Chapter Ch151.2 - Vulnerabilty
TL-Checked by Sa.s.systrawberry; Edited by Animeart
The Shangling Grandmaster waved his hand and set down a small barrier, blocking out the shrill sounds.
The flames continued to burn, gusting sounds arising from the wind. The color of the flames were a bright red, it was as if the entire earth was blanketed by ten thousand red lotus flowers blooming luxuriantly, with no sign of decline.
On one side, several girls of Phoenix Mountain Villa were treating each other’s wounds, and they were talking while meditating to recover their cultivation.
“The Villa Grandmaster said, while we defend the city, we would also benefit from it, did you experience that?”
“Indeed I have, our usual sparring, martial arts practice, was really just theory with no real experience. The earlier life and death battle has allowed me to finally understand the deeper meaning of many martial arts moves!”
“Not only that,” Ling Baochen said: “Have you found that every time you are exhausted, your mental skills could recover a little after practicing the mental method? And when at the cusp of life and death, the sword skills of our Phoenix Mountain Villa seemed to be a little more formidable than usual.”
Ling Baoqing, the most senior, said: “The Phoenix Mental Skills originally had the meaning of Nirvana, upon meeting a strong opponent it will be strong, and new life will be born from desperate straits, it is only at such times where it can be expressed.”
The girls nodded and agreed, they stopped conversing, and focused on comprehending what they had learnt.
Everyone else, especially those disciples who had not yet left the academy and had never truly fought with others, also sat in meditation, they had also gained something.
The sea of flames still burned, the living corpses no longer moved forward, and the atmosphere above the city was temporarily relaxed.
Xie Zishe let out a sigh of relief.
She asked the Shangling Grandmaster: “We…have blocked it.”
The Shangling Grandmaster shook his head: “Not yet.”
Xie Zishe: “Why?”
Shangling Grandmaster: “The defense to the death will begin once the flames are extinguished.”
Xie Zishe said: “By the time that fire burns out, the living corpses should have been exterminated.”
The Shangling Grandmaster said: “Lady Xie may not be aware that amongst Northern Xia’s methods of refining corpses, there is a technique called ‘Fire Refining’. The living corpses are originally fearful of fire, and after two hours in a fire, it would be completely destroyed. However, out of ten ordinary living corpses, one would actually be tempered by the fire, abnormally talented and would not die.
Xie Zishe said: “This would then mean, since there are many living corpses below the city, and there may be many which will not be destroyed?”
“Exactly,” Shangling Grandmaster looked at the sea of fire below the city, “The fire burns on. After the ‘fire refining’, the living corpses would be destroyed, and the survivors’ physique would be altered. Northern Xia calls it the “fire refined living corpse”. Ordinary living corpses are merely regular monsters and could be forcibly defeated, but a fire refined living corpse is equivalent to a person with the cultivation stage of Golden Core.”
Xie Zishe frowned: “Ten thousand.”
There were about 100,000 living corpses left. Then after the fire refining, there would arise 10,000 “fire refined living corpses”!
Ten thousand fire refined living corpses were equivalent to ten thousand enemies with Golden Core level of cultivation.
This fire, had benefits and disadvantages.
One hundred thousand was reduced to ten thousand, and the pressure to defend the city was drastically lessened, but the strength of these ten thousand fire refined living corpses was greatly enhanced, and it was a new dangerous situation to be in.
Xie Zishe said: “As for the present…”
Shangling Grandmaster said: “Fight hard, stall for time.”
Xie Zishe nodded.
The medical inst.i.tute distributed healing pills to the Immortal cultivators so that they could recover their strength as soon as possible.
Lin Shu looked at the sea of flames and estimated how much longer the fire would burn, when two people suddenly descended beside him.
Lingsu said: “Pavilion Master!”
Qinglu tentatively poked a head from behind Lingsu: “Master.”
Lin Shu: “Why have you come?”
Lingsu said: “After the Pavilion Master went to Jinguan City from Longting, we planned to return to the Sword Pavilion, but Qinglu missed the Pavilion Master very much and wanted to follow the Pavilion Master. Elder He agreed, so I brought him here.”
Qinglu’s appearance was very aggrieved, as if he was afraid of being punished.
