Strife (IV)

One side was like a flooding wave, and the other a sharp and proud spear. Which of them would win in the end?

When they were merely a few meters apart, Yueshi's spear thrust forward toward the other group's leader. The air roared as his spear split it apart. His spear arts were already on a level that most of his peers could not match.

However, the young man was no fool and was by far not weak; his weapon of choice was a whip, and as Yueshi's spear flew toward him, he twisted his wrist and lashed forward with it. Like a serpent, the whip flashed in a vicious strike toward Yueshi's face.

At the same time, the others were fighting against their own opponents, most of them facing three to four opponents.

And, because the ones coming here were fairly strong – at least on the second stage – the members of the Soaring Dragon Association were in the losing end!

Coming back to Yueshi… tilting his head he moved it out of the whip's path, however, to his surprise, the thing seemed to be alive, changing trajectory in the last moment and whipping at his shoulder. Because of that, his spear changed had its course forcefully changed.

Stepping firmly against the ground, Yueshi managed to push it on the right track once again – despite the pain on his shoulder and the great momentum of his attack.

The other person seemed unworried, however; and jumping to the side he easily avoided the attack.

Seeing his annoying face, Yueshi let a long breath. 'I must calm my mind', he told himself.

He had been angry because of the ambush, and when he attacked he had not put enough thoughts behind his moves; he was acting upon rage and rage alone. If he continued like that, he would lose without a doubt.

'Man and spear as one! One point of extremity carves an everlasting path to heavens!' Having calmed down a bit, Yueshi immediately followed with a thrust of his spear, that faint restrictive force keeping his enemy in place.

Because this young man was their leader, the other did not seem worried about his fight, and the two were left to settle things on their own.

Thanks to that, Yueshi could put his all behind each thrust without bothering those around him, at least for now.

Seeing the spear fly toward him with such ferocity that it looked like a voracious dragon, the youth's face became serious for the first time.

The intense pressure he felt from it held him in place, and, despite being at the late phase of the fourth stage, it was hard to move.

However, as a senior, he was not afraid. As talented as Yueshi was, he was just a newcomer and his two thousand contribution points were nothing in front of those that had been in the sect for a year or two.

Cycling the qi inside of his body, he directed it to the inner vest he was wearing. A resounding explosion echoed at that moment as the spear struck against an azure-colored wall, stopping in place.

Yueshi frowned, but seeing the opponent's whip swiping toward him he did not stay still. Having already experienced it before, this time he paid close attention to the attack, rolling to the side he saw it pass above his head, before changing trajectory and strike diagonally toward him.

The whip was the most flexible weapon, so its trajectory was hard to predict as it could be easily changed by those that knew how to use it well.

At the same time, in the cultivation world, it was a fairly rare weapon as most people opted for swords, sabers, or spears.

Without time to dodge, Yueshi jumped to the side as fast as he could. Unfortunately, his position made it hard to move.

Thankfully he acted soon enough, and the whip only struck the green grass, tearing it apart and leaving a crevice on the ground.

Knowing that giving time to his opponent was not a wise move, Yueshi swiped his spear as soon as he got his balance back. Like a dragon swaying its tail, the spear came crashing toward the youth with intense speed, however…

The resulting impact did not hurt him in the least, though it broke the azure-colored defense. The young man did not seem fazed, however. As a squad leader, he had many treasures, and he had not even used the arrays inscribed on his whip or robe yet.

Smiling, the young man looked as Yueshi jumped back. "Playing with you is really fun!" As he smiled sardonically, he stepped forward with great momentum – the battle was only starting!

Time flew when one was focused on a battle.

Yueshi and his group fought with all the power, using every technique and trick they had to confront their enemies.

However, effort and determination are not enough to win a battle destined to be lost. When you are unprepared and your opponent is not, the chances of you winning even when giving you all are extremely low.

After a fast observation of the battlefield, Yueshi noticed that despite everyone still fighting, they were tired and hurt. The ones in best condition had a few cuts and bruises, the ones that had been hit the hardest had broken bones.

Ling Tian Tian and the Qing twins were doing fairly well by themselves.

The first was almost at the fourth stage and was a talent in martial arts, moreover, she knew a few techniques, if there weren't ten people at the third stage pinning her down, she would have long won.

The latter two were fast, absurdly so, and while they spent a lot of stamina they could dodge most of the attacks without suffering any injuries.

Yuan Yue, Bei Lao, and Jiang Yao were suffering a bit more, however, they didn't have any grave injuries, or at least too many of them. The worst was Bei Lao whose shoulder had been penetrated by a blade, immobilizing his left arm.

