HSSB44: Suppression of realms, Martial arts
Stepping into the valley, as Xiao Shen’s gaze fell across Yan Zhaoge and Feng Yunsheng, his eyes instantly narrowed into slits.
A cold light flickered within his narrowed eyes, as venomous as a snake.
Even his rough voice could not shake off a feeling of unpleasant coldness, “Good, good; I’ve really not made a wasted trip today. On the same day, at the same place; I’ve met up with the both of you at once.”
On Xiao Shen’s very bearded face, an icy cold smile appeared.
Yan Zhaoge tilted his head, appraising Xiao Shen all over, “With such a big-bearded face, I always find it a little…uncomfortable looking at you, though I can’t say for sure why.”
Hearing his words, the muscles by the corners of Xiao Shen’s eyes twitched, “Yan Zhaoge, do you still remember what I said then? For us, there are many more days ahead.”
“Still, I hadn’t thought that this day would come so soon.”
Xiao Shen’s gaze turned towards Feng Yunsheng, as his tone suddenly darkened, “Junior apprentice-sister Feng, to you, I also said this before: There’s no way you’ll be able to escape.”
Feng Yunsheng replied nonchalantly, “From the looks of it now, you were indeed injured pretty badly that time.”
Xiao Shen stared at Feng Yunsheng, “Junior apprentice-sister Feng, I knew before that you are not afraid of death. Now that I think about it, it is indeed, and perhaps even more, so.”
“Still, don’t be in too much of a rush to die. I will let you know that in this world, there are many fates worse than even death itself.”
“And at this present moment, standing in front of me, your living or dying is no longer something that you have any control over.”
Xiao Shen’s voice suddenly became much gentler, while emanating a bone-piercing chill, “Believe me; however you try to end yourself, it will never succeed.”
Feng Yunsheng smiled slightly. Her current cultivation base had been restricted to the Body Refinement Realm, while Xiao Shen was already in the late outer aura Martial Scholar realm.
The distance between the two was indeed to the point where she wouldn’t be able to die even if she really wished to.
However, her hand grasped the sword within it even more tightly, her face showing no sign of fear whatsoever, “Xiao Shen, you should be thanking me instead, for having helped to rid you of your greatest weakness.”
“Haven’t you felt that over these past two years, you have been improving much more quickly in your cultivation than before?”
Xiao Shen’s gaze darkened even more, “You are still so piercingly sharp-tongued, I see. Good, that’s also what I like the most about you.”
“Shortly, we’ll have enough time to slowly reminisce on the past together.”
“You don’t actually believe that the person standing next to you can protect you, do you; therefore being so relaxed and unafraid? In that case, your vision would really be much too inadequate.”
Hearing his words, Yan Zhaoge snorted out a laugh, “The Sacred Sun Saint puppet which you yourself shattered, is watching you from the heavens.”
Hearing this, Xiao Shen was not enraged, as he nodded instead, “Not bad, Yan Zhaoge, you do possess some ability.”
“I must admit; I underestimated you in the past.”
“However, don’t think that having managed to gain a bit of an advantage over me before, you can be considered to have defeated me. That would be too much of deceiving yourself along with others.”
While saying this, as his body stood unmoving in its original position, it also began emanating a forceful aura.
As the aura was externalised, a faint metallic lustre flickered, getting brighter and brighter by the second.
In that moment, the area surrounding Xiao Shen’s body seemed like it was being enveloped by a circular golden halo.
The next instant, rays of golden light flew out, circulating between the heavens and the earth, resembling innumerable golden swords formed from sunlight.
The golden rays of light instantly travelled a distance of a hundred paces, passing behind the bodies of Yan Zhaoge and Feng Yunsheng.
Where the piercing sound resounded, these golden light rays had either pierced into the mountainside or the surface of the ground, causing the entire valley behind Yan Zhaoge to be riddled with hundreds and thousands of deep holes.
The golden light rays stayed embedded within the mountainside and the ground, not dissipating for a long time.
It was as if a ring of real weapons, formed into a semi-circular formation, had Yan Zhaoge and the other surrounded and trapped within its midst.
The group of black-clothed martial practitioners behind Yan Zhaoge all frowned.
Being able to freely remain a hundred paces away from a Martial Scholar’s body, also having achieved tangible form, aura-qi could then take the form of qi-based weaponry.
Whether in the area of offence or defence, it was still at a level higher than the externalised aura of early outer aura Martial Scholars.
It was exactly the signature of mid outer aura Martial Scholars.
Having taken tangible form, the mass of aura-qi would be able to perform long-ranged attacks. Travelling a distance of a hundred paces in but an instant, he or she would be hard pressed to escape.
And this was still not yet over. Placing his hands behind his back, Xiao Shen’s body actually impressively began leaving the ground, rising higher and higher, only stopping after having risen some way up.
With nothing beneath his feet to support him, he was actually hovering there in mid-air.
This was actually the signature of late outer aura Martial Scholars.
A more thorough refining of the aura-qi was required for this than for mid outer aura Martial Scholars. Only when they were able to control their aura-qi so freely would Martial Scholars also gain the ability to hover within the air for short periods of time, as well as move around for short distances while airborne.
