“Team China… why would they do this?” Adam suddenly asked the rest. Everyone was stunned. They had just never seen Adam ask others before, and with a dazed expression at that. The past him would always smile gently while explaining whenever he faced any confusing issues or difficult problems. Him acting this way, was… unsettling.
“Enough.”
Luo Yinglong suddenly stood up. He gazed into the distance, “Our camaraderie as teammates ends here. I’m joining team China from now on. Our Dao differs, and we can't walk the same path alongside one another. Next time we meet, we’re enemies. Return my Spirit Gathering Bottle to me. I don't wish to seize it by force. Lina. If you want to stay with me, leave with me. I don’t want you as my opponent when I’m enemies with team Celestial.”
The girl was dumbfounded, before an expression of awkwardness appeared on her. She didn't know what to say for a time. However, those around had slowly started to surround him.
Team Celestial wasn't numerous, merely numbering eight. Luo Yinglong. Song Tian. Adam. There were still four other newbies. Although they were termed ‘newbies’, they were still the leaders of other teams, so they were anything but weak.
“Luo Yinglong. I won't explain my actions to you. But there’s one thing you need to understand. I am team Celestial’s leader. Apologies, I won't be letting you go to team China, at least until before Xuan dies. Song Tian. I’ll have to trouble you to take action.” Adam didn't even look at Luo Yinglong, lowering his head as he thought.
The blonde girl got more anxious, hurriedly saying, “Don't fight internally. Our enemies are team Devil and team China… Yinglong, you’ve been like this since we found the ruins. What's the secret? Tell us. As long as you say it, what can’t be solved?”
“...It’s not that I don’t want to say. It’s that I can’t…” Luo Yinglong stared at Adam with a face filled with resentment. He only let out these words after a long time. He withdrew a small small sword from his chest area. Although it was merely palm-sized, the nearby Song Tian abruptly unsheathed his ancient broadsword, facing each other across a distance.
The blonde girl was already tearing up. She asked anxiously, “Why can’t you say it? Alright, alright. Can you just tell me alone? You won’t tell anyone, so, how about telling me only?”
“...It’s not that I don’t want to say. It’s that I can’t!”
As he spoke, Luo Yinglong suddenly sent his sent his palm slamming backwards. Visible spatial fluctuations appeared around his palm. A small flying sword was at the edges of the spatial fluctuations. It was incredibly tough, and was boring into the fluctuations, finally stopping when it was halfway in. The nearby man who had sent out that flying sword jeered, casually sending out another flying sword.
“Idiot. Hidden weapons are hidden weapons because they can catch people unawares. Like this, he might as well bring a bright sparkly spear to battle! What a waste of that innate skill he gained from that plot.”
Song Tian scolded inwardly. As Luo Yinglong prepared to counterattack after blocking the two flying swords, Song Tian was already slashing down. There was nothing fancy about it, a purely direct and open chop at Luo Yinglong.
“The first stance: Spring Lightningstorm Slaughters!”
Luo Yinglong ignored the flying swords man. The small sword in his hand trembled, and instantly turned into a transparent ancient sword. There were countless inscriptions on the sword’s body, and it blocked the incoming broadsword. The two collided instantly, and with a rumble, lightning bolts were sent flying in all directions by the ancient broadsword. The enormous voltage actually sent those around flying into the distance, leaving only Luo Yinglong and Song Tian still there.
“Why do you stop me?” Luo Yinglong roared, his face full of rage. “I refuse to believe you didn't notice. Bastard, are you still a person?”
Song Tian was calm, saying, “You and I differ. It’s only when you let go of everything, that you can pick up your weapon. The martial dao is my all. Not even death matters, so how could some external matters or objects affect me? Your attachments are too great. I heard your Cultivation also happens to require letting go? It seems your accomplishments in the future won't be so great.”
“Great your ass. Song Tian, I’ve long since found you an eyesore. You keep going on about letting go of everything to attain the martial dao. Then bastard, why can't you let go of the martial dao, huh? Even If I leave today, I’ll kill you before that!”
Luo Yinglong was getting angrier and angrier. Howling, he tossed that ancient sword in his hand into the air. The ancient sword immediately split into dozens of ancient swords, dancing through the air. It covered his entire self, while his hands began to draw something in mid-air at the same time. Several runic diagrams appeared in the places his fingers passed. Within a short time, the area around him was filled with various runic diagrams, looking like a painting.
“Borrowing from the force of heaven and earth! Eight Trigrams Form!”
“Mountain! Collapses!”
Luo Yinglong’s hands came together, and the Refined Qi within his body gushed out in a frenzy. At the same time, countless runic diagrams appeared a hundred metres up in the sky, forming a continuously revolving Eight Trigrams formation. At the same time Luo Yinglong roared, Adam and Lina anxiously retreated. Only Song Tian, with a serious expression on his face, and the four other men, who stood there dumbly watching, were left. The Eight Trigrams formation spun faster and faster and finally, a giant shadowy figure appeared there.
