Free Web NovelChapter 161: Chapter 156: The Grim Killing Intent Within the Red Lantern
It was like a children’s squabble: if you can’t beat the big kid, you take out your frustration by thrashing the little one. Right now, Zhaang Yijian’s strength was simply too overwhelming; even Luo Yongsheng wasn’t confident he could win. Under these circumstances, the young experts from the Lee, Zhou, and Luo Families all set their sights on Zhaang Ye. Several gazes fell upon him, making him frown inwardly.
After the final match, the top ten contenders were finally decided.
The ten people who advanced in the Four Races’ young experts’ ranking tournament were: Zhaang Yijian, Luo Yongsheng, Lee Lie, Zhou Yuhe, Luo Changjie, Lee Changfeng, Zhou Chen Mountain, Zhaang Ye, Luo Zheng, and a True Disciple from the Lee Family, Lee Zhong.
Of the ten, the Zhou and Zhaang Families each had two members, while the Lee and Luo Families each had three.
The top ten had been decided. Next was drawing lots to continue the competition and determine the top five.
During this round of drawing lots, it wasn’t just the young experts who were inwardly nervous; even the four Elders were tense. They were all afraid that members of their own family would be pitted against each other too early.
Zhaang Ye casually drew a lot. His match was the first one. The young expert from the Luo Family, Luo Changjie, happened to draw the first match as well. In other words, Zhaang Ye’s opponent was Luo Changjie.
Luo Changjie was ranked fifth among the ten great young experts of Cyan Mulberry City, and his strength surpassed even Lee Yan’s.
Walking onto the Martial Arts Arena and taking his position, Zhaang Ye finally noticed that Luo Changjie was carrying a large lantern. It was about the size of a tabletop and glowed a ghastly red, a color that was unsettling and alarming.
Zhaang Ye was slightly taken aback. ’Why are the weapons used by the Luo Family experts so strange?’ he wondered. ’First, there was one who used a net. Now this Luo Changjie is even more baffling, actually using a lantern.’
Back at the Zhaang Family residence, Zhaang Ye had once heard Zhaang Tianlong mention some of the unique skills and weapons of the ten great experts. But Zhaang Tianlong had never mentioned this lantern. It seemed Luo Changjie had made it his secret weapon.
Zhaang Ye slowly drew his Thick-Backed Saber, his eyes fixed on Luo Changjie.
The referee walked over at this moment and instructed the two to take their positions. He then retreated to the edge of the Martial Arts Arena and shouted softly, "The match begins!"
Before the referee’s voice had even faded, Zhaang Ye immediately executed the Cloud Stepping Technique and shot toward Luo Changjie. His Cloud Stepping Technique had long since reached the Great Success Realm. At full power, his speed was astonishing. With just a slight movement of his feet, he instantly crossed a distance of twenty feet. He swung his saber, and a powerful wave of Sword Qi shot out, slashing directly at Luo Changjie.
Zhaang Ye couldn’t figure out what Luo Changjie’s lantern was, so he didn’t dare to rush in too close, opting instead to attack from a distance. The Sword Qi from Zhaang Ye’s strike, while not as sharp as Luo Zheng’s previous eight-foot Sword Qi, was still over six feet long. Moreover, this wave of Sword Qi was powered by Ancient Elephant Power, its might no weaker than Luo Zheng’s Sword Qi.
Just as Zhaang Ye’s Sword Qi shot out, something unexpected happened.
Luo Changjie tossed the lantern in his hand. The massive lantern immediately flew into the air above the Martial Arts Arena. Then, it suddenly emitted a dense red light that instantly enveloped the entire arena in a ghastly crimson glow. It was so intense it blotted out the sun, and you couldn’t even see your own fingers if you held your hand up.
Red!
So intensely red!
A field of ghastly red!
A red that made one’s heart pound with panic!
