Chapter 152: The Pride Beneath the Blade

"Hiss—"

"What?" The onlooking crowd felt a chill in their hearts and exchanged bewildered glances.

Like Deng Deng Shijie Yan, most of them were Lord Bei Feng believers specializing in blade techniques, so they naturally understood even better just what significance the concept of the "blade" held for Lord Bei Feng believers.

The dual-blade youth's words were nothing short of a barefaced insult.

Bu Bu Qingfeng's mindset indeed exploded; his face twisted into a grotesque mask as he roared fiercely, "Shut up! Damn it, shut your mouth!"

"Whoosh~"

Wind coiled around Bu Bu Qingfeng's feet as his entire body shot rapidly toward Lu Ran.

Lord Bei Feng Divine Art: Clear Wind Dance!

Having been humiliated so thoroughly in public, Bu Bu Qingfeng could no longer care about anything else.

Disciples chosen and taken under the wing by the Second-Rank God, the Lord Bei Feng Blade, were naturally individuals of extraordinary talent!

Such people had always been figures looked up to by those around them, having walked their paths amidst flattery and praise; when had they ever endured such mockery?

"This is bad," Liu Shixiong muttered softly, watching the scene unfold in the arena.

"A mere brute," Deng Deng Shijie Yan said, her face showing some disappointment.

As a Lord Bei Feng believer, you may be arrogant, even domineering, but you must never let anger blind your eyes.

Your Lord Bei Feng Divine Art, your blade, are meant for exquisite manipulation!

They are not like the Divine Lie Tian Art or the Lie Tian Hammer, meant for charging forward recklessly without a care.

In the blink of an eye, the white-robed youth and the black-clad youth had exchanged three or four rounds!

Fueled by raging fury, Bu Bu Qingfeng's offensive was particularly fierce; he resembled a maddened beast, far more swift and fierce than usual by three parts.

Yet the black-clad youth, wielding dual blades, stood fearless, either dodging or blocking with perfect method.

"Careful, good, careful, don't, careful..."

Si Si Xianxian's heart hung right up in her throat as she kept muttering incessantly.

There was no helping it; the speed of offense and defense conversion between the two blade masters on the field was simply too fast!

Often, just as Lu Ran had dealt with one crisis, the next would arrive immediately.

This resulted in Si Si Xianxian saying "careful" one moment and letting out a sigh of relief the next.

This fight was making her more nervous than if she had stepped into the arena herself!

"Zhi—"

Suddenly, the sound of a blade edge slicing through the water curtain armor rang out once again.

The pitch-black Zhan Ye Dao, shimmering with deep purple mysterious patterns, once again sliced open the water curtain around Bu Bu Qingfeng's neck!

Everyone's expressions turned serious as they roused twelve parts of their spirit.

Lu Ran had begun his counterattack!

He had forcibly endured Bu Bu Qingfeng's "three axe strikes," and now he revealed his own sharp edge.

"Zhi!"

Lu Ran shifted sideways, his right hand's Zhan Ye Dao sweeping aside the opponent's assault while his left hand's Xia Guang Dao slashed straight at Bu Bu Qingfeng's thigh.

The sound of the water curtain armor being torn by the blade edge made everyone's teeth ache and their flesh hurt!

It was as if that sharp black ice blade had truly sliced a bloody gash open on everyone's own thighs.

"Die!" Bu Bu Qingfeng's face twisted grotesquely as he stepped back, his blade in hand slashing horizontally with vicious force.

Lu Ran's movements were terrifyingly light.

He crouched low to dodge, letting the blade light sweep over his head, while simultaneously tapping lightly with his toes, his figure surging forward.

The Xia Guang Dao moved from below upward, actually slashing from between Bu Bu Qingfeng's legs all the way up to his brow!

"Zhi—"

The gash torn in the water armor outlined the trace of Bu Bu Qingfeng being split in two.

"Whoosh!!"

Wild winds suddenly erupted beneath Bu Bu Qingfeng's feet as he violently retreated backward.

The fury in his eyes once again "degenerated" into shocked rage as he rapidly increased the distance between himself and Lu Ran.

"Useless," Deng Deng Shijie Yan spoke faintly, her expression growing even more disappointed.

Just earlier, she had used the words "mere brute" to describe Bu Bu Qingfeng, feeling that this new junior brother had been carried away by anger.

