Kapitel 23: Chapter no.24 A Manipulative Woman
Zhongli stood in the center of the abandoned town, his eyes narrowed as he surveyed the scene before him. Two cultivators were locked in battle, their swords clashing with a loud metallic ring that echoed through the empty streets. The sound of their heavy breathing and grunts of exertion added to the chaotic atmosphere.
The first cultivator was a short blonde-haired woman, her attire was made of earth-toned robes that were adorned with symbols of the earth. She held a sword made of dark stone in her hand, the blade was thick and heavy, perfect for her affinity of Earth. Her face was contorted with concentration as she fought with all her might.
The second cultivator was a lavender-haired male, his attire was made of silver robes adorned with runic patterns that glimmered in the sunlight. He held a sword made of silver in his hand, the blade was long and slender, perfect for his affinity of runic array formations. He was using his sword as a conduit for his array formations, sending out bolts of spiritual Qi that struck the earth-affinity cultivator.
Zhongli knew that the array formation expert was the more troublesome one to fight. Array formation experts were cultivators who had the expertise in creating and utilizing runic arrays. These arrays were geometric patterns or formations used to control the flow of spiritual Qi of the world for various purposes, such as enhancing the power of spells or protecting an area from harm. Experts were typically skilled in both the theoretical knowledge and practical application of array formations, and had a deep understanding of the principles of spiritual Qi of the heavens and Earth. However, such experts were rare to find in the Murim world because of the time, resources, and effort needed to raise a normal array formation expert. But an array formation expert who could utilize his craft in battle was an even rarer sight.
As Zhongli watched the battle unfold, he couldn't help but reminisce about the time his father rejected his idea of joining the array formation school.
.....
"No, absolutely not. I will not allow my son to waste his time and effort on something as foolish as array formation. It's a useless pursuit, and those who study it are nothing but weaklings. You will not be joining any array formation school, do you understand?"
"But Father, that's not fair. Array formation is a valuable and respected field of study. While it is weak in the beginning, it has its strengths and can be very powerful in the right hands. Plus, think of the respect and admiration we could earn if I were to become a skilled enough array formation expert. Please, Father, reconsider your decision."
"I will not be swayed by your empty arguments, my son. Array formation is a waste of time and talent, and I will not allow you to pursue it. You will focus on more practical and worthwhile pursuits, and leave this nonsense behind. That is final."
....
Zhongli couldn't shake the feeling that his father had been wrong, and that he could have been a powerful array formation expert if only he had been given the opportunity.
The sound of the battle grew louder as the two cultivators continued to fight, their blades clashing with a deafening ring.
Zhongli smiled before pulling out a bow and arrow from his spatial sack and taking aim.
As the array formation expert was pressed further and further, Zhongli waited for the right moment to attack.
Zhongli pulled back the bowstring, lining up the arrow with the head of the array formation expert. He took a deep breath, focusing on his target as he channeled fire and Earth-attributed spiritual Qi into the arrow, and then release the string with a swift, fluid motion. The arrow flew through the air, slicing through the air with a sharp whoosh. It strikes the head of the expert with a thud, piercing the cranium cleanly and sending the lavender-haired man tumbling to the ground.
The Earth Affinity realm looked shocked at the intervention as Zhongli appeared in front of her. The two cultivators, Zhongli, and the earth manipulator stood facing each other in a deserted field, her eyes filled with a desire to live and a thirst for vengeance while Zhongli had a look about calm, using his new martial art technique, summoned forth an ethereal armor with four distinct extra arms like Ashura.
The earth manipulator, seeing Zhongli's impressive display, began to perform a series of dance-like moves, gracefully dodging and weaving around Zhongli. The blonde girl then used her Earth-attributed spiritual Qi to create sharp spikes of earth that rose from the ground and lunged toward Zhongli.
But Zhongli was ready, using his armor to crush the spikes. The blonde-haired gi, realizing that her attacks were ineffective, began to create walls of earth and launch them at Zhongli.
Zhongli, using his martial art technique, turned one of Ashura's hands into a whip as he effortlessly destroyed the Earth wall before ensnaring the short-haired girl she was able to use her dance-like skills to, gracefully dodge and weaved around the whip, but was unable to escape from Zhongli's grip.
In desperation, she began to create a large pit beneath Zhongli, hoping to trap him. But Zhongli just jumped over the pit.
Realizing that he was no match for Zhongli, she tried to flee the field. But Zhongli's whip ensnared the girl and brought her crashing to the ground.
Zhongli, standing over the defeated short-haired girl, raised his hand and prepared to deliver the final blow before he instinctively felt a sense of danger engulf him. Zhongli jumped back as an array formation formed above him, releasing a torrent of spiritual Qi that tore apart the blonde girl, Zhongli blinked and turned to see the lavender-haired array formation expert alive somehow.
Zhongli raised an eyebrow before charging forward as the lavender-haired man waved his hands forth, creating a form in between him and Zhongli with Zhongli absorbing his asura hands into his regular hands as they glowed purple with spiritual Qi radiating in the form of veins from his hand, Zhongli channeled all of his spiritual Qi into his hand and like a tsunami tearing through everything in its path, Zhongli attack broke the barrier and instantly eviscerated the lavender haired man.
Zhongli took a deep breath before throwing both corpses into the spatial back as he ran back towards Lin Lai.
....
The sun is slowly sinking below the horizon, casting a warm golden glow over the landscape. The sky is painted with beautiful shades of pink and orange, and the air is cool and crisp. In the distance, a gentle breeze rustles the leaves of the trees. As the last rays of sunlight disappear, the stars begin to twinkle in the darkening sky, signaling the start of a new evening.
In the middle of the abandoned town, the Bowman stayed outside while Lin Lai rested in the bed of the hospital with Zhongli sitting beside her. He could see that she had visibly gotten better. Zhongli looked at Lin Lai squeezing his hand in a tight grip. It would be a sweet gesture if he was a fool, he knew that this woman was dangerous and from multiple clues through this weird game from the bowman's flashcards to the lackluster race, etc everything felt off as if it had been planned by someone. Now sitting here, he had figured that this was nothing but a plan that this vixen had made for him to trust her.
Why?
Zhongli wondered before a thought filled his head.
Does she know about the Beast Blood Martial Skeleton?
As if everything had fallen into place, Zhongli realized that this woman someone figured out that he could get much stronger in an extremely short amount of time. What took normal people years, decades, etc to achieve took me nothing more than days.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Zhongli gazed upon Lin Lai.
If you think I am going to be your puppet then think of me as such, I'll suck you dry of all the benefits you could give me before I leave this place.
Geschenke
-- Geschenk
erhalten Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein