Star Gate

Chapter 213: Qimei Staff, Victory! (III)

Indeed, Sun Yifei was starting to fade, as was Yuan Shuo. Both of them couldn’t maintain their condition; they were no longer in the optimal status for combat. Sun Yifei could accept dying in peak form. He didn’t wish to repeat the events of yesteryear where he steadily faded in battle and then was out of strength to do anything but jump from the bridge.

Yuan Shuo spat out another mouthful of blood. He smiled at his opponent. Do I have a trump card? I sure do! The Incantation of the Blade of Blood! But he wanted to wait for the other to start declining. That would increase his odds of killing his opponent because he was a martial master, and martial masters excelled with the physique!

Supernaturals were strong when it came to power. Sun Yifei would not be able to maintain his current state once too much mysterious power dissipated. That would put the odds of Yuan Shuo winning at seven to three!

The professor laughed when he heard Sun Yifei’s roar. “You... are... damned stubborn!”

So stubborn that I almost have the urge to give you the best treatment I can, even if the consequences will be very severe. Such was the impulse that threatened to grip Yuan Shuo. He glanced down at Li Hao’s position and smiled apologetically. I wonder if that last bit of sword energy will be enough if I survive this...

Actually, it doesn’t matter if it’s enough or not. It will probably be depleted if I live through this. Yuan Shuo smiled. To hell with it! He would just find a way to get more sword energy or obtain a solution if his disciple ran out. I just want to run madly, just once, and keep this lunatic company. Let’s go wild together!

Look at him being so adorable. He’s so adorable that I want to kill him and send him on his way. Yuan Shuo tightened his grip on the stone blade and ruthlessly pulled on its energy. It instantly sank into his body. He rarely absorbed from the stone blade like this, but how could he bear to not let Sun Yifei witness his strongest state at this point in battle?

The fire heart ape and ferocious tiger vanished when Yuan Shuo drew on the sword. All five auras disappeared! The aura melded into the stone blade, as did blade energy with internal force...

Sun Yifei didn’t stop him. Instead, he furiously heightened his condition and flared his fire energy with abandon. The staff in his hand was almost too red for this part of the world. He smiled with utter delight. He was so very happy!

Yuan Shuo, you old demon, you really kept something back! You think I can’t take it? I can and I will! You think too little of Sun Yifei!

......

Wind and clouds surged in all directions. The assembly shifted with disbelief. The presences in the sky were still rising!

“Is this... really the level of a Solar?” Hao Lianchuan didn’t believe his senses—neither did the other Solars. Surely they were witnessing a battle beyond Solar! How were these two still growing in strength at this time? They didn’t understand it at all! Did martial masters really possess unbounded potential?

Li Hao, however, knew the reason behind this. The Incantation of the Blade of Blood. His teacher had utilized it again—forcefully summoning a second spirit wasn’t enough, he also used this secret method. Had his teacher gone crazy?? There wasn’t enough sword energy left!

Unless...

The young man stilled when he thought of something and silently watched the battle.

......

In the sky.

Sun Yifei shook—not from fear, but anticipation. Can you be even stronger, Yuan Shuo?

“I’ll send you on your way then, Sun Yifei!” Yuan Shuo was ready now. The stone blade in his hand magnified to a blade the color of blood. He spoke in solemn tones, “Go well to the underworld!”

“The same to you!” Sun Yifei barked with laughter and struck with his staff!

This blow surpassed everything before and indeed, everything in this world. It seemed to rip through the void. Despite being very slow, it came with such prodigious pressure that those below felt they would suffocate!

“Die!” Yuan Shuo roared, slashing with his blade and leaving behind a bloody shadow that was several hundreds of meters long!

His blade struck forward! This stroke also exceeded his capabilities. Staff and blade slammed into each other in the air. They didn’t make a sound—only light glimmered around the combatants.

The staff suddenly broke. It didn’t snap from the middle, but was sliced into two. The blade cut right through the qimei staff that was made of everything Sun Yifei. Unabated, the keen blade qi continued forward and descended!

Sun Yifei grinned to see his opponent’s weapon come down on him. He suddenly seemed to lose his mind and teleport away from his spot. He vanished in the split second that the blade descended, before a bloody trail appeared on his head.

He magically reappeared next to a Yuan Shuo who was beginning to feel weakness set in. Sun Yifei’s grin broadened, the bright-red line on his head etching itself deeper. He stretched out a hand and punched Yuan Shuo in the throat.

It was such an impotent punch that Yuan Shuo didn’t even feel discomfort. He looked at Sun Yifei, who looked back at him. After a beat, the Qimei Staff King forced out with difficulty, “I... win... You... jump...”

Jump from the bridge! When I lost, I jumped! I’ll give you a chance instead of killing you, jump!

Though his body was starting to fall apart, a hint of pleading entered his eyes. Jump! I win! Even though I’m already dead, I still win!

He wanted to see Old Demon Yuan fall at his feet and be forced into jumping off the bridge!

