Chapter 528: Clash!

“Interesting.”
“The Emperor” watched Silver Fox get dressed quietly. Instead of mocking him for changing his equipment so solemnly, he showed a faint hint of excitement.
Since it was a game, one had to follow the rules and go all out!
Those who pretended to be cool by showing off their fancy outfits couldn’t even parry his moves—they were just showing off without real strength. In contrast, opponents who knew when to act were worth his effort.
In his eyes, Silver Fox was a promising candidate, but his fighting skills were clearly far superior in certain aspects—developed on his own and honed in the military. That was what made him worth fighting.
As Silver Fox finished changing, “The Emperor” curved his lips slightly:
“You only have one chance to strike.”
“…Not necessarily.” Although Silver Fox had guessed “The Emperor’s” true identity through their conversation with Happy, he was also fully aware of his own strength. Like a golden war god, with a face in both gold and silver, emitting an indifferent cold glow, a strong aura of experience from battle surged from him for the first time.
“The Emperor” let out a slight gasp of surprise, which he quickly suppressed.
“I see.”
Their conversation was brief and cryptic, leaving others completely confused.
But Silver Fox’s aura now revealed a hardness and coldness it had never shown before. The hidden killing intent, beneath his subdued presence, was extremely dangerous, as if he was already ready to challenge “The Emperor.”
Thud!
Silver Fox suddenly shot forward… without any warning!
While the audience was still feeling the terrifying atmosphere between the two, they couldn’t see Silver Fox bend his knees—he had already rushed over ten meters in an instant.
Only true masters could detect those barely perceptible muscle vibrations and slight knee bends, which recovered so quickly that they would go unnoticed without close observation.
Yet…
Even those who managed to follow Silver Fox’s movement felt a bone-chilling dread and fierce shock from his astonishing explosive power.
“So fast!”
Too fast!!!

No sign of bending the knees—covering over ten meters in an instant. Such speed even made “The Emperor” show a hint of seriousness. The hem of his magnificent robe dipped slightly, and with a “snap!”, his right hand reflexively rested on the hilt of his sword—a deadly aura emanated from “The Emperor”. The intensity of his killing intent far surpassed that of Silver Fox!

Silver Fox remained calm, his expression unchanged.

Though he rarely used the fourth-tier gold components, he was well-accustomed to such speeds and quickly understood his body’s explosive power and mobility.

Seeing “The Emperor” reach for his sword, Silver Fox faintly sensed a intense pressure that only appeared just before drawing a sword in a joyful mood.

His pupils contracted slightly!

Cough!

Below the arena, everyone saw almost simultaneously that the moment “The Emperor” drew his long sword, Silver Fox moved sideways half a meter at an astonishing speed with his eyes closed.

A black sword beam, like lightning, swept in a “Z” shape across Silver Fox’s remaining shadow at the original spot, tearing through it and creating a half-foot-deep gash in the ground behind him!

The first strike! Missed!!

“The Emperor” was clearly surprised as well—this had never happened before. Silver Fox had perfectly dodged this strike, his eyes filled with disbelief and a hint of excited astonishment.

Just now, he had struck at the exact moment before Silver Fox landed, with a drawing speed of just over zero point a few seconds. Even Zhou Yu wouldn’t have had time or chance to dodge. Who would have thought Silver Fox could pull off such a quick sideways movement in mid-air? The first strike proved ineffective!

But…

Silver Fox, on the other hand, was drenched in cold sweat.

If it weren’t for his prior interactions with Happy and his firsthand experience of Happy’s swordsmanship—those suffocating sword intents, that unstoppable speed and timing—Silver Fox wouldn’t have been able to make such a brilliant dodge in such a short time.

“The second strike!” In the blink of an eye, “The Emperor” let out a loud laugh. His black long sword, like a thin, sharp whip, swung downward in an instant, striking Silver Fox’s body as he hung in mid-air, unable to dodge a second time.

A fierce sword strike!

Below the arena, countless people felt a shared sense of fear as they watched Silver Fox being struck hard by that black whip-like sword beam that tore through the air.

Severe pain surged through Silver Fox’s nerves!

His body felt as though it were being cut at high speed!

Fortunately, his protective barrier activated in time. Though damaged, it absorbed some of the harm. Additionally, the red flames that appeared on his surface also took in a small portion of the damage, preventing his body from being cut apart on the spot.

Pfft!

Bright red blood splattered from the silver fox’s body, covering the ground in droplets. The mythical four-section golden armor was torn apart by a long, narrow sword wound—a sight truly shocking. Yet, the silver fox ignored the pain with agility, twisting its body and rolling once before propping itself up on one hand. Like a golden scorpion wandering the desert, its eyes glowed fiercely, like those of a wounded beast. The moment it hit the ground, its body tensed even more, its fur standing on end as it stared fiercely at “The Emperor,” completely unconcerned about the terrifying wound on its body… or the blood flowing from its chest, abdomen, and legs onto the ground. It knew it couldn’t dodge that sword strike earlier—the sword energy had been fully manifested by “The Emperor,” controlled with ease, and its sword intent was also perfectly mastered. Truly, he was the strongest opponent even Happy couldn’t guarantee victory against. If not for the “Red Flame Palm” bestowed by Happy, which had reached master level and possessed the ability to protect the body, reduce damage, and dissipate internal energy, that second sword would have torn through its internal organs… A mere fraction of an inch separated life from death for it. However, gasps of awe filled the arena below. Anyone could see that the silver fox, still far from “The Emperor,” was covered in blood and had already lost much of its fighting ability. With such a huge disparity in strength, it was impossible for the silver fox to withstand a third strike. “The Emperor’s” strength truly exceeded that of ordinary people. Just two sword strikes had left the fearsome “Silver-faced Marquis” severely injured. In this world, aside from those martial arts experts NPC, how many could stand against “The Emperor”? “Not bad.” At that moment, “The Emperor” suddenly stopped and stared at the silver fox, saying, “So far, only three people have forced me to use my third sword. The first is Zhou Yu, the second is Rainy Night Asura, and the third is Desolation Killer. You… are worthy of pride.” After saying that, he slowly raised his sword. A black sword barrier unfolded above the arena with his movement, leaving countless people staring in astonishment at what was happening before their eyes.