The white clouds in the sky piled like snow, the island"s cliffs towered in disorder.
Suddenly, a sharp, air-breaking sound threaded through the sea of clouds, a screaming rumble. Two beautiful figures fell from the sky like cannonb.a.l.l.s, heavily smashing against the jagged cliffs, forming a giant hole.
The smoke and dust cleared, and from the hole appeared two young women. One wore a tiger-patterned corset, and the other wore a blue shirt and short skirt.
"Ying"er!!"1 The beautiful girl in blue anxiously shouted, lending an arm to support the girl in the tiger-stripe long gown and corset. That girl"s stature was exquisite and also cute, however, that blue-clothed woman"s build was wonderful and fine. At first glance the two were actually somewhat oddly intimate.
Ying"er vomited blood. The blue-clothed girl shouted: "Quickly stop the pain."
"Quickly flee." The exquisite girl said with difficulty. Pushing with one hand, one hand gripped a Soul Chasing Life Taking Spear. She was the Minute Star Stumpy Tiger w.a.n.g Ying,2 true name w.a.n.g Ying.3
"Thinking of escaping?"
A disdainful laugh fell from the sky.
A Guanghan Red Hare steered a cloud of frost down. On the horse sat a mighty girl, with golden armor and long ribbons. In her hand was a Purple Brilliant Moon Slashing Blade.
Great Saint Starkiller laughed out loud, the Heavenly Cycle Changing Holy Swords hung in the air, the cold light like iron.
"Worthy of being called Maiden Mountain"s most absolute beautiful Star General through the successive generations. Even when you are heavily injured to this degree, you still are capable of causing the downfall of a city. Even I cannot help but fall in love at first sight." Great Saint Starkiller praised the beauty of the blue-clothed woman that captivated all manner of living beings.
The two girls had grave expressions.
"Now that the Third Phase has pa.s.sed, you Earthly Stars had better quickly return to Maiden Mountain. The things to come after do not require your partic.i.p.ation." Great Saint Starkiller sneered.
"Roar."
Stumpy Tiger w.a.n.g Ying was like a hissing tiger. Her Star Beast, the Seize Mountain For King Beast,4 charged towards Great Saint Starkiller.
The Guanghan Red Hare intercepted at the front, its hooves hovering in the sky. The chill of frost and ice forced the Seize Mountain For King Beast to withdraw. Guan Ying slashed, cutting down this Star Beast.
The blue-clothed girl suddenly erupted, her figure scattering dispersing like water and smoke, her speed abnormally quick. A pair of sabers appeared in her hands, and with a leap, she attacked Great Saint Starkiller.
Bang.
Guang Ying"s Purple Brilliant Moon Slashing Blade blocked. The Four Star Destined Weapon of fighting fame easily slashed back the girl.
"Ying"er, do not waste time. Kill them." Great Saint Starkiller issued his orders.
Brave Star Guan Ying spurred her horse. Just the Guanghan Red Hare"s freezing aggression made the color drain from Stumpy Tiger w.a.n.g Ying"s face. Facing the Great Blade, chief of the Five Tigers, the Minute Star unexpectedly did not retreat.
"Niangzi,5 quickly escape!!"
Both of w.a.n.g Ying"s hands clenched her spear. Star Energy gathered from across her whole body, and the Star Crest on her forehead flashed. "Guan Sheng, watch this!" w.a.n.g Ying leapt high, just like a fierce tiger descending a mountain. The Soul Chasing Life Taking Spear"s spear-shadows covered in layers.
Dark Rank: Love Color Like Life!6
Guan Ying slightly hesitated. In that transient moment, her hand rose and the halberd fell.
The Purple Brilliant Moon Slashing Blade incomparably tore apart the spear-images tyranically.
Stumpy Tiger w.a.n.g Ying"s screamed as she was cut down by the blade. Just at this moment, the Purple Brilliant Moon Slashing Blade abruptly burst forth with black qi. It pa.s.sed through the girl, tearing her to shreds, like a plague of ten thousand ghosts. A heart-rending scream fell incessantly into the ear, a scene appearing extremely terrifying.
Guan Ying"s excited smile changed. She wanted to withdraw the great blade, but how could she have antic.i.p.ated that w.a.n.g Ying"s hands would seize the great blade. Even when this pain was so unbearable, she still turned her head back and shouted with difficulty: "Niangzi, quickly escape!!"
"Ying"er!!" The blue-clothed girl was grief-stricken.
"Quickly run!!" w.a.n.g Ying condensed all of the pain into a final shout.
The blue-clothed girl raised her double sabers and slashed. Great Saint Starkiller sneered: "The feelings between you sisters is actually deep, would it not be happier for you to return to Maiden Mountain together."
