Chapter 366 – The Same Trick
s.h.i.+ Hanshan spoke to everyone else so that when he dealt with Lin Ming, it wouldn’t be the strong bullying the weak. With Lin Ming’s strength that could even suppress Zhou Xiaoling, he was able to challenge a Houtian master, so he should be able to fight. s.h.i.+ Hanshan had placed himself in the same position as Lin Ming, so if he won it would also be a satisfying win.
As s.h.i.+ Hanshan’s voice fell, the Five Element Region’s disciples began to engage in a heated discussion as to what the result of the battle would be.
“Lin Ming should have the ability to challenge a Houtian master, but going against against s.h.i.+ Hanshan is a bit too much. He should have started with a weaker opponent.”
“This s.h.i.+ Hanshan’s defense is like a turtle sh.e.l.l. If Lin Ming’s attacks aren’t able to break s.h.i.+ Hanshan’s defense, there will be nothing he can do, and he’ll eventually lose.”
“Not quite. Lin Ming has the advantage in speed, it’s not to be trifled with. Even if he can’t defeat s.h.i.+ Hanshan, he still has a way to not lose.”
“Humph! According to your idea it’s just a way to escape; at most it will be a tie.”
In the Thundercrest Sect section of the banquet, Zhou Lie was sipping a cup of tea. He watched as his sister had a very resentful expression plastered on her face. He couldn’t help but smile and ask, “Xiaoling, who do you think will win?”
Zhou Xiaoling curled her lips in disgust, saying, “That big stupid one is going to lose in a big stupid way.”
“Oh? You’re sure that Lin Ming can win? How do you know?” Zhou Lie was a bit surprised. He didn’t think that Xiaoling would a.s.sume Lin Ming would win so easily. Since Lin Ming’s body was immune to thunder, it was hard to tell just where the limits of his true strength were.
“I just know.” Zhou Xiaoling pouted, not bothering to explain anymore.
In comparison to the disciples of the Five Element Region, the Divine Phoenix Island disciples were mostly worried, not interested in discussing the outcome of the match. Since things had come to this point, there were already many people who were jealous of Lin Ming and were hoping to see him beaten to a pulp. Divine Phoenix Island was already pushed to the end of the line by the collaboration of these sects. Lin Ming was the last one standing who could possibly earn some face back for them. If Lin Ming lost here, then Divine Phoenix Island might suffer a complete meltdown.
Onstage, Lin Ming and s.h.i.+ Hanshan stood 100 feet apart.
s.h.i.+ Hanshan was quite happy. Lin Ming had come up and had finally accepted this match. He was looking forward to defeating Lin Ming and seeing just what miserable expression would appear on his face.
“Lin Ming.” s.h.i.+ Hanshan called out with his true essence sound transmission, “Do you know why I was hoping to fight you so much?”
Lin Ming was silent, waiting for s.h.i.+ Hanshan to finish his monologue.
“Hehe, the truth is very simple. Your talent is just too amazing, people can’t help but want to step back from your radiance. Back when I wasn’t a disciple of the Deep Earth Sect, I was only a poor kid in a big town. My city had a daughter from a wealthy family, whose looks were enough to cause the fall of nations. Looks, temperament, elegance, she had everything I ever wished for. And then, I had an idea! I thought that no matter how perfect she was, or how many men she had entranced as their one true love, I would make her nothing but a s.l.u.t that waited upon this father’s crotch. Afterwards, I came back and took her maidenhead. That taste, even if I think about it now, is just to die for! Afterwards, that girl married a n.o.ble that matched well with her. Every time I think about how such a n.o.ble woman was once pressed under this father’s body, I truly find it perfect.
“Now, you are the same as that woman. No matter how great you are in the future, you will have been defeated by my hands. You will be just like that s.l.u.t that was ridden by me.”
s.h.i.+ Hanshan was very happy, saying all of this with a proud and a.s.sertive expression. Lin Ming listened, and then suddenly smiled. “You speak so much nonsense. Are you trying to use that same old trick again and provoke me into a fury so that I’ll attack your s.h.i.+eld with my full force? Are you such a loser with no confidence in defeating me that you have to use such an underhanded method?”
