Blood of the Army

by Tinalynge

  Since this was the case, Xue Wei did not dare slight the opponent in front of him. Each individual had their strengths, and this expert was likely to also have some hidden strength. If Xue Wei allowed for him to use it, then it was likely that the fight would drag on and he would spend more energy than needed.

  Since this was the case, as soon as the deserter appeared on the stage, Xue Wei launched the Forbidden Rush movement technique.

  Azure Light Finger!

  An azure beam shot through the arena and headed straight for the deserter who, with a shocked expression, tried to avoid the beam by throwing himself to the side.

  Right at that moment, Xue Wei appeared in the air right above the deserter who had thrown himself sideways and was losing his balance.

  Shattering Mountain Palm!

  The palm descended with an azure gleam to it. The power of this palm made the air tremble and cracking sounds could be heard.

  Xue Wei descended like a god of death; the deserter could feel nothing but his heart tremble when he lifted his arms and covered them with Qi to protect himself.

  Unfortunately, this was far from enough to stop the Shattering Mountain Palm after Xue Wei had perfected the ability together with Lan, and the sound of arms breaking could be heard followed by the deserter being slammed into the ground. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his eyes bulged out in shock.

  Xue Wei used the Forbidden Rush Movement Technique to once more vanish into the thin air, and then he emerged right next to the deserter.

  Kick of the Forgotten Kings!

  This time his leg swept out and landed squarely on the chest of the deserter. More blood sprayed from his mouth as the sound of bones breaking could be heard.

  The man’s body was forced into the arena ground, and soon the eyes that were filled with shock and disbelief slowly turned dim.

  Life had left the deserter after only two attacks. It had been an overwhelming victory, and Xue Wei had displayed two abilities that were of at least the superior rank.

  The audience was quiet, and everyone was reeling in shock.

  "I thought he specialized in spiritual arts?" someone muttered, and as the words left his mouth, an uproar exploded on the stands. Xue Wei had truly shocked them all with his display of raw power and ruthlessness.

  What scared them, even more, was that, unknown to Xue Wei, a sinister grin had spread on his lips as the blood had splashed onto the stage.

  With a final glance at all the gore that was on the stage, Xue Wei sat down and started cultivating.

  This time he had used a bit of his energy to dispatch the deserter as soon as possible, but not enough to truly be of an issue.

  Still, to ensure that he was at peak condition for each battle, he did not waste time, and five minutes had quickly passed before he stood up, his eyes blazing with the will to do battle and his lips curled in a cruel smile as he wished to kill.

  He wished to kill everyone that he could find on the arena floor. He wanted to test his skills, and he was even more-so eager to smell the scent of blood.

  Xue Wei felt it again. His body was boiling as if it was on fire. He could not stop before he got to fight, but another part of him was calm and collected, observing everything that was happening.

  This calm and collected part of him was capable of stopping the bloodlust if it pleased, but Xue Wei wanted to try his best. He wanted to let go and fight. To test his limits and to see how far he could go. What was his strength equal to?

  Thinking like this, he allowed for the bloodlust to take root, but he still kept an eye on it, ensuring that it did not cloud his judgment. That he did not go berserk.

  Five minutes went by, and Xue Wei stood up once more. His eyes were clear, but a malicious gleam could be seen within.

  Then a figure appeared on the platform once more. This time it was a second layer Earth Warrior – a human. "Criminal or deserter?" Xue Wei mumbled to himself. "I don't know," he finally concluded. "I better assume it is a deserter," he grinned and flicked his hand. Qi gathered in his palm, and suddenly a razor-sharp sword appeared in his hand.

  A real sword had to balance sturdiness with sharpness. Although they wished for the blade to be incredibly sharp, it might not be possible due to it breaking after a clash or two.

  But Xue Wei's sword was made from Qi. It was different from a sword made from metals and could be as sharp as one wished for it to be.

  Xue Wei once more depended on Forbidden Rush and flashed into the wind. His figure was elusive and near impossible to catch a glimpse of. It was as if he was teleporting around the entire stage, appearing here and there for a short moment in time.

  The eyes of the human opponent constricted when Xue Wei appeared right behind him. He could not see him, but he felt a sudden and very intense feeling of danger.

  He dodged to the side without thinking of what to do, fully relying on his instincts. Just as he did, he felt something sharp slice down past his throat and instead embedded itself in his shoulder.

  Blood sprayed everywhere, dying Xue Wei's clothes red, and even a few drops landed on his cheek, running down, looking like bloody tears.

  These bloody tears mixed with the sinister grin on his face made him seem completely insane, and everyone who watched the sight in front of them shuddered in fear.

  Even the commander was worried about the display of ferociousness that seemed almost bestial.

  Xue Wei flicked his hand and the sword that he had created vanished, causing even more blood to spray from the wound. Instead of relying on the Forbidden Rush, Xue Wei just called forth another sword and slowly stepped towards the wounded human enemy.