But as the saying goes: When a mere brute rages, blood splashes within five paces.

Under such extreme fury, not a single drop of blood stained Bu Bu Qingfeng's blade; instead, he suffered injury after injury himself.

Such performance truly did not even deserve the title of "mere brute"!

"You—" Bu Bu Qingfeng's face looked extremely ugly, as if he wanted to grind all his teeth to dust.

"What's wrong?" Lu Ran looked at the rapidly retreating Bu Bu Qingfeng. "Your blade is soft, and your mouth can't stay hard anymore?"

"Die!" Bu Bu Qingfeng suddenly flung his hand.

In that instant, a full eight wind blades shot straight toward Lu Ran.

This time, Bu Bu Qingfeng did not charge forward again.

From the crowd watching outside the arena came waves of sighs.

Defeated,

thoroughly defeated.

By this moment, from everyone's perspective, Lu Ran had not even used any Divine Art!

Bu Bu Qingfeng, as a Tang Tang He Jing first-stage Lord Bei Feng believer, had fought until now yet failed to force out the opponent's Divine Art!

Not to mention a Divine Art; the opponent hadn't even summoned a water curtain armor.

What concept is this?

Everyone present didn't even know which god this black-clad youth was a devotee of!

From start to finish, the black-clad youth spoke purely with his "blade"!

What the hell...

And what was more critical, and most fatal of all, was that Bu Bu Qingfeng had become timid!

Just moments ago, Bu Bu Qingfeng had charged forward recklessly, killing without regard.

But look at him now; Bu Bu Qingfeng had retreated far away, remotely controlling eight wind blades in an attempt to surround and kill Lu Ran.

In a duel, both parties were naturally allowed to use Divine Arts.

But generally speaking, when Lord Bei Feng devotees sparred, they rarely transformed into "mages" to deal damage from range.

Inside a Demon Cave, when you slaughter evil spirits, of course you can operate like this.

But on the martial arts stage?

Aren't you here to spar in skill and practice blade techniques?

"Shameless!" Si Si Xianxian shouted loudly, "Look, Lu Ran, I told you he was a coward!"

"Shut your mouth!" Bu Bu Qingfeng flew into a rage, his eyes fixed firmly on Lu Ran as he strained to control the eight flying blades.

And the scene that followed left everyone dumbfounded!

Within the great formation of flying blades, Lu Ran dodged with lightness and grace.

Advancing or retreating, darting left and flashing right.

A simple lift of the leg, a knee bend of minimal amplitude, a precise and swift step forward...

Passing through a thicket of flying blades without a single leaf sticking to his body!

"Oh my god..." Si Si Xianxian was completely overwhelmed.

She certainly knew that to save her life, Lu Ran had once broken into the Lantern Great Formation alone.

She had also witnessed with her own eyes how Lu Ran maneuvered and soared amidst a pack of vicious dogs, as if he possessed foreknowledge.

But Si Si Xianxian had never seen how Lu Ran roamed freely within the blood-red purgatory woven by the Prisoner of Demons devotees!

Could a mere eight wind blades compare to endless chains?

Hmm... perhaps they truly could.

After all, the wind blades were fast and ruthless, exceedingly sharp.

However, whether in speed or dexterity, the flying blades controlled by Bu Bu Qingfeng fell far, far short.

The question arose: Who was Lu Ran using for comparison?

The peak of the River Realm—Deng Deng Yuxiang!

Having fought side by side with Deng Deng Yuxiang for so long, how could Lu Ran not understand the Flying Wind Token?

And how could he not know just how terrifying a true Flying Wind Token really was?

Bu Bu Qingfeng indeed fell far short.

"Crack!!"

Two wind blades suddenly collided, emitting a crisp sound.

This piercing noise also woke the crowd from their trance.

"Huh??"

"Damn, this is miraculous!"

"Isn't he a Lord Bei Feng devotee?"

"Are you kidding! With this ability to locate positions by sound, I'd bet my life that he must be a Lord Bei Feng devotee!"

"Gulp." Bu Bu Qingfeng swallowed hard.

In his line of sight, Lu Ran was actually closing in!

Lu Ran was not merely dodging; amidst evading the stabbing wind blades, he was stepping closer and closer to Bu Bu Qingfeng!

Furthermore, because the wind blades crisscrossed and shuttled, entangling around Lu Ran like butterflies, dancing gracefully...