Lingsu looked around: “Pavilion Master, this isk2026;”
Lin Shu said: “The chaos of war.”
Lingsu said: “Pavilion Master, will lend a hand?”
“En.” Lin Shu said.
After thinking about it, Lingsu belonged to the Sword Pavilion, and was someone outside of the mortal world, and should not get involved. Lin Shu said, “You go back.”
Lingsu said: “I am still the Pavilion Master’s sword attendant, and naturally I would follow the Pavilion Master.”
Qinglu said: “I am the Pavillion Master’s disciple…”
Lin Shu thought about it, and finally agreed.
Lingsu’s cultivation was sufficient for self-preservation. While Qinglu’s cultivation was shallow, however, as long as Jinguan City was defended, he would be fine. Even if the city fell, he could bring them into the Qingming Cave, ultimately they wouldn’t get in trouble.
He said, “Protect yourselves well.”
Lingsu said “Yes”, and then she stopped talking, and stood by Lin Shu’s side.
Yue Ruoyun said to Yue Ruohe, “This elder sister has a strong aura!”
In a short period of time, the look in the crowd’s eyes towards Lin Shu had changed somewhat.
It was one thing to know that he was the Master of the Sword Pavilion, but it was another thing entirely to witness him being the Pavilion Master.
Lingsu, with her high level of cultivation, an extraordinarily talented fairy, would respectfully greet him as the “Pavilion Master”, and even refer to herself to be merely his attendant, it was evident how high the status of the Sword Pavilion Master really was.
Time gradually pa.s.sed.
The fire slowly died down.
The wailing cries of the living corpses within the fire had also gradually diminished.
However, the qualities of the sound seem to have changed.
The fire was extinguished.
The land outside the city was a plane of charred black.
On the black ground, there lay countless withered corpses scorched by the fire.
The majority had stopped moving, however, some of the bodies trembled, then they crawled up from the corpses of their companions!
Their colors had changed, whether it was their heads, bodies, limbs or faces, it had all turned into dark gold like bra.s.s. On a casual glance, they looked like golden Arhat statues found in temples. But when you looked at them again, they looked extremely terrifying due to their twisted posture.
The first ‘fire refined living corpse’ staggered to its feet.
Several fire refined living corpses staggered to their feet.
The Shangling Grandmaster suddenly said: “Something isn’t right!”
Lin Shu also felt something was amiss.
The aura given off by these fire refined living corpses, how was this Golden Core level?
Clearly they had already reached the early stage of Yuan Ying!
Ten thousand living corpses with Golden Core levels of cultivation, although difficult to fight, could still be dealt with!
Ten thousand… Yuan Ying?
Xie Zishe seemed to have a sense of foreboding, and her face paled: “Was there a mistake in the news earlier?”
The Shangling Grandmaster took a deep breath: “I fear that…they are all Yuan Ying level.”
Xie Zishe’s voice choked up: “What?”
Even those from the Confucianism and Taoism Academy, had spent seven years in the academy, and they are aware of the different levels of immortal cultivation.
Ten thousand living corpses at the Yuan Ying level.
In addition… the number of Yuan Ying cultivators within the city, only numbered a thousand! Moreover, many of them had been seriously injured in the battle earlier!
The Shangling Grandmaster said: “The blood poison of Northern Xia differs from our earlier understanding of it…”
Xie Zishe said: “This…how can we win?”
The crowd looked at the living corpses below the city, and their faces filled with panic.
The first ‘fire refined living corpse’ jumped up from the ground and charged towards the wall!
The bricks of the city wall were smashed by it!
It began to climb up quickly.
Qinglu had never witnessed such a scene, and he immediately yelled, “Ahh”, and hid behind Lingsu.
The cat screamed even louder, and flung itself within the imperial guard’s arms. The force was so strong that it caused the hapless imperial guard to stagger backwards a few paces.
Lin Shu: “……”
You both should just hug one another and tremble together.
He drew his sword, wielded the first stance “Falling into Decay.”, manipulated his sword energy through the air, and chopped down the fire refined living corpse.
Shangling Grandmaster said: “The Phoenix Mountain Villa Master and I will split up to defend both sides.”
Lin Shu nodded.
