Chapter Twenty-Four: Fierce Battle Against Si Miao
Wang Shan let out a furious roar!
He unleashed the very last ounce of strength within him, prepared to stake his life on a desperate struggle.
The man in brocade narrowed his eyes slightly, then snorted with a hint of disdain:
“Hmph... Were you, Wang Shan, at your peak, you might still be worthy of my attention. But now? Like a bug trying to shake a tree... laughable.”
Just as he was about to finish Wang Shan with a single blow, a thunderous shout rang out from the sky above!
“Draw the Sword, Listen to the Wind!”
In the next instant, sword techniques followed one after another in rapid succession—
“Mountain-Splitting Strike!”
“Dragon’s Flight!”
“Listening to the Wind!”
Each move linked seamlessly into the next, sword light flickering across the heavens.
Caught off guard by the sudden assault from overhead, the man in brocade was momentarily thrown off balance. However, his cultivation was formidable; even a sneak attack like this would have difficulty inflicting real harm.
Witnessing that his flurry of sword strikes had left the brocaded man only a bit disheveled, without causing any real injury, Lin Cheng’s heart sank.
The sudden turn of events left Wang Shan stunned.
As he caught sight of the face—faintly familiar—he recalled: Wasn’t this the junior disciple he’d personally brought into the sect not long ago?
“Lin Cheng?!”
Lin Cheng replied, “Senior Brother Wang, this is no time for conversation. Do you still have the strength for another fight? I fear I’m no match for him alone...”
Wang Shan said, “All we need to do is delay him. I’ve already sent word to the sect; surely, before long, reinforcements will arrive.”
Lin Cheng said, “That’s great news... Senior Brother Wang, restore your strength—I’ll hold him off for a while!”
Wang Shan wasted no time in pretense. He sat cross-legged at once, swallowing handfuls of pills. Every bit of recovery now was another chance at survival—no one wanted to die if it could be avoided.
Seeing this unexpected turn, the brocaded man burst out laughing in anger.
“Hahaha... Since another has come courting death, I’ll oblige you both...”
His robe billowed as a powerful pressure of the Spirit Realm erupted from him, crashing down toward Lin Cheng.
No longer daring to hold back, Lin Cheng called out silently in his heart—the Five Elements Sword Body!
The man in brocade saw his Spirit Realm aura actually blocked by a mere True Qi novice, and his eyes narrowed sharply.
“This is getting interesting...”
He opened his right hand, and a crimson broadsword appeared.
At this moment, Si Miao was truly furious, determined to end this quickly before new variables could arise.
“To die beneath my Blood-Killing Blade—consider it an honor...”
Si Miao stepped forward, his blade slashing down at Lin Cheng in a flash of murderous light.
With Wang Shan behind him, Lin Cheng had no choice but to meet the blow head-on.
“Mountain-Splitting Strike!”
Steel clashed against steel, and Lin Cheng was sent flying by a single blow, feeling the blade’s energy gnawing at his very flesh.
At that moment, the Five Elements Sword Body activated of its own accord, instantly dissolving the invasive blade aura within him.
A backward somersault steadied his stance, but Lin Cheng’s eyes were grim.
That Lin Cheng had endured his blade stunned Si Miao. That strike had contained genuine blade aura—and yet a mere True Qi novice withstood it. This boy is strange!
Si Miao grew cautious.
“Blood-Killing Art!”
Before Lin Cheng’s eyes, a storm of blood-red blade shadows came slashing down, overwhelming and unstoppable.
“Dragon’s Flight!”
While dodging and parrying Si Miao’s deadly techniques, Lin Cheng was drenched in sweat, his clothes already torn to shreds.
What now? At this rate, he’d be worn down and killed!
“Listening to the Wind!”
With a deft maneuver, Lin Cheng cut in from Si Miao’s right, shifting to the offensive.
Si Miao’s eyes were cold as he split Lin Cheng’s attack with a single stroke.
Die!
“Blazing Fury!”
