I Am Overlord c1-962
Page 74
Everyone obeyed.
"The Redwolf Bandit stronghold is a place that is easy to defend and hard to attack. If we advance blindly, we will suffer disastrous losses. We have to think of a plan," said the principal.
"Challenge them to leave the stronghold and battle us outside!" suggested someone.
"That is feasible. In any case, we can't do a full frontal attack. Otherwise, we might be the ones to suffer defeat," said the principal.
Next, a Green Bamboo Academy elder rode forth on his mount and yelled loudly in the direction of the stronghold, "Redwolf Bandits, listen here. Your third head has been killed. Lay down your weapons and surrender immediately. Or else—"
Before he could finish his words, a large boulder came crashing down on him.
The elder was given a fright, and he quickly dodged to the side. If his cultivation level was even a tiny bit weaker, he would have been reduced into a pile of mincemeat.
But that was only the start. Immediately afterwards, a large number of boulders rained down on them.
"They're attacking with catapults! Everyone, retreat!" the principal cried out in alarm even as he smashed two boulders apart to protect the people behind him.
Unfortunately, the catapults were too powerful and the boulders were too fast. Those below the Transformation Realm would be hard pressed to survive them, and it only took a while for a number of them to fall victim to the boulders.
"Ahhhh!"
A few of them were instantly killed, about a dozen were gravely injured, and the rest were scattered. One ought to admit that the Green Bamboo Town people were truly quite bad in a battle. Just the first wave of boulders had been enough to scatter the group.
"You fools. Since you have the guts to come attack us, all of you shall die here!" shouted Bai Fan from above the stronghold walls.
"Bai Fan, come fight me like a man! I will definitely rip your head off your body!" challenged the principal.
"Old man, you are nothing. A day will come when I crush the Green Bamboo Academy," Bai Fan sneered as he started scanning the battlefield, trying to look for a certain person.
"Head, that kid is really here! Look, he's trying to take a detour from over there," said Mo Mo as she pointed in a certain direction.
When Bai Fan looked over, he saw Xiang Shaoyun rushing toward them on a red wolf from an angle the catapults could hardly reach with their rain of boulders.
Then again, the route Xiang Shaoyun had taken was also one of the main routes leading to the stronghold, and it was riddled with traps. With his clear mind and sharp eyes, however, Xiang Shaoyun seemed capable of reading the future, as he was able to safely avoid all the traps as he approached the stronghold.
"He sure is gutsy. Men, shoot him down!" Bai Fan commanded.
At that command, a group of archers shot more than 10 arrows at Xiang Shaoyun. A layer of energy barrier appeared around Xiang Shaoyun, protecting him completely from the arrows. That was the benefit of having outer shaped energy. Regular attacks could be easily blocked.
"Well, he is quite capable. No wonder third brother got himself killed. Let me see if you can block my attack as well," said Bai Fan with a vicious glint in his eyes.
A spear appeared in his hand, and he threw it at Xiang Shaoyun with his full strength. There were a few hundred meters between him and Xiang Shaoyun, and someone throwing a spear from so far away was something completely unimaginable.
The spear streaked across the sky with an overbearing might, heading straight for Xiang Shaoyun.
Chapter 163: Today, I'll Kill to My Heart's Content
Xiang Shaoyun felt a sense of crisis, causing him to lift his head and see the incoming spear. Instead of dodging, he swung his saber at the spear. The spear and the saber connected, creating sparks in the air. Xiang Shaoyun's hand went numb from the impact.
What power! He must be at least an eighth-stage Transformation Realm cultivator, Xiang Shaoyun estimated.
When Bai Fan saw Xiang Shaoyun pushing his spear away with a swing of the saber, he was similarly shocked as he thought, He is indeed quite capable.
As of this moment, Xiang Shaoyun had already arrived before the stronghold's gate. A few dozen bandits rushed out to meet him, each equipped with different weapons, and attacked him with both melee and ranged attacks.
Any other Transformation Realm cultivator would have a hard time defending against so many attacks. But Xiang Shaoyun maintained complete calm as he swung his saber repeatedly. Each swing was incredibly casual yet carried a dreadful might behind it.
