"You're stronger than I expected," the saber-wielding cultist said with a chuckle. "Too bad, that's not enough. Now die."
With that, he rushed to Wu Haoran and chopped down with his saber.
Raising the Sky Piercing Halberd, Wu Haoran stabbed upward, meeting the saber with the halberd's blade. Sparks flew as the two weapons collided.
"What?!" Wu Haoran exclaimed in shock and disbelief as he was sent flying backwards.
Flipping around in midair, Wu Haoran reoriented himself and stabbed the halberd into the ground to slow himself down.
As he landed next to Tian Qingfeng, he dropped to one knee as he panted.
"Be careful. I was equally matched with him a while ago, but after he performed some sort of ritual, that blood cloud merged with him, and now, he is a lot stronger than me. At least a whole step stronger."
Narrowing his eyes, Wu Haoran got up and readied his Halberd.
"If we're not careful here, we will really die."
Tian Qingfeng nodded as he narrowed his eyes at the saber-wielding cultist who was approaching in a leisurely manner.
"His current form seems to be some sort of temporary enhanced state. Do you think we can hold on until it runs out?" Tian Qingfeng asked.
"Not possible, it's more likely that we will die before his enhancement runs out." Wu Haoran replied
"How about I hold him back while you run for it?" Tian Qingfeng suggested
"Not possible, you don't have a weapon. He would slice you to bits in mere seconds."
Looking at Wu Haoran out of the corner of his eye, Tian Qingfeng noticed how stiff and motionless he was, with eyes constantly twitching and hands clammy around the shaft of the halberd..
"How about you hold him back, and I run?"
At that, Wu Haoran turned his head slightly and glared at Tian Qingfeng with the corner of his eye. Tian Qingfeng was staring back at him with exhausted eyes and a cheeky grin.
After being glared at, Tian Qingfeng chuckled as he said, "Alright, I was just joking. You're too tense and locking up."
As he said that, he slipped the tattered backpack off his back and tossed it to the side.
He then turned his head slightly to look at Wu Haoran.
"Alright, I have a plan. But you need to trust me. Can you do that?"
After a moment of hesitation flickered through his eyes, he gave a firm look to Tian Qingfeng as he subtly nodded his head.
"Alright, then in a moment, we'll charge at him. I'll attack while you defend. When the time is right, attack him with your full might."
Seeing Wu Haoran nod in agreement, Tian Qingfeng smiled and remarked,
"Well, here we go. It's do or die."
With that, stomping one foot into the ground, he charged forward towards the blood cultist with Wu Haoran following closely behind.
Trailing in mirrored arcs, both of them rushed forward. Upon getting close, Tian Qingfeng performed the third stance of the 8 Tigers Fist as he threw a punch at the cultist's chest.
"Give it up! All plans are pointless before such overwhelming strength!" The cultist bellowed as he raised his sword and slashed down with a sinister glint in his eyes
Right as the blade was about to cut down on Tian Qingfeng, Wu Haoran pushed forward his Halberd and caught the sword. Tian Qingfeng's fist hit the pulsing veins on his chest, pushing the cultist back.
Feeling the inner qi in him surge as he quickly returned to the Resting Tiger stance, his expression grew grim while he gritted his teeth. He had to hurry up and finish this fight. Even if his strength had surged to 5896.8 kg of force, he wouldn't be able to endure for much longer.
Tian Qingfeng rushed behind the cultist and immediately launched a second punch with all his might after forcefully stabilizing his inner qi.
The cultist, perhaps feeling a heavy sense of danger, turned around and slashed his sword at Tian Qingfeng.
Wu Haoran, catching the chance, formed a sigil and swung his halberd, whose blade was bathed in radiant golden light, at the cultist.
Sensing the blade aimed at his waist, Tian Qingfeng abandoned his punch and ducked down in a flash. The saber whistled over his head, severing a few stray hairs.
While swinging the saber at Tian Qingfeng, the cultist focused on the radiant halberd swing at his neck. He immediately clawed his free hand at the halberd. The pulsing vein-like markings traveled from his chest, down his free arm, to his fingers, forming blood red crystalline claws.
As the halberd and claws collided, the radiant golden light flashed as it contended with the crimson red light emanating from the crystalline claws. The flashing lights illuminated the cultist's face, allowing Wu Haoran to see a maniacal smile on his face as if he had everything under control.
Immediately after the saber passed over his head, he transferred his entire body weight into his fist as he lunged forward, driving a punch straight into the cultist's waist.
A force of nearly 6000 kilograms smashed into the cultist. If he still had the pulsating blood-red markings on his torso, he might've been able to barely withstand the punch, as the markings would've enhanced his durability as well as taken on some of the damage.
But now, since the markings were pulled away by Wu Haoran's Halberd strike, Tian Qingfeng's fist dug into his waist, concaving the flesh in that area.
The immense force caused the cultist to falter as his body reacted to the punch slamming into him. Taking advantage of the pause, Wu Haoran immediately bypassed the crimson claws and slashed the halberd's crescent blade forward. The halberd drew an arc in the air, splattering blood on the alley's walls.
Tian Qingfeng and Wu Haoran immediately stepped back 5 feet. As the cultist froze in place, motes of light flaked off his crystalline blood claws, dissolving as his head toppled from his shoulders spurting blood.
After returning to Wu Haoran's side, Tian Qingfeng immediately released the accumulated inner qi. Immediately after, pain shot throughout his body, followed by extreme exhaustion. Tian Qingfeng felt his entire body growing heavy; his limbs and eyelids felt like lead.
Mind sluggish and body aching, he turned his head towards Wu Haoran next to him with great difficulty.
"Can you handle the rest?"
"Yes, the police and my family head should be here soon." Wu Haoran nodded
"Great, I'll leave the rest to you." Tian Qingfeng said, "Also, please remember to retrieve my backpack."
With that, Tian Qingfeng crumbled to the ground, clutching the ornate jade hung around his neck, much to Wu Haoran's shock.
"H-hey, hey!!! What happened, are you o-" Wu Haoran's voice faded into the darkness.