A Martial Odyssey

Xiao Yuanjia said haughtily, “Since you are my sister, I let your group makes the first strike.”

Yi Ping was fuming as he said angrily, “You are her brother?! And you want to kill her?” He simply could not believe that he was hearing such an outrageous thing in his life.

Xiao Youxue was secretly touched. She had never experienced kinship other than her mother and even then, her mother had a bitter outlook in life and this caused her to be despised even by her own father.

Her very own father would rather impart the Flying Sword Techniques and other martial skills to Ding Yunzi than to her.

Xiao Yuanjia replied coolly, “She is just my half-sister. In my entire life, I have never exchanged more three sentences with her. Today is the exception.”

Yi Ping had already recited the ‘Absolute Spirits’ intricate formula to calm himself down and to focus all his entire focus to the upcoming fight.

He said, “No matter who you are, I won’t allow you to harm Maiden Xiao. I will beat you up so that you will never bully your sister ever again.”

Xiao Youxue gasped, “Yi Ping…”

Xiao Yuanjia said, “It seem that you have found a steady but what a pity, he is to die today.”

Lie Qing interrupted innocently, “I believe it is a feud between you. Do I have anything to do with it?”

Xiao Yuanjia looked at this attractive and mesmerizing young maiden as he said, “Indeed you don’t.”

Lie Qing said, “Since I have nothing to do with your feuds, then I have better go and mind my own business.”

Even before Yi Ping and Xiao Yuanjia could say a word more, she had already taken great strides and walked off!

Yi Ping was stunned as he muttered, “She didn’t even say good bye.” But he quickly defended her actions by thinking, “Alas, she had barely recovered from her injuries. Moreover, it is really none of her affairs and we shouldn’t drag her into this. Some more I am the one that asks her to step back in the first place.”

Ding Yunzi said coolly, “Now there are only four of us. The fight is very obvious now and fair now.”

Yi Ping said, “Youxue, let me take care of your brother. I don’t wish to see you siblings fighting among yourself.”

He said to Xiao Yuanjia, “I am Yi Ping and what is your name?”

Xiao Yuanjia said coldly, “Xiao Yuanjia. Remember my name and tell the King of Hades who has killed you.”

Yi Ping said, “I don’t want to kill you but I make sure you regret your insolence!”

Xiao Youxue said melancholy, “Yi Ping, you can’t fight him. Do you know that he is called the Swordsman of the Thirteen Swords? He has six visible swords and seven invisible swords. Unless you know where his invisible swords are, you can never guard against him.”

Yi Ping said, “Youxue, don’t say anymore. I won’t allow this…”

Xiao Youxue interrupted sharply, “I can hold him much longer than you. If you really want to help me, then quickly defeat Ding Yunzi and aid me afterwards.”

Xiao Yuanjia interrupted coldly, “You think too highly of yourself, sister. Let me ask you. Where are the golden rejuvenation pills? Surrender it and come back with me to the Virtuous Palace. I will plead with father on your behalf. Don’t blame me for being heartless.”

Xiao Youxue said, “I have finished it all.”

Xiao Yuanjia was infuriated, “You have finished it all? Do you know how precious the remaining three Golden Rejuvenation Pills are for our clan and to father! And you have finished it all?”

Xiao Youxue replied coldly, “That’s right. So what?”

Xiao Yuanjia said, “You are very selfish. Very well, don’t blame me then. Father says if you really taken the Golden Rejuvenation Pills, then we will drain and drink from your blood!”

Yi Ping exclaimed aloud, “You are barbaric! You actually want to drink your sister’s blood? Let me tell you, she has given all the Golden Rejuvenation Pills to me. The blood that you supposed to drink is actually me!”

Yi Ping had already leapt forward and attacked Xiao Yuanjia!

Xiao Youxue called out, “Yi Ping, wait…!”

But before Yi Ping could even reach Xiao Yuanjia, Ding Yunzi had intercepted him as she said softly, “Your opponent is me. It is still too early for you to fight my senior protégé brother!”

Yi Ping said, “I was careless just now. I won’t allow anyone to harm Youxue. Even if I have to fight you, I won’t hesitate!”

Yi Ping and Ding Yunzi began to exchange their sword attacks, attacking faster and faster! And at the very same instant, Ding Yunzi was kicking at Yi Ping!

Yi Ping retaliated with kicks of his own as he exclaimed, “The same technique cannot work twice against me.”

Ding Yunzi was startled that Yi Ping strength did not falter and instead he was striking from strength to strength. She had thought that he was injured and it would not be long before he could be defeated by her.

Just when Yi Ping had attacked and was intercepted by Ding Yunzi, Xiao Youxue had also intercepted Xiao Yuanjia!

Yi Ping quickly turned his head around and saw that Xiao Yuanjia had unleashed two powerful spinning flying swords towards Xiao Youxue at the same time!

Just when he was about to disengaged from Ding Yunzi to intercept Xiao Yuanjia again, Ding Yunzi blocked his pa.s.sage and said coolly to him, “You should pay more attention to our fight. A slight distraction will maim or kill you.”

