An hour was not exactly a short period of time, but it was not exactly long either.
However, to those who were waiting down below like Fu Baoguo and his troops, a few days would seem like years!
Every moment felt like the pa.s.sing of a year. As the tea brewed, and joss sticks burned down, with the sudden whisk of time — everybody was anxious to the very core of their being!
Lord Supreme Cloud had been in the mountains for a good length of time now. It has been almost half a day, why hasn"t there been the slightest action?
What"s happening up there?
No matter how much confidence they had in Lord Supreme Cloud, the crowd was still incredibly restless. Everybody was wearing a myriad of worried expressions and n.o.body was spared from concern.
Fu Baoguo, who was standing in one corner, had an expression of restlessness clearly etched on his face. His usual steady and weathered composure as a great general was nowhere in sight.
He clearly wore for all to see the expression of anxiousness. He paced around restlessly, and from time to time he would raise his head and direct his gaze to the mountains, heaving sighs between his breaths.
"What"s going on?"
"Why isn"t there the slightest bit of action going on up there?"
"If this is the ultimate battle, what more a battle between pinnacle pract.i.tioners, how can it be so silent?"
"Has the battle not commenced yet, or has it ended already?"
"I"ve heard that when real experts fight, every move and motion happens within seconds. Perhaps…"
Every soldier beside him also had their hands tied, wis.h.i.+ng that they could just march up the mountains to grant themselves a look.
After a long, long time…
"Marshal! Why don"t I march up there to have a look," a general offered, anxiety etched across his face. "I really can"t stand waiting it out here like this."
"That"s a good idea…"
The words had just left Fu Baoguo"s lips; the sound of his voice had not yet dissipated, yet suddenly, a roar filled with a murderous, ominous intensity broke the sheer silence, originating from the peak of the mountains. "Mr. Nian, let"s fight!"
"That"s the voice of Lord Supreme Cloud!"
Upon hearing that, Fu Baoguo stood up with renewed vigor, perked up and inspired.
Everybody else had an invigorated look in their eyes as well. They felt themselves trembling involuntarily with excitement from merely hearing this voice!
It was followed by an equally violent crash as if thunder had struck the land itself. The ground quivered, rocks split open and the skies ripped themselves apart — although there was a good thirty-mile distance between them, everybody could still clearly feel the immense quivers beneath their feet.
Some of the soldiers were even flung up by the force of the trembling, crash-landing onto the ground almost immediately.
Yun Yang"s voice could be heard soaring through the air again. "Fu Baoguo, have your troops pull back thirty miles! The lives of the soldiers who defend the Fortress of Yutang cannot be sacrificed here in vain. Obey this command at once, n.o.body is allowed to go against it!"
Fu Baoguo straightened up, wearing a respectful expression as he proclaimed solemnly, "This one will do as you command!"
Although they were far apart, and although he could not see the other person at all, Fu Baoguo"s behavior was as if Supreme Cloud was standing just before him — he stood tall and formal like he was receiving a direct order, not a single hair out of place.
"Fall back, men — quickly!"
At this moment, loud, thundering roars erupted incessantly from the peak.
The ultimate battle had finally commenced!
…
As Yun Yang and Ji Lingxi stepped out of the gates of the Temple of the Nine Supremes, they found seven men standing before them, each of their beings looming with an intense, murderous aura.
Leading them was a man who stood right in the middle, humbly garbed in green robes. His physique was as slim as a rod of bamboo in spring and had a clean-shaven look with an emerald jade flute in his hand. Among the other six people standing beside him, three were similarly garbed in green, while the other three were clothed in yellow robes.
Contrary to their leader, whose murderous aura was undetectable, the other six men loomed ominously, their presences exuding malice at full blast, directed towards Yun Yang.
"Lord Supreme Cloud, this is Spring of Four Seasons Tower, here to learn a thing or two," the green-robed man greeted with a hint of a smile. He wore a relaxed expression as if he had brought along a group of friends for a short leisurely walk when spring was in full swing.
