Published at 7th of December 2020 09:32:11 PM
Tianming continued onward at full speed . Ying Huo flew through the forest even faster than him, like a fiery beam that blinked from one point to another . It was now at the seventh level of Unity and had undone a lot of its bloodline shackles . Not to mention, it now had a top-tier ability, Infernal Haze .
Back during the fight against Yuwen Shendu, Meow Meow and Ying Huo had been oppressed, thanks to their low level . They had survived by relying on nothing but their will . Now, they had finally gotten a chance to grow . Funnily enough, some people thought that Tianming easily won the fight, not knowing about his near-death struggles in the least; not to mention his lifebound beasts, who would still be injured if it weren’t for the Prime Tower's powers .
Yuwen Shendu was only killed due to his own carelessness . Otherwise, Tianming wouldn't have stood a chance even if he had mastered Myriad's Only . While one's survival relied mostly on their own abilities, the slightest variable could completely change the results . But if they fought again now, without taking the Spiritburn Tome and Feiling into account, Tianming would stand a real chance .
"There's someone on our flank," Ying Huo suddenly said .
"Xi Menglin, huh . . . . " Tianming looked in Ying Huo's direction and saw a man, who also met his gaze . He was a southsky disciple Tianming had met at the inn the day before . He figured Xi Menglin was an ally . Tianming recalled that he didn't particularly seem willing to ally with him, so he decided to go his own way . Ye Shaoqing said that helping the Weisheng siblings was enough, after all . What he didn't think was that Xi Menglin would speedily come toward him as he was trying to move away . In fact, he jumped onto a green rock ahead of Tianming with his arms crossed, looking down on him .
"Go your own way . I wish to be alone," Tianming said, then turned away .
"Who said I was going to travel with you?" he said before he blocked Tianming's way again and checked him out .
"What's your deal?" Tianming was getting irritated . Due to the history between their sects, Tianming would never go out of his way to cause trouble for them . They weren't worth his time anyway .
"First Elder Gu Qiuyu is my maternal grandfather . He asked me to check out your bane-rings if I see you . Li Tianming, my guess is that you're only making things up, and backed yourself into a corner when you were asked to show your bane-rings . You got exposed," he mocked . Most people in the Grand-Orient Realm knew about the legendary pentabanes, so they all wanted to see the bane-rings for themselves . Seeing was believing, after all .
"What if I don't want to show you?"
"Then I can only press you down and strip your sleeve for a look . You really know how to boast . Even our sect master believes you, but I don't . I'll prove it to them . "
"Sure . I'll let you see all you like . " Initially, he didn't want to trouble them on account of Weisheng Tianlan . He might even help them out . But now, Xi Menglin was blocking his way and wasting his time . He might not make it as one of the first seven as a result . So, he decided to let his fists do the talking .
He would show him how powerful he was now . Xi Menglin was planning to 'expose' him to let his sect master learn of his mistake . Since time was short, he summoned his lifebound beast from his lifebound space . With a bright flash, a gigantic black beast appeared beneath him and charged toward Tianming .
The Southsky Sect was situated near the sea, so the lifebound beasts of their members were usually aquatic . That didn't mean they weren't hardy at all . The beast was a giant crab, even larger than the Bloodfiend Taotie . Its black shell was at least ten centimeters thick and as hard as steel . Worst of all were its razor-sharp, saw-toothed pincers that looked like they could easily tear flesh apart . Each of its long legs looked like blades, and its back shone conspicuously in five or six colors . While the beast itself was ugly, the lighting effects made it quite good looking . It was a third-order saint beast, an Astral Crab .
Tianming didn't know where this beast's eyes were, but he could feel danger emanating from it . If that beast was allowed to develop to the saint stage, it would definitely reign supreme on the high seas . That was probably why Xi Menglin was so confident .
"Li Tianming, there's no point in being stubborn . It's all the same for me to defeat you and get a look at your bane-rings even if you don't want to show me!" he said as he charged with his beast . Despite the beast's size, it was blindingly fast . Its sharp legs came chopping down like many kitchen knives .
