Chapter 622: A Tough Battle
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
'These people… Where did they come from? Which force do they belong to?' Doubts bubbled within Yun Yang as he made several stabs in the dark.
Throughout the entire duration of the ambuscade, Yun Yang had held onto Shangguan Lingxiu. From the moment he flew, hopped off from the tower, fought in the air, charged onto the wall, sprung off from the wall, and until he landed securely, seeing Yun Yang's odd expression, Shangguan Lingxiu had only uttered one line – "Go inform the Residence of Yun!"
In such intense combat, death was guaranteed if her two guards were to join in. On top of that, they would merely be an additional burden. They would never be of any help! In that case, it was better for them to leave so that they could inform the others.
After that, she did only one other thing – she calmed herself down to cultivate and hold her Qi so she could lighten herself. She ensured she was as light as possible to follow Yun Yang's movement, becoming like a blade of grass or a puff of cloud.
She would move however Yun Yang wanted her to. All she asked for was to not cause Yun Yang any trouble nor elicit any sound. She did not say anything like "Put me down, leave on your own" or "Don't be bothered with me…". It was because she knew clearly that those words would be nonsense; any similar utterance or even a single word would cause Yun Yang's attention to shift to her.
This inadvertent action could lead to the worst consequence possible. This way, not only would Yun Yang refuse to put her down, it would be a humiliation to a skilled cultivator like Yun Yang! It would make the situation worse.
As the incident unfolded, she only did her best to make herself as light as possible, lighter than she already was… She tried her best not to be an extra burden to Yun Yang.
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…"
A few silhouettes caught up with them just as another bunch of shadows arrived right after they did. There was a total of eleven people that surrounded Yun Yang and Shangguan Lingxiu.
Before a ring could be formed, Yun Yang expended his energy in a risky maneuver and went all out. The two forms and four styles of the Divine Edge were executed to completion, pouncing like a furious dragon that glowed dazzlingly.
His opponents had only just managed to recover their balance.
This was the best opportunity.
Two cries later, two men were cut into eight separate pieces by Yun Yang, creating a gap between them.
Just as Yun Yang was about to dart away, a beam shone down from the sky. A ray of bright radiant sword light cut right in front of Yun Yang. If he were to charge through it, he would only trap himself within the net of sword energy.
Yun Yang retracted his saber and scanned his surroundings before putting up his defense and drawing back.
The light continued to stream down, seizing the moment when Yun Yang retreated and launched an aggressive attack.
Yun Yang cried, his saber hacking furiously, one stroke after another.
"Clang, clang, clang…"
A dozen deafening collisions later, both sides let out a low grunt and pulled back respectively.
A masked man in black landed in front of Yun Yang. Obviously, this person was the leader who had yet to show himself throughout the ordeal.
Yun Yang wielded his saber; watching the other party coldly, he silently adjusted his breathing.
"Your reputation rings true. Young Master Yun does live up to your reputed name – impressive indeed!" The leader's voice was hoarse, his gaze flickering with resentment.
He had deployed sixteen brothers in this operation to ambush Yun Yang. Initially, he thought it was overkill; the operation should have been a piece of cake. Yet, five of his men had died just as they managed to coerce their target away from the inn!
Young Master Yun was a tough character. He was amazingly skilled and spontaneous in his reaction; the brutality of his attack far exceeded their expectations.
Yun Yang only replied with a sneer. He did not issue a retort. He was currently cultivating hard under his breath. The Endless Divine Art was being cultivated rapidly as he felt his dantian and mystical Qi gradually recovering. The exhaustion previously was swiftly dissipating. There was no point for him to be bothered with what the masked man was saying and to waste this breath of energy he was refilling himself with.
Engaged in the tough battle with Yun Yang earlier and countered by the latter, the masked man clad in black was also short of breath. Using the gap to speak, he caught his breath as well and allowed his subordinates to regain their energy and complete their formation for the next fatal set-up. When he saw Yun Yang's reaction, however, he knew that such a delay was a luxury, given how experienced he was. He waved and said, "Attack, send Young Master Yun on his way!"
Before his words echoed in the air, the ten people around Yun Yang attacked in unison!
It was the masked man in black instead who held himself back, his gaze flickering dangerously.
It was discernable that his plan was for the ten men to crack open Yun Yang's weak point and finish him off in a single blow! They would obtain the Go playbook as well, the item that their superior had stressed to retrieve.
Without Yun Yang's instructions, Shangguan Lingxiu backed out thirty feet away automatically. Her back was against the wall, a short sword gleaming chillingly in her grip while her eyes watched the field with her full concentration.
Under such circumstances, not only would she not be of assistance; if she were to insist on staying by Yun Yang's side, she would only add to his trouble and weaknesses. Therefore, backing out from the proximity without hesitation was the best option.
Furthermore, with her standing by the wall, she could notice an ambush should the enemy initiate one from this direction. As long as she could see it, she could warn Yun Yang, adding to his chance of survival, even if she were to die in the next instant.
Yun Yang was still poised as ever in his fluttering, purple gown. The cold light in his hands blinked merrily, as usual. Abundant basic Qi from heaven and earth was gushing towards where they stood.
Their enemy had a total of eleven experts and two of them were even cultivators of the Dao realm. It should have been completely child's play for such a line-up to kill him. If it were not for the coincidental door slam that awarded him an amount of time, he would have been in far graver danger in the room.
Yun Yang was oddly calm now, his thoughts clear and cool like the ice and snow.
Other than the approaching battle, he cared about nothing else.
He cultivated the Endless Divine Art with all he could during this critical juncture, the crossroads of life and death. Refined mystical Qi surged in his meridians. There was only his cultivation method that he could rely on during this critical time. The Endless Divine Art possessed a much faster speed that allowed him to regain his breath compared to the masses – this was his biggest advantage in this battle.
His eyes were not trained on the incoming attackers. Most of his focus was on the blade in his hand. His intention was fixated, every that formed who he was merging into one seamlessly.
This was the first time Yun Yang had entered such a realm since he had begun fighting.
The many fights previously had never brought him face to face with enemies of levels this high. Of course, there had been situations that were more threatening than it was now, but his level had never achieved these heights.
At this moment in time, in this murderous and perilous atmosphere, Yun Yang, who was at an extreme disadvantage, had subconsciously entered this state. He could feel the earth under his feet expanding and stretching. His mind was crystal clear like the entire world was encapsulated within his senses.
It was an amazing feeling!