Chapter 127 Cage

Shiva was prepared this time, so his reaction was lightning fast. He used a move called Qingyan Jishi (Light Smoke Swift Vanishing) to accelerate and dodge horizontally, withdrawing from the opponent's attack range. At the same time, he cast the Qiang Dao Bu Ru Fa (Spear and Blade Impenetrable Technique) as insurance to prevent the opponent from following up with another move.

Obviously… Brother Jue did have follow-up moves. According to the results of Zero Time Difference Calculation, he had at least six or seven consecutive moves that he could follow up with. Whether he continued to apply pressure with legwork or took out the Must-Break Defense Blade to break the Qiang Dao Bu Ru Fa (Spear and Blade Impenetrable Technique), either was a combat method that could establish a certain advantage.

However, the reality was that after Feng Bujue's sudden attack failed, he just smiled coldly and did not launch a continuous attack.

The reason he chose to do this was because he was very clear… that under the current circumstances, the results obtained by the Zero Time Difference Calculation were unreliable.

Since the cloak battle, Brother Jue had not directly fought Shiva. During this period of time, how much the other party had grown… that was not something that could be estimated with wishful thinking. Although Feng Bujue now possessed the on-paper data observed from the "data perspective," and some inferences obtained from the last fight (such as the attack frequency, firing speed, and range of the Tianwu Sandglass), relying solely on these to speculate on Shiva's full strength… was far from enough.

"Hmph… what an infuriating guy…" After a few seconds passed and seeing that Brother Jue's offensive had temporarily stopped, Shiva couldn't help but mutter to himself, "I have to admit that this kid's combat IQ is astonishingly high… he can find a way to survive in disadvantaged situations, and he's watertight in balanced and advantageous situations."

Indeed, Feng Bujue would not be reckless in this balanced confrontation, or rather… he was the type who would never make low-level mistakes. No matter how arrogant he seemed on the surface, the "cautiousness" deep in his heart would still guard a "logical bottom line." If even this line was abandoned, the boundary between madness and foolishness would disappear, and in that state, a slight carelessness would lead to self-destruction.

"Heh… he used up both acceleration and defense-boosting skills in one go, the cooldown time for those two moves must be over a minute, right?" After a few breaths, seeing that Shiva hadn't moved either, Feng Bujue began to provoke him verbally, "What are you going to do next? Are you going to use the more stable Fei Yan Quan (Flying Flame Fist) to rub some Huti Huijin (Body Protecting Ash) for yourself? Or are you going to use Tianba Heng Kong Lie Hong (Sky Tyrant Horizontal Air Rend) to grab the initiative?"

"Save it," Shiva replied almost without thinking in the next second, "You think this level of provocation… will lure me into your trap?" He continued unhurriedly, "Your two probing attacks did gain some advantages, but considering the overall consumption of skills, stamina, and spiritual power… we're not that far apart. You're now using language to give me psychological hints, just trying to get me to attack you proactively, right?"

"Ah~ Did you see through me…" Feng Bujue smiled sheepishly, "A little embarrassing."

With the thickness of his skin, "embarrassment" was naturally just a saying… but it was a fact that his strategy had been seen through.

The first half of Feng Bujue's words was an attempt to make Shiva feel like "I just suffered a loss, I have to get it back immediately," and the second half was to lead the other party to think about "how should I attack," rather than "should I attack or defend."

To put it bluntly, this was a very typical inducement… a tactic to get the opponent to take the offensive as soon as possible.

But in reality… as long as you think about it calmly, you can understand that after the previous two rounds of confrontation, neither side had gained too much of an advantage. That's right, Shiva had given up a stone plate, but that could only be said to be a "forced error." Apart from this error, both sides had used some skills, but no one had hurt anyone. Objectively speaking, Shiva, who had more skills on cooldown, was the one who should be delaying the pace.

