Free Web NovelChapter 362: Chapter 213: Fierce Battle (2)
’I’m being targeted!’
’It must be from when I supported Snow Dragon Pass. That single Wood Thunder Skill I used to clear the deck must have made the Yan Zhen Sect wary. That’s why for this ambush, they specifically sent a Core Formation cultivator who can counter Thunder Skills.’
Unfortunately for them, Lü Zhong was no Lianjian.
For him, the Wood Thunder Skill was merely the icing on the cake.
He glanced into the distance at Lianjian. Suppressed by the Fuyao Qiangguang Array, the man had lost all of his rumored might. Instead, he was being thoroughly beaten, his defeat only a matter of time.
Seeing Yue Cang attack again, Lü Zhong cleared his mind.
The two clashed once more.
For a moment, the ceaseless clang of metal on metal filled the air as the red and gold trails of the two Magical Treasures intertwined.
Yue Cang watched this scene with a calm gaze. He glanced at the Mirror Light shooting toward him and a cold smirk touched his lips. Two small, silver flags appeared in his hand and, with a point of his Sword Gesture, they flew forward.
Once they left his hand, the Small Flags transformed in mid-air, becoming two silver Flood Dragons as thick as a man’s arm.
Shaking their heads and tails, they shot out with a WHOOSH to meet the Mirror Light.
Within a ten-zhang radius of Yue Cang, silver light flashed continuously, and the Mirror Light rapidly disintegrated.
Lü Zhong’s eye twitched. ’This Yue Cang really came prepared,’ he thought. With a flick of his wrists, he condensed a Magic Sword in each hand, both burning with raging purple flames, and charged toward Yue Cang using the Star-Stepping Step.
In the blink of an eye, the two were engaged in close-quarters combat.
He didn’t know what kind of Magical Treasure had transformed into those two silver Flood Dragons.
Whenever Lü Zhong slashed with his Magic Sword, the two silver Flood Dragons would automatically protect their master, blocking the incoming Late Sun Magic Sword.
Seizing this opportunity, Yue Cang’s aura flared, and he unleashed a dense barrage of Sword Light.
Another streak of cyan Sword Light flashed past, and a giant tree that would take ten men to encircle snapped in two.
Lü Zhong’s heart skipped a beat.
’What terrifying Sword Light!’
’Is this a Core Formation Stage Sword Cultivator?’
But he was no pushover, either. His Late Sun Magic Sword could achieve the same effect.
With a sharp CLANG, the two figures met and separated in an instant.
Afterward, Spiritual Light erupted throughout the forest. Wherever the two fought, the grass, trees, soil, and stone all suffered. One giant tree after another was caught in the crossfire, either exploding into a shower of splinters or being cleaved in two and toppling over.
As the fight wore on, the light from the silver Flood Dragons gradually dimmed.
Noticing this, Yue Cang was astonished.
The two Flood Dragon Spirit Banners in his hand were a Magical Treasure he had obtained while exploring an Ancient Cultivation Secret Realm. Once activated, the resulting Flood Dragon Spirits would automatically protect their master, making it a top-tier Defensive Treasure.
As long as its power wasn’t depleted, the Flood Dragon Spirits would persist.
Normally, it was enough time for him to defeat his opponent.
But now, not even a hundred breaths had passed...
Seeing that Lianjian’s defeat was already sealed, Yue Cang realized the situation was hopeless and decided to leave.
He had stayed behind only to see if he could kill Lü Zhong. But from the current situation, it was clear this Master Lü’s strength was anything but ordinary.
Even with his Thunder Skill rendered ineffective and his Lifebound Treasure suppressed...
The man could fight him to a standstill relying solely on his physical prowess and Close Combat Magic!
’If I keep fighting, I might be able to finish Lü Zhong.’
’But I’ll definitely be trapped here as well.’
With this in mind, Yue Cang raised his hand to recall his Lifebound Treasure and tried to pull back and leave.
But Lü Zhong had no intention of letting him go as he pleased.
He pressed the attack, and the two were locked in combat once more.
In a flash, they exchanged several rounds of blows at high speed.
Lü Zhong was Casting at a furious pace, his meridians aching faintly. He shattered Yue Cang’s Sword Light with several slashes and thrust toward his opponent’s abdomen. The man’s Gang Qi was nearly worn down.
Just a few more strikes, and he would break through.
But Yue Cang intercepted him again with his sword.
At that moment, the battle in the distance was decided. Master Lianjian’s corpse fell from the sky. Yui Xiaoqing, after a fierce fight, had finally dispatched his opponent and was now rushing over to support Lü Zhong as promised.
CLANG! Sparks flew once again.
Yue Cang parried another slash, knowing that if he didn’t leave now, he would end up like Lianjian. With a flip of his hand, he took out a blood-red Spirit Talisman. This was the trump card that had given him the confidence to stay behind.
Slapping the Red Talisman onto his body, he took a blow from Lü Zhong’s sword head-on and transformed into a streak of rainbow light, vanishing into the distance.
Lü Zhong watched this, his eyes flickering, but did not give chase.
Yui Xiaoqing, who was rushing over, saw this and simply assumed Lü Zhong wasn’t strong enough to stop him. After all, he was just a Loose Cultivator with no backing. Just being able to hold Yue Cang back was already impressive.
