Chapter 736: Prodigies Become Sacrifices, Comrades Become Food

Chapter 736 -190: Prodigies Become Sacrifices, Comrades Become Food

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The clang of metal on metal, like a torrential rain cutting through the wind, exploded amidst the labyrinth of stone pillars!

Sparks flew as waves of force surged.

Sword Traceless lived up to his reputation as a renowned prodigy. Though caught in an ambush, and his face showed surprise, his eyes held not a trace of fear.

The longsword in his hand moved like a lithe silver flood dragon. With a tremor of its blade, he struck three times from an unbelievable angle, forcefully parrying Su Wenqin’s three deadly, consecutive arrows.

At the same time, his footwork shifted. He executed the Ghost Shadow Illusionary Body Step, his form becoming phantom-like, leaving a trail of residual images. At the last possible moment, he narrowly slid past the edge of Lin Xiao’s sweeping sword.

But in the instant he neutralized their two killing blows, a bone-chilling cold pierced straight through his back!

Wang Yiyi’s spear had arrived!

This thrust lacked the grand momentum of the coiled Black Dragon from before, nor did it have the roar of leaking Primordial Qi. It didn’t even stir a ripple in the air.

It had returned to the basics, abandoning all flair, seeking only the ultimate—speed!

As fast as a meteor chasing the moon, as swift as a flash of lightning!

SQUELCH!

The sound of a blade entering flesh was jarring.

Just as Sword Traceless dodged Lin Xiao’s fatal strike, the silver spear struck like a viper, easily piercing his Protective Primordial Qi and plunging deep into his left shoulder!

A spray of blood blossomed, staining his white robes red!

“Ngh!”

Sword Traceless let out a stifled grunt.

But his reaction was incredibly fast. The moment the spear entered his body, his left hand clamped onto the shaft like an iron pincer, stopping the Force in the spear from erupting and destroying his meridians.

Yet, he had ultimately underestimated Wang Yiyi’s power.

An overwhelming force, like toppling mountains and overturning seas, surged through the spear shaft. Sword Traceless’s feet plowed two deep furrows in the ground as he was thrown backward uncontrollably!

“Die!”

The cold light in Wang Yiyi’s eyes intensified as the aura around her surged to its peak.

Gripping the butt of the spear with both hands, she let out a sharp cry and pushed with the force of a mountain, attempting to impale Sword Traceless’s body on a massive pillar behind him that would take three people to encircle!

If she succeeded, the Force would surge through his body. Even if it didn’t kill him, it would leave him crippled!

The death trap was set!

In the distance, Su Wenqin’s gaze was sharp and cold. Her bowstring vibrated, and another three jade-green arrows flew through the air in a triangular formation, sealing off Sword Traceless’s path of retreat from above.

From the flank, Lin Xiao’s killing intent soared. His energy locked onto Sword Traceless’s throat as man and sword moved as one, transforming into a searing streak of light that slashed toward his waist from the left!

A tiger before him, a cliff behind him, and a God of Slaughter at his side.

Even someone like Sword Traceless could now smell the scent of death.

“Disperse!”

Facing this inescapable deathblow, Sword Traceless’s eyes flew wide. With a voice like a clap of spring thunder, he uttered a single, soft command.

It was the resolve of a warrior cutting off his own wrist to save his life.

BOOM—!

In the instant the spear was about to hit the pillar and the killing moves were about to land, Sword Traceless’s body suddenly detonated from the inside out without warning!

But he didn’t dissolve into a bloody mist. Instead, he instantly disintegrated into countless fine, sharp streams of Sword Qi that shot out indiscriminately in all directions!

This was the Sword Body Dissociation Technique, a life-saving Forbidden Technique from Celestial Sword Mountain that consumed one’s very essence!

“Hm?”

Wang Yiyi’s pupils shrank. Reacting instantly, she jolted her spear, its tip creating a sky-full of afterimages like a peacock spreading its tail. With a series of sharp clinks, she shattered all the fine streams of Sword Qi flying toward her.

On the other side, Lin Xiao didn’t dare to be careless either. He unleashed several slashes, creating a curtain of light that split apart the streams of Sword Qi aimed at his face.

When the sky-full of Sword Qi dissipated and the dust settled, the pair spun around to see space contorting in the shadows at the edge of the Stone Forest, hundreds of yards away. Sword Traceless’s figure stumbled out.

He no longer possessed his earlier dashing demeanor.

His face was ashen, his aura chaotic. The once-spotless white robes were now soaked through with shocking patches of crimson blood.

Sword Traceless shot the three of them a deep, venomous look, then turned and fled without the slightest hesitation!

“After him!”

Wang Yiyi and Lin Xiao exchanged a glance. They moved at the same time, circulating their Primordial Qi at full speed. Pushing their velocity to the absolute limit, they tore through the air like two bolts of lightning in pursuit of Sword Traceless.

Behind them, Su Wenqin stood on high ground, her long hair dancing in the wind.

She took a deep breath and drew her bow. This time, she didn’t loose a single arrow. Instead, the bowstring trembled continuously as all her Primordial Qi transformed into an overwhelming rain of Spiritual Light shaped like arrows.

“Fall!”

The dense barrage of arrows, though fired later, arrived first. They descended from the sky like a downpour of death, completely blanketing the five-hundred-foot radius around Sword Traceless!

As he fled, Sword Traceless felt a terrifying pressure from above, as if Mount Tai itself were crashing down on him. Gritting his teeth, he was forced to a halt.

He frantically swung his longsword, condensing a hundred-foot-tall phantom of a greatsword in the air!

“Break—!”

The greatsword phantom churned wildly, kicking up a fierce gale. Like a colossal dragon turning over, it shredded the rain of arrows falling from the sky!

Using the force of this Rebound, he held nothing back. Man and sword became one, transforming into a brilliant streak of sword light. His speed doubled as he shot out of the Stone Forest at an incredible pace!

By the time Wang Yiyi and Lin Xiao rushed out of the forest of pillars, they were met with a desolate, open wilderness. There was no trace of Sword Traceless to be found.

Even his aura had vanished completely.

“Damn it… He actually got away…”

Lin Xiao’s face was grim as he stopped. He viciously slashed at a nearby boulder, sending shards of rock flying!

Wang Yiyi stood with her spear at rest. Though she felt regret, her expression remained calm.

Her voice was as calm as still water. “Sword Traceless is, after all, one of the top prodigies of Qing Province. If an expert like that is determined to flee and even uses a Secret Technique that shortens his lifespan, how could killing him be so easy?”

With that, she slowly turned, her gaze passing over the many stone pillars to land on Su Wenqin, who stood atop one of them further back.

Although Su Wenqin had suddenly used a Divine Sense transmission to orchestrate their temporary alliance and heavily injure Sword Traceless, it didn’t mean Wang Yiyi trusted her completely.

Before entering the Profound Origin Secret Realm, she had learned from Chu Fan that Su Wenqin was a member of the Moon Worship Sect.

She just happened to be on Lingkong Jade’s side.