"Die!" They shouted as the Crypt Sorcerer sent a series of cloth from his arm to bind her movements. The Desert Hunter jumped into the air, twirling his body as he chopped his curved blade sword towards her neck. His blade glowed with his dense Second Tier True Foundation aura.
"Mirroring Jade Palms!" Miren Fei said as she performed a unique palm attack, both of her palms reached forward as they halted before the Desert Hunter's and Crypt Sorcerer's attack.
Instantly, a ripple appeared in space as if it turned into water, before becoming glossy and reflective like a mirror. It swallowed both attacks as if like a bottomless river before two illusory green palms pushed this mirror-like space towards both enemies' bodies.
"Nooo!" Both shouted in horror, but before they could even react, their bodies were already hit by the palms. Their attacks soon after erupted from it with the combination of the jade palms that crushed them into a group of their allies, transforming them into corpses.
Tuzi Baoli also crushed her foes in one hit, her body flexibly dancing about the battlefield as she jumped and flipped through storms of attacks. Each time, she gracefully twirled in the air and struck her feet towards her foes.
"Earth Breaking Steps!" She shouted as her feet glowed in an earthen ray before it crashed into the bodies of her foes, splattering those who were weaker into piles of flesh, with the stronger only being repelled with broken limbs.
Much like them, Lang Kuang had a transformation of his own, turning into his usual white wolf battle form with the only differences being a few blood-red runes on his chest. The presence he gave off was no inferior to that of a Seventh Tier True Foundation realm warrior.
His eyes locked onto the approaching bounty hunters hired by Jin Teng as he licked his lips, noticing Krell, who moved at the lead.
Tiana stared at him and spoke, "Wolfie, I want to help!"
Lang Kuang glanced at her in thought, ‘Heh, this brat, I guess she really must want to fight, going as far as to butter up to me now. Tsk, I guess I’ll give her a chance, I can explain to Toram and Tira later.’
Finishing his thoughts, he made a cool smile and replied, "Hmm, alright, I'll make an exception this time."
"Really, yay!" Tiana said in joy as she held her daggers cutely.
Lang Kuang shook his head as he prepared to head out, but Tao Shen appeared nearby with a firm look in his eyes as he spoke, "I want to join as well, I have a bone to pick with those two merchants."
Lang Kuang stared at him and nodded as he spoke, "Okay, then let's go together. Haha, don't fall behind."
With his words said, Lang Kuang, charged out like a raging wolf, crushing any foe in his path as he flashed about, leaving behind blurry remnant shades.
"Such speed..." Tao Shen said that as he stared at Lang Kuang from behind, he noticed that Tiana's body made a ripple in space as if a curtain was wrapping over her. Soon, she vanished from the world.
'This… this is the power of space, such a rarely gifted talent!' Tao Shen thought with alarm, but he soon bit his lips, calming his shock as he employed his movement skill, hurrying to catch up, his eyes locked onto Jin Teng with a murderous look.
Much like Tao Shen, the battles filled both Pan Mang's and Pan Shin's faces with shock. But unlike them, He Xiu wasn't fazed much as she had seen Feng Yu's power in the Devil's Nest event.
'They're all if not comparable, even better than most elite genius, maybe even Supreme Prodigies. I knew that Crimson Mask was strong, but for his friends to be at such a level, it seems that Senior Brother Tao wasn't exaggerating about their strengths.' He Xiu thought with wonder in her eyes.
The Pan Twins also thought the same, but as the battle had started, they knew this wasn't the time to drift off into thoughts.
"Hmph! How can we, the hosts, lose out to our guests? Let's show these guys that we're more than just looks!" Pan Mang said, feeling a tinge of competitiveness. He held his palms together with his ring-shaped blade at its center; after pulling them apart, a string formed at its center with the ring-shaped blade hanging from its thread as it glowed in golden lights.
"Right!" He Xiu and Pan Shin said as their auras rose.
He Xiu's arm had sprung forth threads from nothingness as if she was a source of endless threads, but as for Pan Shin, she raised both her palms, causing a Yarn to hover at its center.
