Chapter 1007: Hosu sans a Soul Weapon
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Moon Song and Chen Dong both fell silent. They had almost simultaneously received the news, but by that time, Xia Fei had already fainted from exhaustion and not heard the grievous news.
Shaking her head, Moon Song said, “We should keep it a secret from Xia Fei for now. After all, we also don’t know what’s going on with Xia Fei’s body. It would be terrible if the news of Qin Mang’s death caused Xia Fei to go crazy. They had a good relations.h.i.+p, and who can say what someone of Xia Fei’s personality will do when over-agitated? We can tell him once we’re sure that Xia Fei is fine.”
Chen Dong was startled. He suddenly realized that Moon Song was now speaking like a proper woman, being very considerate of Xia Fei. This wasn’t Moon Song’s style in the past at all.
“Alright, I’ll follow you on this. We won’t tell him for now,” Chen Dong agreed firmly. “Let’s go. Matters here are settled for now, so let’s head back to the alliance and handle Qin Mang’s funeral in Xia Fei’s place. Xia Fei was essentially his last disciple, so it’s only right that we do this for him.”
Moon Song and Chen Dong sighed before leaving Xia Fei where he was to be treated.
…
Xia Fei had fallen truly unconscious, but it wasn’t because his Soul Mark was weak. It was because the power of his Soul Mark was simply too strong!
The ancient doctors of China had a saying: the ill and feeble cannot take strong tonics. What this meant was that people who were still weak and ill could not immediately take powerful supplements like ginseng. Rather, they needed to gradually take stronger and stronger supplements to slowly restore the energy in their bodies.
This was the situation in Xia Fei’s body. Unleas.h.i.+ng a Founder-level soul required sufficient cultivation and energy, and Xia Fei was only a novice in the field of souls, having only unlocked his Soul Mark a day ago. His grasp of soul power was far from being anything that could be described as proficient.
Now that Xia Fei was weak from having used a powerful Soul Shade, the Soul Mark naturally needed to restore the energy its master had lost. But Xia Fei’s weak body conflicted with the powerful Soul Mark. Xia Fei was unable to receive the excess energy and fainted as a result.
This could probably be called being knocked out by good fortune. Xia Fei now had the power of a formidable Soul Mark and his mind was clear, but his body couldn’t tolerate the instant surge of power.
In the past, one of the reasons Xia Fei had been able to get stronger and stronger was that he had an extraordinary ability to absorb and control energy.
Alas, the energy of the Soul Mark was too special, unlike any other energy Xia Fei had worked with. It was an evolved form of mental energy, pure and powerful to the extreme!
This predicament was only temporary. Radix was soon shocked to discover that Xia Fei was using a method he had never seen before to control the Soul Mark. He was trying to integrate it!
There was a gap between the body’s strength and the soul’s strength, for these two major power systems were completely different. There was simply no comparing them. The usual method was to go through a complete upgrade, having all of the body’s strength ascend to becoming soul power.
Grand Ancestor Xia Gucheng had used this method, forcing himself into a near-death state and fighting with his life on the line to reach Founder tier in a single go, having the power from his body system enter the soul system.
But Xia Fei’s method was to seamlessly link them, gradually converting his body’s power into soul power.
“Maybe this is because Xia Fei received a Soul Mark too early? If he really manages to seamlessly convert his body’s power into soul power, this would be a historic miracle!” Radix muttered.
Radix began to try and think up any warrior who had ever done this, but his recollections were fruitless. At least among the people and the records that Radix had access to, no one had ever been able to seamlessly link the body’s power with soul power.
“I really don’t know what the final result will be. I suppose that Xia Fei, with his impressive control over any kind of energy, should be able to get through this trial,” Radix murmured, stroking his chin. “Xia Fei is fighting to try and subdue his body and soul. I wonder how Hosu is doing…”
…
Far from the main battlefield of the Dark lifeform and the Law Realm, Hosu and Wenwist had opened up another battlefield.
No one had intentionally created this battlefield. It formed simply because the enormous explosions created by this clash of experts had obliterated everything in the region!
No stars! No asteroids! Not even black holes dared to appear in this region!
This was the power of the strong in battle!
It was difficult to fathom humans being able to control the unchanging universe, reversing the laws innate to the world and life!
“Today, you will die!” Hosu called out.
This Soul Hunter from beyond the Cosmic Gate, from the eons-old Aurora Clan, was covered in wounds. After all, Wenwist was no longer that yes-man waif who had followed behind Hosu and the young lord. He was now a powerful foe on par with Hosu!
Stealing from the Aurora Clan, stealing Young Lord Wistful Valley’s mystical armaments; Wenwist had gotten everything by stealing! Hosu was currently carrying out his duty as a top-cla.s.s guard of the Aurora Clan, taking back everything that had been stolen and killing the thief!
Whoos.h.!.+ Whoos.h.!.+
Wenwist panted for breath as he viciously glared at Hosu. “I didn’t think that you would be so powerful, even after losing the Overcast Wind Mace. You really are one of the Golden Sword Guards of the Aurora Clan. Even though I cultivated for so long, I’m still weak.”
