Double Kill
When Shen Fei's feet landed back on the ground, his knees bent, and he almost lost his balance.
His right hand still gripped the Ink Cloud, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground. The dark patterns on the sword had faded, the Dark Law infused in that last strike having nearly drained the last bit of Spiritual Power from his Dantian.
He was panting heavily, his chest heaving like a broken bellows, each breath carrying the metallic taste of blood from deep in his throat.
The area where my left rib was broken was throbbing with pain and numbness. The burns on my left arm and left side of my torso had been torn open in several places during the series of movements. The exposed skin and flesh after the blisters burst were stuck to the charred fabric, and it was both painful and itchy, as if countless ants were crawling on the wounds.
He raised his head and looked ahead.
Lü Qianmo's corpse lay on the ground, his massive body creating a shallow crater. Dark red blood gushed from the wounds on his waist and shoulders, staining the soil beneath him a deep brown.
His deep purple eyes were still open, his pupils still holding an incredulous light. He couldn't understand until his death how the swords of two Black Gold Rank could pierce his Legendary Peak physical body.
But Shen Fei did not relax.
His gaze passed over Lü Qianmo's corpse and landed on the trampled jungle in the distance. Lü Qiansha was still there, entangled by Duan Jian, Du Ze, Lu Piao, and Mingyu. The wound on his left shoulder was still bleeding, and the joint of his right foreleg was stiffened by Du Ze's Thunder Fire Fist, making his movements noticeably slower.
But he was still standing, still waving his claws, still roaring. Although his Legendary Peak aura was weaker than at the beginning, it was still so heavy that it made people breathless.
Duan Jian from the front, slashing horizontally and vertically, dark red flames of Black Dragon coating the blade, each strike aimed at Lü Qiansha's vital points.
Du Ze darted around to the side, his fists crackling with lightning, relentlessly striking the joint between Lü Qiansha's right forelegs. Lu Piao continued his fly-like approach, his short knife slicing up from the side and behind, striking once and then retreating, only to close in again after taking two steps back.
Mingyu hovered on the periphery, his dark body appearing and disappearing in the shadows, occasionally unleashing a dark beam of light that aimed directly at the wound on Lü Qiansha's left shoulder.
But Lü Qiansha hasn't fallen yet.
Although his left arm was weak, his right claw was still ferocious. Once, Duan Jian charged too hard and was slapped on the back of his knife by the claw. He was sent flying, sword and all, and only stopped after crashing into two small trees.
Duan Jian scrambled to his feet, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and charged forward again, knife in hand.
Du Ze's Thunder Fire Fist struck his joints. After feeling the pain, Lü Qiansha swung his claw back. Du Ze crossed his arms to block, but a layer of his Thunderfire Scales was scraped off. He slid back three or four steps, shook his numb arms, and then stuck back to the ground.
Shen Fei watched this scene and knew in his heart that Lü Qiansha was still holding on, but he couldn't hold on for much longer. Duan Jian and the other three were fighting in a coordinated manner. Although they couldn't kill him, they had him tightly bound. The wound on his left shoulder was still bleeding, and the joint of his right foreleg was becoming more and more stiff. If this continued, his combat strength would only decrease.
The real problem is that he himself has run out of energy.
Shen Fei looked down at his hand. His right hand, which was holding Ink Cloud's, was trembling slightly, his knuckles were white, and blood was seeping from the crack between his thumb and forefinger.
His Dantian was empty, and the remaining Spiritual Power in his Meridians was only enough to maintain the most basic operation. His sword strike just now had poured the last bit of Dark Law into Ink Cloud, and the sword body was now clean, without even a trace of Spiritual Power fluctuation.
He glanced at Nie Li. Nie Li stood a few steps to his left, the Heavenly Meteor Divine Thunder Sword resting on the ground. The lightning patterns on the sword had mostly dimmed, with only a few scattered sparks still crackling and jumping.
Nie Li's complexion wasn't much better; his lips were pale, sweat streamed down his face, and his chest heaved more violently than usual. He had also used his full strength in that sword strike, and his Soul Force consumption was no less than Shen Fei's.
Yu Yan floated beside Nie Li, its pale golden flames nearly half as dark as before the battle, with sparse sparks at the edges that dissipated after drifting a short distance.
She had just used all her Power of Law to condense that wall of fire, burning Lü Qianmo's shield to pieces; the extent of her energy expenditure was unimaginable. Her golden eyes were still shining, but the light was much softer than before, carrying an undisguised weariness.
Shen Fei took a deep breath. He knew now was not the time to rest. Lü Qiansha was still holding on, and if he recovered and ran away injured, or even turned around and fought desperately, they might not be able to handle him.
Although Duan Jian and his three companions could hold them off, simply holding them off wasn't enough to truly kill a Legendary Peak Demon Beast.
He glanced at the Ink Cloud in his hand.
The sword's blade is a deep, dark black, non-reflective, and unassuming, yet it still feels warm and comfortable to hold.
His previous sword strike had infused the sword with all the Dark Law; the blade is now empty, but its weight and the sharpness of its edge remain.
This sword can even slice through Wu Hong's Legendary Rank 2-Star body and shatter Lü Qianmo's shield. If someone can deliver it to Lü Qiansha, they can kill him again.
But he couldn't deliver it himself. His Spiritual Power was depleted, and he couldn't even run, let alone rush to Lü Qiansha and draw his sword.
Shen Fei's gaze fell on Yu Yan.
"Senior Mingyu," he began, his voice terribly hoarse, his throat dry and aching, "Continue."
With his last ounce of strength, he flicked his right hand, and the sword, Ink Cloud, flew out of his grasp. The blade twirled twice in the air, tracing a dark arc, and flew straight toward Mingyu.
Mingyu reacted extremely quickly. Its dark body floated over from the outside, and its tiny hand stretched forward, fingers spread, and firmly grasped the sword hilt. The moment the sword entered its hand, Mingyu's body shuddered violently.
The vibration was unlike any it had ever experienced before. Its dark body contracted inward from the edges, then suddenly sprang back, the luster on its surface shifting at an abruptly faster rate.
Then, its body began to grow larger. From the length of an adult's arm, it grew inch by inch upwards, its shoulders broadened, its torso thickened, and its limbs lengthened. In just a few breaths, it grew from a human-shaped figure the size of a thumb to a height almost that of a normal person.
Mingyu looks completely different now that he's bigger.
Its body was still black, but the outline of its facial features was much clearer than before. The lines of its eyes, nose, and mouth were visible. Although there were no specific details yet, it was at least possible to tell that it was a face.
Its arms and legs were also much thicker than before. Standing on the ground, its feet firmly planted on the soil, it was no longer floating as before. The most noticeable change was its aura.
Although Mingyu's aura was deep and resonant, it always carried a restrained and concealed quality, as if he were suppressing something beneath his skin.
But now it stood there holding the Ink Cloud, its aura released without reservation, and the ink-black mist swirled around it, so thick that it seemed to swallow the surrounding air.
The oppressive feeling was more than twice as strong as before. Even Lü Qiansha, who was fighting Duan Jian and the Duan Jian in the distance, felt it and his movements visibly paused.