Capítulo 178: Chapter 178: Imperial City Battle (10)
Yanggang let out an animalistic roar towards the sky, and once again a dark energy intertwining with an icy blue spread out in four directions from Yanggang's body as he summoned his martial spirit, the Celestial Yin Beast.
As the Celestial Yin Beast emerged and hovered behind Yanggang, the blood stain on Yanggang's lips disappeared.
However, for a fleeting second, a faint pink had colored his cheeks as he recalled what he said earlier. He wasn't going to use his martial spirit and even generously granted Huang Xiaolong the first move!
He was now basically eating his own words. Yanggang slowly raised his head, his venomous eyes falling on Huang Xiaolong as they filled with hatred and an intense killing intent.
In the next moment, Yanggang fused with the Celestial Yin Beast and soul transformed.
Although one's martial spirit could solidify their ethereal selves into a corporeal entity after entering the Xiantian realm and battle as is, most warriors would choose to soul transform. After a soul transformation, the owner would receive a much higher boost in strength, among multiple other aspects.
Yanggang's body flickered the instant he soul transformed. His entire being seemed to evolve into a dark energy, drifting in Huang Xiaolong's direction yet arriving almost simultaneously. The increase in speed was astounding, surpassing the level Huang Xiaolong had shown earlier while using his Phantom Shadow ability.
Arriving in front of Huang Xiaolong, a cruel bloodlust of scarlet red gleam flitted across Yanggang's eyes, slamming his palms right into Huang Xiaolong's chest.
"Withering Bloom Palm!"
Dark energy trailed behind, enveloping Yanggang's palms as they struck with an icy blue glow that reflected in-between the darkness.
This was the energy of Yin and darkness. The darkness energy of a Celestial Yin Beast was regarded as the coldest and most poisonous energy that existed between heaven and earth.
After Yanggang soul transformed, he used the celestial Yin energy that was unique to the Celestial Yin Beast and Withering Bloom Palm which was a high mid-grade Earth rank battle skill comparable to some high-grade Earth rank battle skill.
Yanggang used one of his trump cards, aiming to send Huang Xiaolong flying with one strike just like he did to him. Only by doing so could he wash away the humiliation he felt!
The surrounding airflow stagnated as it became affected by the Withering Bloom Palm.
Just when Yanggang was confident his attack would hit Huang Xiaolong's chest, Huang Xiaolong raised his arms, countering with two palms of his own.
Boom! A resounding collision echoed from the stage as their four palms slammed against each other.
Huang Xiaolong swayed, wobbling two steps back.
When he steadied himself, Huang Xiaolong noticed that a layer of dark black ice had formed on his palms. At the same time, an icy blue energy seeped through the skin of his palms and entered his veins and meridians, trying to invade his body.
Seeing this, Yanggang sneered, "Huang Xiaolong, you're actually quite stupid to have taken my Withering Blossom Palm with your bare hands. Let me enlighten you, my celestial Yin energy will flow into your body along the veins and meridians of your palms. As the energy increases and accumulates, you will gradually realize that your entire body's veins, meridians, and blood will solidify into ice. Once it invades your internal organs it will feel like millions of ants biting all over, the pain will be pleasurable for you!"
"Enjoy it while it lasts!"
After generously departing with this information, Yanggang broke out in a hearty laughter mixed with elation and it reverberated in the air.
Below the stage many were still dazed due to shock. Looking at the result, heads shook in pity.
"This Huang Xiaolong is too careless, now that Yanggang's celestial Yin energy is going to destroy his body, he has no hope of winning!
The celestial Yin energy is the coldest and most poisonous energy. Even a Xiantian Third Order expert would be in a bind trying to expel it from his body!"
"Serves him right! He must have thought he would win the battle 'cause he managed to knock Yanggang down with one punch. That's why he was careless!"
Voices rose and fell, lamenting Huang Xiaolong's arrogance and mistake, while there were also people that gloated at his predicament.
On the main guest platform, Duan Wuhen and Cheng Jian could not help but frown.
Despite the many different reactions thrown his way, Huang Xiaolong remained calm. A burst of inky purple light enveloped Huang Xiaolong and both of his palms quivered slightly. The black ice formed on his palms shattered into particles and fell down whereas inside his body, when Yanggang's celestial Yin energy met with the same inky purple energy, it was swallowed up by the tyrannical inky-purple energy in Huang Xiaolong's body.
