章 2: Brother Stone
編集者: Atlas Studios
"Brother Stone!"
While the three men were still slightly dazed, a surprised voice shouted out.
The girl had already picked herself up from the ground and tightly hugged the tall, young man who had suddenly emerged from the boulder.
The girl was petite to begin with, and her head only reached the tall youth's waist. At this moment, her pair of fair and tender hands were clinging to the tall youth's thigh, her watery eyes moving around as she looked at him with a pleading expression.
Hearing this, the other three men were stunned and looked at one another before their eyes fell onto the tall youth. They saw that the youth wore no expression even after the girl had called out to him. He was still looking forward in a daze. Immediately, there were looks of suspicion on the three men's faces.
The girl's heart tightened and the hands that were holding on to the youth's thigh shook and she shouted hurriedly, "Brother Stone, I've finally found you! …Those bad guys want to catch me. Brother Stone, help me beat them up!"
This time, the tall youth appeared to have heard the girl's shout and his head lowered slightly.
The girl raised her head to meet the eyes of the youth and her heart jolted when she saw the emptiness in the youth's eyes.
But in the eyes of the three men, this scene stunned their hearts, lowering their suspicions.
They had already released their divine sense and tried to scan the tall youth, but this person had no signs of magic on him. There were two possibilities: one was that he was really just an ordinary person who had no cultivation base. The other possibility was that he had learnt a special secret skill to hide his magic or even had a magic artifact with him that did the same.
Judging from how the youth appeared and how the girl called him 'Brother Stone', the three men felt that of the two possibilities, the youth belonged to the latter. They even suspected that he too was from the Demon race.
Daoist Qi languidly placed the horsetail whisk on his arm, his eyes moving between the tall youth and the girl with a thoughtful expression.
The horse-faced man had drawn back his right hand and had subconsciously stepped back, returning to the side of the bearded man and Daoist Qi. His left hand, which was tucked in the sleeve of his robe, was secretly holding onto something and he had his gaze fixed on the girl.
"How do I address you, sir? I'm Yan Cheng from the Blood Saber Sect and am working together with my two fellow Daoists to capture this demon. If you have nothing to do with this, please leave," the bearded man asked with a probing tone and shot a meaningful glance to the other two men.
The girl panicked when she heard this and looked at the tall youth with a pleadling gaze.
The tall youth slowly raised his head and looked at the bearded man blankly without saying anything.
A trace of anger flashed past the bearded man's eyes, but he did not show it. He repeated his words again, but raised his voice slightly.
The girl opened her mouth but did not say anything. Cold sweat appeared on her hands that were tightly clutching onto the youth's pants.
There was still no reaction from the tall youth.
"This person is so suspicious and seems questionable. Instead of wasting our time, how about we…" The horse-faced man turned his body to the side and moved his lips slightly as he transmitted his voice to the two men beside him.
"A person who is able to remain so calm when he hears the name of the Blood Saber Sect either has a very high cultivation base or is a real fool. In any case, he protected the demon first and no one would say anything even if we killed him. Of course, I'll let Daoist Yan make the decision." Daoist Qi narrowed his eyes as he transmitted his voice to the other two men.
The bearded man nodded slightly, his eyes turning cold. He weighed the Steed-Slaying Saber in his hand and shouted brazenly, "Sir, are you looking down on the three of us?"
This shout was loud and it reverberated in the wilderness, causing the air to buzz.
Fear appeared on the girl's face when she heard this and she subconsciously loosened her hold on the youth's pants and grasped the rattle-drum tightly with one hand.
The tall youth turned a deaf ear and still had no response to the words of the bearded man.
"Fine, since you want to help this demon, then… attack!" The menacing look in the bearded man's eyes flashed past and a blinding white light appeared from the Steed-Slaying Saber in his right hand. From his left hand, a black light flashed out as a big, black net appeared.
The girl was surprised and took several steps back hurriedly, but she was too close. There was no way she could make it in time.
Under the pressure of the big net that was like a dark cloud, it quickly covered both the girl and the tall youth. At the same time, after a flash of blue light, a sharp silver hook appeared on each knot.
The girl screamed. A mouthful of blood sprayed onto the rattle-drum in her hand and her wrist turned at the same time.
Thud!
The crisp sound of the rattle-drum sounded and the blue light around the girl moved, her figure suddenly blurred and scattered, turning into a piece of dead wood.
Thump!
100 feet away, the girl reappeared and then fell to the ground. Her hands and feet were hurt by the black net, as blood flowed out from a dozen wounds.
She clambered up, but just when she had taken a step, her body turned weak and she fell to the ground again, her face pale as she gasped for breath.
This time, the bearded man did not bother to look at the girl who could only helplessly wait for death. Instead, he made some hand-seals with one hand and the black net around the tall youth became tighter.
At the same time, there was a swish and Daoist Qi leaped into the air. With a shake of his wrist, a dozen blue lights shot out, which morphed into a dozen crystal needles and they flew towards the youth in the net.
"Look out!"
Although the girl, who was not far away, could not get up, she screamed again when she saw what was happening.
Clink! Clink! Clink!
There was the sound of metal hitting metal and those blue needles bounced away when they touched the youth, as if they had struck a stone.
"How can this be?" asked Daoist Qi, who saw this when he landed lightly on the ground.
Even if the opponent was really a piece of stone, these needles should be able to easily penetrate it.
Swish.
A golden light suddenly shot out from the side of the Daoist and after a flash, it was firmly fixed on the throat of the tall youth.
"Haha, it's hard not to die when pierced with my Golden Bee Drill…" The horse-faced man slowly lowered his hand.
