Chapter 218: Still Slaying! (5k)
“Junior sister, let’s be straightforward and not play any fancy sword tricks with him.”
“Haha, this junior sister is so cute.”
“Perhaps she saw how cool Senior Brother Mad Sword’s swordplay was and wanted to imitate it? Let’s be a little less malicious.”
As Su Jiu spoke, a silence fell over the arena, as if everyone was stunned by her words. Then, hushed voices began to emerge, some looking at the scene with amusement. After all, people tend to be more forgiving towards cute things.
Hu Yang’s “Sword Come” was due to his beast pet being of a high-ranking species. He usually kept his beast pet by his side like a person, nurturing their bond. Ordinary beast pets, let alone descendants of Battle Kings, couldn’t achieve this.
As everyone chuckled knowingly, Lin Tingyu, seated in the VIP box, narrowed her eyes, a hint of sword intent flashing within them. Was it finally coming?
“This little sister is quite interesting.”
Hu Yang flicked his long sword with interest, producing a “ding!” sound. Then, he looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze. Just as he was about to say something, a sound of breaking through the air suddenly rang out, like thunder on flat ground. In the next second, countless eyes were drawn to it.
Bairnis, who had been sitting, suddenly erupted in a surge of blue light, soaring into the sky. This clearly indicated she was a Battle General. She then calmly looked down at Su Jiu’s position below. Everyone was puzzled as to what she intended to do…
“Your command is my pleasure, Miss!”
Her beautiful eyes swept below, and Bairnis smiled faintly. She began to fade from head to toe, transforming into a few blue butterflies dancing in the wind. While everyone was still confused, she had already transformed into a cluster of blue butterflies, emitting a strange, cold yet warm radiance…
Then, under everyone’s gaze, the cluster of blue butterflies turned into a stream of light, just like Hu Yang’s beast pet earlier. They flew into the gap in the formation above the stage and landed steadily in Su Jiu’s hand.
In the next moment, a massive blood-red airflow erupted, centered on Su Jiu. Her hair slowly began to turn silver from the roots upwards, and a butterfly pattern appeared on her delicate face.
Following that, Su Jiu smiled faintly. She clasped her hands together with the butterfly, then slowly pulled them apart. As blue light flickered intermittently, the handle of a weapon began to appear. As Su Jiu fully spread her arms, a giant scythe floated before her.
Ancient Blood Clan inscriptions were carved on the handle of the scythe, and above the blade was a shattered butterfly magic crystal, giving it a broken appearance.
Su Jiu reversed her grip on the scythe, and a strange aura, both healing and bloodthirsty, surged upwards with the blood qi. For a moment, her aura was no weaker than the previous two combatants, and in terms of the weapon’s power alone, it was even superior.
“You must be a descendant of a War God’s high-ranking species. Only then do you have the qualification to fight me.”
Seeing the change in Su Jiu’s aura, everyone in the arena was slightly stunned. Hu Yang even put away his contemptuous expression. He glanced at her again, his eyes filled with fighting spirit. At this moment, he considered Su Jiu a true opponent.
“But… my servant is different! She is a descendant of the Southern Fire Witch, and her power is perfectly compatible with mine, unlike yours, which are merely matched by rarity.”
With that, Hu Yang’s hand trembled, and the flames on his sword intensified. The surface of the blade blazed with crimson light, and balls of fire danced like sprites. At this moment, Hu Yang himself resembled a giant fireball, with the raging flames burning like countless hooks, a truly terrifying sight.
The strong winds caused Su Jiu’s eyes to squint slightly. From the flames condensing on Hu Yang’s long sword, she could easily sense that it was an energy filled with extreme ferocity. If she were hit, even a normal Battle General would be severely injured!
“Is this guy going for the kill?”
Knowing that Hu Yang seemed to be getting serious, Su Jiu reversed her grip on the scythe, her smile disappearing from her face. She gently closed her eyes, and a stream of air rushed outwards from her body. When she opened her eyes again, a blood-red light flashed within them, and her aura began to rise steadily. The blood-red airflow violently impacted the walls outside.
“Elegy Stage One!”
