Chapter 24: The Astonishing 32 Swords!
Hearing Fang Wang's words, Zhou Xue immediately said to Zhou Xing Shi, "Carry him on your back, I'll protect you, let's go!"
"But..."
Zhou Xing Shi hesitated; his mission was to protect Fang Wang, and he did not care about Fang Hanyu.
"Don't worry, he's very strong. Hurry up; don't hold him back!" Zhou Xue said sternly, sounding somewhat impatient.
Urged by her, Zhou Xing Shi had no choice but to carry Fang Hanyu on his back, and the two rushed into the forest, quickly disappearing from sight.
The middle-aged man standing beside the red sedan immediately waved his hand, and instantly, more than a dozen Green Cicada Valley disciples chased after Zhou Xue.
Fang Wang lifted his left hand in front of him, his index and middle fingers pressed together. In an instant, three sword shapes condensed around him and immediately surged towards the group of Green Cicada Valley disciples.
The Sword Qi ripped through the air, its speed incredibly fast!
The faces of those Green Cicada Valley disciples changed drastically. Disciples at or above the seventh layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm scrambled to dodge, while those below the seventh layer were pierced through the throat by the Sword Qi, blood spraying the sky. The remaining disciples tried to evade, but their speed was no match for the Jinghong Divine Sword Art.
In less than the time it takes for three breaths, all the disciples from the Green Cicada Valley at the Qi Cultivation Realm level were killed, their bodies plummeting to the ground.
Fang Wang's gaze remained fixed on the red sedan above the Gu insects, sneering to himself: "The Demonic Dao is just the Demonic Dao, watching fellow sect members die a gruesome death yet sitting still without moving."
The middle-aged man glared at Fang Wang, enraged. Behind him, the Green Cicada Valley disciples spread out, encircling Fang Wang. Each brandished their own Magic Artifacts or Gu insects.
Surrounded by hundreds of Green Cicada Valley disciples, Fang Wang was not flustered. His aim was to tie up the enemy for as long as possible.
The curtain of the red sedan finally lifted, and an alluring man in black brocade emerged. With a handsome face and deep purple lips, even the bags under his eyes were deep purple. A faint trace of poisonous gas lingered between his brows. His long hair was coiled under a crown, which was made from the shell of a poison scorpion, looking extremely terrifying.
Li Hongshuang, the number one genius of Green Cicada Valley, had made his name well before he entered the valley, and his demeanor was distinct from the other disciples.
Upon first sight of him, Fang Wang thought he was facing one of the Green Cicada Valley elders.
Li Hongshuang looked down on Fang Wang, seeing the three sword shapes returning behind him, floating erect. He asked, "The Jinghong Divine Sword Art, what is your relationship with Yang Yuanzi?"
Fang Wang, wearing a bamboo hat, looked up, the shadow of the hat making his complexion seem extremely cold. The tragic state of Fang Hanyu stoked the murderous intent in his heart.
"Is Yang Yuanzi the only one in the world who knows the Jinghong Divine Sword Art?" Fang Wang countered.
If he didn't need to buy time for Zhou Xue and the others, he would have already made his move.
Li Hongshuang lifted his right hand, and a blood-red banner flew out from above his head, quickly enlarging before landing back in his hand, taller than his entire body.
On the blood-colored banner were images of ferocious ghosts, terrifying and seeming almost alive, their claws and teeth bared as if to strike with every sway of the flag.
Lifespirit Treasure!
"Since you refuse to speak, then I'll force it out of you!" Li Hongshuang said coldly, and while speaking, he kicked the middle-aged man beside him away. Without needing his instructions, the Gu insects immediately pounced towards Fang Wang.
In the midst of the surprise attack, Li Hongshuang swiftly waved the blood-colored banner, and rolling clouds of blood mist spread out, like long dragons charging at Fang Wang.
Fang Wang's eyes narrowed as Spiritual Power burst forth, condensing sword shapes around him.
The Jinghong Divine Sword Art, tweleve swords!
He leaped into the air, stepping on a Flying Sword to kill the Gu insects. The twelve swords dashed at even greater speeds, tracing different trajectories in the air to scatter the long dragons of blood mist head-on.
Li Hongshuang's lips curled upward, and he leaped as well, his left hand raised high before he forcefully slapped it down, his Spiritual Power coalescing into a massive black palm pressing down.
