"Admit defeat?"
Ye Chen reeled backwards and gritted teeth in silence.
Stubborn and proud, he could claim his lose to Xie Yun, his friend, but not Zishan, his opponent. Defeated by his rival brought him life-long humiliation.
Puff!
Puff!
Zishan attacked fiercely like a mad dog without a pause.
Ye Chen was bleeding and looked scary, with most of his bones exposing and b.l.o.o.d.y wounds all over his body. Like an asura from the h.e.l.l, he was unkempt and his handsome face nastily mutilated.
Many female disciples did not bear to see the b.l.o.o.d.y spectacle, and covered their eyes with hands.
"Stop fighting." Chu Xuan rose up with a serious look on her cloud cl.u.s.ter, like both a fairy and a master hand.
"Master, your disciple is not a coward. I won"t claim my defeat even if I die." Ye Chen"s answer lingered in the Qin Kun Pavilion for a long time.
Chu Xuan quivered and stood there in a trance.
As a cultivator at the age of a hundred, she found her inner peace earlier, but was stirred by his words, his b.l.o.o.d.y image carved in her mind.
Boom!
Hit away by Zishan, Ye Chen stumbled backwards, and landed on the platform, bleeding.
He swayed up and coughed up blood. It was a miracle for him out of state to insist on fighting with Zishan until now.
"I cannot lose." Blood pumped from his mouth. Even until now, he was seeking a method for his victory.
"I can be defeated by anyone, but not him."
"I can lose anytime, but not in this battle."
All of a sudden, a crazy idea came across his mind, like a dim light against inky night.
The Skill of Burning Sky.
The technique could heal wounds, and broken bones and meridians over the body refinement.
His first discovery of its profoundness was after the fire whip punishment in the Regulation Hall.
From then on, he realized the skill was better at healing wounds than refinement, and of his recoveries benefited from it.
He hesitated over using the technique.
The pain of the refinement seared through his body, and went beyond one"s enduring scope, even more intense than lingchi. Its instruction said: refining bones and marrow, building meridians, burning blood and grinding flesh.
Now he had to apply the technique to cure himself and ward off Zishan.
Cornered to death, he had only the skill to count on, and did not dare to think the consequence of its application.
"Skill of Burning Sky, help me!" He whispered and summoned his thought, and the skill ran immediately.
Crack!
Crack!
His bones clattered, snapped and renewed in cycle again and again.
Ah…
His snarl sounded. Blue vines stood on his forehead, and eyes turned to be bloodshot. Each meridian, bone and inch of skin seemed to be torn up, like being p.r.i.c.kled by millions of needles.
Power followed the intense pain.
He dodged Zishan"s attack over his refinement. Green smoke arose above his b.l.o.o.d.y wounds, which were healing themselves.
His broken meridians and bones were cured while receiving the refinement, and new flesh took the place of the mutilated one.
Um?
The eeriness was captured by Immortal Daoxuan.
He fixed his eyes at the strange changes of Ye Chen, cold with sweat when seeing the fearful scene just now.
"Is…is the boy insane?" He did not notice his trembling voice or astonishment.
All the sect elders gazed at Ye Chen, aghast glinting in their eyes.
"What he uses is a refinement technique." Traceless Wind murmured, though silent as he was. "The crazy boy dares to bear the sharp pain of the refinement at the pinch. His situation will worsen."
"The boy will enjoy his fame in the Great Chu Empire." Pang Dahai from the Treasures Pavilion sighed.
"How tough the boy is!"
"I haven"t seen a strong-willed disciple for years." Xu Fu and other sect elders all mumbled.
"I feel your pain, insistence and faith. You stun me." Chu Xuan was lost while staring at b.l.o.o.d.y Ye Chen on the platform. He was the first disciple that moved her.
The onlookers under the platform were startled by indomitable Ye Chen.
None of them knew what Ye Chen was doing. They only saw that he continued the battle though nastily injured, his wounds healing and steadfastness glimmering in his bloodshot eyes.
"What is Ye Chen doing? I find him weird."
"He looks frightened."
"He struggles for a long time. Is he unconquerable?"
Puff!
Puff!
The platform was clouded crimson by blood. Ye Chen still spared no pains in dodging Zishan while putting up with the tearing pain over his refinement.
Ah…
Zishan went ferocious. Ye Chen was like a fire in the dark night, and could not be extinguished.
"Ye Chen, you survive?" Roaring, Zishan ripped down his sword.