River Battle (2)

Several figures stopped at the sound, halting on the ice. Luo Qingtian's voice once again boomed from within the ice. "Step back!"

The disciples of the Daluo Sect dared not hesitate any longer and quickly flashed back to the shore.

Yue Qianchou gazed down at the ice throne from the top of the ice dragon. He knew it would be difficult to trap such a powerful expert, but having trampled the Daluo Sect Master underfoot today, even if they lost later, it would be a glorious defeat. The eyes of the spectators on both sides of the strait were also focused on where Luo Qingtian was trapped.

"Ah!" A muffled sound came from below the ice dragon, followed by a series of creaking sounds. Cracks began to appear on the ice base, ruining the beauty of the ice dragon and spreading to its body.

With a deafening "Bang!", the entire ice surface and both banks of the glacier trembled. The base of the ice dragon exploded instantly, and a figure shot out from below. The explosion was extremely powerful; it was Luo Qingtian's desperate attempt to escape, having withstood immense pressure and exhausted all his cultivation to unleash its full force. Its power was unimaginable.

Huge chunks of ice shot out in all directions with a whooshing sound, and the onlookers on both sides of the river scattered in panic. Those with weaker cultivation levels were already pale with fright. With such power, not to mention people, many of the houses on both sides would likely be destroyed in an instant.

Just then, Dongfang Changao and Chou Wuyuan, with remarkable coordination, flashed to the riverbank and simultaneously unleashed their powerful palms. A surge of energy swept out, instantly pushing countless massive ice floes that had been shot towards them back onto the river surface, saving many people and shops on the side. After their actions, the two exchanged a glance. It wasn't that they were truly in sync; rather, with two businesses and their disciples present on Hat Island, it was natural to offer assistance. Meanwhile, on the opposite bank of the river, members of the Wu family were also on the scene.

The frozen river surface was riddled with craters from the blasted ice blocks. Beneath the ice base, where Luo Qingtian had escaped, a crater had appeared. The massive ice dragon, having lost its base, was about to collapse, but somehow it landed perfectly in the crater below, managing to stay afloat. However, the ice dragon was now shorter and its body was covered in cracks, threatening to crumble at any moment.

Luo Qingtian stood on the ice dozens of meters away, looking up at the sky, his white eyebrows twitching as he laughed wildly, "Well done, Yue Qianchou! You truly live up to your reputation. It's been so many years since I took over the Daluo Sect, and this is the first time anyone has forced me into such a sorry state. Today I've witnessed it all. My son's death at your hands wasn't unjust. Haha! It's been a long time since I've had a real fight. I never thought I'd have a good match with a junior today. Yue Qianchou, do you dare to fight?" His voice boomed outwards.

"This old bastard's got something wrong with his head, he's talking nonsense. You're the one who suffered a loss, I should be the one asking that question, damn it!" Yue Qianchou stood on the ice dragon that was shorter than him and uttered two words in a powerful voice, "I'll play along."

As the saying goes, the more lively it is, the more people will be attracted. Once they see that there is something exciting to see, the people who have left will come back in droves to the shore, unafraid of death.

"Sword, come!" Luo Qingtian shouted, reaching out towards the shore. The guards on the shore who were carrying his sword immediately held the sword with both hands. Luo Qingtian formed his hand into a claw shape and sucked it in. With a "clang," the sword was drawn from its sheath and quickly shot into his hand.

Dongfang Changao beside him and said, "The swords of the past leaders of the Daluo Sect are top-grade offensive Law Treasure. With Luo Qingtian drawing his sword, Yue Qianchou is likely in danger." Dongfang Changao Chang'ao, Chou Wuyuan looking at him, said, "You and Yue Qianchou are brothers. If you lend a hand, I guarantee I won't say a word." Although these two were righteous and demonic respectively, they often met on different occasions and often disagreed. Chou Wuyuan rolled his eyes and said nothing more, too lazy to make a fool of himself.