"Sea of Threads," He Xiu said as she spread her palms, causing an endless number of threads to flow from them, forming a spiderweb-like domain around the three of them.
"Death Weaving Ring!" Pan Mang said as he took a few steps forward and waved his arm; the ring connected at the center of his thread swooshed around him before he slung it towards various areas of the battlefield, cutting apart any foes it touched.
Following him, Pan Shin also acted; the Yarn at the center of her palms glowed in a bright ray as she spoke, "Life Stitching."
With her words, the Yarn spun rapidly as it slowly unfurled itself, sending a single thread of a limitless length out like a ray of light as it swept through the spider web of lines towards the foes a distance away.
Quickly, it pierced one individual who was unguarded, sewing him to another unguarded individual, binding them against themselves.
"Darn, what kind of skill is this?" Someone cried out agony as he found that he was stuck to the floor; Toram took the change to crush that individual with his leg as he chopped another in halve.
"Haha, wonderful, it's like playing in those Slaughter Games; it truly does take me back," Toram said with excitement.
"Indeed, it does, dear..." Tira said from one said with a smile on her face, her arm crushing the heart of an enemy's chest she had just pulled out with her claws.
At this moment, many of the surviving practitioners from the opponents thought that it was a big mistake to provoke the Weaver's House; they didn't know they'd ever witness the sight of a couple having a casual conversation while slaughtering them.
Many of the onlookers observed with interest from the areas protected by the formation, their expressions one of bewilderment as they watch the slaughter-fest.
Chapter 311
Lang Kuang Vs Krell, An Unusual Puppet
As the battle pushed onward, Krell, along with his teammates from the Crimson Axe Mercenaries had already arrived at a flanking point, their aim being Feng Yu, who moved towards a distant sector like a streak of blazing flames.
"Haha, truly a foolish man, he dared to leave his group alone. We can kill him before anyone offers help!" A lackey said as he licked the edge of his blade.
"Hahaha!" The others also made rowdy laughs as they moved along rapidly.
Krell, who was amongst them, glared at Feng Yu with sharp eyes as he spoke, "That's enough talking boys, lets—"
He was about to say something, but suddenly, his eyes shrunk as he sensed a dangerous power coming from another side. He heard a shocking wolf cry as a white silvery light fired towards him, being only seconds away from the impact.
Without even a second of hesitation, he pulled his battle axe from his back and empowered himself in a dense cluster of energy, bringing his power to the Seventh Rank of True Foundation realm.
"Everyone back up; we've got company!" Krell shouted as he gathered his power to the maximum and swung his axe towards the white silverly light source.
In a flash, both forces clashed together before forcing each side back by a few meters, the collision force sending a ripple of energy that pushed back the already retreating mercenaries, tossing the weakest of them away in the air.
"Damn such a powerful energy, what the hell attacked us?" One mercenary said in alarm as he held his ground with his weapon plunged into the earth.
A few others also looked at the scene, but soon, their bodies trembled as if they saw a terrifying being.
With his white silvery hair flowing in the wind, as his similar colored fur shone on his body. Lang Kuang stood proudly in his wolf battleform, he glared at Krell and his bandits with eyes of rich killing intent shining
behind his wolf mask.
'This man is only at the peak of Aura Disciple realm, but he can exchange equal blows with even me; it looks like he is comparable to those Supreme Prodigies, having power is at the initial levels of Third Layer Battle Prestige.'
Krell pushed down his shock with those thoughts in mind as his lizard face had a solemn expression. He didn't dare to underestimate his new foe as such, he spoke in an icy tone, "You... who are you? Such power cannot go unnoticed in the south."
As he asked such words, he changed from a defensive posture to an offense one; he now held his battle axe at his side with his muscular arms.
Lang Kuang's lips curved underneath his wolf mask as he replied, "You'll find out, but I won't the be the one to give you answers."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean, you runt?" Krell said in an angry tone.
Lang Kuang chuckled as his body emanated his peak Ninth Tier Aura Disciple energies as he spoke again, "Ask death when you see him, Fang... eh... ah... W-Wolf Surprise Attack!"
