บท 425: Chapter 425: A general felled by a little girl
In the courtyards of the Yun estate, everyone was completely entranced by what was going on. No one dared to breathe too loud as they didn't want to disturb them. They were either looking at the dark clouds in the sky, using their spiritual senses to see what was going on, or relying on others to describe it to them through telepathic messages. Hopefully, the elders would be able to give a detailed recount of the entire fight later. And as a matter of fact, all the Spirit Warriors, no matter how green they were, were etching everything in their minds.
In the upcoming days, every single breath of this fight would be discussed among the members of the Yun residence. And Yun Ping's fame would skyrocket. Despite his injury, his character was already admired as he had been ready to die fighting. However, if his strength matched his courage, then they had found the successor of General Yun Po for sure. No one would dare belittle him any longer. Some had suggested he should just be a strategist behind the actual fights rather than a soldier or a general. But he had just demonstrated he could be both.
During the fight, Cao Yun had been spotted by Jiahe Ruo. Of course, he didn't want to disturb him while he watching the show. However, he still asked his bodyguard to send him a message. This Spirit Warrior told him he had been right about Xue Rui and that his master was hoping for his success. However, he didn't detail what he had seen in the Xue residence to make him change his mind as fast. Cao Yun could imagine that Xue Rui had lost his nerves. Considering the black flame that was burning in his heart, this wasn't unexpected. Besides, Cao Yun had fanned it and intended to fan it some more. He had to ruin Xue Rui as much as he could to facilitate Gu Song's decision.
For now though, Cao Yun was focused on the fight. It put a sincere smile on Cao Yun's face. Indeed, it reminded him of his own family. It had been during such an event that they had all been slaughtered. But now, Cao Yun had more cards in hand. Finally, he had a real hope of finding out why her mother had been targeted, why they all had to die.
During this fight, General Yun was sure to understand that Guai Mo had helped his son in training his spearmanship. Then, he might be able to piece other things together. But the main point was that he would trust Guai Mo a bit more. Although Cao Yun wasn't sure he would need his help, having him on his side just in case would be nice. After all, his plan was extremely risky. In fact, he was not sure whether it was really a good idea, but for now, everything was going well.
Before the audience's eyes, Yun Ping was gathering electricity and lightning in his very blood and flesh. His Wei Qi had turned into a golden and crimson hue under the effects of 'Crimson Lightning'. It seemed as though he was surrounded by bleeding lightning.
On the other side of the low platform, the golden palace had completely crumbled in on itself. Above General Yun, 'Demon's Bane' was rotating and forming a big thundercloud that was almost reaching the sky. It was obsidian dark with many streaks of lightning coloring it.
Both men were about to collide.
In the audience, Cao Yun saw Yun Hua who was hiding between a woodshed. Her clothes were dirty and even torn apart here and there. Clearly, she had been playing around a lot while the event had been taking place. She was used to playing around all the time. And this was driving her literature tutor crazy. Almost every single day, he had to chase after her just so she could study. And this also infuriated General Yun to no end. However, he could never really chastise her. He knew it was a bad thing for his daughter, but she reminded him of his late wife...
Yun Hua was poorly hidden. After all, she had no tutoring today thanks to this exhibition. However, unlike others, she was not amazed by the fight. As she was still young, she was truly scared by such raw power. Moreover, she was seeing her father and her brother fight with such violence that it looked like a real fight in her young eyes.
While the fight was about to reach its climax, Cao Yun went to the young girl.
"Hua'er, don't worry. Your father and your brother are just playing around."
Startled, the young lady fell on her bottom while letting out a small shriek.
"You meanie! You did that on purpot! Who are you?"
"On purpose, young lady. I'm a friend of your brother. Come with me."
With a small smile on his face, Cao Yun helped her stand up. Then he also helped her take off most of the dirt off her clothes.
"Just come with me and don't say a word."
Still a bit flabbergasted, the young lady took Cao Yun's hand and walked by his side. Apart from young children like Yun Hua, everyone was aware of what was going on right now in the courtyard. While holding her hand, he brought her closer to the platform. At the same time, he was keeping her enveloped in his Wei Qi so she felt comfortable. Even the terrifying storm on the platform didn't affect her. As such, it looked a bit more unreal and so less serious.
Although Yun Hua didn't know much about martial art, she knew that this was their ultimate move. Even if she had not promised Cao Yun not to speak, she wouldn't have been able to. For a young girl like her, this was a scene of doomsday in front of her eyes. It felt as though the entire world was about to explode and something new would be born.
Finally, both fighters reached their apex!
'Shattered Sky Cowers From the Tiger'!
Yun Po leapt into the skies with his spear engulfed in pure darkness and lightning. High in the air, the sky itself was torn apart as the dark clouds ruptured. Hundreds of small lightning bolts struck the ground all around the courtyard. Just to be safe, Cao Yun was strengthened his Wei Qi around Yun Hua to protect her of any possible danger. But the attack was very accurate and only targeted Yun Ping's general position.
Finally, a powerful flash blinded the young girl. Then, the loudest thunder anyone had ever heard resounded throughout the Yun residence and the earth itself shook.
General Yun's spear had struck down. Right now, it was embedded within Yun Ping's Wei Qi. Indeed, at the same moment his father had attacked, he had completed his defense. Since he had not mastered all the moves from the 'Thunder Breaking Wall', Yun Ping had to improvise. 'Wall of Eternal Thunder' was supposed to create a wall of pikes to skewer the charging enemy. But Yun Ping had altered it to make it into a raw defense. There was now a wall made of lightning spears all around Yun Ping.
Of course, it wasn't as powerful or as prestigious as 'Walls of the High Palace in the Sky', but it was still a very good defense. And as he was protecting himself from his father's most powerful attack yet, Yun Ping's understanding of the spear was evolving.
