Chapter 580 - 576: Mishap
Chapter 580: Chapter 576: Mishap
Yan Wuji had nowhere to run. Gritting his teeth, he could only raise his palms to meet the blow head-on.
"BOOM—!!!"
Two Grandmaster Level forces collided violently.
A terrifying shockwave, like a physical tsunami, erupted outwards in all directions.
Within a radius of several hundred zhang, every ancient tree was uprooted the moment it touched the shockwave, only to be ground to dust in mid-air by the aftershocks.
The ground was scoured several feet deep, revealing the bare rock beneath. The rock was covered in a web of fissures so deep they seemed bottomless.
A distant hill was caught in the aftershocks, causing rocks to crumble and sending a plume of dust into the sky.
Yan Wuji grunted, stumbling back dozens of zhang. Each step left a deep imprint on the ground.
He steadied himself, a trickle of blood escaping the corner of his mouth.
His hasty defense had caused him to suffer a small loss in the exchange.
’Already a Fourth-Layer Grandmaster.’
Bai Yujing raised an eyebrow slightly, a trace of surprise flashing through his gentle eyes.
How long had it been? Yan Wuji had already risen from a Third-Layer Grandmaster to a Fourth-Layer Grandmaster. As expected of a quick-result Demon Skill, the rate of advancement was truly outrageous.
"But you will still die here today!"
Before the words had even faded, he moved.
His moon-white robe flashed through the dust and smoke, and his simple, ancient longsword was already unsheathed.
The gleam of the sword was like a rainbow, carrying an air of unstoppable resolve as it slashed straight for Yan Wuji.
There was no technique to this strike, only pure, maximally condensed Sword Intent and Inner Qi.
Bai Yujing was clearly a man who valued efficiency. He either didn’t act, or he struck with his full power.
A flicker of terror crossed Yan Wuji’s eyes. The crimson Inner Qi in his body erupted without reservation as he thrust out both palms, forming a blood-red Palm Seal so solid it looked real, meeting Bai Yujing’s sword head-on.
"BOOM—!"
The sword light and Palm Seal collided, releasing a world-shaking boom.
Bai Yujing’s figure swayed slightly before he steadied himself.
Yan Wuji, however, was once again knocked back several zhang, a thin, bloody line now visible on his palm.
In terms of Cultivation, he was no weaker than Bai Yujing. But facing a group attack, he was outnumbered and outmatched, forced to make hasty moves every time, never having a chance to unleash his full power.
Before he could even regain his footing, a pink figure appeared silently behind him.
Liu Meiniang.
She raised a delicate hand, and the small flower condensed from Gang Qi transformed into three streams of pink light, shooting like living things toward Yan Wuji’s three vital points: the back of his neck, his ribs, and his right leg.
Sensing the danger, Yan Wuji twisted his body in a nearly unnatural way, narrowly avoiding the two streams of light aimed at his neck and ribs.
But the light aimed at his right leg grazed his thigh, leaving a deep gash.
"Urgh!"
Yan Wuji grunted in pain, stumbling and nearly collapsing to his knees.
"That’s right. You will die here today!"
A hoarse, deep voice rang out.
Li Hanjiang had appeared in front of Yan Wuji at some point. Black Inner Qi surged around him, coalescing into a massive black Palm Seal that shot toward Yan Wuji.
It carried the unique properties of a Netherworld Pavilion Grandmaster Martial Arts: eroding Inner Qi and devouring life force.
Yan Wuji blocked the palm with all his might, but his hasty defense caused him to freeze for an instant.
That single instant was all it took to be fatal.
"BOOM!"
Shen Mo’s figure appeared above Yan Wuji’s head like a phantom.
He hadn’t drawn his sword. He simply clenched his right hand into a fist and punched down.
The punch was plain and unadorned, but the moment his fist touched Yan Wuji’s Protective Blood Qi, the solid shield of crimson Inner Qi around Yan Wuji’s body shattered like paper.
The fist landed squarely on Yan Wuji’s chest.
"SPURT—!"
Yan Wuji sprayed a torrent of blood from his mouth as his body was sent flying like a meteor, crashing violently into the distance.
The ground let out a heavy THUD. Dust shot into the sky and shattered rocks flew everywhere.
When the dust settled, a huge crater several zhang deep had appeared in the ground.
At the bottom of the crater, Yan Wuji was on one knee. His gray robes were in tatters, revealing a body covered in wounds. His aura was chaotic and faint.
’My current strength isn’t weak, but compared to a Grandmaster Powerhouse, the gap is still immense.’
’Even the weakest Grandmaster could crush me with a flick of their finger!’
Standing several li away, Fang Han watched the battle from afar.
The auras of the Grandmaster Level powerhouses intertwined and clashed, violent and chaotic.
Yan Wuji’s aura thrashed about within the chaos, but it was always firmly sealed by the seven other auras. Every attempt to break through was forcefully repelled, and his aura was weakening at a clearly perceptible rate.
’The outcome is settled.’
Fang Han muttered to himself.
At this rate, Yan Wuji was sure to die today; there was no escape.
But just then—
His pupils suddenly contracted.
Through his Netherworld Guide’s perception, he sensed an aura approaching the mountain forest at an astonishing speed.
The aura was as deep as an abyss, carrying a pressure that made one’s very soul tremble.
Its intensity was in no way inferior to the auras of the seven Grandmasters on the battlefield. No, to be precise, it was even greater.
’A strange... Grandmaster Powerhouse?’
Fang Han’s breath caught in his throat.
He finally understood the source of his uneasy premonition.
A Grandmaster Powerhouse was an extremely important figure in any faction.
