Chapter 244: Another Loss
The situation had turned somewhat unfathomable. The sound of fighting could be heard from within the darkness, but no one knew how Fangyuan and Merryshadow were fighting, who had the upper hand, and who was at a disadvantage.
All of them craned their necks toward the center of the ring in hopes of getting a better look, with those who were worried even standing up from their seats.
Xia Fei pouted as he complained in his heart, ‘Everything’s all black. Forget standing; it’s all for naught even if one’s flying.’
The disciples of the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect were of course not going to listen to Xia Fei’s wise words. In their anxiety over the battle underway in the arena, they had all forgotten common sense; if the array that a darkness ability user set up could be spied on so easily, it would no longer be called darkness ability but ought to be called clarity ability, instead.
Xia Fei could not help but think back on an experience he had had many years ago. He was secretly peeping through another household’s window to watch TV, and while he could not remember what show was being broadcasted, he did remember it to be two skinny and tall figures in a shoddy indoor studio fighting back and forth. They moved very slowly, but the sound effects were superb, so much so that even people walking along the alley could hear it and inadvertently imagine that an unseen master was in the middle of a fight atop the Forbidden City.
Just as the two men’s fight reached the climax, that eighteen-inch Chinese TV set suddenly went black, with the picture gone, though the grunts of the martial arts experts still continued. The owner of this TV set frantically went over and slapped the body of the electronic appliance so loudly and with such force that Xia Fei was afraid that the old TV would explode due to some chemical reactions that the owner’s. .h.i.t caused.
It was only years later that Xia Fei learned that the old movie was made by a company, which went by the name of Shaw, in Hong Kong. It was said to be the quintessence of Hong Kong films, and of course, Shaw had also filmed quite a lot of ‘artistically graphic’ movies that were very commendable. It was just that, if he closed his eyes and carefully listened, the grunts heard in those films sounded very close to the grunts made by these present combatants.
The scene here was very similar to that time from before. Fangyuan and Merryshadow were fighting in that inky darkness, while everyone outside could not even see anything happening inside. They were tipping their toes, stretching their necks out, and doing everything they could, just like that middle-aged man years past when he tried to wrestle against the TV set for a miracle.
Xia Fei lit his cigarette and slowly puffed on it. His eyes would occasionally stray over to that darkness, while Manatee sat beside him with clenched fists, the veins on the latter’s forehead visible and his muscles twitching incessantly, seemingly very anxious to learn what was happening inside.
Phantom as well. If not for him being unable to stray too far from Xia Fei’s Moore Stone, he would most definitely dive into that darkness in hopes of learning just what was happening right now.
All of a sudden, a blue electric glow flashed in the darkness.
The powerful electric current was released like numerous blue dragons, then penetrated through the darkness and smashed a set of compound lights onto the sparring field, causing plenty of sparks to burst forth brilliantly.
After all, this zone of darkness that Merryshadow had created was at least twenty high and over a hundred meters in breadth and length. Only a fairly intense electric strike could penetrate through such a huge area covered.
Furthermore, the electric current was not just a single arc but several dozens, which were condensed into one attack, making it impossible to avoid.
Even the viewing platforms around the sparring field were affected by a bit. Fortunately, an arena this size would always have energy s.h.i.+elds installed to protect the audience. Thus, when the blue electric currents zapped loudly upon contact with the s.h.i.+elds, each and every one of them was handily dissipated.
*Bang bang!*
Another series of ear-splitting crackles and zaps were heard, scaring the more timid disciples among the crowd, their faces draining of color.
“Xia Fei, you’ve guessed correctly—lightning. Fangyuan has an additional electric type special ability!” Phantom leaped to his feet as he yelled.
Xia Fei was not at all surprised. He already knew what to expect insofar from Fangyuan’s special ability, so there was nothing surprising about it. It was only that seeing how this fight had gone, it was very likely that Merryshadow might soon be defeated.
From the strength of that electric attack Fangyuan had released just then, it might be because Fangyuan was unable to hold the upper hand, which was why he had no choice but to unleash his killer move.
There was a saying: ‘Fire and flood show no mercy’, yet electricity was even more merciless than both and far more violent in comparison.
If Merryshadow had been struck by that series of powerful blows Fangyuan had unleashed moments ago, the outcome would be unimaginable.
On the main viewing platform, Craneshadow was firmly grasping onto an armrest when a crisp sound of splintered wood rang about. An inconspicuous crack appeared on that st.u.r.dy rosewood chair, though he still looked as stony-faced as ever.
Craneshadow’s momentary loss of composure was not lost onto Tongtian. He cracked a slight smile, knowing that victory was well within his grasp. He had even begun wondering just how he would manage this Planet Nameless and the Nameless Mountain in his mind. He did not wish to see anything related to the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect remain. A complete overhaul and reconstruction would cost an astronomical sum, though he still thought that it was well worth it.
Even the old and crafty Craneshadow had lost his composure, so obviously Darkshadow and the other two elders were all the more unable to hold back their anger. Silvershadow’s mouth was already open wide, nearly ready to yell at the top of his lungs.
Several seconds later, the ma.s.s of darkness suddenly dissipated, revealing two figures in the ring.
Fangyuan was standing, his two arms folded across his chest. His face bore no trace that a fighting had just occurred. His complexion was not red, nor was his breathing uneven. There was only the addition of some black imprint along his neck, similar to the pattern found on a python.
Xia Fei knew that those black imprints were the result of Merryshadow’s plan to engulf Fangyuan with her corrosive darkness, and now that she had rescinded her array, all that was left were just the black patches on Fangyuan’s body that were slowly recovering.
On the other side of the ring, the little lady Merryshadow was lying collapsed onto the ground, with one hand clutching her mouth as she spat fresh blood. That pretty blue combat suit that she was wearing looked to have suffered untold damage from Fangyuan’s ferocious electric attacks. Parts of the suit were even revealing the goods within, and the skin underneath was somewhat charred as a result of the electric blast.
Her head of hair was like a bird’s nest and her face was ghastly, seemingly having just escaped from a calamitous disaster, no longer as cute and delicate as before.
There was a sigh of relief from the viewing platforms, though there were more curses and anger being expressed.
Several disciples of the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect quickly went to the ring and carried the heavily injured Merryshadow away for treatment, while the entire sparring field seethed with dark emotions, a mixture of both sadness and hatred.
Two matches and two losses. One dead, one injured. If the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect failed to get a victory in the next match, then everyone in this sect might probably lose any bit of face they had, which could never be recovered.
Sitting on the first seat, Craneshadow suddenly stood up with a forced smile, excused himself from Tongtian, and turned to leave the sparring field.
Tongtian watched him leave with squinted eyes. They were in the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect’s turf, so it was as the saying went: ‘You can run, but you can’t hide’. Tongtian was not at all concerned that he would leave and not return.
Craneshadow suddenly sped up to the forest not too far away after he stepped out of the sparring field. He saw his sect brother Shadowless standing under the tree looking at him with a solemn face. His tall and straight-backed posture could not help but give Craneshadow a misconception that his brother sect’s crippled leg had healed back to normal.
“Sect brother, did you secretly signal me over to talk?” Craneshadow respectfully asked.