Chapter 726: Mad Miao Cong.
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Jiang Zhiwei and her friends exited their tent and followed Xu Wei as he made several turns within the main camp to reach “Lord of the Naval Conquests” Zhu Shou’s large tent.
It was already some time since daybreak but the sky was still dark, foreboding the events that would come. The waves of the Nu River crashed into one another, causing deafening roars.
“Splas.h.!.+”
The waves reached sky high and crashed into the camp of the Revolutionary Army. The sky rapidly darkened. Mist and gale began converging to form a huge falling fist.
“Enemy ambus.h.!.+” The experienced Exterior expert on guarding duty drummed his Vital Spirit and sent his voice resounding throughout the entire camp.
Zhu Shou, Immortal Wans.h.i.+, Du Huaishang, and the rest came out one after another. What they saw were so many s.h.i.+ps that the masts gathered like forests and banners seemed to cover the sky. “Martial Monarch” stood proudly at the forefront, his clothing moving in the wind.
Seeing this, Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu knew in their hearts that the Imperial Army was trying to take advantage of Du Huaishang’s coma and incite chaos in the Revolutionary Army after discovering Lord of Shadows’ death. They were trying to lay the groundwork for an internal strife and create an opportunity for the spy!
Just as they were about to help the Revolutionary Army defend, an idea struck Jiang Zhiwei. She pulled her sheathed sword from behind her so quickly that it was as if she had long prepared for this.
“Pfft!”
The sound of gold striking wood resounded. She could already foresee the changes that were about to happen!
Over at the West Hill, a stunned Miao Cong quickly regained his poker face as a dark copper-colored long stick appeared in his hand. He sneered and said, “Pretty alert, aren’t you? You didn’t fall into my trap. But the trap is just icing on the cake. The most important thing is still your own strength.”
Miao Cong’s breath rose sharply past the Exterior realm to reach the Four-fold Heaven realm and connect with the heaven and earth. He towered like a mountain and exerted such great pressure that even the hills nearby were trembling.
It was rumored that Miao Hu’s only son possessed only the strength of a Ninth Order master of the Earth Rank. However, from the looks of it now, he was far stronger than the Erudite Hall’s a.s.sessment of him. Yet, the public did not include him in the ranks of the most outstanding talents of this generation!
Suddenly, a thought struck Meng Qi. Instead of making a move in haste, he asked, “You are a Samsara traveler?”
He was 90 percent that this was true. Only a Samsara traveler would have such achievements at his age while being virtually unknown to the world.
“As expected, you two are the enemies being targeted in this confrontation.” Miao Cong laughed loudly as if he was incredibly delighted.
He saw the two black-clothed men merging into one before separating again. They were engaged in an incomprehensibly strange battle with Qi Zhengyan.
“Who knew the enemy will be in our camp instead?” Meng Qi raised an eyebrow.
He knew there was a possibility of a Samsara traveler being local for he had encountered one the last time!
Miao Cong’s smile vanished and he said solemnly, “The Dominator is playing tricks on us by putting us in the camp of the Imperial Army. We can only play along for the time being. After killing you all and acc.u.mulating enough Karma points, we won’t have to fear obliteration!”
“Won’t have to fear obliteration? This isn’t a Death Task for them? Why does it look like their overall strength is much higher than ours?” Meng Qi was able to read between the lines to understand the meaning concealed in it.
Suddenly, Meng Qi asked, “Is Miao Hu aware of your abnormality?”
Miao Cong smiled mockingly. “Make a guess!”
Then, his long stick transformed to hundreds and thousands of stick shadows that existed in the realm between reality and illusion. The shadows caused the ground to split as they abruptly swung at Meng Qi!
With an unchanging expression, Meng Qi drew Heaven Inflicted Pain with his right hand. His pace appeared slow yet concealed an infinite number of changes.
“Clang, clang, clang, clang!” The saber pierced the shadows of the stick, continuously hacking and chopping them. Thunder and lighting followed the copper stick and extended continuously toward Miao Chong.
“Thud!”
With just one movement, Meng Qi shattered the shadows of the stick and sent Miao Cong flying. Miao Cong crashed into a rock wall and caused the wall to collapse into countless gravel. The dust clouded his face and his hands were lightly scorched. On his chest and abdomen was a b.l.o.o.d.y mark.
“You are strong and possess great bladesmans.h.i.+p. I must admit that I am currently no match for you.” Surprisingly, Miao Cong was still very calm.
Suddenly, a bad feeling rose in Meng Qi. He wielded his saber and was about to use the Big Bang Technique.
Just then, inexplicable objects around Miao Cong burst into flames. His breath climbed higher and higher until it broke through the barrier in a flash as he crossed the second step of the Celestial Ladder. Now, he was in the same realm as Meng Qi. The wound on his body wriggled as it healed!
Meng Qi frowned. Alongside the thunder playing interference, he shouted, “Did you burn your lifespan? No, did you use Twenty-seven Extremities?”
