Chapter 174
Chapter 174: A Baby Chick Fell From The Sky
The silence that ensued was frightening .
Bending her neck a little, Ni Yu could clearly see the figure behind her . The expression on her face froze and her cheeks were suddenly stiff and numb .
She didn’t even feel remorseful that the sugarcoated elixir had fallen on the snow .
Of course, it was also because she believed in the five-second rule that the elixir would still be edible if she picked it up right away .
“Young…Young Master?!” Ni Yu spluttered .
Sitting in the wheelchair, Lu Fan stared at Ni Yu expressionlessly .
He didn’t scold Ni Yu though . Lu Fan had an extremely mild temper after all .
He simply raised his eyes slightly and waved his hand . A pebble from the lakeside flew to him and floated in the air . Lu Fan lifted his finger and gently wrote on the pebble .
Dust from the stone blew away in the wind .
Then, Lu Fan gestured with his hand, causing the pebble to fall on the ground, crushing the elixir .
“I have been in seclusion for three months . So maybe that’s why you think you can slack off . ”
“The refining manual of the Body Tempering Elixir is documented on this pebble . Take a look . I want to see the finished product in three days,” Lu Fan spoke in a soft voice, leaning forward in his wheelchair .
Ni Yu didn’t know what to do with her hands . She looked at the crushed elixir, heart-aching at the loss of the treat .
Was the Young Master a monster?
Why couldn’t he let an innocent elixir go?
Hands shaking, she picked up the pebble on the ground and read the elixir recipe carved on the pebble in tiny font .
No one else but the Young Master would carve an elixir recipe casually on a pebble .
Ni Yu pursed her lips .
Did she dare to refuse the Young Master?
“Young Master… Is your seclusion over?” Ning Zhao asked, looking at Lu Fan with her bright eyes . She combed her fingers through her hair .
Lu Fan nodded .
“Young Master,” she said, “Jing Yue and the others have left the island to fight against enemies in each county . ”
Ning Zhao continued, “The world is facing a huge crisis . ”
“I know . ”
Lu Fan remained calm and composed, unsurprised by the news .
Ning Zhao was puzzled for a moment, then she realized that the Young Master probably already knew about it .
Even though the Young Master rarely left the island, he was somehow aware of everything happening in the world when he sat in the pavilion alone .
Snow drizzled from the sky .
White snowflakes fell into their hair .
Naturally, the snow couldn’t touch Lu Fan . An invisible energy current flowed around his body and dispelled the snow .
Lu Fan rested his chin on one hand, a white coat draped over his shoulders .
Then, automatically, the Thousand Blades Chair wheeled itself down the White Jade City Pavilion and moved toward Beiluo Lake .
Ni Yu held the pebble in her hands and Ning Zhao looked after the Young Master in confusion .
In the distance, Yi Yue also opened her eyes from cultivating and rushed to them .
Inside the lake, the small Responsive Dragon leaped out through the ice as if it sensed Lu Fan’s presence . Lu Fan petted it briefly and it disappeared into the lake .
The Thousand Blades Chair moved slowly past the lakeside and floated above the lake like a lonely canoe .
It’s movement wrinkled the mirror surface of the lake .
Lu Fan reached the center of the lake and slowly raised his hand .
The lake split into halves suddenly and opened up .
Ni Yu and the rest were dumbstruck by this scene .
A giant golden ball rose from the bottom of the lake . Five different colors floated inside the golden ball .
The ball emitted energy of a tremendous momentum that frightened Ning Zhao and the other people on the island .
Even Ning Zhao, who had reached the Internal Organs Realm, didn’t dare to stare directly at the golden ball .
“What…What is that?”
Ning Zhao was intimidated .
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Gripping the pebble, Ni Yu gulped . “Could it be…a large fried dough the Young Master made?”
Ning Zhao didn’t know how to respond .
