Xia Fan didn’t respond. Instead, he gazed at the opening in the wall for a long while and then said, “I have a better idea.”
“Oh? I’m all ears,” said Fei Nian.
“Can you see the bare beams and floors? If we light them up, the whole opening will turn into a giant torch.”
“The spells I’ve prepared can’t accurately ignite a small area like that.” Luo Qingqing expressed her concerns. “Once cast, the entire wall will be on fire. Casting aside the fact that we’ll be fighting on a burning wall, the fire won’t even last till dawn if we use it now.”
“I’m not asking you to light it. I will do it.”
“You?” Fei Nian questioned. “A simple spell won’t do! The beams are not torches. Without hemp ropes and fire oil, you can’t ignite a spark even with Flying Flower Flame!”
But Luo Qingqing didn’t veto the plan completely. She asked, “What are the chances?”
“Luo Qingqing?” Fei Nian looked at her in disbelief.
“100%, if we are only aiming to ignite the wood,” Xia Fan replied in a calm voice. “But considering that we need to deal with the fiend and some uncertainties, I’ll say 70%.”
“Higher than mine,” Luo Qingqing said and nodded. “How can we help?”
“Cover me as I get close to the fiend. This spell… isn’t effective at long range.”
“Understood.” She took the torch and passed it to Fei Nian. “Guard the escape route,” she said. “I’m going with him.”
Xia Fan smiled and ran toward the opening at once.
“Are you serious? He’s not even from an established family!” Fei Nian was incredulous. The plan Xia Fan had just suggested wasn’t risk-free. In fact, ordinary candidates didn’t even have the right to stand with them. Only the top disciples from established families had the guts to do it. Naturally, Fei Nian would only want to work with strong teammates as that would significantly increase their chances of survival. Therefore, it was way beyond his expectation that Luo Qingqing would choose to risk her life with a nobody from a scattered clan. She could have stayed with him, a prodigy as talented as herself!
“As far as I know, he’s not the kind of person who acts impulsively. He knows what he’s doing,” Luo Qingqing said as she ran toward Xia Fan. “I’ll leave the matters here to you.”
“You are… out of your mind.” Without a choice, Fei Nian raised the torch to shine the path before the pair. “Never mind. I’ll lend you help while I can.”
Beams of Flying Flower Flame shot into the sky and rained down beside Xia Fan like meteorites. The succubi inching toward him were instantly destroyed in the burning flames.
Before long, the pair had transversed the flat ground and climbed onto the collapsed wall.
It was much harder to move forward now. As the light dimmed, Xia Fan had no choice but to slow down and look carefully before he took each step. At this moment, Luo Qingqing caught up with him and overtook him effortlessly.
Is that how mystics are like?
Xia Fan gasped in amazement. The debris at the collapse site had piled up into a small hill of broken bricks, beams, and fragile ceramic shards. One would need to take great caution to proceed on it even in the day. However, it was as if she were weightless. Luo Qingqing could jump over the obstacles easily with a soft tap of toes on the ground. Her agile figure made her look like an elf.
Xia Fan was reminded of the legendary Qinggong[1].
Not only so, but Luo Qingqing had also fended off several succubi pouncing toward Xia Fan. The light was dim, and it was getting increasingly difficult to locate the succubi with the naked eye. However, wielding her sword elegantly, Luo Qingqing was able to cut an enemy in half with every slash, as if those succubi had voluntarily thrown themselves at her blade.
Meanwhile, Xia Fan was climbing on the pile of debris on all fours. He was again reminded of the huge difference between them.
“Has your master not taught you any physical techniques?”
Luo Qingqing took a deep breath after defeating another succubus.
Xia Fan noticed that she wasn’t actually at ease. Her breathing was much more rapid than before, and her forehead was covered in glittering sweat. It was obviously a strenuous activity to take down so many succubi so fast.
“Physical techniques? What are those?”
“As expected,” she said, looking as if she had finally understood. “It’s something like the martial arts, and it was indeed created by martial heroes. However, mystics can make full use of them. Physical techniques allow you to gain better control of your body. They can improve your agility to a certain degree before you fully master the spells.”
He had no idea about that at all… Now Xia Fan understood why those from established families looked down on others.
“When you enter the Privy Council, you’ll learn and master those techniques sooner or later,” Luo Qingqing said and stopped moving forward. “Now comes the most crucial part of the plan. How close do you want to get?”
Xia Fan had finally climbed to the top of the debris too. He looked up and saw the opening above him. It looked like the gaping mouth of a giant monster, and the broken beams at the sides were its mottled teeth. Standing in the opening was the enormous fiend.
It didn’t look that frightening when viewed from above. However, now that Xia Fan was looking up at it, the fiend seemed to have expanded in size several times. Its palm alone was as wide as three people connected head-to-toe, and its flat abdomen could cover one’s whole vision. It would be unimaginably tragic if someone got crushed under that body.
The intimidation was real within close distance.