Realizing he almost said the name of his technique, Lang Kuang hurriedly fixed it as he dashed towards Krell with his fist held in a fang-like posture, striking it forward with a brutal gleam in his eyes.
In this instance, a wolf with its claw superimposed with his form as it angrily swiped its claw towards him. Krell narrowed his reptilian-like eyes a this his anger rose to the peak, his fingers tightly clenching the handle of his battle axe as his arms bulged when he took a heavy step forward.
"Hmph! Brat, don't think that you're a match for me simply because of your talent! World Shattering Axe!"
With his shout, he swung his battle axe that now shone in an earthen colored light as it swept towards Lang Kuang's attack, smashing against his fist that merged with the wolf claws. Both attacks created another explosive boom as a white and earthen colored energy scatter along with the shockwave.
"Ha, so noisy!" Lang Kuang said as he interchanged from his previous attack, launching a flurry of wolf fang attacks.
Krell also did the same as his battle axe swung left and right, both of their arms blurring as they clashed repeatedly, sending more shockwaves about the field. The earth shook with each of their blows, bringing a startle to those that observed from afar.
Jin Teng and Rui Wen looked at this scene with shock then anger; never did they think that a random person in the party could have such strength. It seemed that they didn't pay close attention during the battle against the Desert Lards.
"Damn! How could just a random party member be so strong? He can match someone of Krell's caliber without falling back; this is madness!" Jin Teng cursed, his eyes now showing a tinge of regret as he was considering making amends.
Rui Wen also thought the same but shook his head and spoke, "Jin, this isn't good; we're already past the point of no return. If we let it stay like this, it will be a disaster. So long as we fall back now, we only have to take the punishment of the elders in the Black Sand Commerce."
Thinking for a bit, Jin Teng nodded in agreement; he gripped his fists tightly, glaring at the other members of the Crimson Axe Mercenary group, who stood still as if fearful of the clash between their leader and Lang Kuang.
"You useless bums, what the hell are you doing? Hurry and help out your leader!" Jin Teng yelled at the men, but after a short time passed, the men remained standing still, facing the battle's direction as if they didn't hear him.
"BASTARDS! I'M SPEAKING TO YOU!" Jin Teng cursed angrily; he picked up a rock and tossed it towards one of them, he was expecting them to show some reaction, but sadly, he saw a different scene.
Smack! The stone crashed into the skull of one of the mercenaries. Although it didn't damage him, it led to a chain reaction that caused both Jin Teng and Rui Wen to open their eyes wide in alarm.
With a series of tumbling sounds, all of the mercenaries had fallen to the ground, their bodies no different from corpses as if one looked closely, they would notice that around their neck region was a small knife wound that spewed out blood.
"What? An assassin, Brother Jin, we must—" Rui Wen feeling alarmed, he was about to say something, but before he could finish his words, he heard a voice behind him as an ice-cold feeling came on his neck.
"Hehe, you've been a naughty uncle... mother says I should punish," The childish voice said with a light giggle, but the actions were far from friendly despite a warm and cute tone.
"I... I..." Rui Wen wanted to say something as his legs started to tremble, but as he slanted his head to the side, his eyes only saw a pair of large but emotionless looking pupils from a child that now stood on his back.
Before his next words could even come out of his mouth, the cold, gleaming dagger that rested on his neck slid to the side, leaving behind only a gruesome sound as the little devil faded as in thin air.
Rui Wen's arms trembled as he held onto his bleeding neck; he fell onto his knees while trying his hardest to keep consciousness but regardless of his attempts, he could only fall to earth in a pitiful demise.
Jin Teng, who only now turned around, was shocked as he saw his friend's corpse; his eyes flashed with memories of their travels. Their years of hardship trying to carve a place out in the south, until they met a strange man, a famous legend amongst all traders in the south, the very one and only Slave Dealer Yimu.
The memory only lasted an instant as he could vaguely recall a few words spoken by Yimu, but that soon faded as he was jolted from this state of recollection back to the current scene.
'I cannot die here! We have yet to accomplish that goal!' Jin Teng thought as, despite the pain of losing a lifelong friend, he gritted his teeth, thinking of only how to escape.