"Crazy Bujue, I have to thank you, and also Devouring Sky Ghost Howl…" Shiva looked directly into Brother Jue's eyes and continued, "Contact with the two of you has changed me, allowing me to step into areas I had never been to before…" As he spoke, he slowly advanced, "The current me has a new understanding of my strength, experience, and skills. I dare not say that I will never waver again, but at least… my confidence will no longer collapse as easily as before, and I will no longer be disturbed by your bizarre behavior." As he spoke, the remaining seven stone plates of the Tianwu Sandglass once again opened their formation, "If you want to win against me, you have to show me strength that leaves me speechless."

"Ha! I think your Excellency's remarks can be summarized in four words – 'Face me head-on'," Feng Bujue said, already taking out the Must-Break Defense Blade and Bell's Everyday Knife from his backpack and the sheath on his waist, and wielding the pair of short blades in both hands.

"I said, your inexplicable words and actions cannot interfere with…" Shiva hadn't finished his sentence when Brother Jue's figure had already disappeared from his sight.

This attack was obviously different from the previous two probes. The previous "momentum" had vanished, but the "killing intent" had suddenly increased several times.

When Feng Bujue's figure reappeared, the cold light of the double blades in his hand had already pressed against Shiva's body.

"Finally serious, huh…" Shiva knew that the opportunity had come, "Well done!"

In that instant, Shiva's mind moved, and he activated the "Earth" special effect of the Tianwu Sandglass – Jingtu (Pure Land).

In the cloak battle, Wu Si Can Xuan, a top player of Order, was also rendered helpless by this move. "Neutralizing all enemy skills and equipment effects (including passive) within range for one minute" – what a mind-blowing special effect that was.

At this moment, seeing that Brother Jue's killing move had arrived and he showed no sign of retreat, Shiva knew that the time had come. Under the effect of Jingtu (Pure Land), the two weapons in Feng Bujue's hands instantly turned into ordinary daggers and kitchen knives, and his own physical skills also decreased by more than half because he could not activate the Lingshi Jushen Shu - Gai (Spirit Consciousness Gathering Art - Modified).

In this way… Shiva's advantage became very obvious.

Clang, clang—

In an instant, two sounds of metal clashing rang out.

Shiva raised his arms, using only the armor on his forearms to block the attacks of the sharp blades.

"Hmm… Although the support of the special effects is lost, the attack power of the equipment itself is still not weak…" In this split second, Shiva felt a numbness in his arms, and many thoughts flashed through his mind, "The attack power of that dagger is undoubtedly at the [Extremely Strong] level, while the kitchen knife is much inferior… However, what is even more concerning than these is this kid's basic physical skills…" Thinking of this, his expression couldn't help but become solemn, "Whether it's strength, speed, or technique, they're all at a first-class level, and the three have reached an ideal state of 'balance'; even I can't achieve this…"

"Hmph… you finally used it…" On the other side, Feng Bujue naturally knew what the other party had done. After his double blades were blocked, his first reaction was to flip backward, and he glanced at the game menu in mid-air.

Unsurprisingly… all the skill icons in the skill bar had turned gray, and as for the special effects of the equipment… the fact that the Must-Break Defense Blade had not broken through the opponent's armor had already explained the problem.

"Sorry, I'm afraid you won't survive for another minute," Two seconds later, Shiva established the first flag in this battle, "In the cloak battle, I used this move on Wu Si Can Xuan, this time, I'll let you experience it…"

However, Feng Bujue's reaction was unexpectedly calm: "Heh… I was waiting for this move." As he spoke, he retreated several meters away, and put the kitchen knife into his backpack, taking out something else in the process.

"Feigning calmness, huh…" Shiva controlled the Tianwu Sandglass, pressing forward, "I'd like to see how you, who has lost your speed advantage and has no defensive power at all, can block this round of sure-kill formation!"

As the words fell, the sound of stone plates shattering rose and fell.

