Volume 5 Chapter 44 - An Invisible Wall
Chapter 44: An Invisible Wall
Blood sprayed through the air. Li Xixing could not stop it from splashing onto his robes as he charged rapidly and hurriedly in the cramped space.
Many Changling youths had felt Li Xixing was an odd freak after he returned to Changling because he still wore thick fur robes. Yet these youths did not know that this was an instinct formed out of blood.
When Changling had just entered autumn, it had already entered winter outside the passes. In half a month, it will be the first snowfall. It was cold here for most of the year. Even more importantly, when blood soaked the clothes, it would be colder and more uncomfortable. Rough but thick fur sweater robe could not only withstand the cold but could also prevent the blood that was constantly sprayed on the body from seeping into the robe.
The viscous blood slid down Li Xixing’s robe like syrup. Even though he had become accustomed to it as instinct, he could not help but feel disgust in his heart whenever he faced such a moment. He did not deliberately let himself suppress and forget this feeling, because if he was too numb in the killing, he would be numb to many things.
Other than the first three people, everyone in this hundred man scout army had fallen off their horses. The cultivator had been killed with one blow and no one else had managed to get more than three hundred feet away.
This was just as he had predicted.
Yet his lips started to tremble. His cold and determined eyes filled with shock. He sensed the ground trembling! He accurately reversed his blade and stabbed into the heart of a Wuzhi soldier behind him. When the blood sprayed onto his back, he lifted his head and looked into the distance.
Even in this dark world, a new horizon appeared! An unnatural wind blew through the grass and caused the withered grass to ripple.
When Li Xixing raised his head, Hu Jingjing’s breathing stopped again.
This was an army, one lined up into a line and sweeping through like a wave. She could not see the end on both sides! It was the core of that cavalry!
Her breath had stilled but her heart contracted drastically, sending fresh blood surging into all parts of her body. Her mind rang out along with the hoofbeats in the wind.
Theoretically, there were two more scout troops before the main part of the cavalry army. This was not just from Li Xixing’s experience and assumption, but due to his investigation. Also, at a normal speed, the cavalry would only arrive after complete darkness. There were countless possibilities concerning why the main army would arrive early, yet he knew he and Hu Jingjing had no time to ponder this.
The Wuzhi cavalry drew out a line. They could quickly change their formation, and also meet the requirement of shooting in unison when forming two flanks. This was a demonstration of their power when they already had the advantage.
This kind of charge could easily form a circular encirclement. Even the realm seven cultivators could not survive if they were trapped within the center of the three thousand cavalry, much less cultivators like him and Hu Jingjing.
He must immediately make a choice. Yet to his surprise, Hu Jingjing made her choice earlier.
Not far from him, behind the three Wuzhi cavalry, countless yellowed grass leaves shone dreamily.
Seeing the grasses give off yellow crystal light, Li Xixing’s body grew stiff. He did not know what Hu Jingjing was going to do.
The yellow light spread on the plains.
Amongst the three thousand cavalry, there was one rider who appeared small and thin compared to the others. Yet he carried five curved blades on his back, the hilt of which all were red, and rippled with primal energies of the universe. There were four riders on his sides, not carrying blades on their back, but huge bronze shields.
This rider also was wearing a mask, one made from a tiger skull. Even the fangs had not been pulled off the fiercely stunning skull.
He also saw the yellow light on the grass. His gaze filled with confusion and he gave a simple sound from his throat. The wildly charging cavalry suddenly slowed down as his horse sped down.
The yellow light at the tips of the grasses grew stronger and then came out in threads. A powerful and profound presence formed on this patch of glowing grass. In the senses of cultivators, it was like an enormous yet invisible light had been raised among the grass.
Zzt!
As the grass moved, a glowing yellow sword light crossed the limit of a flying sword’s distance and slashed towards the three Wuzhi riders.
The three Wuzhi riders were cut at the waist and blood flew.
“What are you doing!” Li Xixing came in front of Hu Jingjing.
The reason he reached her so quickly was not just due to him moving quickly like a wolf through the grass, but because she was moving quickly towards him.
The yellow crystal light on the tips of the grass had not disappeared. Hu Jingjing’s powerful sword presence also had not disappeared and caused the fragile dried leaves around her to be cut down.
“I have two more blows.” Hu Jingjing looked at the blood covered Li Xixing and panted sharply. “I want to take a gamble.”
Li Xixing looked at the light in her eyes, understood her meaning, and became silent. She used such a “luxurious” blow against three ordinary riders. She wanted to make the army ahead think that there were many cultivators like her here.
“Not to mention that we may not be able to escape, if the two of us can escape the cavalry, they will still find the remnants and kill all of them.” Hu Jingjing knew he understood. She took a deep breath and said, “This is my own choice, you may leave first.”
Li Xixing glanced at her. He looked at people like a steppe wolf. At this time, his gaze had his usual coldness but he gave no reason as he said, “I will gamble with you.”
Saying so, he pulled out his other sword, a small one tied to his calf. This sword was pure black, and did not reflect light, like pure night.
Hu Jingjing was inexplicably moved. With this movement, she knew what she should do now.
She attacked. She gritted her teeth and made her vital energy flow violently inside her body.
The wild vital energy charged through the meridians in her body, causing many splits in her meridians that were already at their limits. Blood flowed out of the corners of her mouth.
A bloody mist came through her pores. Her yellow sword also flowed with glowing light, summoning the surrounding primal energies of the universe and pouring into the grass stems. Then the stems, like smaller swords, started to absorb primal energies of the universe through their roots which usually absorbed nutrients, and then released the energies through the tips of the grasses.
Li Xixing attacked.
A black sword light appeared in front of Hu Jingjing. Then like an arrow, it was bounced back by the invisible power that had formed in this area, but much faster at this instant than any arrow in the world.
The black sword essence turned into black threads difficult to see with the naked eye as it fell like black hairs.
Hu Jingjing sensed the essence of this sword, and her eyes filled with disbelief.
“This is the Black Hair Wind Sword Essence of Celestial Iron Sword School.” Li Xixing did not look at her but could clearly guess her thoughts. He said coldly, “Before I was exiled out of Changling, I was the youngest student in the history of Celestial Iron Sword School.”
A furious howl exploded in the last lights of dusk.
Within the three thousand riders, the rider wearing the tiger skull mask stretched his hands forward like he was praying.The five curved blades on his back flew up, turning into five bloody crescent moons!
These five crescent moons flew rapidly and managed to block most of the falling black sword threads.
Zzt zzt zzt zzt …
The remaining black sword threads fell and created splashes of blood. Dozens of riders fell to the ground along with their horses.
When those black sword threads first pierced their bodies, there were only small wounds, and even they did not feel any pain. But in the next moment, the threads created increasingly larger wounds deep in their bodies.
“One more,” Li Xixing looked at Hu Jingjing who was dripping blood out of the corners of and said after taking a deep breath.
Hu Jingjing coughed. With her cultivation, she needed her vital energy at her extreme to use this secret sword of Treasure Light Temple. Yet if she wanted to make the enemy believe there were numerous powerful cultivators here, she must make each blow different as Li Xixing had said.
Each blow being different, to her at this time, was only making each blow stronger. After making the choice, one would be nervous before the action, but if one had no choice, they would become relaxed. This was her at this time.
As she coughed, she pressed all her vital energy into her meridians. A string of explosions sounded inside her body. Her sword was so bright it was a line of light. The yellow crystal light on the grass was extremely moist as though it would drip out.
Li Xixing put down the sword he gripped. Waves of profound sword essence furiously surged out of his body.
Hu Jingjing’s eyes widened. She sensed an invisible wall in the sky.