Chapter 291: Big Dagger and Little Dagger
“Bang!”
A sound of impact could be heard when the flying object was blocked by the protective barrier created by the Cataclysmic Seal. Since Bai Yunfei had powered up the barrier beforehand, it was able to stop the opposing object without posing harm to him and Tang Xinyun.
The sword went from a breakneck pacing to a screeching halt. Tang Xinyun flew into Bai Yunfei’s back due to the forward inertia.
Ignoring the small yelp and soft sensation, Bai Yunfei’s right hand rose while he stabilized the flying sword. In an instant, the Fire-tipped Spear appeared in his waiting hand.
Tang Xinyun stepped back with a slightly red face. Her eyes glanced in the direction the attack had come from.
However, another attack did not come.
Bai Yunfei let out a slight breath of relief, but his eyes remained wary, making sure the coast really was clear.
Underneath them was a large swath of forest. Within the forest, a group of people could be heard embroiled in a fierce fight. The strike from before had been from the blade of one of the fighters, but it had been accidental. None of the combatants had noticed Bai Yunfei or Tang Xinyun, so that strike could be called a ‘stray bullet’ rather than an intentional one.
Either way, Bai Yunfei felt displeased with the situation, “If you’re going to fight, then fight among each other. Why bother flinging an attack into the air!?”
A total of six fighters were fighting down below. On one side, there were two soul cultivators with a greenish light around them, meaning they were both wind affinity soul cultivators.
On the other side, the four fighters were all dressed in black robes, indicating they were from the same group.
Of the two fighters, one of them was a young man and the other was an even younger man, but neither of their appearances could be seen accurately. The younger one was an early-stage Soul Ancestor, and the older one was a late-stage Soul Ancestor.
Of the three black-robed men they were fighting, two of them were mid-stage Soul Ancestors and one of them was a late-stage Soul Ancestor.
The difference in strength between the two sides was extremely obvious to see, but somehow, the two sides were in a stalemate.
That was because of the mysterious but special fighting styles the two youngsters were using with one another.
The fourth black-robed man sat outside the battle with a solemn expression. There was no elemental glow surrounding his body, and his strength couldn’t be judged.
This was a battle between soul cultivators where both parties possessed a lot of strength.
On their travels, Bai Yunfei and Tang Xinyun had come across plenty of troubles and fights. It happened more frequently than not, and Bai Yunfei would usually take care of the problem if it was a bandit raid of some sort. When it came to fights between soul cultivators, Bai Yunfei felt disinclined to stick around. He would usually leave after a quick observation of the situation.
It was true that Bai Yunfei felt rather annoyed when they were nearly struck, but he didn’t want to stick around either. After a small moment of consideration, Bai Yunfei decided to take off.
“Eh?”
Before he could, Bai Yunfei noticed something strange taking place in the battle below him.
The two soul cultivators had a very particular way of fighting. Both of them held exceptional-looking flying daggers in one hand and a longsword in the other. Their longswords were used when they needed to defend themselves.
As wind affinity soul cultivators, both of them would make use of their speed to withdraw some distance to throw their flying daggers. Then, the other person would take advantage of how their enemies would dodge to strike at an opening. The two worked in tandem to create openings and exploit them, and if not for the equally strong enemies, they would’ve opened them full of holes already.
At an even closer look, one could see that the two soul cultivators had the upper hand.
As he watched the two figures throw their flying daggers one after another, Bai Yunfei’s eyes lit up with curiosity, “Are those…?”
“Aren’t they… the Flying Daggers!?”
The small gasp of shock prompted Bai Yunfei to turn around. “What did you say, Xinyun? The Flying Daggers?”
Still surprised, Tang Xinyun continued to look and point at the two soul cultivators. “I know those two. They’re two of the most well-known bounty hunters in the Forest Pass Province: Han Chong and Han Lin. Han Chong is called the Big Dagger, and Han Lin is called the Little Dagger.”
“Bounty hunters?” He raised an eyebrow at that. Even he knew something about people in that line of work. They were often people who worked for commission; similar to mercenaries. Like mercenaries, bounty hunters were a mix of ordinary people and soul cultivators, but the difference lay with how they worked.
Mercenaries worked in large groups. Bounty hunters worked with no more than three people in a team—many worked by themselves.
“My family hired a few bounty hunters two years ago. Those two had been hired, and they were the only ones who accomplished the mission. It’s said they never miss their targets, and even though they aren’t particularly strong by themselves, the two of them work together so well that even a Soul Exalt would have to be cautious around them.”
“Are they really that amazing?” Bai Yunfei asked in curiosity. “Xinyun, do you know who those four people are?”
Looking again at the battle, Tang Xinyun was silent for a moment.
“Those four… I actually might know who they are.”
“Really?” Bai Yunfei hadn’t expected a positive response. Tang Xinyun wasn’t a person that knew much about the world, so he was surprised to hear that she knew who both sides were, “Who are they?”
