Chapter 412 - 215: An Easy Victory Against Wu Qing

Chapter 412: Chapter 215: An Easy Victory Against Wu Qing

Wu Qing stared at the golden light—at the golden barrier that had stubbornly withstood her strongest, all-out attack, and at the figure still standing perfectly straight behind it.

Her Spiritual Qi was depleted, and the Spirit Blood she had only just managed to form at the Fourth Transformation was already roiling within her. She let out a breath, and the Array that had converged around her rapidly disintegrated.

"Junior Brother Yang," she said, her voice calm. "I have lost."

She didn’t wait for Yang Wenqing’s reply or for Qin Huaiming to announce the result. After giving Yang Wenqing a cupped-fist salute, she turned decisively and left the ring.

After returning to her seat, she took out several ’Greenwood Art’ Rune papers under the watchful eyes of the crowd and slapped them onto her body, one after another.

A verdant radiance flared and died, flared and died.

Throughout the process, Wu Qing kept her head bowed, and no one could get a clear look at her expression.

Shi Zheng watched her in silence, then noiselessly pushed the spare Healing Elixir he kept at his waist toward her.

Wu Qing neither looked up nor took it.

She simply slapped another Greenwood Art rune onto herself, swallowing down the metallic sweetness that rose in her throat along with something even more acrid.

On the ring, Qin Huaiming paused for a moment before announcing in a clear voice, "...The fourth match," his tone was steady, "is won by Yang Wenqing of the Xuanyue Sect."

Lan Ying flapped her wings and flew to Yang Wenqing, diving headfirst into his embrace with a series of "CHIRP CHIRP" sounds.

Yang Wenqing lowered his head, his fingers gently stroking the feathers on her back.

"It’s okay,"

he said softly.

Lan Ying didn’t respond, simply pressing her small head tightly into his palm.

Not far away, Red Shadow peeked its head out from beside Sun Chen’s feet. Its sapphire-blue fox eyes glanced at the lone figure healing in the Beixuan Sect’s seating area, then back at the person and bird embracing on the ring. It let out a soft whimper before burying its small head in its fluffy tail.

Elsewhere, Ge Yunhai withdrew his gaze from the ring and let it fall on Leng Zhi beside him. He said nothing, but his meaning was clear: he was asking if she had the confidence to defeat Yang Wenqing.

Leng Zhi simply moved the Sword Box from her side to her lap. Her slender fingers brushed the surface of the box as she replied softly, "I will give it my all."

Ge Yunhai gave a slight nod and turned his gaze back to the ring.

Just then, Qin Huaiming announced, "The fifth match: Sun Chen of the Xuanyue Sect versus Leng Zhi of the Yunji Sect. Contestants, to the ring."

Sun Chen rose and walked quietly toward the ring.

Leng Zhi stood up as well.

The two of them came to a stop in the center of the ring, standing a hundred feet apart.

The aftershocks of the previous intense battle still lingered in the air. Sun Chen and Leng Zhi met each other’s gaze. There were no sparks, no animosity—only a calm that bordered on indifference. The two of them had similar dispositions.

"Senior Sister Leng, please grant me your guidance."

"Proceed."

The moment the word left her lips, Sun Chen moved. His hands formed a Spell, and once again, it was the Six-Jia Qimen. An invisible, retarding field spread out silently from his position, creeping toward Leng Zhi.

Leng Zhi did not evade. Just as the retarding field was about to touch a point three feet from her body, her left hand formed a Sword Formula, and a beam of turquoise sword light slid silently from her Sword Box.

The sword light didn’t attack Sun Chen, nor did it assume a defensive stance. It simply hung there, motionless, its blade shimmering with the gentle radiance of water and wood.

Sun Chen’s brow furrowed slightly.

His Six-Jia Qimen was still active, and the retarding field had completely enveloped Leng Zhi. He could clearly sense his Magic taking effect: Leng Zhi’s Spiritual Qi circulation was slowing, and the faint aura around her was being suppressed.

But she remained motionless, and the turquoise sword light still hung there, quiescent.

’Sun Chen didn’t understand.’

’His Magic was clearly working, and his opponent was clearly suppressed. So why couldn’t he feel any tangible sense of having the upper hand?’

He decided to press his advantage.

His hand Spell changed again. Several golden Qi Blades materialized from thin air, whistling sharply as they slashed at Leng Zhi from different angles. Simultaneously, his footwork shifted, and his body drifted three feet to the side—a classic ’offense-defense switch’ maneuver of the Six-Jia Qimen.

Leng Zhi finally moved. Her body tilted slightly, evading the first Qi Blade with the smallest possible motion, then the second, then the third—

Her movements were minimal, but every Qi Blade barely grazed the hem of her clothes, none of them landing a hit. The turquoise sword light remained suspended at her side, making no move to strike.

Sun Chen’s brow furrowed even deeper.