As Yuan Shuo looked at his age-old foe, he suddenly smiled and dismissed the strength in his body. He abruptly sagged with weakness and fell off the bridge.

Sun Yifei looked down, seeing Yuan Shuo jump and fall to the ground...

“I win!” He smiled, pieces of flesh dropping from him as cracks fractured his body. He’d won... Even if that punch wouldn’t have killed Yuan Shuo, he was still confident of crushing the man’s throat given the latter’s condition. If Yuan Shuo didn’t die from that, he would be even more greatly injured.

But... what was the point in that?

He saw Yuan Shuo smash into the ground—he saw it with his own eyes. He’d glimpsed the second spirit and witnessed the splendors of the next level beyond Dominator. He’d observed Yuan Shuo’s strongest stroke and reduced the man to a bedraggled state...

It was worth it, even though he was going to forfeit his life here. He’d finally returned to his roots on this trip back to Silver Moon and defeated an internal demon of more than twenty years. There was nothing clouding his heart anymore.

Moxian, you and I bore witness to the rise of martial dao!

Finally, Sun Yifei gave voice to his last laugh. “Qimei Staff, victory!”

BOOM!

A ball of fire radiated the void with an explosion. The Qimei Staff King triumphed over the Five Styles Beast King and was rewarded with complete annihilation!

......

Bleak silence filled the surroundings. Yuan Shuo broke an uncountable number of bones when he crashed into the ground, but he raised his head all the same. He, too, smiled at that fellow who’d given everything in that duel.

There was one less old friend that roamed the world now. You win! The Qimei Staff wins!

Yuan Shuo smiled radiantly and vanished in the next second. He disappeared on the spot—no one saw where he went. A startled gasp echoed in the canyon as a blade appeared on a cliff face.

The blade struck!

It was fast, impossibly fast, incredibly brutal, and unaccountably ruthless! It exceeded all the blows before it!

“Bastard!” Fear intermixed with a furious howl that rang through the perimeter. Red Moon!

Hao Kong of Red Moon looked on with dismay, his mysterious power exploding like it was worthless.

But it was too late.

His head hit the ground with a thud!

Disaster had come so quickly that a Solar hadn’t been able to flee. He was decapitated in a split second!

Off in the distance, Li Hao remained impassive. He’d guessed this would happen. He guessed it as soon as he felt there wasn’t enough sword energy for his teacher after the Incantation of the Blade of Blood was employed. His teacher would kill instead, and kill those of Red Moon!

What could teacher and disciple do without sword energy? The scarlet shadows were almost as good! If those of Red Moon didn’t take advantage of this time to flee, they were consigning themselves to doom so long as his teacher had the ability to fight. Yuan Shuo would make full use of the lingering effects of the secret method!

“Yuan Shuo!” Powerhouses rebuked from all sides. The supernaturals of Celestial, Yama, and even the Sword Sect converged together instead of running. They were terrified and worried!

Yuan Shuo had gone mad to kill Hao Kong! Did he not want to stay in Silver Moon anymore?? The organization had a deep feud with him to begin with, but now he killed Hao Kong in broad daylight with complete abandon... Red Moon would take revenge, there would absolutely be a reckoning!

But did Yuan Shuo care?

Not at all!

He executed Hao Kong with one stroke and slashed his weapon through the air, slicing off head after head and executing supernatural after supernatural. He bared his teeth in a feral manner.

“I let Sun Yifei have that move, but what are you lot worth?” He swept the premises in an imperial gaze. “What are you lot worth?”

Who do you think you are? Are you worthy of watching me fight? I’ll kill Red Moon members if I wish, what can you do about it? The Incantation consumes too many resources, how am I supposed to recover from that if I don’t kill some of you?

He laughed wildly as the bloody blade burst with scintillating light. None of the others saw anything, but Li Hao’s eyes captured the blade absorbing countless shadows. Plainly, his teacher had learned a few methods of how to use the stone blade from Hou Xiaochen. He was absorbing scarlet shadows directly from their handlers. Li Hao saw a particularly big one disappear—that one had belonged to Hao Kong.

Yuan Shuo laughed uproariously after slaughtering the Red Moon delegation and vanished into the air. His voice echoed in Li Hao’s ears, “I can’t deal with this, so I’m gonna run. Hou Xiaochen will take care of the ensuing danger!”

He was already gone. Li Hao stiffened with surprise. He’s... gonna run?

“Oh, right, don’t forget to create a memorial tablet for Sun Yifei...” came Yuan Shuo’s last words.

Everyone around the perimeter was frozen with horror and kept completely quiet until they were certain that Yuan Shuo would not reappear. Only then did faint breathing sounds reappear—a complicated mix of mostly fear hung on everyone’s faces.

The battles they’d witnessed today were hard to believe!

The Qimei Staff King died, the Five Styles King slaughtered the Red Moon delegation, Light Island was no more.... All of this would swiftly spread to the four corners and stun anyone that heard of them. It would shake even the central region!

There was Summoner of Spirit above Dominator of Thousands!