Mu Baiyun… Yueshi eyes grew red seeing his situation. That sturdy fellow that seemed to be able to hold the skies was panting hard, dead tired. Moreover, his right arm was lying motionless to the side, broken in three parts – the shoulder, the forearm, and the wrist.

It was through sheer willpower that he could still fight, swinging his giant ax with a single hand. Yueshi did not know what made him angrier - the fact that Baiyun was that hurt, or that he had ended that way to protect others.

"Hear my orders and retreat, now!" Yueshi suddenly shouted, surprising not only his teammates but also their enemies. "This is an order as your leader!" His voice was a bit desperate at this moment, and they could only accept it.

They knew he was doing that for their own good, still, as young and proud geniuses, it was too hard… none of them, until this day, had suffered such a humiliation.

However, what could they do when their opponents' fist was stronger than theirs?

Soon, they retreated to the same spot despite their opponents trying to stop them.

With the eight standing together, the other party also reunited, planning to pursue and attack together – since small groups would risk being destroyed.

Staring at the enemy camp, Yueshi eyes flashed with a sharp light.

They were merely eight people, and the other side had more than thirty, minus five that had been knocked down. Nonetheless, he did not believe they could win, even if they continued to fight.

"Do you really think you can escape?" The leading youth spoke coldly, laughing. After all the clashes, Yueshi knew he was not a match for him right now.

Not speaking any more words, Yueshi motioned to the others to leave. If they kept wasting time they would end being surrounded and suppressed, and who knows what sort of fate they would face by then.

However, while the others retreated, Yueshi stood in place, gazing at his opponents. He could not win and he knew that, so he decided to put his all in one final strike.

'Man and spear as one!' As such words echoed inside his heart, the atmosphere around him changed. The air seemed to be torn to shreds as an azure-colored aura manifested around him – it was like the tip of a spear pointing toward the heavens.

At the same time, Yueshi activated the power of the Dragon Seal on his nape. The mark glowed with a pale blue light, boosting Yueshi's power to a whole new level. He could feel his meridians almost breaking under almighty force, but he clenched his teeth and resisted.

Suddenly, his spear thrust forward with never before seen speed. It was like a majestic dragon roaring toward the heavens, not willing to be caged by the laws of the world!

At that instant, the eyes of the top members of the Heavens' Will became serious.

They say that when a beast is corned it becomes even more fierce and dangerous, and the same could be said about humans. When they are willing to put it all, when they are not concerned about their wellbeing anymore, they can explode with even greater power.

Then, in front of their eyes, the spear changed completely.

Its tip became a dragon head, its shaft its body! An azure dragon roared toward the skies, lunging forward, wanting to devour them all!

As it traveled forth, the grass where it passed was torn into shreds, the air was split apart and even the ground caved in!

"Activate all your defenses!" The young man was sure they could defend, but he also did not want to risk losing.

Suddenly, the top five members of the group stepped forward, and, around them, barriers of all colors appeared. The most distinguishable one was of the whip-user, their leader. His barrier glowed in a holy, golden light.

Boom, boom…

The resounding explosions echoed loudly in the middle of the forest, startling the birds and forcing everything - men and beast - in a few miles to look over in the direction of the battle.

A curtain of dust rose in the air as the five were pushed back; meanwhile, the ones standing at the back, despite protecting themselves, suffered varying degrees of injury because of the shock-waves.

Yueshi staggered, tired after overworking his body, mind, and energy. The world became hazy and he felt his mind waver, like a candle facing a storm. However, suddenly, he felt two hands hold him up, not letting him fall.

His vision was blurry, but he could faintly recognize his supporter, the Qing sisters – one on each side.

"Today's debt…" His voice was rough, and he had difficulty breathing. "Will be paid… in the future." Then, his will gave in as his mind succumbed to darkness.

The two Qing sisters did not waste any more time and promptly carried him back. As cultivators at the second stage of the Body Refinement Realm, they had no problem carrying him and, with their great speed, they soon caught with the others.

Heavens Will members, after the dust settled, looked in their direction with cold eyes.

In the end, however, they decided to not pursue. They had a few injured members they had to send back, even more so when Yueshi's last attack attracted the attention of quite a few demon beasts in the region.

"We are retreating for today!" Holding his whip tight, their leader commanded.

Soon, they also started to leave. However, they did not give Yueshi's last words any attention. They were the Heavens' Will and they were not afraid!

They already taught them a small lesson today, and they would surely not stop because of a single person's words.

Like that, the battle in the middle of the forest, and the Soaring Dragon Association's first direct conflict with the Heavens' Will, ended.

Many years in the future, this battle would become a common story amongst all the disciples, and many would feel thrilled hearing about the azure-colored dragon that started a legend.

But well, let's leave that story for future generations.