Chapter 260: Slash!!

"Yah!!"

Inside a residential home in Jinchuan City, Liaodong Province, a girl leaped up from the sofa in the living room, cheering with excitement.

"Si Si Xianxian!"

Mother Si Si Caiqin gritted her teeth, looking at her jumpy daughter beside her; she was truly frightened.

"Lu Ran is imitating how I speak; even his tone is exactly the same!" Si Si Xianxian said, her face brimming with joy as she pointed at the television screen.

Mother Si Si Caiqin paused for a moment.

Just now, Lu Ran's low muttering had naturally reached thousands upon thousands of households.

Si Si Caiqin had already felt that the phrase "I've given you some face" sounded extremely familiar.

Now, the mystery was finally solved!

Whenever her daughter said this to someone else, a fierce battle was bound to follow.

Si Si Caiqin flew into a rage: "Can't you teach others something good?"

Si Si Xianxian:???

He learned it himself; why are you scolding me?

Si Si Caiqin continued, "Sit down properly this instant! A young girl acting like this—what kind of image is that? Who will marry you in the future?"

"Who said I want to get married?" Si Si Xianxian stamped her foot resentfully and turned to walk toward her bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Si Si Caiqin asked.

"I'm going to watch on my computer," Si Si Xianxian retorted directly.

"Come back here this instant!" Si Si Caiqin's heart tightened, and she spoke immediately.

Watching on a computer was nothing like watching a live television broadcast.

Inside the livestream room on the Prodigy Official Website, there were bullet comments!

Recalling that night on February 15th, Si Si Xianxian had been cursing incessantly until she smashed the keyboard to pieces.

If it hadn't been discovered in time, her fury might have set the entire house ablaze; how could Mother Si possibly allow her daughter to watch on the computer again?

Tonight, after much persuasion, Si Si Caiqin had finally convinced her daughter to stay in the living room and watch television with her.

Yet here they were; in just a few short sentences, her daughter was being stubborn again.

"Si Si Xianxian!" Si Si Caiqin called out as she watched her daughter continue walking without stopping, "If you keep disobeying like this, I'll tell Lu Ran!"

Si Si Xianxian immediately halted in her tracks, her face filled with disbelief as she turned to look at her mother.

Si Si Caiqin: "."

Si Si Xianxian: "."

Awkward silence!

Always in the past, others had come to Si Si Caiqin to lodge complaints; yet today, she, the mother, had actually uttered such words.

Hmm... this was truly surreal.

"Neigh~~~"

Suddenly, a long horse's whinny emanated from the television.

Si Si Caiqin pretended nothing had happened and urged, "Hurry over here; don't miss his battle."

Si Si Xianxian's expression turned strange; after thinking it over, she still walked back.

On the television screen, flames shot skyward while sinister winds rose from all directions!

The Ghost General gripped the flagpole and slammed it heavily into the ground.

"Whoosh!!"

In an instant, a semi-transparent black dome expanded outward, with a radius of fully 20 meters.

Within it, wisps of black mist drifted about, creating an overwhelming aura of ghostly energy.

Ghost General's Xie Fa: Ghost General's Flag!

This technique was quite similar to the Red Scarf Divine Art's Red Scarf Domain; as long as the great flag remained standing, those inside the dome could not escape with their lives.

The only difference was that the black mist drifting within the domain could slightly affect the living beings inside, making the combatants' hearts brim with even more ferocity.

It was hard to say whether this was a positive influence or a negative effect.

After all, once the Ghost General raised his great flag, it was most likely a one-on-one duel.

If the enemy's fear diminished and instead they became filled with killing intent, wouldn't that be even more disadvantageous for the Ghost General to win?

Hmm... indeed, this was a strange Xie Fa.

"Hmph!" The Ghost General pointed his long blade forward, his nasal tone heavy and full of provocation.

"Come!" Lu Ran gripped his blade with both hands, bent his legs slightly, and spun the blade in a flourish.

As the two generals faced off, the Black-Fire Steed actually seized the initiative, its front hooves slamming heavily onto the ground.

"Pfft—"

Suddenly, a ring of fire expanded outward from beneath the horse's hooves.

Lu Ran's eyes narrowed, and he immediately stepped backward step by step.

This technique was no small matter; while its offensive output was not outstanding, its focus lay in dispersing surrounding enemy troops.

