Archfiend

Chapter 11: Earthburst Golden Lotus (1)

 Xu Yangyi leapt several meters high, yet as he neared, both of his arms neatly unfolded like the shining wings of a white crane. Followingly, he suddenly thrust downwards, surprisingly rising another several meters again!

“Skraw!” A crane screeched, resonating throughout the entire expanse!

Crack! In the next second, Xu Yangyi’s hand suddenly caught on to the serpent’s shimmering jet-black scale. After he grabbed it, a rain of fishy, repulsive blood sprayed out high into the air!

Unexpectedly, the seemingly steel-like scale had been torn apart bare-handed! Accompanying the shredded scale, there was a shower of rancid blood, scattering down from the sky!

“Hiiiissssss!!!” A long heaven-shaking cry produced a formless sound wave that caused the sand on the ground to fly! The blast was like the blowing of a small sandstorm!

Even now, the veins on both of Xu Yangyi’s hands were completely exposed, and his five fingers were like the five claws of a beast! As long as one was met with this claw, their flesh would be immediately torn asunder! He was like a miniature drilling machine, running a path through the tremendous serpent’s body!

“Go up twenty meters, that’s where the weak point is.” Within his ear, Mao Ba’er’s voice continued to relay, “Its qi is changing there! That’s also where its heart is!” [1]

Xu Yangyi turned a deaf ear. At this moment, he was like a tiger running along the serpent’s back—one claw, one leg—completely ripping up wound after wound of significant damage. He followed these injuries and charge outside of these twenty meters with all the speed he could muster!

Whoosh! At this time, a snow-white bone spur suddenly emerged out of the serpent’s back, bringing forth blood that colored the sky and skewered his arm! Xu Yangyi’s opponent was also fighting with every ounce of its being!

Obviously, the remaining consciousness that the demon possessed told it that this human undoubtedly held the strength to break through its defenses. Currently, the serpent’s gargantuan body and the tremendous power brought with it wasn’t of the slightest use. Xu Yangyi was like a hornet, ruthlessly drilling great holes in its vitals!

Life or death would be decided in these twenty meters! Xu Yangyi wanted to rush forth and slay his foe. No matter the consequence, the serpent had to expel Xu Yangyi outside these twenty meters of flesh, as well!

Thump… Thump thump thump thump thump! Countless echos of punctured flesh were accompanied by the demon’s furious roar that resonated throughout the world. In these twenty meters, an incalculable number of bone spurs, large and small, sprouted from the serpent’s punctured flesh, causing it to turn into a gigantic hedgehog! These twenty meters had become a path of blood-dyed bramble!

This gauntlet of thorns was the demon’s bones that had thrust out in reverse. Life and death would be spelled in these twenty meters!

Crack! Xu Yangyi watched as the serpent’s back became covered in bony ridges and spurs in an instant. His opponent was also considerably decisive, even if it had lost its mind and a major unknown condition had occurred with its body. However… possibly because the serpent was a demon that had lived properly to a grand old age in a complex world of human-demon coexistence, it was by no means a novice.

Xu Yangyi forcefully twisted off the bone spur, not retreating but instead advancing. His speed rose to another level once again! He was like a train racing towards the serpent’s head!

Becoming sharper and denser, the bone spurs seemed alive, cutting his body like blades as he took steps forward. With an ever-growing number of bone spurs entering his flesh, thighs, and arms, he obstructed his head with both of his hands and murmured, “Solution Ninety…”

“Pretty boy! Are you insane?!” Before Xu Yangyi’s voice even fell, a surprised voice was heard from the transceiver. “The Hundred Solutions is the only divine ability that a Heavens Law student who hasn’t graduated yet can learn! The lower the number, the greater the power! If I haven’t remembered incorrectly, Solution Ninety is already the limit of what a student that hasn’t graduated can learn! You’re going to use too much power! The burden on your body will be too great!”

“You’ll lose your life!”

Xu Yangyi turned a deaf ear towards the voice coming from the transceiver. Right now, veins all over his entire body seemed to come alive! Twisting, they interweaved on his skin into a strange design!

