Chapter 250: Condensing Qi into a Blade (Please Subscribe and Vote)
As Xiao Xie advanced step by step, the Golden Fire Cavalrymen blocking his path instinctively moved aside. Though they knew that, as soldiers, they ought to stop him, they simply did not dare. Their warhorses feared him as well. It was not that the soldiers had reined them aside; the horses themselves seemed to have encountered something terrifying and opened a path of their own accord.
“Whoosh!”
The instant Xiao Xie approached the carriage, a blue figure shot out from within. A violet sword gleam thrust toward him.
“Clang! Boom!”
Xiao Xie’s gaze sharpened. Holding the Ink-Brow Sword horizontally, he blocked the strike. Inner force surged from his hand, and with a violent tremor, he sent the blue figure flying backward.
“The Yin-Yang School’s Star Soul. The Blade of Gathered Qi. Interesting.”
Xiao Xie looked at the child in a blue robe trimmed with gold, the violet blade in his hand, and showed a flicker of interest.
“So you are the Mohist School’s new leader. Not bad at all.”
Forced back by Xiao Xie, Star Soul spoke with amused disdain. Though he appeared unconcerned, he was deeply wary. He had just used forty percent of his strength to form the Blade of Gathered Qi, and had even taken Xiao Xie by surprise. Yet Xiao Xie had blocked it with ease and driven him back. This Mohist leader was even stronger than his predecessor.
“Shing!”
Xiao Xie did not answer. He slowly drew the Ink-Brow Sword. Beneath his black robes, his gaze turned cold, and he transformed into a streak of black light, charging toward Star Soul.
Star Soul’s expression changed. He formed blades of gathered qi with both hands, using eighty percent of his power—the equivalent of sixteen times the force of forming one with a single hand—and slashed at the incoming black streak.
“This is bad! Boom!”
The violet qi blades collided with the black Ink-Brow Sword. Star Soul felt an irresistible force crash into him, and the next moment he was sent flying, smashing into the Golden Fire Cavalrymen more than ten yards away and throwing them into a chaotic heap of horses and men.
“Shing!”
Xiao Xie glanced toward the carriage, sheathed the Ink-Brow Sword, and slowly turned away. No one dared obstruct him. Under the watchful eyes of the Golden Fire Cavalry, he disappeared once more into the dense fog.
“What a terrifying man.”
Watching Xiao Xie’s departing figure, Meng Tian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had the feeling that if the man in black had wished it, this place would have become the burial ground of himself, Star Soul, and every one of the Golden Fire Cavalrymen.
“General, the Mohist traitor in the carriage is gone!” A soldier beside the carriage ran over to report.
While Xiao Xie and Star Soul had been fighting, Thief Zhi had already taken the opportunity to rescue the prisoner. Otherwise, Xiao Xie would not have withdrawn so decisively.
“Quickly, go and see to Lord Star Soul!”
Only after hearing that the Mohist traitor had been rescued did Meng Tian remember Star Soul. Xiao Xie’s attack had frightened him so badly that he had nearly forgotten the sorcerer.
“Cough, cough, cough... Mohist leader!”
Star Soul coughed up blood. Clutching his chest, he stared in the direction Xiao Xie had gone and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
His voice held anger, but beneath that anger was also a trace of fear. If he had not reacted in time and forcibly used the Blade of Gathered Qi with all ten levels of his power, he would already have been killed by that single strike.
Although he had blocked Xiao Xie’s attack by forcing his power to its limit, the excessive use of his inner force had caused it to rebound upon him. He had suffered severe internal injuries.
“Lord Star Soul, are you all right?”
Meng Tian rode over and stopped before him, asking with concern.
“Cough... My power rebounded on me. I... I will need to recuperate for quite some time. This mission has failed.”
Star Soul coughed out another mouthful of blood, his face pale.
“In that case, Lord Star Soul, concentrate on recovering.”
Meng Tian nodded. Then he ordered the Golden Fire Cavalry, “All troops, withdraw!”
...
“The Blade of Gathered Qi formed by Star Soul is quite impressive.”
Looking at the violet blade condensed in his hand, Xiao Xie spoke with satisfaction.