Watching the sudden turn of events, the people below the stage and the crowd suddenly exclaimed in surprise and bafflement.
The celestial Yin energy was known as the coldest and most poisonous energy, yet Huang Xiaolong treated it as nothing!
Duan Wuhen squinted his eyes as he stared at the inky purple glow flowing out from Huang Xiaolong's body and deeply pondered over it.
"What kind of battle qi is this?" Even Cheng Jian could not hide the surprise and curiosity from his voice.
Back on the stage, Yanggang's complacent laughter stifled abruptly.
Huang Xiaolong looked at the other side, apologizing in a 'modest' manner, "My apologies, it seems your celestial Yin energy is useless against me!"
Yanggang's face turned unsightly.
At that moment, a similar pool of dark black energy enveloped Huang Xiaolong's body and before everyone's bewildered eyes, turned into a pair of ebony wings. The white in his eyes was overtaken by a crimson color, making him appear bloodthirsty. His black hair turned completely white, starting from the roots and cascaded all the way down to the ends of Huang Xiaolong's long hair, flying upward as if it were defying gravity.
A heavy atmosphere of slaughter broke out from Huang Xiaolong, sweeping out to the entire Duanren Square.
Everyone's heart tightened.
"A very strong aura of slaughter!" Xie Puti muttered and his eyes narrowed solemnly.
"What battle skill is this? He can change his physique without soul transforming?!" On the main platform, Cheng Jian's eyes flashed.
Duan Wuhen did not speak, but the way he looked at Huang Xiaolong had taken a one hundred and eighty degree turn.
Terror seized Yanggang as he watched the changes happening to Huang Xiaolong, he strongly felt the terrifying rise in Huang Xiaolong's strength compared to before, and that thick aura of slaughter actually sent a chill all the way down to his core.
Suddenly, the Wings of Demon behind Huang Xiaolong extended and with a flap he reached Yanggang. The Blades of Asura in his hands reflected a cold glint as they swung out.
"Tempest of Hell!"
Huang Xiaolong's icy voice rippled above Duanren Square's void.
Dozens of cold blade lights appeared out of nowhere, gathering into two turbulent gales, spinning towards Yanggang.
Whimpers and cries originating from hell echoed from the stage.
Listening to the eerie cries, emotions of fear and terror inexplicably rose in everyone's heart. They were filled with panic, trepidation, and apprehension, causing them extreme discomfort.
Looking at the impending violent wind vortexes, Yanggang's pupils dilated in horror. Completely spooked, he continuously retreated backwards while throwing frenzied frontal attacks with the Withering Bloom Palm.
Under the barrage of attacks from Yanggang, airflow became stagnated due to the freezing energy, successfully slowing the two Tempest of Hell's speed.
Just when Yanggang was about to breathe out in relief, Huang Xiaolong leaped up, once again swinging the Blades of Asura. It was still the Tempest of Hell, however this time there was a combination of Tempest of Hell and Tears of Asura!
The howling cries of an Asura from hell pierced the square.
Yanggang was struck with terror as he stumbled backward, retreating again and again. Unknowingly, he had reached the edge of the battle stage.
"Celestial Yin Body!" All of a sudden, Yanggang bellowed. The surface of his skin was covered with a layer of ice blue film. Shockingly, his entire body softened limply as if there were no bones supporting him, barely aiding him in dodging Huang Xiaolong's attack.
The Celestial Yin Body was Yanggang's martial spirit ability. When displayed, his entire body became so soft that it was like he lacked any bones.
Huang Xiaolong was not surprised when seeing Yanggang successfully avoid his attack. If Yanggang was someone so easily defeated, then rumors would not pin him as the most likely candidate to win second place this year.
After he escaped Huang Xiaolong's attack, Yanggang twisted his body and lunged onto Huang Xiaolong. No one noticed when Yanggang had withdrawn the short blade in his hand.
The short blade in Yanggang's grip was a pure blood-red color. It was slim and narrow, and an image of a black skull could be seen on the blade's body. When Yanggang slashed the short blade towards Huang Xiaolong, it emitted a disgusting foul scent akin to a corpse that had been rotting for a very long time, nauseating the senses.
