Translator: Larbre Studio
Editor: Larbre Studio
At the moment Lin Qian ducked from his spot, a glimpse of a blade came piercing through the air.
Hua!
From the top-down, a sharp slice struck the firm ground which he was standing on. A large crack formed on the ground, a few zhang deep.
Had Lin Qian reacted a split second late, the strike would have ended him. Most likely, he would have dropped dead instantly, becoming two halves.
Jumping onto his feet, the Soul Energy burst into a swift circulation around his body, materialising around him. A slight glimmer engulfed his body as he stared menacingly in the direction of the cave.
There, a man with a goatee stood, a massive blood-red blade on his shoulder. This man was clad in a red robe with black ornaments along its edges. Brandishing his blade, he smiled at Lin Qian contemptuously.
“HAHA! Looks like you scurry about pretty well, little rat.” The goatee man swung the crimson blade around threateningly, pointing the tip at Lin Qian, mocking him. “Any last words?”
The moment his last word sounded, a figure flickered in front of him. Lin Qian had closed in dangerously close to his face. From his side, he could feel the swirling force of Lin Qian’s Soul Energy packed fist crossing towards his face.
As the punch streaked across the air, a sharp whistling screeched. The perilous blow brought a suffocating pressure alongside him.
“God damn it!” The scornful expression on the goatee man was reduced to nothing as he rushed to bring the blade to a readied stance beside his face. Within an instant, a flame red Soul Energy engulfed the edge.
With a mighty swing, the crimson blade charged towards Lin Qian’s incoming punch, slicing mercilessly through the air.
PENG!
A resounding crash reverberated through the surroundings. Yet, the image the goatee man had in mind did not occur. The smooth, clean-cut through Lin Qian’s right forearm failed to happen.
Not only so, but a fearsome surge of might also sneaked upwards towards him through his blade. As the wave of power crashed onto him, his arms went entirely numb, forcing him back a few steps.
Lin Qian’s residual energy on the blade sent the goatee man tumbling backwards. Only when he firmly planted his legs with an active stamp into the ground did he regain a tad of his balance. With menacing cold eyes, he glared darkly at Lin Qian.
The opponent faced his sharp blade head-on, yet, he was completely unharmed. The only thing that could count as the damage was a pale red mark on his fingers, practically negligible. Yet, while Lin Qian remained firmly rooted to his position, he had to stumble back several steps. What a punch from this rascal. The ripple effect his crimson blade sustained was huge, sending waves after waves of force onto him.
“Hmph, from your looks, you are probably only sixteen. It’s quite amazing that you are already in the Condensed Vitality Stage. You should be proud that with just your physical body you deflected an Infused Vitality Equipment attack.” Goatee Man flicked his arms to relax his muscles. With a sinister smile on his face, he probed further, “Such a coincidence. I’ve heard that there is a prodigy in Universal Phenomenon Sect, soaring quickly above his peers like a comet. His physique was terrifyingly strong, to the extent where he could be overbearing to even a Practitioner in the Nirvana Stage.”
“And I, I am in the Nirvana Stage. And you, since you deflected me easily with just that unarmed fist. You must be the prodigy of the Universal Phenomenon Sect; the Young Emperor!”
Hearing the taunts, Lin Qian remained silent and expressionless. He knew his cover had been blown but wasn’t surprised. The Nirvana Stage cultivation of the Goatee Man was well within expectation.
Lin Qian was under the shelter of the Concealment Talisman, but this man still snaked out presence from a distance. Only a Practitioner of the Nirvana Stage could achieve this precise sense.
Regarding the regal title of Young Emperor, it was all due to his teacher’s influence.
That aside, there was another reason for the cold, expressionless silence. The Intel from within Tyrannical Blade Sect was utterly inaccurate.
According to the tip from their spies, Tyrannical Blade Sect would be activating 10 Condensed Vitality Stage Practitioners, and 40 Materialised Vitality Stage Practitioners.
To combat a lineup of disciples at this level, their army of Ye and Bai Family Clansmen, including their 2 Family Heads of Materialised Vitaly Stage, was more than enough.
This line up was of negligible ability in front of Lin Qian.
Yet, within this valley, a Nirvana Stage Practitioner from the Tyrannical Blade Sect stood opposing him.
“Crap, the Intel is wrong.” As that thought surfaced, Lin Qian took a deep breath as he recollected his thoughts.. Right now, he could not do anything about the situation. There was no way for him to determine the numbers or strength of the Tyrannical Blade Sect’s reinforcements.