It only took a short while for a large number of heads to be separated from their bodies. These regular bandits were not at all a threat to him. The scene presented before the bandits and the Green Bamboo Academy people was a gallant Xiang Shaoyun charging through the crowd of bandits unobstructed. A sense of admiration rose within their hearts as they witnessed the heroic scene.
"I can't stand that kid anymore." Bai Fan was already fuming. In his anger, he jumped on his mount and charged outside without a second thought. The other bandits naturally followed him out as well. Someone had arrived right at their doorsteps. If they still stayed silent, it would be too embarrassing.
Xiang Shaoyun had no intention of being dragged down by these bunch of bandits. Hence, after killing about a dozen more bandits, he released an earth-shattering slash toward the gate of the Redwolf Bandit stronghold, aiming to smash it apart.
Rumble!
Purple lightning erupted from within Xiang Shaoyun as the saber energy streaked across the air with a boundless majesty. The momentum of the slash seemed to have created a vacuum in the air where it passed. The bandits nearby were all killed from the impact alone, while the gate was completely destroyed and the pillars framing it crumbled apart.
"Well done!" the Green Bamboo Academy people cheered at that sight.
That gate was akin to the face of the Redwolf Bandits, and smashing the gate apart was akin to a major slap to their face.
His battle intent surging, Xiang Shaoyun howled loudly on his red wolf, "Redwolf Bandits, come fight me to the death if you have the guts to do it!"
He then turned and rode away from the stronghold. Not a single bandit dared to get in his way. He seemed unstoppable, traveling as he wished amid a large army.
Bai Fan chased after him and roared, "Little bastard, don't run! I will personally cut you apart."
Behind him, Mo Mo shouted, "Head, calm down!"
Unfortunately, Bai Fan was no longer willing to listen. He could not alleviate his anger without killing Xiang Shaoyun. Thus, he led the entirety of the Redwolf Bandits and rode out of the stronghold. About 400 of them charged out like a massive flood and chased after the young man riding a red wolf. The scene of the chase was boundlessly spectacular.
"The Redwolf Bandits are out! Let's go! Fight them to the death!" shouted the Green Bamboo Academy principal.
Unfortunately, only half their numbers were willing to head to the battlefield. The other half were already shrinking from the fight. The rain of boulders earlier had smashed away the little courage they had.
Even so, half of them were enough to be of great help to Xiang Shaoyun. When he saw the Green Bamboo Town people coming, he stopped running and dissolved a low-grade spirit stone in his astral cosmos sea to restore some of his energy supply. He turned his mount around, pointed at the bandits riding toward him, and shouted with a crazed look on his face, "Today, I'll kill to my heart's content!"
"Little bastard, die!" Bai Fan charged forward and slashed his wolf-shaped saber at Xiang Shaoyun. He was worthy of being a late eighth-stage Transformation Realm expert. Before his saber arrived, his saber energy had already reached Xiang Shaoyun. The attack moved at a speed so fast an ordinary Transformation Realm cultivator would not be able to avoid it.
Relying on his spectacular vision, the trajectory of the slash was laid bare before Xiang Shaoyun's eyes. Instead of dodging, he countered with a slash of his own.
Rumble!
/> Two saber energies met and created a large explosion.
"Kill!" Xiang Shaoyun charged ahead, channeled his innate purple lightning to his saber, and started swinging his saber like a madman.
Bai Fan did not dare to underestimate Xiang Shaoyun as he similarly mustered all his strength to face his opponent. In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged about 10 slashes, creating explosion after explosion, filling the area with clouds of dust.
The Green Bamboo Town people had also clashed with the Redwolf Bandits, resulting in a chaotic battlefield. Sounds of battle rumbled on, blood and severed limbs flew, and miserable wails filled the air.
The Green Bamboo Town had fewer people, but with the Transformation Realm experts of the Green Bamboo Academy amid their ranks, they were able to barely match the Redwolf Bandits.
In truth, if it wasn't because of the large number of traps around the area, these Transformation Realm experts would definitely be able to deal the Redwolf Bandits a severe blow within a short period of time. After all, Xiang Shaoyun had killed about half of the Transformation Realm bandits. Apart from Bai Fan and Mo Mo, there were no other notable experts among the bandits.
