Novels2Search
Severing Time & Space
Azure Sovereign Serpent

Azure Sovereign Serpent

The clash of constant battle echoed all around the forest. It sounded like the rumbling of distant thunder, mixed in with the sharp hiss of an angry snake and the shouts of a young man. From her vantage point high above the forest, Mei Ling had a clear view of the battle between Jian Wu and the Azure Sovereign Serpent, and she had mixed feelings.

He is much stronger than his cultivation suggests.

As she watched, Jian Wu suddenly vanished. She blinked several times and began looking around, eventually spotting him above the Azure Sovereign Serpent, plummeting toward the creature whilst swinging his greatsword with incredible force. The sound of an impact rang out as sword met scales. A loud shrieking echoed around them as the sword unsuccessfully tried to cut through the magical beast. While he couldn’t cut through its hard scales, Jian Wu’s strength was so great that the creature was knocked to the ground, which cratered beneath it.

His physical strength is also very impressive.

He didn’t use any chi to enhance his body when he unleashed that strike. It was all pure physical strength, which meant that, physically, he was about as strong as a Seeker Realm cultivator.

I heard he can use the Dao of Space. That would mean he’s teleporting himself every time he vanishes. Why isn’t he using any other techniques? Surely he has some powerful attacks.

One thing that confused Mei Ling about Jian Wu was that he seemed to be abstaining from using attacks that utilized the Dao of Space. They were supposed to be his specialty according to the information she had dug up. Was he suspicious of her? No. She shook her head. That couldn’t be it. She hadn’t done anything to warrant suspicion.

As she pondered, Jian Wu disappeared and reappeared much further away from his opponent. He spread his feet wide, raised his sword above his head, and channeled chi into his blade. Mei Ling leaned forward. Her eyes were narrowed as she locked her gaze on him. Was he getting ready to use a technique?

Seconds after he began channeling chi, the flow was disrupted. The Azure Sovereign Serpent took that as its time to attack and spat out several globs of corrosive venom that Jian Wu dodged. Each shot of venom splashed against the ground. While she could not hear it, Mei Ling could almost imagine the hissing sound it made as it dissolved the forest floor.

Is he trying to learn a new technique? In the middle of combat?!

Mei Ling thought back to the stance Jian Wu had taken. Cultivators used a variety of methods to direct the flow of their chi. These methods were crucial for controlling and utilizing their internal energy effectively. They could be broken down into the following: breathing techniques, meditation, visualization, physical movements, meridian massages, dantian cultivation, herbal supplements, external tools, spiritual insight, experiential learning, outside influence, energy-sealing techniques, and aligning oneself with natural forces.

Each method had its advantages and disadvantages and certain methods worked better for specific techniques. It looked like Jian Wu was using a combination of visualization and physical movement, which were often used for physical techniques, or techniques that involved using the body or a weapon.

I think he’s also using breathing techniques…

When it came to sword techniques, it was important to also control your breathing. Breathing was a fundamental method of cultivating and directing chi. Cultivators often practiced deep, slow, and rhythmic breathing to synchronize their breath with the flow of chi. It was normally done through meditation, but it looked like he was trying to learn in the midst of combat.

Is he crazy?

“Are you not going to help him?”

She turned to look at the man standing beside her. Yu Qian was not gazing at her but at the battle below.

“Excuse me?

Yu Qian gestured toward Jian Wu. “I thought you two were partners on this mission. Isn’t it normal for you to help him?”

Ah. So that was it. She supposed it was natural to assume that, since they had come together, they would fight together.

She shook her head. “The only reason I am here is because I need something from the Azure Sovereign Serpent. Jian Wu wanted to take this mission in order to test himself. I suggested we team up. He can fight the magical beast and I’ll get what I need.”

“I see.” Yu Qian nodded. “And that does sound like something Jian Wu would agree to. He really enjoys pushing his limits.”

Mei Ling hesitated. This would be the perfect opportunity to gain more information, wouldn’t it? She wondered if Yu Qian would find her suspicious if she asked more about Jian Wu. Her reticence on the matter aside, she still had to do what she could.

“You seem to know Jian Wu quite well,” she said at last.

“I don’t know about that, but I know him better than most,” Yu Qian said.

“What kind of person is he?”

Yu Qian raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you two in the same sect?”

Mei Ling twitched as she smiled. “We are, but I have only become acquainted with him recently. I do not know much about him.”

“That’s fair.”

Yu Qian said nothing for a while, just turning back to watch the battle. Jian Wu was holding his own against the serpent magical beast. He was using his superior strength to fend off its assaults. However, the Azure Sovereign Serpent was not only huge but also dexterous. It slithered through the trees far quicker than a creature its size should have been capable of and attacked with a combination of venom and its tail.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“Jian Wu is… both polite and abrasive,” Yu Qian said after a while. “Whenever we talked, it always felt like I was dealing with two different people.”

“Are you saying he has a second personality?”

Such people did exist, though they were rare and often scorned. Having a second personality was considered a severe mental disorder. People with such problems were always looked down on.

Yu Qian shook his head. “No, it’s more like there were simply two sides to him, neither stronger than the other. On the one side, he’s a polite young man who respects those around him. And on the other side is a battle-hardened warrior haunted by his past. Oh. Before you ask, I don’t know much about his past. I’m just describing what Jian Wu seems like to me.”

“I understand,” Mei Ling said with a nod. “Thank you for telling me a bit more about him.”

“You’re welcome, I guess.”

With her thoughts whirling, Mei Ling turned back to the battle.