  Clutching his wounded shoulder, the human got to his feet and retreated as fast as he could, but with every movement he made, more blood dropped onto the ground.

  His face was pale, and his body trembled. He could feel the killing intent in Xue Wei was constantly growing, and it felt as if he was up against a Primordial Beast that had transcended the strength of the Heping Kingdom.

  He felt despair. He felt so much regret for having been a criminal in the past, and he felt like weeping, but no tears appeared on his cheeks.

  Xue Wei smirked as he took the final step towards the criminal. With a casual slash of his sword, the criminal’s head went flying in the air. Xue Wei coldly looked at the rest of the body as it slumped to the ground, a fountain of blood spraying out from the neck.

  Xue Wei gave a final glance at the body before he found a clean place on the platform and sat down, starting to meditate.

  Once again, he had not spent a whole lot of energy, but he understood that the next battle would be harder. Therefore he needed to be as prepared as possible.

  The commander was torn. On one hand, he wished to allow for Xue Wei to continue this bloodbath. He wanted to see where the limits lay with this youngster that was so obsessed with killing, but at the same time he feared the bloodlust that could be seen and felt when it came to Xue Wei.

  Bloodlust was good in battle. It allowed for one to use all of one's potential while frightening and intimidating others. Unfortunately, it could grow too dangerous and take over the control of one's mind, turning them into senseless killing machines on the battlefield, not caring for friend or foe, just slaughtering through anything that comes into sight.

  Whenever the commander looked at Xue Wei, he saw a cold and callous person who enjoyed slaughter, but he also saw someone who was still in control. It was clear that he had not lost himself to the bloodlust but was using it to improve himself.

  "Xiao Lei, what exactly have you done to this child?" the commander muttered under his breath. "He is merely a fifteen-year-old child, but he is already much more terrifying than most soldiers in the army."

  Fortunately, no one heard those words, but they had all felt the killing intent that was billowing out from the arena. Those that came into contact with it felt their bodies tremble, and their faces turned pale. It was as if they had been dropped into a bucket full of
ice cold water.

  Five minutes went by in a flash, and then it was time for the next battle to commence, where one more Fierce Beast appeared on the stage.

  Xue Wei looked curiously at this Fierce Beast, curious as to what exactly it would do to him. Was there a limit to how strong a beast could be before his unseen power would no longer frighten them?

  He looked straight into the eyes of the beast and saw how it cowered in fear, trembling as it retreated backward while crouching low with a growl.

  "Interesting," Xue Wei muttered to himself. "Very interesting." he continued.

  "Maybe I need to attempt my Mind Infestation anyway? It might backfire, but if it does not, then I might be able to get some clues as to why it fears me."

  Xue Wei had been worried about the beasts being specialized in spiritual energy and the soul, but he understood that if he wanted answers then he needed to take a risk.

  Taking a deep breath, he launched the Mind Infestation.

  Chapter 30 - Unconscious

  The Fierce Beast crawled away from Xue Wei until it reached the formation wall and could get no farther. As it felt the Mind Infestation reach out for its mind, it had the choice to struggle, but instead it instantly allowed Xue Wei to access its mind.

  Xue Wei went through the beast’s memories. It had been in a beast horde roused by a Primordial Beast and had been severely injured but not killed.

  When the fight had ended, they had taken it prisoner and kept it in a cage until it was healed, after which it had fought against other experts in the Genius Camp.

  This beast had an average level of intelligence, but it had no reason to fear Xue Wei – it was as if there was a deeply ingrained instinct within it that told it that Xue Wei was someone that should not be touched.

  Xue Wei sighed. His more calm side could sense the suffering the beast had gone through time and time again while being captive. Thus, he decided to put it out of its misery.

  "Fierce Beasts do not have a dantian that they can self-destruct similarly to the humans. Instead, they have a beast core." Xue Wei thought for a moment.

  "It seems that beast cores are very different from dantians, and much more sturdy. No wonder that they are being used as a treasured material in almost everything in our everyday lives."

  "But to execute this beast... I wonder how to do it," Xue Wei pondered. He then controlled the beast's body and compelled the creature to slice its own throat with its claws, but nothing happened. The throat was protected by thick skin, and although the claws were sharp, they were not sharp enough.

  Xue Wei could feel the onset of a headache from using his energy too much. Although the beast did not fight back, the mental connection itself still consumed his spiritual energy.

  Withdrawing from the mind of the beast, Xue Wei launched the Forbidden Rush movement technique and appeared right in front of the beast that was still dazed.

  The beast, in a frenzied panic, tried to retreat, but it already had its back against the wall of the formation, so it was incapable of getting further away.

  Shattering Mountain Palm!

  The palm descended on top of the beast, but instead of avoiding it, the beast rushed towards the palm, not protecting itself with Qi or anything.

