Heavy rain began to fall. Fat droplets the size of coins pelted Su River City. The water that fell from the sky was not ordinary water. When it impacted roofs, clay and wooden tiles were shattered into pieces. When it hit the side of stone and brick walls, big chucks were ripped out like they were made of tofu.

Chen Wentian also felt pressure from this improved domain attack. He could still repel the rain with his spiritual aura but it required much more effort. As each drop evaporated against his dome of sword energy, it weighed him down greatly. It was more difficult to move around and the force of the domain was constantly pushing him towards the ground, preventing him from escaping.

This was the true strength of a Spirit Lord demon. She was no longer playing around. But he still wasn’t interested in fighting her seriously. He held a brand-new shield above his head like an umbrella and gave a mocking gesture with the other hand.

Qin Shui’er let out a shriek in fury. Her eyes glowed blue and a surge of spiritual energy followed. Her skin changed color and her body expanded in size. Turning from pale white to a light blue, she transformed into a watery figure over three meters tall. This was the true form of the shuimu.

“Lin Huzhong! I’ll kill you!” She bellowed.

She waved her hand in a circle, gathered a sphere of rainwater the size of a watermelon, and shot it at him.

He dodged deftly with a spurt of sword energy. The ball of water sailed past him in a flash of blue light and crashed in the hotel below, further demolishing it.

Several more destructive balls came for his head but he dodged each one. The power of this kind of attack was impressive but the drawback was that it was too slow. In theory, the heavy rain that was falling was supposed to slow him down enough for the other attack to land. In practice, both moves were a bit lacking.

Something was missing in her moves. It was as if this demoness had managed to reach the Spirit Lord Realm without truly mastering the Dao of water. It was unfortunate for her but suited him just fine.

“You can do better than that!” He shouted over the noise of battle.

“Shut your mouth!”

Water once again gathered in her hands. Instead of a long-range attack, it formed into two identical curved blades at least two meters in length. She then charged at him, whipping a giant water saber at his head.

Clang!

The sharp edge of her blade smashed against the sword that appeared in his hand. The force of her blow forced him back. She certainly had plenty of strength even if her attacks were unrefined.

She attacked again, forcing him to dodge and flee. Qin Shui’er chased him doggedly even though her attacks failed to do any damage. They chased each other, one a human Spirit Lord with a deep understanding of multiple martial arts, the other a demon Spirit Lord who clearly relied on her natural strength and elemental affinity over anything else.

Their battle was an example of why the human race rose to prominence in this world of spiritual energy and cultivation. Humans relied on intellect over physical strength. They were one of the weakest creatures but their understanding of various Daos and martial arts were superior to many beasts and demons.

This dynamic extended to the immortal realms to a certain degree. This was especially the case in the beginner realms where beasts and demons continued to rely on innate physiques and inherited bloodlines. At the Spirit Lord Realm, immortals were merely at the beginning of truly understanding their Dao and how it connected to the natural laws of the world. A Spirit Lord Realm shuimu’s ability to control water could hardly be compared to those at the higher realms whose destructive power could wipe out whole provinces.

“What’s wrong, wifey, are you getting tired?” Chen Wentian taunted.

Qin Shui’er slashed her blade at his smug face, “Who’s tired, I can still fight!”

“Good! Don’t let me down. A good wife should be able to fight all night and until dawn!”

“Who’s your wife? Go screw a sack of dirt!”

Their furious battle continued. They swept across Su River City, destroying buildings and walls with wayward water bombs and sword strikes. With each passing breath, hundreds of demonized human puppets that roamed the streets were obliterated.

Chen Wentian still remained on the defensive. He didn’t even bother to show off the Six Meridians Demon Blight sword style to test its effectiveness against an immortal demon. It wouldn't do anything because they were once again playing a cat and mouse game. He wanted the demoness to call her backup. He wasn’t going to fight seriously until then.

The pair fought for what seemed like forever. She was trying to wear down his spiritual energy stores while he was wearing down her patience. He understood her trick and played along. He pretended to get steadily weaker, letting his sword strikes and movements become sluggish. He became even more defensive and even pretended to try and flee.

“I give up, wifey. I’m leaving.” He said, wiping fake beads of sweat from his brow.

“You’re not going anywhere!” Qin Shui’er shouted.

The heavy rain intensified, further weighing him down until he was forced to fly closer and closer to the ground.

An ordinary immortal in his position would have indeed been in a tough spot. Certain beasts and demons had naturally more powerful physiques than humans. Shuimu was one of these and the demoness’ endurance was far better than an average human Spirit Lord. But if it really became a test endurance, there was perhaps no immortal in the world who could match him. He had so many immortal souls to draw strength from, he really could fight until dawn and then some.

Chen Wentian landed on the soggy ground. Mud splattered on his shoes and pants. He looked up at the swirling figure of the water demon and pretended to grimace. The image he projected was one of a cornered swordmaster, weary from a long battle and with no way to escape from the rain domain. If she was going to call for backup, it would be now.

Qin Shui’er looked down at the sad sack of lard below and flashed a vicious smile. It was finally time. He dared to insult her pride. He dared to call her wifey. She was going to make him pay.

She sent off a discreet message with her spiritual energy, calling for her ally to spring the final trap.

Half a breath later, the ground beneath Chen Wentian exploded. A mountain of dirt and rocks rose into the air and obscured him as well as half the city from view.

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