Chapter 494 - 296: Was That Really Necessary?
Chapter 494: Chapter 296: Was That Really Necessary?
Just as with Lv Jiunan before, the few Wooden Man statues began to expand crazily the moment they landed.
Their bodies twisted and spun a few times, transforming until they were as tall and sturdy as adult members of the Barbarian Race.
Their eyes glowed crimson, and their hands gripped wooden blades, spears, clubs, and axes. They fanned out, surrounding Chen Yi and Xiao Wan’er.
Only then did Du Cang attack again.
The surrounding Wooden Men and the young Guard attacked alongside him.
However, only Du Cang and the young Guard targeted Chen Yi; under his control, the Wooden Men still charged toward Xiao Wan’er.
Chen Yi’s expression turned cold. He no longer stood his ground. Empowering himself with his Great Success Martial Arts·Step, he executed the Wandering Dragon and Phoenix Step Technique.
His speed increased severalfold.
He vanished from Du Cang’s sight, leaving almost no trace behind.
"You... Great Success in Step Dao?!"
His only reply, however, was the roar of Wooden Men being shattered one after another, and the dull thud of the young Guard being sent flying backward into a wall, his head pierced through.
In the blink of an eye, the previously crowded Buddhist Hall was left with only Du Cang, Chen Yi, and Xiao Wan’er.
As if he had never moved, Chen Yi stood once again between Du Cang and Xiao Wan’er. His Long Spear dragged at his side as he stared calmly at Du Cang and said:
"I can protect her for a lifetime!"
Xiao Wan’er’s body trembled, and she curled up even smaller, until almost nothing but a few strands of her hair were visible outside her cloak.
She had obediently covered her ears and closed her eyes as told.
But as the constant roars echoed around her, she grew too worried for Chen Yi’s safety and couldn’t help but lower her hands and open her eyes.
By the dim light and the intermittent flashes of lightning, she gazed at the back of the figure standing before her.
Naturally, she also heard the two things he said.
"I can protect her!"
"I can protect her for a lifetime!"
At that moment, Xiao Wan’er had already forgotten everything Du Cang told her. Her chaotic thoughts grew surprisingly calm.
’That’s right. Her brother-in-law is her brother-in-law. Whether he’s Chen Yi or Liu Wu, he’s the one who has been with her all this time.’
’Even if this was her grandfather’s arrangement, what does it matter?’
’At least he didn’t hide his identity to harm the Xiao Family, or to possess her younger sister... and her.’
’That’s enough!’
Chen Yi, of course, knew none of this. His entire focus was on Du Cang.
He was, after all, a Martial Artist of the Upper Three Grades Realm.
Even without the Black Magic Secret Skill that made him famous, Du Cang’s Great Success Saber Dao and his Cultivation alone far surpassed the Yan Fusha of the past.
Besides, he surely had other hidden techniques.
Du Cang, on the other hand, now wore a frighteningly grim expression. Though not as ferocious as before, the icy aura emanating from him was even more intense.
His bone-shaping illusion was broken.
His Puppets were broken.
His Wooden Men were broken.
Even his Saber Dao couldn’t gain the slightest advantage.
It was the first time in his life he had ever encountered such a thing—a Middle Three Grades Martial Artist had thwarted him time and time again.
Du Cang’s expression shifted for a moment. He raised a hand, recalling the short blade from the young Guard’s hand, and stared at Chen Yi with deathly still, crimson eyes.
’Perfection in Chess Dao, Calligraphy Dao, and Spear Dao... and on top of that, he’s even cultivated his Step Technique Realm to Great Success.’
’A peerless prodigy, the likes of which are rarely seen in all of history.’
’But for that very reason, Du Cang could not let this opportunity go. He knew all too well the power such a prodigy would wield once they fully matured.’
Just like Xiao Fengchun and Fu Wanqing back then.
If the Barbarian Race Grandmaster Wen Kela hadn’t personally intervened, those two would now be at least on par with King Landu in strength.
They were only five years short.
’But for this Chen Yi before him? Five years?’
’Du Cang figured that in just two years, he would be able to rampage across the Ancient Tea-Horse Road and sweep through the numerous horse bandits.’
’Add another year, and even King Landu would probably...’
At this thought, Du Cang tightened his grip on his two short blades. "Your strength is indeed beyond my expectations, but..."
"Even if I have to risk my life, I will kill you today to eliminate this future threat!"
As his voice fell, he threw out several more Wooden Men, which charged at Chen Yi.
As he unleashed his full power, the Gang Qi formed from his True Essence pressed down within the Buddhist Hall. The short blades in his hands stirred it into a swirling vortex.
Like a whirlpool in the deep sea, it pulled everything nearby toward him.
Even Xiao Wan’er, crouching behind Chen Yi, was caught off guard and yanked forward.