Above Beiluo Lake, Lu Fan’s hair was blowing in the wind . He looked at the floating Plane’s Origin which had the similar dimensions of a pan, then reached out his hand and put his palm on top .
Buzz…
A peculiar kind of wave started to surge .
The clouds above White Jade City broke up and swirled into an upside-down funnel .
A strange transformation began to take place .
South County .
It was raining outside of Nanjin City .
The pungent smell of blood permeated the air .
The situation on the battlefield was now under control . Jing Yue wielded the Jing Heaven Sword among the Nanman Army . His white robe was still spotless somehow .
The force of the sword affected hundreds of meters with one strike . Many Nanman soldiers were severely injured .
Jing Yue felt that even his sword spirit was well refined for this kind of attack .
In the distance, Hua Dongliu, the Sword Saint, was amazed by Jing Yue’s technique .
The essence of the sword cultivation borne out of flashy and complicate movements had returned to its original purity and simplicity . It was very difficult to master simple techniques like thrusting or sweeping .
He hadn’t expected Jing Yue to be able to understand that .
Hua Dongliu easily saw through what Jing Yue was after . Jing Yue wanted to refine his sword spirit, just like Hua Dongliu’s East Flowing sword spirit which had crushing power, mighty and irresistible as a rushing river .
Hua Dongliu had spent thirty years developing that East Flowing sword spirit .
Hua Dongliu flew down from the wall of the gate tower .
He pulled and brandished the Morning Chrysanthemum sword . Countless shadows of the sword fused and struck with great strength and energy .
Hua Dongliu landed next to Jing Yue .
“You need to maintain a steady stream of Qi in your heart to comprehend the sword spirit . You have to understand what you want from the bottom of your heart, what your sword wants,” Hua Dongliu explained .
He spoke with a smile, looking at Jing Yue, “The sword has its own spirit . If you understand that, you will be able to develop a sword spirit without too much trouble . ”
“The times are different now . Spirit Qi gives the sword a breath of life, so it’s become easier to develop the sword spirit . You just have to put your heart into it . ”
Holding the Jing Heaven Sword aloft, Jing Yue nodded .
He closed his eyes and tried to feel the Spirit Qi surging in his Qi Core .
Hua Dongliu didn’t say anymore . He charged at the enemy with his sword .
They might have been commoners living in the greenwood, nevertheless, the world was not simply full of the government and the officials . The populace was an important component of society .
How could they sit by idly and cower under the enemy’s attack?
The effectiveness of combat started to improve with the support of different groups in South County . The Nanman soldiers began to retreat frantically .
Tang Yimo had been fighting in a frenzied manner ever since he activated the second meridian .
He had killed most of the bizarre shamans in black robes .
Inside the woods, a deafening sound shook the ground .
A tall and brawny figure appeared from its dark depths .
The sod underneath his feet nudged him forward helplessly .
Tang Yimo’s body stiffened . He sensed a great deal of pressure as this man emerged .
“A cultivator from White Jade City?”
Wrapped in a black robe, the man was strong and muscular, yet moved with a soft and elegant manner .
He glanced at Jing Yue in the distance, then fixed his eyes on Tang Yimo .
“You’re cultivating a demonic technique . It’s a sin to sink into Demonic Cultivation . ”
The man in black robe crossed his fingers in front of his chest like a noble gentleman .
His demeanor seemed incongruous with his stature .
Tang Yimo didn’t waste time talking to him .
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His entire body was feverish, covered in bulging blue veins .
He lunged forward like a raging demon . The ground under his feet dented and cracked .
This muscular man must be the chief culprit who directed the Nanman Army and began this war . The Nanman Army would retreat as long as he killed this general .
“How grumpy . ”
The mud and soil under the man’s feet somehow shifted him out of reach .
Surprisingly, Tang Yimo couldn’t keep up .
It didn’t feel right .