'I must use it, so long I escape, nothing else matters!'
With those thoughts decided, Jin Teng quickly took out a small item in his sleeves. It was a small chunk of wood with a two-leaf clover on its surface; he gritted his teeth and tossed it onto the ground as he made a run for it in the opposite direction of the battlefield.
Tao Shen, who had been hurrying, noticed this, his eyes having a cold glint as he shouted, "Damn merchant, where do you think you're going?"
As he said those words, his body picked up the pace as he swooshed across the field, aiming to end Jin Teng's life in one blow.
Jin Teng's eyes shone with madness as he made a hand sign and shouted, "Activate!"
As if triggered by his shout, the object he tossed on the ground flowed in a bright light before it expanded to a size of five meters, turning into what seemed like a strange humanoid puppet with unique runes.
The moment it finished its expansion, the puppet's eyes gleamed in a red ray as it turned its attention onto Tao Shen, preparing to make its move. Its arms shone with different colored lights as a flaming sword appeared on one side, with the other being one of freezing ice energies.
"This... how could this treasure be in his hands?"
Tao Shen exclaimed, knowing full well of the origin of the puppet. He was shocked by the current scene, temporarily becoming dazed, but the puppet swung down with both weapons.
‘This isn’t good, I’m finished!'
Tao Shen inwardly exclaimed as he saw the attacks too late. With the puppet's energies being at the ranks of a Fourth Tier True Foundation realm expert, he knew that he would die with complete certainty upon being hit.
With fear in his eyes, he could only watch as the attacks descend, but right before it hit him, Tiana appeared out of nothingness as if she jumped from a curtain, her daggers crossed before her as she parried both swords that chopped down with full force.
Clank! A blazing and icy power scattered about as both weapons pressed down against the tiny Tiana that confronted the puppet. Sparks added to the clash of energies as the sound of grinding metal resounded. Tiana fell to the ground, leaving behind a trail below her feet as she slid back due to the heavyweight that pressed down on her arms.
However, right when it seemed that she was about to lose due to the enemy's superior s
trength. Tiana's beast-like eyes only glowed strangely as her aura skyrocketed; her Seventh Tier Aura Disciple power now seemed no different from the puppets as she swung her arms, pushing it backward by a little over a meter’s distance.
Tao Shen felt both gratitude and alarm looking at the little girl standing before him with her arms holding the daggers up. Not knowing what to say due to his shock, he stared in a daze.
"Hehe, Mr. Tao, you have to be careful; this big toy is powerful. Now, hurry on and beat up that bad uncle; I will beat this toy up right now!"
Without even waiting for him to speak, Tiana's body exploded with her aura as she dashed forward, moving like a blur as she charged at the puppet.
Tao Shen, who was in a daze, slapped his face, bringing his thoughts back to normal. He glared in the direction Jin Teng ran and charged towards him as he thought to himself.
'These guys really are something else, but I guess I can think on it later, that son of bitch has to die first.'
With those thoughts in mind, his figure streaked across the field as he hurried towards rapidly escaping Jin Teng, whose face turned sour upon seeing Tao Shen's behind him.
"Damn! I won't die, you hear me! I won't—" Jin Teng yelled as he pulled out a bunch of items, prepared to unleash even more hell, but before he could finish, there was a change.
Splat! The sound of something being cut off sounded as Jin Teng found that his view of the world had changed, he saw a familiar body growing distant as it stood still without a head.
Looking at the gush of blood that flowed from its neck, Jin Teng felt horror as he knew what happened.
"I... I don't want... to... d..." Jin Teng tried to say something, but sadly, his words couldn't finish as his head fell onto the ground with his consciousness fading forever.
"Hmph! That's what you get for messing with us," Tao Shen said as he appeared behind the head; he spun the golden rings on his hand as he recalled his tread used to sever Jin Teng's head.
After cleaning up his side, he turned his attention to the scene behind him, his eyes narrowing as he saw the battle between Tiana and the monstrous puppet.
Dual Sword God: Book 7: The Crimson Devil of the Redlands Page 20