Mid-level Battle General… peak Mid-level Battle General, stopping only when she touched the threshold of High-level Battle General. Due to the fusion with Bairnis, her Blood Clan body could also use Elegy Stage Two, but the duration was far shorter than Ice Dragon Transformation, reduced to one-fourth of the original time.
However, in Su Jiu’s opinion, unless absolutely necessary, she shouldn’t casually reveal her trump card. Elegy Stage One was enough to deal with Hu Yang.
“Little sister, originally I was going to deal with that pretentious fellow Lu Bingyu. Since you’re asking for a beating, don’t blame me for messing up your pretty little face!”
Amidst the whistling wind, a voice could be faintly heard. Immediately afterward, sensing the air suddenly as if it were being burned and solidified, Su Jiu looked over and saw what appeared to be some kind of skill enchantment on the blade of Hu Yang’s tempered crimson flame longsword.
The longsword, covered in inscriptions, was like a magical artifact from a celestial drama. On the sword body, small balls of flame leaped wildly, even emitting the roar of a lion. As the sword swung, it caused layer upon layer of distortion in the air.
“Taste my Hu family’s quasi-War God level skill – Heaven Splitting!”
A hint of ferocity flashed in his eyes. Hu Yang gripped his longsword tightly, his feet in a small horse stance, the tip of his sword touching the floor, causing a faint smell of焦 (scorched) from the special demon-skinned floor.
In an instant, accompanied by the roar of a lion, it slammed towards Su Jiu. The entire spectator area seemed to be scorched and boiled. Some students felt uncomfortable. Dean Yan then added another Frosty Aura Shield outside the arena’s white protective dome, allowing the situation to return to normal.
Many could feel the scorching heat from that sword strike. If they had faced the majesty of that lion like Su Jiu, they would have probably knelt and begged for mercy on the spot. A clamor erupted continuously from the stands.
“No refunds for these tickets, we’re getting our money’s worth!”
The intensity of this battle made some second-year, and even third-year students, feel deeply ashamed. Some people would have believed it was a match between graduates!! It was too fierce!
His gaze returned to the arena.
“Little sister, this sword will teach you to respect your seniors!”
A cold shout suddenly sounded from the cluster of flames. Then, under the stunned gazes of countless onlookers.
A slash, several meters high, lunged forward. A phantom of a lion seemed to be on the slash. Dean Yan’s aura shield actually showed a “sizzling” sound, affected by the high temperature. The originally frosty white edges had turned slightly yellowish-brown.
Outside the stadium, seeing this scene, everyone couldn’t help but gasp. To have the ability to affect a Dean-level character’s aura shield even slightly as a freshman was enough to shock people, even if it was only a slight influence.
The crimson flame lion, like a conqueror, lunged towards Su Jiu. The immense flames rampaged across the stage. The terrifying energy was worthy of the name “Heaven Splitting”!
This attack, in any other year, would have been enough to claim the title of Chief!
“Sister Jiu…”
At this moment, all the members of the White Water Society turned their gazes towards her. Their hearts tightened, especially Bai Qianyu, who tightly gripped her longsword, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at Su Jiu, who was holding her scythe horizontally in front of her.
“Rumble!”
Immediately after, the two collided, and a massive sound thundered forth. The white formation also vibrated slightly, and large etched marks appeared on the ground, precisely from the “Heaven Splitting” strike earlier.
Dust from the demon-skin armor floated up from the tip of Hu Yang’s sword and then slowly dissipated, making one doubt if he was indeed a student. This damage was definitely beyond the expected.
Without looking at Su Jiu in the smoke, Hu Yang wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and pointed the tip of his sword at the stunned Lu Bingyu beside him, sneering, “She’s gone. Young Master Bingyu, do you wish to continue the match?”
Hearing the contemptuous tone, Lu Bingyu glanced at the situation on the stage and revealed a bitter smile. He should have joined forces with Su Jiu earlier to deal with the threat. Now, only the Black Dragon Princess remained, but she was only at the half-step Battle General level, so even joining forces might not be enough to defeat him.
