Just A Daoist Who Occasionally Kicks Ass-Chapter 259: True Form Revealed!
Clang!
Li Yanchu poured his full energy into the Jiaoslayer, the tip carving through the air. A half-moon-shaped saber-qi split the void!
The bei was incredibly fast, twisting aside to evade.
Meanwhile, the raptor that had been diving for Bai Hongtu smashed its talons against a soft, glowing light. It couldn’t pierce it at all, and it seemed to fear that divine radiance immensely. With a pitiful cry, it quickly fled.
Seeing this, Bai Hongtu grinned. So this thing really works?
In his arms was an ancient oil lamp, the sort commonly seen in Daoist temples and Buddhist monasteries. The divine light radiating from it had just driven off the ferocious bird.
This was one of the powerful divine artifacts Li Yanchu had brought back from the Blissful Land of Mount Jinting, originally in the possession of Hong Baiwei.
The battle all happened in a flash of lightning, yet it was already perilous beyond measure.
***
Suddenly, the climbing ropes were severed, and the three felt an instant weightlessness in their hands.
Boom! A massive boulder came hurtling down from the cliff top. It must have weighed tens of thousands of jin, and it descended with crushing force, aimed right at them.
Even with the strongest magical powers or an indestructible body, in such a situation you would still be doomed, let alone with a flying predator and a bei capable of breaking a martial artist’s Qi Shield lurking nearby, ready to strike.
Just then, Bai Hongtu’s heart sank.
We’re done for! Damn it! Those bastards are vicious! They waited until we were this high up before making their move as they clearly wanted to make sure we fell to our deaths if they couldn’t kill us outright!
In the next instant, a figure appeared beside him, and then he felt his body rapidly rising, as if soaring through the clouds.
In a flash, he left the cliff face and was suddenly in midair.
“Eh!?” Bai Hongtu couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.
Feng Jiu’s eyes also widened in shock. The two of them were now being held by Li Yanchu, and they had truly been brought into the air.
Their minds raced, and in the blink of an eye, the three had completely reached the top of the abyss, standing firmly on solid ground.
Feeling the earth beneath his feet, Bai Hongtu felt as if he were dreaming. What had just happened!? I was flying!?
All around was empty, with no sign at all of the one who had attacked them from the shadows.
The ferocious bird once again swooped down at lightning speed. At the same time, that wolf-like creature darted low along the ground toward the three, moving like a ghost!
Li Yanchu’s gaze was icy cold, his killing intent unmistakable.
“Talismanic armor, activate!”
His vital energy surged like the blazing sun, and with one grab he seized the wolf-creature in his hand.
It let out a shrill, eerie cry, yet could not move at all.
Boom!
“Divine Astral Hands, Void-Splitting Palm!” The palm strike’s force was like raging waves and an unstoppable tide.
The fierce bird, whose wings spanned three to four zhang and its talons gleamed with metallic luster, was instantly smashed apart. Under the Void-Splitting Palm, it turned to dust!
Bang!
The vicious, cunning wolf-creature was also crushed in Li Yanchu’s grip. His scorching vital energy instantly burned everything away. He drew out an Eight Trigams Mirror, raising it high with an icy gaze.
“Evil beings and heretical forces, I will leave you no place to hide!” Li Yanchu shouted coldly.
The Eight Trigams Mirror could suppress evil and repel malice, revealing all monsters and demons. After being enhanced, its power had grown even stronger!
In battle, it had once shattered the ancient bronze mirror in the hands of Hong Baiwei of Mount Mao, and its divine might was unparalleled.
A brilliant white divine light shot straight into the void.
Bang!
A translucent figure appeared, collapsing to the ground, blood streaming from his seven orifices. It was a cold-faced young man with thin lips exuding an icy, sinister aura.
He looked to be in his early twenties. Yet his eyes carried a weathered, world-weary depth far beyond his years.
At his waist hung a curved saber, no more than two chi long, with a golden hilt inlaid with multicolored gems, radiating killing intent.
“Eight Trigams Mirror... Impressive!” The cold-faced young man’s voice was low and heavy.