Any living being touched by the ring of fire would be knocked flying outward.

However, the Ghost General's flag had already been planted, and the combatants could not possibly escape.

Therefore, this ring of fire pinned each combatant one by one firmly against the defensive dome!

The impact on people's backs was not the main issue; the key was that the Ghost General would seize this opportunity to charge, and that was the truly terrifying killing move!

"He-ah!"

The Ghost General let out a fierce roar, and just as Lu Ran was hastily retreating, he indeed launched his charge.

The steed neighed with all its might, and the long blade flashed with a cold gleam.

Lu Ran retreated repeatedly while the Ghost General charged recklessly; such a clear contrast between advantage and disadvantage made everyone's hearts clench with anxiety.

"Oh no."

Sun Sun Zhengfang watched this incredibly perilous scene through the semi-transparent black dome.

The expanding ring of fire was fully two meters thick.

Lu Ran could easily leap over it, but he could not fly, and there was no foothold in midair.

If Lu Ran dared to jump, he would be moments away from death.

"Use the dome!" Jiangjiang Ruyi gripped her Liang Ye Sword tightly and shouted the reminder.

Great minds think alike!

Just as Lu Ran, forced back by the ring of fire, was about to reach the black dome, he suddenly leaped high backward.

The ring of fire was blocked by the black dome, and the churning flames immediately surged upward along its surface.

This was also one of the reasons Lu Ran had agreed to the duel!

No matter how much the Black Fire Steed thrashed, its flames could not disturb the world outside the dome.

"Thump!" came a muffled sound!

Leaping backward, Lu Ran landed in a crouch upon the black dome and suddenly sprang forward.

"Haa!"

At the same time, the Ghost General spurred his horse forward and swung his Yan Lin Yue Dao Zhong fiercely ahead.

Lu Ran, almost parallel to the ground, pressed his Xia Guang Dao hard against the blade of the Yan Lin Yue Dao Zhong with his right hand, pinning it beneath him, while his left hand wielded the Xia Guang Dao to strike straight at the Ghost General's head!

"Bang!"

That was the violent sound of the Yan Lin Yue Dao Zhong striking heavily against the dome.

"Zzzt..."

That was the sound of the Xia Guang Dao cutting into the Ghost General's shoulder armor, tearing the mail!

"Hmm?" Beneath his pitch-black helmet, the Ghost General's pupils radiated red light in all directions.

His body, twisted aside to dodge, immediately straightened; then he lifted a shoulder and looked at the torn shoulder armor.

Like the Barbarous Woman Ba clan, the Ghost General clan possessed no defensive techniques; the armor on their bodies was innate.

A small piece of the shoulder armor fell to the ground just like that and soon shattered into wisps of green smoke.

"Hmph," the Ghost General drew out an angry, drawn-out nasal sound and turned his head to look at Lu Ran.

Just then, a wisp of black mist drifted across Lu Ran's face, revealing eyes brimming with killing intent.

Lu Ran stood beside the great black banner, holding the Xia Guang Dao, and landed upon the banner pole.

But he was not striking the banner; rather, he was...

Wiping his blade?

Lu Ran stared fixedly at the Ghost General, first drawing the long blade across the banner pole.

Then he twirled the blade and slowly drew the other edge across the banner pole.

Such a scene left the people behind the screens utterly dumbfounded.

"Those eyes are so terrifying; he must have been affected by the Ghost General's great banner, right?"

"Acting... acting like a king?"

"No wonder the Rouge Paper Doll took a fancy to our God Ran; I love it, I love it~"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

From Lu Ran's actions, the Ghost General felt not only provocation but also a thick sense of insult!

That was the great banner symbolizing his honor!

It was no cheap whetstone, and certainly no tattered cloth for wiping blades!

"Haa!" the Ghost General roared in fury.

"Neigh~" The steed beneath him reared and neighed, its body erupting in Xiong Xiong flames.

Black Fire Steed Xie Fa: Black Fire Engulfs the Body!

For the duration of the flames, all of the Black Fire Steed's physical attributes would be comprehensively amplified.

Even more terrifying was that the Ghost General riding the horse, after being engulfed by the flames, could also enjoy such amplification!

"Whoosh!" The Ghost General suddenly flung the long blade in his hand.

The Green Dragon Yan Lin Yue Dao was actually used as a throwing knife, stabbing straight at Lu Ran.

