Chapter 378 - 375: Repelled
Chapter 378: Chapter 375: Repelled
’What’s even more terrifying is that he’s only twenty years old!’
Liu Bai felt the pressure as well.
His gaze fell upon Fang Han. The smile on his elegant, otherworldly face had faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression.
He could clearly see Fang Han’s swordsmanship.
It was sharp and condensed, having already reached the Great Success Realm.
Combined with that ghostly body technique and his absurdly powerful physical defense—
’Give him time, and this young man will become a formidable rival on the Celestial Pride List.’
"Looks like you’ll all be feeling the pressure!"
Yue Lingtian stood with his hands behind his back.
His gaze also fell upon the two figures below, but his expression remained indifferent.
There was no solemnity, much less any pressure.
He just watched quietly, as if observing a play that had nothing to do with him.
Because in another three months, he would turn thirty and be removed from the Celestial Pride List.
At that time, who ranked first on the Celestial Pride List and how its rankings changed would no longer have anything to do with him.
He stood here now merely as a spectator, watching the struggles of these rising stars.
’As for pressure?’
’Why would someone about to leave the list care about the growth of his juniors?’
A faint smile touched the corners of his lips, carrying a hint of relief, a bit of ease, and a sliver of hidden anticipation.
He looked forward to seeing what the Celestial Pride List of Qingyang County would look like after he was gone.
...
The forest clearing was already unrecognizable. Within a radius of several dozen zhang, all the ancient trees had been snapped and toppled.
The ground was plowed with deep, intersecting gullies and riddled with craters of all sizes. Rubble and broken branches littered the area.
Smoke and dust filled the air, only to be scattered by turbulent Qi Force in a repeating cycle.
The figures of Fang Han and Meng Xian flickered rapidly across the devastated battlefield, every clash erupting with a deafening roar.
Fang Han’s green robe was torn in several places. He had wounds on his left shoulder, right arm, and waist, and fresh blood soaked through the tattered fabric.
But most of these wounds were superficial—flesh wounds that hadn’t reached bone or sinew.
Meng Xian, however, was in a much sorrier state.
His black robe was stained with large patches of dark red blood. A deep sword gash ran down his left side, and the cloth on his right shoulder was shredded, revealing a half-chi-long bloody wound beneath.
The most severe injury was on the outside of his thigh. Fang Han’s sword had sliced him there. Although it missed a vital point, the wound was quite deep, and the constantly seeping blood hampered his movement.
The two faced each other from a distance of over ten zhang, both panting heavily.
Meng Xian glanced down at his injuries, then looked back up at Fang Han. For the first time, an unconcealable gravity appeared in his sinister eyes.
There was even a faint trace of fear.
Before the fight, he had never imagined that Fang Han would be this difficult to deal with.
He had anticipated Fang Han’s sharp swordsmanship and ghostly body technique.
But Fang Han’s absurdly powerful physical defense had completely blindsided him.
During their exchange just now, he had landed at least five solid palm strikes on Fang Han.
Normally, an attack of that magnitude would be enough to severely injure an ordinary Late-Fourth Grade Martial Artist.
But what about Fang Han?
He was only lightly injured.
Those wounds didn’t even affect his combat ability.
In contrast, every time Fang Han’s sword grazed him, it resulted in a real injury.
If his own combat power weren’t superior to Fang Han’s, allowing him to suppress Fang Han’s Power of Attack and prevent his strikes from landing true, he’d probably already be on the ground.
"Damn it!"
Meng Xian cursed under his breath, the thought of retreat already taking root in his mind.
’If this goes on, even if I manage to win, it will be at a heavy cost.’
’I might not even win.’
’But that Golden Flame Sacred Lotus...’
His gaze flickered to Fang Han’s chest, where a faint glint of gold was visible.
It was one of Heaven and Earth’s Wondrous Treasures, enough to drive a Martial Artist mad—a supreme sacred object that could completely transform a cultivator of a Body Hardening Technique.
He couldn’t bear to give it up just like that.
Fang Han took in every change in Meng Xian’s expression.
He knew Meng Xian was already thinking of retreating.
But given his personality, he probably wouldn’t give up the Golden Flame Sacred Lotus so easily.
’In that case—’
’I’ll just add some more fuel to the fire.’
Fang Han took a deep breath, and the qi and blood in his body surged once more.
One hundred thousand jin of immense strength, Fourth Grade Late Stage Inner Qi, Great Success Sword Momentum—
The three combined once again.
He didn’t wait. He took the initiative and attacked!
SWOOSH!
He unleashed the Wind and Cloud Escape at full power, his body transforming into a streak of pale green light that crossed over ten zhang in an instant.
The Cloud Splitting Sword transformed into an incredibly condensed azure rainbow, stabbing straight for Meng Xian’s throat.
This strike was as fast as lightning and incomparably sharp.
Meng Xian’s pupils shrank. With no time to think, he shot out both claws, weaving ten claw-like beams of light into a net to block the fatal strike.
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG—!
The dense sound of metal striking metal exploded outwards.
The sword light and claw beams clashed violently, sending sparks flying.
Each of Fang Han’s strikes was faster than the last, his Sword Momentum surging like an endless tide.
He no longer defended, adopting a purely offense-for-offense strategy.
Forced back again and again by this sudden, ferocious assault, Meng Xian’s wounds split open once more amidst the fierce battle, and blood began to flow.
"Are you crazy?!"
Meng Xian roared.
This fighting style showed a complete disregard for his own safety.
But Fang Han didn’t answer, his Sword Momentum only growing sharper.
He thrust his sword out again.
This strike came from a vicious angle, aimed straight for the wound on Meng Xian’s left side.
Meng Xian’s expression changed drastically as he dodged to the side with all his might.
But Fang Han’s sword was too fast.