The battle between Bai Fan and Xiang Shaoyun was the most intense in the battlefield. They kept slashing at each other repeatedly, and even though both of them had suffered injuries, neither was able to deal a decisive blow to the other.
Bai Fan had not expected that the kid who seemed like a second-stage Transformation Realm cultivator would actually have such astonishing combat power. Bai Fan battled on, and instead of using his secret weapon, he charged into the midst of the Green Bamboo Town people instead. His priority was to first stabilize the entire battlefield before doing anything else.
Xiang Shaoyun was also unable to continue his battle with Bai Fan, as the other bandits had surrounded him. He was extremely displeased with the interruption. He started slashing his saber left and right, sending purple and gold saber energies flying everywhere, felling a large number of bandits.
On the other hand, Bai Fan picked two Transformation Realm elders from the Green Bamboo Academy and started fighting them. If Mo Mo hadn't been around, the bandits would have suffered an even more disastrous loss in the hands of these elders.
"Today, all of you will die here!" Bai Fan finally pulled out his trump card when he saw how dangerous things were becoming.
A crude and massive sword appeared in his hand, and a baleful aura immediately spread out. Sounds of demons and ghosts wailing started ringing in the air, spreading a sinister feeling across the battlefield.
"Kill!" Bai Fan started swinging his sword furiously.
With each swing of the sword, demons and ghosts would appear and charge into the forehead of the people there. The Green Bamboo Academy principal was frightened when he saw the sword and quickly moved out of the way. A few Green Bamboo Town cultivators near him were unable to avoid the attack in time and were immediately killed by the massive sword.
Chapter 164: Devilspirit Sword
That was the Devilspirit Sword. The devilish aura emanating from it was capable of stunning a person's soul—and of devouring and harming it. Due to its unique property, the sword could instill an instinctive fear in someone before the fight even started.
This was the sword Bai Fan had relied on to keep the Green Bamboo Academy suppressed all these years. With the Redwolf Bandits in crisis, it was natural that he was going to take out this trump card of his. The Green Bamboo Academy principal was filled with hatred when he witnessed the deaths caused by the sword.
"I'll fight you to the death!" the principal yelled as a king weapon appeared in his hand. He started swinging his weapon at Bai Fan madly.
The Green Bamboo Academy principal's cultivation base was slightly thicker than Bai Fan's, but in terms of actual combat power, both of them were evenly matched.
"Old bastard, you stand no chance against me!" Whenever Bai Fan wielded the Devilspirit Sword, his confidence soared. He faced the principal head on and slammed his sword forward.
The two weapons clashed in the air repeatedly, sending out shockwave after shockwave. Looking at their fight, it seemed the victor would not be decided anytime soon. But the demons and ghosts released by the Devilspirit Sword kept on attacking the principal from all angles, and it was very difficult for the principal to guard against the continuous assault.
The principal felt a chill creeping into his brain, causing an intense pain that made him cry out in pain.
"Die, old bastard!" Bai Fan took the chance and slashed at a vital point on the principal's body.
The principal was completely defenseless, and just as Bai Fan's attack was about to land, a purple lightning bolt came shooting from a certain direction. The sense of crisis forced Bai Fan to stop his attack and swing his sword at the lightning bolt instead.
"You again, you damned brat! I will kill you for sure this time!" Bai Fan bellowed at Xiang Shaoyun, who had just arrived on his mount.
Bai Fan channeled all his power into his sword and slashed it at Xiang Shaoyun, sending a boundless wave of sinister aura crashing forth toward Xiang Shaoyun.
"What can a mere sinister weapon do to me? Piss off!" Xiang Shaoyun no longer held anything back. He fully activated his lightning bone. At the same time, the lightning energy in his first star was also fully unleashed. A purple dragon appeared, and as it roared, Xiang Shaoyun was enveloped in a layer of lightning energy, his current appearance incomparably mighty.
Bzzt! Bzzt!
The innate purple lightning was a power of extreme yang, a counter to the many sinister powers. What happened next was the best proof of that. The wave formed of demons and ghosts was instantly destroyed the moment it touched the layer of lightning energy surrounding Xiang Shaoyun's body.
