If there were no system notification, Happy might have tried his luck, but now… he ignored the Dharma protector and continued running forward and out of the hot tunnel.
It was not that he wanted to use his Moksha Realm and his unmastered Universe's Lightning Destruction Style to fight against a Myth Realm elite, but the continuous stream of system notifications had been ringing in his head without stop, and they gave him both good and bad news.
The good news was that if he successfully left Sky Demon Secret Cave before Heaven Crystal was snatched away, the people from Heaven Shaker Fortress would not dare to pursue him publicly in the world of martial arts. For at least three days, he would be safe.
But the bad news was that unless he killed both Dharma protectors in Sky Demon Secret Cave, even if he left Sky Demon Secret Cave, the news about Heaven Crystal would spread out, and soon, he would have powerful martial artists from different factions of power coming after him.
He would bring his own ruin with his wealth, and three days later, he would find himself in a hopeless situation. As long as he had Heaven Crystal with him, there would be an endless stream of people after his life!
The last notification nearly made Happy kill himself by ramming his head against the entrance to the extremely cold cave.
There was no one who had a nice end after they made enemies of the whole world of martial artists. The quest could be said to have forced Happy into a corner! There was no longer any other path for him to take aside from fighting against death.
Chapter 720 - Suffering a Setback in the Cave of Extreme Cold
Fight or flight?
It was time for Happy to make a choice, and between the two, he resolutely chose the former.
First, it was because Happy understood that if he dragged things out, he would fall into an even more passive and dangerous situation. Instead of fleeing because he was persecuted for his riches, it was better to use the unique terrain of Sky Demon Secret Cave to fight. Perhaps he would find a sliver of a chance to survive, and even if he died, it just meant that the conclusion of the quest would be brought forward.
Whoosh!
The old Dharma protector with the silver saber was very fast, and five seconds after Happy entered the other tunnel, he stepped into the extremely cold cave as well.
"Hmm?"
Right when he entered the ice cold world, the Dharma protector with the silver saber immediately noticed that the situation in this cave was completely different from the one in the other cave.
One was extremely hot, and the other extremely cold!
The former was alright. After all, he was used to being in an environment where he had furnaces burning at high heats around him, and it was not that much colder in that cave.
Besides, the unique qi cultivation of the mighty northern clan allowed them to be able to move at will in hot environments. That was why even when they fought against Fire Qilin, the hot flames that spread out from it had a hard time causing damage to them.
But the situation in the extremely cold cave was different.
Right after entering, the Dharma protector who had stayed for a long time in the snow plains in the north felt a chill that seeped into his bones. The skin that was exposed instantly turned red.
"This cold is something that will freeze a normal person's blood and true qi, which will reduce their mobility. The evil cult truly has a lot of amazing genii to be able to create such an environment."
Even though the Dharma protector was a little amazed, it was still difficult for any sort of environment to bring him down. His eyes were redirected to a trail of clear footprints on the ground in the extremely cold cave. He stopped scowling, and the wrinkles on his brow were no longer as prominent.
He was following a youngster at Moksha Realm. His foundation in martial arts was not enough, and if he entered such a dangerous place rashly, it would be very difficult for him to travel any distance.
"Hmph! I'd like to see where you can run."
Even though his speed was astonishing, compared to while he was outside, his speed in the cave was much slower. Still, with each step he took, he traveled several feet forward. He ran along the clear tracks and went after Happy into the tunnel.
Based on the density of the footprints, Happy's movement speed had definitely been reduced by more than seven-tenths of its original!
Each three or so feet he took, he left behind a deep footprint on the ice, which made it difficult for the old Dharma protector to see him as someone who was pretty good at martial arts.
But that was how it worked in this place.
There was a faint smile on the face of the Dharma protector with the silver saber. His weapon had a layer of frost on it, which made him look even colder and more aggressive!
In his mind's eye, he was able to see Happy's true qi not circulating smoothly and making it difficult for him to flee.
But what made him puzzled was that even though he had followed the footprints for more than half a minute, he still had not discovered Happy.
The Dharma protector finally noticed that there was something off!
And there was indeed something off.
Based on the distance between the footprints left on the ground, Happy should not have been able to run quickly. The Dharma protector's speed had been affected, but he was still several times faster than the youth.
Logically speaking, he should have long since caught up to Happy.
He turned his head around to look.
The Dharma protector scowled and finally noticed that he had been set up.
The entrance was nearby.
He had actually taken a huge circle based on the tracks on the ground.
"Brat, you sure have some skill with you. Not bad. It's no wonder why you could snatch Heaven Crystal from Sword Sect…"
The disdainful look in the Dharma protector's eyes faded away, and he looked around the area carefully. Soon, he saw a trail of faint tracks in a very inconspicuous place.
He followed after those tracks.
But he still returned to the same spot.
"Damn it!"
