Book 13: Chapter 54: Darkest Black
Book 13: Chapter 54: Darkest Black
The white steam carried a broiling aura, sweeping out like a wave.
Gao Yanan released a cry of alarm, rapidly pulling Lin Xi backwards.
Layers of extremely fine green metal extended from Jiang Xiaoyi’s body.
The mighty and formidable Green Luan Wargod Armor reappeared.
The green metal long feathers behind him separated, turning into flying blades.
Hong!
However, when this white vapor evaporated, even before he truly made contact with Shentu Nians’ body, Jiang Xiaoyi already released a muffled groan, his feet drawing out long grooves along the ground, sliding backwards.
Chu Yehan was previously extremely happy, even stirred up, but now, he became extremely nervous.
Great Mang’s number one archery master Gongsun Yang came to East Scenery City.
Great Mang Sword Study’s Sir Jun who had already reached the Sacred Expert level a long time ago also came to East Scenery City.
There were also Tangcang’s two swords[1].
Not a single one of the Sacred Experts Great Mang sent here were ordinary Sacred Experts like Xu Tianwang, all of them cultivators even Ni Henian would find brilliant.
These Sacred Experts might be equivalent to six or seven ordinary sacred level cultivators.
Because of the appearance of these people, Great Mang’s strength in East Scenery City already far exceeded the expectations of Yunqin’s military. It was because if there were only two or three Sacred Experts, then Zhong Cheng, Nightingale, Tang Chuqing and the others would have already been enough to deal with them.
It could be said that without Lin Xi’s transferring, there was no way they could deal with Tangcang’s two swords. However, despite this being the case, Zhong Cheng and Nightingale already lacked the strength to fight anymore, Tang Chuqing was also unable to join the battle again. Right now, even though Sir Jun already ended up in mutual defeat with Tang Chuqing, Shentu Nian… was still a Sacred Expert.
There were already no other Sacred Experts who could fight against him in East Scenery City.
Moreover, Shentu Nian was from Purgatory Mountain’s Shentu Clan, similarly not an ordinary Sacred Expert.
Chu Yehan had confidence in stopping an ordinary Sacred Expert, but in regards to stopping a Sacred Expert who even had a chance of becoming a Purgatory Mountain elder, he instead didn’t have the slightest bit of confidence.
While facing the white steam that was released from the terrifying temperature suddenly cooling, he leapt up to Jiang Xiaoyi who was sent flying backwards.
Right now, Shentu Nian was already less than thirty steps from him.
Even if he had the protection of soul force, his skin was also already burned by the surrounding heat until it turned red, to the extent where there were blisters forming in some areas. However, he still steadily sent a wave of soul force into the chest on his back.
Another silver white short rod flew out from a hole on top of his large chest.
The instant it flew out, this silvery-white colored short rod immediately unfolded. Turns out it was a collapsed silvery-white layer of metal film.
Shentu Nian was already less than ten steps from him.
His brows and hair were already yellow, producing some sparks.
At this time, this giant metal film extended towards Shentu Nian like a tent blown by the wind.
Shentu Nian’s right hand palm only had a thumb left.
A purple-red spark appeared above his thumb, looking just like a candle’s small flame.
Boom!
With just this small flame, the air in his surroundings already exploded again. Chu Yehan couldn’t open his eyes, his brows and hair completely lit on fire.
The rapidly rising heat seemed like it was about to blow away the great metal film.
However, in this instant, this giant metal film instead began to contract around the surging vital energy. With a chi noise, it formed a several meters large diameter pouch, trapping Shentu Nian within.
Only now did Chu Yehan begin to release a cry of pain, quickly withdrawing, putting out the fire on his head.
…
Chu Yehan’s fighting style naturally left Lin Xi incredibly amazed.
This type of combat style gave him the feeling of a special forces soldier when they relied on some special equipment to fight against aliens.
The shining silver metal film was still quickly contracting, continuing to shrink towards Shentu Nian’s body.
He watched extremely nervously.
Everyone also also watched extremely nervously.
When normal Sacred Experts were trapped within a small space with such terrifyingly high temperature flames and steam, they might just be cooked alive. However, the so-called temperature and heat came from Shentu Nian to begin with, so no one knew if this silver metal film could truly trap him to death.
…
There was a drizzle that scattered down to the silver metal film, releasing chi chi sounds, strands of steam immediately rushing out again.
Boom!
The contracting silver metal film suddenly surged outwards, releasing drum beat like sounds.
It didn’t break.
However, Lin Xi and the others still didn’t feel the slightest bit of happiness, because all of them could sense that there was an even more terrifying power currently surging from within.
“You all should quickly use this chance to leave through the Divine Wooden Flying Crane!”
Chu Yehan turned around, shouting towards Lin Xi and the others behind him.
Boom!
When his voice had just sounded, when the first ‘you’ word just sounded, before a breath of time passed, the silver metal film already shook again.
A single second of time was enough for a Sacred Expert to do many things.
There were a few streaks of fiery light that appeared on the silver metal membrane, passing through the metal film, producing cracks.
The metal film split open.
Purple colored smoke swirled around Shentu Nian’s entire body as he walked out from the broken metal film.
A streak of scorching heat condensed into a streak, surging towards Chu Yehan who was still shouting fiercely.
In this instant, Chu Yehan only had enough time to turn around.
Dang!
The bronze chest that was the same size as him blocked this streak of smoke and fire, preventing him from being directly burned to ashes by these flames. However, his body couldn’t stand steadily, falling forward, a mouthful of scalding blood gushing out from his mouth.