“Then… I concede…”
After a while, he gritted his teeth and finally sighed. He was about to concede. It was known that for someone of his temperament, conceding was exceptionally agonizing, but continuing to fight was meaningless, especially since the gap in strength was so evident.
“Dada…” With a crisp stomp, airflow surged from Su Jiu’s direction, and the dust began to disperse.
“Frost Princess is unharmed!?”
“Damn it, quickly go call your broken-string Senior to stop diving! Su Jiu hasn’t lost yet!”
“The President’s foresight is indeed sharp. Since Junior Sister Su Jiu can withstand his full-power attack, she must have the strength to counterattack.”
Astonished shouts erupted from outside the arena. Hu Yang frowned. She could withstand his attack and was completely unharmed? What nonsense was this? He had used this very move to kill a Shadow of the Ancient God Sect back then.
Immediately, both looked over, their eyes widening in surprise. They found Su Jiu gripping her scythe, a blood-red aura shield erected in front of her, with faint butterflies appearing on the shield.
On the aura shield, a blood-red moon hung like a swing. Butterflies also circled on the blood moon, possessing a strange beauty. And at the very top of the blood moon, there was a scorching gap. Clearly, it was the phantom of the blood moon that had blocked the attack.
Seeing the nearly solid blood moon, Hu Yang’s throat felt dry, and his gaze grew serious. Even though it looked somewhat damaged, he could feel a chill emanating from it – the more beautiful something was, the more thorns it had.
“The force is decent, but unfortunately, the skill proficiency is lacking. Let me take over.”
Su Jiu smiled faintly, dispelling the aura shield. The moon above her body dissipated. With a relaxed grip and then a clasped hold of the scythe, which spun with a whistling sound, her figure stopped moving, as if frozen.
“It’s afterimages!!”
Hu Yang stared intently at Su Jiu’s afterimages, not even knowing when she had disappeared. He could only determine her general direction through the glowing light of the weapon. The next moment, a dangerous signal came from above.
“Whoosh!”
Faintly visible was a blood-red crescent moon, with a figure on it. Su Jiu, smiling faintly, held the scythe in reverse, and it seemed to descend together with the moonlight.
“Clang! ***”
Hu Yang had no time to dodge. He swung his longsword horizontally, the sword’s shadow rippling with crimson light. It collided violently with the red-and-blue intertwined scythe. A tremendous force came from the sword, causing his palm to continuously rupture and bleed. His body was also forced back several steps, and he barely managed to steady himself.
Looking up, Su Jiu’s figure had disappeared again. He quickly used a cluster of flames to stop the bleeding from his palm and looked around with a gloomy expression.
Now he was in a difficult situation. He needed half a minute to break through, but Su Jiu was like an assassin in a game, constantly targeting him, the mage, and biting at him. He should not have attempted the temporary breakthrough to show off.
“Brother Bingyu, help me fend off this lunatic for half a minute. I need to use a secret technique, and I’ll get you second place then. If they win, you’ll only get third place!”
After blocking another blow from Su Jiu, he quickly created distance, maintaining a certain distance from her to avoid another attack. Gritting his teeth, he shouted at Lu Bingyu, who was watching from the sidelines.
Being called out, not only Lu Bingyu but also the audience on the stage was stunned. The next moment, the members of the White Water Society, who had been excited to see Su Jiu suppressing Hu Yang, became serious. Were they planning to team up to fight Su Jiu like a boss?
“You said it yourself.”
He said softly, Lu Bingyu glanced at Bai Qianyu, who was hiding, and narrowed his eyes slightly. Then, he raised his saber and charged towards her. The saber in his hand exuded a chilling aura. He knew that as long as he attacked Bai Qianyu, Su Jiu would definitely come.
“Don’t blame me for bullying the young.”
Reaching outside Bai Qianyu’s aura shield, Lu Bingyu smiled faintly and unleashed an ice-cold slash. The blood-red aura shield wavered precariously, already showing cracks, as it was constructed by Su Jiu before using Elegy.
Looking at his smile, Bai Qianyu tightly gripped her longsword and pursed her lips. She knew she absolutely could not rush out, as it would only hold Su Jiu back.