The Heavenly Cycle Changing Holy Sword"s sword-qi was like silk, slashing over.
In the end, w.a.n.g Ying"s expression did not despair, not was it angry. There was only a sort of deep concern. The young girl seemed to have heard the voice of her heart – "Live!!"
Live!
She needed to live to take revenge!
The Minute Star"s star fell down.
The blue-clothed girl"s eyes furiously burned. A jade pendant flashed, and the young girl"s body disappeared like smoke.
"Thinking of running, Ying"er, kill her!" Great Saint Starkiller shouted.
Guan Ying tightly clenched her great blade, looking incredulously at the dark afterglow of her weapon, at the burning flames deeper than darkness. She seemingly could hear the grudge of her Sister inside the weapon.
All of the resentment enveloped the weapon, and a powerful force made her nearly incapable of control.
What is this.
What the h.e.l.l is this…Guan Ying"s complexion lost all of its color.
"Guan Sheng!!"
A furious roar shook Great Blade Guan Ying from her shuddering. Guan Ying raised her head and spotted the hateful expression of the Sister before her.
"Guan Shen!! I, Hu Sanniang, swear that this is not over!!"
Her figure dispersed, and the girl immediately disappeared.
Guan Ying"s eyes were like ice, without any feeling.
Great Saint Starkiller was disdainful: "The barks of a defeated dog, she dares to boast. You think you can run from the Black Turtle Territory, but the Devil Star Palace naturally will find you and sacrifice you!!"
"Master!! Why did you do this!" Guan Ying shouted, her voice like a thunder roll.
Great Saint Starkiller"s brows wrinkled, and he sternly yelled: "You ought to wake a bit from that illusion of honor, Guan Ying!! The Star Duels have nothing to do with good and evil. They are only life and death, you must understand!! Even now, your heart still retains compa.s.sion. Could it be you wish to repeat a disastrous course of action again?"
Her knuckles turned white from gripping her weapon so tightly. Guan Ying"s gaze suddenly made Great Saint Starkiller"s heart give rise to a sort of unprecedented chill. He made a rare step back. No need to be afraid, since you contracted her, she cannot possibly betray you. Even if she was not thinking of doing this, you can compel her by command, Great Saint Starkiller rea.s.sured himself. His tone warmed a bit: "You and I share everything together in fortune and misfortune. Could it be, Guan Ying, that you do not want to raise again the true fighting fame of the chief of the Five Tigers? How many despicable characters were there in the previous Star Duels that nevertheless have even greater glory than yours, Guan Sheng, could it be because their strength is more powerful than yours?"
"But This General disdains using this sort of thing…"
"Do you have anything meaningful to say? If it was not for you being defeated by Wu Song, how could we have ever fallen to such a state. Alas, This Great Saint does not wish to see you in pain, Ying"er." Great Saint Starkiller sighed in distress, unknown how much of the the distress and helplessness shown in his eyes was real and how much was false.
Guan Ying was silent.
Seeing that she had been soothed, Great Saint Starkiller once again said: "For the sake of victory, you must make sacrifices. This is what you originally said to Your Servant, Ying"er. Now, what does this tiny, insignificant sacrifice amount to."
"First, properly refine this Devil Star. I will have all the people in the palace go capture Hu Sanniang. Heh, heh, an Earthly Star Four Heavenly King. She cannot run too far."
—
Several days afterwards, a figure clad in a black cloak stood on one of Lone Dragon Mound,7 gazing into the distance. Below was an uneven wasteland and a large river cutting across. Further away, figures could be seen fighting on the river.
Concentrating for a moment, the black cloaked person nodded. Suddenly turning their head to look, the figure then flashed down the mountain.
Su Xing felt himself truly unfortunate. Leaving the Immortal"s Abode, he used several days" time to go to the Black Turtle Sea, the end result of which was that the paths to this Black Turtle Territory"s sea crisscrossed. The islands were countless, and he unexpectedly lost his way.
Asking several villagers from the islands, no one knew the way. Su Xing currently was inwardly angry. He heard that he could hear all sorts of information at Lone Dragon Mound.
Asking around, he did not find anything. On the contrary, he had drawn trouble over first.
The Alligator Dragon Sea Swallowing Claws of the young girl clad in a sleeveless blue long robe were dextrous claws. Upon the seas, she was more nimble than a fish. Watching her claws dance, the ground immediately surged with bursts of water pillars shooting into the sky.
"Quickly surrender before Ping"er,"8 The corner of the girl"s lips curled. Her short pink hair was tied into two small ponytails. The flowing sea hung, and those eyes carried a "hurry and surrender" meaning.
Su Xing inwardly wrinkled his brow, flipped open the treasure book and looked.