  It twisted in the air and revealed a small patch of soft skin that was located just at the side of the temple.

  The Shattering Mountain Palm landed right on this location. Xue Wei could not help but wonder why exactly this beast was so eager to accept death.

  Blood sprayed from the mouth of the beast and tears of blood fell from its eyes.

  The beast kept staring at Xue Wei. Even in death, there was no ferocious or hateful expression in its eyes, just reverence, and wonder.

  Xue Wei instantly sat down. He then understood that it was impossible for him to restore his spiritual energy as soon as he wished, since it slowly restored itself and that it would require time.

  "I won't be able to rely on spiritual energy in the future," Xue Wei commented to himself as he stood up again once the five minutes had passed.

  "Perhaps I was too rash. I want to fight as many opponents as possible, but this tag team is wearing me down. My Qi is untouched, but my spiritual energy is already running low."

  "On the other hand, the experts I am up against now are all much stronger than the ones I faced before. Although I have a strong soul, their souls are likely as strong if not stronger. Relying on the Mind Infestation will not be easy."

  "I have yet to use the Seed of Mirage, and the opponents I face have not seen my fights, so they don't know of my abilities. I guess it is time to try strength against strength!"

  Having said this, a new figure appeared on the stage. This time, it was a human, but this human seemed very cautious as he lifted a single sword in his hand. He did not charge at Xue Wei. Instead, he took a stance that allowed for him to both advance and defend at the same time.

  Xue Wei praised the criminal, but it was not enough against him. "Time to test that mirage out," he mumbled as he conjured a seed of mirage which he tossed onto the stage.

  No one seemed to understand what this ball of Qi was. And although his opponent observed both Xue Wei and the seed, the former was not advancing.

  Xue Wei was not in a hurry either. He just stood there, casually looking at the deserter while waiting for his seed to sprout.

  As it did, it took the shape of a second Xue Wei. It even wore clothes identical to Xue Wei's red robes, and its hair was tied with a red ribbon and had a hair pin similar to the one Xue Wei was wearing.

  The hair of the two fluttered in the wind that easily bypassed the formation, and they moved at the same time. Their speed was the same, and they seemed to try a pincer attack against the deserter.

  Since their timing had to be completely in sync, Xue Wei needed to be slower than he usually was, but both he and the clone simultaneously used the Forbidden Rush technique. Although they were slower than Xue Wei’s peak, they were fast enough to make the heart of the deserter clench in fear.

  He was capable of avoiding one of the two attacks, but he had no faith in avoiding both. "The copy might not be able to attack," the deserter mumbled, "but which one is the copy?"

  It was simply impossible to tell now, as the two had moved at a speed much faster than expected. When they arrived, the deserter went with his gut feeling and jumped backward, away from the real Xue Wei, which revealed an opening for the copy to unleash a Kick of Forgotten Kings in his direction.

  The kick connected with the waist of the deserter, and the deserter shot out like a kite with a broken string.

  Although the copy had used a profound ability, it was after all a copy, and the attack contained at most twenty percent of Xue Wei's strength.

  Although the deserter had been kicked far away, he had sustained no serious injuries, and no bones had been broken despite the throbbing pain in his waist.

  His eyes were vigilant, but a look of surprise and relief flooded his eyes. Xue Wei, on the other hand, narrowed his.

  Xue Wei understood that his copy did not have the strength that he himself wielded, but he had hoped for a bit more damage than what had happened.

  But fortunately, the copy did not hesitate, it continued to pursue the deserter. Although the deserter did not fear the damage done by this copy, he feared getting entangled with it, and that Xue Wei would arrive while he was occupied.

  Xue Wei did not waste his time observing the deserter and the copy struggle, no longer trying to hide his speed. When he vanished all of a sudden, the deserter’s eyes filled with despair and unwillingness.

  Rushing down to the copy and the young man, Xue Wei did not hesitate for even a moment. On the way, an Azure Light Finger sliced down through the air, causing the hairs on the back of the deserter's neck to tremble. He threw himself to the side, once more receiving an attack from the copy to borrow from the impact and create some distance between himself and Xue Wei and his clone.

  "Delay, I got to delay. He
is only a first layer Earth Warrior, a whole layer beneath me. I will be able to get rid of him if I just hold on!"

  Xue Wei was easily capable of guessing the thoughts of this person, and his eyes shone dangerously.

  "I won't die," he said casually as he came to a standstill in the middle of the stage, just looking at the deserter who was also trying to be as far away from Xue Wei as possible.

  Xue Wei did not do anything. He just stood still. Shortly after, a seed of mirage sprouted. The third seed of mirage also appeared, alongside a fourth and a fifth.

  These Seed of Mirage copies were the weakest versions Xue Wei could make, all four of them with equal strength, but together with Xue Wei and the first clone they posed a serious threat to the deserter.