After listening to Lin Ming’s words, s.h.i.+ Hanshan’s expression slightly changed.
This boy!
“Surname Lin, let alone me, even you aren’t completely confidence. I am confident but I still use this trick to stir you up. But if you are so confident, do you dare to attack me?”
Lin Ming took out the Heavy Profound Soft Spear from his spatial ring, grinning as he did so. “As you wis.h.!.+”
With that last word, Lin Ming’s entire aura suddenly exploded. The Heavy Profound Soft Spear flashed with a purple light, and the air surrounding him began to violently churn, creating a vortex of wind.
“Against sc.u.m like you, I love beating them up!”
Lin Ming’s feet trod the ground and he shot forwards like an arrow. Spear wind howled, and the Heavy Profound Soft Spear was layered with an azure light. This spear was enveloped by the energy of the True Dragon!
“This is bad! It looks like Lin Ming was tricked!” Mu Zhaoxuan saw that Lin Ming and s.h.i.+ Hanshan had stood across from each other for several breaths of time and felt that something was wrong. It looked like s.h.i.+ Hanshan was using the same old trick again, and was angering Lin Ming with a true essence sound transmission.
Just a quarter of an hour ago, Song Xiaoyue had also fallen for this trick. Mu Zhaoxuan thought that Lin Ming was a bit younger and had a slightly less immature disposition, so he wouldn’t fall for the same trap that Song Xiaoyue had fallen into. But now looking at Lin Ming’s all out attack, he was most likely stirred into a fury by s.h.i.+ Hanshan’s words!
Mu Zhaoxuan could already foresee Lin Ming repeated the same mistakes and finally being defeated. She couldn’t help but feel a thick surge of despair in her heart.
“The nature of the young is just too impulsive.”
“Lin Ming will lose, I have no idea what he was thinking.”
Before this battle, the disciples from the Five Element Region had favored Lin Ming by a small margin. But now, they had all changed their judgment.
Zhan Yunjian also shook his head. He had been favoring Lin Ming to win, but a cool-headed martial artist should not be swayed by their emotions, not to mention that s.h.i.+ Hanshan’s method of provocation was so clumsy.
s.h.i.+ Hanshan’s lips curved up in a sneer. He didn’t think that there would be such an idiot. Lin Ming knew his idea perfectly well but still decided to rush him like this. This simpleton was simply swayed by his personal feelings too much. No matter how talented he was, it was impossible for him to remain a genius. He would die halfway!
“Earth Essence s.h.i.+eld!”
With both hands propping up a s.h.i.+eld, a thick brown defensive barrier immediately flashed into existence. s.h.i.+ Hanshan was far too familiar with this. No matter what attack was used, no matter what storm hit, he would steadfastly defend against them all!
He had once gone into a mystic realm with other martial artists. When they had encountered a disaster, the ones to survive were martial artists from the Deep Earth Sect. s.h.i.+ Hanshan had full confidence in his defense.
However, when that Heavy Profound Soft Spear that was wrapped in an azure light smashed down, s.h.i.+ Hanshan’s complexion changed. He felt that it wasn’t a spear that struck him, but a collapsing mountain!
Bang!!!
The Heavy Profound Soft Spear smashed into the Earth Essence s.h.i.+eld. s.h.i.+ Hanshan felt both of his arms tremble, and he completely lost feeling below the elbows. A terrifying pressure pa.s.sed down his arms into his legs, blowing up the tiles under his feet!
What… what kind of strange power was this?
s.h.i.+ Hanshan felt an inexplicable horror rise in his heart. He had inborn divine strength and also practiced specialized horse stance techniques during the Body Transformation Stage. Yet, this attack almost made him fall to the ground.
“Oh? You withstood it?”
Lin Ming was a bit surprised. He had used the strength of Tempering Marrow a while ago, and struck down with a body strength of tens of thousands of jins. The azure true essence was only used to protect the Heavy Profound Soft Spear; a medium-grade human-step treasure wouldn’t able to withstand such a collision.
This s.h.i.+ Hanshan really did have the ability to back up his proud heart.
Lin Ming’s lips curved up in a grin. He lifted his spear and smashed down again on the turtle sh.e.l.l-like Earth Essence s.h.i.+eld. This strike was even more dangerous than the last.
