Chapter 396 - 393: Rampant Sword Intent

Chapter 396: Chapter 393: Rampant Sword Intent

When Feng Hao and the others arrived, they were truly stunned by the scene before them. Inside the vast City Lord’s Mansion, bodies lay everywhere—guards and Celestial Eagle Team Mages alike. Both sides had suffered heavy casualties, yet the fires of battle showed no sign of abating.

After jumping out of the vehicle, Man Tiaotiao’s gaze quickly locked onto Barbarian Three Punches. Crying out in anguish, he rushed over. "Dad, are you okay?!"

"Tiaotiao?" Barbarian Three Punches was stunned for a moment before noticing Feng Hao’s group. His eyes filled with urgency as he asked, "Why are you all here? And the academy? What’s the situation over there?"

"Don’t worry, Uncle Man," Xiyue Frost reported matter-of-factly. "The enemies at the academy have already retreated. What’s more, Feng Hao has gotten a message out. I’m sure it won’t be long before reinforcements from the major sects arrive."

Hearing this, Barbarian Three Punches couldn’t help but sigh in relief. He patted Feng Hao’s shoulder and said appreciatively, "You really are something else, kid. To think you actually managed to get a message out."

"Heh, let’s not talk about that for now," Feng Hao said with a grin. "What’s the situation here at the City Lord’s Mansion? And who’s that fighting up there?"

"I’m not clear on that myself," Barbarian Three Punches said, his brow furrowed. "As for the two fighting up there, one is the City Lord, and the other is an expert from the Celestial Eagle Team. Judging by their conversation, it sounds like they know each other."

"You mean they’ve been fighting since last night?" Feng Hao asked, incredulous.

"What’s so strange about that? A battle between Hundred-level Experts can’t possibly end in just a day or two," Barbarian Three Punches said with a dismissive pout. "It’s a good thing nothing happened at the academy. Otherwise, the City Lord would have been in a real bind."

With that, Barbarian Three Punches raised his voice and shouted toward the sky, "City Lord! The academy is temporarily out of danger! You don’t have to worry anymore!"

"Haha... Feng Qianxing, your time is up!" Upon hearing the news, Zhong Yuntao burst out laughing, his presence suddenly swelling several times over.

HUM!

An immense torrent of sword light roared forth, blasting Feng Qianxing dozens of meters back.

Under Zhong Yuntao’s overwhelming pressure, Feng Qianxing’s expression was absolutely foul. He thrust his spear through the Sword Qi attack, gritting his teeth and cursing under his breath. ’Damn it, what the hell are those True God Sect people even doing? They can’t even take down a lousy academy!’

Meanwhile, City Lord Zhong Yuntao was now completely unleashed. He stood proudly in midair, his robes fluttering without a breeze, and called down to the crowd below in a deep voice, "Xiaoman, get everyone back! Move farther away!"

"Understood!" Barbarian Three Punches acknowledged the order instantly and hurriedly led the others in a retreat.

The next moment, Zhong Yuntao stood with his sword held ready. With a wave of his hand, a turbulent wave of energy swirled and howled around him as a single, deep word escaped his lips: "Howl!"

At the sound of that single word, ’Howl!’, the magical energy in the air instantly began to boil. An instant later, countless sword shadows materialized from all directions, shooting toward Feng Qianxing like a volley of arrows.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Countless sword shadows tore through the air, crisscrossing to blanket the entire sky. The ground itself was not spared, suffering heavy collateral damage.

Instantly, endless screams rose from the Celestial Eagle Team’s army as large groups of their Mages were torn to shreds by the sword shadows.

Feng Qianxing, however, was undoubtedly in the worst position, as every single one of those countless sword shadows was aimed directly at him.

...

Over on Feng Hao’s side, they were equally stunned by the City Lord’s ultimate attack. Gazing at the storm of sword shadows that blotted out the sky, he couldn’t help but feel that all his own Secret Techniques were pathetic in comparison.

"Holy crap, what kind of Secret Technique is that? It’s way too powerful!" Feng Hao exclaimed, dumbfounded.

Barbarian Three Punches chuckled and explained, "This is the City Lord’s signature Secret Technique, called ’Sword Intent Unleashed.’ Its destructive power is absolutely terrifying."

