Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 576 - 519: Summoning
Is this Li Ang’s secret?
Galuo clenched her fists, feeling the power from the armor, and couldn’t help but exhale a breath of turbid air. The mini fan built into the Wolf Head Helmet spontaneously rotated, expelling her breath from the helmet without causing any sense of stuffiness—Martial Artists, their bodies forged by a thousand hammers and a hundred refines, possess strength far superior to other Daoist Practitioners, but the corresponding cost is that their bodies produce a large amount of heat.
To dissipate this heat, Martial Artists need to practice special Breathing Techniques, controlling their blood flow rate during combat to efficiently expel heat. When necessary, they also need to wear armor and use talismans like the Frozen Cold Talisman. Otherwise, they will overheat, damaging their muscles and veins, and potentially leading to multi-organ failure.
(Some Martial Arts exploit this, intentionally raising the temperature of the blood to strengthen the body—an effect known as Frenzy Blood.)
The heat dissipation effect of the Ink Silk Armor is extremely good, instantly dispersing the high temperature on the body’s surface. Moreover, inside the armor, silk threads connect to the blood vessels and tendons, regulating Galuo’s core body temperature as well. If the average heat dissipation ability of a Martial Artist’s Breathing Technique is one hundred, and the Ashina Clan’s Breathing Technique practiced by Galuo is two hundred, then with the assistance of the Ink Silk Armor, this value could even double.
With greatly reduced body load and air resistance, Galuo stomped the ground and, like an arrow leaving its bow, lunged forward. The scimitar in her hand traced a semi-circular path, slicing towards Ghost Shovel. Ghost Shovel raised his arm, a layer of Martial Artist’s Qi Blood, almost tangible, swirling around his palm.
CLANG!
The scimitar struck between Ghost Shovel’s fingers, hitting the condensed Martial Artist’s Qi Blood and unable to advance further.
"Break!" Galuo roared, planting her feet into the ground and using all her strength to push the scimitar. The Mo Si threaded on the blade also rapidly spun, cutting through Ghost Shovel’s Martial Artist’s Qi Blood. Accompanied by a grating squeal that made one’s teeth ache, the scimitar slowly but firmly pressed down, tearing through the Martial Artist’s Qi Blood defense and slicing open Ghost Shovel’s fingers.
Blood spurted from between his fingers. This was the first time Ghost Shovel had been injured in this battle.
"Did you distribute your power?" Ghost Shovel pinched the scimitar with two fingers, indifferent to the chainsaw-like teeth furiously spinning and slicing at his Martial Artist’s Qi Blood. He evaluated coldly, "The effect is not bad, but still not enough."
Galuo had advanced to the Innate Martial Artist realm a few months ago. Now, with the assistance of Mo Si, her strength and speed had reached the Innate Middle Realm. Moreover, as the enhancement—or rather, the degree of erosion—of Mo Si increased, she continued to grow stronger. But at this moment, she was facing Ghost Shovel, who had long since stepped into the realm of a Martial Arts Grandmaster.
CRACK, CRACK, CRACK—
Ghost Shovel, facing the rotating teeth of the scimitar, pushed his palm forward, grasping both the handle of the scimitar and Galuo’s fist, squeezing down heavily. Galuo’s palm instantly made a sound of bones twisting and breaking.
What was worse, the split on Ghost Shovel’s palm opened again, creating endless suction. Just as Galuo’s palm was about to be crushed to pulp, Li Ang transformed his hand into a blade, allowing Mo Si to extend along his arm, forming a blade that stabbed into Ghost Shovel’s palm. Then, the blade immediately turned into a rope, entwining Ghost Shovel’s arm and preventing the split in his palm from opening. Simultaneously, Galuo’s Ink Silk Arm Guard transformed just in time to help her break free.
"Don’t let him open his palm!" Li Ang shouted. Half of the Mo Si on his body formed into a net, tightly binding Ghost Shovel’s abdomen and the split in his palm. The other half reshaped into a high-speed rotating drill, working in tandem with the orbs of light shot from the Radiant Crossbow, piercing towards his skull, neck, heart, and other vital points.