“If I’m not wrong…” She bit her lower lip, “they’re the major criminals known as the ‘Four Death Gods’.”
“Four Death Gods?” Bai Yunfei was astounded. What kind of people loved having nicknames like that?
Nodding her head, Tang Xinyun said, “That should be them. I remember coming across a warrant issued by the provincial authorities. The four of them are criminals capable of any and every crime with the strength to do whatever they wish. They love taking the corpses of female commoners and cutting them into pieces most especially. The four of them are demented demons of nature!”
By the final sentence, Tang Xinyun’s entire frame was shaking with anger.
“I see…” Bai Yunfei narrowed his eyes. “Do you know any specific details about the four?”
“What?” Tang Xinyun asked, “Yunfei, are you planning on fighting them? They’re all Soul Ancestors, Yunfei! You joining the fight would only mean…”
“Haha, don’t worry. I won’t do anything rash. I just want to be prepared. So, tell me what you know about the four.”
“Well…” Tang Xinyun didn’t want to prod him about it, so she pointed a pale finger at the rightmost person, “That one’s ‘Go Die,’ the youngest of the four. He’s a mid-stage Soul Ancestor with an earth affinity. His weapon is the mother and son sword. He loves to use sneak attacks when they’re least expected.
“The one next to him is ‘Must Die.’ Like his twin, he’s also a mid-stage Soul Ancestor. He likes using a hook claw, and he specializes in a defense that’s hard to deal with.
“The strongest one is ‘Never Die.’ He’s a late-stage Soul Ancestor with a water affinity. He got his nickname from how he never seems to die no matter what. People say he knows a heaven tier soul skill that helps him heal from any wound instantly. He likes using a mid-earth tier saber that’s over a meter long and has a metal affinity. Rumors say he has a very strong armament skill, but I don’t know what it is…”
“What’s with all those nicknames!!” Bai Yunfei deadpanned. “What about that one?” He pointed at the one sitting outside of the battle.
“He’s the eldest of the Four Death Gods, ‘Insta Die.’ No one has ever seen him fight before, so we don’t know how strong he is.”
“Insta Die?” Bai Yunfei raised an eyebrow at that. In his mind, he was already thinking that Insta Die was the strongest one of the four. If he could kill in one shot, that was an extremely amazing feat.
“Yunfei, are you really planning on helping the Flying Daggers?” The look on Bai Yunfei’s face was more than enough to let Tang Xinyun know what he was thinking. There was no way Bai Yunfei would help the four Death Gods, so the only other conclusion was that Bai Yunfei would want to help the Flying Daggers eliminate the other four.
“Let’s wait and see.” Bai Yunfei shook his head, “Now’s not the time.”
Tang Xinyun was hesitant, but she said nothing. The two continued to stand on top of the sword, watching the fight for several minutes. Bai Yunfei had been very curious about watching the spectacle, especially whenever Han Chong and Han Lin fought with one another.
The Flying Dagger brothers had reputation as strong bounty hunters, and it was not an empty title for sure. They were able to gain an advantage over their current enemies even though their enemies were of an even higher level of strength, and the more they fought, the more the three Death Gods were hurt and overwhelmed.
The energy levels of both sides were running considerably low after some time went by. The Flying Daggers still had a greater advantage, and if things were to continue like this, the Four Death Gods would surely lose.
Even at this juncture, the one named ‘Insta Die’ continued to sit where he was with the same solemn look on his face.
Bai Yunfei’s eyes scanned the area for a brief moment. His eyes flashed several times before the sword underneath the two sped off.
“Eh? Yunfei, weren’t you going to help out?”
Tang Xinyun hadn’t thought that Bai Yunfei would leave, but the sword was already taking them away.
Several hundred meters later, the two of them came to a stop at a tree that seemed to span into the heavens.
Turning around, Bai Yunfei said to Tang Xinyun, “You stay here, Xinyun. I’m going to help!!”
In response, Tang Xinyun stepped onto the tree branch next to them. She knew what Bai Yunfei was thinking, so she made no attempt to stop him. Before Bai Yunfei left, Tang Xinyun said, “Yunfei, be careful… even though they used up a lot of soulforce, they’re still Soul Ancestors. Your soulbound armaments and lifebound armaments might help you, but you can’t use any elemental fire; don’t get yourself in too much danger… if something’s off, run away as soon as you can.”
Bai Yunfei nodded, “Relax, Xinyun. I’ll be discrete.”
He looked to Xiao Bai on Tang Xinyun’s shoulder next, “Xiao Bai, protect Xinyun in my place. Stay here and don’t make a move.”
“Chirp!!” Xiao Bai tweeted with a flap of its wings.
“Then… I’m going!”
With a small smile to reassure Tang Xinyun, Bai Yunfei hopped back onto the sword. He equipped the Walk-on Strawhat before speeding back to the fight.