Against The Heavens

"Little Yang, you are holding the spear wrong. When you are trying to stab like that, you must put more strength into the arm that is supporting the base of the spear, only then can you pierce forth with all your strength."

Jing Yimu stood behind Li Yang and held onto his arms, helping him position them properly on the spear. He was not someone who used a spear to fight, but he had lived for countless years already, he had far more experience than most. Of course, even while they were training, Jing Yimu made sure that they were constantly on the move, only taking a break whenever the poisonous rain would appear. He also continued to teach Li Yang what he knew about the fire element, as well as how to use it while fighting.

"This spear is perfectly suited for channeling fire Qi, but you must still find a way to channel it that suits you. Do you want to let all the Qi blaze fiercely, producing continuously explosive attacks? Or do you want to let the Qi circulate within the spear, gathering heat and energy to decimate everything that touches the tip of the spear?"

Learning how to use one"s element efficiently was often far more important than the amount of Qi one had. Even if one had a large amount of Qi, it would mean nothing if they were unable to use it efficiently, wasting it with every attack or movement. Of course, Li Yang already knew how to use his elements efficiently, but as long as Jing Yimu was watching, he played the part of a diligent disciple.

"A spear can do more than just stab, it can also smash, block and slice. You need to find a style that suits you, one that does not focus on simply one aspect of the spear. If your spear-play focuses on only a single aspect, you can easily be suppressed when faced with someone who is adept at countering that one aspect."

Jing Yimu even demonstrated several different ways to use the spear, slowing down his attacks to a level where he felt that Li Yang would be able to see and memorize them properly. Whenever he was teaching Li Yang, he felt countless years younger, so he did not mind repeating his moves as many times as Li Yang asked.

"This spear is best suited for fire Qi, but you mustn"t forget that you also have ice Qi. If you can use your fire Qi for attacks, and then your ice Qi for defense, you will have a great advantage over others in your future fights."

Despite being made for fire Qi, the spear could still hold ice Qi. Ice was far st.u.r.dier and suited for defense than fire was, so if Li Yang managed to master both, he would have perfect defense and perfect attack. It was only after the two had walked for half a month that Jing Yimu stopped their training, a solemn expression on his face as he looked into the distance.

"Alright, we will have to cut the training short now. Look, that mountain is the location of the next trial. You will face an endless battle within it, so always keep a talisman ready to escape."

Their surroundings were no longer as lush and green as they used to be. The ground was dry and dusty, with barely any gra.s.s growing as far as the eye could see. Instead of gra.s.s, there were several jagged pieces of metal growing up from the ground, looking like claws trying to grasp the heaven"s. In the distance ahead of them stood a tall mountain that was a silvery gray in color, looking like a sword that pierced towards the heavens. That was their goal, the site of Bai Yawen"s trial.

Li Yang"s expression turned solemn as he stared at the mountain, a fire slowly burning within his chest as he thought about how close he was. Jing Yimu rubbed his interspatial ring, pulling out a crimson robe that was large enough to cover all of Li Yang.

"This armor will help protect you. You will be unable channel your Qi into it during the trial, but it is still st.u.r.dy enough to block quite a few attacks."

Jing Yimu quickly had Li Yang put on the robe. The robe was a bit too large for him, but once he put some Qi into the robe, it shrank to a size that fit him perfectly. Li Yang could tell that the robe was made using the hair and blood of a strong Demonic beast, but he could not tell exactly what type of Demonic beast. He quickly gave Jing Yimu a bow.

"Thank you, Master Yimu. I will not disappoint you."

Jing Yimu"s lips curved into a smile after hearing Li Yang"s words. He let out a slight sigh, reaching out and straightening Li Yang"s back, giving him a few pats on the head.

"Don"t worry about that, just focus on getting out alive."

Jing Yimu no longer wasted any time after talking, grabbing Li Yang and flying towards the mountain at full speed. He was certain they would get attacked the moment he got within range, so he had to move fast and enter the trial before anything could happen. As they approached the mountain, the metallic outcroppings started to tremble, as if they were trying to break out from the ground.

Jing Yimu"s eyes narrowed slightly upon seeing the outcroppings tremble. He activated his Qi, an ocean of deep crimson flames appearing in the air above him. With a thought of his mind, the ocean of fire sank to the ground, drowning the land in flames, the metallic outcroppings starting to slowly melt under the intense heat that would melt even the hardest metal. Jing Yimu flew towards a small cave at the bottom of the mountain, an array activating the moment he entered the cave.

