As soon as Bi Fan and Blue Dragon heard Lone Leaf’s words, they realized that the situation demanded immediate action, and the two of them halted in their steads.
Lone Leaf had originally intended on killing Tian Feng, but now, he was reconsidering his moves.
The new-comer, Gou Ming had already reached the pinnacle of the ‘transformation’ layer and was only a step away from entering the ‘emerging from the womb’ layer.
“Block my way and I’ll kill you!” Gou Ming lashed out in Tian Feng’s direction, his sword, drawn and raised, as he tried to rescue his junior.
The Blue Dragon, with his scimitar in his hand, and no fear of anything under the sun, charged straight back for Gou Ming.
Bi Fan, similarly, prepared his Purple-feathered sword, casting out ‘Fufeng double edged sword’ technique, and elegantly lunged in Gou Ming’s path, drifting as smoothly as the wind.
Gou Ming desperately wanted to rescue his junior, Tian Feng, but was forced to clash swords with Bi Fan and the Blue Dragon. The two of them were very strong, and he was forced to concentrate his attention on them, unable to belittle them and rush past, as he had originally wanted to.
Relief washed over Lone Leaf as he watched Bi Fan and Blue Dragon intercept Gou Ming, and ruthlessness returned to his body language.
Lone Leaf was almost at the same level as Tian Feng, and Tian Feng, as opposed to him, had already used up most of his energy. On top of that, Tian Feng had been injured quite seriously, which meant that he simply couldn’t compete against Lone Leaf in his present state.
“Brother, help me……” Tian Feng didn’t even have the energy to get up and try escaping again. So he just lay there, and cried for help.
Unfortunately for him, Gou Ming was being held back by Bi Fan and Blue Dragon, and simply couldn’t forge a path past them.
“Bang!” Lone Leaf raised his sword high, and brought it down upon Tian Feng’s head, severing it in one strike; mercilessly.
As soon as Lone Leaf finished off Tian Feng, he rushed over to help his allies, and tried to outflank Gou Ming, not even sparing any time to collect the loot from Tian Feng’s body.
Tian Feng’s possessions were very valuable, but Lone Leaf had already promised them to Bi Fan and the Blue Dragon, and he simply couldn’t dare to go back on his word; especially, not after he had witnessed what Bi Fan was really capable of.
Watching Tian Feng being murdered right in front of his eyes, made Gou Ming obscenely mad: “Lone Leaf, how dare you murder Tian Feng? Tian Feng’s elder brother Tian Yu will make you pay for this!”
The expression on Lone Leaf’s face changed gravely as soon as he heard the name Tian Yu.
“Kill him, and you guys can keep his valuables as well!” Lone Leaf announced in a loud voice.
Gou Ming simply couldn’t be allowed to live, or else, Tian Yu would find out, what happened to his brother, and would come looking for Lone Leaf.
The fearful expression on Lone Leaf’s face was enough to express the severity of the situation to Bi Fan and the Blue Dragon. They didn’t care who Tian Yu was, but the fear he instilled in their ally’s heart, was enough to make them understand the gravity of their predicament.
They could clearly understand that if Gou Ming was allowed to leave, then Lone Leaf would get in a whole lot of trouble. But moreover, they themselves would end up in the same boat as him; eventually.
They understood well enough that if Jian Shen came after them, then the forces that supported them wouldn’t back them anymore. In fact, they were afraid that, their own backers would hand them over to Jian Shen School.
“Gou Ming shall not be allowed to leave the Abyss alive.” Bi Fan, Blue Dragon, and Lone Leaf, were all clear on this idea, as they surrounded Gou Ming.
Meanwhile, Bi Fan had also indicated to the Chimera, that he shall hide somewhere in the vicinity, close by, and stay prepared to launch an attack at even the shortest of notices.
Gou Ming was really strong, and could stand his own, even in this situation, when he was faced with three opponents at once.
“Lone Leaf, you simply can’t kill me. I can leave whenever I feel like, and there’s nothing that you can do about it.”
Gou Ming was so confident of himself, that he was sure he’d be able to get out this situation. Moreover, he also wanted to take Tian Feng’s body with him.
“Yes well, let’s see!” Lone Leaf sneered.
He knew that he could never kill Gou Ming. But this new found confidence of his was accounted to the fact, that he had witnessed Bi Fan’s real strength.
Bi Fan was far stronger than Tian Feng, and was almost as strong as Gou Ming. On top of that, with Blue Dragon and the Lone Leaf a.s.sisting Bi Fan, Lone Leaf was sure that Bi Fan should be able to kill Gou Ming.
Gou Ming was completely unaware of Bi Fan’s real abilities, and was as gullible as his deceased compatriot; and hence, remained completely unaware of Bi Fan’s plans.
Lone Leaf winked at his allies, and then, launched a full scale, fierce, attack at Gou Ming.
The Blue Dragon was more than equal to it. With his scimitar in his hand, he amplified the Lone Leaf’s charge.
They were both aware of the fact, that they weren’t strong enough to kill Gou Ming. Understanding the circ.u.mstances, they both decided that they must create as many opportunities for Bi Fan as they can.
As he realized the intentions of his allies, Bi Fan, too, launched a fierce attack, employing ‘Fufeng Double-edged Sword’ technique, with much more force than before.
