Chapter Sixty-Three: The Greatest Shaman Under Heaven, Tang Yi Steps into the Battle for Life

The Buddha’s lamp glowed, casting forth a brilliance; a thread of hope emerged to save the dying age.

“Fatty, you’re magnificent!” Song Mo uttered a heartfelt praise, gripping his broadsword horizontally in his hands.

Xia Yu’s courage was inspiring—he had pushed back the enemy a step with the body of a mere mortal. Song Mo could not fall behind; at the very least, he must force Little Mountain Lord back half a step.

“Thank you for going easy!” Song Mo murmured, his voice low, not bothering with further words. The broadsword left his hand, shooting out like a staff rebounding from a stone cliff.

“Courting death,” Little Mountain Lord’s face was ice-cold; Xia Yu’s affront had truly angered him.

“Mere mortals dare to challenge a great demon? Have I been too merciful?” Little Mountain Lord formed a sword gesture with his right hand; suddenly, a wrist blade appeared, etched with dark red patterns.

“Come back, you’re no match for him,” Tang Yi said, his eyes narrowing as he saw Little Mountain Lord draw his blade, speaking gravely to Song Mo.

“Don’t worry, just watch me force the enemy back half a step!” Song Mo, upon seeing Little Mountain Lord’s weapon, felt retreat was wise, but his broadsword had already been launched, hurtling toward his opponent’s abdomen.

The arrow was nocked; there was no turning back.

Little Mountain Lord didn’t even move his body—he simply swung his wrist blade.

A metallic crack rang out; the broadsword snapped in two.

Song Mo rushed forward, swift as lightning, catching the broken blade midair.

Empowered by the Great Strength Pill, Song Mo’s strength surpassed ordinary men. Though the broadsword was forged from refined steel, thick and stable, it felt light as a reed in his hands.

Now, half the blade was gone, sliced away by Little Mountain Lord’s weapon; even with divine strength, the sword could bear only a fraction of his power.

There was no time to think. Song Mo gripped the broken blade’s hilt tightly, using all his strength to hack downwards.

He aimed only to force Little Mountain Lord back half a step, but having just suffered humiliation, his opponent would hardly grant him that satisfaction.

Little Mountain Lord easily blocked the broken blade with his wrist knife, then gently pushed. Song Mo felt a strange force surge from the point of contact.

Before he could react, his body—along with the broken blade—was sent flying backwards, like a chick kicked by a boot.

Unlike Xia Yu, Song Mo lacked the body-tempering arts. This fall left him dizzy, nearly coughing up blood.

“So, you’re playing rough, huh? Fine, I’ll fight you to the end!” Song Mo, having suffered a setback, cursed at Little Mountain Lord.

With lightning speed, Song Mo seized the broken blade and charged again.

Little Mountain Lord was not inclined to humor him. Song Mo had barely raised his weapon before a kick sent him flying.

This time, Little Mountain Lord used force. Before he hit the ground, Song Mo spat out a perfect arc of blood.

With a heavy thud, he crashed to the earth.

“What is the point of showing off? Why not stay put?” Tang Yi, anxious and angry, quickly took a healing pill from his treasure pouch and shoved it into Song Mo’s mouth.

After swallowing the pill, Song Mo’s breathing steadied.

“Why are you smiling? Did you hit your head?” Tang Yi was stunned to see Song Mo, mouth full of blood, grinning, and worried he’d suffered a head injury.

After a thorough check, Tang Yi saw Song Mo’s head was as usual, and finally relaxed.

But Song Mo kept grinning, even more brightly than before.

“What—” Tang Yi began to ask, but Song Mo spoke first.

“Three.”

“Song Mo, are you alright?” Tang Yi was thoroughly baffled.

“Two.”

Not only Tang Yi, but Xia Yu, Zhao Yue Shu, Shu Ming Li, and Zhang Xiao Guang were all mystified by Song Mo’s antics.

“One!”

As Song Mo’s words fell, Little Mountain Lord frowned and retreated half a step.

“What kind of sorcery is this?” Little Mountain Lord, having lost face again, stared at the three golden needles on the ground, his expression stormy.