Huang Xiaolong waved the Blades of Asura, sparks flew from the blades friction.
After one exchange, both of them jumped back in retreat at the same time.
In the next moment, Huang Xiaolong's silhouette blurred, reappearing in midair. His body started to rotate at great speed while the Blades of Asura swung out continuously, covering the entire stage in the State of Abundant Lightning attack area, striking with the wrath of a devil.
Capítulo 179: Chapter 179: Imperial City Battle (11)
Streaks of lightning targeted Yanggang, whipping him like a savage torrent. Howling winds akin to cries from hell bombarded his body as hard rain pelted down, accompanied by wails of an Asura and angry thunderbolts.
Huang Xiaolong had successfully combined the fourth move of Asura Sword Skill, State of Abundant Lightning with the first move and second move, Tempest of Hell and Tears of Asura. This triple attack combination had more than doubled the attack power compared to when Huang Xiaolong previously only attacked with Tempest of Hell and Tears of Asura!
The sudden burst of terrifying energy from the three combined moves made the expressions of the experts who were outside the battle arena tighten.
On the stage, Yanggang watched in horror as the bright streaks of lightning grew denser.
"Celestial Yin Body!"
Terrified, Yanggang once again used Celestial Yin Body, softening his body to a state of seemingly being boneless, shifting quickly around the stage to avoid the attacking lightning. His boneless body continued to twist as he moved on the stage or twirled when jumping in midair. Using this method, Yanggang managed to avoid dozens of attacks, but in the end he was still struck in the chest.
A tragic resounding scream came from Yanggang as his body plummeted down from midair.
Numerous lightning streaks raged as if they excitedly found a place to vent their frustration and unleash their wrath upon. Every bolt of lightning hit Yanggang at the same time. Even though Yanggang tried to roll away, his back was exposed.
The aroma of charred meat permeated the air.
This move, State of Abundant Lightning, attacks by triggering the essence of the lightning element which was several times stronger than average lightning. Even with the Celestial Yin Body, Yanggang could not avoid being turned into roast meat when struck with such high intensity lightning.
All of the flashing lightning disappeared from the stage.
Huang Xiaolong floated down from midair onto the stage, staring coldly at Yanggang's figure lying on the battle stage. The ice blue film enveloping the surface of his skin slowly receded. Since he was so heavily injured and the battle qi in his body was exhausted, he could no longer maintain his altered physical transformation. Celestial Yin Body was deactivated.
One could hear faint howling cries coming from Yanggang's body while Huang Xiaolong stepped towards him.
Yanggang convulsed in pain, flopping and grunting on the stage floor. His face was distorted and his hands clawed and tore at his robe as if he wanted to rip apart his own chest. Red blood was instantly stained everywhere.
A queer silence fell on the square as everyone watched this scene.
No one uttered a sound. The result of this match was obvious to everyone.
The crowd looked at the tortured Yanggang with a complicated expression, all the while the cries and whistling howls did not cease to echo from Yanggang's body.
Below the stage, Cui Li, Pang Yu, and the rest all stared at Huang Xiaolong, unable to conceal the horror within their hearts.
If the person who battled against Huang Xiaolong just now was one of them and not Yanggang, what would've been their ending?
Yanggang's misery and anguish sent chills through Pang Yu down to his very core as cold sweat dampened his back.
In that very moment, Huang Xiaolong was more terrifying than Xie Puti in not only Pang Yu's eyes, but the crowd's as well. Although Xie Puti's phoenix fire brought about unbearable pain, it was nothing compared to the torment Yanggang seemed to be experiencing as he drowned in so much excruciating pain that he'd be better off dead. This exceeded what Xie Puti's phoenix fire induced.
"I, I, I!" Yanggang tried his best to say something when he noticed Huang Xiaolong's approach.
Huang Xiaolong sneered while watching him for he already knew what Yanggang wanted to say, but he would not give Yanggang that chance. A tiny spark of murderous rage glinted in Huang Xiaolong's eyes, then he raised the Blades of Asura in his hands.
However, just as Huang Xiaolong was about to swing the Blades of Asura down at Yanggang, a voice shouted: "Stop!". That voice seemed to contain an enthralling power that jarred Huang Xiaolong's consciousness, causing his action to halt midway.
