Free Web NovelChapter 521: Chapter 449: Lantern Order
Yang Xiao now confirmed that, although these cloth shoes were powerful, they also came with demanding conditions; not only did they require a considerable amount of spiritual power to use, but they also required the wearer to keep the tips of the shoes aimed at the enemy for a prolonged time, which was fatal in a dire combat situation.
Nonetheless, he couldn’t deny that the shoes were a good magic artifact, Fierce Grade at the least. Even if he didn’t use them himself, he needed to kill this person and take them. Perhaps one day, he could trade the shoes for a treasure that suited his own use.
Facing the Tang-suit man’s stalling tactics, Yang Xiao pretended he hadn’t seen through them and touched his chin, saying, "Since you’re willing to back off, that’s naturally for the best. I don’t wish to make enemies with the various heroes, but as a newcomer, I don’t have a foothold. You’ll have to carve out some territory for me."
"Certainly, certainly," the Tang-suit man agreed readily.
Yang Xiao feigned moving about now and then to prevent the other from locking onto him, until he stood before a puddle of water. In the next second, his figure vanished abruptly.
"Be careful!" The umbrella-wielding woman shouted loudly in alarm.
Yet before the two words could land, Yang Xiao’s figure had already appeared beside the Tang-suit man. To catch a thief, first catch the king—swinging the Human Bone Staff, he smashed it toward the man’s head. The man, though, was well prepared and unbelievably resolute. Without even trying to dodge, he swung an Iron Lion Head toward Yang Xiao’s face, obviously going for a life-for-life tactic.
If he took that hit, Yang Xiao might not die, but he would certainly be severely injured. If other high-rank fighters appeared subsequently, he would be in grave danger today.
In a split-second decision, Yang Xiao dodged swiftly, barely avoiding the blow. However, the price was a missed hit; the staff didn’t strike the Tang-suit man’s head but his shoulder instead, knocking him flying to the ground. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Yang Xiao, too, was caught with a hasty palm strike to the chest, which sent him stumbling backward several steps, choking back blood in his throat.
This Tang-suit man was an uncommon martial practitioner, whose hand-to-hand combat skills ranked in the top three of all Yang Xiao had encountered.
Barely steadying himself, when Yang Xiao looked up, he saw clouds and mist swirling around him, as if he had arrived in a legendary realm, and the figures of the Tang-suit man and the others had disappeared.
Yang Xiao recalled the woman who called herself Thundercloud Holy Mother; she had drawn four magic diagrams representing wind, rain, thunder, and clouds at the four corners of her oil-paper umbrella. She undoubtedly could control these four divine powers. He had already witnessed the acid rain and lightning strike, and guessed this mist must also be her doing.
"Childish tricks, how dare you play the lute before a musician?!"
Yang Xiao took out the Ghost Lantern with his left hand, and as spiritual power surged in madly, he instantly dispelled the clouds and mist, revealing the three people hiding behind it. The Qipao woman, who was manipulating the changes with her umbrella, was especially shocked and pale.
Yang Xiao swung the staff through the air; the Qipao woman, as rigid as a wooden duck, didn’t even try to avoid it and was knocked over to the ground.
Yang Xiao had also found the flaw in the Qipao woman; her magic artifact was indeed odd, but she couldn’t move while using it and was a sitting duck.
Struck by this blow, the Qipao woman lay prone on the ground, unable to come to her senses for a long time. By comparison, the Tang-suit man who had taken an even heavier hit was far more tenacious; he was still able to stand up and confront Yang Xiao as if he were largely unharmed.
Now the confidence of the Tang-suit man had been completely shattered, realizing that the opponent from the Yuan Generation was definitely not of that level—his true strength was at least at the forefront of the Li Generation. Without further hesitation, the Tang-suit man immediately begged for mercy, "Brother, this is a misunderstanding. Let me go, and I’ll give you half of my territory!"
Yang Xiao slowly shook his head.
"I also have a high-rank Grudge Level magic artifact in my hand, which I will give to you as a gift to apologize. What do you think?"
Yang Xiao continued to shake his head, issuing a hoarse laugh, "You don’t need to give it to me; when I kill you, everything you have will naturally be mine."
"Must you make today so ugly?" the Tang-suit man bellowed.
Yang Xiao almost laughed out loud. What was this guy thinking? This was a fight to the death, not an ordinary martial exchange.
Moreover, the other party hadn’t shown any mercy. If his own skills hadn’t been superior, he would have already been lying dead in the street.
"Alright, you’d better not regret this!" the man in traditional Chinese clothing reached into his clothes and pulled out a small object. The next second, with a piercing shriek, a flare shot straight to the sky and exploded with a "bang" into the shape of a paper lantern.
What’s this, calling for backup?