“I’m at the Peak Foundation Building Realm,” the man said, contemptuously . “Judging by your cultivation method, even though you have a similar combat capability with those in the Foundation Building Realm, you still rely mostly on physical strength .
“You need to know that technique is where the real power lies .
“As strong as your body is, what good can it be if you can’t even come near me?”
Anger raging with his eyes, Tang Yimo picked up speed .
His skin began to bleed because he had activated the second meridian without much thought and his body hadn’t adapted to the power raging underneath his skin .
The muscular man chuckled .
He raised his hand and waved .
Bang!
A giant stone pillar burst out of the ground abruptly .
Tang Yimo punched the pillar and blasted it to pieces .
With help from the moving ground, the muscular man slid far away and continued smiling elegantly .
He continued to wave and twist his fingers while chanting something with his mouth .
Spikes came out from the ground .
This bizarre technique sent cold shivers down the spines of those who saw .
Of course, Tang Yimo was not afraid . He exerted all of his strength and shattered the spikes .
“You have a strong body . Unfortunately, there is always a limit to physical strength…”
The muscular man smiled gracefully .
He raised his hands, palms facing each other .
Then he clapped his hands together .
The broken stones from the ground suddenly flew up into the air . Everything went black in front of Tang Yimo’s eyes .
Two hemisphere-shaped piles of dirt shot up and encased Tang Yimo .
They morphed into a sphere and fell to the ground quietly .
Stone dust skittered off the surface of the ball .
The muscular man smiled faintly .
He raised his head and looked at the wall of Nanjin City .
“The Lord of the Plane…”
He crossed his fingers in front of his chest once more . Even though he was only a drifter, he still wanted to maintain elegance .
Shamans in black robes appeared behind him again . Staring ahead vacantly, they had soulless expressions on their faces .
They were puppets who only moved with knowledge of their techniques .
Everyone was stunned to see Tang Yimo cocooned inside a dirt sphere .
Suddenly, Jing Yue opened his eyes .
An invisible wave of energy was surging around his body .
After a bit of practice, Jing Yue finally understood the true meaning of the sword spirit after that lecture from Hua Dongliu .
“My sword spirit…is to press forward with an indomitable will!” Jing Yue muttered .
He griped the Jing Heaven Sword hard in his hand .
It reminded him of the time when he was practicing in Beiluo Lake, the sense of accomplishment when he saw the water was split by his thrust .
Again, and again .
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The distance his sword could reach became longer and longer .
Buzz…
Jing Yue opened his eyes .
He felt as if his entire body was replaced by an invisible blade .
The sword spirit!
Gripping the sword tight, Jing Yue lunged forward and thrust .
A simple and unadorned move .
He jabbed at the muscular man .
The ground cracked beneath the force of the sword .
An invisible bolt of energy spurted out five hundred meters .
The moving ground under the muscular man’s feet stopped .
The man raised his hand and waved gently .
Dozens of stone planks rose from the ground under the attack from Jing Yue’s sword spirit .
Bang!
The stone planks were pierced through by the force of the sword .
One by one, the stone planks cracked, unable to withstand the impact at all .
The sword penetrated 52 stone planks like darts through paper .
By the time it passed through the last stone plank, the force was so weak that it was barely detectable . It was almost like a breeze blowing against the muscular man .
It simply cut a strand of his hair .
“Swordsman . ”
The muscular man squinted .
The natives of this world were quite something .
The young man who had the physical strength of the Internal Organs Realm and this swordsman who pierced 52 stone planks with one thrust—they both had extraordinary talents .
They were remarkable .
Jing Yue frowned when his first strike failed . Holding the Jing Heaven Sword aloft once more, he took out a folded handkerchief from his pocket, opened it carefully, then picked up a Gathering Qi Elixir and put it in his mouth .
The Spirit Qi flowed through his body again .
He raised the sword .
He didn’t succeed with one strike, so he would try a few more!
The muscular man waved his hand .