But before he could finish speaking, there was a boom and the golden drill by the youth's throat burst apart and the debris turned into golden lights and scattered.
"Impossible."
The expression on the horse-faced man was like he had seen a ghost.
The bearded man was also staring fixedly at the tall youth in disbelief.
Those sharp silver hooks that could tear through flesh hung uselessly onto the youth and were unable to pierce through his skin.
Just when the three men were startled, the youth finally reacted under the series of attacks.
He lowered his head slowly and looked at the things hanging on his body. As though finding them in the way, he moved his arms and grabbed the black net with both hands.
Whoosh!
After halos broke out from the surface of the black net, it tore open like paper and split into two, fluttering to the ground lightly.
When the horse-faced man and Daoist Qi saw this, their eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
Watching from a distance, the girl's mouth hung wide open and she was so stunned that she could no longer feel the sharp pain on her body anymore.
"How… How dare you destroy my magic artifact!" the bearded man shouted loudly when he saw this, and felt his heart ache.
This black net was a treasure he had borrowed from a good friend. How could he not be angry when it was destroyed here for no reason?
The bearded man gritted his teeth and looked at the tall youth. Pressing his two fingers together, a purple talisman appeared on his fingertips. He threw it with one hand and recited the incantation. The talisman shot out and swept to the top of the tall youth's head.
With a puff, the talisman burst and turned into a thick, black leaden cloud.
It was followed by the sound of thunder and there was a flash in the black leaden cloud. A silver electric arc then shot down from the black cloud.
There was a loud bang.
The thick electric arc hit the tall youth directly, and countless electric arcs scattered and careened about, causing the surrounding ground to crack, creating a shockingly large pit.
The girl closed her eyes in fright under the cacophony of thunder. Somehow, she found some strength and moved back a few steps with her hands on the ground and avoided several waves of lightning.
As a result, she almost bit her tongue again when she opened her eyes, her mouth opening and closing.
That tall youth stood quietly on the ground that was covered in holes, but he did not have any injuries on him.
Although the bearded man was shocked, he did not stop his actions. He chanted something quickly and made some gestures with his hands.
"Bind!"
Another silver electric arc from the sky changed after landing. After interweaving and twisting, it turned into a chain of lightning. It quickly wrapped around the tall youth, binding him tightly.
"When are we going to make your move if not now, my fellow Daoists!"
The bearded man gave a low shout and slashed in front with the Steed-Slaying Saber in his hand. Suddenly, a layer of red light appeared in the item in his hand and he leaped forward, slashing at the youth's face.
The horse-faced man was also surprised that the power of thunder and lightning could not hurt the youth. Seeing this situation, he was very happy and made a hand seal with one hand. His figure phased away like a breeze and disappeared.
In the next moment, by the side of the tall youth, there was a strong wind and the horse-faced man reappeared. There was a black
Daoist Qi's eyes flickered. He did not rush forward with them, but took two steps back and waved his hand. A ball of blood-red light flew out from his sleeve and circled in the sky before it crashed into the back of the head of the tall youth.
Although the three men attacked at different times, they had great chemistry. It was apparent that this was not their first time working together.
The tall youth's eyes were blank and he stood still on the spot, as if he did not see the attacks in front of him.
When the bearded man saw this, his eyes flashed with joy and he subconsciously put more strength into his saber.
But in the next moment, he suddenly felt a tightness on his wrist, as if he was grabbed by a big hand that seemed to resemble steel. Not only did the Steed-Slaying Saber stop, but his body also came to a stop and he could not move forward.
The tall youth had one arm out as he grasped the wrist of the bearded man who held the Steed-Slaying Saber. His movements were so fast that people could barely see it.
The bearded man used all his strength to draw back his hand, but he could not shake off the other party's arm as if he were rooted to it. His heart turned cold, but a cruel smile appeared on the corners of his lips.
"Bang"
"Puff."
The horse-faced man's sai and Daoist Qi's blood-red light hit the shoulders and the back of the tall youth's head. One gave out a piercing black light and the other shattered like porcelain, turning into a thick bloody fog, enveloping the whole of the youth's head and at the same time, releasing a pungent smell.
"Haha."
The horse-faced man had just laughed when he felt a heat on his five fingers and an inexplicable billowing force broke out from the tall youth and spread to him along the sai.
"No."
The horse-faced man looked frightened and could only say one word before his body flew out involuntarily and landed far away. Breaking sounds came from within his body and he did not know how many bones were broken. The blood that spurted out from his mouth was mixed with fragments of his internal organs.
He felt like he was a sack that was riddled with gaping wounds and immediately stopped breathing.
"Impossible. You… Ah…"
The bearded man was shocked and color drained from his face. But before he could do anything, the hand that was grabbing onto him moved and there were strange shocks coming from it that quickly broke his bones. The pain was like being cut by a thousand knives and caused the man to scream in agony…
Whoosh.
The bearded man was then brutally hurled onto a huge stone not far away.
"Bang."
Amongst the screams of the dying man, his body burst apart on the stone and turned into meat paste.
These series of actions were quick and happened in an instant.
When Daoist Qi saw this, his face turned livid and he turned around, slapping five to six talismans of different colors on his body and ran back to the place where he had come from.
But he had only taken a few steps when he felt the air around him tighten and the halos around his body protecting him disappeared. His body then exploded like it was being pinched by some invisible giant, creating a bloody rain of blood and flesh.
The thick bloody fog that surrounded the tall youth's head then turned into threads of blood and disappeared into his mouth, revealing his blank face again.
-- 贈り物
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