Originally, their Crossing the Tribulation level cultivators were saved to deal with the Northern Xia wizards.
Since Northern Xia had invaded, would they not send a few wizards at the Crossing the Tribulation level as well?
But currently, they have to use these forces to deal with the ten thousand fire refined living corpses –what should they do after their spiritual energy was exhausted, and then needed to face the Northern Xia’s Crossing the Tribulation level wizards?
A wizard at the Crossing the Tribulation level, was equivalent to a living corpse legion. At that time, Southern Xia would lack troops, how would they deal with it?
The situation was dire, with no way out.
Lin Shu glanced over at the Shangling Grandmaster.
Shangling Grandmaster nodded to him, his gaze solemn.
Lin Shu understood that he was also prepared for the worst.
And the worst situation…the city destroyed, its people annihilated.
Or perhaps the tens of thousands of residents of Jinguan City, would all also be refined into living corpses.
He calmed himself, levelled his sword, and planned to start wielding “Everlasting Yearning.”
After the mental skills of “Everlasting Yearning” went into action, all the sounds between heaven and the earth faded into the distance, and everything went silent.
In this echoing silence, he suddenly felt the ground in the west tremble slightly.
He looked westward!
At this time, the sky was bathed in twilight, and a round, red as blood setting sun hung in the sky, half swallowed by the horizon.
A black tide was surging up from the horizon in this direction!
A new army of living corpses? Lin Shu thought.
Xie Zishe beside him also noticed the movement, and after looking in that direction, her face paled further.
The Northern Xia Wizards also noticed, and the movements of the fire refined living corpses halted.
No, it was not.
Lin Shu slightly widened his eyes.
He saw, beneath the huge blood colored setting sun, someone garbed in red was flying, riding a white horse in this direction!
Ling, Feng, Xiao.
Within his heart, he thought haltingly.
Zhaoye was a rare G.o.dly steed, in no time at all, he had closed the distance.
They could also now clearly see what was behind Ling Fengxiao!
It was an army.
A black army.
The black clad heavy cavalry had iron blue complexions, and a black aura clung to them, not at all like a living person!
Their warhorses were tall and frightening, with black fur, blood red eyes, similar to demonic creatures!
The first one, riding on the tallest warhorse, with an imposing physique, said in a deep voice to the city wall: “Meng Jian! Greetings! ”
The Shangling Grandmaster said: “General Dugu… Long time no see.”
General Dugu.
General Dugu from Min City?
In the past, there had been a rebellion in the Min Prefecture, and the Shangling Grandmaster had gone to pacify the rebellion. At the same time, Changyang City in the North was in a state of emergency. In order to help Mr. Meng quickly, Shangling Grandmaster annihilated the city of Min using forbidden techniques.
——Min Prefecture has since become a ghost town. All the people who died unjustly then had become malicious Asura ghosts, unable to be saved.
Ling Fengxiao, had been able to obtain their a.s.sistance.
Lin Shu thought to himself, the ghost town and he had some fate together.
His arrival into this world started from the ghost town.
When he had first met Ling Fengxiao, it was also in the ghost town.
However, with the hoa.r.s.e braying of the war steeds, tens of thousands of black cavalry, charging downwards, rushing towards the group of fire refined living corpses!
Malicious ghosts on one side, and living corpses on the other.
Lin Shu looked towards Ling Fengxiao.
Seeing him like a blood red setting sun, among the thousands strong army and their horses, Ling Fengxiao halted his horse and lifted his head to gaze at him.
Their eyes met, and there were no words.
Ling Fengxiao’s eyes also seemed to contain a blood red setting sun.
In Lin Shu’s consciousness, Ling Fengxiao would never, ever bow his head, nor would he ever be defeated.
No matter what kind of crisis, what sort of danger, even if it was the earlier dire situation with no avenues of escape, it could be reversed by this person alone.
But at this moment, looking at Ling Fengxiao, looking at his eyes, Lin Shu suddenly felt that such an indestructible, invincible, proud and beautiful man, when it came to himself, was easy to break, easy to hurt.
This had nothing to do with family and country, victory or defeat, success or failure.
Ling Fengxiao used his gaze to ask.
——Are you willing to see me?