His hand suddenly felt lighter, and he didn"t even need to look to realize that Li Yang had vanished, pulled away from him by an array. Jing Yimu had expected this, so he was not surprised, his mind quickly focusing on the trial he was about to face.

While Jing Yimu put his mind onto the trial ahead of him, Li Yang found himself standing in a cave. The walls around him, even the ground beneath him, were made out of a strange type of metal, thin and short spikes growing out in some places. A white orb floated in the air above him, lighting up the entire cave. Li Yang swept the cave with his vision, a slight smile appearing on his face.

"Little Zhu, it has been quite a while, hasn"t it?"

Right after his voice rang out, the walls of the cave started wriggling slightly, a woman stepping out from the wall. The woman was clad in a silver robe and had pale skin, her lips as red as blood. Her hair was a shimmering silver in color, hanging all the way down to her hips. She stepped in front of Li Yang, giving him a short bow.

"Thunder Monarch, it has been many years since we have last met. I am glad that you are still alive. When I first got the message from Zizai, I almost thought he was messing with me."

There was a faint laugh hidden within the voice of the woman, Lin Zhu. Zizai could control all wind, so it was easy for him to send messages to anyone within this realm. After hearing Lin Zhu"s words, a somewhat wry smile appeared on Li Yang"s face as he shook his head.

"You know, the more I think about it, the stranger it feels to be called Thunder Monarch by you guys. You can just call me by my name, right now you are far stronger than me after all."

Li Yang had thought about this earlier as well. He was no longer the Thunder Monarch, the Thunder Monarch had died long ago. For now, he was simply Li Yang, even once he got stronger in the future, he would likely not be called the Thunder Monarch anymore. After all, now it was not only lightning that he could use, but also fire and ice. Lin Zhu gawked somewhat at Li Yang"s words, trying to protest slightly.

"This...Very well. Lord Li Yang."

She would listen to his request and not call him Thunder Monarch anymore, but she still had too much respect for him to address him without honorifics. He might not consider himself the Thunder Monarch anymore, but she would never forget that proud figure standing tall amidst a black sky lit up by golden lightning. Even now that she had gotten far stronger, that image still sent shivers down her spine. The slight smile on Li Yang"s face grew a bit larger when he saw Lin Zhu agree to his request.

"I"ll take it. I guess that Zizai has told you what I plan to do here? Tell me, is it possible?"

Li Yang"s eyes narrowed dangerously as he spoke, the smile on his face turning chilly. Lin Zhu felt slightly chilly upon seeing his smile, so she quickly gave a nod of her head.

"It is possible. The only arrays used during this trial are transportation arrays to separate multiple contestants. As long as I move you around a little, I can make it so that you can reach Jing Yimu."

Li Yang"s smile grew even wider upon hearing Lin Zhu say that it was possible. Had it not been possible, it would be far harder to find a chance to kill Jing Yimu. Seeing his grin, Lin Zhu quickly spoke out to warn him, her expression solemn.

"But I must warn you, I cannot aid you in killing him. As long as he is in the trial, I cannot take action against him. Moving you around is the best that I can do."

Li Yang shrugged his shoulders somewhat, giving a short response. He had never expected Lin Zhu to aid him in the act of killing Jing Yimu. Even if she could, he would not ask her for help. Killing Jing Yimu was something he wanted to do personally.

"It is more than enough, thank you, Little Zhu."

After he spoke, the walls of the cave started wriggling again, a glowing white door appearing on the wall to his left. Li Yang glanced at the door, then turned back towards Lin Zhu, a slight smile on his face as he spoke.

"I hope that we can all gather together again in the future, see if we can find some of Old Chao"s wine and chat about the old days."

Li Yang was not only talking about Chen Huo and the others, he was also talking about Zhao Feng and the others. If they truly managed to reincarnate, he would love nothing more than for all of them to once again gather together and chat. A bright and enchanting smile appeared on Lin Zhu"s face as she nodded her head.

"That would be lovely. I wish you luck, Lord Li Yang."

Li Yang sent another smile at Lin Zhu, before turning around and stepping towards the white door. His warm smile vanished, a cold expression appearing on his face as fire and lightning danced within his eyes. He reached out and pat Jinwu on the head, a cold arc appearing on his lips.

"Let"s go Jinwu, I can barely hold myself back anymore."