He changed his Spell once more. This time, thick vines erupted from the cracks in the stone slabs beneath Leng Zhi’s feet, attempting to entangle her ankles. At the same time, he conjured a sudden shower of golden needles. Countless golden motes, as fine as hairs, shot out silently, sealing off every possible angle of evasion.

Leng Zhi’s figure moved like a flowing cloud, weaving through the dense volley of golden needles. The golden motes, each powerful enough to pierce a protective Spiritual Light, either grazed her robes and missed or were deflected off course by an invisible force as they came within three feet of her.

When she landed, the vines had already wrapped around her ankles, but just as they were about to tighten, they went slack, as silent and yielding as water-soaked ropes.

It was the qi of water and wood.

Using the yielding nature of water to overcome rigidity, and the resilience of wood to break free of bonds.

Before her, Sun Chen’s assault felt less like an attack and more like a breeze flowing past.

This was the permeating nature of water-and-wood qi. Like spring rain seeping into frozen earth, it quickly began to infiltrate Sun Chen’s Six-Jia Art.

Sun Chen swiftly mobilized his Spiritual Qi to reinforce the affected section of his barrier, repelling all the infiltrating spiritual threads.

But then, the turquoise sword light drifted over, touched a spot lightly, and retreated. It then left several nearly invisible spiritual threads on another part of the barrier. Sun Chen dispersed them, only for the sword light to return. The cycle repeated.

Sun Chen’s brow knitted tighter. He was gradually beginning to realize the problem: each of Leng Zhi’s sword strikes consumed a miniscule amount of energy, whereas he had to mobilize several times that amount of Spiritual Qi to disperse her spiritual threads.

’She’s trading one drop of water for ten drops of his blood.’

Sun Chen took a deep breath and decisively dispelled the Six-Jia Qimen.

When Leng Zhi’s sword light drifted over again, it was met head-on by a blinding golden pillar of light.

It was the Geng-Metal Barrier-Breaking Art. The golden pillar of light tore through the air, stabbing straight at Leng Zhi with unstoppable, devastating force!

A flicker of surprise finally crossed Leng Zhi’s eyes.

She sidestepped as her turquoise sword light rapidly traced an arc before her. The incoming golden beam was deflected, grazing her shoulder and leaving a deep, scorched gash on the stone slab behind her.

But Sun Chen hadn’t been aiming for a direct hit.

He needed space. With a stomp of his foot, his figure shot forward thirty feet. At the same time, his right hand formed a Spell, and five golden Qi Blades materialized at once, slashing down without any flourish.

Leng Zhi’s figure retreated like a drifting cloud.

But Sun Chen’s assault was relentless. He instantly conjured ten beams of the Geng-Metal Barrier-Breaking Art, unleashing a barrage that rained down on Leng Zhi.

Nearby, Gu You muttered, "This kid’s got some spine."

On the ring, Leng Zhi’s figure swayed amidst the golden torrent. She had pushed her Body Technique to its absolute limit, her turquoise sword light weaving a dense curtain of water in front of her to deflect each of the ten Geng-Metal attacks. But the impact of every golden beam drained her Spiritual Qi and compressed her room to maneuver.

Her breathing finally grew ragged.

Sun Chen gave her no chance to catch her breath.

He took another step forward and unleashed the Six-Jia Qimen again. An invisible shockwave pulsed outward from his position, emitting a low hum.

It wasn’t a sharp sword light or a blast of searing flame; it didn’t even have any of the Five Elements attributes. It was a pure shockwave of energy.

Leng Zhi recalled her sword. The turquoise light spun rapidly before her as layers of water-and-wood qi unfurled like wisps of cloud caught in a gale, attempting to dissolve the force of the shockwave.

But Sun Chen’s Spiritual Qi was too dense. Leng Zhi’s sword light instantly dimmed, and with a slight sway, she retreated half a step.

It was the first time she had retreated all day. Sun Chen didn’t press his attack. He stood in place, panting heavily. That explosive barrage had nearly depleted his Spiritual Qi. His strengths lay in attrition, trapping his foes, and waiting for them to tire—not in direct, head-on assaults.

He wasn’t used to fighting like this, but he had to admit, it was exhilarating.

Leng Zhi watched him, her own aura unstable. A lock of hair at her temple had come loose, stuck to her cheek with sweat. But she did not gasp for breath for long. She raised her eyes and gently drew upon a Sword Formula with her left hand.

The turquoise sword light floated up from her side and into the air. In an instant, the entire sky was filled with a turquoise glow.

"Sixty-four sword lights in total. This girl’s got some tricks. You’ll need to be careful when you face her later!" Gu You warned Yang Wenqing, who was beside him.

As his words fell, the sixty-four sword lights converged like clouds gathering into rain, then like streams flowing into a river, before cascading down upon Sun Chen.

Just then, Qin Huaiming’s figure flickered. He appeared at Sun Chen’s side and, with a wave of his hand, erected a protective barrier to block the attack. He then announced in a clear voice, "The fifth match is won by Leng Zhi."