During this fight, his father had indeed only used techniques from the Yun family, but they were all different from what Yun Ping knew. Indeed, his father had altered them to his own body and his own preferences. Since he had lost his left arm, Yun Ping had stubbornly tried to keep fighting like before. He felt like he had to uphold the style of the Yun family. Cao Yun could understand that as he was still hoping to pursue the sword and to develop his family's 'Three Storms'. But at the same time, he had tried to convince his friend to adapt the moves to his new situation. Until now, Cao Yun had failed to convince him. Paradoxically, the fact that his training was efficient played against him in that regard. Yun Ping didn't need to change as he had regained most of his strength.
But in that fight, Yun Ping had realized that his friend had been right all along. More than that, he could adapt 'Thunder Breaking Wall' without losing the heart of his family's martial art. After all, his father, the current family head, was using his own version of this art. Most likely, the art practiced by the progenitor was also very different from the one practiced today by anyone else.
With that in mind, Yun Ping changed his movements. Now, he would use every joint he could in order to optimize his technique. Instead of very unmovable techniques, he would adapt it into something else.
As hundreds of lightning bolts were coming toward him, Yun Ping practiced his 'Thunderclap Dance'. This was a routine within 'Thunder Breaking Wall', generally used to train young kids. But now, Yun Ping was altering it to strengthen his Qi Manifestation of 'Wall of Eternal Thunder'. 'Eternal Rampart' was whirling and spinning all around Yun Ping. He was using his hips to strike the shaft of the spear and help it gain momentum while sparing his stamina. But he was also using his feet to kick it, his shoulders, his elbows even his neck by spinning the spear around it.
As it moved, the spear was accumulating electricity in the air, strengthening his defense. Here and there, it was also directly clashing with the lightning bolts that were able to pierce through his defense. Despite the collisions, 'Eternal Rampart' did not lose its momentum. This time even all everyone saw it. Yun Ping had finally achieved his Spear Aura. From time to time his left arm appeared as bloody lightning but it quickly disappeared each time. Maybe with Spear Intent he could stabilize it and create an arm made out of pure Spear Aura.
As the clash was continuing, it was hard to tell who would be the winner. But Cao Yun was certain that Yun Ping would end up losing. Indeed, there was a huge difference between the two fights. General Yun had never used any form of Spear Aura in the fight. Even if he had fought with all his strength, he had limited himself to Qi Manifestation. Considering how powerful he seemed, Cao Yun was convinced that General Yun had reached the state of Spear Intent, and maybe even Spear Heart.
Obviously, if he had wanted to win this fight, he could have done so at any moment even while restraining his cultivation. But this wasn't his goal. He was trying to push his son, to make him stronger. When Cao Yun caught a glimpse of Yun Po's eyes, he saw the same pride he had seen in his own father's eyes. This wasn't just to test his son or even to help him. No, he also wanted to witness the full might of his son.
As their techniques were clashing with one another, the very platform was falling victim to their violence. Everything around them was being struck by lightning. As it fell on the ground, the lightning burned the wood and slowly a small fire broke out. Thankfully, array formations were protecting the crowd and their techniques were accurate enough that they didn't endanger the audience. Because the two men were busy though, they failed to realize the damage to the platform.
As the clash between the two men was getting more and more intense, Cao Yun felt Yun Hua's hand in his. The young lady had regained her senses and was clearly shaken up by what she was witnessing. All of a sudden, she ran toward the two men. For an instant, Cao Yun thought about stopping her. In the end, he let her go but still covered her with his Wei Qi as protection. As long as Yun Po was restraining himself, the level of destruction on the platform was something Cao Yun could easily deal with. And he didn't want to interrupt this family matter. This might be interesting, and most of all, funny.
General Yun had completely fallen back to the ground now while his spear was still trying to pierce through Yun Ping's defenses. Since he was restraining his cultivation, he couldn't fly. From behind him came an assault he had not imagined or prepared for though. He felt a small feet kicking the back of his leg. Looking down, he saw his own daughter. Suddenly, both Yun Po and Yun Ping relinquished their Qi Manifestation.
"You big meanie! Stop bullying Big Brother! Tyrannipal Father!"
Yun Hua was really letting her father have it. She was pouring all of her strength in her small foot and kicking away. Obviously, it didn't hurt General Yun at all. In fact, it was starting to hurt Yun Hua but she kept on going while screaming and admonishing her father.
For a moment, time stopped. Yun Po and Yun Ping looked at each other, dumbfounded. Suddenly, they both burst out laughing. The entire courtyard burst out laughing with them. General Yun grabbed his tiny daughter and raised her in his arms. However, she was still kicking and punching while telling him how horrible he was being with her beloved big brother. Then, Yun Ping got closer and talked to her.
"Sis, we were just playing around. Father would never bully me."
"But, he... he..."
"I'm sorry if we worried you. I'm glad that you defend your big brother, but he won't ever need protecting from me, you silly girl."
Both father and son stroked her head. Before long, she was annoyed by them both and was flailing her limbs around trying to get away from their affection. From an intense fight, the atmosphere had switched to a comedic family reunion. As most of the audience was made of members of the Yun family or soldiers enrolled in their army, they were all pleased by that.
Of course, they would have loved to see the end of the fight. But to be honest, the end result was obvious. General Yun Po's attack was about to crumble Yun Ping's entire defense. Instead of seeing Yun Ping beaten in front of outsiders, it was better to have such an interruption after he had been able to prove his worth. And that was precisely Cao Yun's opinion as well.
Despite the warm atmosphere, Cao Yun sensed General Yun Po's senses lock on him.
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