***

Wu Jian leapt backward several times as the Azure Sovereign Serpent slammed its tail into the ground where he had been standing. Each strike left a crater. The ground shook every time. Wu Jian was able to remain upright only by virtue of having timed his jumps to coincide with when the tail struck the ground.

Having realized it missed, the magical beast quickly slithered through the trees. Wu Jian tracked the creature. Its swift movements belied its immense size. He’d never seen such a massive beast move so fast!

[Razer Scales]

That’s new!

Wu Jian’s eyes widened as numerous scales flaked off the creature’s body and were launched at him in quick succession. They were fired en mass. He had no way to avoid them without teleporting, which he did--only to find the creature’s gaping maw right in his face!

Acting on instinct, Wu Jian lowered his body completely to the ground as the magical beast lunged at him. He pressed his hands flat on the forest floor and used his strength to launch a kick that slammed into the snake’s jaw. The loud clacking of a jaw snapping shut echoed around him as the Azure Sovereign Serpent’s head snapped up and away from him. Wu Jian leapt to his feet, then teleported a safe distance away and turned to the magical beast.

This creature was extremely strong. Of course it was. It was at the Seeker Realm. Meanwhile, he was still at the Deva Realm. A difference in power like that normally meant Wu Jian would have no hope of winning. Most cultivators could not fight people, magical beast or otherwise, that were above their cultivation.

I should be able to kill it if I use Cleaving the Heavens in a Single Stroke… but can I use it?

Up to now, Wu Jian had been unable to properly utilize this technique. He just couldn’t properly direct his chi into his sword. Every time he tried, his body automatically tried to make it into a spatial technique, and that wasn’t what he wanted. It felt like he was going against his own instincts.

The serpent eyed him with hostility. It seemed quite intelligent, so he was surprised it hadn’t spoken to him, but maybe it didn’t believe he was worthy, or perhaps it viewed speaking the human tongue as beneath it.

A moment of silence was shattered when the serpent lunged at him so fast that he almost missed it. Wu Jian used Nihility at the last moment to avoid taking the attack. The creature passed right through his body like he was a ghost. It felled several trees behind him, unable to move away in time, perhaps out of surprise. Turning around, it eyed him with great wariness.

It understands I’m not a foe it can afford to underestimate.

That was probably not a good thing. It was harder to defeat an opponent who didn’t underestimate you, especially when said foe was stronger than you are, but Wu Jian didn’t mind. He was still confident in his victory. If all else failed, he could really let loose with his spatial techniques or even use Body of the Celestial White Tiger, but that wasn’t what he wanted. If he couldn’t learn how to use this new technique in combat it would defeat the purpose.

I need to stop its movement.

[Hydroblast]

Wu Jian quickly darted away as the serpent fired off a powerful jet of water from its mouth. He grimaced when the jet sliced straight through a tree several times thicker than him, and it didn’t stop there, continuing on to slice through several more trees and even a boulder.

While he was distracted by the technique, the Azure Sovereign Serpent closed the distance between them. He almost didn’t see it until it was upon him. It was already too late to teleport. The creature tried to crush him with its body, but he braised himself, flexing every muscle in his body as he held his hands aloft. He groaned under the beast’s immense weight and almost lost his footing as the ground split beneath his feet. With a strained grunt, he lobbed the creature aside and teleported away.

Something wet trickled down his nose. He wiped at it and his hand came away red. It looked like the strain had caused his nose to bleed.

[Mist Cloak]

“Tch!”

Wu Jian quickly flew into the air as a thick purple mist surrounded the Azure Sovereign Serpent and quickly began expanding into the forest. He watched with clenched teeth as the flora began wilting. The once magnificent trees turned black and withered as they absorbed the poisonous mist.

I can’t see the serpent…

The serpent was somewhere within that mist, but it was no longer visible. Just as he was wondering what to do, several thick spurts of corrosive venom shot from within. Wu Jian flew through the air to avoid them, but he sometimes had to use Nihility and Teleportation. The Azure Sovereign Serpent could obviously see him through the mist, but he could not see it. To make matters worse, the mist had spread across a vast swath of the forest, and the magical beast was constantly moving. It shot more than just corrosive venom. Scales flew from the ground, large blasts of water powerful enough to slice through mountains attempted to blast him from existence. It felt like the entire forest was after him.

How long is this mist going to last?

Minutes passed and the mist refused to fade. Perhaps it wouldn’t fade. Wu Jian considered his options and quickly made a choice.

[Black Hole]

A black sphere appeared before him, and it quickly began sucking up everything around it--not just the mist but trees too. Even the atmosphere bent and warped as it was sucked into the black hole.

The magical beast soon became visible. Wu Jian knew now was his greatest chance.

He took it.

[Space Lock]

The area around the Azure Sovereign Serpent distorted, and the massive creature suddenly stopped moving. It would break free soon. Wu Jian teleported to the ground, slid his dominant foot forward, and raised his greatsword high into the air. He used both hands unlike his master. He quickly focused his chi and visualized what he wanted. A sharp blade that could cleave through anything, even the heavens. Pale Moon began glowing a vibrant golden color, though it flickered haphazardly.

[Cleaving the Heavens in a Single Stroke]

Wu Jian brought his sword down with all the strength he possessed. A crescent of gold energy shot forward faster than the eye could see. The next thing he knew, the Azure Sovereign Serpent had been sliced in half. An explosion of power soon erupted around him. It was the aftermath of his swing. While nowhere near as powerful as what his master had unleashed, it was still proof that he had successfully used the technique.

I did it…

With this, the Azure Sovereign Serpent was dead and his mission here complete.