Lin Xi’s tone and behavior naturally left the enemy feeling extremely uncomfortable, but Shentu Nian instead chuckled.
“Actually, the reason why I spoke so much with you is because I was stalling for time.”
He first looked at the smiling Lin Xi and then into the deep alleys of East Scenery City behind him, also looking at the moving weeds on the roofs, calmly and arrogantly saying, “it is because even though I brought over my entire main force, the main army is being suppressed by you all. In this alley, me, Sir Jun and the others can still be considered to have penetrated the backlines alone. You all have the Divine Wooden Flying Crane, able to transfer people over faster than us, which is why you want to stall for time to have Ceng Rou and the other cultivators deal with those Purgatory Mountain disciples on our side, thus being able to bring more people here. However, when I spoke so much with you, even the release of Sir Jun’s Vacuum Sword, the injuries he took, all of this is similarly me also stalling for time.”
When Gao Yanan and the others heard this, their expressions changed slightly. Lin Xi’s brows furrowed slightly, saying calmly, “That is why you still have something else, and this should be your last hope in this battle, or else you wouldn’t have personally come here. So, this method of yours, has it been fully prepared?”
“You are quite intelligent.”
Shentu Nian reached out a hand. “Only, not even the most intelligent people could compare to immortals and devils.”
Everyone’s eyes shifted towards Shentu Nian’s hands.
Apart from the white clothed sword master, everyone else’s faces became filled with amazement.
In his hands was a transparent pearl.
It was transparent to the point where it didn’t carry a single trace of color. However, the surface instead had countless fine vein lines that were like streaks of runes.
At the center of this longan fruit sized transparent pearl flickered a rice granule sized brilliance.
It flickered about as if it was a star in the distant cosmos, also as if there was a shining eye in the distant heavens.
This pearl flickered with a type of indescribable aura which seemed as if it shouldn’t exist in this world.
…
Gao Yanan’s pretty brows were raised. She looked at this pearl, directly walking towards the front of Lin Xi.
She didn’t expect that Shentu Nian’s final hope of changing the outcome of this battle would actually be this type of pearl.
She didn’t know what kind of pearl this was, whether it was a soul weapon or something else. However, the only thing she was thinking right now was that she wanted to block in front of Lin Xi.
Only, when her feet just began to move, Lin Xi already gripped her hand and then shook his head towards her.
Gao Yanan’s heart trembled slightly.
From the first time she met Lin Xi in Green Luan Academy, and then during the following long period of time, she always seemed stronger than Lin Xi. It was to the extent where in Green Luan Academy, she could even give Lin Xi a ‘vicious beating’… However, ever since Lin Xi lit that bonfire in front of Medicine Department’s freshman dormitory[1], she inwardly understood extremely clearly that between her and Lin Xi, it was always Lin Xi who was stronger.
She was now used to following Lin Xi, especially in this type of battle. Lin Xi was a Divine General… so it was even harder for her to refuse Lin Xi.
She wanted to step up, but with this tug from Lin Xi, she couldn’t help but stop her steps.
She saw Lin Xi decisively take a step forward, standing in front of her.
“Let’s just settle everything with this.”
Shentu Nian also felt fatigue. Regardless of who it was that served as the chief commander, when facing this type of battle, facing these Yunqin soldiers who viewed glory with more importance than their own lives, they would all feel a deeply rooted feeling of powerlessness and tiredness. That was why he said this inwardly, not wishing to stall for any longer.
The pearl in his hands began to shine again, starting to release a type of extremely light radiance.
This radiance came from the grain-sized brilliance within the pearl.
This light radiance which looked like the sunlight from a clear autumn day landed on Lin Xi’s body.
No one had to time block it.
Even Tang Chuqing who was fast to the point where he could send his Heaven Reliance small sword around his body who knew how many times within a single breath had no chance of blocking it.
It was because there was no flying sword that could compare to the true speed of light.
Furthermore, there were no flying swords that could exceed the speed of light.
This pearl in Shentu Nian’s hands, what it released was true light.
Lin Xi seemed to be standing in an expanse of trees on the horizon, watching as an early autumn sun rose in front of him.
This sun was extremely large, feeling as if he was going to melt inside.
This light radiance entered Lin Xi’s head.
There was a green ‘roulette’ in Lin Xi’s head.
Right now, this green ‘roulette’ had already been used up by him, becoming extremely dim, just like a moon hidden behind dark clouds.
This light radiance swept past Lin Xi’s head. Even though that green ‘roulette’ in Lin Xi’s head didn’t show any changes, it seemed to have blown away all of the dark clouds, to the extent where it blew away the dust floating in the night sky, making the entire sky become clear and extremely clean.
Lin Xi sensed a clear and bright expanse, to the extent where he felt unprecedentedly clean.
He didn’t feel the slightest bit of discomfort, his mind instead seemingly becoming even clearer than usual.
He couldn’t help but begin to stare blankly. His previous nervousness and fear began to unknowingly disappear.
Gao Yanan and the others’ eyes all concentrated on his body.
She, Jiang Xiaoyi and the others saw the radiance sweep over Lin Xi, and then the radiance disappeared. Lin Xi was perfectly fine, his eyes even seemingly a bit purer and brighter.
…
Shentu Nian also stared blankly.
It seemed like he couldn’t figure out what happened. He gave Lin Xi a look, seeing that Lin Xi was a bit stunned, as if he was sensing the changes happening to his body, yet couldn’t sense anything. Shentu Nian’s expression couldn’t help but become a bit rigid.
A light ka sounded from his hands.
He snapped out of his daze, lowering his head. His eyes landed on the pearl at the center of his palm.
The transparent pearl already lacked radiance, the extremely fine granule of brilliance gone without a trace. This pearl was transparent, just like a dewdrop on an early morning blade of grass.