Xia Fan swallowed his saliva nervously. “The closer the better. Best if it’s within an arm’s reach.”
“In other words, we need to get under its belly?” Luo Qingqing stared at the fiend’s abdomen. “Give me a moment.”
She took an experimental step forward, and the fiend noticed her at once.
A pitch-black rope immediately swept toward her with a swoosh. Luo Qingqing lowered herself to the ground and rolled to the side to dodge the attack. Missing its target, the rope hit the wall like a whip, leaving a deep mark.
The second attack followed immediately after. The rope almost hit Luo Qingqing, forcing her to retreat. This time, the whip came with the same force as earlier and landed a few inches into the bricks.
“It seems that it wants to protect its underside,” Luo Qingqing said, panting slightly. “I’m guessing its weakness lies in those dangling succubi.”
“But how do we get close?” Xia Fan’s brows knitted together. He had realized that he couldn’t close in on the fiend by himself. The Luo prodigy might be able to handle it on her own, but it was hard to say now that Xia Fan was tagging along.
However, Luo Qingqing didn’t hesitate at all. “Just like before. I walk in front. You follow me.”
“Are you sure?”
“There’s no time to think! When it lunges another time, more walls will collapse. We won’t have any chance, then,” Luo Qingqing said firmly.
Of course, Xia Fan understood what she meant. Although only 15 minutes had passed since he had decided to help, the candidates guarding the walls couldn’t afford to wait any longer. Three torches had been extinguished, and none of it had been reignited yet, and the pressure from the succubi had been growing by the second. If the fiend was to bang another hole in the wall, things would go out of control. By then, it wouldn’t matter if the two of them survived, and killing the fiend wouldn’t save the situation either.
“Understood,” he said sternly.
“Very well. I have one request.” Luo Qingqing drew a deep breath and lowered her body. “Do not stop moving no matter what happens. Believe in me.”
Xia Fan nodded silently.
“GO!”
In the next instant, Luo Qingqing launched herself toward the fiend like a bolt of lightning. The fiend reacted at once. The ropes under its abdomen swept toward her like vipers.
Qingqing placed her wooden sword beside her waist.
She concentrated her Qi on the tip of the sword, which started to radiate a blinding light. When the ropes drew near, Luo Qingqing suddenly drew her sword and slashed upward. With a crescent-shape flash, the blade severed the black rope!
At the same time, Xia Fan had reached the center of the broken wall. Although he wasn’t as quick as his teammate, the wall built on brick houses wasn’t that wide, after all. It was only a matter of time before he reached the fiend.
When Luo Qingqing had successfully fought off the third attack, Xia Fan was already at the side of the fiend!
The fiend immediately sent several ropes toward him, but Luo Qingqing turned back just in time to block all of them. Despite the perilous situation, Luo Qingqing could always defend off the attack before it reached Xia Fan.
However, it was obvious that she was slowing. The Qi circling the tip of her sword was fading too. Soon, she was no longer able to sever the flying ropes.
As if sensing the danger, the fiend roared, and the succubi under its belly started to wriggle vigorously.
Crap!
Xia Fan realized at once that the defense line Luo Qingqing had fought so hard to uphold was going to be breached soon. She had already used all of her energy defending against those tentacle-like ropes. She wasn’t in the condition to handle any more succubi!
As if to prove him right, two succubi broke free of their restraints and landed right in front of them.
It was even dimmer there compared to near the collapsed wall. The succubi disappeared into a shadow as soon as they touched the ground.
Qingqing can’t possibly fend off two succubi at the same time!
Xia Fan hesitated. When he was about to stop and turn to help Qingqing, her words suddenly crossed his mind. “Believe in me,” she had said. He must move forward!
At this very moment, he smelled a faint trace of fragrance.
Luo Qingqing landed right in front of him!
After piercing through a succubus, she blocked off the other one for Xia Fan with her own body.
Black smog crept onto her body at once. She held her sword back-handedly and thrust backward. At the same time, she sprang sideways to bring herself and the succubus away from him!
In the blink of an eye, the fiend had attacked again. It launched two ropes, one toward Luo Qingqing, and the other toward Xia Fan. Apparently, no one could cover for him now. Left without a choice, Xia Fan clenched his teeth and dashed head-on toward the rope.
But Luo Qingqing was a woman of her word. While still in midair, she pulled out her wooden sword and hurled it toward Xia Fan’s direction with all her force. The sword hit the black rope and deflected it away from him.
However, Luo Qingqing had lost her only means of defense. The second black rope hit her waist, opening a bloody wound on her slender body.
Luo Qingqing groaned in pain and was hurled aside under the impact.
Before she landed, the rope caught up with her and wrapped around her neck. No matter how hard Luo Qingqing struggled, she couldn’t break free from the tightening grip on the rope and was pulled toward the fiend’s abdomen.
At the same time, Xia Fan had finally arrived under the monster.
[1] A technique in Chinese martial arts that is visually reminiscent of parkour