The shamans behind him stepped forward and started to incant .
Whistling, spikes shot toward Jing Yue one by one as they chanted .
The disciples of the Daoist Pavilion led by Xie Yunling also roared and stepped forward into formation again .
A giant, round formation made by Spirit Qi floated in front of him and blocked the spikes .
On the city wall of Nanjin, a figure wearing a blue robe slowly came into view .
Sima Qingshan was tired . He had remained in the Dragon Gate for three months to improve his strength . He wanted to be able to kill the enemy with ease, like Nie Changqing .
Gripping the brush in his hand, he stared at the gory battlefield outside of Nanjin City .
He raised his head and relished the cold rain dripping onto his face .
Sima Qingshan retrieved and unfurled the unused paper he carried on his back . He flung the brush into the air and used the rain as ink .
Spirit Qi gushed from his Qi Core .
He painted with the rain .
Under the city wall of Nanjin, the muscular man’s view suddenly changed .
The bloody field covered with corpses vanished .
Instead, he could only see a misty, rainy sky . He seemed to be floating above a lake while the rain wrinkled the surface of the lake .
He looked around frantically only to discover the exact same scene in the same color palette in all directions .
Like he was trapped in a limitless cage .
On top of the gate tower of Nanjin City, Sima Qingshan face cracked a bright smile even though his face was white as a sheet .
The penurious painter drew a painting with the rain and encaged the muscular man .
North County .
The battlefield was a tragic sight because North County didn’t have powerful cultivators like Nie Changqing .
It had been an especially fierce and arduous fight .
Jiang Li led the army and had gained the upper hand . The North County armored horsemen clashed with the Xirong soldiers like ice and snow melting together .
Lord of Xirong watched Jiang Li in his silver armor .
“This is indeed an interesting world with plenty of gifted people… What a shame!” the Lord of Xirong exclaimed .
He thought he should give these talents their well-deserved respect .
He climbed down from his chariot and walked briskly toward Jiang Li like a swift shadow .
A sense of danger made Jiang Li’s blood run cold and his flesh creep .
Like the shadow of death had enveloped him in an instant .
Jiang Li pulled out his short sword instinctively and held it defensively in front of his chest .
The black shadow somehow stepped on the head of Jiang Li’s horse . He pointed at Jiang Li with one finger .
Jiang Li defended himself with the short sword .
A cracking sound .
The short sword shattered .
Jiang Li was thrown off the horse by a strong force . Blood spewed from his mouth .
Two cultivators from North County rushed to block the attack .
Chi Lian sprang toward them frantically .
Lord of Xirong simply waved his hand .
Bang!
With frightening force, he tossed Chi Lian and other people away .
Lord of Xirong walked up to Jiang Li with deliberate steps .
“You’re talented . Tell me your name so I may remember you,” the Lord of Xirong said .
“You’re not the Lord of Xirong…” Jiang Li said in a soft voice, blood streaming down from the corner of his mouth as he examined the man in front of him .
“What I did was sinful,” the Lord of Xirong spoke hesitantly . “I couldn’t face all of you . That’s why I will use another man’s face . It’s the only way I can feel less guilty . ”
“Humph .
“What hypocrisy!” Jiang Li sneered .
“You don’t deserve to hear my name if you don’t dare to show your face,” Jiang Li said .
The compassion on the Lord of Xirong’s face vanished . He stared at Jiang Li expressionlessly and lifted a finger .
He reached out to poke the center of Jiang Li’s forehead between his eyebrows .
Chi Lian dashed toward them, yelling hysterically from afar .
Everything seemed to have lost its color and sound vanished from Jiang Li’s ears .
All of a sudden, a yellow baby chick flew in an arc across the sky, innocent and confused .
It fell into Jiang Li’s arms, bouncing a little from the force of its flight .
Lord of Xirong had been interrupted by a baby chick . He was dazed for a moment .
Eh?
What was the meaning of this?