Chapter 479 - 420: Ji Zhang (2)
Chapter 479: Chapter 420: Ji Zhang (2)
’A senior... could he be a Foundation Establishment cultivator?’
Zhao Lin’s heart skipped a beat. He hastily used his Qi Observation Skill to observe the man, but found his realm was the same as before: Peak of Qi Refining. It hadn’t changed in the slightest, which left him baffled.
Placing a hand on his saber hilt, Zhao Lin sneered, "You and I are both in the Qi Refining Realm. What’s this nonsense about ’senior’?"
"The Qi Refining Realm?"
Ji Zhang threw his head back and laughed. Then, his face darkened. He casually formed a spell with his hand and barked, "Frost Claw!"
Ice Spiritual Qi rapidly converged, condensing into a massive, frosty hand above his shoulder.
The hand’s five fingers were hooked like talons, resembling bleached bones.
Most striking of all, a wisp of blood-red light coated the surface of the frosty hand!
Upon seeing this, Zhao Lin’s eyelid twitched violently.
It wasn’t that the Magic itself was so remarkable, but rather the red light coating it.
The color of a spell is usually related to its elemental affinity. Frost Claw was an ice-type Magic; it should have been white, not red.
There was only one explanation for this: his opponent was a Transformation Stage cultivator!
Transformation Stage cultivators are suppressed by the Heavenly Dao Laws. Whenever they cast an offensive Magic, it becomes shrouded in a layer of red light.
It was both a warning and a deterrent.
’To deal with me, the Earth Dark Sect actually paid such a steep price, sending a Transformation Stage cultivator.’
For a cultivator in the Transformation Stage, forcibly using offensive Magic would inevitably damage their cultivation.
At this thought, Zhao Lin drew a sharp breath. It seemed his earlier sense of unease had not been unfounded.
He was actually facing a suppressed Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The man’s realm may have been downgraded, but his Divine Sense and combat experience hadn’t been diminished in the least.
"Die!"
Ji Zhang sneered, suddenly making a grabbing motion in the void. The great frosty hand shot forward!
An immense pressure bore down on Zhao Lin. He immediately pointed, and his Moon-Cutting Saber shot from its sheath, streaking through the air like a silver comet to meet the frosty hand.
With a sharp CLANG, the frosty hand stopped dead, its momentum broken. The Moon-Cutting Saber was flung back.
’Such incredible force!’ The same thought flashed through both Zhao Lin’s and Ji Zhang’s minds.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
In the blink of an eye, the Moon-Cutting Saber and the frosty hand clashed over a dozen times.
To Zhao Lin’s surprise, the frosty hand was not only incredibly powerful but also swift as the wind and utterly unpredictable.
Several times, the Moon-Cutting Saber tried to break away, only to be intercepted by the frosty hand, which even attempted to clench its fingers and seize the blade.
"A perfected Ice Blade Skill, just as I thought. A pity that no matter how impressive, it’s still just a Tier One Magic."
Ji Zhang barked a cold command, forming another spell seal. A second frosty hand materialized above his other shoulder!
"Another one!"
Zhao Lin, who was directing his Moon-Cutting Saber in its tangle with the first frosty hand, was stunned.
’I only have one magical treasure to command. To stop that other hand, I’ll have to use another Magic.’
But his Ice-Spinning Hammer was less agile than the frosty hand, and his Water Demon Fist lacked sufficient power. As his thoughts raced, he cast Rock Armor Skill, forming a wall of solid rock around his body.
The second frosty hand clawed viciously at the rock armor, producing a series of ear-piercing screeches.
The rock armor trembled briefly before stabilizing.
"No wonder..."
Ji Zhang understood now. ’With just these two spells, one for offense and one for defense, Zhao Lin would have few rivals in the Qi Refining Realm.’
’But these two Magic skills alone aren’t enough to have killed two of my sect’s Qi Refining Ninth Layer experts. Zhao Lin must have an even more powerful trick up his sleeve.’
"Then let me see what other tricks you have!"
Ji Zhang clawed at the air again. A third frosty hand materialized above his shoulder and shot toward Zhao Lin with incredible speed!
Zhao Lin sighed to himself. ’The Spiritual Power of a Transformation Stage cultivator is on another level entirely, far beyond that of someone at the Peak of Qi Refining.’
His Rock Armor Skill alone wouldn’t be enough to block it. He immediately poured Spiritual Power into his Wood Talisman Armor, and a green shield of light enveloped his body.
The green shield overlapped with the rock armor, jointly defending against the two attacking frosty hands.
Ji Zhang was stunned for a moment before realization dawned. Zhao Lin must have taken Sen Cheng’s Wood Talisman Armor. He sneered, "You think this is enough to stop me?"