Twenty-seven Extremities was something that Meng Qi had read about in a comic book in his past life. It once had an epic battle with the Master of the divine skill, Three Sabers, Three Swords, and Three Souls. It was not a type of martial arts but a description. Those who cultivated the Supreme Rakshasa would die at the age of 27 without fail but the closer the cultivators get to that age, the more explosive the growth of their strength would be. Then, at 27, the cultivators might become as strong as or even stronger than a Dharmakaya master. Over in the Six Realms, it was a Dharmakaya-level skill that could only be exchanged for through particular tasks. Meng Qi regarded it as simultaneous, explosive self-growth and self-destruction skill!
Thus, Meng Qi believed that Miao Cong was cultivating the Twenty-seven Extremities, or a similar skill, instead of the Supreme Rakshasa. Yet, unless Miao Cong was able to go on an adventure, he would not be strong enough to claim Dharmakaya.
Yellowish brown breath condensed to shroud Miao Cong in it, its essence so dense that it looked almost tangible. Certainly, his terrifying breath was close to a grandmaster’s. Miao Cong smiled and said confidently, “You are aware of Twenty-seven Extremities as well?”
Flames of mania burned in his eyes. “It is a pity that I wasn’t able to trade for it but fortunately, I managed to obtain a similar skill through my adventure. Though its quality is not as good, it is reliable enough for me. Considering how dangerous reincarnation is, it is impossible to go through it without the determination to give up your life!”
“This skill will use up my lifespan, but the lesser lifespan I have, the greater my growth will be. On my final day, the growth I will experience in an hour far exceeds the several decades before it! I only have three years of my lifespan left. Can you match up to me?”
Meng Qi was startled but did not reveal it. Users of this skill could rely on immortality elixirs to extend their lifespan afterward. They would live as long as they killed their opponents quickly enough to consume the elixirs. Even so, Meng Qi was curious about the dangers that were hidden behind this method. Could the Dominator help them make up for it?
While pondering this question, Meng Qi wielded his saber without hesitation. Naturally, he must kill this madman and stop his freak technique before he used up all his lifespan!
His saber traveled along a mysterious trajectory as if it was a fish swimming along the water flow. The only difference was that the “water flow” here was the different rules of heaven and earth.
Saber radiance rose sharply, as did Meng Qi himself. He was full of momentum and his use of Law Phenomenon almost made him look like a grandmaster. The shadow of the saber that had been swimming suddenly halted and “fell” heavily to the ground. Sitting at the tip of the saber was a black vortex the size of a pinhole!
“You attacked just right on time!” Cultivating what he did, Miao Cong’s mind had long been taken over by lunacy. With a roar, he struck the copper stick in his hand downward with all the strength he could muster. The stick traveled at a speed faster than the speed of sound, tearing the airflow as it condensed its impact.
“Clang!”
Miao Cong flew, returning to his original spot. The spot in his hands where he held the copper stick was covered in blood, gus.h.i.+ng from the split-open skin between his thumbs and index fingers. The muscles all over his body were torn and his injuries were extremely severe.
Meng Qi would certainly not give up his advantage now that he had gained the upper hand. He thrust Flowing Fire with his left hand and ignited a “blazing sun”. He released sword lights one after another and enveloped Miao Cong in it. Simultaneously, the muscles on his back wriggled and grew two new arms. One held the Sword of the Mystic Turtle, the other the Saber of the Shattered Jade!
“Argh!” Miao Cong screamed maniacally as he once again consumed his lifespan. In a flash, there was barely any of his lifespan left and his breath rose dramatically to break through into the grandmaster level. His wounds were also quickly healed.
Meng Qi’s pupils shrank in shock. “He can decide for himself how much lifespan he has left?”
The long stick was placed horizontally. There seemed to be a tear in the void that condensed to form a vortex. The vortex absorbed the countless sword lights that Meng Qi unleashed, leaving only the jade-like sword body of Flowing Fire.
“Clang!” Meng Qi took a step backward. The serial attacks of the Sword of the Mystic Turtle and the Saber of the Shattered Jade were interrupted. Miao Cong smashed through yet another rock wall and buried the mound.
Miao Cong’s strength was still rising as he depleted his lifespan. His yellowish brown breath turned into a layer of armor that enveloped him.
He flashed an evil grin at Meng Qi. “The Second Order of the Earth Rank, with a lifespan that lasts as long as a wick of an oil lamp. Can you match up to me?”
His madness was beyond words!
Miao Cong once again smashed with his long stick in such a way that, were it not for the Law Phenomenon, Meng Qi would have nearly failed to catch onto the trajectory of its shadow. Meng Qi thrust Heaven Inflicted Pain upward to turn the firmament on its end. The brilliant burst of saber radiance cut through the darkness and split the Chaos open.
“Clang!” Just as the sound of collision reverberated, the stick came flying at Meng Qi. The sword in Meng Qi’s left hand combusted into hundreds upon thousands of sword lights, formed layers of net, and extinguished the stick’s Qi.