“My name is Liang Ren,” The goatee man suddenly announced his name to Lin Qian, “Allow me the privilege to test the extent of this rumoured Young Emperor’s physical strength. Can you really defeat a Nirvana Stage Practitioner with just your physique’s capabilities?”
Hearing the gibe from Liang Ren, Lin Qian’s eyes narrowed in focus on him. With a deep sigh, he cleared his mind, entirely focusing on the battle in front of him, fixating onto the crimson blade’s owner. “Is that so? Come, have a taste of it yourself.”
Tightening his grip around the blade, Liang Ren held it firm with both hands, taking a stance with it in front of his chest. With the blade’s tip aiming straight at Lin Qian, Liang Ren exhaled fully, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
Boom!
Blood red Soul Energy erupted with a deafening roar from Liang Ren’s body. With an explosive stamp from his feet, he shot straight at Lin Qian.
“HA!” The Nirvana Stage Liang Ren zoomed to Lin Qian at lightning-speed, morphing into a flash of a crimson blur. Within a blink of an eye, he had materialised in front of Lin Qian.
The massive blade he held in his hands came crashing down like Heaven’s Judgement. Within this strike, crimson Soul Energy had compressed onto the blade, viciously slicing downwards to Lin Qian’s skull.
As it streaked down from above, a suffocating vigour radiated from the assailant, killing the tall grass around them.
The bits of grass tore outwards, forming a swirl around the duo, exploding outwards from their backs.
Facing the overbearing assault, Lin Qian was unaffected, staring at the descending blade expressionlessly as he gathered the pure white Soul Energy within his palm. With one tight grip, he readied his defence. At that moment, the force from his action literally shattered the air and space around his fist!
Right before the blade touched his hair, Lin Qian punched out. The instant the crimson blade met with Lin Qian’s fist, an earth-shattering clash resounded, echoing through the valley.
When their attacks met, Liang Ren was startled. The resistance did not seem to fit a human fist. He felt more of a sturdy, metallic resistance. The shockwaves from their battle pulsated through his hands, causing tension, pain and numbness.
“Argh! AH!!” Having been knocked back Lin Qian’s single punch, Lian Ren’s fighting will was not extinguished, but instead fanned more substantial. Screaming out loud repeatedly, he charged furiously towards Lin Qian.
Brandishing his Crimson Blade around in mid-air, streaks of blood-red lines encircled his body as he charged maniacally at Lin Qian. While it may seem like emotionally driven mad swinging of his weapon, it was Lian Ren’s secret technique.
As he approached Lin Qian, the heavy blade came crashing onto Lin Qian yet again. However, this time it emitted a blood-red Blade Aura.
As the aura escaped from the weapon’s surface, a dominating power radiated. Should Lin Qian attempt to shield himself with his fists, he would inevitably sustain some injuries.
Indeed, it was easy to dodge this blade aura. However, avoiding them now would heavily compromise the space and possibility of a tactical retreat in the future. Lin Qian had no other choices. He had to face this assault head-on.
“Hmph, since this Liang Ren recognises me, he should be well aware. I may be in the Condensed Vitality Stage, but I have a seemingly endless supply of Soul Energy within my body. Why would he challenge me to a battle of Soul Energy? Long, sustained battles are my forte. Too bad for him, this method would not work.” Facing the series of onslaughts, Lin Qian thought to himself as his pupils narrowed in focus.
His physique was unnaturally muscular, and his meridians were sturdy. Coupled with his unusually vast Dantian, the total capacity of Soul Energy stored within him was higher than his peers of the same Cultivation Stage by leaps and bounds.
Together with his mysterious Martial Soul, Heaven and Earth Energy poured out unceasingly into his body. With the automatic refining into Soul Energy even when he was not cultivating, he was in surplus all the time.
With the constant production and circulation of Energy within himself, his body was densely packed with power. As such, the one thing he never feared was high Soul Energy consumption battles.
With his robust Soul Energy and his long-lasting stamina, the nickname, Young Emperor, spread across the land like a wildfire. There was no way Liang Ren was unaware of his superior abilities in a long battle.
Peng! Peng! Peng!
Thunderous booms continually shattered the tranquillity of the valleys as a volley of assaults clashed from both sides. As the battle dragged on, Lin Qian gradually retreated towards the depths of the valley.
“Now, I get it. He’s buying time.” Realisation dawned onto Lin Qian, with regret swiftly following.
Since the intel was inaccurate, the possibilities of another Nirvana Stage Practitioner being within the valley was high.
The previous taunts and this fighting strategy… Evidently, Liang Ren’s plan was not to tire him or to defeat him. In truth, it was just to delay his escape and wait till the reinforcements from Tyrannical Blade Sect arrive!
