CHAPTER 11: UNMASKED

The mask came off his face, allowing the woman in jade to feel his Master level power. Ding Wu looked at the woman in front of her with determined eyes. Electricity began crackling in his hand and slowly grew in strength.

“A Master level, huh? I haven’t killed one of those in a while.” The woman dashed for him.

“You still won’t!” Ding Wu charged for her. He thrust his crackling hand out and branches of electricity streaked out for her.

The woman leapt over the electricity and Ding Wu, landing behind him.

Ding Wu stopped and turned around to see the woman dashing for the young master Wang. The woman now has a sphere of white needles as she ran to her target.

“Zen’er, run!” Ding Wu shouted as he turned around.

“No, I can help!” Zen stubbornly drew his sword and stood his ground.

“Foolish boy!” The woman thrust her sphere into the boy as the needles began orbiting faster.

Zen slashed with his sword to block the sphere of qi needles. The rotating needles knocked away his sword and ripped it from his grasp, leaving Zen unarmed. Zen stepped back, which was misstep that sent him falling backward.

The misstep turned out to save his life as the deadly sphere was thrust above him as he fell back into the carriage.

Ding Wu thrust his hand out and sent more lightning into the woman, sending her hurtling away.

She quickly got up. “Heh, you’ll need stronger lightning than that to beat me.” The masked woman threw the needle into the carriage.

“Nooooo!” Ding Wu jumped into the carriage the same time the sphere of qi needles was thrown in.

“Needle Sphere Technique: Needle Bomb!” The woman said.

As soon as Ding Wu’s feet hit the ground, he instinctively grabbed Zen and Jun Nee and threw them up and out of the carriage. The needle bomb hit the floor as he grabbed Don Fat’s arm before jumping out. Needles rained out of the carriage as they both jumped out and landed on the ground.

“Are you okay, Don Fat?” Ding Wu asked the man who he was supporting.

Don Fat smiled and nodded. He then frowned and blood came from the corner of his lips. The old man slumped forward with the light in his eyes disappearing. Now that Ding Wu could see the old man’s back, he saw multiple needles embedded in his back.

“Don Fat!” Zen cried out.

Ding Wu gently laid the dead old man face down as the needles in his back disappeared. Wang Zen was staring at the corpse as Jun Nee collapsed on her knees to cry.

A high pitched laugh broke through their despair. The masked woman walked closer to the carriage. “Oh, you people are such a sad sight.”

Lightning began crackling around Ding Wu’s knuckles as he gritted his teeth in rage. “You’ll pay for this!”

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Ding Wu thrust his hand out his hand sends more lighting to her but she dodged the attack. He sent out another attack but she still dodged and headed for him. Ding Wu withdrew his knife and ran electricity through the knife and ran for her.

When they met, they began fighting. After a few missed stabs and slashes and a few kicks and punches, it became apparent that the woman was a better fighter than Ding Wu. The lightning eventually ceased to crackle around his hand and blade, signalling he had ran out of the energy needed to create his lightning.

He gritted his teeth as he fought the woman. “Wang Zen, you need to take Jun Nee and flee into the forest! Wang Zen!”

Wang Zen was frozen. His trembling legs were planted into the ground. How can she be beating Ding Wu? He’s a Master-level cultivator and she’s… she’s a Rank 3 Expert. I can sense it. How can Rank 3 Expert be beating a Rank 1 Master cultivator!

“Wang Zen!” Ding Wu was growing frustrated when Wang Zen did not react. He was kicked in the gut and send flying away but not before he threw his knife.

The knife missed the woman’s neck but nailed into her shoulder. She grunted in pain as she pulled the knife from her and threw it away. Ding Wu was already on his feet.

I’ve been a fool. Ding Wu looked at his hands sadly. I was so excited at reaching Master level and being able to use Elemental Incantations but I forgot that I don’t have much experience with these new powers. I should return to what I know, Qi Techniques.

Ding Wu got up and dashed for her with qi gathering in his fist, making it glow. The woman leaned to the side to dodge her fist but she had to dodge Ding Wu’s second qi saturated fist.

“Is that Stone Fist?” The woman said as she leapt back. “I expected better techniques from a Master-level cultivator.”

The woman kept leaping away, forcing Ding Wu to follow. She opened her hands and qi strings gathered above her hand.

No! She’s planning on using that Needle Sphere Technique. I have to stop her.

Ding Wu held out his hand and qi burst forth from his palm. “Savage Strike!”

The technique made him faster but he knew it was not enough to catch up to her, as she leapt back away from him. He added more qi to the technique, making the qi in his palms to surge more violently and causing the blood vessels near his eyes to burst, giving the impression that he was crying tears of blood.

“Savage Strike!” Ding Wu slammed his palm into the ground, causing a wave of earth to slam into her before exploding into debris.

Ding Wu collapsed onto the ground, waiting for his vision to return. This was the drawback with using Savage Strike at a high intensity and the very reason it was a 4 star strength attack that was ranked as a 3 star. If one made it stronger, than it would leave the user blind for a few seconds after. Right now, Ding Wu was seeing a world of red but his sight was slowly returning to normal.

Once he had his sight fully restored, Ding Wu rose to his feet and looked to Wang Zen who was still rooted in place. “Master Wang, are you alright?”

Zen could only nod, though he was unsure if that was because he was trembling in fear or if he was answering the question.

“Soon, he will not!”

Ding Wu’s head snapped to the source of the familiar voice. A shadow appeared in the smoking debris and when it cleared, the shadow was the woman and to Ding Wu’s horror above her hand was a sphere made up of qi needles.

Ding Wu glanced at Zen and smiled confidently. He knew she could not throw the sphere and make it explode in such a way that it would reach Zen. He knew that the one most at risk was himself but he knew he could handle himself.

“Go ahead, show me what you can do.” Ding Wu taunted.

“I will. Watch!”

Ding Wu prepared himself but then she turned the sphere towards Zen’s direction.

“Needle Sphere Technique: Needle Stream!” The needles began shooting out towards Wang Zen.

“Wang Zen, look out!” Ding Wu realised too late to stop the shooting needles.

Wang Zen looked at the coming needles, too afraid to move or act. Just as they came closer, he was tackled down by Jun Nee and he watched as the needles flew over him like shootings stars in a meteor shower.

The woman cursed upon her failed attack. Deng Wu looked at her with both fists covered in qi.

“You know I’ll never let you make that Needle Sphere again.”

“Hmpf, we’ll see. I can’t wait to see your stupid face when I kill you with it.”

Ding Wu then charged at her where they resumed their battle.