Lu Ran nimbly sidestepped, letting the long blade fly past him; he clearly knew that once this blade left its owner's hand, it could no longer be controlled.

The next moment, a swirl of immortal mist churned beneath Lu Ran's feet.

"Hiss—"

Lu Ran shot straight forward with incredible speed!

The Ghost General clan could summon the Green Dragon Yan Lin Yue Dao again, but that required time.

Facing an opponent like Lu Ran, did you dare to let go of your blade?

"Seeking death!" Lu Ran's expression was extremely gloomy.

It was hard to say whether he had not been affected by the black mist within the domain.

"Bang!" The steed, poised with raised hooves, slammed both front hooves down heavily.

In an instant, the ring of fire expanded once more.

Lu Ran:!!!

Damn it!

The murderous aura in Lu Ran's heart was indeed fierce, making it rare for him to curse under his breath.

This damn Black Fire Steed is truly fucking annoying!

"Hiss—"

The mist surged once more.

Lu Ran, darting forward at high speed, stomped heavily with his feet and shot diagonally upward.

At the same time, energy surged in the Ghost General's palm, and a brand-new Green Dragon Crescent Blade suddenly took shape.

Ghost General's Xie Fa: Ghost General's Blade!

Outside the black shroud, Jiangjiang Ruyi very much wanted to remind Lu Ran that the blade was coming again.

But she knew Lu Ran's abilities well and worried even more that speaking would disturb him from listening to the sounds.

Indeed, her prediction was accurate!

The Ghost General gripped the long blade and flung it forcefully diagonally upward.

Once again, Lu Ran crouched atop the black shroud, and this time, his head faced downward, as if crouching on a ceiling.

Of course, he dared not free-fall.

Thus, Lu Ran plunged diagonally downward, meeting the attacking long blade head-on!

Even Wei Long, usually silent, could not help but cry out in alarm at the scene: "Careful!"

The blade was fast, but the man was faster!

Man and blade crossed paths; Lu Ran's shoulder brushed past the blade shaft by a hair's breadth.

The Ghost General's eyes turned scarlet; with empty hands, he suddenly clamped his legs tight against the horse's flanks.

Rider and horse shared one mind; the Black Fire Steed surged forward rapidly.

Run?

Lu Ran landed heavily, stomped with his foot, and the Immortal Hoof struck again!

The Ghost General was startled; he gripped the long blade he had just pieced together in his palm and immediately focused his intent.

Around the Black Fire Steed's hooves, energy surged once more, poised to stamp out another ring of fire.

Lu Ran, darting forward at high speed, his eyes utterly cold, suddenly crouched and lowered his head.

"Whoosh!"

The Crescent Blade swept past above Lu Ran's head.

"Slash!!" Lu Ran roared fiercely.

Using the momentum of his forward charge, sliding forward in a sprinter's stance while positioned beside the steed, he suddenly leaped diagonally upward.

Rosy light rose in Lu Ran's left hand as he slashed straight at the horse's legs!

"Neigh~~~"

The Black Fire Steed let out a cry of pain; its pair of slender front legs were actually severed cleanly by Lu Ran.

Still want to stamp out a ring of fire?

I've really been too lenient with you!

With a dull "Thump."

Having had its legs severed, the Black Fire Steed wailed in agony, its head and neck smashing heavily onto the ground.

"Hmph!" The Ghost General truly possessed remarkable skill.

Holding the long blade, he propped the blade tip against the ground, pushed hard, abandoned his horse, and leaped backward.

Lu Ran, meanwhile, made a sharp turn.

The battlefield area was too small; with a radius of merely 20 meters, it was simply not enough for even a single hoof-stomp for Lu Ran.

Lu Ran, stabbing diagonally upward, had already grown accustomed to crouching on the shroud; with immortal mist surging beneath his feet, he turned and stabbed diagonally downward.

He stomped heavily onto the horse's head; the Zhan Ye Dao rose, cold light flashing.

The Black Fire Steed, still screaming miserably, had its neck severed instantly.

The horse's neigh ceased abruptly!

A faint human voice drifted over: "Be quiet."

Lu Ran stood with one foot on the still-burning horse head, slowly raising the Zhan Ye Dao dripping with blood beads, pointing it at the distant Ghost General:

"Now, it is fair!"

Seeking monthly tickets!

(End of Chapter)