Turning back around, Bubai shoved on the barrier and barked, “You cowardly turtle! Quit hiding behind these fragile playthings! Come out and fight like a real man!”

  The force of the shove only made Tai Yingui take half a step back and he can’t help but mock. “So weak! Did you not eat rice? If you’re a man, break in and hit me!”

  Bubai’s face became as dark as the bottom of a pot. “Hey, hey, you’re really forcing my hand. Fine. Seems I’ll have to make you feel the pain.”

  Opening his stance, Bubai’s uninjured hand extended out toward the ground and became a claw.

  Breath... mold…

  What’s left of his Qi surged to his palm. Lightning Style: Bubaidori!

  Crackle. Crackle.

  Seeing the sparks of lightning snaking around Bubai’s fingers, Tai Yingui sneered.

  “Geh, just an incomplete lightning technique. Enough to scare mortals, but it’s useless against me!”

  Bubai grinned. “Then stand still if you’ve got the balls!”

  Tai Yingui dug his foot into the wet ground and held up his shield.

  “Come on! Who’s scared of who? I’ll let you see just how useless your three-legged kungfu really is!”

  Bubai glared at his foe that didn’t even bother running. Was this royal turtle-egg really that confident in his shield?

  Perhaps. But even if he’s not, they both knew that running would change nothing.

  After all, compared to everyone before, this doll user’s frail physique was rather unimpressive, like somebody who has never touched physical training at all.

  Naturally, his speed wasn’t up to par.

  Without some extraordinary lightness skill, there was no hope of outrunning anyone on foot!

  So, relying on his magic shield was this Taiyin turtle’s only way out!

  Bubai had to admit. This shield was a tough nut to crack, but…

  He doesn’t believe there is no flaws in that defense!

  Every fortress had its chink. The question is whether or not you see it.

  Feeling the lightning power searing the flesh of his fingers, Bubai’s eyes sharpened and his legs bent slightly.

  A wild and electric grin danced on his face. The last strike.

  It all came down to this! Time for a... shocking climax!