The wash of purple seemed to return instantly, returning to its original position in the blink of an eye.
There were only droplets of blood dripping from the pristine blade, like a broken string of crimson pearls, that served as the last witness to the death of the Four Seasons Tower"s Seventh Month.
Yun Yang blinked into existence like a spirit, exiting and returning in a flash. His movements took place in the breadth of time it took to snap one"s fingers, but the life of an expert was concluded, too, that quickly.
Seventh Month"s series of attacks came to an end just as Yun Yang came and went. He had been too greedy, pursuing his opponent, hoping to ride the victorious wave; not only did he not do anything, he ultimately lost his life as well.
The speed of Yun Yang"s ambush caused even Mr. Nian, who was watching from the sidelines, to narrow his eyes, his gaze filled with shock. Even when he was in his prime, without an exhausting battle, it would have been punis.h.i.+ng to unleash an attack at such speeds. Furthermore, this was during a prolonged battle; it should have been all the more impossible!
How did Yun Yang do it?
Yun Yang had looked like he was on the brink of death. His state was the worse for wear. He was basically in the jaws of death judging by how fatigued he looked. How was it possible for him to maintain such a strong combat force? He had sensed Seventh Month"s plan almost immediately as the latter launched his continuous attacks and had immediately counterattacked, terminating him swiftly.
At that moment, Seventh Month"s succession of attacks was already formed. Logically, a counterattack was not even expected, yet Yun Yang did it quickly enough that just as the attacking momentum was set but not yet even approaching, he had made a timely retaliatory strike!
What was more terrifying was that Yun Yang could reach Seventh Month in the incredibly short gap and even had the time to execute a complete saber style.
Ultimately, he killed Seventh Month with a complete saber intent!
The more direct observation that could be translated to words was that during the split second when Seventh Month"s second chain attack was about to be launched, Yun Yang had stabbed his saber right into Seventh Month"s heart before beheading him with another slash, thus ending his opponent"s life.
He had displayed speed, strength, a quick reaction, explosive power, and dynamically flawless saber style… None of it was supposed to be demonstrated by someone who was worn out by an extended period of battle.
"Yun Yang has been acting all along! His exhaustion, his frazzled state, him looking like he"s on his last legs, they"re all a façade!"
Mr. Nian came to a conclusion swiftly, an unbelievable but reasonable conclusion.
At that very moment, regret washed over him like a tidal wave. That was why he kept feeling that something was not right somewhere.
Yun Yang was not at all afraid of or bothered by the depletion tactic he had decided on. In a certain sense, it would seem that they had fallen straight into his counter-strategy. They had waited eagerly for the moment when Yun Yang was thoroughly drained, not knowing that it was the same moment he was antic.i.p.ating as well because he was also awaiting the instant when they were fully expended!
A cold sweat broke out on the foreheads of Mr. Nian and the handful of men who were besieging Yun Yang. They were antique creatures who had lived through the millenniums. Even when their intelligence lacked compared to Mr. Nian, these men"s sense of danger would never go wrong.
The same thought arose among the group. Was this Supreme Wit"s clever plan? Supreme Cloud was simply too cunning! Without any warning, he had trapped them all and kept them oblivious to it for so long…
The girl seemed to have revealed their original plan when she spoke previously, but Supreme Cloud had set up a fatal trap for them by making use of the opportunity just as they had thought that they had succeeded. The group had speculated Yun Yang"s strategy from the couple"s conversation and carried on with their initial tactics, executing it to the fullest, only to land face first in the hands of his deadly wile.
It was fortunate that they did not find out about it too late. If they had waited until they were truly exhausted, would they have the energy to defend themselves then? Or would they become prey, waiting to be looted?
There was a more petrifying reality that Mr. Nian had swiftly discerned – Supreme Cloud and the girl must be possessed of a recovery method that they did not know or could not even understand. This was how they could be so confident in antic.i.p.ating their reaction. Was this another form of waiting at their ease for the enemy to become fatigued?
Once he thought of this, Mr. Nian could not help feeling pessimistic and discouraged, even with his extensive experience. Since they now understood that the depletion strategy would only be a form of self-sabotage, there was no need to continue it. They had to adapt to the situation! They had to be quick about it too, or else they would be digging their graves soon.
With Mr. Nian"s holler, everyone from the Four Seasons Tower who were immersed in the battle withdrew themselves swiftly into the fog, vanis.h.i.+ng without a trace.
A clear but obviously tired voice emerged from the thick mist, "Lord Supreme Cloud lives true to your reputation as Supreme Wit indeed. Such adaptive ability and intelligence shows how clever you are. We are really impressed. It is unfortunate that a momentary impulse wastes a lot of effort. We wonder if Lord Supreme Cloud feels that it"s a pity as well."
Yun Yang answered faintly, "Killing one man is a gain for me. There"s nothing that I regret. To me, it"s already a bonus if I can eliminate one person. All of you have spent so much effort setting up this kill zone – would I be sorry to Mr. Nian if I don"t play any longer with you? Since the sentiment is reciprocated, we"re doing good to each other!"
Mr. Nian"s voice had already faded, so he might not have heard what Yun Yang had said. The latter continued to listen for some time after he spoke before pulling Ji Lingxi"s hand and began sprinting in the fog soundlessly, slipping away to another direction.
"Let"s go!"
"The thick fog was to facilitate their tactics, but we can utilize it to our advantage as well."
"We can"t accurately tell where they"re coming from when it"s their initiative to attack in this blanket of mist, but when the offensive and defensive positions are switched and we"re the one attacking now, it"s similarly oppressive to them!"
"Actually, what Mr. Nian has guessed, or what all of them guessed, is still wrong."
"What I was waiting for isn"t the moment when they lose all energy and waiting to be killed."
Yun Yang"s gleeful gaze was glinting dangerously with killing intent.
"What I"m waiting for is for this minute, when they find out about this. Otherwise, why would I reveal myself and break this impa.s.se?"
Ji Lingxi could not understand what he was saying, and asked, "Why? Isn"t it better to finish this battle this way? Why do you need to expose yourself first? Wouldn"t it be easier to finish them off when they"re really drained?"