During his exchange with Star Soul, Xiao Xie had sensed the nature of the man’s inner force. Combined with Xiao Xie’s own profound cultivation—enough to release a three-foot wall of qi—learning the Blade of Gathered Qi had been simple.
Star Soul’s inner force amplified the technique’s power. After converting his own inner force into the same nature as Star Soul’s, Xiao Xie discovered that the Blade of Gathered Qi formed through Northern Darkness True Qi was five times more powerful.
“There’s nothing urgent waiting for me if I return now. And I’m a little hungry. I might as well go to There Is an Inn and have Fatty Ding cook something delicious. I can also check in on Little Shilan. Heh heh...”
Xiao Xie considered the matter. The prisoner had already been rescued, and there would certainly be nothing important waiting for him if he returned immediately. He might as well enjoy a good meal at There Is an Inn and increase Shilan’s favor toward him while he was at it.
With that thought, Xiao Xie changed direction and sped toward There Is an Inn using the Lightning Flash Movement.
...
Within the General’s Residence in Sanghai City, Meng Tian returned with the Golden Fire Cavalry in a somewhat battered state.
“Your Highness, this subordinate was at fault. Not only did I allow the enemy to rescue the Mohist traitor, I also allowed Lord Star Soul to suffer severe injuries.”
Meng Tian stood before Fusu, his face filled with shame, begging forgiveness.
“General Meng, do not blame yourself any longer. The enemy you encountered this time was far stronger than we had anticipated. Even Master Star Soul suffered such serious injuries, and two hundred Golden Fire Cavalrymen were killed. This was not entirely your fault.”
Fusu first offered Meng Tian some consolation before continuing, “Regardless of whether this operation succeeded, we have at least obtained a clue.”
“The suspect’s route led very close to the rebels’ hideout,” Li Si added from the side.
“Indeed. We can now reduce the original search radius of a hundred miles to the southwestern mountainous region of Sanghai City, an area roughly ten miles across.”
“Your Highness is absolutely right,” Meng Tian said respectfully.
“General Meng, mobilize every soldier and horse in Sanghai City and conduct a thorough search of the region. Do not overlook a single blade of grass or leaf.”
“Yes.”
“There must be no further mistakes this time. Otherwise, you will be punished for both this failure and the previous one, with the penalty doubled!”
Fusu’s tone was stern. Qin law had always been rigorous. A battle-tested general such as Meng Tian could not be punished over a single incident, but if he made the same mistake twice, then even Fusu’s desire to protect him would not be enough.
“Yes.”
“Your Highness, there is one more matter we must guard against,” Li Si said.
“You mean the Black Dragon Scroll?”
“Precisely.”
Li Si nodded.
“Without the Thousand Mechanisms Cipher Bronze Disc, they cannot obtain anything. And the disc is in the General’s Residence. No one can steal it.”
Fusu spoke with confidence.
...
In the forest, Xiao Xie used the Lightning Flash Movement as he leisurely made his way toward Sanghai City. Suddenly, a white figure flashed past in the distance.
Xiao Xie took a closer look and found that it was White Phoenix, one of Wei Zhuang’s subordinates. From the way he moved, he seemed to be searching for something.
Xiao Xie thought for a moment. If he remembered correctly, Sheng Qi and Wei Zhuang had fought, after which Wei Zhuang had vanished. Red Lotus had then sent White Phoenix and the others out to search for him.
But White Phoenix’s search was not what concerned Xiao Xie. If his memory served him, Shilan and Shaoyu would encounter the Hidden Bat deep in the forest and nearly be killed by him.
“Time for a hero to rescue a beauty!”
Xiao Xie secretly cheered. The hero-rescues-beauty plot might be terribly clichéd, but it was undeniably effective.
With that thought, he began using the Lightning Flash Movement to search through the forest. In the original story, Shaoyu’s heroic rescue on this occasion had caused his relationship with Shilan to advance by leaps and bounds. Xiao Xie had spent so long cultivating Shilan’s favor that he absolutely could not let that brat Shaoyu reap the rewards at the end. Otherwise, he would suffer a tremendous loss.
After searching the forest for a while, Xiao Xie finally spotted Shilan. She was dressed in a black, close-fitting outfit. In her restored feminine appearance, she truly was a beauty in the making. Though her features had not yet fully matured because of her age, she was already a rare and captivating beauty.
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