Chapter 499 - 498: 2V2?

Chapter 499: Chapter 498: 2V2?

Fan Sheng scoffed. "You ambush me for no reason, and now you’re spouting this nonsense!"

With that, he swung his axe at a wooden pillar. "Get down here and die!"

The pillar snapped on impact, as brittle as straw in his hands.

This brute’s freakish strength surpassed even Meng Shan’s, and his Combat Skill and presence were far superior.

’Where did one—no, two—monsters like this pop out from? And why are they holed up in a Curse Master’s room?’

Hee Lingchuan sighed. "Are you reinforcements hired by Zhongsun Mou, or are you with Cen Boqing’s group?"

With the commotion they were making, it was no surprise that the people in the inn weren’t just sitting around. Everyone from the waiters to the guests peeked out, only to be terrified by the scene and flee in panic.

Only the Shopkeeper stood at the entrance, a pained expression on his face as he bowed to the two men and the bear. "Please, sirs, have mercy! Spare my livelihood!"

Fan Sheng’s response was another swing of his axe, chopping down a second pillar.

With both pillars gone, the wooden beam could no longer hold and came crashing down.

Hee Lingchuan was incredibly nimble. The moment Fan Sheng raised his axe, he slipped back out through the hole in the roof.

His target was the room Fan Sheng had burst out of.

The Giant Bear had torn a large hole in the wall, and Hee Lingchuan stepped right through. He took out the Mirror and shone it around. "Find clues! Quickly!"

The room was dim, with no lamps lit, relying purely on the natural light from outside.

Inside, besides a bed, there was a square table and two round stools. The tabletop was empty, save for a few scattered fragments.

But such an environment was hardly a challenge for the Soul-Catching Mirror.

"Two drops of blood on the chair," the Mirror reported as soon as its light swept over it. "There were some on the table, too, but they were wiped away—hey, not that chair, the one opposite it."

"Could you be a little more specific!" Hee Lingchuan had just shot back when he caught a flicker of movement from the corner of his eye.

He turned his head to see Fan Sheng leaping up onto the roof as well.

Hee Lingchuan had no choice but to snap the chair in two with a CRACK and toss it into his Storage Ring.

Just then, flames erupted at his feet and in the four corners of the room.

The flames were a strange, dark purple and burned alarmingly fast, igniting anything they touched as if doused in accelerant.

In the space of two breaths, the entire room was a raging inferno.

’Damn it all! I fell for their trap after all!’

Hee Lingchuan cursed under his breath. As he turned to flee, the Mirror yelled again, "Don’t forget these fragments! You can’t miss them!"

"Can’t you just say everything at once, for fuck’s sake?" He grabbed a leather pouch—the one left over from his last roast chicken purchase—and with a sweep of his arm, brushed all the wooden fragments from the tabletop into it.

That one extra motion was all it took. Fan Sheng arrived just as the fire flared, the purple flames jetting out in all directions.

Sensing the vicious poison in the fire, he was unwilling to face it head-on and took two steps back. He saw Hee Lingchuan’s figure flashing within the flames, but he wasn’t screaming or writhing in pain.

He frowned.

Hee Lingchuan stuffed the leather pouch into his Storage Ring and burst out from the other side of the room.

Fan Sheng was a Shadow Following Form.

His Body Technique wasn’t as agile as Hee Lingchuan’s, but his speed was undeniably real. He threw the axe from his left hand, sending it spinning straight for the back of Hee Lingchuan’s neck.

The onlookers only saw an afterimage in the air.

That Flying Axe had likely claimed countless heads.

Without even turning his head, Hee Lingchuan threw something behind him, which struck the axe with a CLANG.

The axe was knocked aside and, after spinning once, flew back toward its master.

Fan Sheng now saw it clearly: the object that had deflected his axe was a Heart-Protecting Mirror. It tumbled a few times in mid-air, reflecting several bright flashes of light straight into his eyes.

He quickly raised an arm to block the light.

Just then, a brown shadow pounced from the ground below, followed by a soul-shattering tiger’s roar.

Jiao Yu had arrived.

Fan Sheng, unable to easily turn in mid-air, simply swung his axe straight down at its head.