"’Sword Intent Unleashed?’ Wasn’t it called ’Howl’?" Feng Hao asked, taken aback.

Hearing this, the others didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Yun Jiansong quickly explained from the side, "The City Lord’s ’Sword Intent Unleashed’ is a type of Incantation Art. That ’Howl’ just now was simply the activation command for it."

"..." Feng Hao flushed, utterly embarrassed.

To be fair, he had heard of Incantation Arts before; he just had never actually seen one in practice.

According to the information he’d read in books, the term ’Secret Technique’ was just a general classification. The Secret Techniques of the Mage World were actually divided into many different categories.

For example, there were Glyph Arts, Dance Arts, Martial Arts, Swordsmanship, Archery, Soul Arts, and so on. Incantation Arts were a rather peculiar branch among them.

So-called Incantation Arts were Secret Techniques released through special verbal commands, similar to the cast-time spells found in many video games.

Compared to most Secret Techniques, Incantation Arts held a unique advantage: casting speed. Generally, an Incantation Art could be released as fast as its verbal command could be spoken, a speed that no other type of Secret Technique could match.

Take ’Sword Intent Unleashed’ for example. The moment City Lord Zhong Yuntao finished speaking the single word, ’Howl!’, countless sword shadows instantly condensed from the surrounding air. This would be incredibly difficult to achieve with any other type of Secret Technique.

Usually, the verbal command for an Incantation Art is simply the name of the technique itself, because it looks cool. However, true experts disdain such practices. The length of the command is directly related to its casting speed—the shorter, the better.

"’Sword Intent Unleashed’ is almost over. Let’s make our move," Barbarian Three Punches reminded them in a low voice, seeing that the sword shadows in the sky were dwindling.

"Right!" No one had any objections. With a roar, they charged back into the Celestial Eagle Team’s army.

Xiyue Frost and Man Tiaotiao led the charge, plunging into the enemy’s ranks alongside the City Lord’s guards. Amid flashes of blades, ice spikes, and a Sea of Fire, they quickly forced the Celestial Eagle Team’s army out of the City Lord’s Mansion.

Meanwhile, Bai Yin and Li Haoyang weren’t idle, either. A sinister wind and a volley of arrows flew in unison toward the Celestial Eagle Team Mages.

Yun Jiansong had already charged into the enemy crowd, sword in hand. His footwork was light and nimble, and though his attacks lacked the flashy effects of a Secret Technique, every strike was fatal, each one as fast as lightning.

Seeing everyone fighting tooth and nail, Xi Yueyao couldn’t sit still any longer. "Hey, medicine peddler, put Little Miaomiao away! I’m going on a rampage!"

Feng Hao sighed and helplessly recalled Xiaohai into the Magic Pet Bracelet, repeatedly reminding her, "Be careful. Don’t get yourself hurt."

"Relax! I’ve got my ice sculpture for protection. Even that ugly freak up there couldn’t hurt me," Xi Yueyao said with a confident smile. Wielding her Jade Lotus Water Pattern Whip, she let out a wild cry and plunged into the melee.

While everyone else was fighting against the Celestial Eagle Team’s army, Feng Hao locked his gaze on Feng Qianxing, who was still fighting high above.

Feng Qianxing was now being completely suppressed by the City Lord, but a Hundred-level Mage was still a Hundred-level Mage. Even under pressure, he wouldn’t be defeated so easily.

’After weathering the storm of ’Sword Intent Unleashed,’ Feng Qianxing is already in bad shape. I need to find a way to land a sneak attack on him,’ Feng Hao thought. ’Help the City Lord end this fight faster.’

A Fourth-rank Mage interfering in a battle between Hundred-level Mages... Only someone like Feng Hao would even dare to consider it.

’To be honest, with my current damage output, I can handle an ordinary Seventh-Rank Mage, but it’ll have almost no effect on a Hundred-level Mage. At best, the life-force drain from my Instant Death legacy might do a little something.’

’Of course, that’s not the main issue. The real question is how to land a sneak attack without getting one-shotted in return.’

’With the kind of damage a Hundred-level Mage can put out, even a grazing blow would be enough to send me to see King Yama. And with my current stealth and speed, I’d have absolutely no chance of dodging it.’