The tip of the sword grazed past his ribs. Although it didn’t pierce the old wound, it added a new one right at its edge.
"Ugh!"
Meng Xian grunted, stumbling backward.
Fang Han pressed his advantage, advancing again and unleashing another slash.
One hundred thousand jin of physical strength, Fourth Grade Late Stage Inner Qi, and Great Success Sword Momentum—all three were layered to their absolute limit.
The sword light condensed into a single line of azure light, tearing through the air with a piercing shriek.
It slashed straight for Meng Xian’s head.
If this strike landed true, Meng Xian would undoubtedly die.
Meng Xian felt a fatal threat.
He let out a sharp cry and thrust out both palms, sending two incredibly condensed, pitch-black Palm Seals roaring toward the azure sword light.
BOOM—!!!
The sword light and Palm Seals collided, erupting with a world-shaking bang.
The azure and pitch-black lights frantically intertwined, corroded, and annihilated each other, creating a shockwave that spread wildly in all directions like a ring of destruction.
Amidst the surging waves of qi, Fang Han’s Sword Momentum was blocked.
Seizing the opportunity, Meng Xian no longer hesitated, his body transforming into a streak of light as he fled backward.
His speed was astonishing.
In the blink of an eye, he was already several dozen zhang away.
Fang Han stood with his sword in hand, panting slightly as he watched the streak of light rapidly disappear into the distance.
He didn’t give chase.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but that he couldn’t.
He had already used up nearly seventy percent of his Inner Qi.
Moreover—
Fang Han’s gaze narrowed as he glanced at a higher ridge several hundred zhang away.
There, his Great Success Spirit Smelling Technique could sense three incredibly terrifying auras.
Each aura was even stronger than Meng Xian’s.
If those three—or even just one of them—were to attack him, his chances of survival would be slim.
SWOOSH!
He took a deep breath, suppressed his churning qi and blood, and with a flicker of his body, activated the Wind and Cloud Escape.
He shot off in the opposite direction from Meng Xian, his figure quickly vanishing into the vast, wild forest.
...
「On the higher ridge, several hundred zhang away.」
"I didn’t expect Meng Xian to be the one to lose in the end."
Liu Bai was the first to speak, his voice gentle.
"In terms of true strength, Fang Han’s ranking on the Celestial Pride List should be at least ten or so places higher."
Shouldering his giant, door-panel-like blade, Mad Saber gazed in the direction Fang Han had disappeared. "And what’s even more terrifying is that he’s only twenty years old this year," he said, his rugged face looking a bit grave.
Liu Bai’s eyes were deep with thought.
"To have such strength at twenty... Give him time, and this young man will become a formidable rival on the Celestial Pride List."
Mad Saber frowned slightly, looking at Liu Bai and then at the ever-silent Yue Lingtian. "Brother Yue, what do you think?" he asked.
Yue Lingtian stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze still fixed on the direction in which Fang Han had vanished.
His handsome face was impassive, betraying no emotion.
After a moment, he slowly spoke, his voice flat.
"This young man clearly has the strength to be in the top twenty of the Celestial Pride List, yet he deliberately hides his skill, only revealing the strength of someone ranked in the thirties. He is quite cunning."
"It’s no injustice that Meng Xian lost to him."
A flicker of gravity passed through the eyes of both Mad Saber and Liu Bai.
Yue Lingtian had always been a man of few words; to hear such an evaluation from him was rare indeed.
"However..."
Yue Lingtian’s tone shifted, and a faint smile touched the corners of his lips.
"None of this has anything to do with me anymore."
He turned and began to walk down the ridge.
"In another three months, I’ll be off the list. The rights and wrongs on the Celestial Pride List will have nothing to do with me from then on."
His moon-white robe fluttered slightly in the mountain wind, and his figure soon disappeared among the trees.
Liu Bai and Mad Saber stood where they were, watching Yue Lingtian’s departing figure in silence for a moment.
"Off the list?"
Liu Bai repeated the words under his breath, then shook his head gently.
"I almost forgot. In another three months, Brother Yue will be off the list."
His gaze once again turned to where Fang Han had vanished, and a thoughtful look flashed across his gentle, jade-like face.
’Yue Lingtian will be off the list in three months. Even with all his talent, Fang Han probably can’t knock Yue Lingtian from the top spot within that time.’
’Fang Han can’t affect Yue Lingtian at all.’
’Instead, Mad Saber and I will have one more powerful competitor in our future race for the top spot.’
...
At dusk, the setting sun dyed the Cloud Mist Mountain Range a deep, golden red.
Fang Han’s figure appeared at the rendezvous point.
His green robe was torn in several places, with gashes on his left shoulder, right arm, and waist, the edges of which were stained with dried blood.
The Cloud Splitting Sword still hung at his waist, its scabbard also stained with dust and blood.
At the rendezvous point, the various factions had already lit their campfires.
Wisps of cooking smoke curled into the air, carrying the scent of meat mixed with medicinal herbs.
People who had gradually gathered were clustered in twos and threes around the fires, either talking in low voices, tending to their wounds, or taking stock of the day’s harvest.
Fang Han’s appearance drew the gazes of quite a few people.
Their gazes lingered for a moment on his tattered robes and the bloodstains on his body before moving away without much surprise.
Getting injured while hunting Demons deep in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range was a common occurrence, nothing to be alarmed about.
Fang Han walked through the rendezvous point toward the area where the Qingxuan Sect was camped.
Just as he stepped into the edge of the camp, a pale green figure hurried out to greet him.
Yun Qianyue.
She was still veiled in purple gauze, revealing only a pair of cool, clear eyes.
But at this moment, an unconcealable trace of concern flashed within them.
"Senior Brother Fang, are you hurt?"
Her voice was as cool as ever, but her words came out slightly faster than usual.