Fang Wang fiercely threw out the Qingjun Sword in his hand, which turned into a green rainbow and sped away like lightning, shattering the massive black palm. Li Hongshuang instinctively twisted his body to dodge the Qingjun Sword, but a tuft of hair by his temple was cut off.
"Superior Grade Spiritual Weapon!"
Li Hongshuang's eyes flickered with a fierce light. He wasn't intimidated and continued his assault on Fang Wang.
In the blink of an eye, the two collided. Fang Wang used his fingers as a sword, maneuvering twelve sword shapes to attack Li Hongshuang furiously. Li Hongshuang quickly waved the blood-colored banner, defending against the twelve swords while also launching his own attacks.
Such a vicious toxin!
Fang Wang noticed that his twelve sword shapes, after being tainted with the blood mist, began to diminish; the poison could erode Spiritual Power!
Li Hongshuang attacked ferociously. Solely in terms of hand speed, he was undoubtedly the strongest opponent Fang Wang had ever faced.
With a sweep of the blood-colored banner, his left palm struck out from beneath the flag, aiming for Fang Wang's chest.
Clang!
Li Hongshuang was repelled, as was Fang Wang. Comparing the distance they were forced back, it was difficult to determine a winner.
"What Cultivation Technique is this?"
Li Hongshuang's brow furrowed, his left hand trembling slightly; he immediately clenched his fist to suppress it.
Following his gaze, surrounding Fang Wang was a layer of visible stout Qi, causing even the surrounding space to tremble.
"Such a domineering Spiritual Power!"
Fang Wang was inwardly shocked but more so exhilarated. The future Green Cicada Valley Master was indeed worthy of his reputation.
After a round of combat, he had a rough understanding of Li Hongshuang's abilities. Unable to contain his killing intent any longer, it burst forth from his eyes.
Fang Wang's right hand lifted, and the sword shapes behind him began to multiply.
Sixteen swords!
Eighteen swords!
Twenty-two swords!
Li Hongshuang was shaken, a storm of shock and awe surging within him. He knew about the Jinghong Divine Sword Art, and Yang Yuanzi had not surpassed fifteen swords even in the Soul Sculpting Realm.
Unflustered, he immediately waved his sleeve, and countless poisonous insects flew out, densely packed and blotting out the sky, forming an oppressive dark cloud above the forest.
Fang Wang gathered twenty-seven swords in one breath, which swirled around his body, causing his robes to billow violently as if they were about to shatter at any moment.
The more sword forms there are in the Jinghong Divine Sword Art, the more the might of each sword increases, not just in number. With the deployment of twenty-seven swords, Fang Wang's sword intent reached a heart-pounding level. Even the watching disciples of the Green Cicada Valley felt uneasy, with some retreating further back.
Fang Wang's gaze was fixed on Li Hongshuang as he said in a cold voice, "If this is all you are capable of, then you have no future."
Upon hearing this, Li Hongshuang grew furious, immediately raising the blood-red flag high. Within the dark cloud formed by countless poisonous insects, blood-red lightning bolts began emerging one after another, their might overwhelming.
Formation!
...
Meanwhile, in the forest, Zhou Xue and Zhou Xing Shi were rapidly weaving through the trees, passing by bodies of mystical creatures and cultivators, a chilling sight.
Boom!
Hearing the deafening sound of thunder behind them, Zhou Xing Shi couldn't help but ask worriedly, "Can he really escape?"
After all, that was Li Hongshuang!
Even though Fang Wang was a Heaven Yuan Spirit Treasure, Li Hongshuang was nonetheless an Earth Origin Spirit Treasure, and their levels of cultivation were vastly different.
It seemed highly unlikely for a third-level Soul Sculpting Realm cultivator to defeat one at the ninth level, let alone when the opponent was the number one talent of a Demonic Sect!
Zhou Xue, eyes fixed ahead and without turning her head, replied, "Don't underestimate him. That kid always has an ace up his sleeve. Are you sure you know the full extent of his strength? Even if he can't defeat Li Hongshuang, escaping with his life is certainly not a difficult feat for him."
Hearing this, Zhou Xing Shi felt a bit more at ease.
Indeed.
He had no idea how strong Fang Wang actually was.
Fang Hanyu, who was lying on Zhou Xing Shi's back, had been silent all this time, but his heart was also gripped with tension for Fang Wang.
...
Boom! Boom! Boom...