Their gazes clashed in midair, brimming with killing intent, as though invisible sparks flew between them. He had just lost the upper hand, injured and revealed by the divine light of the Eight Trigams Mirror, yet he still radiated utter confidence.
Li Yanchu said in a deep voice, “Come!”
He stepped forward and brought the Jiaoslayer down in a cleaving strike.
The cold-faced youth lunged suddenly, drawing the curved saber at his waist with a ringing clang. A streak of cold, gleaming blade-light surged forward, like the eternal snow that would never melt atop the mountain peak.
Clang!
The crisp clash of metal rang out, and sparks burst in all directions.
The young man’s movements were lightning-fast; the curved saber touched the Jiaoslayer for but an instant before retreating, then swept in toward Li Yanchu’s lower leg.
The strike was strange, ruthless, and venomous!
“Take this!” the young man roared.
But Li Yanchu’s Qi Shield, unyielding and blazing like the sun, blocked the slash in front of him, and with a single stroke, his saber cut toward the young man’s neck. It was blindingly fast!
The young man’s pupils shrank sharply; almost by instinct, he used his astonishing waist strength to bend backward in a sudden arc. He had take on the Iron Plank Bridge posture[1]!
Even so, a thin line of blood trickled from his throat; it was a wound from the saber’s qi. Had he been even a fraction slower, his head would have been severed on the spot!
Twisting his body midair, he lashed out with his right leg toward Li Yanchu’s temple.
Bang! The blow split the air with a sonic boom.
From the side, Bai Hongtu saw it all clearly, and his heart tightened instantly. It was rare to see anyone fight Li Yanchu to a standstill in close-quarters combat.
This kick carried explosive power, and it was fast as lightning. But Li Yanchu didn’t dodge. Instead, he stepped forward half a pace, his body arched like a massive ox-horn bow drawn to a full moon.
He then crashed straight in!
Divine Astral Hands! Iron Mountain Slam!
The cold-faced young man was blasted backward, flipping several times in midair before managing to dissipate the domineering force.
A trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, yet he seemed otherwise uninjured.
Their clash had taken place in the blink of an eye, and the young man’s reflexes, speed, and martial skill were all of the highest caliber.
Li Yanchu’s gaze was icy as his entire qi surged into the Jiaoslayer. Ripples of scorching heat shimmered along the weapon’s edge, layer after layer.
Boom!
The Jiaoslayer cleaved toward the young man once more with crushing weight.
Crack! Crack!
Behind the youth appeared the faint, towering image of a black-scaled serpent with a cyan head, more than ten zhang long. It looked ferocious and cruel, and its eyes were cold and unfeeling. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
The domineering, searing saber qi struck its smooth, armor-hard scales, sending sparks flying. Then, it was swallowed whole by the serpent in a single gulp!
Black qi coiled around the cold-faced young man, his eyes turning jet-black, just as cold as the serpent’s.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze, the temperature plummeting. Frost spread across the ground in many places.
An overwhelming, primal aura poured out from him, like an ancient beast resurrected into the mortal world.
Bai Hongtu’s expression changed; the bones throughout his body creaked and groaned, and he almost collapsed under the pressure.
The ancient oil lamp he carried flared with light, shielding him from the crushing force, only then could he withstand it.
Feng Jiu, beautiful beyond compare in her wide Daoist robes, reacted strangely. Her face was pale, but deep in her eyes, a fleeting surge of powerful qi flashed and vanished, but it seemed as though she hadn’t even noticed it herself.
Li Yanchu caught this detail and was faintly moved, but did not dwell on it.
His focus returned to the young man radiating this terrifying aura and the giant serpent looming behind him.
1. The Iron Plank Bridge is a life-saving martial arts technique used to evade hidden weapons. When a projectile comes too fast to jump aside or dodge, the practitioner stiffens the body and suddenly leans backward at an angle, letting the weapon skim past while keeping both feet firmly planted on the ground. This maneuver allows them to avoid the enemy’s hidden attack. ☜