With that, he directed the two frosty hands to lunge at Zhao Lin.
Amid the thunderous impacts, Zhao Lin felt his very soul tremble as his Spiritual Power drained at an alarming rate. He cursed his rotten luck.
’He’s just overwhelming me with raw power, forcing me to pour all my Spiritual Power into defense. If this keeps up, I won’t be able to use any other tactics.’
Ji Zhang, however, was controlling the three frosty hands with ease. After a furious barrage, he noticed that while Zhao Lin looked pained and about to collapse, his two defensive Magic spells remained as steady as a mountain.
The green shield, in particular, was taking the brunt of the assault, yet its light showed no sign of dimming.
’This won’t do!’ Ji Zhang thought. ’The Wood Talisman Armor is a top-tier defensive treasure with a Talisman Array, so it consumes very little Spiritual Power. If this keeps up, who knows how long it’ll drag on!’
’Besides, this is Chenghua Sect territory. If he gets backup, things will get even trickier.’
With this in mind, Ji Zhang took a dusty leather pouch from his waist, formed a spell, and muttered, "Water Whip Skill."
The gray leather pouch seemed to come alive, flapping as it flew toward the Moon-Cutting Saber.
The Spirit Whip Skill was a type of Magic used to control flexible magical treasures like ropes, chains, bags, and hoops.
To say Zhao Lin was shocked would be an understatement.
’He still has enough power to wield a magical treasure!’
As the gray leather pouch flew toward it, the Moon-Cutting Saber abruptly dived, shaking off the entangling frosty hand and cleaving viciously at the pouch.
But the frosty hand was like a maggot on a rotting bone, sticking to it like a shadow.
BAM!
With a single slash, the frosty hand shattered into pieces.
’It shattered?’
Zhao Lin froze. ’Did his Mana finally give out from maintaining four Magic spells at once?’ he wondered.
But in the instant the Moon-Cutting Saber’s momentum slowed, the gray leather pouch’s opening suddenly gaped wide and "swallowed" the blade whole!
Then, it snapped shut, sealing its opening tight!
"My Moon-Cutting Saber!"
Zhao Lin rapidly formed a series of spell seals, trying to recall his Moon-Cutting Saber, but he found his Divine Sense was completely blocked. He had lost his connection to the blade. The color drained from his face.
’That was my only magical treasure,’ he thought in despair. ’I can still conjure ice blades, but their power is far weaker, and each one will consume extra Mana.’
Ji Zhang roared with laughter. He recalled the gray leather pouch and casually tossed it to the ground by his feet.
Capturing the Moon-Cutting Saber was like severing one of Zhao Lin’s arms. Now feeling completely unrestrained, he directed the three frosty hands to resume their relentless bombardment.
The pressure on Zhao Lin instantly doubled. His Rock Armor Skill and the green shield began to show signs of instability.
He knew that if this continued, either his defenses would be shattered or his Mana would run out. Both were dead ends.
His only hope now was to rely on the mechanism on the seabed to either escape or kill this man.
Unfortunately, as luck would have it, Ji Zhang was standing right between him and the mechanism.
To activate it, he would have to get past Ji Zhang first—a fact that made Zhao Lin choke with frustration.
’Am I just going to wait here to die?’
But Zhao Lin was a veteran of a hundred battles. He knew that in moments like this, one had to remain calm above all else.
He glanced up at Ji Zhang. Whether out of arrogance or absolute confidence in his own strength, the man hadn’t cast a single defensive spell.
’Only a desperate gambit will do,’
Zhao Lin gritted his teeth. The instant the frosty hands lifted for another strike, he suddenly dropped his spells. His figure blurred as he charged toward Ji Zhang like a phantom.
"So you want to fight me up close? I’ll be happy to oblige!"
Seeing Zhao Lin charge, Ji Zhang remained completely unruffled. He dispelled his three frosty hands and leaped forward to meet him.
Seeing this, Zhao Lin felt no joy. Instead, his heart sank.
’He knows I’m a Martial Cultivator, yet he dares let me get close. He must have an ace up his sleeve.’
But an arrow loosed from the bow cannot be recalled. It was too late to change tactics now. He channeled all his Spiritual Power and accelerated!
"Divine Body Skill!"
Ji Zhang formed a seal with both hands, and two beams of golden light shot from his palms.
The golden beams didn’t shoot toward Zhao Lin, but instead landed on Ji Zhang himself, spreading rapidly.
In an instant, the skin on Ji Zhang’s cheeks, neck, and arms turned a burnished gold, making him look as if he were plated in shimmering metal.