Eventually, the fair-skinned palm drastically increased in size, as it became a glittering palm in the air. It dashed through the trees, before harshly landing on the ground, casting a sense of a grandiose battle atmosphere.
“What the fuck?”
Qinghan was dumbfounded by the sheer power exerted by this single palm. Luckily, he had dodged it successfully, due to the terrifying speed he boasted since his integration with Little Black. Within such a short distance, the power of that golden-colored palm would probably kill those in the Realm of the Commander. If it wasn’t for the power he had obtained from integrating with Little Black, Qinghan would most likely have been crushed by this mighty palm.
“You want to tear me apart? You’re just a pathetic servant of the Xue Family. I’d like to fight with your master instead!”
As far as Qinghan knew, the extraction of Battle Qi would require large amounts of Battle Qi. Hence he decided to further irritate Xue Yi, in an attempt to erode the latter’s Battle Qi as much as possible.
- Boom! Boom! -
As Qinghan expected, the golden-colored gigantic palms of Battle Qi came one after the other. Xue Yi was fully provoked by the death of his brothers and the mocking of Qinghan. He kept bombarding palms of Battle Qi, which were all aimed at Qinghan.
Despite the casual expression on Qinghan’s face, deep inside, he was fully aware of the danger. Right now, in front of these countless “palms”, he jumped up and down to avoid the attacks, much like a colorfully-dressed monkey boiling in the oil pan, making all the hysterical gestures to prevent himself from being killed. Qinghan quickly predicted and calculated the direction and speed of each palm. Meanwhile, he was also observing his surrounding geography to decide how to dodge and where to dodge. Within several seconds, he had narrowly escaped from death twice, though he got slightly injured once. It seemed as if Qinghan couldn’t stand any more palms from Xue Yi.
However, Qinghan continued making fun of Xue Yi.
“Old man, are you still ok? I don’t think you can shoot more “palms”, considering your age.”
“Shit, old bastard, give me more palms! Otherwise, if you give up, just go home and find your mommy.”
“Hey, I mean, are you suffering from a premature ejaculation? Alas… You’re too indulgent in your sexual life and lost too much sperm… Look, now you’re already an old man…”
Without any words to retort Qinghan with, Xue Yi exerted more palms of Battle Qi in response.
However!
Xue Yi’s face grew paler and weaker, and consequently, the palms coming towards Qinghan became slower and less frequent. Everyone’s amount of Battle Qi was limited and at this moment it seemed as if Xue Yi had lost his head and didn’t control the amount of Battle Qi he exerted. Qinghan knew his opportunity had come. Therefore, he merrily jumped up and down, continuing to mock Xue Yi…
Qinghan’s eyes were locked on each and every movement and expression Xue Yi made. When Xue Yi exerted one more palm of Battle Qi, his body slightly trembled and his footsteps faltered.
“Good chance!”
With a twist of his body, Qinghan successfully dodged the attack. Then, without any delay, he stomped his feet and flew out like a bombshell. At the same time, he grabbed his dagger firmly, preparing to fatally stab Xue Yi.
“Go to hell!”
When Xue Yi staggered forward, Qinghan spurted in his direction. They was only less than a hundred meters between the two. So far, during the fight, Qinghan had only defended himself. He hadn’t attacked even once, as he had intentionally tried to preserve his Battle Qi. Now, when Qinghan held his dagger in front of Xue Yi’s throat, he believed it would be another perfect kill.
Ironically, Xue Yi raised his head with derisive eyes. At that moment, Qinghan realized his tactic had failed. All of a sudden, a larger-than-ever palm of Battle Qi emerged and pressed on Qinghan’s chest…
Qinghan failed to escape, and he knew that he had fallen into Xue Yi’s trap!
Originally, Qinghan ridiculously tried to provoke Xue Yi, hoping the latter would exhaust his Battle Qi. However, Xue Yi was not a brainless moron; he saw through Qinghan’s trick and countermined. At first, he pretended to be irritated and shot palms ceaselessly, to disguise his true plan. In the final moment, Xue Yi suddenly exerted the largest palm of Battle Qi, which he had preserved all this time, and gained the upper hand.
“I suppose the old saying might come true: Aged ginger is more pungent…”
[Note: Chinese saying: 姜是老的辣; Which means that elderly people are more experienced.]
Qinghan was thrown away by the force of the large and terrifying palm. His heart was filled with regret, because his inner organs were once again severely injured and some bones were even broken. Sadly, It would take some time for the bronze ring to recover his wounds…
“Oh… I don’t have the time to recover!”