"What?" Bai Fan was stunned. His trump card that had never failed him was ineffective?
"Eat my saber!" Xiang Shaoyun took the opportunity and slashed his saber at Bai Fan while the latter was stunned in shock. It was a slash sent utilizing the concept of human saber unity. When in the human saber unity mode, his saber was akin to an extension of his body, and as he willed for the saber to slash, the might of a completely ordinary slash was pushed to the extremes.
The saber energy streaked through the air. Like a falling meteor, it was only visible for a slight moment before vanishing, the attack too fast for anyone to see it clearly. That was the true form of the sword intent attack.
Bai Fan could sense that an attack was coming at him, but no matter how he tried, he couldn't see where the attack would ultimately land. He also had a sensation that no matter where he ran, the attack would still hit him.
Fortunately for him, he was able to place the Devilspirit Sword in front of him in time. Xiang Shaoyun's attack struck the sword and only sent Bai Fan flying as opposed to outright killing him.
Just as Xiang Shaoyun was about to pursue Bai Fan, a group of bandits came attacking, forcing him to stop and deal with them instead. After hacking three of them down, he used his Overlord's Nine Nether Steps and moved away from the bandits before resuming his pursuit of Bai Fan.
Bai Fan proceeded to block a few more of Xiang Shaoyun's attacks, but the longer he fought, the more terrified he became. Facing Xiang Shaoyun gave him the same feeling as when he faced a peak Transformation Realm expert and was completely helpless.
"Is that his true strength? No! I can't allow myself to be defeated here!" Bai Fan roared in indignation. His eyes suddenly turned red as he spat a mouthful of blood on the Devilspirit Sword. He then chanted, "Devilspirit Sword, I am willing to become the guardian of the devil spirit. Please grant me power to behead this brat."
"Hehe, you should have made that choice long ago," suddenly, the Devilspirit Sword replied with a sinister voice.
Immediately, the Devilspirit Sword erupted in power. Strands of sinister energy unfurled from it, causing even Xiang Shaoyun to feel a biting chill that forced him to temporarily move out of the way.
"Swo
rd spirit?" Xiang Shaoyun cried out in alarm.
He knew that certain high-end weapons were capable of giving birth to a spirit. These spirits were unique existences possessing inconceivable power. The sinister energy covered Bai Fan, causing him to transform. An even more sinister power enhanced his body, instantly pushing his combat power to the level comparable to a peak Transformation Realm cultivator's. If it wasn't for the limitation of Bai Fan's physique, the transformation could have pushed him straight into the King Realm.
"All of you, become my food!" Bai Fan shouted with a vicious expression on his face. He then unleashed several massive sword energies that flew in all directions.
"Ahhhh!"
The sword energies attacked without regard, and both the Green Bamboo Town people and the Redwolf Bandits fell victim. More than 10 people were instantly killed, and the Devilspirit Sword instantly devoured the souls of the dead, which Xiang Shaoyun only noticed through his Nether Soul Domain.
"This person has undergone a devilish transformation. We have to kill him as soon as possible, or he will be the source of a great disaster!" Xiang Shaoyun shouted. He resumed attacking Bai Fan, drawing on his innate purple lightning repeatedly. Each slash of his was akin to a lightning bolt, and he attacked with a resolute determination.
Unfortunately, Bai Fan was too strong in his current form. He swung his sword and blocked all the attacks. Not even the saber intent harmed him.
"Kid, I can sense that you have a powerful soul. So long as you are willing to sacrifice yourself to me, I promise to grant you a power capable of slaying kings and emperors!" Bai Fan persuaded Xiang Shaoyun.
A devil had clearly possessed Bai Fan.
"Bullshit. You are a devil whose sole desire is to kill and devour souls. If I sacrifice myself to you, I will only turn into an executioner. How about this? You submit to me and become my guardian devil instead," Xiang Shaoyun countered with his own offer.
"You really don't know what's good for you," Bai Fan snorted coldly. Then, an enchanting attack shot out from the Devilspirit Sword, sending Xiang Shaoyun flying away vomiting blood. Even Xiang Shaoyun's king armor cracked under the assault.