Ding Yunzi had seized a small opening when Yi Ping was distracted to unleash her full martial strength as she attacked Yi Ping with a double sword strike!

One of the strikes missed and cut off the tree truck of a tree with a tremendous impact!

Yi Ping had raised his long sword and he was knocked back three steps by her martial force. He had almost forgotten how powerful her sword strength had been! His sword arm began to tremble slightly!

Even though his martial strength had improved considerably, he found out he could not withstand her true martial strength at close melee range!

Ding Yunzi was slightly startled that Yi Ping could parry her double sword blows. She had deliberated on her attacks and intentionly allowed him to parry her attacks so that he could be intimidated by her and gave up. But from the looks of it, unless he was down, he would not give up.

She sighed to herself, “Why are you forcing me? I don’t want to hurt you but swords are blind…”

Yi Ping moved backward as Ding Yunzi took another three steps forward as she lashed left and right in a calm calculating manner.

He was sweating and his sword arm was trembling even harder now. It was because barely after he had parried her long sword attack; her foldable sword would come at the same time! It was like fighting two opponents at the same time!

Yi Ping was sweating and he knew at that instant, their sword techniques differences were simply too vast and he did not know how to deal with such a double fold attacks. Only the sheer strength of his martial power and the Absolute Spirits Intricacy Recite kept him going or else he would have been killed in less than twenty strokes with her if it was three months ago!

No matter which angle he had tried to attack her, he could not get past her double sword defense and she could attack at the same time. This was the first time that he had encountered such a fearsome fighting sword technique!

In the meantime, Xiao Youxue was not getting an easier time too.

Barely had she avoided Xiao Yuanjia multiple flying swords, there was a flash and another short blade appeared in Xiao Yuanjia’s hands that aimed at her throat!

But barely when the short blade appeared, Xiao Youxue had immediately evaded it!

Xiao Yuanjia said coldly, “You know where are my invisible swords are?”

Xiao Youxue refused to say anything. Instead, immediately she had evaded his attacks, she retaliated with a flurry of sword thrusts with her foldable sword!

Xiao Fei, her cousin had warned her to be careful of Xiao Yuanjia two years ago and had secretly revealed the positions of his hidden swords. In the entire Virtuous Palace, only Xiao Fei knew his secrets. It was not because Xiao Yuanjia had told him but Xiao Fei was a quiet guy who was particular observant. That was also the reason why Xiao Fei was able to find her first.

All of a sudden, Xiao Yuanjia leapt backward as he threw three flying swords towards her at the same time!

Barely had she parried off and evaded off his three flying swords, Xiao Yuanjia threw his scabbard and that struck her with a thunderous force that sent her backward!

Immediately she gasped with a cry and fell onto the ground!

Xiao Yuanjia smiled coldly, “No one can evade all my successive attacks, no matter how good their swiftness movement skills are.”

As he moved to pick her up, Xiao Youxue opened her eyes and attacked him with her Penetrating Hands!

But Xiao Yuanjia was already prepared for such trickery. He avoided her attacks and slashed across her body with his sword!

But instead of the fatal results that he had been expecting, Xiao Youxue ignored his powerful sword slash and instead she struck him six times on his chest!

Xiao Yuanjia was startled as he quickly stepped six to seven steps back as he gasped, “You have mastered the Golden Impervious Body? No, that is impossible. Even the Golden Impervious Body could not possible withstand my martial force!”

He looked intently at Xiao Youxue and looked at her tattered dress which revealed a silvery scale armor! He gasped in surprise, “What type of armor is this that it can withstand my sword strokes?”

Xiao Youxue said coldly, “It is an armor that can absorb your attacks. If you are afraid, you can turn around and run. I won’t pursue you.”

Xiao Yuanjia laughed aloud, “I am only momentarily careless. There are many ways to kill a person. I can cut off your legs, arms and head for example.” He immediately whirled his sword in front of him as he prepared for his next attacks.

He added coldly, “Moreover, no matter how good the armor is, you will surely be afflicted by internal injuries after you took in the full blunt of my martial strength.”

It was true. Even if Xiao Youxue’s armor could withstand a struck from his sword slash, she had felt a painful sensation as she grasped her heart.

She looked at her surroundings and saw that Yi Ping and Ding Yunzi were now far even though she could still hear the slashing sounds of their long swords.

All of a sudden, Xiao Youxue martial power seemed to have increased. It was because Xiao Yuanjia could sense a cold wavering force that was radiating from her!

Xiao Yuanjia stared at her, “This is the advance stage of the Virtuous Divine Force?” He too, was a pract.i.tioner of the Virtuous Divine Force but he had not got to the advance stage yet.

Xiao Youxue did not say anything and instead she began to take broad strides forward as she kicked the ground with a thunderous impact! It was because she herself was not sure if that was the Virtuous Divine Force or the Icy Heavenly Tears even though she knew that her martial power had suddenly improved by leapt and bounds during these three months!

Through sheer hard work and mediation, especially with the aid of the Absolute Spirits, the Prolonging Vital Force Pill and the thousand year old icy fish, she had broken through the sixth stage of the Icy Heavenly Tears and had even reverted some of her mistakes that she had fatally committed with the Icy Heavenly Tears.