If the Tiejiang Gang’s Demon Skill had been granted by a mysterious faction, how could that faction allow Yan Wuji, a Grandmaster, to be cornered and killed by the Seven Sects?
"A strange Grandmaster is coming!"
Fang Han quickly channeled Inner Qi into his throat, pushing the "Sound Divine Treasure" he had unlocked when he broke through to the Middle Stage of Second Grade to its absolute limit.
"Grandmasters, be careful! The aura of a strange Grandmaster is approaching!"
Infused with Inner Qi, his voice possessed a strange penetrating quality, instantly crossing several li to clearly reach the ears of the seven fighting Grandmasters and Yan Wuji.
"SWOOSH!"
After giving the warning, Fang Han’s figure blurred. He simultaneously pushed Wind God Step and Ghost Shadow to their limits.
His cyan-robed figure, like a wisp of gray smoke, darted backward and to the side, instantly vanishing into a denser part of the forest.
Once he had completely hidden his form in the shadow of an ancient tree, he suppressed his aura to the absolute minimum.
"SWOOSH!"
A crimson figure shot over like a meteor tearing through the night sky.
The speed was so fast it surpassed the limits of Fang Han’s naked eye.
In just a few breaths, it had crossed several li and appeared at the edge of the battlefield.
The newcomer was a woman.
Her clothes were as red as fresh blood, and her face was hidden by an exquisite silver mask, leaving only her eyes visible.
A faint crimson light flashed in those eyes, carrying a heart-stopping chill.
Although Fang Han had done his utmost to hide his aura, she still noticed him, her gaze sweeping toward his hiding spot.
It was just a single glance.
Fang Han felt a chill shoot up from his tailbone, instantly spreading to every corner of his body.
It was as if his blood froze in that instant. His muscles stiffened, and even breathing became difficult.
He felt as if he were trapped in ten-thousand-year-old ice, his very soul on the verge of freezing solid.
Fortunately—
The woman’s gaze merely swept past him before she retracted it and charged straight for the battlefield.
Clearly, she was in a hurry to rescue Yan Wuji and had no time to bother with a "minor character" like him.
Hearing Fang Han’s warning, the expressions of the seven Grandmasters changed.
The newcomer could not possibly be from their Seven Sects, which meant they could only be an accomplice of Yan Wuji’s—a foe, not a friend.
"Faster!"
Gu Changqing’s voice was laced with a rare urgency. The Cyan Sword Light suddenly flared, transforming into a bolt of silk stretching across the sky as it slashed toward Yan Wuji.
The other six Grandmasters also stopped holding back, their attacks growing even more terrifying.
Hui Ming thrust out both palms, unleashing a continuous torrent of golden Palm Seals like a raging tide, each carrying the power to shatter mountains.
Lei Lie’s giant black saber let out a low hum. The Sword Gang on its blade condensed until it was solid. With a single slash, it tore a black rift dozens of zhang long in the air.
Bai Yujing’s sword light was like a rainbow, sharp and unparalleled, each strike aimed at Yan Wuji’s vital points.
Liu Meiniang’s figure flickered unpredictably. No longer relying on her small Gang Qi flowers, she drew a pink sword. The pink sword light flowed like quicksilver, seeping in from all directions, leaving no opening unexplored.
Shen Mo’s figure flickered in the shadows, each appearance accompanied by a fatal blow.
Black qi surged around Li Hanjiang as he sent out a chain of palm strikes. The frigid Palm Force froze the very air into fine ice crystals.
"SPURT, SPURT, SPURT—"
Under the siege of the seven Grandmasters, Yan Wuji was overwhelmed. In an instant, several new, bone-deep wounds appeared on his body, and fresh blood soaked through his tattered gray robes.
He too had heard Fang Han’s words just now. A spark of hope for survival ignited in his heart, and a determined glint flashed in his eyes.
"You want to kill me? It won’t be that easy!"
He bit down hard on the tip of his tongue. Spurred by the intense pain, the violent, crimson Inner Qi in his body began to circulate wildly in an unprecedented manner.
The Inner Qi no longer followed the paths of his meridians. Instead, it rampaged through his body, tearing his meridians, burning his muscles, and grinding his bones to dust, transforming into a violent power that was almost out of control.
"VMMMM—!"
A blinding crimson light erupted from his body. The glow was so thick it seemed tangible, carrying a sickeningly sweet, coppery stench.
His frame suddenly swelled by a full size. His knotted muscles tore through his tattered gray robes, revealing skin covered in dark red patterns.
The patterns resembled some kind of ancient runes, pulsing and flowing across the surface of his skin with a strange luster.
"BOOM—!"
Lei Lie’s giant black saber struck the shield of condensed crimson Inner Qi around Yan Wuji, producing a dull boom like the beat of a war drum.
The shield trembled violently and cracks appeared across its surface, but ultimately, it did not shatter.
"Hm?"
A trace of surprise flashed in Lei Lie’s eyes.
"It’s the legendary... Demon Cultivation Secret Technique!"
Hui Ming’s half-closed eyes suddenly widened, his voice filled with unprecedented gravity.
"He’s permanently damaging his foundation and Cultivation in exchange for a short-term burst of power! He’s trying to survive! We absolutely cannot let him succeed!"
The seven Grandmasters’ attacks grew even more ferocious.
Gu Changqing’s sword light flared again, faster, fiercer, and more decisive than before.
Wherever the tip of his sword passed, the air split open silently, leaving a fine crack that lingered, refusing to close.
Yan Wuji raised his hand. Crimson light gathered wildly on his right palm, coalescing into a blood-red Palm Seal that was solid to the eye and several zhang wide.
Faint, intricate runes flowed along the edges of the Palm Seal, emitting a sinister aura that made the heart pound.
It rose to meet Gu Changqing’s sword light.