Luo Qingtian's sharp eyes, beneath his white eyebrows, swept over the clear, cold blade with pity, then instantly regained their fighting spirit. He laughed loudly, "I thought I could deal with a junior with my bare hands, but I didn't expect that the technique you, Yue Qianchou, cultivated was so profound that it could actually force this old man to draw this sword."

The ice dragon beneath Yue Qianchou's feet was bearing uneven weight, and cracks were multiplying, threatening to collapse at any moment. Yet Luo Qingtian had an endless stream of words to say. Yue Qianchou said angrily, "Old man, you talk too much nonsense. Are you going to fight or not? If not, I'm going back to sleep."

"Uh..." Luo Qingtian was speechless, stunned. It was the first time anyone had dared to speak to him, the Daluo Sect Master, like that.

Despite Luo Qingtian's noble status, many in the spectators couldn't help but burst into laughter. Dongfang Changao and Chou Wuyuan exchanged strange glances. The four patriarchs of the Four Great Families were filled with admiration. Ziyi's pretty face already had a radiant smile on it, looking at the man atop the ice dragon with great appreciation.

Luo Qingtian was immediately enraged by this remark and shouted, "Ignorant brat, how arrogant!" He swung his long sword diagonally, unleashing a Sword Qi that formed a crescent-shaped, silvery-white gleam as the sword blade cut out, shooting out rapidly.

"Bang!" Ice shards flew everywhere as the Sword Qi sliced the ice dragon in half diagonally, causing its upper half to topple over. Yue Qianchou flicked his sleeve, throwing out a cyan flying sword. He flipped off the ice dragon, leaping onto the sword. Just as he landed, a whooshing sound rang out, and a sharp Sword Qi rushed towards him. At the same time, the severed ice dragon below finally collapsed completely with a deafening roar.

Yue Qianchou swiftly dodged on his sword, the Sword Qi brushing past him and whipping up a fierce wind as it flew towards the sky. Luo Qingtian, his face grim, unleashed dozens of sweeping sword strikes, instantly forming a net of Sword Qi that swept across the heavens.

Those below, their hearts heavy with worry for Yue Qianchou, paled. The woman in Ziyi produced a section of dark purple bamboo, ready to teleport and rescue him at any moment. Yue Qianchou narrowed his eyes. The distance was too close; squeezing through the gaps in the sword net would be too difficult, and the net itself was too wide. Even with his speed, escaping would be equally difficult. In an instant, he made a decision, turned, and flew straight into the sky on his sword, the net of Sword Qi hot on his heels.

Hundreds of meters later, Yue Qianchou flew backwards and successfully passed through the expanded grid of Sword Qi.

Always letting others dominate, how can I not fight back? If I don't make a name for myself in this battle today, when will I ever get another chance? I'll fight! Yue Qianchou's eyes flashed with coldness. He shouted "Hey!" and spread his arms wide, as if summoning something to the heavens and earth.

The group of people below, who were relieved that he had escaped danger, were puzzled by his actions and wondered what he was up to. Suddenly, their expressions changed. In an instant, the sky darkened, and ripples spread across the water, Yue Qianchou's head. Yue Qianchou stood with his arms outstretched, staring intently down below.

"Ah! What... what's going on..." A gasp rang out from below; a lake had appeared out of nowhere in the sky...

Dongfang Changao and Chou Wuyuan looked at each other, then exclaimed in surprise, "Water Technique!" The woman in Ziyi's eyes gleamed with a strange light, feeling that seeing such a profound technique on this trip was truly worthwhile. The members of the Four Great Families all stared wide-eyed at the sky in disbelief.

"Hey!" Yue Qianchou shouted again, raising his arms and spinning them in the air. The large area of water in the air began to swirl, spinning faster and faster, like a tornado, its momentum truly astonishing. He finally understood what his master had said. He could control the Primordial Chaos Origin, and some techniques were indeed much easier to use. Otherwise, with his cultivation level, he simply wouldn't have been able to withstand such a large pool of water in the air, let alone control it.