At this moment, Shiva successively activated the "Water" special effect of the Tianwu Sandglass – Disui (Atonement) (ignores physical defense, launches a wave of mental erosion against one enemy, adding the "Atonement" state to the target for thirty seconds. Based on the target's fear reaction, a certain percentage of survival value will be lost every second), the "Fire" special effect – Yehuo (Karmic Fire) (ignores attribute defense, launches a guaranteed hit flame attack against one enemy. This attack has both physical and mental damage, and its power depends on the user's spiritual art proficiency level), and the "Wind" special effect – Fengcai (Wind Judgment) (summons the Pinaka Trident, launches a physical attack against one enemy. The attack comes with lightning attribute, and its power depends on the user's combat proficiency level. After use, the Wind Stone Plate will shatter and can only be restored by returning to the login space).

"Three, four, five…" Facing Shiva's relentless offensive, Feng Bujue's face was as heavy as water, and his eyes flickered with light. Even though he had been hit by Disui (Atonement) and Yehuo (Karmic Fire) in the first instance, even though he was enduring the torture of both mental and physical pain, he still calmly calculated the number of stone plates of the opponent and efficiently made the most reasonable response.

"Hmm? This move seems like I can dodge it…" After taking two moves in a row, Brother Jue's eyes changed slightly, and he activated the Thunder Pearl he had been holding in his hand – Dong Ruo Leiting (Moving Like Thunder), entering a 500% acceleration state for ten seconds.

His judgment was correct. Fengcai (Wind Judgment) was indeed different from the other two moves. This special effect did not have the characteristic of "absolute hit"; as long as the first impact missed and lost its inertia, the Pinaka Trident transformed from the "Wind" Stone Plate would disappear.

Therefore… Feng Bujue successfully dodged this attack with his sudden increase in speed, and turned to run away into the distance.

But how could Shiva let Brother Jue have room to maneuver? He had already guessed that players of Brother Jue's level would definitely prepare a few functional items that could save their lives in addition to "equipment" and "skills". Therefore, when Shiva activated the special effects of the Tianwu Sandglass, he himself was already ready, waiting for Brother Jue to reveal a flaw. Right now, Feng Bujue's act of turning around and fleeing was caught by Shiva right on the spot.

In the next second, there was a loud bang.

Shiva's feet shattered the ground as he bent down and rushed forward, and a move of Tianba Heng Kong Lie Hong (Sky Tyrant Horizontal Air Rend) arrived with a bang.

Feng Bujue also felt the extremely strong move coming from behind, and he immediately took out the Budong Ru Shan (Immovable as a Mountain), turned around, and used a defensive force field to dispel most of the force of the punch.

Of course, the knockback effect of the skill still took effect. Half a second later, Brother Jue's body involuntarily blasted into the sky.

"Hmm? That's not right… this is…" The moment his feet left the ground, Feng Bujue felt something abnormal, which made him mutter a bad omen in his heart.

"Did you notice?" Shiva answered his words, using a speed even faster than Brother Jue's to rush to a higher airspace, "That's right… I activated Shizhong Jiechu (Weightless Contact) the moment I hit you with the Tianba Heng Kong Lie Hong (Sky Tyrant Horizontal Air Rend), to put it simply… you are now a living target that is suspended in the air."

Even Feng Bujue had to admit that Shiva's trick was beautiful… because people who were hit by Jingtu (Pure Land) were basically unable to move freely in the air, so he used the knockback effect of Tianba Heng Kong Lie Hong (Sky Tyrant Horizontal Air Rend) in coordination with Shizhong Jiechu (Weightless Contact) to make the knocked-back target continue to fly at a uniform speed diagonally upwards. Next, he could activate the special effect of the "Air" Stone Plate – Yukong (Air Control) (gains the ability to fly freely for one minute. After use, the Air Stone Plate will shatter and can only be restored by returning to the login space), catch up and give the opponent the final fatal blow.

