Chapter 400: Big Biscuit and Red Muslin
Translator: Irene Editor: TYZ, KLKL
Zheng Xiaoman was the leader of the Grass Bandits and Cao Ning was her right-hand man, just as Cao Ning’s father was Zheng Yuanhong’s. Both families had been been acquainted for a long time and their friendship wasn’t ordinary. Once again, they escaped the bloodbath of Deep Sea Enterprise together and they strongly trusted in each other.
Cao Ning was a brave and attentive character with outstanding capabilities and a shrewd gaze.
The stranger before him was faintly familiar looking and he felt as though he’d seen him somewhere. But at that point, he had no time to entertain that thought, since once the battle started, he was going to use his sword to talk.
Three hundred people besieged one man, giving him no chance to flee. He heaved a sigh of relief before worry set in. If that man came over so boldly, he must have something up his sleeves.
Cao Ning increased his guard and the incoming Ai Hui sank down suddenly.
The distance between them decreased and everyone’s hearts tensed up continuously. Ai Hui’s abrupt move caused some of the more tense Grass Bandits to react instinctively.
Cao Ning’s face changed slightly. He wanted to make a sound to stop them but was too late.
Quite a few of his comrades had already struck and some others quickly joined in upon seeing that.
"Ooh… My goodness!"
Initially, the cries were fragmentary. Soon, they became clearer and more resounding.
The sight of three hundred people releasing an attack was beyond spectacular. Multi-colored elemental energy light rays gathered together like surging waves. Ai Hui threw himself forward and the hiss that filled the sky abruptly increased in pitch, drowning their bellows.
Cao Ning did not look too good. Their attack appeared mighty but was in fact far from passable. For them to have survived in this chaotic world and resisted Deep Sea Enterprise, they naturally had their own means of existing. Their attacks were skillfully coordinated and ingenious. Those who weren’t of the level of Master absolutely wouldn’t be able to directly withstand the elemental energy current amassed by hundreds of elementalists. Plus, under their meticulous arrangement, their scope of attack was extremely wide, so it was difficult for their target to escape once they were close enough to him.
Even Deep Sea Enterprise hadn’t managed to take advantage of them.
This was the correct way of battling – the way Cao Ning had been taught since young, so he had precise control over this type of battling method.
What this meant was that in the battling aspect, the current Deathgrass Division couldn’t compare to the Grass Bandits.
But Cao Ning looked grave at this point as his opponent was slyer than he had expected. His sudden downward movement was made with perfect timing. Not only did he disrupt their momentum, he also triggered some impetuous members to strike first, throwing the team’s rhythm off.
Any elementalist could do what he’d done but the key was to grasp the correct timing. His opponent was evidently a seasoned fighter with rich experience.
An absolutely simple move could actually lead to an extraordinary outcome.
An expert!
Their seemingly powerful attack was unlikely to intimidate him.
Indeed, Ai Hui, who had made that sudden drop, rose upwards suddenly and flew straight for the Grass Bandits from the side. His azure wings flapped full force but the hissing elemental energy current was approaching him at a rapid speed.
A trace of joy was seen in Cao Ning’s eyes. It was too late for his opponent to escape from this wave of attacks!
While this wave of attacks was somewhat messy, it was of a tremendous volume, so once the target was caught in its ripples, it was very difficult to escape.
Suddenly, Cao Ning noticed his target’s posture.
Ai Hui’s posture was very unique. His azure wings stuck close to his back and his body was extended. The sword in his hand swallowed and spat light rays like a swordfish migrating deep underwater at a high speed.
Cao Ning’s pupils contracted.
The elemental energy current appeared to be swallowing the target, but then he vanished from his line of sight suddenly.
This…
Cao Ning had seen many speedy elementalists. During his time in Deathgrass Division, their scouting speed was usually astonishing. Some could even leave a lifelike afterimage in the sky. Some moved like fog while others could conduct long distance raids lasting for days. But he’d never seen such a valiant and short-range sprint.
For that split second, he was actually unable to catch sight of his opponent’s silhouette.
A delayed boom sounded.
Cao Ning was stunned. Wind barrier?
Did he break the barrier in that moment?
He raised his head abruptly, fixing his gaze on the left side of the sky. The zooming afterimage was like a black dot.
So fast…
Was he escaping?
He did not know why, but this thought relaxed his tensed mental state. When he came around to react to it, he couldn’t help but mock himself. Although his opponent’s attack was very brief, his performance had far exceeded theirs. He had a profound understanding of battling and had a perfect grasp on timing.
This was the kind of enemy he had hoped not to meet, because even if they did win, a substantial amount of damage would be inflicted on them. Cao Ning thought about who his opponent might be. To possess such skills, he mustn’t be someone nameless.
Upon failing their first wave of attacks, the team readjusted themselves, albeit in an unorganized manner.
It was always like that when it came to battling. The moment they lost the upper hand, it meant that their rhythm was also disrupted. If it had been the former Deathgrass Division that was in their position, the team would’ve been able to readjust themselves quickly because of their experience and cool-headedness.
A pity Grass Bandits were Grass Bandits and the Deathgrass Division, the Deathgrass Division.
Alright, even the current Deathgrass Division wasn’t as impressive as before.
Cao Ning also felt that he’d been over-demanding. Although the team was somewhat disorganized, they were still adjusting and their daily trainings hadn’t been for nothing. He replaced his focus onto the target high in the sky. Eh?
His opponent was already in position and facing them. This is...?
Cao Ning and Ai Hui made eye contact.
Not good!
Cao Ning realized in an instant that his opponent hadn’t planned to flee. He was going to attack!