Just as Tianming was about to fight back, the surroundings abruptly changed . A third person was heading toward them, thanks to the summoning of the crab . He was a youth carrying a heavy greatsword on his back that was taller than most people, marking him as a member of the Cloudmist Sword School . They had sent three representatives in total, and this one was named Fan Wutian . As Tianming had gotten a glance of them during the night of the banquet, he had a rough recollection of them .
As for Fan Wutian, his first reaction was to run . As far as he was concerned, the Southsky Sect and Grand-Orient Sect were their enemies . It would be troublesome for him to be attacked by both of them at once . Little did he expect that Xi Menglin didn't care about him and instead charged toward Tianming .
"This is interesting . To think that they'd fight among themselves . . . they truly are bumpkins . " Fan Wutian gladly hid himself to watch their fight . He wasn't pressured to win at all, since his sect hadn't come for the Grand-Orient Sword . Their mission was only to humiliate the disciples of the Southsky Sect and Grand-Orient Sect . Little did he know, Tianming had immediately noticed him .
"Want to reap the benefits after we duke it out, huh? Then I'll deal with you both at once . Ying Huo, Meow Meow, end it quickly . "
"Hey, I'm the boss of you, not the other way round! You don’t get to order me around!" Ying Huo snapped, flapping its wings as it charged toward Fan Wutian .
Meow Meow seemed a little drowsy, but snapped out of it, since Tianming said it would be able to relax after the Realm Wars when his position as junior sect master was secure .
Fan Wutian thought of the two cute animals as pets, rather than lifebound beasts . He didn't know better, since not even Heaven's Elysium had bothered to research the candidates the Grand-Orient Sect would be sending, since they had fallen from grace, to say no more about Cloudmist Sword School . While Tianming's killing of Yuwen Shendu was a big deal in his sect, nobody else in the realm cared about it .
"I thought Yuwen Shendu broke through to Heavenly Will . Why isn't he here? Why did they send three rookies here to die?"
"Too bad those Elysian Children and Senior Brother Tianchen won't even have anyone to mess with . We’re more than enough to deal with small fries like this . " Fan Wutian immediately felt like the battle was getting boring . He didn't even bother to draw his greatsword as the two critters charged toward him, yet he didn't think the little chick would appear before him with terrifying speed .
Given its infernalsource at the seventh level of Unity, Skyscorch Featherblast caused thousands of fiery needles to explode outward, much to Fan Wutian's dismay . He immediately sent out his ninth-level Unity lifebound beast to block the needles using its feathers .
Yet not even this third-order saint beast, a Trihead Gale Condor, could resist the Skyscorch Featherblast after the little chick's bloodline powers had been further unlocked . The three-headed bird shrieked in pain as its wings began burning, but that was only the start!
"You're so dead!" Fan Wutian screamed . His lifebound beast was gravely injured, thanks to him underestimating his opponent, and he was all the madder for it . Just as he was about to draw his sword, a thundercloud formed above him and sent nine lightning serpents swirling down toward him . Meow Meow had used Chaos Disaster as Ying Huo took on the condor .
The poor condor was once more ordered to take the hits and was grounded by the lightning . Just as it was about to get up again, a gigantic black beast of thunderous fury pressed it back down on the ground . Meow Meow's red claws pierced its feathers and flesh . All twenty of its toxic claws sank into the bird, causing it to struggle and shriek despite it being more massive than Meow Meow in its Regal Chaosfiend form .
With the toxin entering its bloodstream, it would no doubt be taken out soon . They weren't nearly as powerful as Ying Huo and Meow Meow to begin with, yet they dared underestimate their enemies, only to be humiliated like Su Yiran . Before Fan Wutian could understand how his condor was defeated, he yelled and came charging at Meow Meow with his greatsword, intent on taking its head .
"Hey, look here when I'm teaching you what it really means to use a sword," said a voice all of a sudden .
Fan Wutian would never forget what he saw when he turned back . The little chick's wings were like two flaming golden swords radiating sword ki . With a snide smile, it struck with the Voidgod Sword Intent, Countercurrent .
"Impossible!" He could immediately tell it was a battle art above heavenly rank .