But this was a feint from Jiao Yu. His hind legs had never left the ground. He twisted his body away and let out another furious roar, "The Hundred Mountains Middle Lang General is here! State your name!"

At the same time, three hidden weapons, wreathed in purple flames, shot in from the side.

This fire couldn’t be patted out, and Fan Sheng had no desire to touch it. He raised his axe and knocked the projectiles away.

In the next instant, the flash of a blade appeared before his eyes.

Hee Lingchuan decided to Follow the Stick and Strike the Snake, leaping up and bringing his Floating Life Blade down on Fan Sheng’s head.

It was finally his turn to take the offensive.

He made a gesture with his left hand, and the Heart-Protecting Mirror returned to his grasp.

His Saber Aura wasn’t as solid as his opponent’s, but now, tinged with the purple flames, its power was amplified. He unleashed a seven-strike combo, filling the sky with a crisscrossing web of firelight and Saber Qi.

His opponent blocked three strikes and was about to be hit by the next when he expanded his chest, sucked in his stomach, and, after taking a deep breath, blew it all out.

He shot backward ten feet, as fast as a batted baseball.

’What was that?’ Hee Lingchuan was momentarily stunned. ’The Toad Skill?’

The tables had turned. It was now one man and one tiger ganging up on Fan Sheng.

The fierce tiger, Jiao Yu, even found a moment to ask Hee Lingchuan, "Why didn’t you call for me when you left?"

Hee Lingchuan had previously left the inn by climbing out the window. The creak of the wooden frame had been very clear in the night.

But the kid ran too fast, as if fleeing for his life, climbing high and leaping low. It wasn’t easy for him to keep up.

Suddenly, with a loud BANG, the inn’s main doors were sent flying. The Giant Bear, Fan Bao, came charging in, roaring.

Ganging up on his brother two-on-one? Unacceptable!

Back to a two-on-two? Hee Lingchuan sneered. ’In your dreams.’

The moment the Giant Bear’s figure burst through the doorway, Hee Lingchuan threw something toward the inn’s entrance. It was only palm-sized and completely inconspicuous amidst the embers raining down from the second floor.

But as soon as it hit the ground, it transformed into a golden armor copper man over ten feet tall!

The Door Panels, knocked loose by the Giant Bear, happened to land right at its feet.

Or rather, the golden armor copper man had materialized right next to the Door Panels.

Following Hee Lingchuan’s command, it raised a hand, grabbed the two Door Panels from the ground, layered them, and assumed a golf swing stance!

Whether it was a textbook stance or not, Hee Lingchuan had no idea; he’d never had the chance to learn.

But the effect was spectacular.

The heavy Door Panels were made of old beechwood. Having weathered twenty years of wind and rain here, their quality was still top-notch. The golden armor copper man swung the panels and hit the Giant Bear square on its fleshy backside.

With a loud THWACK, clearly audible to all the onlookers, this monster, weighing over two thousand jin, was sent tumbling like a gourd, crashing down into the burning room below.

That area was already burnt to a crisp, and with the bear’s impact, the whole structure collapsed from top to bottom.

The two Door Panels in the golden armor copper man’s hands also snapped in unison, their life’s purpose fulfilled.

"Fan Bao!" Fan Sheng cried out in alarm.

A bear’s roar was his answer. This time, the Violent Bear charged out even faster, because its whole body was on fire.

The stunning blow seemed to have done less damage than the purple flames. This fire couldn’t be extinguished by patting, and the Giant Bear rolling on the ground repeatedly did little to help.

In contrast, Hee Lingchuan had moved freely through the fire as if it were nothing; the purple flames seemed to have no interest in him at all.

Fan Sheng knew with one look: this guy had a Fireproofing Magical Artifact, and a high-level one at that.

Hee Lingchuan wouldn’t let such a prime opportunity slip by. He charged forward, delivering several slashes in a row.

The fierce tiger coordinated from the side.

This Fan Sheng was truly formidable. Facing two opponents while worrying about the Violent Bear’s injuries, he didn’t lose any ground at all and could even call to his companion, "Fan Bao, come here!"