“Seeking death!”
Lu Bingyu slashed at the protective shield again. The shield instantly shattered, dissolving into scattered light particles. Su Jiu, noticing that Lu Bingyu dared to attack Bai Qianyu, showed a fierce glint in her eyes. Dragging her scythe, she charged towards Lu Bingyu, the scythe carrying a chilling killing intent.
It was precisely Lu Bingyu’s action that gave Hu Yang a breathing space. He quickly held his breath and concentrated, rapidly inscribing the final step of the inscription on the fiery red pill in his dantian.
At this moment, those related to Su Jiu, to varying degrees, showed indignant expressions. They thought there was no hope, but then another twist was thrown in.
“It’s a pity. This girl is already strong enough, just unlucky. If her companions were stronger, she wouldn’t be held back like this.”
On the judge’s bench, the various Deans were discussing. Lin Tingyu, looking at the crescent moon afterimage, frowned. This should be a sword technique, but where was the sword?
Hu Ling, who had been cursing Hu Yang for showing off when she thought Su Jiu was about to win, regained her smile upon hearing the words from the judge’s bench.
Su Jiu almost turned into several blurred afterimages, constantly shuttling around Lu Bingyu. The scythe, carrying the phantom of the blood-red moon, slammed heavily onto his body. During the collisions, Lu Bingyu was forced into a purely defensive posture.
“Not ready yet?”
His gaze constantly darted among the afterimages, and sweat dripped from Lu Bingyu’s forehead. He had rarely encountered such a strong contemporary. Someone of Su Jiu’s level, in other years, could have taken on five opponents alone.
“Clang clang clang—”
After enduring for an unknown number of seconds, Lu Bingyu had exhausted all his skills. One more blow and he would fall to his knees. At this moment, a voice rang out, precisely from Hu Yang’s direction.
“Thank you, Brother Bingyu. Now, it’s my turn!”
Hearing this rather bold voice, Su Jiu stopped her actions and calmly looked in that direction. She found that Hu Yang’s aura was now contained, and behind him was the phantom of a majestic flaming lion. The lion phantom seemed to look at Su Jiu with a somewhat mocking expression.
The only possibility for such an extraordinary phantom from the beginning was…
Peerless Battle General! A rank between Battle King and peak High-level Battle General.
“You didn’t expect this, did you? I actually broke through, I didn’t use a secret technique, hahahaha!”
Hu Yang chuckled, raising his longsword and pointing it directly at Su Jiu’s face: “Concede, classmate Su Jiu. I admit your strength, but facing a Peerless Battle General, no matter how powerful the secret technique, it’s all futile!”
The crowd in the judge’s seats, including Lin Tingyu, looked surprised. They all looked towards the elder in red. At this moment, the elder in red said with a hint of pride: “Hu Yang had the potential to break through earlier, but he deliberately held back to better inscribe.”
“With the strength of a Peerless Battle General, it’s normal for Bingyu and Su Jiu to lose. It’s just a pity they were born in this era, ill-timed. In any previous era, with their strength, they would have had a chance to win the Chief position.”
Dean Yan, hearing this, did not argue further and simply sighed and shook his head.
“Sigh…”
In the audience, Bai Ming was silent. He looked at the messages constantly coming from his QQ number and didn’t know how to comfort his fellow members.
Peerless Battle General plus a Demigod descendant’s divine weapon.
The members of the White Water Society also fell silent. Su Jiu’s hope was likely gone.
On the other side. Seeing the smug fans of Hu Yang, Adun suddenly stood up and shouted, “Go, Priest Su Jiu!” His loud and clear voice reached the arena, giving a powerful sense of impact.
On the stage.
“To break through temporarily, what a protagonist-like move.”
Hearing Adun’s voice, Su Jiu turned her head, waved at him with a smile, and then gently closed her eyes. A golden radiance appeared from her chin, slowly spreading upwards, seemingly the prototype of some kind of mask.
The resulting airflow blew her white hair upwards, and she slowly opened her eyes, smiling softly, her appearance carrying a hint of dashing charm.
“However, as a former villain, a protagonist, I’ll still slay them.”