"How do I address you?" Yun Yang enquired.
"Lord Supreme Cloud, you may just address me as Spring," said Spring standing before him, widening his smile elegantly as he spoke. "A few of my companions beside me — these three — they are January, February, and March respectively. The other three are G.o.d"s Envoys of the Tower. You must"ve already been aware of our ranks and ident.i.ties from the long conversations you"ve had with our leader."
"Spring… three months and three envoys of G.o.d in a spring… is this the most optimal formation the Four Seasons Tower could offer?" Yun Yang chuckled slightly. "Allow me to learn from your incredible techniques. Let"s see if the Four Seasons Tower"s revered reputation is as good as we have heard."
"We would also like to have a taste of the renowned Lord Supreme Cloud"s superb abilities before our leader could," he gave a das.h.i.+ng smile. "We"ve danced in the dark with each other for so long, Lord Supreme Cloud, yet we"ve never had the chance to engage you directly. If the entire stronghold were to swarm in with an ambush this moment, that would be… too kind to you, I"m afraid."
Yun Yang offered a slight smile in return. "Understood."
He truly did.
Which one of them was not a pinnacle expert amongst this group of men? Within them, were there any who were not men of ego and arrogance? How could they bear to cast their ranks aside and attack him all at once, without ascertaining their opponent"s true strength?
This was especially true since their opponent was a mere nuisance just a little while ago — that would make them even more reluctant to make a huge fuss about it.
"Lord Supreme Cloud, please!" Spring smiled, yet his demeanor was serious.
Yun Yang returned his smile. "Please!"
Right at the moment, dense Purple Qi surged ferociously within Yun Yang"s deific consciousness.
Emmie"s rare activeness was not present. Instead, it was solemnly silent, attentively modding for Yun Yang, not daring to slack in the slightest. After all, even to Emmie, this was the most critical moment that would determine the difference between life or death!
Mystical Qi surged vigorously within his dantian as Purple Qi could be seen slowly rising up Yun Yang"s face.
However, he slowly extended his right arm. The fair, slender fingers stretched flat across his torso as he offered a slight smile, "The final battle shall commence now. Allow me to start with Spring. After this battle today, the Four Seasons shall cease to exist, and the year shall not be deemed complete!"
"Clang!"
A shrill, crystalline hum of the saber broke out in the sudden rumble, yet it was particularly moving as if the people"s heartstrings had been seized by a violent jolt.
A magnificent, slender saber with an immaculately elegant and smooth blade materialized in Yun Yang"s palm.
Under the harsh light of the sun, the body of the saber seemed to be swimming with an array of colorful hues, looking even more brilliant and splendorous.
The long saber buzzed by itself in Yun Yang"s grasp like a bloodthirsty warrior that had finally found himself at the frontlines. It was an indescribable form of excitement and vigor, fuelled by a thirst for blood.
"A good move!" Spring"s eyes s.h.i.+mmered with admiration.
"Cloud in the skies, and a saber in the clouds; a man"s heart is like the clouds, and destiny is like a saber; let the hands of the cloud wield the saber of destiny to send you on your way!" Yun Yang exclaimed.
He then raised his long saber over his head and roared, "Come and fight!"
Before his voice could echo, a vicious slash had already descended in a diagonal motion, its magnitude ma.s.sive and undeflectable — released without a chance to retract!
The power of that slash was undoubtedly extraordinary. However, in the eyes of the opponents, they were simply too far apart from each other, with a good five to six feet between them. If one strikes while remaining in their original position, how can they expect to defeat their foe?
Sneers of disdain surfaced upon the faces of the seven men simultaneously. For a fight of such magnitude, what did it matter if he struck while standing so far away? Was this some form of intimidation, or merely a jest?
There was no need to bother themselves with this kind of attack.
Perhaps Supreme Cloud"s intentional attempt at faking a blow had gone terribly wrong due to overconfidence?
At the very next moment, however, the faces of all seven men abruptly turned a different shade.