His master had repeatedly warned him that entering the mist carried a grave risk of becoming lost within it. Qin Fengming had come this time merely to see whether there truly was any mist here, but even now he still had not seen any. His interest waned, and he planned to return the way he had come. (www..com)
Just as Qin Fengming was about to turn back, he suddenly heard the intermittent sound of rocks collapsing in the distance ahead, mixed from time to time with someone's shouts.
Such sounds suddenly appearing in these lofty mountains, dense with forest, startled even Qin Fengming. He immediately judged that someone was undoubtedly fighting a wild beast.
Since he had encountered such a thing, Qin Fengming naturally could not simply ignore it and leave. He halted at once and listened carefully, quickly identifying where the sound came from. He drew his treasured sword, moved his body, and unleashed the Azure Cloud Maze movement technique, surging toward the source of the noise.
After advancing silently for forty or fifty zhang, Qin Fengming looked through the dense forest before him and saw that, thirty zhang ahead, in a relatively level little valley, a person was enclosed in a yellow light shield. Outside the shield, a mass of purple light was spinning rapidly around it.
Behind the purple light was a giant blade more than a zhang long, flashing with white radiance and pursuing it relentlessly like a white silk streamer. The entire scene was bizarre beyond words. Qin Fengming stared in astonishment, having never seen anything like it before.
Qin Fengming stopped, his expression dazed. The scene reminded him of the Second Young Master of the Zhang Family, whom he had slain a year ago. The person before him was undoubtedly a cultivator, currently locked in a stalemate with that mass of purple light. But he had no idea what the purple object was.
Judging by the speed of the purple light and the flying sword, they were even two points faster than his own Azure Cloud Maze movement technique.
Seeing the battle raging, with neither side noticing his arrival, Qin Fengming silently advanced another dozen or so zhang. He was now only a dozen or so zhang from the battlefield, and the scene ahead had become much clearer.
Within the purple light, he saw a small purple beast. It rapidly circled the yellow light shield, periodically spitting out a purple ball of light that struck the shield's surface. Amid booming impacts, the yellow shield merely swayed slightly before stabilizing once more.
Whenever the flying sword pursuing the small purple beast slowed even slightly, the figure inside would point into the air with a finger. The sword would then let out a clear cry and accelerate again.
Inside the yellow light shield, the figure held a piece of ore glowing with emerald light in each hand, as though circulating his energy. Qin Fengming recognized the ore at a glance—it was the same kind he had once escorted.
The person inside the shield was staring fixedly at the small purple beast, his face revealing undisguised anxiety.
Another quarter of an hour passed. The yellow light shield was now shaking far more violently than before under the small purple beast's attacks, while waves of rumbling rang out. Clearly, one person could not support the shield for much longer.
The flying sword's speed had also fallen far below what it had been. Although the small purple beast had slowed somewhat as well, the power of the purple balls of light it spat out had not diminished in the slightest.
At that moment, the small purple beast spat out a purple ball of light that struck the yellow shield precisely. With a BOOM, the yellow shield suddenly vanished, revealing a young man dressed in a black long robe.
The young man's face was pale, and undisguised terror filled his eyes.
With a point of his finger, the flying sword shot back before him and began circling without pause. The young man's face was taut with tension as he warily watched the small beast a dozen or so zhang away.
Seeing this, the beast also halted. Gloomy light flashed in its eyes as it stared at the man in black. The two sides remained locked in a stalemate for the better part of a tea's time.
Suddenly, the small beast erupted into action. It opened its mouth and spat out a purple ball of light, sending it straight toward the man in black.
At the same time, it pushed off with all four feet and flashed forward, pouncing at the man with astonishing speed. Its foreclaws were razor-sharp, radiating a chilling menace that was deeply alarming.
The man in black pointed at the flying sword. With a SWISH, it flew to intercept the purple ball of light. At the same time, he flung forward a yellow paper talisman. During its flight, the talisman transformed into a fist-sized fireball and shot toward the small purple beast.
Both sides moved with incredible speed, practically as though they had agreed to strike at the same moment.
The small purple beast seemed to have anticipated this. Its body flashed as it dodged the fireball, then it twisted in midair and pounced at the man in black once more.
The man in black had no time to throw out another talisman. He could only hurriedly dodge to the side, moving two or three zhang away. Yet although he was swift, he still failed to evade the small purple beast's attack.
One of the small purple beast's claws caught his arm squarely, immediately tearing open a wound deep enough to expose bone. The black-robed young man had been seriously injured.
The small purple beast landed on the ground, turned around, and, without the slightest hesitation, prepared to pounce again.
At that moment, a crystalline object suddenly appeared beside it. By the time it tried to dodge, it was already too late. With a PUFF, the blue object entered its body, instantly freezing half of the small purple beast's body in place.
At that moment, five more objects struck the small beast, and it immediately collapsed to the ground, unable to rise.
As the small beast fell, a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy suddenly appeared on the scene. With a single flash, he reached the purple beast's side. His sword rose and fell, chopping off the small purple beast's head. The entire process was completed in the blink of an eye, as if it had been rehearsed countless times.
This boy was none other than Qin Fengming, who had been watching from the side for quite some time. When he saw that the man in black was in grave danger, he had already prepared to intervene.
When the beast injured the man in black, Qin Fengming decisively attacked as it turned around. He then unleashed every means at his disposal and slew the small beast on the spot. Although he did not know how the beast had become so formidable, he knew one thing: he would have only one chance to strike. If he failed to kill it, his own life would be in danger.
The man in black had thought he was about to become food in the small beast's jaws. He was already regretting that he should not have coveted the treasure and come alone to kill the beast. At that moment, he had even prepared to self-detonate his treasures in one final attempt.
But the situation had taken a sudden turn, and the small beast was already dead. Seeing someone slay it, the young man abruptly sank to the ground. Only after steadying his nerves did he carefully examine the person who had killed the beast.
"Many thanks for your timely intervention, Daoist Friend. Otherwise, I would have died beneath this beast's claws. May I ask how I should address you, and where you cultivate?" Only after calming himself did the black-robed young man stand again. He clasped his hands toward Qin Fengming and spoke with utmost courtesy.
Daoist Friend? Qin Fengming was stunned when he heard this. He had no idea where those two words had come from. He was not dressed like a Daoist, so why was the black-robed young man addressing him as Daoist Friend?
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