’What the hell is this thing!’ Zhaang Ye was startled, but instead of retreating, he charged forward. He unleashed the full power of his Thick-Backed Saber, executing the Gentle Wind Slash. In an instant, a sudden breeze rose, filling the entire Martial Arts Arena.
His abilities were now greatly hampered. He had to cut down Luo Changjie quickly, or else who knew what kind of attacks he would face while shrouded in this bizarre red light.
Zhaang Ye’s reaction was clearly beyond Luo Changjie’s expectations. Luo Changjie had spent a great deal of effort to create this lantern, finding the fat of several special Fierce Beasts to make it. Once lit, the Fierce Beast fat inside would burn violently, emitting that ghastly red light that could even overwhelm the sun.
Luo Changjie’s intention in creating the lantern was to take advantage of the moment his opponent was blinded by the red light to leverage his superior Body Technique and launch a variety of attacks. He was extremely familiar with this strange red light and had used this lantern to slay countless opponents.
He used the Red Lantern against Zhaang Ye this time for two reasons. First, the strength Zhaang Ye had displayed when defeating Lee Yan was too astonishing to be ignored. Second, he had received instructions from his family to "take care of" Zhaang Ye. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
For these two reasons, Luo Changjie decisively used the lantern, preparing to kill Zhaang Ye stealthily under the cover of its red light.
Under the red light of the lantern, even if he killed Zhaang Ye, the people outside wouldn’t be able to see clearly. Afterward, he could simply claim it was an accidental killing in the heat of battle and get away with it.
But for all his calculations, he could never have predicted that Zhaang Ye would not retreat but instead advance and launch an all-out attack in the face of the bizarre Red Lantern. The moment Zhaang Ye’s attack began, Luo Changjie felt as if a hundred sharp sabers had suddenly appeared in the air, each one thick with killing intent, slashing down at him in a dense barrage!
The Gentle Wind Slash was a move that transformed one slash into a hundred. Using it at this moment was perfect, instantly forcing Luo Changjie onto the defensive.
At this point, even if he wanted to use his Body Technique, it was impossible to dodge the dense web of Sword Techniques. And if he blocked them head-on, while he could stop Zhaang Ye’s attack, doing so would immediately reveal his position. Given Zhaang Ye’s strength, if he exposed his location, escaping would likely be difficult.
Luo Changjie was extremely reluctant to block, but he had no choice but to do so.
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG—
Luo Changjie’s strength was not to be underestimated. He executed a Mid-Level Combat Skill and successfully blocked Zhaang Ye’s Gentle Wind Slash.
After blocking the final strike, Luo Changjie suddenly realized that the dense barrage of sabers had vanished in an instant. Before he had a chance to use his Body Technique, he abruptly felt an unusually sharp wave of Sword Qi tearing through the air toward him!
Luo Changjie’s expression changed drastically. Without even thinking, he instantly swung the Long Sword in his hand.
As a member of the Luo Family, Luo Changjie also specialized in the Seven Seas and Heaven Swords, and his mastery of it was even higher than Luo Zheng’s. With a swing of his sword, a sharp wave of Sword Qi over eight feet long erupted forth, colliding with Zhaang Ye’s Sword Qi.
SHHHHHKKKK—
The two waves of Sword Qi crashed into each other, producing a grating sound that set one’s teeth on edge.
To Luo Changjie’s astonishment, the Sword Qi he had unleashed with his full power couldn’t gain any advantage against Zhaang Ye’s Sword Qi. In fact, his Sword Qi seemed to be a notch or two weaker.
’How is this possible?’ Luo Changjie couldn’t believe it. He had the Cultivation of the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Early Stage, while Zhaang Ye was merely at the Martial Arts Fourth Layer Early Stage. ’Even if Zhaang Ye practiced a Body Refining Technique, no matter how powerful it is, it couldn’t possibly generate such terrifying Sword Qi, could it?’