A qilin! [2]

A qilin birthed by the sacrifice of his flesh! It was simply like a tattoo!

The second the design was formed, he suddenly erupted with a burst of scarlet radiance like a roaming fireball, shattering the bony spurs and ridges up ahead with a bang!

Crack! Crack! Crack! In the air, blood-dyed bone spurs rained down like a floral shower. Beneath moonlight, the flaming ball of fire swiftly charged towards the top of the tremendous serpent's head in exuberance. If anyone saw this sight, it was guaranteed that they wouldn’t be able to yell!

“Hiss!” A piercing hiss cried out, life or death in a twinkling instant. The realms of both sides weren’t high and their hidden aces weren’t many. The tremendous serpent’s giant eyes flashed; the shadow of death was swiftly approaching it. Followed by a furious roar, the demon’s entire body began to roll around like a wheel!

Rumble rumble rumble… The ground faintly trembled as if a fairly strong earthquake was happening! After a mere three seconds, the demon stopped, however. All the serpent’s scales clanked as they trembled. 

It was a frightening shaking, a shuddering like the god of death was standing atop of its head. A hand, a human hand, a powerful hand, one that was smothered in blood, was already pressing down precisely on top of its Achilles’ heel. 

Under moonlight, Xu Yangyi was covered in bone spurs, having truly become a hedgehog. His chest slightly heaved up and down, and he was covered in fresh blood from head to toe, towering over the tremendous serpent’s vitals. 

The wretched taste of blood was strong… He licked his lips and let some of the scorching liquid incense his placid arteries, allowing the fishy taste flow down his throat.

Its blood… This was the demon’s flavor…This was his final resort as he lifted his hand ahead.

“Solution Ninety-One… Severing Dragon Typhoon!”

Swish! Between heaven and earth, a streak of dull-blue light flickered, appearing like a flash of eminence at midnight and that of a thunderclap in the sky. At this moment, be it moonlight or starlight, both simultaneously lost color. Everyone’s gazes was completely gathered on the flashing and waning of the scintillating rays above. [3]

An instant of magnificence. [4]

Only a momentary resplendence, so illusory that it made one feel it wasn’t real.

Xu Yangyi half-crouched on the ground, his left hand faintly trembling. In that sudden moment, the veins on his left hand abruptly burst open, and an arrow of blood fiercely jetted out.

Boom! Behind him, a thundering sound echoed and dust scattered into the air. With a body as thick as the size of a room, and a length of over a dozen meters, half of the tremendous serpent’s bisected body fell down behind him, accompanied by a heaven-rumbling explosion of dust.

Xu Yangyi’s strength from head to toe ebbed away like a tidal wave. Every single one of his bones were clamoring in an overload of pain. At this time, however, a sharp voice was suddenly heard from the transceiver. “Pretty boy! Watch out!”

In the place where the tremendous serpent had been bisected, a dazzlingly brilliant red light spilled forth! The ray was like a sun rising amidst the darkness!

CRASH! All around, bursts of cracking and rumbling could be heard, and Xu Yangyi roared terribly!

It was the sound of the Big Dipper Heaventail Formation breaking apart! This streak of devilish red light had directly sundered the array with a bang! Moreover, it was coming straight for him!

It was quite slender… At least in comparison to the corpse of the tremendous serpent. The ray was only around the thickness of an arm, and it was zoned straight in on Xu Yangyi’s heart! Nonetheless… the demon slayer was glued in place!

The ray of red light was such that it couldn’t be said to be red light. His gaze had only met it for a brief instant, but all his bodily strength and qi had disappeared in a flash!

“Mao Ba’er!” 

He bellowed furiously, and a sharp voice was immediately heard from the transceiver. “Understood!”

At the moment the Big Dipper Heaventail Formation had gradually shattered, the corpse of the tremendous serpent had vanished in the blink of an eye!

“Fuck me…” Xu Yangyi fiercely grinded his teeth. The hell you understand!

He wanted Mao Ba’er to think up of a solution, yet the first thing the other did was stow away the spoils of war! He hadn’t even finished speaking, because an even stranger scene occurred by then!