He was deceived again!
With fury in him, the Dharma protector could sense that the silver saber in his hand had become incredibly cold, and his palm had almost been frozen.
The extremely cold environment was much worse than the extremely hot cave next door. He had to constantly use up his qi, and even though he could replenish some of it by circulating his qi cultivation technique, it was met with a lot of resistance when he tried to use it.
Besides, as time passed, a bit of cold poison was slowly invading his body, and the depletion of his qi was gradually increasing. The Dharma protector was already having a hard time moving around the place.
If he continued staying here, his body might go through some degree of discomfort.
Just when the Dharma protector was about to go and find the exit to leave the place for a while so that he could heal his body, his ears twitched, and he heard a faint sound in a part of the tunnel not too far away.
Whoosh!
The idea which had just been born disappeared without a trace. The Dharma protector quickly rushed over without hesitation.
Right when he reached the mouth of the cave, a cold sword light rushed to the entrance. It was very dazzling.
'He's good!'
He cried out in surprise and flicked his wrist. Then, he swung his silver saber so closely to himself that it grazed his face, and he positioned it in front of himself to block a series of quick slashes that were so fast that it was dazzling.
Naturally, the Dharma protector did not know that ever since Happy mastered Nine Yang Divine Skill, his qi cultivation returned to the state of when it seemed that he had yet to begin training, which was why he did not notice beforehand that his actions were already in Happy's control.
It was also the reason why he had to suffer through Happy's quick strokes in a passive position.
Clinging sounds rose no
nstop.
Happy's quick slashes increased in speed because of the boost from the fourth-echelon Golden Gloves. With the damage from Seventh Sword and an Origin Leopard Pill, his damage exceeded thirty thousand points, and it was not at all inferior to the attacks from a martial artist at the peak of Inaction Realm.
The series of quick slashes might not have seemed like much, but the thunderous bangs that erupted later and the increasingly powerful sword glares violently destroyed the frost on the silver saber.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Frost flew everywhere!
The Dharma protector was forced back repeatedly, and when he s.u.c.k.e.d in a breath into his lungs, his true qi almost froze over!
When he fixed his eyes on his attacker, the youth unthinkingly pulled back his sword, turned around, and ran into the tunnel.
"Brat, where do you think you're running?!"
The Dharma protector's face was red with rage.
The mighty northern clansmen were short-tempered, and they could not tolerate even the smallest slight against them. Right now, he had been toyed around by a junior, and when they faced each other in combat, he was forced a few steps back. He did not even manage to counterattack! This was a first in the second half of the Dharma protector's life.
The anger was stuck in his c.h.e.s.t, and it nearly made him explode. There was no way he could endure it!
With a roar, he chased after Happy and went into the tunnel.
As anger burned in his heart, the Dharma protector did not notice that the speed at which they executed their qi cultivation techniques was actually about the same. In fact, when Happy turned around and left, he seemed to have a slight advantage in terms of speed, and his actions were a little smoother.
Chapter 721 - Seize the Saber, Failed
"Brat, your end is nigh!" An angry shout came from behind Happy. "Put down Heaven Crystal now, and I'll let you die with dignity! Otherwise, when I capture you, I'll definitely cut you into pieces and you'll without a proper grave!"
The Dharma protector with the silver saber chased after Happy in exasperation and cursed a few times. He was like a cold wind that caused the temperature around him to fall even further.
Happy did not care about that. The extremely cold area was not small, and it was like a maze as well. After he led the Dharma protector around the tunnel for a while, he could clearly sense that the Dharma protector's breathing had become slightly chaotic.
The circulation of his true qi had also become increasingly slower. His entire body was red, as if he was burning, and there were bits of paleness in that red as well. His speed as he chased after Happy gradually slowed down too.
Those were the signs of someone being invaded by cold poison after they were in a cold environment for an extended period of time!
Even though the Dharma protector had trained an incredible resistance to heat after staying in a hot environment for a long period of time, his old bones were no longer as strong as when he was at the prime of his life, and it was difficult for him to stay for a long period of time in an extremely cold environment.
In the past, Hong Qigong and Ouyang Feng had stayed at the summit of a mountain visited by snow for three days and three nights, where they had a hard time withstanding the cold. In the end, both died when all their vital energy ran out.
The temperature in the cold cave was even worse than the cold at the summit, which was considered to be a normal temperature found everywhere during winter!
But Happy did not want the old man to leave too soon.
"Hmph! What an old, hypocritical man. Didn't you mighty northern clansmen say that you don't care about Heaven Crystal? Yet you're chasing after me like a dog! When I leave this place, I'll definitely reveal this horrible side of the northern clan to the world and make sure that you have no place to stay!"
"Damn you, you brat… Today, I'll definitely crush your bones into dust to get rid of this hate in my heart!"