This was a rather peculiar battle. Neither Li Ang nor Galuo dared to distance themselves from Ghost Shovel, as that would give him a chance to activate his Devouring Heaven and Earth. At the same time, they also didn’t dare get too close—Ghost Shovel’s punches and kicks could easily penetrate their defenses.
"Enough!" Ghost Shovel’s anger grew within him. He felt as if he were facing two exceedingly agile mosquitoes; although he possessed the strength to crush them with a single slap, he could never land a hit.
He stamped on the ground forcefully, shaking and breaking the earth beneath him and sending Galuo, who was lighter, flying. Then, he clutched Li Ang’s Ink Silk Armor by the neck and slammed him hard into the ground, raising a cloud of dust and broken stones.
His spine shattered, his organs ruptured. Li Ang coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood. The Radiant Crossbow, held by Mo Si, shot out an orb of light, which Ghost Shovel dodged with ease by simply tilting his head.
"This move is useless against me," Ghost Shovel said coldly, placing his hand before Li Ang’s neck and activating Devouring Heaven and Earth.
BUZZ!
The fissure created a powerful suction, tearing and devouring a large chunk of Mo Si and Li Ang’s flesh and blood.
"I know," Li Ang said through clenched teeth. He squeezed out the last bit of his Spiritual Power to activate the now-cooled Arbitrary Gate and transported himself a hundred paces away. Galuo helped him up from the ground. Li Ang gasped for air as he allowed Mo Si to fill the injuries in his chest cavity, adding with difficulty, "That’s why it was for them to see."
Them?
Ghost Shovel belatedly looked up to the sky, only to see the orb of light from the Radiant Crossbow bursting high above, unfurling into a shower-like rain of light. The sky in the Northern Territory darkened rapidly during winter. The height of the mountains, compounded with the altitude at which the Radiant Crossbow had fired the orb of light, made it soar very high and extremely conspicuous in the night sky.
Within a hundred miles, all the Taihao Mountain and Turkic Practitioners searching for the outsiders caught sight of this rain of light. Everyone immediately ran towards the light’s location, contacting their companions along the way by various means. It was like a drop of blood in seawater, attracting countless sharks.
Ghost Shovel’s complexion changed slightly. Taihao Mountain hated Yu Country, true, but they would not mind joining in to hunt down a wanted evil cultivator while in Turkic territory.
WHOOSH—
WHOOSH—
Successive sounds of rushing air rang out as several figures sped in, landing on a hillock. Among them were faces Li Ang recognized.
The Holy Rite Priest disciple, Shangguan Yangyao.
The Deputy Envoy of the Torch Language Institute, Yu Feiyu.
And Bian Chenpei, the son of Judicial Cardinal Bian Yubo.
Bian Chenpei had grown quite a bit taller in the years since Li Ang had last seen him. His eyes narrowed into slits. He wore the trademark black robe of the Judgement Court, and a metal sphere about two inches in diameter, intricately inlaid with complex Gold patterns, hovered above his palm. That was Starfall, the Secret Treasure of Taihao Mountain’s Judgement Court.
"I thought someone was causing trouble in Turkic territory," Bian Chenpei said, descending the hillock step by step. He looked down at Li Ang, who was in a sorry state on the slope, and sneered, "Turns out, it’s you."
Li Ang’s Ink Silk Armor had been shattered and crushed, retracting beneath his clothes, while Galuo still wore the Wolf Head Armor, so Bian Chenpei did not recognize her.
"Mr. Li, long time no see," Yu Feiyu greeted with a touch of emotion. Two years ago, when he came to Yu Country for an academic exchange, he had made some friends in the Academic Palace. He did not expect that upon meeting again, they would be enemies.
As they spoke, more figures landed on the hillock, subtly encircling Ghost Shovel, Li Ang, and Galuo. Among them were both Taihao Mountain Cultivators and Turkic Practitioners.
"We bear the orders of the Turkic Prime Minister, Ashide Keluo, to maintain Turkic stability," Shangguan Yangyao said calmly, stepping forward. "The three of you have intruded upon the border without authorization. Please come with us."