Swooosh… Little by little, a gently swaying golden lotus sprouted from the ground. It was sparkling and translucent, pure and limpid. Cloudy mists wound around the flower, making it appear as if it existed in another world, another dimension.

Splendid and beautiful, it was like a hidden orchid in an empty valley, in full bloom beneath moonlight. In its wake, there was a second flower… then a third … and a fourth… until there were countless flowers!

Xu Yangyi was instantly surrounded by an immeasurable number of golden lotuses! He was like a saint walking among golden lotuses!

“Earth… Earthburst Golden Lotus?!” Mao Ba’er yelled. If he had just screeched a moment ago, then his present yelling could be considered to have torn his heart out and cracked his lungs wide. “Pretty boy! Get out! Get out now! If those hit you dead center, you’re fucking screwed!” [5]

The red light shined upon Xu Yangyi’s bitterly smiling face.

Get out? At this moment, he seemed to be locked in place. Even if he wanted to move, he couldn’t.

Bang! In the next second, he felt as if his stomach had been met with a heavy fist! His surroundings turned dark in front of him, and he was simply unable to control himself from wildly spraying out a mouthful of blood. He flew out four to five meters, struck away like a tattered sack. His body landed heavily on the ground once again!

Xu Yangyi didn’t regain consciousness until he saw the moon for a few seconds. He then hopped up straightaway. His first action was to touch his heart, and he set his hand there, only feeling solid muscle. Surprisingly, there wasn’t a trace of a scar!

“This is…” He lowered his head to look, and his gaze suddenly tensed. There was a fist-sized black lotus on his chest. It was unknown when, but it had already branded itself onto his chest.

“Are… Are you alright?” Mao Ba’er’s suspicious, uncertain voice rang out in his earpiece.

Xu Yangyi shut his eyes and felt his entire body, shaking his head in confirmation. No one said anything. A legion of lingering suspicions laid within his and Mao Ba’er’s hearts.

That thing, that ray of light… was more frightening than any creature explained in a book to them! A human’s first reaction upon running into danger was to escape, yet that streak of light had simply “rejected” his “intent” of evading!

Speak of light and there will be light. This was more like a kind of “inherent” law of the world, akin Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation. The Earth had its own intrinsic gravitational pull, and this ray of light had its own intrinsic law that rendered dodging impossible.

But while he had been struck by the mysterious force, Xu Yangyi was without the slightest wound! Not only was the black lotus on his chest not devilish, it revealed its own kind of mysterious charm instead, similar to an ornate tattoo.

Xu Yangyi didn’t lower his guard one bit. The lotus’s appearance was too strange and there wasn’t any reasoning to justify it.

Crunch… All of a sudden, a soft sound entered his ears. As if he had awakened from a dream, he immediately looked over. As far as his vision stretched, he was momentarily stunned once again. Just now, the lawn and tilestone path were devoid of any living things, but now… it had become filled with lotuses!

Wilted lotuses, real, not fake. They absolutely couldn’t have withered away moments ago. Instead, they were the kind that had already dried away in the wind. With a touch, they transformed into dried-up yellow catkins.

But the sound just now was from a person stepping on the lotus-covered ground.

Xu Yangyi’s vision flashed, and he recalled that not only had the streak of light branded a strange pattern on his chest a moment ago… it had also broken through the Big Dipper Heaventail Formation!

The corpse of the tremendous serpent had been swiftly collected by Mao Ba’er as a spoil of war. They didn’t see it, but…

What about the current desolation that filled their eyes, similar to the gigantic craters on the moon’s surface? And as for the sudden advent of the field covered in withered lotuses?

The mood was silent, a stillness like that of death.

Clunk… It wasn’t known whose rifle fell on the ground since no one cared for it, but Xu Yangyi saw clearly. A second-year soldier with two yellow bars on his shoulder had dropped it. Presently, the soldier was looking over the field incredulously and said in a daze, “My… god…”

Afterwards, there wasn’t another whisper.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to say something, but rather the current scene was simply so shocking that no one had words for it.