19 Three-way Night Battle (1/2)
He turned a hand, drawing a smooth arc across the sky, producing a silver ray that contained snow-like specks and blanketing the black whirlwind that was Zhan Beiye.
Zhan Beiye looked up, his bright eyes appearing, even more, intimidating amid the dazzling sword ray. He resembled the first star that rose from the far west, fiery and luminous.
”Good!”
Zhan Beiye sounded eager to have met an evenly matched opponent. He swept his arm horizontally, summoning the pike back into his palm. With a jerk of his palm its shiny and sharp tip was fixed again, and with another wave of his arm, the pike emitted a dramatic ray that radiated meters outward, colliding with the thousands of snow specks.
'Boom!'
The air around shook, almost bursting, as the snow specks flew and splashed onto the surrounding trees – clap, clap, clap – countless tiny holes emerged from the leaves that had been hit. A formless, powerful energy wriggled along the ground like an earthworm, and where it passed the grass exploded from the ground, causing mud to scatter and fly in all directions. It was as if a deep ditch had been plowed up by a giant sword, only stopping countless meters away.
Some time passed, and the snowfall and gale stopped.
Yuan Zhaoxu, enveloped by his snow ray, hadn't withdrawn. He stood on the edge of a tree branch, smiling. The wind was definitely howling but he, together with the branch beneath his feet, was completely still.
Pike in his hands, Zhan Beiye, stood tall under the tree. The mud raised from his move hadn't stained him one bit.
Standing meters away, Meng Fuyao was still processing the scene that had just unfolded. All along, she could vaguely feel that she was borrowing Yuan Zhaoxu's energy to break through the fourth level of Cleaving Nine Heavens and that there was voidness whenever she executed it. She knew that it was because the borrowed force wouldn't be as substantial as that of her own accumulation, and had been puzzling over it for the longest time. Now that their strong opponent had laid out such a powerful move, an exit had seemingly been illuminated for her. It was so full, brilliant, authoritative and constrained – wasn't that the true essence of the fourth level, Spherical Revolution?
These thoughts were mentally disorganizing, but in a flash, her mind cleared, and her energy started flowing along her veins. As she was halfway into that state, she could vaguely hear Zhan Beiye's drawn-out laughter. ”Good. Invigorating! Again!”
Meng Fuyao jolted anxiously, wanting to observe and emulate when she felt the wind around her tightening. Everything before her turned into a sheet of black, as though something had just flitted across at an extremely fast speed. She had even gotten a faint, aromatic whiff of pine when it brushed past her shoulders. Also, she felt as if her face had been caressed by something soft, cool and satiny.
'Did someone just pass me? So fast? Is it a human or a ghost?'
Without much thought, Meng Fuyao reached out to grab it but to no avail. The person had a strange and mysterious figure and arrived before Zhan Beiye's sight in the blink of an eye. ”Go!” Meng Fuyao heard.
The next second, that person greeted Zhan Beiye, who had heard the commotion, with ten attacks.
Meng Fuyao opened her mouth wide, looking at that person who was even more agile than Yao Xun. He was so fast that the entire forest appeared to be his shadow. He transformed into a wisp of smoke that was everywhere yet nowhere. There wasn't even a need for him to hold a sword – a strangely thin and long one lay horizontally below his elbow, revealing half an inch of black sword tip. It slithered and hissed like a snake while following its owner's movements. The latter had no need to display big and showy moves. Instead, his motions occurring mostly between his elbow and hips, just like all formidable killers who completed short-range assassination firstly by jabbing the enemy's acupuncture points and then stabbing or slashing. His movements were similarly natural and sharp.
This method of battle was foreign to Zhan Beiye as well. Unable to adapt to this close body fight, his pike was rendered ineffective. In that same moment, the faint black shadow dove past Zhan Beiye, almost touching him, as a light ray under his elbow flashed.
Blood rays splattered everywhere.
The dark-colored blood scattered all over the dark forest, creating a provokingly intense sight.
Zhan Beiye's eyes lit up even more, and fire could almost be seen burning within them. He threw his palm forward, the wind produced causing his opponent to stall and then retreat three steps backward. When the latter was retreating Zhan Beiye flung his arm forcefully, sending his pike three feet into the ground with a loud thud. The ground shook as he licked the fresh blood off his arm. Falling into a brief silence he smiled. ”There's actually a hidden dragon in Taiyuan!”
Before his smile fell he let out another roar. This time, no weapon was used as Zhan Beiye's body became the sword that swept in like a hurricane.
Yuan Zhaoxu jumped down from the tree, gazed left and right before setting his eyes on the fighters. As he was obstructing Meng Fuyao's view, she repeatedly shifted her head left and right. ”Why, why?”
”Didn't he ask you to leave? Why are you still here?”
”It's an exciting battle that I can't miss. Don't block me, Yuan Zhaoxu. Let me look. It might help improve my skills.”
Instead of retorting, he simply extended a hand out, as if to touch her, and she immediately turned to face him.
It was then that Yuan Zhaoxu continued, ”Stay any longer, and you'll find yourself in more trouble. It's not a definite victory for An Mei. He doesn't understand Zhan Beiye. Zhan Beiye will only become tougher. Whoever causes him blood will inevitably fall into a death battle. A rough night is ahead of An Mei.”