Since the mighty northern clansmen were short-tempered and he was mocked and threatened by someone several decades younger than him, there was no way he could be bothered by anything else, and there was only one thought left in his heart.
'Kill him!
'I must catch up to that brat and kill him in this cold cave!'
After a few minutes, the Dharma protector could feel the depletion of qi in his body speed up. The circulation of his true qi had become much slower, and his hands as well as feet became increasingly colder, but Happy was not in a much better condition. He found himself having a hard time moving about, and he was about to be caught if the Dharma protector just persisted for a little while longer.
'It's time…'
Happy observed the Dharma protector's condition for a while, and once he felt that he was not pretending, he estimated the time and felt that the timing was about right. If he did not attack now, the Dharma protector with the golden saber might not be able to stay idle and come over to check the situation.
Once the Dharma protector with the golden saber came over and the two men worked together, he would have no hope of winning anymore!
The Dharma protector with the silver saber was about thirty feet behind Happy. He slowed down gradually, but in the tunnel with multiple corners, he could travel thirty or so feet in the blink of an eye.
He was about to catch up to Happy, but there was no way he would relax. He continuously exerted force in his legs.
When he took a turn, he noticed the cold chill that came at his face, and even when he wanted to stop, his body froze for a moment.
He held his silver saber horizontally to use his previous method to block the sword glare.
But the Dharma protector underestimated Happy's cunning!
Happy would not just use his full strength to fight against a Myth Realm martial artist.
All the attacks he executed earlier were to anger the Dharma protector so that he could make him stay in the extremely cold cave and fight against him. Even though the damage of his attacks was fierce, Happy still held back a little.
Right now, he decided to truly attack, so there was no way he would not attack at full force!
Universe's Lightning Destruction Style!
One thrust! Two thrusts! Four thrusts! Eight thrusts! Thirteen thrusts!
In an instant, the blade of the silver saber suffered the damage from thirteen thrusts that dealt thirty thousand damage each.
The Dharma protector's expression instantly turned incredibly sour.
When he took the eighth thrust, the shock was so great that all his strength disappeared. He was relying on his true qi to take the attacks, but his body automatically reacted to them, and he retreated to reduce the damage from the sword glares on his silver saber.
It was the second time he was forced to retreat by Happy.
The mighty Myth Realm martial artist had been ready to vent all the rage in his body, so he did not expect that he would meet with the same result the second time and that it would be even worse than before.
When he had to receive the thirteenth sword glare, it was nothing, but his arm was nearly numb, and he suddenly noticed a finger-generated wind shoot out of the shattered frost and accurately jab into his fingers around the silver saber.
He felt as if his entire body had been struck by lightning, and his weapon fell from his hands.
A powerful suction force came from across him.
The expression of the Dharma protector instantly changed drastically.
"Don't even think about it!"
Without his weapon, he would not be able to execute his prided Great Saber Breaker Art, so it was naturally not something he'd let happen. At the moment the silver saber left his grasp, he threw his body back. His feet clamp down on the flying silver saber, and he took a three hundred and sixty degree turn while airborne. A silver saber glare instantly filled the cave.
It was as expected of a Myth Realm martial artist!
Even though he had been deceived many times, during
the critical moment, he still managed to counterattack swiftly.
Happy failed to grab the saber with Dragon Capture. His expression sank, and he activated Petite Dragon unhesitatingly to avoid the saber glare that came slicing at his face. Sword lights were connected to each other, and they went after the Dharma protector into the empty cave outside the narrow tunnel.
The Dharma protector had noticed Happy's aggressive sword offense. His expression was grave, and he did not dare to be negligent and careless. He tapped against the icy ground with his fingers and spun around a few times on the ground. Saber glares shot out repeatedly to destroy the sword glares that came from Happy, and he retreated calmly.
'This Dharma protector with the silver saber… What a man.'
Happy did not dare to use Shifting Stars readily. The attacks from a Myth Realm martial artist were too strong and fast, so he did not believe that he could shift all of them back
As expected, the Dharma protector was really hard to deal with!
Happy gritted his teeth.
'I'll have to give it my all!'
Sword glares endlessly flew everywhere to keep their initiative.
After all, the Dharma protector with the silver saber had not completely got himself out of the disadvantage.
Whoosh!
The saber glares from the Dharma protector might have been very fierce and aggressive, but Happy was faster. When the Dharma protector swung once, Happy had already avoided the attack and left behind three terrifying but dazzling sword gashes on the cold, icy, silver surface of the blade while he chased the Dharma protector at lightning speed.
When the Dharma protector finally noticed that he could not use simple methods to fight against Happy, there were a few bloody gashes on his t.h.i.g.hs and shoulders.
Happy's gaze gradually turned even more level-headed and calm.
Chapter 722 - Great Saber Breaker Art VS Silver Light Arhat
It was not practical to think about killing a Myth Realm martial artist within a short period of time!
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