The great bear rolled a couple of times, found it couldn’t put out the flames, and charged straight for Fan Sheng.

The golden armor copper man immediately moved to intercept.

In his fight against Fan Sheng, Hee Lingchuan had to be fully focused; a single mistake was not an option. At the same time, he also had to split his attention to control the golden armor copper man and block the Violent Bear’s advance.

He was used to fighting like this in the past, but this time, it was incredibly taxing.

Dealing with Fan Sheng was more dangerous and mentally draining. The man was too vicious, and the slowing effect of the ice crystals from his Tornado Axe was especially nauseating. In the end, Hee Lingchuan was distracted and took a kick to the abdomen from Fan Sheng, sending him flying ten feet.

Blood trickled from the corner of Hee Lingchuan’s mouth.

The golden armor copper man’s movements faltered. The Violent Bear saw its chance, darted past the Copper Man, and lunged to Fan Sheng’s side.

The golden armor copper man immediately rushed back.

Hee Lingchuan saw that Fan Sheng was about to help the Giant Bear put out the fire, so he immediately used every trick he had to keep him occupied.

Unable to free himself and hearing the Violent Bear’s pained howls, Fan Sheng’s killing intent surged.

’The warm-up is over. I haven’t even used my killer moves yet. This little brat brought this upon himself!’

A bright white light erupted from Fan Sheng’s body, his eyes glowing faintly blue. He brought his twin axes together and shouted, "Bind!"

The ice crystals dancing in the air seemed to obey his command, suddenly converging on Hee Lingchuan with the force of the wind. As they collided, they instantly fused. What were once ordinary snowflake-sized crystals now solidified into large blocks of hard ice!

Appearing out of thin air, ice shackles suddenly clamped around Hee Lingchuan’s hands and legs.

He was in the middle of a high-speed movement. His motion now impeded, he couldn’t stop himself from stumbling forward.

How could Fan Sheng let this opportunity go? His body followed his axe, dead set on taking his opponent’s head.

He moved with the speed of lightning.

Jiao Yu was horrified. He wanted to rush to the rescue, but it was already too late.

The blade of the Flash Axe, gleaming with a cold light, finally swept across Hee Lingchuan’s neck.

The townspeople around the inn cried out in alarm. Some women even screamed and turned their heads, unable to bear the sight of Hee Lingchuan’s head falling.

But Fan Sheng sensed something was wrong.

’The strike felt light, ethereal. There was none of the real sensation of cutting through flesh and blood. It was more like slicing through air.’

’This is bad.’

And behind him, Hee Lingchuan’s figure suddenly appeared in the palm of the golden armor copper man.

The young man’s face was grim. He tapped his toes on the Copper Man’s arm and launched himself at the back of Fan Sheng’s head with all his might.

It was a short, swift Swallow Strike.

’My opponent is too strong. I had to use a Killer Move like Substitution just to get this one chance. This strike has to succeed!’

The blade flashed like lightning. This time, it was his turn to slash at the back of Fan Sheng’s neck.

At that critical moment, a flaming black shadow suddenly appeared behind Fan Sheng.

The Giant Bear accelerated, Barging between the two of them. At the same time, a layer of bright yellow Battle Armor materialized over its body.

This was Battle Armor refined from the Earth Spirit combined with the Violent Bear’s own innate talent. It was harder than Refined Gold and could be summoned or dismissed at will.

Its timing was perfect. It used its own body as a shield, intercepting the deadly blow meant for Fan Sheng.

The crowd heard a sharp CRACK, like a hammer smashing a walnut.

Where the Floating Life Blade passed, the Battle Armor shattered, flesh was torn, and a string of Blood Pearls flew through the air.

As the Giant Bear roared in pain, it knocked Fan Sheng staggering. Ignoring its own injuries, it spun around and swiped at Hee Lingchuan with its other paw, a paw larger than a dustpan.

On that paw were claws over four inches long, also glowing with a faint red light. A strike from them would disembowel anyone.

Hee Lingchuan didn’t have time to withdraw his blade. He raised his left wrist, barely managing to block the attack with his Mirror Shield.

With a BANG, he was sent flying over twenty feet away, crashing into the burning inn.