“Who says only spells can harm? This is medicine, and I am the world’s foremost orthodox shaman-healer,” Song Mo replied calmly, satisfied his goal was achieved.

He swept his sleeve and called, “Needles!”

The three golden needles rose into the air, landing steadily on his fingertips.

He had successfully shown off, hiding his true skill.

Under everyone’s astonished gaze, Song Mo returned the three demon-banishing golden needles to the beast-hide at his waist.

In truth, Song Mo was unsure himself. The ancient book’s remnant, "The Shaman’s Chapter," recorded how to use the demon-banishing needles to expel evil, but he had no cultivation and could not verify its authenticity. In a desperate moment, he used them.

Thankfully, they worked. It seemed the reward from the Soul Summoning Record was genuine.

“Parlor tricks,” Little Mountain Lord snorted, his gaze hostile toward Song Mo.

“Little Tang, it’s your turn now.” Song Mo feigned ease, joking, knowing that the last hope rested entirely on Tang Yi.

Thus, Tang Yi bore the greatest pressure.

Tang Yi shot Song Mo a glare, then, without delay, right hand gripping a willow-leaf blade, left hand holding a thunder talisman, he moved into action.

Tang Yi’s speed was impressive, even surpassing Song Mo’s.

Little Mountain Lord’s patience had been worn thin by Xia Yu and Song Mo. He raised his right hand, wrist blade upward, its dark red patterns glowing bright crimson, then shrouded the blade in ghostly blue demon fire.

Zhao Yue Shu’s expression changed dramatically. She whispered, “Oh no, Brother truly intends to kill!”

Tang Yi, at the forefront, felt Little Mountain Lord’s murderous intent, but showed no fear, approaching with blade in hand.

“Well met!” Little Mountain Lord growled, wrist blade blazing with demon fire, striking at Tang Yi with unbelievable speed.

“Be careful!” Song Mo, watching from outside the circle, saw clearly; this blow was fast and fierce, bolstered by demon fire, blocking all Tang Yi’s paths of retreat.

“It’s over,” Xia Yu’s face was bleak.

Yet, in the next moment, a shocking scene unfolded. Tang Yi moved with an uncanny step.

Little Mountain Lord’s nearly unavoidable strike missed Tang Yi’s clothes by a hair, not even brushing his hem.

“How can this be?” Zhao Yue Shu stared wide-eyed as Tang Yi, with an incredible step, dodged the deadly blow with ease.

Song Mo and Xia Yu, faces brightening, saw hope in Tang Yi’s actions.

“Daoist Star Step? Seven-Star Step?” Little Mountain Lord retreated two steps, asking repeatedly.

“Enough talk, face my blade!” Tang Yi replied curtly, stepping with the orthodox Daoist Seven-Star Step, fighting Little Mountain Lord evenly.

Tang Yi and Little Mountain Lord were evenly matched for the moment, but Song Mo, with his discerning eyes, quickly noticed beads of sweat on Tang Yi’s brow.

Something was wrong. Song Mo had seen Tang Yi’s swordplay in Pomegranate Alley; he shouldn’t tire so quickly. Could it be—

Was it the Seven-Star Step?

Song Mo guessed correctly. The orthodox Daoist Seven-Star Step, derived from the Yu Step, harmonizes with nature and contains the essence of the Dao. Though powerful, it is extremely taxing.

“Let’s see how long you can last!” Little Mountain Lord roared, making an incantation with his left hand. Countless dark shadows enveloped Tang Yi.

“Not good!” Seeing Tang Yi in danger, Song Mo and Xia Yu could only watch anxiously.

When masters duel, interference from others is strictly forbidden; a single misstep could mean death.

Within the shadows, Tang Yi shouted, “Jade Purity begins, true talisman aligns, transfer and unify, blend into truth. Five Thunders, Five Thunders, swiftly gather at Huang Ning, mist transforms, thunder roars, lightning strikes, heed my call and come, release the voice of Yang!”

With the final thunder talisman, Tang Yi was betting everything!