Luo Qingtian looked up at the sky, his pupils suddenly contracting. He couldn't understand what Yue Qianchou was trying to do. He couldn't possibly think he could drown himself in a puddle of water!

"Go!" Yue Qianchou pointed his finger at Luo Qingtian below. The water whirlwind above his head immediately shot out streams of water arrows, which turned into gleaming ice spikes as they passed by Yue Qianchou and shot downwards with a whooshing sound.

"My God! What kind of magic is this..." someone exclaimed from below.

Dozens of ice spikes came hurtling towards him, but Luo Qingtian didn't take them seriously. He was wary of Yue Qianchou's commotion; he suspected there was more to it than just this. He dodged them instantly, and the ice spikes embedded themselves deep in the ice, some already shattered into pieces.

However, what followed was not just dozens of ice spikes, but hundreds of them coming one after another. Luo Qingtian shouted, "Is that all the tricks you have?" He stopped dodging and stirred up sharp Sword Qi in the air with his long sword. In an instant, ice shards flew everywhere, scattered and dazzling in the sunlight.

Yue Qianchou seemed to have gotten addicted to it, his ice spikes raging wildly, as if he wouldn't be satisfied until he'd completely squandered the puddle of water above him... Indeed, no matter how much water there was, it couldn't withstand such a wasteful act. The others couldn't understand why he was doing this pointless work; he simply couldn't do anything to Luo Qingtian. Looking around, the sky above the river was shrouded in a mesmerizing interplay of ice dust and sunlight, with the continuous sound of Sword Qi energy shattering the ice...

As the water in the sky dried up, and with the last wave of ice spikes being fired, a hundred cyan flying swords suddenly appeared around Yue Qianchou, protecting him as he spun like a cone. Carrying the flying swords, he followed the last wave of ice spikes and shot towards Luo Qingtian below.

Everyone immediately realized that all the commotion before was just a smokescreen; the real killing move was still in this strange flying sword. Fearing their sect leader might be misled by the ice dust and suffer a hidden loss, one of the Daluo Sect cried out, "Sect Leader, be careful, it's a trap!"

As soon as the words were spoken, Dongfang Changao and Chou Wuyuan glared fiercely at the man, who immediately shut up. Luo Qingtian, alerted by the sound, immediately saw a faint blue shadow shooting from above. He instantly associated it with the terrifying blue flames, sheathed his sword, and quickly dodged. But it seemed a little too late...

"I didn't manage to blow you up last time, you old bastard, but this time I'll make sure you taste it." Yue Qianchou grinned maliciously as he charged into the ice dust with his flying sword. "Bang bang bang..." The Azure Fire flying sword immediately exploded into a sea of azure flames, the flames spreading and the ice dust on the river surface instantly dissipating.

Luo Qingtian was incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, he burst out of the azure sea of flames and flashed into the air. However, his appearance had drastically changed. To describe him as ragged would not be an exaggeration. His coat was burned away, his shoes and trouser legs were gone, and the few tattered pieces of cloth he wore were charred and torn. His hair was short and burnt, and his beautiful white eyebrows were especially a pity.

Fortunately Yue Qianchou did not intend to harm the innocent. Many people on both sides of the strait were still watching despite the high temperature. However, Luo Qingtian's appearance in the air almost made everyone's jaw drop. Was this still the imposing Daluo Sect Master?

"Yue Qianchou, how dare you deceive this old man!" Luo Qingtian roared furiously in mid-air.

"Damn! You still managed to escape?" Yue Qianchou stared at the sky in astonishment. Fortunately, he had a backup plan, so he wasn't left with no way out. The sea of fire quickly receded into his body, and without saying a word, he turned around and plunged into the thawing river water. This was his last resort to save his life.

He didn't understand why Luo Qingtian was able to escape the sea of fire unharmed. It was because he didn't hear it when he was diving down. If Luo Qingtian hadn't been reminded by his disciples, he would have suffered a great loss this time.

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