This resulted in the Divine Art: Flying Wind Token appearing not as something trying to take Lu Ran's life, but rather seeming like a "domain" belonging exclusively to Lu Ran?

Lu Ran was thus activating his "Wind Blade" domain and charging toward Bu Bu Qingfeng!

"Hard!" Si Si Xianxian let out a sharp cry, her face flushed with excitement, "So f*cking hard!"

Si Si Xianxian certainly knew Lu Ran was strong, but she only had a vague concept of it.

Only today did she gain a personal experience of exactly how formidable Lu Ran truly was!

Si Si Xianxian couldn't help but feel her emotions churning.

Looking at it this way, Lu Ran really treated her quite well, didn't he?

So tolerant, so easygoing; just earlier he had bought candied hawthorns to coax her into happiness...

You're strong to this ridiculous degree; when I was being unreasonable, why didn't you just kick me!

Anyway, if I really exploded, you could just pin me down~

"And you still say you aren't a Lord Bei Feng devotee!" Bu Bu Qingfeng shouted fiercely, attempting to cover the terror in his heart with angry roaring.

The next moment, Bu Bu Qingfeng suddenly raised his hand.

A tornado erupted abruptly!

Divine Art: Lord Bei Feng Roar!

Previously, Bu Bu Qingfeng had already unleashed the Flying Wind Token, so now when he used Lord Bei Feng Roar, the crowd didn't find it surprising.

He was afraid, he had admitted defeat internally, yet he still wanted to win.

It seemed somewhat contradictory, but it was also easy to understand.

"Hiss—"

Immortal mist gushed forth, and Lu Ran's figure instantly shuttled through space.

The Lord Bei Feng believer cast his spell with zero wind-up, suddenly summoning a tornado.

The Xiang Xiang Xianyang believer likewise acted with zero frames of delay, darting rapidly across the arena!

Yet, Lu Ran was ultimately affected after all.

He had indeed dashed out of the tornado, but the gusts had knocked him off course; instead of charging straight at Bu Bu Qingfeng, he rushed diagonally toward the front-left.

Deng Deng Shijie Yan's expression changed; in her line of sight, Lu Ran's figure rapidly expanded.

And the spectators surrounding her also changed color one after another!

Under the pressure of Lord Bei Feng's howl, this black-clad youth had finally unleashed a Divine Art!

But the problem was—

"What Divine Art is this?"

"It looks like the Immortal Hoof?"

"No, don't joke! This isn't funny."

"It really is the Immortal Hoof; look at the immortal mist beneath his feet, it really is..."

"An... an Xiang Xiang Xianyang believer?"

"Fuck me! An Xiang Xiang Xianyang believer?"

"Huh???"

"Hiss—" Lu Ran stomped his foot heavily, and mist rose once more beneath his feet.

Divine Art · Immortal Hoof!

His pair of pupils flickered with a gloomy, sinister light, having transformed into horizontal slits.

Divine Art · Immortal Pupil!

It was not the Pupil of the Death Realm.

It was that Divine Art · Immortal Pupil capable of amplifying the target's inner fear!

"Scram!"

Bu Bu Qingfeng flung out another tornado, his fierce shout exploding across the entire arena.

But in Lu Ran's eyes, it was merely bluster masking cowardice.

Having fought to this point, Bu Bu Qingfeng's heart was indeed filled with extreme terror.

Lu Ran was simply too uncanny!

At this moment, Lu Ran's sinister expression and his chilling, sideways pupils made Bu Bu Qingfeng shudder with dread!

"Hiss—"

Lu Ran traced a "Z" shape within the martial arena.

The pitch-black phantom exuded an eerie aura, carrying thick killing intent as it swept rapidly past the side of the storm, charging straight at Bu Bu Qingfeng.

"Ah!" Seeing Lu Ren approach, Bu Bu Qingfeng instinctively moved to block but couldn't help letting out a startled cry.

Why?

Because the Divine Art · Immortal Pupil had taken effect!

In the eyes of the world, Xiang Xiang Xianyang believers are all kind-hearted old men, even cowards.

Little do they know that the Divine Arts of the Xianyangyi Sect are absurdly powerful!

Before a Xiang Xiang Xianyang believer, you absolutely cannot be afraid.

If you harbor even a shred of cowardice, your mind will be invaded.

Like a dam cracking open, you will be constantly seeped into and ravaged until you collapse with a crash!

