Xie Zhaoyang burst out laughing, the steel whiskers on his face trembling despite himself. He paid them no mind as he said, "Our Kyoto Martial Arts Hall has been able to establish itself in Kyoto thanks to this special trick of mine."
As he spoke, Xie Zhaoyang used a mental transmission to explain to Zhang Tao the secret of combining materialized mental power with physical attacks.
Zhang Tao mulled it over. He hadn't expected it could be used that way. Brother Xie was quite the talent. This kind of mental attack was much safer than Fang Ping's habit of blowing up his mental power at the drop of a hat.
It hadn't been passed down later on. Xie must have died in battle.
"Kid, I'm counting on you to carry on my special trick!" Xie Zhaoyang clearly knew his own limits. Though he was an old Rank 7 Grandmaster, reaching Rank 8 would still take him a long time. He didn't even dare dream of Rank 9. Zhang Tao, on the other hand, was talented enough to carry this technique forward.
"Brother Xie, don't talk like you're about to die!" Zhang Tao said with a smile.
Xie Zhaoyang laughed too and didn't continue the topic. In times like these, who could claim they'd live forever? Besides, he was only Rank 7.
"Brother Xie, come with me and take on Rank 8!" Zhang Tao said at once.
Xie Zhaoyang paused, then declared boldly, "Let's go! Whoever backs out is a coward!"
The two quickly flew toward the Rank 8 battlefield. Wang Zanghai was exhausted by then, and he'd already spent most of his Indestructible Substance. The situation on the Rank 8 front was dire. Another ally had just been killed, and he had no idea whether that kid Zhang Tao had managed to escape.
Soon, Wang Zanghai's eyes widened as Zhang Tao and Xie Zhaoyang flew over together. He was so angry he nearly choked. Damn it, he'd told Zhang Tao to run, and the kid had come straight to the Rank 8 battlefield instead. Was he trying to get himself killed faster?
"Brother Xie, let's kill a few Rank 8s first. Then we'll give the blade to Senior Wang!" Zhang Tao sent telepathically. Xie Zhaoyang nodded. He wasn't thrilled about it, of course, but Wang Zanghai was stronger than he was. Giving him the blade was clearly the best choice.
"Kill!" Zhang Tao immediately brought out his Rank 7 Divine Weapon and slashed.
The Catacombs Rank 8 who was fighting a human Rank 8 Golden Body took the hit. A flash of golden light covered him, and Zhang Tao's slash barely hurt him.
"Heh, Rank 7?" the Catacombs Rank 8 sneered. A Rank 7 thought he could sneak up on him? Had he lost his mind?
Then Xie Zhaoyang came charging in with the God-Slaying Blade. The Rank 8 nearly laughed in disbelief. What were these two Rank 7s trying to do? The human Rank 8 he'd been assigned to fight wasn't strong. Given a little more time, he could wear down that human's Indestructible Substance. But the gap in strength wasn't something two Rank 7s could overcome.
Did they think he was an easy target? There were so many Rank 8s on the field, yet they'd picked him. Did he look that easy to bully?
The Catacombs Rank 8 decided to teach the humans a good lesson.
As the God-Slaying Blade closed in, he released a layer of Indestructible Substance over his arm and struck at it.
But this time, he'd miscalculated. The God-Slaying Blade sliced through his fist in an instant, like a red-hot iron rod plunged into butter.
If he hadn't pulled back quickly, he would have lost his entire arm.
Before he could think further, the human Grandmaster roared and brought his sword down on him, leaving a wound so deep it exposed bone.
Xie Zhaoyang didn't hesitate. He reversed his grip and chopped off the Rank 8's head.
"Holy crap!" the human Rank 8 stared in shock. That was Old Xie? Since when was he so strong? This made no sense.
"Old Xu, quit standing there. Let's go!" Xie Zhaoyang called out, feeling on top of the world. Look at that! He'd told them for years that Xie was stuck at Rank 7. Well, who was the fool now?
The man called Old Xu soon fixed his gaze on the blade. Understanding dawned, and without another word, he snatched it from Xie Zhaoyang's hand and charged off with a fierce yell.
Xie Zhaoyang froze. When he recovered, he immediately started cursing. Damn it, that was low! He'd saved the man, and now he'd stolen his blade?
"Xu Yingcang, you bastard!" Xie Zhaoyang kept swearing, but Xu Yingcang ignored him completely. Zhang Tao flew up to Xie Zhaoyang and said, "Brother Xie, let's go!"
The two followed Xu Yingcang and watched him bring the blade down on a Rank 8. Golden light flared over the man, but it was useless. Xu Yingcang killed him with a single slash.
Zhang Tao raised an eyebrow and chuckled. It seemed the blade was much more effective in Xu Yingcang's hands than in Xie Zhaoyang's.
As if he'd noticed Zhang Tao's amusement, Xie Zhaoyang's expression darkened further.
"Haha! Today, I, Xu Yingcang, will show the world what I can do!" Xu Yingcang roared with laughter. Among the Rank 8s, who could withstand a single slash from him?
"Explode!" Just then, a Catacombs Rank 8 self-destructed. A massive wave of energy swept across the battlefield, blasting Zhang Tao and Xie Zhaoyang far away. They crashed hard into the ground.
They scrambled back to their feet and looked into the distance. Xu Yingcang had become a golden skeleton, with barely any golden light left on his body.
"Idiot!" Wang Zanghai cursed. He kicked Xu Yingcang over to Zhang Tao and Xie Zhaoyang, then charged back into battle with the God-Slaying Blade in hand.
"Heh." Xie Zhaoyang picked up Xu Yingcang's Rank 8 Golden Bone and laughed scornfully. What else could he be but an idiot? Instead of killing enemies, he'd been running his mouth and got caught in the blast. Look at him—he couldn't even recover. Xie Zhaoyang's eyes were full of contempt.
"This... Damn it, Old Liu's dead! That useless Old Liu—how could he let the enemy self-destruct?" Xu Yingcang wailed. Of course, his skull of a face couldn't show much expression.
"Let's go. They don't need us on the Rank 8 battlefield anymore!" Xie Zhaoyang said, carrying Xu Yingcang away. Zhang Tao hurried after them. It was true; they weren't needed anymore. If another Rank 8 self-destructed, they'd just get in the way. They'd be better off leaving.
With the God-Slaying Blade in hand, Wang Zanghai was on a rampage. Three Rank 8s had already fallen to him.
"Damn it, a bunch of useless fools!" On the Rank 9 battlefield, Mulberry King roared. They had such a huge advantage in numbers, yet these fools were still losing.
"Heh, and how are you doing any better?" Li Xianling sneered. His Rank 9 Divine Weapon had driven Mulberry King back again and again. Chrysanthemum King tried to intervene, but Li Xianling slashed him flying with a single blow. There was no doubting Li Xianling's strength—he was the Academy Head of the Culture Academy.
Li Xianling was now fighting three opponents at once and still wasn't at a disadvantage.
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