Power of thunder!
Within the Heretical G.o.d Seed, the silent Purple Flood Dragon Divine Thunder suddenly erupted. The Heavy Profound Soft Spear s.h.i.+ned with a purple light, carrying the prestige of rolling thunder!
Bang!
A spear smashed into the Earth Essence s.h.i.+eld. s.h.i.+ Hanshan’s five organs were shaken, and his blood roiled. Under that terrifying strength, a faint power of thunder had penetrated through the Earth Essence s.h.i.+eld. It was like a venomous serpent that drilled into s.h.i.+ Hanshan’s body, causing his entire body to go numb.
“d.a.m.n!”
s.h.i.+ Hanshan clenched his teeth and galvanized all of the true essence in his body to the limit, thickening the Earth Essence s.h.i.+eld.
The third spear – Flow like Silk!
The Heavy Profound Soft Spear’s azure true essence began to vibrate, sending humming sounds in the air. The azure-wrapped Heavy Profound Soft Spear howled like a silver dragon going to sea!
The Heavy Profound Soft Spear smashed into the Earth Essence s.h.i.+eld. In that instant, a power of vibration pierced through the s.h.i.+eld, spreading into s.h.i.+ Hanshan’s body. s.h.i.+ Hanshan only felt like his entire body was coming apart, all of his organs trembling!
Fourth spear!
Fifth spear!
Lin Ming’s attacks were like a storm. s.h.i.+ Hanshan’s true essence s.h.i.+eld bent under this vicious barrage of attacks, but didn’t actually break. This was the defensive s.h.i.+eld technique of the Deep Earth Sect, and was maintained by the caster’s true essence. As long as true essence was supplied, it wouldn’t break.
The reason that s.h.i.+ Hanshan had been able to keep the s.h.i.+eld from breaking was because he was crazily overdrawing the true essence from his body, injuring himself. Not only that, but while maintaining the s.h.i.+eld, he also had to withstand the dual attacks from the power of thunder and Flow like Silk.
This situation could be described as beyond miserable.
However, because of the Earth Essence s.h.i.+eld and the flas.h.i.+ng purple light, most disciples only saw a brilliant and gorgeous collision of true essence. They didn’t realize just what situation s.h.i.+ Hanshan was in.
Song Xiaoyue and Mu Zhaoxuan were extremely anxious. Yan Fuhong was filled with antic.i.p.ation as he saw Lin Ming on the brink of defeat. As for the disciples of the Five Element Region, they talked about the match, comparing their insight of the battle and understandings of cultivation methods.
“Lin Ming is too naïve. In a situation where their strength is about the same, breaking through the Deep Earth Sect’s Earth Essence s.h.i.+eld will require several times more true essence than the Deep Earth Sect disciple will use. It looks like no matter how fiercely s.h.i.+ Hanshan’s Earth Essence s.h.i.+eld is deforming, it is impossible to break.”
“Mm. The Deep Earth Sect’s Earth Essence s.h.i.+eld can be strong when you want it strong, and weak when you want it weak. There is simply no waste of true essence in using it. When Song Xiaoyue attacked, the Earth Essence s.h.i.+eld had also fiercely distorted. After some thought, it seems that the only reason was because s.h.i.+ Hanshan wanted to save his strength.”
“Haha, Brother Jin’s experience is too extensive and broad. According to my knowledge, the Deep Earth Sect has many different kinds of defensive s.h.i.+elds. As for the Earth Essence s.h.i.+eld, that’s quite an uncommon one. I’m surprised that Brother Jin has such a thorough understanding.”
“It’s nothing. I just happened to battle a Deep Earth Sect disciple who used the Earth Essence s.h.i.+eld once. Lin Ming is talented, but he is just too impulsive. With such a disposition, it’s very difficult to become a true master. Unless, maybe after he grows up–”
As Brother Jin was speaking, he was immediately interrupted. “Brother Jin…”
“What?” The surnamed Jin asked, a bit annoyed.
“I think I saw that s.h.i.+ Hanshan in the Earth Essence s.h.i.+eld cough blood… it seems like his entire body is covered in blood…” A 15 or 16 year old youth hesitantly said as he stared with wide eyes.