Xue Yi wouldn’t miss this chance and let Qinghan go. As he was the leader of a team, he was not a stupid pig. He knew how to efficiently handle the current situation. Now, with a long face, he hurriedly moved towards Qinghan.
“I lost the whole battle because of one bad move!”
The approaching sound of footsteps was like the sound of the death knell, the closer it was, the more horrified Qinghan became. At last, he simply closed his eyes, quietly awaiting death. This actually reminded him of the night when he had confronted the saber-toothed tiger…
Qinghan tried his last effort to get to his feet, but he failed. So, he figured that it was better to silently wait, rather than to run away pathetically... Like a dog.
“Mom and Dad, I’m coming… Qingyu, I have to apologize to you for this clumsy decision I’ve made. I mean, to leave you alone at home, while I die somewhere far away… And… Little Black, I’m so sorry…” Qinghan murmured his last words with great sorrow and helplessness.
“Boss, it’s too early to say so. I don’t think that we’re doomed!” Suddenly, a familiar voice replied to him.
After further talking with Little Black, he quickly learned that he could use his integration technique to help himself out of this dire situation. By learning this, his heart was filled with exultation, like the whirling waves of a tsunami.
Gradually, Qinghan managed to calm himself down, as he firmly held the dagger in his right hand.
The Battle Qi that surrounded Xue Yi’s body was still unabated, as he was prepared to give Qinghan a lethal attack whenever appropriate. He was sure that Qinghan was greatly injured by the power of his previous palm. However, he was still extremely cautious, as he considered Qinghan as a man full of secrets, who could shock him with some undiscovered mighty power.
“Our young lord asked us to capture you alive. However, I have to avenge my deceased brothers! You must die!” Xue Yi exclaimed in a fury.
Soon afterwards, he turned around and looked at the bodies of his brothers, before he wailed and promised them to avenge them. By lifting both his hands, he moved most of the extracted Battle Qi around his hands, creating a powerful, gigantic palm. He planned to smash Qinghan with this gigantic palm.
“You know what? My plan was also to capture you alive! In that way, I could’ve interrogated you and found out who the boss behind the scenes is. Sadly, after learning what kind of person you are, I’m afraid that you won’t leak any kind of information to me. So, sorry buddy, but I have to kill you!” Looking at the Battle-Qi wrapped Xue Yi, Qinghan mischievously blurted out.
Disregarding Qinghan’s provocative words, Xue Yi focused his attention on forming a larger palm of Battle Qi. At the same time, Qinghan just lay still and closed his eyes.
After a few seconds, Qinghan abruptly opened his eyes, shooting two beams of dazzling light directly at Xue Yi’s eyes.
The golden sun rays could make one blind for a second, but would never make a person feel dizzy. While, the two beams of light made Xue Yi stupefied and frozen like a puppet, he stared blankly at Qinghan.
Immediately, Qinghan seized this moment, and quickly stood up and aimed his dagger towards Xue Yi’s neck…
“You…” The coldness of the sword, as well as the soreness on his throat, woke Xue Yi up. He put one hand on his bleeding throat, while he pointed his other finger at Qinghan. He was desperate to say something, but failed to do so.
“Congratulations! You’re the first one to experience my integration technique – Soul-Blackout. It’s a blessing for you to have witnessed this monumental moment. Throughout the whole continent, only three people in the Ye Family have integration techniques. Now, I’m the fourth one! So… Put your mind at ease. I wish you a happy reunion with your brothers!”
In order to vent out his suppressed excitement, Qinghan bursted out into laughter. At the most urgent moment, he had learned this rare integration technique, which was explained to him by Little Black, who had learned it from his inherited memories. Eventually, by using this special technique, had Qinghan successfully turned the situation back around.
According to Little Black’s information, this integration technique was called “Soul-Blackout” – It would directly attack one’s soul, while it would disregard any material obstacles. The victim would suffer from temporary unconsciousness, the duration of which varied based on the difference in soul power. Actually, Qnghan’s soul power, plus Little Black’s, had increased to the peak level of the Realm of the General, which was enough to blackout a cultivator in the same realm for a second. This one second was extremely useful in a real fight, as it could determine life and death, especially when the two parties were fighting at close range.
“Disintegrate!”
Qinghan disintegrated from Little Black, before letting it return into his chest. He then sat down to rest and after a short time, his wounds had almost recovered.
“Qingyu, wait for me… I’ll come home for you very soon…”
Raising his head in the direction of Grey City, he smiled with deep affection. He quickly tidied up his ragged clothing, before he lifted his feet and disappeared into the forest.
Meanwhile, Fire Wolf Hill, their battleground, was still enshrouded in clouds of smoke…