Thunderclaps descended fiercely, ravaging the forest as disciples of the Green Cicada Valley screamed in agony, their bodies charred black from the strikes. Of the three to four hundred Green Cicada Valley disciples originally present, only a third remained, all hiding in the distance, watching the battlefield with fear as the giant Gu insect of Li Hongshuang crushed a swath of the forest, smoldering with smoke, with wisps of blood mist diffusing over the area, adding a suffocating atmosphere to the battlefield.
This thunder was not from Li Hongshuang's formation!
With her hairpin fallen and her hair disheveled, Li Hongshuang gritted her teeth as she glared at Fang Wang and coldly said, "Great Celestial Thunder Technique, who on earth are you? Could you be Lu Yuanjun?"
Fang Wang, raising the Qingjun Sword high, pointed its tip towards the heart of the thunderclouds above, with twenty-seven sword forms encircling him. At this moment, his aura peaked to an unmatched level.
Fang Wang snorted, "What's Lu Yuanjun in comparison!"
Suddenly, he drew back his sword and transformed into a white rainbow that shot towards Li Hongshuang.
The White Rainbow Evasion Technique was not necessarily just for escaping!
Enraged, Li Hongshuang held the blood-red flag in his left hand and a long sword in his right, charging forward to meet Fang Wang.
Under the watchful eyes of all, he could not allow himself to be defeated!
Clang!
Their swords collided, sparking fires, and as they locked gazes, lethal intent filled both their eyes. In almost an instant, both moved, their magic artifacts blurring into afterimages.
The twenty-seven swords of the Jinghong Divine Sword Art moved with Fang Wang, striking at Li Hongshuang from all directions. Li Hongshuang fought widely, waving his blood-colored flag to fend off the twenty-seven swords, and brandishing his long sword with a fierce sword technique against Fang Wang single-handedly.
The thickening blood mist continued to spread as their figures intertwined, fighting from the sky to the ground, their steps scraping the earth and kicking up dust and stones.
This sight chilled the surviving disciples of the Green Cicada Valley.
"How is this possible! Brother Li can't take him down!"
"Who on earth is he?"
"He must be from the Great Abyss Gate, otherwise why would he save that Tai Yuan Sect Disciple? Little did we expect that the Great Abyss Gate had such a formidable person."
"Did you hear Brother Li earlier? The Great Celestial Thunder Technique and the Jinghong Divine Sword Art, these are the exclusive cultivation techniques of the Great Abyss Gate. Mastering even one and reaching Great Completion allows one to dominate Grand Qi. I never imagined a disciple had mastered two!"
"Could this person be the chief disciple of a single lineage from the Great Abyss Gate?"
Fang Wang and Li Hongshuang could no longer pay attention to the disciples' discussions; their minds were focused on one thing only—to kill each other.
Fang Wang sought revenge for Fang Hanyu, and Li Hongshuang fought for his own pride!
Li Hongshuang fiercely swung his sword, sending a storm of poisonous Sword Qi toward Fang Wang. Fang Wang, employing the Shadowless Step, swiftly dodged. His gaze intensified, and behind him, more sword forms began to coalesce.
Five swords appeared at once!
Thirty-two swords!
Li Hongshuang's pupils contracted, his face showing horror. Before he could speak, the velocity of the thirty-two sword forms around Fang Wang surged, their might growing even fiercer.
The thirty-two swords viciously attacked Li Hongshuang, who barely managed to defend with the two magic artifacts. But within three breaths' time, he sustained injuries, becoming increasingly passive in the battle.
Fang Wang forcefully hurled the Qingjun Sword, cutting through the dusty air, and charged directly at Li Hongshuang.
Even as the thirty-two swords took him by surprise, Li Hongshuang reacted swiftly, arching his body back to dodge the Qingjun Sword. Just as he steadied himself, the thirty-two swords converged on him from all directions.
Clang!
The sword in Li Hongshuang's hand dropped heavily to the ground as the thirty-two sword forms pierced his body, blood spurting wildly, even from his mouth as he coughed up copious amounts of poisonous blood, unable to stem the flow.
Staring determinately at Fang Wang, his eyes bloodshot, he quavered, "Jinghong... thirty-two swords... who are you really..."
Thud!
The Qingjun Sword suddenly struck from behind, beheading him. His head fell to the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop against Fang Wang's right foot, the eyes still wide open in anger.