His Starry Gem Swordwings spread open mightily and Ai Hui swooped down like a falcon.
His posture diving down was extremely sharp and agile. The grass bandits below were taken aback, messing up the team’s formation once again.
"We have a lot of people!" someone shouted, instantly giving the team a confidence boost. That was right, there were three hundred of them.
"Kill!"
"Get rid of him!"
The crowd was stirred. A few archers initiated an attack, shooting raindrop-like arrows toward the figure in the sky.
Cao Ning knew things were bad. The opponent was a seasoned battler with rich experience. Once he gained an upper hand high in the sky, it wasn’t going to be easy to stop him.
Ai Hui dove down fast, his figure rapidly swaying and his flight path instantly becoming strange and unpredictable.
Ai Hui’s rapid speed brought an oppressive atmosphere to the sky, where many Grass Bandits felt themselves being locked into place. They were trying wildly to attack and stop him but they couldn’t even get hold of the corner of their enemy’s garments. Intense fear caused them to lose all coordination. They battled individually, creating a complete mess.
Ai Hui, on the other hand, was like a nimble fish, dodging the raindrop-like light rays.
His swiftly moving figure produced layers of aftershadow, which magnified within everybody’s field of vision and became increasingly daunting.
His apathetic and cold face carried not the least bit of warmth. There was no malevolence, no clenching of teeth. He was exceptionally calm.
Amid the countless elemental light beams, his unusual calmness became jarring.
It was fear evoking.
Even Cao Ning shuddered. His judgment had once again been overthrown. How many times had it been today? He couldn’t remember but he knew that he’d provoked a truly ruthless person.
"Big Biscuit!"
He shouted with all the voice he had. Because he used too much force, the veins on his neck and forehead surfaced. It was a scary sight.
A faint, red muslin appeared at the tip of the sword held by the swooping figure.
Old Five was the backbone of the team and also a member of the younger generation of Deathgrass. In the team, there were a total of six members who were like him. They were all well-coordinated and had outstanding battle tactics, as well as rich family histories. They instantly understood Cao Ning’s intention.
They had to block off the opponent’s attack or there was going to be a bloodbath.
As if their hearts were linked, the six of them executed their own defensive moves simultaneously. They practiced different inherited arts but knew guarding moves. Wood elementalists emphasized control and guarding techniques needed training.
Six multi-colored light screens with different thicknesses stacked over each other, like a glazed, thousand layered biscuit.
This move was named [Overlapping Defense], a standard battle technique of Deathgrass, but everyone liked calling it "Big Biscuit". Cao Ning had been following his father since young and under his influence, he too, started calling it big biscuit.
The six light screens were not stacked randomly but instead, meticulously arranged in a way whereby some were solid and others were flexible. That way, they would be able to keep off the opponent’s attack more effectively.
Ai Hui appeared unconcerned, but the Dragonspine in his hand was trembling rapidly.
The red muslin was spreading and becoming increasingly vivid. It was about ten meters long. It was as if he was wearing a long, dull red muslin belt while descending from the sky.
[Red Muslin]!
Having seen Brother Li Wei’s domineering move in the past, Ai Hui had made some minor adjustments to create this move. Brother Li Wei’s body was incomparably strong, so coupled with a soldiers’ inherited art, the combination was indestructible. Launching such an explosive attack was extremely complementary.
With Ai Hui’s [Red Muslin], it was the sword which bore the attack. His body wasn’t strong enough to endure such a terrifying attack.
Upon witnessing Brother Li Wei’s attack, Ai Hui thought to himself, "How can I increase the force of the impact?"
His speed increased unceasingly as the sword in his hand underwent changes. Because of Qing Feng’s accompanied trainings, Ai Hui’s execution was much more concise and efficient, thus allowing him to significantly increase the number of blows. Furthermore, with better controlling ability, Ai Hui was able to shorten the length of the red muslin, making it more formidable.
Previously, Ai Hui’s red muslin could clearly be seen by the whole of Peace City but now, it was only about ten meters.
The reduction in length made it denser and sturdier.
Ai Hui was like a meteorite falling from the sky, and the soft and gentle red muslin belt around him smashed onto the light screen forcefully.
Bang!
When his speed reached its peak, the impact it brought was exceptionally terrifying. The power contained in the red muslin belt exploded at the same time.
In a split second, the six layers of light screen had been pierced and the Big Biscuit shattered with a loud rumble.
The enormous recoiling force made Ai Hui dizzy, but he knew that this was a crucial moment so he forced himself to stay calm. He thrusted the Dragonspine sword, which he held tightly in his hands, toward the crowd.
The force of the thrust was extremely tremendous, as evident from a few additional cracks that appeared on the sword.
Cao Ning and his gang were in a much worse state. The force of the impact had injured them on the spot. [Red Muslin], still yet to release its complete power, stirred up a burst of bloody rain onto the troop when it hit them. A few unlucky elementalists were blown into pieces even before they could utter a cry. The tremendous force of the impact threw them all into a state of complete chaos.
What was worse was that their enemy had crashed into their formation.
The thing Cao Ning dreaded the most had happened after all.
The tiger had invaded the herd!
These words emerged in his mind.
Killing close-range required a lot of willpower and courage, something ordinary elementalists weren’t able to do. Plus, now that the opponent had intruded, his soldiers would refrain from attacking in fear of hurting their own people. Their hands were tied in that case, and their opponent could easily take advantage of them.
But at this point, it was too late.
What Cao Ning had to do now was to cling onto his enemy so as to allow his people to regain the upper hand in terms of numbers.
He gritted his teeth and charged toward Ai Hui, who was coming for them, set to kill.