“Mt.Tai Moves!”
In the sky! An enormous rock, hundreds of cubic metres in size, came crashing down. It fell towards Song Tian. The four other people only finally reacted now, running away madly. It was only now that they knew how strong Luo Yinglong was… or why Adam had told them not to provoke him before.
Luo Yinglong stomped down with force, leaping several metres into the air. An ancient sword appeared beneath his feet, and he relied on it to shoot several dozen metres up. At the same time, his hands continuously drew in the air, those runic diagrams appearing in the air once more.
“Fire! Blazes!
“Flame Inferno Blazes!” Luo Yinglong roared. His hands waved again, and his rate of consumption of Refined Qi was even more crazy. The Eight trigrams diagram rotated even more madly, changing from a deep red to an intense white. A stretch of white flames fell from the heavens, landing on the giant rock mountain. The rock mountain was actually unable to withstand the blazing hot white flames.
It began to burn up and vaporise. At this moment, lightning began to spew out below the mountain, and a streak of purple lightning ascended upwards form below. It parted the mountain and flames in half, Song Tian standing there wielding his sword as before.
“The third stance: Purgatory of Lightning!”
Luo Yinglong wasn’t flustered upon seeing this. He said loudly, “Good! You’re someone who pursues the martial dao alright. You’ve indeed mastered that sword manual to completion. Even the original user Xiang Yu [1] probably can’t match up to you! An impressive Seven Strikes of Purple Lightning! An impressive Song Tian! Let’s continue!”
Luo Yinglong no longer used his ‘borrowing the force of heaven and earth’. He used his sword to slit open his wrist. Twelve flags shot out speedily from behind him. They were constructed from some unknown material, and actually enlarged to around a dozen metres tall. Fierce monsters were on the flags, which all roared as if they were alive. The ground Song Tian was standing on suddenly protruded upwards with him as the centre. A region of ground a hundred metres in circumference continued to bulge out, as if there was a platform growing. This ground had already risen over ten metres.
“Twelve Evil Gods Formation!”
“Come on, Song Tian and Adam! I’m going for broke! Neither of you should think of escaping today!”
Luo Yinglong seemed to have gone mad. He roared loudly, fresh blood continuously flowing from his wrists. Black smoke billowed around the twelve giant flags. The monsters on it bared their fangs and brandished their claws, as if they wanted to exit the flag. Although they didn't attack, just looking at this frightening formation made the newbies want to piss their pants. They kept moving backwards, though they didn't dare run away unbridledly.
It was only now that they knew the gap between Luo Yinglong and them. It was a gap that could no longer be bridged with mere numbers.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Suddenly, the clear and crisp sound of clapping rang out. Although it wasn’t loud, it actually suppressed the howling of those monsters. Everyone subconsciously looked over, only to see a Chinese youth standing in mid-air not far off. He was smiling coldly as he watched on, and he was the one who had clapped.
“Nice show. I really wanted to watch it to the end. Unfortunately, I’m under orders here and can’t let you all run amok. Adam, I’m team Devil’s emissary, here to convey Xuan’s words. Would you like to hear it?”
The youth who had come was Luo Gando of team Devil. He ignored the mid-air Luo Yinglong and Song Tian who was on platform, only smiling coldly at Adam.
Adam froze, before realizing what was going on. He smiled, “Finally here? I’ve been waiting for so long. Tell me everything Xuan said.”
Gando’s mouth began to move non-stop. No one knew what he was saying. After several dozen seconds, he finally said, “Alright, message conveyed. It’s your choice now.” Finished speaking, he ignored everyone else, giving them a cold laugh before turning around and flying off. He didn’t visibly use any technique or equipment, simply flying into the sky for no apparent reason.
Adam watched Gando fly off into the distance, letting out a breath as he said to Luo Yinglong. “Go. You know the rules. You can’t say anything. Although Xuan may understanding what you’re trying to get at, but that’ll take time.”
Adam withdrew a jade bottle from his chest area. Seemingly without him doing anything, the bottle slowly floated through the air and landed in Luo Yinglong’s palm.
Luo Yinglong’s expression fluctuated constantly. He looked again at Lina who was continuously crying on the ground. He finally gave a sigh. “Fine fine… you’re not going to die a good death, Adam!”
With a wave of his hands, the giant flags flew back into his hands.
The surrounding darkness slowly receded as well. There were no longer any vestiges of the power of the Twelve Evil Gods Formation remaining apart from the giant stone platform.
“Lina… don’t.” After speaking, Luo Yinglong turned around and sped away, his flying sword bring him into the distance as he gradually vanished into the horizon...
[1] Xiang Yu is from a Hong Kong manhua named Legend of Emperors. It features fictionalised stories of various ancient Chinese rulers, incorporating elements of wuxia and Chinese mythology as well. It was never translated to English, so not much in the way of links I can offer you.