“In the skies, I am helpless before it. However, now that it has landed, it can forget about taking flight again.”
Shentu Nian didn’t look at Chu Yehan who fell down, blood gushing out from his mouth. His eyes landed on Lin Xi and the Divine Wooden Flying Crane not far behind Lin Xi.
He continued walking forward. Even his exhaled breath seemed to carry embers.
“I cannot understand the things that took place in this city and the things involving you. I cannot understand just what a Divine General is exactly… I also know that you similarly challenged above your level, you ended up killing Xu Qiubai without any reason. You even left me in despair… However, in the end, I still want to give it a try. Your completely unreasonable level skipping challenge… in a situation where even your soul force is about to be completely used up, let’s see if you can still skip levels to kill a Sacred Expert.”
He wanted to completely finish this line, which was why his movements weren’t as fast as before.
Shentu Nian’s words were completely his most sincere feelings.
He already felt utter despair and helplessness, everything he could use to seize victory already used up here, yet before Lin Xi, they still didn’t bring him victory. In the end, he didn’t have anything else, only himself left.
Right now, he even thought that if he died, then so be it, he wanted to die under Lin Xi’s hands.
However, Lin Xi understood extremely well that Shentu Nian’s methods right now were instead the most effective.
If it was instead when the other party felt most despair that he was killed, would Shentu Nian just become completely stupefied, making him feel that this was too ridiculous?
Right now, this thought couldn’t help but appear in his mind.
He gave Jiang Xiaoyi a look and held Gao Yanan’s hand, feeling a bit of bitterness in his mouth as he thought about their conversations from before.
Golden radiance flickered from within his priest robes’ wide sleeves, this was the radiance released by that little golden Yunqin phoenix Ruirui.
It also wanted to fight, waiting for a chance to make its move, but right now, it was in despair, because it knew that if it rushed out, it wouldn’t be a Meteor Sky Phoenix again, it would rather directly turn into a roasted chicken.
…
All of these Yunqin people who risked life and death with the city already did everything they could, unable to fight any more.
However, at this time, there was someone who could still fight that was hesitating.
This person was above a riverside pavilion that was about to start burning, hidden within large black robes that seemed to make her completely merge into that pavilion, even Shentu Nian and the white clothed Sacred Expert unable to detect her.
Her mission was precisely to protect Lin Xi, even if she had to give up her life doing so.
Only, the thing she had in her hands was just like Shentu Nian’s pearl that directly left him in despair, too precious. Even during the academy’s conflict, even when the one who brought this to her was seriously injured and died from being pursued, it hadn’t been used. Just like Brother Ming, this was one of Green Luan Academy’s true backing.
She was reluctant.
If she could use her life in exchange for not using this object, then she would definitely use up her life, in this way allow the academy to keep this item.
However, this exchange was impossible right now.
She hesitated, hoping that Lin Xi could still bring some miracles, prevent her from using this item.
However, it was already at the critical moment.
She didn’t have any more choice… She was hesitating. When she thought about the one who brought her this thing, tears flowed. The soul force gathered in the palm of her hand, pouring towards the item in her hands.
The item in her hands looked like a black rag, but there was no silk or thread as light as this ‘rag’, this soft. That was why this ‘rag’ was even more so like an extremely soft cloud.
Only, this item had many profound rune patterns on its surface, looking like a row of runes.
The instant her soul force flowed in, this item suddenly split up, becoming something like a black gauze, rushing towards Shentu Nian.
Shentu Nian sensed that there were soul force fluctuations that suddenly erupted from a higher elevation to his side. He also quickly sensed an unusual vital energy rippling.
He suddenly felt incomparable fear.
Almost on instinct, his breathing stopped, all of the pores on his body also instantly closing.
His arms closed together, producing a blade-like flame, suddenly hacking towards this black gauze.
The black gauze, under the battering of flames, suddenly broke down into millions and millions of fine black fragments, spreading out, scattering with the wind, spreading across who knew how many millions and millions of li.
What was strange was that this wave of terrifying flames Shentu Nian released, after scattering this black gauze, it disappeared, as if it just dissipated into the wind.
The speed at which these black fragments spread outwards was extremely strange and shocking.
Before Shentu Nian had any time to make any other movements, to the extent where he couldn’t even make any other considerations, he didn’t even have any time to feel shocked, yet there were already several hundred extremely fine black granules that landed on his body.
His body instinctively reacted, wishing to send these black fragments flying.
However, these black fragments didn’t seem to be affected at all, deeply entering his body.
All of the soul force in his body, in the areas where these black fragments and skin made contact, began to go out of control, scattering outwards, instantly disappearing into the sky.
The flames around his body completely vanished, the radiance growing dim.
From a blaze controlling deity, he instantly became an ordinary person without a trace of soul force.
Lin Xi was the same.
His perception couldn’t compare with Shentu Nian’s, which was why he couldn’t sense the finer changes taking place in this world. He only knew that in this instant, the bit of soul force left in him also quickly left his body, disappearing.
This was the same for Gao Yanan at his side… It wasn’t just the people around him, even Yunqin army’s cultivators and Purgatory Mountain Divine Adjudicators still fighting in the distance were experiencing this.
Cries of horror sounded continuously from the distance and even further away.
Among everyone gathered here, the only one who still remained calm was the white clothed sword master.
It was because he had seen this type of black before.
1. Xiao Xuihai, Tangcang Imperial Uncle’s adopted son and Han Xuzi, Tangcang’s number one sword master