Star Position: Guilt Star9
Star Name: Ruan Xiaowu10
Nickname: Short-lived Second Brother11
True Name: Ruan Ping"er12
Rank: Twenty-ninth
Star Weapon: Alligator Dragon Sea Swallowing Claws13 (Two Star)
Star Beast: Ancient Dragon Alligator14
Realm: Ten Thousand Techniques Seventh Stage
Innate Skill: Water Control
Five Elements: Water
Yellow Rank Special Move: Dragon King Break
Dark Rank Special Move: Water Flooding Dragon King Temple
Current Status: No Contractor (can be conquered)
Detailed Materials: …
"Guilt Star, Ruan Xiaowu!!" Su Xing gasped. The Star Generals of this Black Turtle Territory honestly were numerous. He did not expect to see her.
A naval Star General was a ferocious character, and she had not signed a contract. If this was in the past, Su Xing would have had interest to flirt a bit, but how could he have this fiery sentiment at this time.
"Ruan Ping"er, what are you doing." Su Xing continuously dodged the rocketing water pillars. If he was stained, the consequences could not be imagined.
"The Birth Treasure Outline? Waa, you have lots of capital. Are you a Star Master? Where is your Star General?" Her evil grin increasingly blossomed. Guilt Star Ruan Ping"er"s current manner looked as if she had spotted prey. "It would be better to capture and bring you back to my watery den."
"I do not have time to play with you." Su Xing felt he truly was foolish enough, to unexpectedly still have the mood to play at this time. Could it be that he still clung onto the idea of signing a contract?
Su Xing"s Divine Intent rose. Twenty-four Flying Swords appeared from thin air.
They cut down the water pillars all together. A rushing escape light charged the Guilt Star. "Wouldn"t it be better for you to first become Your Servant"s mistress?"15 Su Xing could not help taking liberties with her. Suddenly, he recalled that the depth of the Black Turtle Sea was millions of li deep, very dangerous. If there was this sort of Water General, how could he not be a fish back in water, to have double the success with half the effort.
"If you have the ability, then come get me. Let us see just who will fall first." Ruan Ping"er"s expression was extremely delicate and pretty, but she looked like a weird uncle.
Seeing Su Xing was Supercl.u.s.ter Early Stage, Ruan Ping"er sensed that Su Xing was a Star Master. The so-called Star Masters were not all Star Cultivators that had contracted Star Generals. Some only became Star Cultivators after the Star Duels began. These sorts of Star Cultivators could also sign contracts with Star Generals, and they were also called Descended Stars.16
Any way it was put, Supercl.u.s.ter Early Stage cultivation was stunning. Ruan Ping"er originally thought to force Su Xing to bring out his Star General, but it appeared that Su Xing did not have a Star General. Could it be this man had not contracted a Star General?
This surprising discovery made Ruan Ping"er wildly give birth to wicked thoughts. Her heart had the impulse to first capture him and bring him back for the Elder and Little Sisters to look at. It was honestly too pitiful for this sort of Star Master to not contract. If the Elder and Little Sisters did not like him, at that time, she could nearly have one less disaster.
Precisely harboring this goal, the Guilt Star then became braver the more she fought.
The Alligator Dragon Sea Swallowing Claw slashed, and a water pillar rolled up, becoming a water dragon that extended across the girl"s whole body. That scene was extremely beautiful.
"Dragon King Break!"
Ruan Ping"er grinned evilly.
That wide and large water dragon locked onto Su Xing and pounced.
The Flying Swords simultaneously slashed, yet cutting water was completely useless.
"Return!"
Su Xing struck a hand seal, his Flying Swords forming a sword-shield that unfolded and blocked before him. The water dragon slammed against it. The dragon"s powerful strength jolted the Life-cast Flying Swords into groaning, feeling quite unwell alongside Su Xing"s own body.
- 瑛兒 ↩
- 地微星矮腳虎王英 ↩
- 王瑛, a different Ying. ↩
- 占山為王 ↩
- 娘子, normally, this means "wife," but this is actually the Star General"s name. ↩
- 嗜色如命 ↩
- 獨龍崗 ↩
- 瓶兒 ↩
- 天罪星 ↩
- 阮小五 ↩
- 短命二郎 ↩
- 阮瓶兒 ↩
- 鱷龍吞海爪 ↩
- 亙古龍鱷, more accurately, it’s Ancient Champsosaurus ↩
- 壓寨夫人, lit. wife of a brigand chief. Has a bad connotation it seems. ↩
- Lots of confusion here. So up until now, 降星者 was tl"d as "Star Master" but literally means "Descended Star Person." Now, the text is making a differentiation between one who signs a contract early in the Star Duels, and one who signs late, apparently, calling the latter 降星, "Descended Star." ↩