And because she had also mastered the Golden Impervious Body, she had also grasped the principles of the Virtuous Divine Force and she had merged it with the Icy Heavenly Tears! It was because in order to practice the Golden Impervious Body, the pract.i.tioners of the Virtuous Palace must first practice the Virtuous Divine Force first but she had started from the Golden Impervious Body first.

Xiao Yuanjia stared at her martial power in disbelief as he began to take three additional surprise steps backward!

Xiao Yuanjia did not hesitated for long as he attacked her again, because any doubt or hesitation would be fatal! Moreover, he was still very confident of his combat abilities.

Therefore he drew out another two hidden swords and attacked her again!

They had virtually charged towards one another.

As Xiao Yuanjia exchanged blows with Xiao Youxue, his swords shattered as he struck against her!

Xiao Youxue took a step backward as she coughed out blood from the tremendous impact!

As soon as his swords shattered, he had drawn out four additional hidden swords as he slashed against her once more!

His swords torn through her long sleeves and mutilated her hands and arms as her blood shattered in all directions!

But Xiao Youxue exercised her entire martial power and shattered through all his four swords once again with her Penetrating Hands as she struck her brother on his chest!

Xiao Yuanjia fell onto the ground as blood foamed from his mouth! His eyes were still in disbelief as he cursed inaudibly, “You have stolen our clan Golden Rejuvenation Pills and have secretly mastered the Golden Impervious Body…” He could not believe that he had actually lost to Xiao Youxue so narrowly!

Xiao Youxue too, stumbled onto the ground as her entire dress was soaked with her blood. If she was not wearing the fish scales armor and had injured him earlier, she would have lost her life…

She got up weakly and began to stagger away as she murmured, “Yi Ping, don’t die…I’m coming…” She did not think she would defeat her older brother and would not be so lucky the next time but she had no wish to kill her older brother.

So she just said, “I don’t want to ever see you again.”

As soon as Xiao Youxue had disappeared from view, Lie Qing walked quietly as she bended over to Xiao Yuanjia, smiling innocently, “It seems that my good sister has defeated you. It is a heart-stopping fight. I have thought she may be killed by you.”

She seemed to ponder for a while as she said, “So it is the full extent of her martial strength. That’s Interesting.”

The immobilized Xiao Yuanjia was startled at her sudden appearance!

Her footsteps were so light that he did not hear her approaching!

He said coldly, “What do you want?”

Lie Qing smiled softly, “What do I want? You should know. You are haughty and insolent to me earlier. Now you are in my hands.”

Xiao Yuanjia said coldly, “I won’t beg you for mercy. If that is what you have wished for, you are dreaming! I have lost and I am not afraid of death!”

Lie Qing laughed softly, “I won’t let you die so peacefully. I have finally found someone with the Virtuous Divine Force Intricacy Energy.”

All of a sudden, she grabbed his wrist hard as Xiao Yuanjia cried in out pain!

Xiao Yuanjia was horrified as his intricacy energy was being drained by Lie Qing! He screamed aloud, “This…is the true Invincible…Divine…Force…just who are…you….no, that can’t be. This skill is supposed…awwww……wiped out…by us…two hundred years…ago…”

Lie Qing smiled coldly, “Just who I am? I am your grand matriarch of course. I am the true mistress of the Virtuous Palace. So you people have found a way to practice the Virtuous Divine Force past the initial stage? The Virtuous Divine Force is just a deviation of the Invincible Divine Force. It is a skill that I have invented to drain the pract.i.tioners of the Virtuous Divine Force to enhance my Invincible Divine Force.”

That was why she had founded the Virtuous Palace for that very purpose.

The Virtuous Divine Force and the Invincible Divine Force were actually the same skill. When the Virtuous Divine Force reached the intermediate stage, it would become the Invincible Divine Force! That was why Xiao Shuai was desperate for the Golden Rejuvenate Pills to attain that stage!

Xiao Yuanjia was even more confused as he stared in disbelief at her before he expired, “Who are…you…really…”

Lie Qing reached out her hands and closed his eyes as she said softly, “Thank you very much for your intricacy energy. Now I can finally start to practice the Invincible Divine Force again. Who I am? Since you are dead, I can tell you. I am the Heavenly Temptress. It seems that all those that know me are now dead and I can start afresh again…”

She got up and sighed heavily, “But it seems that my clan protégés have stolen many of my secret manuals and even developed several techniques that I have never even seen before. This will make my task of destroying the Virtuous Palace really hard.”

All those that had betrayed her, she sworn to make them all pay with their lives!

She could still remember that fateful day vividly! If she had not mastered the Golden Impervious Body, she would have been killed many times over. She took a gambit in a last desperate move to keep alive by entering into a false animated state with the indestructible level of her Golden Impervious Body Divine Skill; that would preserve her body for indefinite period of time until she could recover.

But her internal injuries were too severe and what she had hoped did not materialized until the arrival of Yi Ping…

Ch23 End