AZI Volume 5 Chapter 40

"Ai, being a true man is difficult. Rather glad to not have to be concerned with such a thing."

Lowering his arms, Long Hua mutters—

"Sword."

*Grrrooo…* narrowing its eyes, the White Serpent King assumes the form of a colossal sword. 

*Kakaka!* holding the colossal sword backhanded, and dropping its tip onto the ice, cracks appear, as Long Hua drags it forward, while walking towards the direction of the black crocodilian weapon spirit. 

A few meters up ahead—

"Hui'er!"

Knocking another enemy weapon spirit aside, Zhang Yong arrives in front of Hui'er with his right hand stretched out to pull her up; however—

"Zhang Yong, watch out!"

"Uh…!"

Leaping forward to close in on Zhang Yong's back was another enemy weapon spirit with its claws raised. 

"Ack…!"

Hit by the enemy's claws, Zhang Yong—despite not having had his back flayed open, is nevertheless thrown to the side by the impact. 

"…!"

As the fully Apotheosized weapon spirit approaches her with its claws raised, Hui'er's complexion turns pale. 

And just as the weapon spirit stabs its claws downwards—

"Uh…!"

Hui'er shuts her eyes. 

"…?"

However, the expected sense of pain never arrives, and—

*Boom!!!* what follows is a sound that is akin to two cars colliding. 

"…"

"…Nh?"

Opening her eyes, Hui'er sees the young man—with the same face as her childhood friend standing in front of her with a colossal sword raised to the side, seemingly having used it to knock the weapon spirit aside. 

Expecting the person to help her up just as they would have done in her memories, Hui'er raises her right hand, to which, Long Hua glances down beneath his feet, and mutters—

"Out of the way."

Lowering the sword, Long Hua kicks Hui'er aside like a random pebble on the road before continuing on his way. 

The kick had thrown the wide-eyed Hui'er into the air, but the pain doesn't seem to register, as she stares at Long Hua—who is continuing to make his way towards the black crocodilian weapon spirit. 

"Got you!"

Catching Hui'er, Zhang Yong glares at Long Hua, and—

"Hack!"

Regaining her wits, Hui'er throws up a mouthful of blood from being kicked. 

This harsh kick to the side has seemingly severed any traces of expectations that she has for Long Hua to be the "Long Hua" that she knows. 

"…Long-laoban is indeed Long-laoban."

Having seen what happened, Yu Ji can't help but make an expression of amazement. Suddenly, she feels like a winner in life, as she straightens her back; after all, being slapped is still better than being kicked on the side. 

"Hey, surnamed Long, are you out of your mind?!"

Noticing how Long Hua and Tian Cheng are headed in the opposite direction of everyone else, Ye Chen shouts in their direction. 

"…"

Stopping directly in front of the black crocodilian weapon spirit's charge, Long Hua asks—

"Ready?"

Handing Long Hua, a knife that is attached to a thread, Tian Cheng answers—

"Any time."

Simultaneously, the two leaps forward, and into the black crocodilian weapon spirit's opened maw! 

"Truly a lunatic…"

Glancing back behind him only to see this, Shao Tianming didn't know if he should call Long Hua a fool, or feel impressed by their courage. 

(Surnamed Long isn't stupid. He probably has a good reason for wanting to head into that thing's maw… Don't tell…?)

Realizing something, Qing Yue gasps, and stomps her foot down on the ice. 

(The Immortal Sealing Chain is inside that thing's maw!)

Seeing as how Long Hua and Tian Cheng have already leaped forward, it is already too late to think about the device being salvageable, as those two will surely smash it to pieces. 

...…

"…"

Rotating her body, Tian Cheng hurls Long Hua—who is holding onto the knife forward. 

Soaring through the air—only to reach a certain limit, Long Hua drags Tian Cheng upwards by pulling on the thread attached knife. 

However, the momentum of their leaps can only carry them so far. 

"Not enough, is it?"

Narrowing his eyes as Tian Cheng flies pass him, Long Hua tosses the sword in his right hand upwards. 

As the sword approaches her, and soars by, Tian Cheng throws out another knife that is attached to a thread. 

And in the next instance, the thread locks around the sword's handle. 

Turning her body once more, Tian Cheng swings the sword that is akin to a pendulum, and smashes it directly onto the Immortal Sealing Chain's barrier! 

*Boom!* with the barrier destroyed, it releases a shockwave that knocks the sword back; however—

"Either you break it, or I break you."

*Grrrooo!* reconstructing itself, the White Serpent King charges forth in the form of a drill, and grinds the Immortal Sealing Chain to pieces! 

"…"

Sensing his cultivation base returning to him, Long Hua smiles with satisfaction. 

But in the same instance—

*…!!!!!* feeling the White Serpent King scratching its upper jaw to produce a discomfort—that is akin to an irritating itch, the black crocodilian weapon spirit abruptly snaps its maw to a close!