With a crisp "Snap!"

Lu Ran's blade directly slashed open Bu Bu Qingfeng's wind blade.

"Ah!" Bu Bu Qingfeng's Hukou went numb, and the wind blade instantly flew from his grasp.

The Xie Fa · Soul-Splitting Power gave this River Realm, First Stage believer a solid lesson!

Next, Lu Ran seemed to "stick" to Bu Bu Qingfeng.

Just moments ago, Bu Bu Qingfeng had manipulated eight wind blades to entangle Lu Ran.

Now, it was Lu Ran who was like a lingering ghost, tightly coiling around Bu Bu Qingfeng!

One diagonal slash!

The Silent Night Blade cleaved from Bu Bu Qingfeng's left shoulder to his right waist, forcibly tearing a gap in his water-flow armor.

One horizontal sweep!

The Rosy Light Blade swept across Bu Bu Qingfeng's neck, instantly slitting his throat.

"Stop, stop..." Bu Bu Qingfeng retreated repeatedly, hands held before him, his face filled with terror.

"Hiss!"

Lu Ran's twin blades suddenly traced an "X" shape, slashing Bu Bu Qingfeng's hands aside.

His pair of lifeless, horizontal pupils resembled two sharp blades, stabbing straight into Bu Bu Qingfeng's eyes.

"Ah!!"

Bu Bu Qingfeng's pupils contracted violently; he let out a miserable scream, utterly terrified!

Under such extreme fear, not only was his defense completely chaotic, but even the water-flow armor on his body rapidly dissipated.

This Divine Art, of course, required the user to continuously supply divine power.

Now that Bu Bu Qingfeng was thoroughly frightened out of his wits, how could he possibly remain clear-headed enough to supply energy to his armor?

"Don't!"

"Calm down!"

"Stop!"

"Junior friend, halt!" Amid a chorus of shocked cries, Deng Deng Shijie Yan and Liu Shixiong spoke simultaneously.

Among them, Liu Shixiong had already darted forward.

However, the blade in Lu Ran's hand had already lashed out toward Bu Bu Qingfeng's face!

Lashed?

Yes, slapped like a backhand!

Mid-swing, Lu Ran twisted his wrist, raising the blade vertically, and struck Bu Bu Qingfeng's face with a solid thwack!

"Crack!!"

The sound of the slap was incredibly crisp.

Lu Ran's blades were all standard Tang horizontal swords, slender and long.

Precisely because of this, when the blade struck Bu Bu Qingfeng's face, it felt like a steel whip.

"Ugh."

Bu Bu Qingfeng's head snapped sideways; he felt a burning pain on his cheek as fresh blood seeped from the corner of his mouth!

Under the immense force, he pitched forward onto the ground, a red mark two fingers wide appearing on his cheek.

Upon it were additional blood trails carelessly sliced by the blade's edge, with threads of fresh blood trickling down.

"Boom—rumble—rumble!"

Suddenly, an explosive sound erupted from the sidelines.

Liu Shixiong, who had been charging forward, immediately turned his head to look.

He saw Si Si Xianxian holding a heavy hammer, its head wreathed in surging flames.

She stood with the hammer amidst the snow, the corners of her crystal-clear lips slightly upturned, her smile unrestrained:

"No bullying allowed, oh!"

Liu Shixiong's pupils contracted slightly!

And over by Bu Bu Qingfeng...

His body trembled violently as he retreated backward in panic and confusion.

Lu Ran's expression was gloomy; he stepped forward one pace at a time, looking down at Bu Bu Qingfeng, who was scrambling away on hands and knees:

"Did the blade make things clear enough?"

"Cle-clear, cle..." Bu Bu Qingfeng covered his bloody face with one hand, speaking with a trembling voice.

Where was the aggressive, arrogant demeanor from before?

Lu Ran: "I cannot kneel; do you understand now?"

"I-I can, I can understand..." Bu Bu Qingfeng's voice trembled even more.

However, since he hadn't made eye contact with Lu Ran for several seconds, his scrambling movements became somewhat nimbler.

Lu Ran finally stopped, stating coldly: "Scram."

Bu Bu Qingfeng finally scrambled to his feet, frantically pushing through the crowd, and fled in a panic toward the woods.

Four thousand one hundred words; requesting some monthly ticket support.

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(End of chapter)