“In this case, I shall take care of you first…”
With a deep breath, Lin Qian sidestepped to his right, swinging a full force jab.
At the same time, a crimson blur sharply cut at Lin Qian’s movements, intercepting him. From the top, the blade curved downwards, crashing into Lin Qian’s fist.
“Boom!”
An oppressive rumble reverberated throughout as the crimson blade aura shattered upon impact. Yet, Lin Qian’s white robes were suddenly dyed a scarlet red along his shoulders. Fresh blood was streaming out profusely. This marked Lin Qian’s first injury in this prolonged battle.
The injury shocked Liang Ren. He could not believe the fact that Lin Qian was willing to sacrifice some injuries just to break out of the encirclement he had set.
Shit! Looks like he has noticed my plans…
Caution and seriousness flushed Liang Ren’s expression immediately. The original crimson aura on his blade immediately set ablaze.
In an instant, the roaring flame engulfed the giant weapon. Swiftly, the enhanced blade dragged along the ground and sped straight at Lin Qian’s throat in a flying uppercut.
“Inferno Blade!”
With the soft hiss from Liang Ren, the raging fire compressed into a single materialised aura, escaping from the blade’s body. The aura blazed out of control, charging straight at the victim.
As it bulleted towards Lin Qian, any objects along the pathway it cut through vaporised on the spot, leaving a scorched trail from its origin.
This was a Soul Technique. The main staple within Martials Arts that Soul Practitioners honed. This Inferno Blade consumed all the efforts that a 2nd Tier Nirvana Stage Practitioner Liang Ren had left. It was his last resort.
Should any other Condensed Vitality Practitioner face an assault of this devastating power, they had only one choice left. To wait and be incinerated to bits.
But it was not the case for Lin Qian. He was not just any other Tom, Dick or Harry.
As the warm glow from the fast-approaching fireball shone onto his face, Lin Qian remained calm and composed. He gripped his fist at waist level, tensing his muscles tightly as his Soul Energy was sucked rapidly within like a vortex.
“Tiger’s Roar!”
When the Blade’s Aura was just an inch from him, Lin Qian’s eyes flicked open. With his pupils burning from fury, an ear-splitting boom burst from his throat. His fist shot straight ahead, crashing into the fireball.
Together with his thrust, the pure white aura morphed into a majestic white tiger head, lunging bravely ahead.
At the position of its mouth, Lin Qian’s fists punched. From that point, an invisible shockwave pierced through from the Tiger’s mouth, ramming into Liang Ren’s Blade Aura head-on.
“ROAR!”
The shockwave from the fist boomed like the dominating roar for the King of Beast, Dominator of the Forest.
The merciless incinerating flames faltered under the overbearing roar, resigning quickly. Shattering under pressure, the fire dissipated into little specks of splinters, fluttering down from the Heavens.
At the same time, the invisible punch pierced through the mini fireworks display, bulleting straight at the jaw-dropped Liang Ren.
“WUAH!” Scarlet blood erupted from Liang Ren’s mouth as the assault knocked him into the air. As his blade landed pierced into the ground, his entirety flew backwards rapidly, crashing unceremoniously into the cavern behind him.
Just as Lin Qian was about to savour the sweet taste of his resounding victory, a blinding red glimmer shone. Suddenly, the massive crimson blade shrunk into a palmed sized dagger, forming a mini metallic red ball on the side.
“Argh!” Lin Qian groaned in pain, clutching his chest. His knees buckled from the sharp pain, and he collapsed into a half-kneeling position.
“HAHAHA! Young Emperor! Never thought of this, did ya?” Watching the pained Lin Qian, Liang Ren wobbled out of the cavern, supporting himself with the cavern walls. He jested Lin Qian with a satisfied smirk, wiping the residual blood from his lips.
“Special qualities awaken within your Martial Soul when you break through to the Nirvana Stage. And mine, it is the Fire Toxins, making you paralysed.” Liang Ren looked at the numbed Lin Qian, half-kneeling defenceless on the ground, bursting into uncontrollable laughter. “Looks like your limbs are completely powerless now aren’t you? Your Soul Energy not circulating anymore?”
Just at that moment, the water surface on the lake behind erupted into huge splashes. From within, three figures emerged.
Looks like I will meet my end here?
Feeling the suffocating presence of the three Nirvana Stage men, Lin Qina’s spirits fell to rock bottom.
“Your Majesty, please hold on! Your General will be here soon!”
From the depths of his Dantian, a mysterious and unrecognised voice surfaced, echoing from within Lin Qian’s ear.