"Huang Xiaolong, you've already won this match!" Cheng Jian stood up and said, "Stage battles only determine a win or loss, not life and death!"
Only determine win or loss, not life and death—this was one of the Imperial City Battle rules!
Huang Xiaolong frowned, but he put the blades away.
"For this battle, the winner is Huang Xiaolong!" Seeing Huang Xiaolong willingly drop the matter, Cheng Jian proceeded to announce the result.
When Cheng Jian officially made the announcement, the entire Duanren Square began to boil.
Before the battle started, it never crossed anyone's mind that Yanggang would end up losing so miserably. Moreover, Huang Xiaolong defeated Yanggang without relying on his martial spirit! If Huang Xiaolong were to summon his martial spirit, to what extent would his strength reach?!
Outside the battle arena, the over one thousand participants that were ousted on the first two days of competition had beads of cold sweat trickling down their foreheads after watching Huang Xiaolong and Yanggang's battle. At the same time, a feeling of solace washed over them.
They were thankful for not meeting Huang Xiaolong on the stage, and also thankful that they did not provoke him.
Huang Xiaolong turned around and walked down from the battle stage.
When he was passing by Xie Puti, Xie Puti spoke, "You are much stronger than I had expected. When we meet on the stage, I will use everything I've got to fight you!"
Huang Xiaolong looked at Xie Puti's face, then nodded at him but did not say anything. Just like that, he returned to his seat.
Cui Li's gaze that had been closely following Huang Xiaolong slowly looked away. At this moment, her emotions were in a state of turmoil.
The truth was, she had a good impression of Huang Xiaolong. They might not have known each other for long, but good impressions were not measured by how much time one spends with somebody else.
It was just that… ! Thinking of Heartless Young Noble and her family, Cui Li sighed hopelessly.
After the third group's battle between Huang Xiaolong and Yanggang ended, the fourth group was up. Pang Yu versus Jiang Damin.
The result was soon announced and was within everyone's expectation, Pang Yu defeated Juang Damin, winning the fourth group's battle. The match moved onto the fifth group which paired Dai Shanni against Hu Zhi and also ended in the assumed outcome without much suspense. Dai Shanni won.
With that, the first five battles of the day ended.
Six people with superb talent martial spirits. Other than the eliminated Yanggang, the remaining five secured the top five spots. The crowd lamented after witnessing this sad outcome. Yanggang was a popular candidate for winning second place in this year's Imperial City Battle, yet it ended with him not even making it into the top five.
Not to mention how heavily injured he was by Huang Xiaolong, whether Yanggang could even cultivate smoothly in the future was a question that remained to be answered.
With the top five spots determined, the remaining five people would next battle for the top three spots in the coming round.
At this time on the main platform, Cheng Jian inquired from Duan Wuhen, "Your Highness Second Imperial Prince, how should we arrange the coming matches?" According to Cheng Jian's original plan, once the competitors were whittled down to five candidates, Xie Puti would automatically be placed in the top three without contention. However, the strength Huang Xiaolong had just shown made him hesitate.
This question also made Duan Wuhen wrinkle his brows. Choose Xie Puti… or choose Huang Xiaolong as one of the top three without contention? It was a hard choice for him too.
"Follow what we set earlier." Duan Wuhen said solemnly.
Since it was hard to choose either one of them, proceeding according to the previous arrangement would work best.
"Yes, Second Imperial Prince." Cheng Jian understood Duan Wuhen's implied meaning.
Following that, Cheng Jian announced Xie Puti would directly enter the top three without contending against anyone else, thus leaving Huang Xiaolong, Cui Li, Pang Yu, and Dai Shanni to draw lots and battle it out.
The announcement did not faze Huang Xiaolong. He stepped out to draw a lot, and he got… Cui Li.
When Cui Li saw that her next opponent was Huang Xiaolong, the complicated emotions in her eyes deepened, while Pang Yu and Dai Shanni breathed out in relief on the side.
Against Huang Xiaolong, neither of them had any chance of victory. At least there was now an opportunity for one of them to enter top three.
Standing on the stage, Huang Xiaolong and Cui Li faced each other.
Cui Li looked grievously at Huang Xiaolong, "Do you blame me for bringing Zhao Wuji to look for you the other day?"
También te puede interesar
Comentario de párrafo