No need to fight head-on; the masked man was already airborne, unable to rely on any external forces, making it difficult for him to maneuver and evade.

For Li Hongjiu, who carried a faint smile, the moment he forced the masked man into the air, the battle was as good as won.

Within the tornado, the two battled—as the masked man was helplessly carried by the whirlwind, Li Hongjiu freely manipulated the wind with ease, circling at will—fast if he chose, slow if he desired.

Controlling his speed effortlessly, Li Hongjiu quickly closed in on Shi Chun, sending another sword flying from his hand; he wanted to see how the masked man could clumsily evade while caught in the wind.

If he couldn't dodge, the force of this wind-aided attack was something Li Hongjiu believed no one below the Human Immortal Realm could endure; if it didn't cripple, it would surely cause severe injury.

Through the pursuit thus far, Li Hongjiu was essentially certain—this couldn't be one of the elders. If it were, they wouldn't be in such a pitiable situation being chased down like this.

Could this truly be Shi Chun? A powerhouse at Upper Cultivation Level of High Martial, capable of crossing realms to slay opponents of the Great Achievement Realm? Such impossible victories were, to him, far more fascinating than Divine Fire.

Reality seemed as he expected—or should we say, "almost" as expected, due to some peculiarities.

The seemingly unavoidable blow from the flying sword was absurdly avoided by the masked man's unstable, clumsy movements. It was an almost outrageous way of narrowly dodging, even if it appeared chaotic and hurried.

Shi Chun could have dodged the attack more cleanly, but he stuck to the principle: act weak to lull the opponent into complacency.

After evading the sword strike, Li Hongjiu indeed breezed past nearby, carried by the wind. Shi Chun, feigning panic with fumbling gestures, suddenly unleashed immobilization material with a palm strike to intercept Li Hongjiu.

The truth was clear once again—unable to win openly, employing underhanded tricks proved effective.

The immobilization material successfully struck Li Hongjiu, who, despite being a Human Immortal, was still a living being. He quickly felt his movements slowing and realized he had fallen into the trap.

He also discerned the masked man wasn't nearly as panicked as he seemed—it had all been an act for Li Hongjiu's benefit.

With just this encounter, he felt the masked man's insidious cunning.

Moreover, he was nearly scared out of his wits—not by Shi Chun, but by himself—because while immobilized momentarily, the sword he had summoned to return using the wind almost skewered him instead.

It narrowly scraped past his arm.

Right then, Li Hongjiu manipulated his technique, harnessing power derived from his own body, channeling from within outward. His surroundings suddenly sparked with inconspicuous arcs of electricity amidst the chaos, instantly dispelling the immobilization technique.

Again, it came back to this: during his earlier observation of the fight, he had studied the immobilization technique used to trap objects. He had previously used the wind to attempt understanding its essence; without a shred of confidence, he wouldn't have dared engage in close combat with the masked man.

Seeing Li Hongjiu's graceful figure falter and freeze in place, Shi Chun knew instantly his ploy had worked. Overjoyed, he initially intended to charge forward and finish him off with his blade—but suddenly, his eyes flashed with a wary doubt.

Earlier, forced to act under watchful eyes, he had demonstrated his immobilization skill, and Li Hongjiu had seen it clearly. Yet, the man dared engage him head-on. Was he truly unconcerned about it?

His thoughts shifted. Just as he was about to steady his stance, he resumed his erratic movements, prioritizing safety first, as he pulled out the Immortal Strangling Silk and flung it forward. With this magical treasure, he aimed to wrap it around and strangle his opponent.

Within the tornado, however, every force was under Li Hongjiu's manipulation and perception. He didn't even need to look back to know the masked man had used the Immortal Strangling Silk again. A seasoned fighter, he moved just in time, slipping upward higher with a flick of his sleeve, narrowly avoiding the Silk's entrapping strike.

Inwardly, there was a brief urge to curse. Li Hongjiu had intended to repay deception with deception—to pretend he had truly been immobilized, luring the masked man into a counter-trap. But who could have predicted the opponent would refuse to act like a normal person? Despite "knowing" he was immobilized, the masked man didn't dare approach; instead, he resorted to throwing magical treasures directly at him.

Using a magical treasure against an immobilized opponent—was that caution taken to an excessive degree?

This didn't resemble the same arrogant figure who dared flaunt their power in front of all the sects earlier. If Li Hongjiu hadn't been watching closely, he might have suspected someone else had stepped into his place.

As Shi Chun watched Li Hongjiu suddenly regain his agility and avoid the magical treasure's attack, he immediately comprehended the situation. His heart, too, echoed curses—this seemingly harmless and smiling figure was clearly a cunning predator. Too insidious! Still, Shi Chun consoled himself—after being duped countless times before, there simply wasn't room for any more surprises.

More than anything, Shi Chun was deeply unsettled—fifth-grade magical treasures couldn't kill him, and immobilization techniques couldn't hold him. Just what kind of monster was this?

Within the tornado, the flying sword curved in circles before darting forth. Li Hongjiu extended his hand to grasp it mid-flight, attacking Shi Chun from the front by hurling yet another sword.

Shi Chun, once again feigning panic, narrowly dodged the strike with a look of exaggerated distress.

As Li Hongjiu indifferently drifted past not far away, taking advantage of the opening where man and sword were momentarily separated, unarmed for defense, Shi Chun launched a second surprise assault. He suddenly sped forth in a lateral gust of wind, charging forward like walking on solid ground amidst the void. In a flash of motion, he launched a storming assault, cutting sideways through the air.

This wasn't merely a straightforward attack—it was a sudden emergence of a live combatant right in front of the target. Adjusting his position to match Li Hongjiu's evasive movements, Shi Chun launched a flurry of dazzling blade strikes aimed at him.

Even though Li Hongjiu seemed to maneuver freely within the wind, this so-called "freedom" was based entirely on flowing with the forces. He couldn't resist or act against the currents. Thus, his range of evasion inherently had directional limits.

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