Chapter 601: Escaping Eternal Damnation?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The integration of the souls of pinnacle experts like Ling Xiaozui, Mr. Nian, and Gu Chaliang were so abnormally intrinsic to them that despite a crushed spirit, there was a certain chance to find this lifetime's cultivation, experience, and achievement in the next lifetime as long as a sliver of their fragmented soul entered the reincarnation cycle. This was also the reason Feng Xiange was so taken aback when Gu Chaliang requested for the Eternal Evanesce Wine as one who drank the wine would have their soul completely annihilated without any exception.
Now that Gu Chaliang allowed Liang Canghai to end his own life, he was letting Liang Canghai's spirit return to the reincarnation cycle. He was basically giving Liang Canghai a chance of survival! However, Liang Canghai did not answer and continued attacking quietly, defending against Dugu Chou's sword energy.
Dugu Chou spoke, "Why fight so stubbornly just due to your pride? Why struggle in vain? If your partner could've come, he would've come; now that he still isn't here, he won't be able to come definitely. Facing Ling Xiaozui's full force attack, unless he's willing to make a huge sacrifice… but will he pay such a hefty price to save you?!"
Gu Chaliang followed in saying, "Liang Canghai, you know it yourself. Are you still certain that Mr. Nian will come back and save you now? Forget it, I won't make any more advance. You're also a martial artist, have a duel with Dugu Chou. Let him send you on your way. There's more glory in this than to die being beaten up."
Hearing the various jabs, Liang Canghai was not discouraged; instead, his counterattack turned fiercer. There were also involuntary croaks sounding from his throat. He really wanted to spit at Gu Chaliang now, landing his spit on the despicable wrinkled face, and lambast him with a finger at his nose, 'You all f*cking ambushed me, wounding me first then besieging me. Now that I'm on the brink of death, not much better than a dead man, you let me have a duel with Dugu Chou…'
'How can you be so utterly shameless!'
It was just that he was unable to it, he genuinely could not. His vision was getting blurrier and all the more he was feeling like he was falling into an endless abyss as if he could never reach the bottom.
Dugu Chou looked towards the other side as well, frowning and thinking why was Ling Xiaozui not letting his opponent over yet.
'Why aren't you going according to the script… Have you actually killed Mr. Nian?!'
At this time, a loud bolt crackled in the air. A ray of purplish golden light shot towards them from the sky in lightning speed. The momentum of it far exceeded everyone's range of imagination.
"Go all out, take Liang Canghai down!" hollered Dugu Chou.
Gu Chaliang who just said that he was no longer going to strike did the exact opposite without hesitation; he attacked wholeheartedly, like he was giving his life and fearing that his target would not die. Therefore, light curtains that brimmed with killing intent crashed down madly on Liang Canghai who was already staggering.
The drawn cry still resounded in the sky, a silhouette pounced down aggressively into the flickering scene of sword light and physical strikes.
"Clang, clang, clang…"
Firstly, it was Dugu Chou's sword that seemed to have collided against some weapon; it rang continuously and Dugu Chou had to deliver mystical Qi into his sword before he could suppress the momentum that was about to fling him away. Gu Chaliang's encounter was worse. With a low grunt, he somersaulted away, actually being flung by the newcomer who intervened abruptly. Feng Xiange who was farther away opened his eyes sharply; all that he saw was a black-clothed figure who was stained with blood all over descending before countless speckles of light shot out everywhere with a spin of his wrist.
Then, another loud explosion sounded. Thick dark fog spread along the noise, engulfing thousands of feet wide, obscuring the sky and land.
A cold voice spoke, "The great sentiment and favor of yours today shall not be forgotten. There shall be karma in this lifetime!"
Before the words could echo, a figure darker than the fog soared into the sky, intending to escape the fight.
"Wanna leave? Not so fast!"
Not only did Dugu Chou rose up with his sword, Gu Chaliang had also turned into a beam of purple light using his purple jade flute to chase their opponent using. Even Feng Xiange who was resting on the side attacked mightily now, charging into the dark fog with flashing saber light.
A low grunt cried out in the dark fog, someone was injured from the series of attack. In spite of it, Gu Chaliang and group suffered from similar retaliation; Gu Chaliang spat blood before staggering some hundreds of feet away while Dugu Chou shook with a low moan, his sword no longer striking out; as for Feng Xiange, he rolled away like a fallen gourd since injury was added to his already wounded self.
At the same time that the trio was forced to a withdraw, the black silhouette in the thick fog soared again. This time, blood was spraying out all over him. He charged out of the thick fog, carrying a man under his arm – who else if it was not Liang Canghai! The bleeding figure took a sharp bend in the air, surging towards the faraway like a maddened dragon with a howl. They disappeared in only a blink of eyes.
It was no longer in time when Dugu Chou and the rest wanted to give chase.
Ling Xiaozui's voice came from the sky then, "Where are you leaving? Stay where you are!"
A radiant sword light not unlike the sun sparkled its brilliance in the sky and across the mountains and rivers hundreds of miles away. Another low grunt came from the faraway before there was nothing else.
"Good, very well! Great indeed! I shall remember what happened today!" A resentful voice boomed from the faraway.
Ling Xiaozui landed slowly.
The quad – Feng Xiange who was lying on the ground, Gu Chaliang who was leaning against a trunk, Dugu Chou who was looking up, and Ling Xiaozui, exchanged a glance. A smile blooming from the corners of their lips.
"If you didn't let him come still, we may really have to kill Liang Canghai…" Gu Chaliang stood up with a stumble.
Ling Xiaozui coughed. "I can't help it. With how careful Mr. Nian is, he'll be suspicious if I'd let him go too easily. So I've only let him spit blood twice. The price he paid shouldn't be his bottom line yet…"
Dugu Chou sighed and said, "What Old Gu said is quite exaggerated… Even if Mr. Nian were to come a little later, I think Liang Canghai can still persevere… How can such an expert crumble so easily?"
"While victory is imminent and the advantage is ours when three of us work together, the other party was holding on to dear life without accounting for anything else. He didn't mind triggering all his potential energy of life and soul just to stay alive a moment longer. The survival intent can hardly be swayed. Old Gu's tactic of letting his spirit reincarnate isn't effective at all, he was just wasting saliva."
Dugu Chou said, "Maybe Liang Canghai will really die in our hands if it had been later but he won't go to that extent."
Ling Xiaozui nodded. It was basically similar to what he predicted.
Just like Dugu Chou's reasoning, this was the crux of the reason the pinnacle experts of this world could hardly be killed. Even when three experts were to besiege a person of the same level, the former would at most take the upper hand in the battle and win it; it was an entirely different story to really kill the person. The target would mostly opt to trigger all of their potential force to survive when it came to the critical juncture – even when such force, such a primal energy of life, could not be replenished for many years to come or even a lifetime when it was initiated. It was because the future could only be considered when they continued living; the current was what they needed to take care of promptly.
Instead, those who had gotten upper hand in the battle would never use a similar approach. Their combined ability was already far exceeding the opponent's; even when the opponent fought back hard and in extreme, they could still take the former down with some time. There was simply no need to insist on a tough battle and self-sabotage!
With such contrast, the enemy could very possibly leave as long as they worked hard enough. Taking today's battle as an example, the absolute-kill siege would be a joke if Feng Xiange drew back right when it mattered.
"What follows will be up to Brother Feng now."
Ling Xiaozui and the others turned to look at Feng Xiange in unison.