Chapter 73: The Mighty Entwined Dragon Silk
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
This fight was fierce; the difference between the first day at the Sanctuary and now was like yin and yang. Xia Jingyu felt regret in her heart—a regret that was too late to express.
Feeling the strong wind on her head, Xia Jingyu saved her last look in life and fixed her gaze on Su Yu. It was as if she wanted to engrave the last image of him in her heart during the last moments of her life.
The gale finally hit! Xia Jingyu was prepared to bear the anguish of death. But the gale brushed past the top of her head, bringing with it a warm gentle liquid. The anguish she had anticipated did not appear. In the end, death also never arrived.
Lifting her gaze, she saw a headless body stopped within ten feet of them. As she observed the size of the body she realized… was that not the big brother obscurer?
She realized the object which had flown over her head had been the man's head! Its face registered a look of wrath at death's door, along with a slightly puzzled expression. Until death, he had been unaware of any—the man had suffered only a mere puzzlement as to why he was separated from his body.
Upon closer examination, the spot behind the headless corpse had a transparent fine silk thread entwined around both sides of the rock wall, which extended horizontally across the cave at neck-height. It was this silk thread which had severed the neck of the obscurer, for two reasons.
Firstly, the height of the neck was a blind spot for human eyes. It was difficult to detect. Secondly, the second obscurer had been charged with anger and ran too fast—the sharp entwined dragon silk could cut all living things and the final result was inevitable with the high speed.
In fact, earlier while they had been five miles away, Su Yu had already observed these two obscurers setting up a trap. One of them pretended to be injured and entered the cave while the other hid outside, ready for the conjoined attacks before and after.
After some detailed calculations, Su Yu decided to benefit from the situation and take the risk of walking into the trap. Upon entering the cave, he immediately set up the entwined dragon silk at the entrance in order to achieve the result of catching the enemy unaware and destroying them.
Everything had gone according to plan; the two strong Level Seven Lower Tiers had fallen into his hands at the same time. Xia Jingyu could not bear to see too much of the bloody scene—her pretty eyes were furious, she wanted to kill the frozen obscurer.
"Wait, spare his life, I have a use for him." Su Yu's eyes flashed as he searched the two obscurers' bodies.
On their backs were sturdy jade bottles embedded into their flesh. The jade bottles seemed to be connected to their hearts; if the slayers tried to take off the jade bottles, it would shatter their hearts and cause death.
Su Yu nodded inwardly. Their exile to the Evil Forest was not without a cost. Presumably, they must have suffered the ultimate pain upon being embedded with the bottles.
At the same time, it was thanks to the direct connection from bottle to heart that the Sanctuary students did not need to worry about the slayers hiding or destroying their bottles. This ensured that every Sanctuary disciple could obtain a jade bottle if they killed a slayer.
Su Yu took out the jade hammer with the power of the Holy King and cracked open the jade bottle in order to retrieve the two pieces of scarlet body elixir. There was only a pin-prick's worth of liquid, but it was filled with intense energy, like a ball of sunlight radiating heat.
With some excitement and anticipation, Su Yu and Xia Jingyu each took one elixir and swallowed them on the spot.
Whoosh—
Boiling heat seeped into all four limbs and bones. There appeared to an explosive surge of powerful force, increasing their stagnated cultivation bases dramatically.
Thump, thump—
Suddenly, the two of them broke through to the start of Level Six; furthermore, their cultivation bases did not stagnate and continued to climb as before. Finally, as anticipated by Qiu Changjian, they reached Level Six Upper Tier!
Su Yu and Xia Jingyu quickly glanced at each other, their eyes lit up with delight. The saint grade spirit elixir was indeed extraordinary!
If they could obtain a few more, breaking through to the top level would not be difficult!
However, they now understood the risk. Slayers were cruel, murderous, and extremely dangerous. The two obscurers had nearly caused their demise. But the obscurers had the weakest power among many of the slayer—they would fall if they encountered one who was even a little more tyrannical.
The two of them never stopped their cultivation—their actual cultivation bases were only a part of their cumulative skill level. Su Yu and Xia Jingyu had taken advantage of the battle in order to heighten their knowledge in tactics and strategy as well as increase their abilities.