Yang Xiao swung the Human Bone Staff from afar once again, and then charged at the man; the staff’s long-distance attack had the effect of locking onto the enemy. Without his own Soul-Capturing Mirror or another special method, it was almost impossible to dodge. The downside, though, was that it was not as strongly aggressive as a hand-swung attack.
After dodging a few times, the man in traditional Chinese clothing was hit by the Human Bone Staff again. Yang Xiao also got close, only to find his legs entangled by a Golden Snake.
The Golden Snake was not very powerful, but it did waste some time to deal with. Meanwhile, a dull sound of wooden clappers echoed from not too far away.
Yang Xiao turned sharply and saw three people emerge from around the corner, all wearing old-fashioned gray long coats. The one in the lead wore a Character "Li" Mask, and the two behind her wore Grudge Masks. One Grudge Letter Ghost Servant held a Paper Lantern, and the other was carrying a wooden clapper.
Seeing the patrol’s Ghost Slaves, the man in traditional Chinese clothing yelled for help as if he had seen saviors, "My lord, save me!"
"Who has summoned the Lantern Order?" the leading Fierce Letter Ghost Servant asked in a low and husky voice, surprisingly a woman’s.
"It was me, my lord, it was me! He... he disregards the curfew and even wants to kill me!" The man in traditional Chinese clothing shamelessly played the victim to the Fierce Letter Ghost Servant, accusing his accuser.
"It was you who ambushed me. I even booked a room at the hotel tonight. I came here for a transaction!" Yang Xiao argued his case.
"I implore the lord to see justice done for me!" the man in traditional Chinese clothing pleaded with clasped hands, and the Qipao woman and the Golden Snake also joined in the supplication.
The leading Fierce Letter Ghost Servant scanned her surroundings and spoke slowly, "Let today’s matter end here. You all disperse, and anyone who disrespects the curfew will be punished!"
Upon hearing this, the still-pleading man in traditional Chinese clothing instantly shut his mouth, shot a venomous look at Yang Xiao, and prepared to leave with his companions. The Grudge Letter Ghost Servant holding the lantern stepped forward to lead them away.
As the group passed not far from Yang Xiao, the man in traditional Chinese clothing suddenly stopped, turned his head to look at Yang Xiao, and threatened him in an ominous tone, "You little punk, just you wait, I know where you live."
These words infuriated Yang Xiao. Letting this guy go could potentially lead to endless troubles. Once he left, Ling Yanyu would surely meet his end. In a flash, Yang Xiao felt a surge of murderous intent and quickly charged towards the man in traditional Chinese clothing. This move startled the man, who apparently hadn’t expected anyone to dare to strike in front of a Ghost Slave.
However, the leading Ghost Slave reacted swiftly. As Yang Xiao swung down the staff, about to send the man in traditional Chinese clothing back to his youth, a dagger flickering with a ghostly light appeared in the Ghost Slave’s hand. The blade thrust straight at Yang Xiao’s heart. Fighting life for life was clearly not ideal, so Yang Xiao sidestepped and blocked the dagger’s edge with the Human Bone Staff, at the same time kicking fiercely at the man’s midsection.
The powerful blow sent the man in traditional Chinese clothing tumbling to the ground, doubled over like a shrimp. The impact with the dagger caused the Grudge Letter Ghost Servant to panic as its connection with the dagger was severed, and the spiritual power attached to it cleared in an instant.
This was because Yang Xiao had not intended to kill; otherwise, that would have been enough to make it impossible for him to leave unscathed. Yang Xiao was incensed, and he had overestimated the Grudge Letter Ghost Servant’s strength. After repelling the Ghost Slave with one move, he prepared to finish off the man in traditional Chinese clothing.
"How audacious!"
The next second, a gust of wind struck from behind. Before Yang Xiao could see clearly, his right arm was ensnared, and he felt as if it were plunged into ice water; he almost couldn’t hold onto the Human Bone Staff.
But soon, the Drama Robe’s protective power kicked in, forcibly expelling the chill. It was then Yang Xiao noticed that what had wrapped around his right arm was a slender bone whip, and at the time, he couldn’t tell from which animal it had come.
These details didn’t matter anymore. Turning to the man who lay collapsed on the ground, perhaps it was from the determination to kill that shone in the two eyes peeking from beneath the mask, the man in traditional Chinese clothing let out a piercing scream. But the next second, the scream abruptly ceased.
Yang Xiao, with lightning speed, whipped out the Ghost Duster and struck the man. The man’s upper body undeniably shattered, leaving only two legs on the ground, twisted and twitching.
"Arrogant fool, you’re courting death!"
From behind came a roar and a surge of imposing energy. Turning around, Yang Xiao saw what he had expected: the Fierce Letter Ghost Servant had acted. She was holding a hovering Exquisite Pagoda that spun faster and faster, growing larger until it became a seven-story Pagoda dazzling with strange colors, exuding an aura of mystical charm.