Meanwhile, at this time, within several extremely fine streaks of runes on this pearl, there was quite a bit of transparent dust that fell out. There were several cracks that appeared, rupturing like a glacier, rapidly spreading and entering the deepest parts of this pearl.
His rigid expression suddenly became full of changes.
His lips became exceptionally pale, his whole body starting to tremble. Every slight shake seemed exceptionally difficult. His eyes were completely filled with an expression of disbelief and horror.
“How is this possible?!”
He raised his head, being beside himself. His eyes seemed to be searching for something for an extremely long amount of time, and only then did his eyes which were filled with confusion, despair and fear land on Lin Xi in front of him. He suddenly began to cough intensely, coughing to the point where he was even about to bend down at the waist. He used a voice which sounded like the wailing of a small child to shout out, “Impossible! How are you perfectly fine?!”
Everyone on Yunqin’s side looked at Shentu Nian with confusion. They couldn’t understand what happened between this pearl and Lin Xi that would make this Great Mang Seven Armies Commander, this Purgatory Mountain Shentu Clan Sacred Expert lose his composure to this extent.
The face of the white clothed sword master behind him turned snow-white… He was originally someone who had cultivated for so long, creating a Vacuum Sword that was enough for him to show disdain to most sword controlling Sacred Experts in this world. He even trained himself into a graceful and unchanging sword, yet right now, he was also absent-minded, looking at Lin Xi with the eyes of one who wasn’t looking at a human.
Regardless of whether it was his or Shentu Nian’s current appearance, there was no way they were fake.
Lin Xi felt happiness amidst his shock and confusion.
Regardless, the other party seemed to have used their most powerful method, yet he himself was still alive and well, while the enemy had a type of defeated stance. “What are you all playing at? Wasting so much of my time.” While feeling happiness, he even temporarily struggled free from the previous bitterness of war, making him return to being the earliest joyful Deerwood Town youngster. He couldn’t help but feign an expression of sympathy while looking at Shentu Nian. “Just what kind of thing is it? Could it be that you all took too long and it went past its expiry date, so it stopped working?”
In this world, regardless of whether it was Yunqin or Great Mang, there was no such thing as an expiry date.
Whether something was good or bad, everyone naturally used the most simple methods of judgment.
Shentu Nian didn’t know what an expiry date was, but just the first words Lin Xi said already made it even more unbearable for him.
Pu
A blast of soul force that made a wrong turn within his body carried a wave of blood, spurting out from his mouth.
Ka
The pearl in his hands, because of his body’s shaking, instead completely ruptured, breaking into four pieces, as if it became four ordinary transparent pieces of glass.
“Why are you all so mischievous?”
Lin Xi chuckled and said, “I am talking to you all, what are you spitting out blood and scaring us for? Don’t think that I will get used to it if you keep throwing up.”
Shentu Nian had no way of knowing the implications behind the words ‘get used to it if you keep throwing up’. [2]
However, Lin Xi’s words instead made another mouthful of blood surge to Shentu Nian’s throat, making his face swell up, becoming purple red.
Even though Tang Chuqing was indescribably shocked, he also knew that right now, when Shentu Nian and the white clothed swords master’s minds were shaken, it was also the best time to deal with them.
That was why when the pearl in Shentu Nian’s hands began to shine, his Heaven Reliance small sword that was already prepared flew out.
While carrying all of the remaining power in his body, it flew along the light flow, hacking at Shentu Nian’s thigh artery.
Shentu Nian’s hand moved downwards.
Since he was a bit slower than usual, there were four fingers that were directly hacked off.
The small sword pierced into his thigh. Only at this time did a blast of purple energy and flames take form around the Heaven Reliance small sword.
This wave of flames only Purgatory Mountain’s Shentu Clan could produce forcibly burned away Tang Chuqing’s soul force on the runes of this sword.
Tang Chuqing already used up everything he had. After coughing out a mouthful of blood, he directly sat down.
That seemingly ordinary small sword of his was wrapped in flames, falling to the ground.
Shentu Nian’s hand and leg injuries were instantly sealed by flames, burned until they were sleek and black like congealed magma.
Surging fiery light rose on Shentu Nian’s body as well.
At this moment, he completely became a flame person, moving towards Lin Xi.
The houses in the streets and alleys behind Lin Xi also began to tremble. There were many people who moved extremely quickly, as if they were Yunqin drum masters striking against the drums.
Right at this time, several red figures plugged up this alley. A snow-white spider continuously spurted out a white substance, releasing great white webs along those streets, blocking these Yunqin military cultivators who already rushed over.
Hu!
The large chest on Chu Yehan’s back released a blast of air.
A bronze colored short rod appeared in his hands.
A long needle shot out from this rod, smashing fiercely into Shentu Nian’s chest with speed not inferior to Tang Chuqing’s attack.
Shentu Nian’s palms moved together.
The two palms didn’t truly make contact with this long needle that carried terrifying power. Layers and layers of compressed flames directly stoppedforced this long needle an inch from his chest.
Yi…
A young and tender shout sounded.
A small black chubby claw reached out.
Gao Yanan’s hands also reached outwards.
Countless white ice crystals took form in the sky, surging towards Shentu Nian.
Shentu Nian’s palms separated, the long needle falling down. The heat compressed between his palms exploded, all of the white colored ice crystals instantly melting into water droplets, and then evaporated, rushing in all directions.
This Great Mang commander who was in despair, but still powerful, continued to move towards Lin Xi.
1. B5C12
2. Reference from Journey to the West. The pig man and a beauty ended up swapping bodies. The pig man in the beauty’s body said that they were going to get married and have kids, the dude who heard this began to vomit endlessly. The pig man then said keep throwing up, you’ll get used to it