Chen Yi frowned slightly. He reached out an arm to encircle Xiao Wan’er, stomped his foot, and retreated abruptly.
But Du Cang seized the opportunity, knowing Chen Yi couldn’t easily wield his Spear Technique, and transformed into an afterimage, his short blades dancing.
Flashes from the blades scattered like flower petals, each one a killing blow aimed at the Xiao Wan’er held in Chen Yi’s arm.
Chen Yi fought as he retreated, wielding his spear with one hand—parrying, thrusting, and blocking. Amidst a cacophony of CLANGS, he intercepted every move.
Instead of being worried, Du Cang was delighted. He sneered and continued his pursuit.
Meanwhile, the Wooden Men behind him seized the chance to block Chen Yi’s path, their blades, spears, swords, and clubs crashing down.
Chen Yi dodged like a phantom, weaving between the Wooden Men and flipping them over one by one with his Long Spear.
For a moment, the two sides were locked in a fierce struggle.
Neither held back a single move, and the aftershocks of their battle left the already dilapidated Puyin Temple in complete ruins.
Only shattered tiles, bricks, and fragments of plants remained, sent flying before being beaten to the ground by the rain.
Feeling the large hand around her waist, Xiao Wan’er felt increasingly at ease.
Although her seemingly boneless body was being flung up and down, causing her heart to pound relentlessly, her mind was calm.
Her eyes were fixed on the side of Chen Yi’s face.
His appearance had indeed changed, and his aura was no longer that of a scholar, but his determined eyes held a hint of familiarity.
Just like that time in the Fengchun Building, when Chen Yi had stood up to Liu Wen for her.
"Brother-in-law, be careful."
Her soft whisper was almost inaudible, but Chen Yi heard it.
In the brief moment after shattering a Wooden Man, he grunted in acknowledgment. His breathing remained steady, as if to say, ’Don’t worry, just watch me slaughter him.’
When the nearby Du Cang heard her, his crimson eyes were no longer like stagnant water.
"If that’s how it is, then I’ll grant you your wish to be together!"
The moment he finished speaking, his eyes flared with brilliant red light, and his entire body bizarrely dissipated.
Before Chen Yi could react, the Wooden Man he had just pierced through transformed into Du Cang.
—That "Jackal" truly lived up to his name, taking a wound to the chest just to get a death grip on the Long Spear.
Furthermore, Du Cang slashed out several times toward Chen Yi’s hands, forcing him to release the Long Spear and dodge.
Seeing this, Du Cang began to laugh. "Liu Wu!"
"Without this Long Spear, how much of your combat strength is left?!"
Chen Yi had a strange look on his face. He looked at the spear that had completely run through Du Cang’s chest and opened his mouth:
"You... was all this really necessary?"
But Xiao Wan’er, at his side, grew tense, her hands gripping the corner of his clothes tightly.
"Y-you should probably run, shouldn’t you?"
Before Chen Yi could speak, Du Cang violently pulled the Long Spear out and stabbed it into the ground beside him. He pressed a few points on his chest to stop the bleeding and grinned viciously.
"Run?"
"I told you, I’ll kill you both today even if it costs me my life!"
With that, he charged forward ferociously again. He was nothing like the cunning and shrewd man of the rumors, but instead barreled ahead like a Grand General leading a vanguard to slaughter the enemy.
Chen Yi, in contrast, held Xiao Wan’er tighter and patted her reassuringly, the strange smile on his face growing wider.
"That’s right. Without my Long Spear, I can’t unleash the full power of my Spear Dao."
"But what you don’t know is that when I first began my Martial Arts journey, the very first Technique I cultivated was the Fist Dao."
"So what? Can your fists really... can... can..."
Du Cang charged right up to him, only to suddenly feel an aura as heavy as a mountain press down on him, making it impossible for him to finish his sentence.
But more than that, his heart trembled, and an irrepressible fear filled his body.
"You, your fist... Great, Great... your physical body is at... Per-Perfection?"
The smile on Chen Yi’s face grew even brighter. Facing the figure just inches away, he threw a punch that seemed slow but was deceptively fast.
"That’s right. My fist is in no way weaker than my spear!"
Mountain Shattering Fist: Quake!
The Celestial Tier Mountain Shattering Fist, enhanced by Martial Arts·Body, smashed thunderously into Du Cang’s face.
Terrifying power, infused with the Heaven and Earth’s Spiritual Mechanism and further enhanced by Mountain Shattering Force, ground Du Cang’s Protective True Gang to dust, inch by inch.
After breaking through, it slammed violently into his head.
SPLAT!
Specks of white pulp mixed with blood flew in all directions.
A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.
It illuminated the silhouette of Chen Yi’s thrown punch, as well as the gaunt corpse slowly slumping to the ground.
Amidst the RUMBLE of thunder and the downpour of rain, a faint chuckle could be heard:
"Of course, my body isn’t weak either..."