Bi Fan was taking into account, that if Gou Ming was smart, then any unusual activity on his part could give rise to Gou Ming’s suspicions. And then, Gou Ming would pay a lot more attention to him, than he was at the moment.
So, Bi Fan continued to use the usual moves, but with more force than before, same as Blue Dragon and Lone Leaf.
With Blue Dragon, Lone Leaf and Bi Fan, all attacking in full force, Gou Ming found himself struggling a bit.
At first, Gou Ming had intended to take Tian Feng’s body with him, as he didn’t want his compatriot’s wealth falling into enemy hands.
But, as the fight wore on, he was beginning to consider abandoning that thought; and along with it, Tian Feng’s body.
“I don’t know which schools the two of you belong to. But what really baffles me, is that, why haven’t I heard of you guys, given you’re this strong?!” Gou Ming was really surprised with Blue Dragon and Bi Fan’s display of strength, and was curious about their origins.
Bi Fan and Blue Dragon, had been able to achieve these levels of strength at such a young age. This was no ordinary feat, and would have gained them a fair amount of recognition anywhere; even in a Jiu Da School.
As far as Bi Fan and Blue Dragon were concerned, a public reputation, or lack thereof, was attributed to the fact that they hadn’t been able to figure out the ins and outs of the martial arts world.
“Lone Leaf, you’re lucky that you’ve managed to find yourself two such powerful allies. So, I’ll let you go this time, but mark my words, Tian Yu will find you, and make you pay for this later.” Gou Ming decided that it was time to leave, but he made sure that he marked his departure with a threat.
Lone Leaf announced loudly: “Gou Ming is going to make an escape; stop him at all costs!”
He launched a very fierce attack, and charged for Gou Ming. He gave the attack everything he had, so much so, that he even abandoned his own defense.
Blue Dragon and Bi Fan interpreted the message loud and clear, and launched out violently at Gou Ming, completely surrounding, and suppressing him.
Faced with three such powerful and violent opponents, Gou Ming was temporarily forced to concentrate all his attention on defending himself, rather than figuring out an escape route.
“You’re very good, but this won’t be enough to kill me!” Gou Ming yelled out.
“Kill him!” Bi Fan and his allied kept pushing, not giving Gou Ming any room to escape.
The longer they would be able to keep him enthralled in the fight, the more favorable the situation would become for them.
Gou Ming, after all, was only but a lone man. Forced to fight three such powerful enemies, meant that he would have to consume a lot of energy, which meant that the longer the fight wore on, the harder it would be for him to escape. And, even if he was somehow able to escape in time, we would have consumed so much energy, that the Devils’ Race’s creature, would eventually hunt him down on his way out.
Additionally, a battle as fierce as theirs had attracted the attentions of a lot of strong beasts. In fact, the four of them were almost completely surrounded by the Devil’s Race inside the Abyss, at the moment.
With so many beasts present on the scene, making an escape would be even harder for Gou Ming now.
Gou Ming’s facial expression was becoming uglier with every pa.s.sing minute.
“I cannot struggle like this for long now; this can turn into a real ship-wreck for me.” Gou Ming thought to himself, feeling very gloomy.
Crucifix Deception Sword!
Gou Ming finally cast out a top-level Jian Shen sword technique. This technique was so difficult to procure, that most outside martial artists never got their hands on it.
The ‘Crucifix Deception Sword’ was an exceptionally fast technique, and it appeared like his sword had turned into a ten-faced cross-bladed weapon.
Gou Ming launched several waves of this technique in quick succession, and all three of his enemies were forced to back down a bit.
Gou Ming had been focusing most of his attention on Lone Leaf, and almost half of his attacks were targeted at him.
Bi Fan would appear to be the weakest by the looks of it, and hence was the target of only a very small percentage of the attacks.
Bi Fan continued to defend using the ‘Fufeng Double-edged sword’ technique, but started to use more strength, and could deal with Gou Ming’s attacks easily.
Suddenly, Bi Fan cast out the ‘Rainy-fly sword’ technique, and made a bee-line course for Gou Ming.
Gou Ming was just about to make a run for it, and Bi Fan simply couldn’t allow him to do that.
Gou Ming had just managed to open up a path through Lone Leaf and Blue Dragon, and preparing to make the most of it and flee, but suddenly, he felt gooseb.u.mps rising all over his body.
“Danger!” Gou Ming’s heart warned him, and it started to beat much faster than before.
He trusted his gut without any hesitation, and gave up the idea of making a move for escape. He quickly turned his sword in Bi Fan’s direction.
Gou Ming’s reactions were so fast, that he, somehow, was able to match up to Bi Fan’s attack.
“Boom!”
Gou Ming had never imagined that Bi Fan would be so powerful, and as their swords met, Gou Ming almost lost the grip on his sword.
“Who the h.e.l.l are you? You have so much hidden strength!” Gou Ming was shocked.
Bi Fan replied: “Why don’t you go and find that out in h.e.l.l!”
Bi Fan continued to build up on his advantage, giving Gou Ming no s.p.a.ce to breathe; no s.p.a.ce whatsoever.
Blue Dragoon and Lone Leaf were beginning to get a little anxious, but were relieved, and glad, to see that Bi Fan had finally shifted gears. They followed in his stead, and launched a full-scale attack.
Gou Ming shifted all of his attention towards Bi Fan. His face even reflected some fear of Bi Fan.
Bi Fan continued to increase the pressure; happy to instill that fear in his opponent’s heart.