“Clang, clang, clang! Clank, clank, clank!”
Miao Cong kept attacking at a frantic pace, forcing Meng Qi to use weaponized four arms to fight him from the ground all the way to midair. Their fierce battle caused clouds of dust, heavy wind, torrential rain, and lightning!
“Clang, clang, clang, clang!” Miao Cong’s speed, strength, and rhythm were genuinely that of an Eight-fold Heaven master. Meng Qi was only able to keep up mentally thanks to his secret cultivation prior. He had merged his bladesmans.h.i.+p, sword art, palm stroke, fist style, and the like into a single technique, and thus heightened his realm. It allowed him to make the correct respond once he detected an attack. His use of swords and sabers were all based on instinctive. Whether it was his Dharmakaya killing moves, Exterior-level movements, or combined a.s.sault of his swords and sabers, he always responded appropriately when the circ.u.mstances asked for it. If he had to think before he made each response, he might just falter under such a frantic and fearless offense. Even escaping might be a challenge!
“Kaboom!”
Meng Qi struck Miao Cong squarely with the Big Bang Technique, but the latter managed to use his copper stick to block Meng Qi’s sabers and swords. Miao Cong ended up getting hurt on his left shoulder.
“Thump!” Both of them slammed into a hill respectively, destroying it. Fortunately, Meng Qi promptly activated “Kunlun Taoist Robe” but he was sure that the stick had broken the bone in his left shoulder!
Even so, exhaustion was already creeping up on him after such an intense round of battle. The maintenance of the Law Phenomenon was close to its limit.
“Cras.h.!.+” Miao Cong rose to his feet, sending crushed rocks flying in all directions. His burning lifespan was already its very limit but his breath had already surpa.s.sed the Eight-fold Heaven realm to reach the Nine-fold Heaven realm. For a moment, he was in the Peak of the Exterior realm!
“In the span of ten breaths, you will die if you fail to defend yourself. If I can’t shatter your defense, then it will be my death!” Miao Cong was in a completely crazed state, making him a perfect match for his skill.
Meng Qi was clear-headed and at peace with himself. He suddenly threw himself at Miao Cong with a heavy saber momentum. Sword light bathed them all as an illusory Chaotic Hole and a miniature Grand Sun appeared. They collided with each other and caused glaring white light and terrifyingly high temperature to burst forth.
The burst of light filled Miao Cong’s vision, causing his Eye Aperture to lose its effectiveness. The high temperature affected his Nose Aperture, physical sensation, and the like. Even so, he remained as majestic and fearless as ever. Once again, he fiercely slammed his long stick and tore the void apart. Countless deep and frightening cracks began forming in the void.
“Kaboom!”
Miao Cong’s stick shattered the white light but when his vision recovered, he saw no sight of Meng Qi anywhere. Suddenly, an abrupt burst of saber radiance appeared before Miao Cong. Lightning gathered as it ambushed Miao Cong.
Meng Qi swung his saber at Miao Cong without hesitation. Then, he changed his direction and thrust his saber.
“If I can’t defend myself, then I will go on the offensive!”
Qi Zhengyan was facing off with the two strange black-clothed men, who guarded the place like they were two boulders. Now and then, the men would integrate into one and their collective strength would rise to the Four or Five-fold Heaven realm. Then, they would separate and launch pincer attacks on Qi Zhengyan.
After exchanging several bows, an expressionless Qi Zhengyan threw a punch with his left hand. This punch produced countless shadows of his fist. Each shadow was a dark blue hue like ocean waves. The shadows were so dense that they felt tangible.
They converged to form a large integral whole, before turning into a boundless sea!
“Clang, clang, clang, clang!” The shadows proved challenging for the two black-clothed men to dodge. The surface of their bodies exploded continuously as they took repeated shadow punches from Qi Zhengyan. Their skins ended up looking like sieves.
Indigo Sea!
“Kaboom!” The explosions flung them away, slamming them into the mounds and terminating their breaths.
Just then, a shadow flitted behind Qi Zhengyan and thrust a fine sword through the center of his back!
Liu Yuntao stared at him apathetically. There was no emotion in her eyes whatsoever as if such a.s.sa.s.sinations had occurred hundreds, if not thousands, of times.
Yet, just as she was going to pull her sword out, she realized that it was impossible no matter how hard she tried. It was as if she did not stab Qi Zhengyan but the latter had her restrained instead!
Fear rose in her. She wanted to abandon her sword but she could not tear her hand away from the handle as if it was glued there.
Then, she heard a quiet sigh and saw the man in a fluttering green robe in front thrust his hand backward and send a palm stroke flying at her.
He did it without turning his head. The five fingers on his left hand were scorched black, but they were not the result of filthy darkness. Rather, it was the serene darkness of the night that was as smooth as jade.
Liu Yuntao felt like her gaze was being sucked into that palm and that her Vital Spirit had fallen into an infinite h.e.l.l. She watched helplessly as the palm smacked her forehead.