Death Like the Wind
"This sword..."
He was barely breathing, but a slight smile played on his lips. "That was satisfying."
His gaze moved with difficulty, landing on the kneeling figure not far away. His lips moved, his voice so soft it was almost swallowed by the sound of the rain.
"Hey kid, what's your name...?"
Bai Yushan, panting heavily, raised his head; his scarlet eyes had dimmed considerably.
"Bai Yushan."
"Bai Yushan..."
Long Qinghe repeated it, then suddenly laughed, "To die at your hands isn't shameful."
His breathing grew weaker and weaker, and the rise and fall of his chest was almost imperceptible.
"Remember, don't die on the way. This world is still vast..."
Before he could finish speaking, his eyes completely lost their light, and his drooping hand loosened.
The torrential rain continued to fall, pelting his face and body, washing away the blood and smearing away the last trace of warmth.
Long Qinghe is dead.
Bai Yushan stared at the corpse in silence for a long time. He wanted to say something, but a metallic taste rose in his throat, and he spat out another mouthful of blood.
He could hold on any longer; his body went limp, and he collapsed sideways onto the cold rocks.
The cold rain lashed his face, trickling down his hair and into his collar. He tried to move his fingers, but found he didn't even have the strength to lift a single one.
From being ambushed and slashed off the cliff, to falling into the deep sea, and then climbing ashore to fight Long Qinghe to the death, the whole process took less than half an hour.
In those twenty minutes, he was first severely injured by the full-force attack of Titled Douluo, then he withstood the attacks of Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Origin, Azure Firmament Sword Domain, and Azure Firmament Limitless, and finally he traded injuries for injuries, enduring this all-out sword strike.
His body was covered in wounds, one after another.
The crisscrossing wound on his chest was still bleeding profusely, and he couldn't stop the bleeding no matter what he did.
Most of the meridians in his body were severed, and the 500,000 volts of current was as weak as a candle flickering in the wind, only occasionally pulsating deep in the wounds, and no longer possessing the violent power it had before.
His consciousness began to blur.
The sounds of rain, waves, and wind faded away, and my body felt light, as if floating in an endless darkness, constantly sinking downwards.
The scent of death clung to his neck, cold and still.
That feeling is like walking alone on a long, endless road in the dead of night, surrounded by darkness, with only the wind blowing in your ears.
His steps grew heavier and heavier, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and with each step he wanted to lie down, close his eyes, and never get up again.
Am I going to die?
Bai Yushan thought unconsciously, his thoughts scattered like ripples broken by rain.
Some blurry images flashed before his eyes.
Leng Yaozhu and beautiful face, Bi Ji's gentle smile, Na'er's worried tears, the starry sky in the Star Dou Great Forest, the wind by the Sea God Lake, and the enemies who fell under his fists.
He recalled the stinging pain he felt the first time he activated the electric current, and how he would crawl up covered in blood after each fierce battle, watching his wounds heal little by little.
He hasn't reached that point yet.
The Magnetic Field Rotation, the Cosmic Magnetic Field, that layer of paper that is not yet clear, he has not yet truly broken through.
He had also promised Bi Ji that he would live a good life.
But he was really, really tired.
The rain poured down, the dark clouds hung low, and the sky and sea were shrouded in gray.
On the rocky beach, the boy lay motionless in a pool of blood, his face pale to the point of being almost transparent, his cold white skin devoid of color, and his lips tinged with blue. His strong muscles were relaxed, and the rise and fall of his chest was so weak as to be almost invisible; only the hideous cross-shaped wound continued to bleed little by little with each breath.
His long, black hair was soaked and clung to the rocks, wet with blood and rain, with a few strands sticking to his pale cheeks.
His naked body was covered with wounds—sword wounds, fist wounds, and gaping gashes—a crisscrossing network of injuries, not a single spot unscathed.
The surrounding rocks were shattered, and the murky seawater surged up and then receded, carrying his blood, slowly flowing into the sea.
Between heaven and earth, only rain remains.
Gray and desolate, like a faded old painting.
Bai Yushan's consciousness sank deeper and deeper into that darkness.
Just as he was about to close his eyes completely, a faint blue-white current suddenly flickered deep within the wound on his chest.
It was very light and weak, like a dying ember in the darkness.
Then, the second strand.
The electrical current traveled slowly and laboriously along his severed meridians, and wherever it passed, his stopped heartbeat seemed to stir slightly.
On the cliff, torrential rain poured down.
The sounds of battle below the cliff could be faintly heard through the thick rain curtain—a rumble like muffled thunder, the crisp sound of metal clashing, and the occasional explosion of Soul Power. The sounds were broken and indistinct by the wind and rain.
Bi Ji's wings suddenly flapped, and her emerald eyes looked down.
The rain obscured her vision; she could only see the churning seawater and the pale flashes of lightning below the cliff, unable to discern whether the figure was alive or dead.
In that instant when she lowered her eyes, Cang Xuan caught a glimpse of the fluctuation in her aura.
"Old Huo, press him down!"
He gave a low shout, and stepped forward with his dragon-headed cane. The eyes of the azure dragon on the cane head shone with a dark golden light, accurately piercing the old wound at the base of Bi Ji's wing.
First Soul Skill: Azure Dragon Points at the Stars!
This strike was swift and cunning, blocking her path as she sank.
Almost simultaneously, Huo Pojun pounced from the other side, his dark tiger claws sweeping across with the cold light of his Battle Armor, sealing off any space she could use to dodge to the side.
Fourth Soul Skill: Tiger Pounces on the Wasteland!
The two moved in perfect unison, one poking and the other lunging, their movements seamless.
Bi Ji snapped back to her senses, crossed and closed her wings, Emerald Guard shield in front of her.
"Clang!"
The cane struck the light barrier, causing it to cave in and shimmer with emerald light. Then, the tiger's claw slammed down, the two forces combining to create a thin crack in the light barrier.
Using the force of the impact, Bi Ji floated backward several feet, her chest heaving, but her gaze couldn't help but drift downwards.
Did you hear that?
Cang Xuan, leaning on his cane and hovering in mid-air, suddenly spoke, his voice carrying Soul Power into her ears, "That's Long Qinghe's sword. The boy you were protecting is dead."
Huo Pojun immediately followed up, his crimson tiger eyes filled with killing intent. "A Soul Elder, enduring Titled Douluo's full-force sword strike, didn't even leave with a complete corpse. If you struggle any longer, you'll only be going down to his grave."
Bi Ji's pupils contracted slightly.
She knew these were psychological tactics, and she couldn't believe a single word of them.
But the rumbling sounds from below the cliff continued one after another, each one like a blow to her heart. She spread out her Life Perception, trying to penetrate the rain to capture that familiar aura, but it was interfered with by the silver Soul Tool, and her senses scattered as soon as she reached the edge of the cliff.
My heart is in turmoil.
This was the moment Cang Xuan had been waiting for.
His figure suddenly disappeared into the rain, his dragon-headed cane leaving a dark golden afterimage as it swept across the ground from an eerie angle, the dragon on the cane's head opening its mouth to lock onto Bi Ji's ankle.
Third Soul Skill: Azure Dragon Locks the Throat!
Bi Ji woke up with a start and suddenly straightened up, but the tip of her cane grazed the sole of her boot, and the pulling force still caused her to stagger.
Huo Pojun's tiger roar had already exploded overhead.