Hosu glared and laughed. “Don’t think that I can’t deal with you just because you stole my Overcast Wind Mace. Stop dreaming! Even if I had only half a breath left in me, you would still be no match for me!”
“Say that again! I only took Wistful Valley’s Spirit Kodachi. I didn’t find your soul weapon!” Wenwist retorted.
Hosu sneered. “A thief will always be a thief! But I will believe you once I kill you, and then I’ll see for myself if you have my Overcast Wind Mace!”
Whoos.h.!.+
It was clear that Hosu had fought empty-handed! He was fighting to the death with Wenwist using his bare fists!
It wasn’t that Hosu could not find a weapon. Xia Fei had many weapons that he didn’t use, many of which were high-quality items. But Hosu was a Soul Hunter. What he needed was a Soul Weapon!
Soul Hunters could use only a single Soul Weapon, which was inextricably linked to their lives. Thus, after losing his Overcast Wind Mace, Hosu was essentially weaponless. Without it, Hosu recovered energy very slowly, so he had missed out on the most important salvaging period after the Ark had exploded. Many of the secret treasures on the Ark had thus been scattered across the universe, and even Hosu had needed tens of thousands of years to reforge his body.
One could say that Soul Weapons were another half of a warrior’s life, even more important than one’s wife and family. A warrior without a Soul Weapon could not be considered a true warrior.
Xia Tian’s Fiendish Blade Nirvana could also be called a Soul Weapon by now, because the immortal soul Radix dwelled in the Fiendish Blade Nirvana and served him. But when other people talked about Hosu, they would always a.s.sociate the Overcast Wind Mace with him, for Hosu’s Soul Weapon was already another part of his body.
In normal circ.u.mstances, warriors wouldn’t let other people become their Soul Weapons, for that was very unsafe. Souls had no substance, only thought. Who could say when that soul in the Soul Weapon would one day turn traitor?
If the Soul Weapon ran off on its own in the middle of a heated battle, there wouldn’t even be time to shed tears.
Fortunately, Xia Fei didn’t need to worry about that problem. Radix, just like Hosu, was a Golden Sword Guard of the Aurora Clan, devoted and loyal. Radix had been the Soul s.h.i.+p for Xia Fei’s grandfather, and it seemed only right and proper that he now served as Xia Fei’s Soul Weapon.
In short, Hosu was much less powerful without his Overcast Wind Mace, but this stubborn warrior was using his life to fulfill his promise! Even if his soul scattered, he would take down this traitor!
Whoos.h.!.+ Whoos.h.!.+
The battle stirred up stellar storms, the intensity causing the entire universe to grow darker and darker!
…
“He really didn’t have my Overcast Wind Mace!” Hosu muttered in shock.
The battle had ended with Wenwist’s soul scattering. Hosu had expended almost all his energy to kill Wenwist, almost killing himself.
But as he picked through Wenwist’s possessions, he realized that Wenwist really didn’t have the Overcast Wind Mace! This was truly a blizzard on top of an avalanche!
Soul Hunter Hosu, the only person who could seal the Cosmic Gate and ensure the universe’s safety, was now exhausted. Since he hadn’t found his Soul Weapon, he wouldn’t be able to rapidly recover his power, and so he wouldn’t be able to return to his peak before the Inverse opened the Cosmic Gate!
Without Hosu’s protection, the universe was in danger!
Gritting his teeth, Hosu raised his silver blade and waved it in the air. White wisps of soul power slowly began to gather in his body.
Several minutes later, Hosu appeared at the dark red planet where Xia Fei was receiving treatment. His appearance immediately caused an uproar, everyone stepping aside in the face of this nameless and powerful expert, fear and reverence in their eyes.
Hosu sat down next to Xia Fei and asked, “How is Xia Fei?”
Radix looked at Hosu’s battered condition and said softly, “Xia Fei is fine. He seems to be growing more and more accustomed to soul power and is in the middle of integrating his body’s power with his soul power. This is like a metamorphosis. After this, if he can succeed, he’s bound to be stronger! Unreasonably strong!”
Hosu nodded weakly. “Very good. He’s truly the young lord of the Auroreans and the lone wolf of the Skywings. The mysterious elements in Xia Fei truly make one blush in shame. Simply his ability to adjust his condition surpa.s.ses numerous warriors. He is certain to be incredibly capable in the future!”
Radix clenched his teeth and asked, “Hosu, you still weren’t able to find your Overcast Wind Mace?”
Hosu bitterly smiled. “It turned out that Wenwist really only had the Spirit Kodachi, the Soul Blade that the young lord used as a child. It’s simply not enough for me.”
Radix was speechless. Young Lord Wistful Valley had liked the Spirit Kodachi not because it boasted any particular advantages, but because he had used it as a child!
Xia Fei’s grandfather had been a kind and rather nostalgic person. He would carry around the small blade he used as a child, even occasionally cleaning it.
For Hosu, this small blade was little more than a cup of water on a burning cart, utterly insufficient to recover the astronomical amount of energy he needed!
“Haaa…” Radix and Hosu sighed in unison, deeply troubled.
At this moment, Xia Fei shuddered, and woke from his coma. A second later, his body went through a stunning transformation!