Seeing Xiao Tian reappear once again, Celestial Punishment Daoist and the others sighed in relief, but couldn't help feeling amazed by this almost magical event. After exchanging glances, they all shook their heads.

Ignoring the previous discussions in the distance, Xiao Tian leisurely spun the Five Elements Crystal in his hand, looking relaxed and carefree.

Unbeknownst to them, in Xiao Tian's mind, the Five Elements Crystal was like a Demon-Revealing Mirror, revealing the Hidden Needle lurking in the shadows.

Suddenly, Xiao Tian thought of a possibility: could the Five Elements Crystal have a similar effect on the Invisibility Jade Pendant he possessed?

If it did, he would have to be cautious when using it in the future. Who knew if he might encounter a treasure like the Hidden Needle's that could easily see through all his disguises.

However, now was not the time to dwell on such concerns; he could only experiment after dealing with the current trouble.

Using the reflection of the Five Elements Crystal, Xiao Tian suddenly launched another fierce attack, boldly charging into the shadows of the Hidden Needle, landing a punch on his chest.

Suddenly attacked, Hidden Needle finally confirmed that Xiao Tian wasn't just stumbling about; he was truly able to see through his disguise, leaving his mind blank as he couldn't fathom how Xiao Tian achieved this.

The severe pain from the chest, though much of the force was blocked, still caused Hidden Needle's True Qi flow to momentarily pause due to the accuracy of Xiao Tian's strike.

Seizing the opportunity, Xiao Tian continued his momentum, swinging his left arm towards Hidden Needle's neck, giving him no chance to react.

At this moment, Hidden Needle's weaknesses as an assassin were evident. He quickly retreated, dodging Xiao Tian's relentless attacks.

As an assassin, he could suppress others in bursts of speed, but a prolonged engagement was his greatest fear.

Once discovered, even if he could kill the target, he wouldn't be a qualified assassin!

Moreover, Xiao Tian continuously assaulted him, giving him no chance to catch his breath. After repeatedly dodging attacks, Hidden Needle's meridians started to show signs of cracking.

In the field, watching Xiao Tian vanish and reappear, the onlookers were silent. Even a fool could see there was something wrong here.

But, without any other explanations, they could only quietly watch Xiao Tian's performance. The previous doubts about him setting up a smokescreen vanished without a trace.

By now, no one believed that Xiao Tian was driven insane by Hidden Needle, fighting with air and illusions.

...

When Xiao Tian appeared before Hidden Needle for the eighth time, the latter's leg muscles began to uncontrollably twitch from the repeated, relentless exertions, taking a toll on his body.

This was also because Hidden Needle's foundational skills were solid and his body resilient. An average person's leg meridians would have succumbed to the pressure long before!

"Are you human or ghost?!"

Having watched Xiao Tian's battles with Thunder King Salon twice before, Hidden Needle couldn't help but ask, his voice betraying feigned calm – he was clearly scared.

In the previous battles between Xiao Tian and Salon, the former's strength waned towards the end, so the fight was straightforward from start to finish.

Why had the situation completely reversed with him?!

As he fled, Hidden Needle carefully recalled the details of his fight with Xiao Tian, suddenly realizing that previous exchanges seemed deliberate on Xiao Tian's part.

The aim was to buy time, which he realized in his rage he hadn't noticed.

Now, feeling his Dantian nearly exhausted, with less than a fifth of his energy left, he sensed Xiao Tian's attacks gaining strength each time, as if he were a perpetual machine requiring no energy.

The issues here were too numerous to verify one by one, but the current situation was that even as he made obvious attempts to flee, Xiao Tian had no intention of letting him go.

After a while and with no response from Xiao Tian, Hidden Needle breathed deeply: "Hunter, I admit, I've lost this duel!"

Asking himself honestly, this was the first time Hidden Needle had been pushed to his limits, since the beginning of time!

Yet, the response was Xiao Tian's cold laughter…

"Admit defeat?!"

Xiao Tian laughed slightly at Hidden Needle: "Do you think this is a game? You think you can just lightly claim defeat and end this fight, as if the world revolves around you?!"

As he spoke, Xiao Tian's strong arm suddenly clenched, muscles instantly tensing up, veins bulging like writhing dragons, bringing immense force towards Hidden Needle.

Hidden Needle didn't expect his words of enduring humiliation would receive no acceptance but rather a surprise attack.

No time to dodge, Hidden Needle hurriedly gathered his remaining True Qi to form a deep black shield in front of him, with a swirling vortex at its center, seemingly able to devour everything.

To Xiao Tian, Hidden Needle's defense was invisible. He punched directly into the shield, feeling like he had struck a mire, unable to sense any solid impact.

"You ungrateful Hunter!" Hidden Needle angrily shouted in a deep voice: "Let me make it clear, you have only two choices: stop chasing and let me go.

"Or the second choice... unless you wish to become a one-armed hero, I suggest you choose the first!" Hidden Needle threatened, trying to maintain the black shield and restrain Xiao Tian's arm.

This depletion was indeed an additional strain for him, as his dwindling True Qi was decreasing at a faster rate, forcing him to drain his body to maintain the shield.

"You better hurry, I'm only giving you three seconds!" Hidden Needle demanded ruthlessly, knowing now he was the one who couldn't afford to delay; if his opponent didn't swiftly decide, he would be doomed.

Reflecting on the initially smooth confrontation that turned so chaotic, Hidden Needle regretted deeply within.

If he hadn't hesitated initially, hadn't coveted the pendant on Xiao Tian's chest, and struck decisively, none of the subsequent troubles would have occurred.

Along with his two women, who would have been his playthings, the Five Elements Crystal could have assured his peaceful retirement, allowing him to rule as a local emperor in a small country.

Such a life would have been wonderful!

"No need for three seconds, I choose the first option!"