Chapter 599: Skied Glints of Gold
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Although all four men present belonged to a group of the same level with limited differences in their cultivation base standard, there was indeed a contrast of strength among them.
Dugu Chou, Ling Xiaozui, the mysterious man in black himself, and Mr. Nian were the ones who were on par with each other. Their capabilities were similar, thus it would be difficult to foresee the result if they were to fight in a duel.
As for Heaven's Inquisition, Gu Chaliang, he was parallel to them in level, but he was undeniably weaker as his main cultivation was not meant for martial battles. If the mysterious man were to fight with him, the former was confident that he would be able to defeat Gu Chaliang in three hundred strikes.
Feng Xiange's cultivation base would be weaker than the above mentioned. He was similarly not known for battles, thus it would be a stretch for Feng Xiange to fight the mysterious man and trade a hundred blows.
Therefore, Feng Xiange was the weakest link in the siege! As long as this barrier could be broken, the mysterious man could leave gracefully. Otherwise, he would be in danger, even if he could break through this link.
As such, he set up his game plan immediately; he would attack Feng Xiange in full force!
He did not intend to kill the old man, only to break through this siege.
The black-clad mysterious man charged over like a berserk tiger; Feng Xiange, who was his direct target, felt the pressure mounting at once!
However, Feng Xiange had already read the other's mind. His ploy was terribly obvious. His side's combat power far exceeded that of the opponent's; the blockade had been formed. The mysterious man was even injured, thus his combat power had been reduced. That being said, the man's true combat power was still above that of Feng Xiange's, capable of killing the latter.
Advancing so aggressively towards him and locking down on him as the target of his killing intent, the mysterious man was obviously forcing him to give way! As long as Feng Xiange drew back, the other party could flee at once. With his cultivation base, they could no longer kill him once he escaped the siege despite being injured; they could only watch him flee.
Understanding this, Feng Xiange breathed in deeply. A glow grew and enveloped him as he welcomed the attack head-on without any hint of evasion. The only solution now was to fight the man in black, face to face without attempting to avoid him!
Feng Xiange had become increasingly firm the older he grew; knowing the crux of the situation, he would never get cold feet. Since the man in black dared to pick him as the breaking point, the old man would make it a point to demonstrate the irony of his choice, so that the black-clothed man would know how it felt being arrogant, absurd and unreasonable…
In fact, the moment he had decided to fight the man forcefully, Feng Xiange had a strange thought that flashed through his mind.
'Heaven's Inquisition obviously has a great grudge against the Four Seasons Tower, barely irreversible, while Ling Xiaozui has a grudging past with the Four Seasons Tower. We can add on the resentment with which the Four Seasons Tower has plotted against Yun Yang. As for Dugu Chou, due to the prior exchange of swords, they would stand against each other as well. Heaven's Inquisition has stated clearly before – Haven't I found two helpers?'
'Those two helpers would namely be Dugu Chou and Ling Xiaozui…'
'Considering all this, this has nothing to do with me. I can totally sit this one out and be free of troubles. However, why am I the one giving it my all now?'
Feng Xiange countered the attack with all his might while feeling that he was actually very, very ill-used.
What was he fighting for? More specifically, what reason did he have to gamble with his life?
No matter how Feng Xiange analyzed the situation inwardly, he had still given his all. It was evident that the fatal siege was already formed. If the man in black did escape from Feng Xiange's place, he would not be able to survive the Four Seasons Tower's subsequent revenge even if Gu Chaliang and the rest did not blame him for it.
This man must be retained here today!
With a loud bang, the result was clear. The mysterious man clad in black's fatal strike did not pale in comparison to any full forced strike from either Ling Xiaozui or Dugu Chou. Despite using his entire array of skills to defend himself, Feng Xiange was flung away like a broken kite with a cry; blood spurted from his mouth as he flew through the air, the severity of his injury apparent.
However, the mysterious man's state was equally bad. He had been ambushed by Heaven's Inquisition earlier; bearing the injury, not only were his internal organs injured, two of his ribs were broken as well.
While Heaven's Inquisition was not as powerful as Ling Xiaozui, Dugu Chou or Mr. Nian, he was an expert of the same level, a masterly expert. Successfully ambushing his target in full force and without the target being alert to his attack, the target would not be able to shrug off the strike.
The mysterious man in black had launched his strike without any reservation, hoping to break the siege. He attacked with fervor and a threatening stance, but deep down, he had hoped to rely on luck; he prayed that Feng Xiange would opt to protect himself to avoid being wounded so that he could flee unscathed.
It was a pity that the all-in counter had produced the reverse effect, triggering Feng Xiange to welcome the attack head-on. Feng Xiange was no ordinary expert; he had been the Phantom Physician God of Wine for centuries. How could he have stayed alive until now if he had been bereft of substantial ability?
Feng Xiange's all-in counterattack added another wound to the man in black's injury. His already injured organs were jostled further, causing the man to see darkness before blood began to leak out of his mouth.
The wind shrieked louder – Dugu Chou's attack was already approaching him.
The mysterious man in black's staggering form halted before he swayed in the air like a willow. It was as if he faced no resistance and he was going along with Dugu Chou's attacking energy, seeking to leverage on the force. Yet, how could leverage be borrowed so easily from Dugu Chou's attack?
The man in black who had been struck yet again spat another mouthful of blood, but the ruler in his hand glowed brightly.
Countless tiny golden glints flew to engulf an area hundreds of meters wide.
"Skied Glints of Gold!"
Feng Xiange, Dugu Chou, and Heaven's Inquisition cried out simultaneously.
"Are you Liang Canghai?"
"We wouldn't have expected the odd talent who took both the official and martial world by storm, who awed the world back in the day, to have fallen and become the Four Seasons Tower's stooge!"
Feng Xiange wiped away the blood from the corner of his lips and stood shakily, unable to contain the surprise in his eyes.
Liang Cangai howled, not at all caring that his long-hidden identity had just been exposed, as he fled away like an arrow. It was already a fact that his identity had been revealed, there was no need for further discussion. His priority now was to keep on living!
Skied Glints of Gold – Liang Canghai had beaten every opponent he met in the world back in the day with his ruler, his fame skyrocketing with every victory. The ruler in his hand was much more renowned than the man himself. Besides being a rare weapon, the ruler was also a highly-ranked mystical secret weapon in the martial world.
The ruler was made from countless tiny, golden, filiform needles. The term Skied Glints of Gold displayed the characteristic of this ruler accurately. This was because the golden filiform needles that formed this ruler bore almost no weight; the ruler was as light as feather being made from such needles. The golden filiform needles had a strange curve to it that once it broke someone's skin, it could enter the body, following the bloodstream. It made the task of extracting the needles horribly arduous.
Anyone who was struck would not be able to escape death, no matter how remarkable their cultivation base. Even Liang Canghai himself would be helpless in the light of such an injury!
Therefore, it was also called Deadly Glints of Gold by the martial artists of lore.
Even as Liang Canghai's fame grew with time and his legend was taking the continent by storm, he had mysteriously disappeared.
It had been centuries since someone had last seen him, until today. Most people had assumed that he had passed away long ago. Consequently, it was harder for Gu Chaliang and the group to see that not only was he alive, he had become the Four Seasons Tower's secret pillar of force.