"If you have no other means, then let's end it here!" A few seconds later, Shiva had already flown to Brother Jue's trajectory, and he casually shouted, using a move of Yi Pai Liang San Zhang (One Slap Two Breaks Palm).

Shiva's set of consecutive techniques, from beginning to end, led the rhythm of the battle, and every move fell into the gap between life and death, leaving Feng Bujue with no chance to breathe.

And this… was exactly what Brother Jue was trying to pursue in this battle.

He didn't use Chuck Norris's Razor or summon the Blood Corpse God, but only used his other abilities to fight against Shiva, just to let the other party force him into a desperate situation. Only in this way… could he break through his own "limits".

…………

Bright information floated in the air like halos, and countless thoughts were like invisible mist… shrouded above this vast space.

This place was a dazzling illusion.

This place was Feng Bujue's Hall of Thoughts.

"What to do? Should I try with Qi Ji Ru Feng (Swift as the Wind)?" In that short, incalculable moment, it seemed particularly long in Feng Bujue's mind, long enough for him to sit down leisurely in the Hall of Thoughts and ask himself.

"That's useless," Feng Bujue No. 2 said with his arms crossed, standing aside and denying Feng Bujue's suggestion, "Even if you turn invisible, you will still collide with the opponent's palm strike due to inertia."

"What about detonating a grenade to change my direction of travel?" Feng Bujue No. 3 said, sitting aside.

"It's too late," Feng Bujue No. 4 gently stroked his forehead and the tip of his nose, and said slowly, "Even if you can ignore the fuse time and use your grip to detonate it, the time it takes to take the grenade cartridge out of the backpack and then take the grenade out of the grenade cartridge… is not enough."

"Besides… if I do that, even if I avoid the opponent's palm strike, I will be half-dead from the explosion," Feng Bujue No. 5 added, pacing around.

"More than half-dead…" Feng Bujue continued, "The damage from Disui (Atonement) is still continuing. If nothing else happens, I will lose 30% of my survival value when all the damage from this skill has ticked; and that Yehuo (Karmic Fire)… has already burned about 40% of my survival value; plus the previous Tianba Heng Kong Lie Hong (Sky Tyrant Horizontal Air Rend), the part that was not blocked also caused about 7% damage…"

"You'll probably die if you get blown up by a grenade, right?" Feng Bujue No. 2 said, licking his lips.

"Then… can I use Qi Xu Ru Lin (Slow as the Forest) or a survival value supplement to heal myself and then take the Yi Pai Liang San Zhang (One Slap Two Breaks Palm) head-on?" Feng Bujue No. 3 suggested again.

"You can…" Feng Bujue No. 4 replied, "But even if you take this hit, the situation will not change in any way."

"Shizhong Jiechu (Weightless Contact) is not a fundamental problem, Jingtu (Pure Land) is," Feng Bujue No. 5 said, "There are still twenty-nine seconds left. How many times can you withstand it if you try to take it head-on?"

"So…" Feng Bujue said with a wry smile, "What to do?"

"What to do?" Feng Bujue No. 2 also smiled.

"What to do?" Feng Bujue No. 3 spread his hands.

"What to do?" Feng Bujue No. 4 shook his head.

"What to do?" Feng Bujue No. 5 looked up at the sky.

Then, they collectively fell into silence.

Until…

"Isn't the shackle imposed by the system just data?" Suddenly, another Feng Bujue's voice sounded.

The five Feng Bujues heard the sound and collectively turned their heads.

Within their sight, there suddenly appeared a birdcage-shaped prison, in which a Feng Bujue was also sitting.

"Now that you can see through the truth…" He showed an evil smile, scanning the other five of himself, "Why not try to 'manipulate' the truth?"

…………

Whoosh—

The power of the palm stirred up a violent gale, bringing out the sound of a fierce wind.

Shiva's palm had almost touched Feng Bujue's back, and in his heart, he had already determined that he had won: "Hmph… in the end… you are more fragile than I thought…"

However, at this moment, an accident happened!