With a thunderous bellow, flames erupted everywhere, engulfing a hundred-foot radius in a sea of fire.
Faced with this terrifying sight, Lin Cheng, who had been ready to turn and flee, suddenly grew calm.
At this moment, the Fire Spirit Pearl—so long unresponsive to his pleas—began to stir in his sea of energy, gently bobbing!
Si Miao looked at the two before him—insignificant as ants—and was filled with utter coldness. They must die!
He stretched out both arms, and the firestorm he commanded surged toward them, intent on burning them to ashes.
A low, guttural growl sounded—
Sensing Lin Cheng was in danger, the little demon who’d been hiding nearby, biding its time for a sneak attack, could no longer hold back. It leaped up and lunged at Si Miao from behind...
Pitiful little demon! At this point, all it could do was use its jaws.
“A dog...?”
Sensing the attack, Si Miao backhanded the demon away with a single slap, sending it flying into the distance!
Little Demon!
Seeing his companion injured, Lin Cheng was enraged!
Fire Spirit Pearl, aid me!
Otherwise, I’ll throw you into a latrine and suppress you for a hundred years—a hundred years!
Sensing the seriousness of Lin Cheng’s words, the Fire Spirit Pearl shuddered.
Within his sea of energy, the pearl began to spin, channeling fire energy into Lin Cheng’s body.
Playing with fire before me?
A faint, disdainful voice seemed to echo through the air.
In an instant, the sea of fire rushing to consume them hovered around Lin Cheng, the flames Si Miao commanded now gathering to him instead, swirling in joyous tribute and bowing in submission.
At this moment, he was like the emperor of flames.
Both Wang Shan and Si Miao were dumbfounded at the sight.
“This... This can’t be. How could you control my fire—?”
Si Miao’s eyes were filled with terror and disbelief. He could not fathom how a mere True Qi novice could seize command of his flames.
Lin Cheng’s gaze was icy as he looked at him, offering no answer.
Drawing upon the power of the Fire Spirit Pearl, he swept his arm, sending the surging inferno to engulf Si Miao.
Under the might of the Fire Spirit, the Blazing Fury now reached an unspeakably terrifying zenith. Though Si Miao fought with every ounce of strength, he could not withstand it.
Agonized, guttural screams echoed through the flames—then, before long, all fell silent.
When at last the fire dissipated, the Fire Spirit’s power returned to the pearl, and Lin Cheng felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. His body emptied of strength, he collapsed weakly to his knees.
Looking over at the spot where Si Miao had stood, now only a heap of ashes remained, soon scattered by a gentle breeze.
Forcing himself upright, Lin Cheng walked to where Si Miao had vanished, quietly picking up the storage ring left behind.
Wang Shan, still reeling from shock, finally came to his senses. The look in his eyes as he regarded Lin Cheng was complicated.
The unremarkable junior he’d once led into the Azure Sun Sect had given him a tremendous shock today.
Though he did not know how Lin Cheng had accomplished this, everyone had their secrets—it was not his place to pry.
He realized that if not for Lin Cheng, he would surely have perished today.
Wang Shan stepped before Lin Cheng, clasped his hands, and said solemnly, “Junior Brother Lin, for saving my life today... I shall repay you a hundredfold in the days to come.”
Lin Cheng quickly waved it off. “Senior Brother Wang, there’s no need for this. We are brothers of the same sect—how could I not help in your hour of need?”
“Besides... If not for you bringing me into the Azure Sun Sect, there would be no Lin Cheng now.”
Lin Cheng seemed to hesitate, as if there was more to say.
Wang Shan understood at once and said quickly, “Rest assured, Junior Brother Lin. Today’s events—between you and me—will never reach a third ear.”
Hearing this, Lin Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He had no desire to expose himself now.
If any supreme cultivator learned he could command another’s flames, it would not be difficult to guess the existence of the Fire Spirit Pearl.
If word got out that he possessed such a treasure, the entire realm of Heaven’s Vastness would surely have no place left for him...