Luo Changjie was filled with confusion. Of course, if he knew that Zhaang Ye possessed Elephant Power from the Ancient Mammoth Elephant Clan within his body, he would not have been so surprised.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Startled, a defiant feeling rose in Luo Changjie’s heart. He executed the Seven Seas and Heaven Swords, consecutively unleashing three sharp waves of Sword Qi, vowing to cut Zhaang Ye down.
Luo Changjie’s killing intent was so strong that even Zhaang Ye’s expression flickered. Zhaang Ye gave a cold smile. Without a word, he silently weathered Luo Changjie’s three blasts of Sword Qi. The sound of the colliding Sword Qis boomed like thunder.
After the repeated clashes, Luo Changjie’s qi and blood were in turmoil, and a trickle of blood even escaped the corner of his mouth. Zhaang Ye, on the other hand, relied on his formidable physical body and the advantage of his Heavy Saber. Although his arm was numb, he was in much better shape.
’Alright, it’s time to counterattack!’ Zhaang Ye himself had read the Luo Family’s Seven Seas and Heaven Swords manual. After taking four of Luo Changjie’s Sword Qi attacks, Zhaang Ye had gained a good understanding of the skill. As its name implied, the Seven Seas and Heaven Swords allowed one to use a profound Technique to unleash seven fierce waves of Sword Qi to slay an enemy.
To continuously unleash all seven waves of Sword Qi, one needed a Cultivation at the Martial Arts Sixth Layer. Luo Changjie’s current Cultivation was only at the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Early Stage. Being able to launch four strikes was already straining his limits; a fifth was absolutely impossible for him.
’If he can’t launch another wave of Sword Qi, then this is my chance!’ Zhaang Ye took a deep breath. Seizing the moment while Luo Changjie was still Replenishing Qi, he suddenly executed a Reverse Flow Slash.
The Reverse Flow Slash was incredibly fast. Luo Changjie had just unleashed three waves of Sword Qi and hadn’t even had a chance to catch his breath when Zhaang Ye’s counterattack arrived—and it was incomparably fierce!
CLANG!
Luo Changjie was, after all, ranked fifth among the ten great young experts. Though he blocked hastily, he still managed to parry Zhaang Ye’s Reverse Flow Slash with his Long Sword.
But before he could feel any relief, Zhaang Ye’s second Reverse Flow Slash arrived!
Luo Changjie’s expression changed dramatically. He could never have imagined that Zhaang Ye’s qi reserves would be so deep that after blocking three of his Sword Qi attacks, he still had the strength to launch two incomparably fierce attacks in succession!
CLANG! Luo Changjie dredged up the last dregs of his potential to barely block Zhaang Ye’s strike, violently spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"I—" Luo Changjie knew Zhaang Ye’s strength was too overwhelming. He decisively opened his mouth to concede.
Zhaang Ye had clearly felt Luo Changjie’s chilling killing intent earlier. How could he possibly let someone who wanted to kill him off so easily? Zhaang Ye let out a great roar, his voice drowning out Luo Changjie’s attempt to concede. Amidst the roar, the Thick-Backed Saber in Zhaang Ye’s hand slashed down, shattering Luo Changjie’s Long Sword and, in the same motion, severing both of his legs.
AHHH—" Luo Changjie’s bloodcurdling scream echoed across the entire Martial Arts Arena.
There was not a trace of sympathy in Zhaang Ye’s eyes. He slashed his saber toward the sky, instantly shattering the large lantern hanging in the air. The crimson light that filled the sky dissipated.
Outside the Martial Arts Arena, the Elders, the referee, and the disciples had only been able to hear the sounds of battle, unable to see what was happening. When the red light faded, they saw Zhaang Ye standing proudly on the arena with his Heavy Saber on his back. And there was Luo Changjie—ranked fifth among the Younger Generation of Cyan Mulberry City—clutching his severed legs and wailing in agony.
HSSSS— A series of sharp intakes of breath echoed across the mountaintop. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