"Many thanks for your assistance, Fellow Daoist Lü! I will report this to the Sect and ensure you are rewarded!"
That’s what he said, but in his heart, he had already decided to find some time later to send Lü Zhong off with some trivial gift in the Sect’s name.
After all, killing Master Lianjian of Huayi Temple was a tremendous achievement.
Yui Xiaoqing couldn’t bear to part with half the credit.
"Then I’ll be counting on you, Fellow Daoist!"
Lü Zhong gave a perfunctory reply, his mind already on something else.
The two then parted ways.
Ningwu Market was less than a thousand li from Smoke Cloud Ridge.
Watching Yui Xiaoqing and the others leave, Lü Zhong recalled the man’s earlier words and realized something was off.
’He wants to take all the credit?’
He gave a cold snort but didn’t dwell on it.
Compared to that bit of credit, Lü Zhong was far more interested in Yue Cang, who had used a Blood Burning Talisman to escape.
The Blood Burning Talisman was a Tier Three Talisman. It worked by burning the user’s Essence Blood to grant an Escape Speed equal to that of Blood Escape, but without the drawback of consuming one’s Life Essence Qi.
’In any case, anyone who uses a Blood Burning Talisman is guaranteed to have their strength impaired.’
Realizing this, Lü Zhong saw a golden opportunity.
He had been coveting the two Magical Treasures Yue Cang had brought out earlier.
Whether it was the Flying Sword that could absorb lightning or the two Small Flags that could automatically protect their master, neither was an ordinary item.
If he could finish off Yue Cang and take those two Magical Treasures...
At this thought, Lü Zhong’s breathing couldn’t help but quicken.
Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his excitement, left the battlefield, and flew back in the direction he came from. He regrouped with the Ye Brothers and Sisters and the others, and using the excuse that it was getting late, he ordered everyone to rest and recuperate on the spot.
Then, avoiding all eyes, Lü Zhong secretly left the temporary camp.
...
Following the trail, he soon tracked his quarry to a mountain cave.
Using the Gray Mist Space’s scene replay ability, Lü Zhong confirmed that Yue Cang was inside the cave, suppressing his injuries. Judging from his complexion, which was as pale as gilt paper, his strength was likely less than thirty percent of what it was at his peak.
’Yue Cang probably never imagined that I’d find his supposedly foolproof hiding spot so easily, did he?’
Without another word, he unleashed a Thunder Skill.
RUMBLE! Thunderous light surged within the cave.
A disheveled figure shot out of the cave, a mixture of shock and fury on his face. It was none other than the fugitive Yue Cang. In his haste, he hadn’t had time to use the Thunder Return Secret Technique, and the injuries he had just suppressed immediately flared up again.
When he saw Lü Zhong standing outside, understanding seemed to dawn on him.
A look of regret washed over his face.
Thinking back, if he had decisively left then, instead of being overconfident in his own strength and thinking he could take Lü Zhong down with him in a one-for-one trade, he wouldn’t be facing this desperate situation now.
But now, it was too late for regrets.
The two clashed once more.
The scales of victory tipped in Lü Zhong’s favor.
It was now nightfall, and his strength, far from diminishing, had actually increased compared to daytime.
Yue Cang, on the other hand, had clearly started to slow down. Compounded by the backlash from his injuries, his strength dwindled further and further. After only a few moments of fighting, he had been struck by the sword several times, and soon even his Protective Gang Qi was broken.
Seeing this, Lü Zhong began a frenzied assault, slashing repeatedly with rouge in hand.
The Star Mirror behind him fired a concentrated beam of Mirror Light, shattering the Body-Protecting Magical Artifact on Yue Cang.
Yue Cang was completely on the defensive. He fought as he rapidly retreated, trying to find an opportunity to escape, only to realize with despair that there was nowhere left to run, nowhere left to retreat.
Finally, he felt a chill on his neck.
His head flew high into the air.
A moment later, it landed on the ground with a soft THUD.
The expression remaining on his face was one of deep unwillingness to accept his fate.
Lü Zhong flicked the blood from rouge. Without a glance at the head on the ground, he walked straight to Yue Cang’s corpse and collected his Lifebound Treasure, the two small silver flags, and the Storage Bag from his waist.
He sat cross-legged on the spot to regulate his breathing, resting for a while.
Afterward, a great fire spread, scorching the area to bare earth.
...
By this time, Lü Zhong had already returned to the temporary camp.
Not forgetting to be cautious, he replayed the scene and saw that no one had known he had left, just as no one had noticed his return. Only then did he feel at ease and begin to set up Prohibitions in his tent.
Soundproofing, isolating Divine Sense...
With a heart full of excitement, he took out his gains one by one.
Yue Cang’s Lifebound Treasure Flying Sword radiated a gentle warmth when touched with his Divine Sense. It was clearly forged from thousand-year-old Cyan Glaze Wood. This wood had excellent conductivity for both Spiritual Qi and Divine Sense, so a Lifebound Treasure refined from it would also have enhanced nurturing efficiency. Judging from the dense Prohibitions inscribed on it, it had to be a Magical Treasure with a Fourth-Layer Prohibition.
Cyan Glaze. That was the sword’s name.
’Unfortunately, just like rouge, it’s also a Lifebound Treasure. That means it’s impossible to fully refine it.’
Lü Zhong studied it for a moment before putting the Cyan Glaze Sword away.