While Xia Jingyu quickly reflected on her comprehension of the first use of Reverie of Dewdrops, Su Yu walked up to the front of the frozen obscurer. "What are you going to do?" The obscurer's face was fearful, as his flesh had gradually thawed.
Su Yu crouched down and looked at him directly in the eye. His pupils turned dark green in an instant, like jade in the dark night—both resplendent and eerie.
Swish—
After gazing into the jade-green pupils, the obscurer's eyes immediately became sluggish and his mind was completely blank. Su Yu slowly closed his eyes, and used the soul seeking technique to scan the obscurer's memory in his mind.
A moment later, he opened his eyes and secretly rejoiced. The soul seeking technique was truly magnificent; the obscurer's many memories were all searched and, from his memory, Su Yu had learned that the Obscure Fiendish Duo had clashed with Du Lin's team half a day ago.
No match for the enemy, the two had fled to this point and set up traps to lure in Sanctuary disciples in a vain attempt to seize a jade hammer and to take the saint grade spirit elixir for their own use, so they could break through their cultivation bases.
Next, Su Yu tried to use the soul control technique. Both of his pupils shone a bright, dark-green which illuminated half the dark cave.
Ah—
The obscurer screamed several times, seemingly unable to endure the boundless pain. When it was all over, the obscurer, though restored to normal, could not rid himself of the residual signs of feeble-mindedness.
Su Yu felt slightly sorry. The soul control technique manipulated the soul, it was oppressive and dangerous. It was inevitable that the controlled soul would be hurt, and that the controlled's ability would be slightly affected by the strength of the technique.
"I pay my respects to you, Master!" The Obscurer groveled and bowed.
Besides being oppressive, the soul control technique went beyond affecting the opponent's ability—it could make the other party unable to resist any orders.
Unless The Obscurer's strength one day broke into the next level, which would allow him to break out of his bondage—as the soul control technique only allowed Su Yu to control those a full level higher than him and below.
Su Yu nodded indifferently, "Guard the cave entrance, let no one disturb us!"
Swish—
The obscurer immediately dashed to the cave entrance and stood on guard. He watched the surroundings attentively for any movement.
Su Yu immediately sat down to ponder his experience of the recent fight.
When Icy Heart Core had first been used, it had complemented Xia Jingyu's Reverie of Dewdrops, and the resulting attack had multiplied! Su Yu wondered whether the two Deity Level cultivation techniques belonged together in a set and were meant to be used together. With the comprehension of Icy Heart Core memorized by heart, Su Yu took the opportunity to comprehend his other cultivation techniques.
After a day, Su Yu slowly opened his eyes.
The Saint Level cultivation technique Floating Light Shadow had progressed the most; he'd reached Stage Two Upper Class after a day of comprehension, now his flight speed was faster and his body was as light as a feather. If he could reach Stage Three, he could soar through the air and fly high in the sky.
Purple Star Thunderbolt was progressing slowly; it still had some ways to go before it reached Upper Class. Purple Star Thunderbolt was most likely a Deity Level cultivation technique, probably of a higher rank—as this explained the difference in comprehension speed. His comprehension of the Saint Level cultivation technique Floating Light Shadow was quite fast, so it was abnormal for Purple Star Thunderbolt to be more challenging than the Deity Level cultivation technique, Icy Heart Core.
In the terms of the Holy Decree, Su Yu had progressed his technique. With his comprehension deepening over time, Su Yu increasingly felt that his previous simple emulations had been wrong. A true Holy Decree should originate from within one's self, not from emulating others. Su Yu had gradually broken away from emulation and had begun to find his own Holy Decree.
Hiss—
A fragrant aroma filled the area and greatly whetted Su Yu's appetite. He glanced sideways; it turned out to be the already awakened Xia Jingyu crouching at the cave entrance as she carefully cooked dinner.
As he gazed at the focused and beautiful image of a woman, graceful like a celestial beauty, Su Yu's heart sighed with regret. Whoever managed to marry Xia Jingyu would be blessed for the rest of his life.