While facing off against opponents not possessing this ability, Xiao Shen had, at the very least, always been able to place himself in a position where he would never be defeated.
It was easy. If he couldn’t beat his opponent, he would just directly take to the air and increase the distance between them. Having done so, his opponent would only be able to stare at him helplessly.
It didn’t matter even when his opponent had also already reached the point of being able to perform long-ranged attacks with qi-based weaponry. Despite the fact that the other party’s qi-based weapons could also be sustained from a distance of hundred paces away, it still held true that these weapons unleashed a stronger force the nearer they were to their master.
Xiao Shen and his opponent having drawn apart, with the qi-based weapons of both sides clashing at a closer proximity to him, he would naturally hold a great advantage.
Before, using the wooden puppet as a medium in competing with Yan Zhaoge, Xiao Shen had truly been dancing about with handcuffs on, his real skills not having been put on display at all.
But at this current time, he was really revealing his power as a late outer aura Martial Scholar, which was worlds apart when compared to that of an early outer aura Martial Scholar like Yan Zhaoge.
The suppression of realms, was definitely not as simple as it sounded.
Hovering in mid-air, Xiao Shen looked down at Yan Zhaoge from a position of lofty superiority.
“Fighting you of the early outer aura stage with my late outer aura Martial Scholar realm cultivation base; you’d probably be unhappy at that. However, if you want to interfere in Feng Muge’s matter, don’t blame me for what I’ll do.”
“Even if the senior generation of your Broad Creed Mountain were here, the same principle would still apply.”
“If you intend to shelter an escaped disciple of the Sacred Sun Clan, the ensuing battle between you and me would no longer be a simple sparring contest.”
Looking down at Yan Zhaoge, Xiao Shen suddenly smiled, “It goes unsaid that I would definitely be able to beat you to death right on the spot.”
“Still, even if you don’t interfere in Feng Muge’s matter, there’ll still be many things for me to play today.”
“It’s only that; it’s junior apprentice-brother Chao who’ll be playing with you first.”
A group of white-robed youths now also appeared within the valley. Leading them was none other than the person who had been defeated by Yan Zhaoge in the Sealing Dragon Abyss previously, Chao Yuanlong.
Chao Yuanlong let out a long breath, “Yan Zhaoge, this one wants to fight with you again.”
From around his body, dazzling rays of golden light which resembled needles shot out.
Previously in the Sealing Dragon Abyss, when Chao Yuanlong had stimulated his aura-qi, much of the earth beneath his feet had cracked and shattered.
Now, however, where he was in contact with the ground, innumerable, densely packed needle-inflicted holes were left behind, causing it to resemble the inside of an ant-nest or beehive.
The amount of aura-qi agglomerated together to form the needles of light, as well as the penetrative power they possessed, were on a completely different level than before.
At this point in time, there was actually a faint metallic lustre flickering over the innumerable needles of aura-qi that surrounded Chao Yuanlong. Obviously, he had stably reached the outer aura Martial Scholar realm!
Feng Yunsheng looked at Chao Yuanlong, raising her eyebrows, “This was all from you leading Divine Sun Needles into your body, forcefully tempering your aura-qi, thus enabling your aura to be externalised?”
A playful expression also appeared on Yan Zhaoge’s face, “I’ve heard of it before. However, according to my memories on this, the negative side-effects of this method are such that anyone who really went and used it would be tormented by terrible pains and aches all day and all night, causing them to feel that they were better off dead. Also, their future cultivation speed would thereby be decreased greatly.”
Chao Yuanlong replied unconcernedly, “When compared to the humiliation you inflicted on me, a little pain; what does it matter?”
“If this vengeance isn’t exacted, this one isn’t human!”
Saying thus, Chao Yuanlong strode forward, directly moving in front of Yan Zhaoge!
Yan Zhaoge raised his eyebrows. Then, he flicked his right sleeve, as a green light flashed out of it like lightning.
“Coiling Dragon Sleeve, good!” Chao Yuanlong yelled loudly, as his hands shot forward abruptly.
However, it wasn’t the Heaven Striking Palm.
His needle-like golden-coloured aura-qi actually turned soft and supple, as it now resembled innumerable thin threads of silk.
Just having turned flexible, the innumerable thin threads shot out, resembling thousands of snakes leaving their nest as they wrapped themselves around the green sword-light.
Yan Zhaoge’s sword-light trembled as streaks of green sword-aura erupted, snapping the golden-coloured threads.
However, those threads seemed to have no end to them as they wrapped around his sword-light unrelentingly, before eventually fully eliminating the power of his sword technique.
Carefully appraising Chao Yuanlong’s martial art, the corners of Yan Zhaoge’s mouth twitched, as his expression also turned a little strange.
Chao Yuanlong said coldly, “This one knows that you had reached the outer aura stage even earlier than me. Yet, this one still bore the cost of the Divine Sun Needles entering my body, quickly entering the outer aura Martial Scholar realm as well.”
“It was all to successfully cultivate in this martial art specially meant to suppress your Coiling Dragon Sleeve!”
“Today, you are a Dead dragon!”