Zhan Qing had thought that since he had been cultivating far longer than his opponent and his Talisman Artifact was superior, his Earth-Shrinking Art would surely overcome Imprisoning Earth. He hadn't expected that although Yan Chihuo had cultivated for less time, the twelve Restrictions on the Soul-Breaking Sword were genuine, and its power was tremendous. On top of that, Yan Chihuo's mastery of spells was also superior. Zhan Qing stumbled, and his Earth Shrinking Step was immediately broken.
Zhan Qing was about to cast Stone Armor Art, but it was already too late. Yan Chihuo's sword rested against his neck, its keen Sword Qi drawing a thin line of blood. Though it was only a flesh wound, Zhan Qing's face turned ashen with fright. Then he heard Yan Chihuo say beside him, "Senior Brother Zhan, thank you for letting me win."
The three of them had thought Yan Chihuo had slain the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon through sheer luck. They had planned to seize this opportunity to humiliate him, but after only a few exchanges, two of them had already been defeated. All three felt deeply embarrassed.
Zhong Yun stepped forward and said to Yan Chihuo, "Junior Brother Yan, you truly are extraordinary. Allow me to test your skills."
Yan Chihuo said, "I was only lucky to beat Senior Brother Hong and Senior Brother Zhan. With Senior Brother Zhong's cultivation, it would be presumptuous of me to fight you as well."
Zhong Yun and the others had no intention of letting Yan Chihuo leave. If they couldn't win one back, where would that leave their pride? Zhong Yun said, "You're too modest, Junior Brother Yan. I only want to spar with you. Why keep me at arm's length?"
Zhan Qing had also recovered by now. "Junior Brother Yan, we agreed earlier that Senior Brother Zhong would spar with you for just one stick of incense. Come, come, I'll keep time." With that, he pulled a stick of incense from his sleeve.
Zhong Yun hadn't been confident he could defeat Yan Chihuo within the time it took one stick of incense to burn. But seeing Yan Chihuo act this way, he assumed he was afraid to fight and felt much more at ease. At the same time, he thought, Even if I defeat Yan Chihuo after the incense burns down, it won't exactly make me look good.
Although Yan Chihuo had beaten two of them in a row, he had no confidence at all against Zhong Yun. He also knew the other side wouldn't let him leave, so he needled Zhong Yun with his words again, limiting the match to the time it took one stick of incense to burn.
Zhong Yun wore a grave expression, gripping a great axe as he fixed his eyes on Yan Chihuo. Cultivators who practiced earth-element techniques had deep reserves of magical power and exceptional strength, so they used heavy weapons such as axes and hammers as their Talisman Artifacts.
Yan Chihuo knew full well that a late-stage Body Forging cultivator like Zhong Yun was no match for the likes of Zhan Qing and Hong Lie. When he had fought the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon's senior brother, he would have been the one to die if he hadn't had the advantage of the terrain. Though his strength had improved considerably since then, the few spells that the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon's senior brother had used were far beyond anything Zhan Qing and Hong Lie could manage.
Yan Chihuo said, "Senior Brother Zhong, please!"
Zhong Yun brought his axe down. Yan Chihuo was about to retreat when the ground beneath his feet suddenly spun—Imprisoning Earth! Zhong Yun had cast the spell first.
Faced with this, Yan Chihuo had no other choice. He circulated his magical power and tried to break free by force. Just then, a series of deafening rumbles shook the air, and countless boulders came crashing down: Falling Rock Art!
Zhong Yun's Falling Rock Art was far beyond Zhan Qing's and Hong Lie's. The boulders were not only much larger but also much faster, and they covered a wider area. Even if Yan Chihuo hadn't been trapped by Imprisoning Earth, there was no way he could slip through the gaps between the rocks as he had when he fought Zhan Qing.
Yan Chihuo swung his sword and struck a boulder. It flew off to the side and crashed into another boulder, sending both of them tumbling away.
Yan Chihuo's sword never paused. He swung it more than a dozen times in quick succession, batting away the boulders around him. At the same time, a layer of stone armor formed over his body. He twisted and dodged, and the boulders falling toward him were either knocked aside by his sword or slid past him. A few occasionally struck him, but his nimble movements absorbed most of their force, leaving him with little harm.
Zhong Yun waited nearby, ready to strike as soon as Yan Chihuo emerged from the boulders and deal him a heavy blow. But after a moment, the boulders had all come crashing down, and Yan Chihuo still hadn't appeared. Could that one attack have gravely injured him?
Zhong Yun furrowed his brows. If he had badly injured Yan Chihuo, it would be hard to explain. After all, Yan Chihuo had gone easy on both Zhan Qing and Hong Lie. If he left Yan Chihuo gravely wounded, at death's door, the other disciples would have a lot to say.
Just then, two boulders flew out, and Yan Chihuo came hurtling after them. Zhong Yun was about to cast another spell when Yan Chihuo shouted. He thrust out his right hand, and five beams of light shot toward Zhong Yun.
This move, Soul Snatch, had been Ping Qi's signature technique. Zhong Yun had never seen it, but he had heard Wu Yunhe talk about it so often that he had long been on his guard. He immediately held his great axe crosswise, blocking all five beams of light.
But that was exactly what Yan Chihuo wanted. The five beams transformed into a giant hand that seized the axe and yanked it to the side, pulling it wide open. In that instant, Yan Chihuo flicked his sword and thrust straight at him.
A layer of stone armor appeared over Zhong Yun's body as he shifted sideways. With a hiss, the sword grazed past him in a spray of sparks, splitting the stone armor and even slicing through his clothes with its Sword Qi. Luckily, it didn't cut his flesh. Even so, Zhong Yun broke out in a cold sweat.
Yan Chihuo was startled too. He had known Zhong Yun's Stone Armor Art would be exceptional, but he hadn't expected its defense to be so astonishing.
Zhong Yun looked Yan Chihuo over. Though he was dusty from head to toe and his clothes were torn in several places, there wasn't a single wound on him. Zhong Yun couldn't help marveling inwardly. What had Yan Chihuo used to evade the Falling Rock Art? Of course, he had no idea that Yan Chihuo's senses were far sharper than he could imagine.
Yan Chihuo didn't dare wait for Zhong Yun to attack again. He turned and circled behind him, thrusting with his sword once more. Zhong Yun swung his axe backward. At its end, boulders formed and joined together, head to tail, like a long serpent that hurtled toward Yan Chihuo. This strike fused Falling Rock Art with an axe technique: the axe drew power from the rocks, and the rocks drew force from the axe. Yan Chihuo didn't dare meet it head-on. His body blurred, and he dodged again.
Zhong Yun roared and swept his great axe sideways. The long stone serpent turned its head and struck at Yan Chihuo as well.
Yan Chihuo shouted and brought his sword down. Countless boulders rained from the sky, burying the stone serpent beneath them at once. The great axe followed close behind with a crash, blasting countless rocks into the air. Yan Chihuo tapped his sword against the axe, sprang up, and landed on a boulder. Then, with a whoosh, he flew several yards away.
Zhong Yun secretly praised him. Yan Chihuo's cultivation and mastery of spells were both inferior to his own, but his quick thinking in battle and his uncanny sense of timing far surpassed Zhong Yun's.
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