Chapter 11

Long Tian moved, his right hand resembling an unbreakable spear. The force was such that two guards behind, both at the peak of Core Formation, suffered blistering wounds. Despite being some hundred meters away from the floor, they failed to react. Let alone the primary target, Long Hao.

Li Zhixing could not bear to look, his face turned to the side. He feared that the man was little more than a few scattered pieces of meat. Even if the man was still alive, he would not last much longer should this continue. It was a more unpleasant sight, being forced to see this fatal game of cat-and-mouse.

Long Hao should last for longer. At least, that was the case in the novel. However, there was a marked difference between written descriptions and real events, especially with his heightened senses. The ragged breathing of men; the beating of their mighty hearts. The smell of sweat, minced flesh, and crimson blood combined to form an unholy concoction that made his head dizzy. And of course, he could perceive ever so clearly the minute details of this battle: chipped metal pieces, tiny dust particles, and the blood-sweat mixture falling in the air.

Naturally, he also witnessed man’s fragile mortality. Both men had come so very close to dying; a minor shift was all that was needed for one to die and the other to live.

More damningly, he was afraid. Afraid that his meddling and his decisions would have unforeseen consequences for the outcome. Did he make Long Hao overconfident, cutting his big head from his neck? Or perhaps the original Li Zhixing had done something behind the scenes, outside of what was definitively written on paper.

Too many doubts, too much uncertainty. In the end, things had progressed to this point, there was no turning back, no second chance. The outcome was now outside his control. With that thought, Li Zhixing sealed his eyes shut, restricting his Qi sense only to his direct surroundings.

“Really?”

For the first time since their bout, Bai Ruxue spoke up. There she was, her hands shackled and her figure locked behind bars. Regardless, she sat still, maintaining grace and beauty. Her skin was unblemished, her eyes indifferent.

However, none of that really mattered. It was her voice that broke him out of his trance, that voice full of disgust and scorn. Her face might remain stone-cold, but her voice told an entirely different story.

“You wanted this. This was your plan, your intention. And yet you could not bear the consequences of your actions. What did you think would happen but this? Already, you are losing your cultivation – a worthless coward in every sense of the word. The least you could do is watch things unfold. Have some self-respect, will you.” And here, she forced out her words, as if they were poison. “If not for you, then for me. You owe me that much.”

With that, she ignored him, putting him out of her mind. Whether he responded or not was inconsequential, nor would she bother entertaining any of his responses. She turned her attention to what mattered, the duel that would decide her fate.

Similarly, Li Zhixing kept his silence, his shame disallowed him from speaking. The shame might be secondhand and undeserved, but why would that matter? In the end, his words were worth little, his sentimental thoughts worth even less. Still, he would look.

As she had said, it was the least he could do.

Long Tian had just wrecked another portion of the floor, the newest of four. Wounds covered Long Hao's body, his clothes little more than rags. However, no injury too serious.

“Lucky bastard. I just broke through, so control is somewhat lacking.” Then he grinned, his uneven teeth gleaming, “But it won’t take long before I adapt. So, think quick.”

Long Hao ignored him, muttering softly, “A good servant works in the background, silent unless otherwise specified.”

His presence dimmed immediately. He made no sound, even with a cultivator’s sense. More importantly, his spiritual presence was gone – less than that of a literal ant.

Even while blind, Long Tian blinked. “Huh. I mean, I can still- “

Long Hao popped a pill into his mouth, his flowing blood immediately condensing. The wounds were very much present, but the blood was temporarily sealed. Then, he put on a well-covered mask before throwing down a bomb. Smoke dispersed, and a foul smell spread to the four cardinal directions.

It was bad even for Li Zhixing, who had already suppressed his sense of smell. Suffice it to say, Long Tian was not having a good time, being right next to the epicentre of it all. Long Tian relied heavily on his nose in this form – his eyes having been compromised and his spiritual sense dulled. After all, this form was representative of a bestial predator, one that used blood as its primary tool.

In the future, Long Tian would have the ability to directly sense others’ blood, internal or external.

But this was not the future. Right now, Long Tian was utterly blind. His normal sight was gone through his own hands. His spiritual sense was useless. His hearing was now more harmful than good, providing insight into things that did not come from his enemy. His last bastion, his sense of smell, was now completely overwhelmed.

Long Tian did not panic. He did not get to where he did by panicking at every misstep. He first had to restore his eyes - that was not going to be a quick process. Nor a safe one, considering the changes in power levels. Whatever his misgivings might be, they remained a necessity.

He took out a pill, a particularly rare find that boosted regeneration. Should a dying mortal consume it, even lost limbs could be regrown in a day. For him who carried the blood of dragons, beasts renowned for their physical might, his eyes would return in a few short minutes. A welcome side effect was that he could better endure any coming attacks. Small wounds would almost immediately fix themselves, while more serious damage would lessen.

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A shame that he only had one such pill left.

However, Long Tian had learnt to never be stingy with mere resources, especially when his life was at stake. In any case, he would come across better things in the future – that was par for the course. So why be frugal now?

The pill digested, Long Tian did the only thing he could. He started smashing everything around him with wild abandon. His speed created a sort of protective sphere, nigh-impenetrable to those of a similar level.

Long Hao was not deterred, not even in the slightest. After all, this was a clear sign of his enemy’s helplessness. Long Tian’s actions wasted valuable energy, but this was also his only method against an invisible foe that could attack from all sides.

That said, Long Hao could not just wait and let the other tire himself out either. First, that would probably take an hour at the least – and this was a low estimate. Sure, Long Tian was in a highly demanding form, but the man himself was a proficient cultivator with a grand foundation.

Second, the other man just ate something. Long Hao did not know what exactly it was, but he needed to act as fast as possible. That limited his options, so he utilized a previously used technique, the Qi barely requiring much preparation.