The celestial beauty's exceptional features, lithe and graceful stature, tender-hearted nature, and her strong, perfect heart—she was truly beautiful on the inside and out. Women such as her were rare in the world. When Su Yu pictured Xia Jingyu married to another man, his chest ached.
With a wry smile, Su Yu whispered to himself, "I have Xianer and I'm still not satisfied... how can I have another woman on my mind?"
Hearing movement, Xia Jingyu turned back and smiled like a bashful lotus, pure and delicate. "You're awake, come eat."
Su Yu dared not gaze any further at that pure, beautiful face. He seamlessly avoided sitting across Xia Jingyu as he ate.
After they had eaten, the three of them set off for the inner periphery. As for the trap at the cave entrance, Su Yu not only kept it in place, he had also added another line of entwined dragon silk to the trap. Once an enemy fell into it, their doom was guaranteed!
Throughout the day they walked until, twenty miles later, they reached the border between the outer and inner peripheries. Beyond them was the inner periphery, where the vast majority of slayers dwelled. Level Seven Upper Tiers and Peaks were everywhere—even terrifying Level Eight slayers! If they were inattentive and encountered Level Eight slayers, it would be difficult to survive.
Ha—
Bang—
A sudden breeze blew over, carrying the sounds of fighting. Su Yu followed the direction of the breeze as he dilated his crystalline pupils and looked around.
"The Sanctuary disciplines are surrounded five miles away, we must assist right away!" The scene was a little far away so Su Yu could only roughly see the figures—he was unable to fully distinguish their appearances. Together, Su Yu and his companions rushed to help.
One mile away, Su Yu's gaze slightly cooled, "So it's Du Lin's team!"
Xia Jingyu did not have a good opinion of Du Lin; if she had known it was Du Lin there earlier, she would not have rushed over.
At that moment, Du Lin, Zhang Mingyi, Senior Sister Liu, and Feng Hao were engaged in difficult combat. They were surrounded by four Level Seven Lower Tier slayers—danger was on all sides.
Du Lin, a Level Seven Upper Tier, was entangled with three slayers. Zhang Mingyi was a Level Six Peak, and both Senior Sister Liu and Feng Hao were Level Six Upper Tiers. The three of them struggled to resist the pressure of a Level Seven Lower Tier slayer.
Du Lin was still fine and at ease. But Zhang Mingyi and the rest were in extreme danger!
Zhang Mingyi's mouth was full of blood, Senior Sister Liu's torso was slashed and bloody, and Feng Hao had three fingers chopped off, his fist dripped blood.
Four slayers were rebels from Luori Empire; they had killed and cut down countless men in the battlefield and had been deposed after the rape and assault of women. The four men harbored bitter resentment and committed evil everywhere. They slaughtered and exterminated common people in village—the nature of their heinous crimes was staggering. The four of them campaigned all year around; they were familiar with each other, skilled in coordination, and successful in every undertaking.
"Su Yu, what should we do?" asked Xia Jingyu.
Su Yu pondered for a moment before he helplessly offered a reply, "We can turn a blind eye to Du Lin's situation... But, we have no grudge or enmity with Senior Sister Liu... Moreover, there are four pieces of saint-grade spirit elixir right here, how can we give that up?
"With them gathered like this, it's easier for us to capture all four of them. Otherwise, it would be difficult to cut down all four with one-on-one combat."
Xia Jingyu nodded in agreement and they immediately made their move! Only The Obscurer held back and remained still, following Su Yu's mental command.
"Reverie of Dewdrops!"
"Purple Star Thunderbolt!"
After their breakthrough to Level Six Upper Tier, the absolute crushing dominance of a Level Seven Lower Tier felt much weaker. Su Yu's Purple Star Thunderbolt's formidable power was fully taken advantage of!
Aha—
Boom—
Ah—
One of the Level Seven Lower Tier slayers who had Du Lin surrounded was struck in the torso by Su Yu in a flash and perished on the spot!!
Xia Jingyu's Deity Level cultivation technique's formidable power was not any weaker than the Purple Star Thunderbolt—it also struck down a Level Seven Lower Tier in a snap!