The sudden flash of blade light caught Sun Shangxiang off guard while she was relentlessly attacking at close range.
She hastily raised her twin staffs to block, but in the next moment, the blade struck hard.
Sparks flew as her weapons clashed with the energy-infused blade, the impact forcing her to stagger back uncontrollably.
Just as she struggled to regain her footing, she lifted her head only to see Qin Ming spreading his arms wide, a swirling vortex of violent flames and turbulent winds gathering around him.
A devastating ultimate skill — Charged Sonic Blades, seven consecutive slashes!
The ship cabin lit up with blazing arcs as massive, two-meter-wide energy blades tore through the walls, carving deep, jagged scars.
Sun Shangxiang rolled frantically to evade several strikes but couldn't avoid all of them.
Caught off guard by Qin Ming's sudden ultimate move after enduring countless hits, she was unable to dodge the seventh slash.
Her teeth clenched, Sun Shangxiang barely managed to lift her weapons in front of her before the energy blade struck with brutal force.
A shockwave exploded outward, sending Sun Shangxiang flying.
Before she could recover, a wooden crate hurtled through the air, smashing into her.
The next second, Qin Ming charged forward, his iron-like shoulder smashing into Sun Shangxiang just as she struggled to rise.
The impact sent her hurtling backward, slamming into the wall several meters away.
The relentless onslaught left Sun Shangxiang severely injured, blood already trickling from the corner of her mouth.
She braced against the wall to steady herself, eyes flickering coldly as Qin Ming charged at her again.
This time, she held nothing back.
An A-rank ultimate skill — Phoenix Dance Frenzy!
Trailing afterimages, her twin staffs gleamed with radiant light as she spun them rapidly, unleashing a ferocious storm of attacks on Qin Ming.
In just three seconds, she struck him thirty-two times, each blow targeting his vital points.
The rapid assault showcased the short-range combat prowess of her unique staff weapons to perfection.
Any normal person would have been riddled with wounds and killed instantly.
Yet instead of ending the battle, her ultimate move left Sun Shangxiang utterly stunned.
Despite being battered, bruised, and bleeding, Qin Ming remained standing, his face twisted into a fierce grimace.
Seizing the moment as Sun Shangxiang's skill finished and her strength waned, he wrapped his iron grip around her slender waist.
With a thunderous roar, Qin Ming's arms constricted like a steel vice.
Planting his feet firmly on the ground, he lifted Sun Shangxiang high into the air, his body arching backward in a perfect bridge.
With all his might, he slammed her headfirst toward the deck.
A wrestling finisher — the Bridging Suplex!
The impact reverberated throughout the cabin as Sun Shangxiang's head crashed into the deck, splintering the wooden planks.
Her vision spun wildly, darkness clouding her senses from the severe head trauma.
Before Sun Shangxiang could recover from the intense dizziness, she suddenly felt a heavy weight pressing down on her body.
It turned out that Qin Ming, who had withstood her blows and delivered that brutal counterattack, had now flipped himself onto her. Straddling her body, he raised his iron-clad fist and hammered down hard toward her face.
The dull, thudding sounds of the relentless blows echoed through the room.
Sun Shangxiang, her face continuously struck by the powerful punches, began struggling desperately to break free.
However, despite their similar strength during a fair fight, once one side gained an overwhelming positional advantage, turning the tide became nearly impossible.
This was especially true as Qin Ming, relying on his thick skin and sturdy build, completely ignored her counterattacks and simply focused on pounding her mercilessly, trading injuries without a care.
Such a mutual destruction strategy had always been Qin Ming's forte. His high attack and defense stats made him a "dead pig unafraid of boiling water."
On the other hand, it was Sun Shangxiang's weakness — she excelled in agility but lacked defense and raw strength.
Faced with Qin Ming's sheer brute force, she had fallen into his trap.
Once she was dragged into his brawling style and failed to break free within a short time, the outcome of their battle was already decided.
With one hand pressing down on Sun Shangxiang's head and the other raised in a clenched fist, Qin Ming panted heavily as he looked down at her sprawled beneath him.
Sun Shangxiang, her body lying limp and lifeless, had already dropped her weapons.
She, too, was breathing heavily, blood trickling down her face.
Despite the pain, she forced her swollen eyes open and stared at Qin Ming, who was still sitting atop her.
"I admit it," she finally said in a hoarse voice, "you've won this time."
Hearing this, Qin Ming slowly lowered his fist.
After hesitating for two seconds, he chose to release her and stood up.
Truth be told, he had very much wanted to kill Sun Shangxiang right then and there to loot a key from her.
Considering her ridiculous stats and formidable combat strength, defeating her in single combat would likely earn him a gold key.
However, killing her would bring more trouble than it was worth.
How would he complete his mission afterward?
More importantly, with the ship likely surrounded by soldiers by now, how was he supposed to break through and escape?
Sun Shangxiang wasn't just a princess of Wu but also the wife of Shu's ruler. Her status was incredibly prestigious.
If he killed her, Qin Ming could forget about surviving in either faction.
They'd probably set aside their differences just to team up and hunt him down.
Killing Zhao Yun would have been acceptable — worst case, he could flee to Wu. His feat of defeating one of the Five Tiger Generals would guarantee him recognition and favor from Sun Quan.
But killing Sun Shangxiang? Even if he managed to bring Liu Adou back to Shu, they'd likely execute him on the spot.
She was a living bomb, a super explosive that connected both factions.
Unless Qin Ming intended to defect to Cao Cao in Wei, she was untouchable. One wrong move and it would be game over.
And Qin Ming wasn't about to test his luck against the combined forces of Wu, Shu, and the nightmare squad. There was a limit to how much excitement he sought.