“A person with no family is one without ties.”

In this case, seeing this hateful creature before him, Long Hao was even more certain that his words applied. His sword flashed and a small chunk of red, bulbous flesh came out. He pressed on, his speed quickening with each second. While there was some technique involved in that sphere of Long Tian, it was not enough.

From afar, Long Yonglin said, “Long Chen is actively pulling away from his current form, which naturally weakens its strength and resilience. As for Long Hao, his Path has always been suited for drawn-out fights, where he can re-use the same techniques time and time again. It’s a routine that suits him, though it also makes watching him less interesting. Just bland swordplay, such a waste. Don’t be like him.”

“Have you gone inane old- elder?” Li Zhixing then noticed a beautiful stone. He said, “Are you seriously recording right now, elder Lin?”

“It’s for educational purposes. I’ll show it to little Hao later. Maybe some other twerps if I feel like it. If nothing else, it’s for my own pleasure.”

Seeing your own blood killing each other? This old piece of dried wood was too far gone. That being the case, Li Zhixing did not choose to voice his thoughts. Rather, he said, “Care to show your insight for the battle then, elder?”

“Nothing much. The pill consumed is exceptional, I’m surprised he would use it here. Little Hao does not intend to kill him, so it’s not fatal.” Long Yonglin glanced at him. “I guess it is a life-and-death matter for the two of you though. Hey, smile a little. See the bright side. He values your death enough to use such treasures.”

He smiled wryly. “Don’t you have better things to do than making fun of my plight?”

“I make fun of every shitty brat that crosses my path. Don’t think of yourself as special. Still, what are those “better” things that exist in your narrow mind? If I cared about those, would I bother with you? Would I teach those kids? Would I stand here as guard? Would I even still be alive?”

Li Zhixing blinked. Seemed like he touched a sore spot. Inadvertently, mostly. He must admit that some curiosity existed. Such curiosity should be left for a better time however.

Long Yonglin seemed to take his silence the wrong way. “The answer is no, dimwit.”

With a helpless smile, he added, “Thanks for your guidance,” before turning back to the battle.

Compared to canon, things were definitely a bit derailed. The form was revealed earlier, without much effectiveness. Here, his advice was at least somewhat useful – maybe a bit too useful. He hoped that Long Tian’s pill was not too vital, otherwise it would be disastrous. For the future. As for the present, there was not much worry. In canon Long Hao would also defeat Long Tian’s other form, just with a lot more effort. Then Long Tian’s trump card would still come into play, after which the final rescue would commence. Easy.

Returning to reality, Long Hao had made some progress, while Long Tian progressively shrank in size. Just then, Long Tian exploded. More accurately, his monstrous form was discarded, with the excess energy being directed at his enemy. Not to do any damage but to create some distance between the two men.

His eyes were back, but his other senses were still quite dull, if not outright hurting. Not conducive to a good fighting state, to put it lightly. Long Tian wondered if he had been a bit hasty when coming here, but shook his head. That was water under the bridge. No point in going there.

Since he was already “there” though, he might as well go all the way. The technique required little preparation despite its strength – a suitable reward from his most recent, most perilous foray.

Long Hao was heading straight at him, the sword looking to cut off an arm. It would succeed too if contact was made. However, Long Tian had other plans than being amputated.

The lines all over his body shone brighter than ever, the golden figures seemingly coming to life. Then, the dragons among them ate. They ate the phoenixes, the Qilins, and the tortoises. Then a heaven-shaking roar followed.

All this happened in a second. Long Hao still showed his shock, his eyes opened wide and his arms stiff. There was resurgent resentment, growing envy, shaken pride, and a certain measure of fear.

Long Tian displayed the Qi of a True Dragon. And he was about to use it to crush Long Hao.

The latter barely managed to erect a barrier, his lips mouthing ‘bulwark’.

Then, the Golden Dragon coming out of Long Tian’s body coiled around his wretched foe. Then, its grip tightened.

Long Hao screamed, but no sound came out. The illusory beast was too hungry, greedily gulping down even the words from his mouth. Alongside the young master’s soundless screams were his coughed-out blood and innards. They were the nectar to its maw.

Then the Dragon dissipated, returning to its owner. Long Tian was a sorry sight, the lines on his body bleeding and burnt, his skin somewhat flaky and his few scales scattered on the floor. He was not ready for Dragon Qi, but he used it anyway. He was trading his vitality for borrowed strength from his ancestor – a more than worthy trade in his eyes.

He staggered over to his foe, who looked even worse for wear. He did think about killing the man with the Dragon, but it was not worth the risk. Nor did he have the spare energy for that. The man was far too healthy, and even temporarily incapacitating this young master had taken much from him, from his Qi veins.

Someone else needed to be dealt with, after all. Escape was also paramount.

He said softly, to no one in particular. “I won.”

Thunder clapped, and he then grasped the keys from the other man’s neck. It came out easy enough, a small gift from the dastardly heavens.

Long Tian then thought for a brief second. While he had not used the Dragon to kill Long Hao, he could just stab the other man right here. Would not take too much, and he was also getting rid of an eyesore and potential threat. He was also doing the world a favour here, getting rid of such an arrogant man.

He grabbed the man’s fallen sword. This weapon threatened his life multiple times already. Only fitting that it would take the life of its owner, letting it finally do some good in its existence. He lifted the blade.

“STOP!”

Ah. Long Tian stared at the origin of the voice, where a man stood holding a spear the shade of lovely crimson. His spear. And nearby, there was his friend.

“We- I created this. I can also break it. Spare his life and come here. Take the spear out of my hand. My dead hands, if need be.”

Long Tian kept staring. No words. Just thoughts.