Chapter 541: Red Hats, Green Hats, Were A Bunch Of Little Hats....
When Chen Jue saw Zhou Yixing and his nine-colored flame, his expression instantly became one of deep respect. “Nine-colored flame! A master necromancer!!”
Zhou Yixing ignored Chen Jue, as if he felt soul cultivators weren’t even worth looking at. All he cared about was Bai Xiaochun, or more specifically, the Eternal Parasol in his hand. However, after examining it for a moment, he seemed a bit unconvinced about Bai Xiaochun himself.
Turning his gaze from the parasol to Bai Xiaochun, he asked, “Are you a soul cultivator, or a necromancer?”
“Nine-colored flame....” Bai Xiaochun thought, his mind reeling as he stared at the fire in Zhou Yixing’s hand. Based on what he could sense, it was clear that Zhou Yixing was not a Nascent Soul cultivator, but instead, was in the great circle of Core Formation.
And yet, Bai Xiaochun could tell that if the power contained within the nine-colored flame were to be released, it would be shocking to the extreme.
Even as Zhou Yixing was sizing up Bai Xiaochun, Bai Xiaochun was doing the same. He could tell that the young man was eyeing his Eternal Parasol, which he had originally pulled out to use as nothing more than a threat. Considering this newcomer’s cultivation base, his nine-colored flame, and what Chen Jue had just said, Bai Xiaochun knew exactly what kind of person he was.
“Wildlands…. Spirit enhancement…. Necromancy....” Based on the information Bai Xiaochun had learned years ago about necromancers, and the fact that he had seen so many spirit enhanced magical items in the Wildlands, he was already starting to come up with some theories about how the two were connected.
However, now was not the time for protracted contemplation. Bai Xiaochun’s gaze met Zhou Yixing’s, and both of them could sense the powerful fluctuations emanating from the other.
Frowning, and eyes glittering with cold light, Zhou Yixing said, “It’s rare that I run into someone I can’t personally assess. I’m going to ask you again. Are you a soul cultivator, or a necromancer?”
As he spoke the words, the soul cultivators with him leveled icy gazes onto Bai Xiaochun.
“A necromancer!” Bai Xiaochun replied, narrowing his eyes. However, in his opinion, words alone wouldn’t be very convincing. Therefore, after taking a quick moment to analyze Zhou Yixing's soul power fluctuations, he released some of the power of his cultivation base.
Furthermore, he used the miraculous powers of the mask to adjust the fluctuations so that they seemed to be soul power instead of spiritual power. It was a powerful, domineering energy that could not come from a soul cultivator, and contained pressure that was unique to necromancers. Immediately, the surrounding soul cultivators’ expressions flickered.
As for Zhou Yixing, his pupils constricted as he quickly analyzed the soul power. Then he glanced at Bai Xiaochun’s Eternal Parasol, and once again, a frown appeared on his face.
“Was I mistaken just now?” he thought. “I could have sworn that my nine-colored flame bent toward him when he got close to me, as if it wanted to fly out of my hand in his direction.
“It only lasted for a moment before returning to normal, but that's definitely never happened before.... Was it that parasol? No, I don’t think so.... There’s something very strange about this guy.... Well, maybe I can figure out the answer after killing him.” Even as Zhou Yixing hesitated, Bai Xiaochun also stood there trying to decide what to do.
Considering that it was nine-colored flame he was looking at, he was tempted to try to kill this young man and take it. After trying to assess how he measured up in strength, and then looking at the nine-colored flame, he was still hesitant, not because of the number of opponents, but because he wasn’t sure how powerful nine-colored flame was.
And yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that he could perform a ninefold spirit enhancement on the Eternal Parasol with that flame, making it even more powerful, and also increase his chances of getting out of the labyrinth safely.
“This guy doesn’t know how fast I am, so if I suddenly make a move, he’ll probably automatically use that nine-colored flame to attack me....”
As they stared at each other, both could see the coldness in each other’s gazes. A moment passed, and then Zhou Yixing pointed at Bai Xiaochun with his left hand.
“Kill him!”
Even as the words left his mouth, Bai Xiaochun took a step forward, instantly resorting to the top speed he was capable of. A series of afterimages stretched out behind him as he sped forward so quickly it made it impossible for anyone to react.
In almost the same moment that he began to move, he was right in front of Zhou Yixing, his right hand rocketing forward in a fist strike!
Although he wanted the nine-colored flame, he didn’t reveal that fact in his first move, which was a punch leveled square at Zhou Yixing’s chest!
Zhou Yixing’s eyes went wide; never in his wildest imagination could he have guessed that his opponent would be so fast. After being struck, Zhou Yixing flew backward and waved his right hand through the air, causing the nine-colored flame to erupt into a sea of fire that moved to block Bai Xiaochun’s attack.
The surrounding soul cultivators were shocked by what was happening, but charged Bai Xiaochun nonetheless. As for Chen Jue, he moved to defend Bai Xiaochun. In the shortest of moments, fierce fighting broke out!
To see a nine-colored sea of flame roaring toward him caused Bai Xiaochun’s heart to start pounding. Although he had already decided to go all out in this battle, he could already sense how terrifying the nine-colored flame was, and was unsure if he could survive being hit with it. However, since the fight had already broken out, all he could do was grit his teeth and unleash his frigid qi.
The power of a Frigid Paragon instantly filled the area, freezing the soul cultivators solid before they could do anything.
The ground and tunnel walls alike were frozen, making the entire area a world of frigid coldness. When the frigid qi made contact with the nine-colored sea of flames, it sunk down into something like a mouth that opened up to swallow the fire.
Intense rumbling sounds were spreading out into the labyrinth in every direction!
“Be sealed!” Bai Xiaochun roared. Instantly, frigid qi began to converge onto the nine-colored flame in an attempt to seal it. However, the incredible nine-colored flame was actually causing the frigid qi to melt!
Unfortunately for the nine-colored flame, it had no foundation upon which to burn, and therefore, it quickly began to grow dim, as if it might be snuffed out an any moment. Expression flickering, Zhou Yixing quickly prepared to pull the flame back into his hand. However, how could Bai Xiaochun possibly allow that to happen? In almost the same moment that the frigid qi made contact with the nine-colored flame, he snapped his Eternal Parasol open.
The bizarre face yet again appeared, looked at Zhou Yixing, and then began to inhale. As for Zhou Yixing, it was to his terror that he felt something locking down onto his life force. The fact that his opponent had such shocking battle prowess, and also had a frigid domain, was completely mind-blowing.
In response to the appearance of the ghost face on the Eternal Parasol, he reached up and pushed down onto the star sigil on his forehead, causing starlight to erupt out in an attack on the Eternal Parasol.
The Eternal Parasol shivered, and yet, it had enough power to fight against Zhou Yixing’s starlight, which in turn gave Bai Xiaochun just enough time to reach out and grab the sealed nine-colored flame.
In one fluid move, he tossed the flame, and the frigid qi seal which contained it, into his bag of holding. After all, he realized that by using his frigid qi, he risked revealing his identity. Furthermore, the starlight magical technique that Zhou Yixing had just used seemed very bizarre, and considering that Bai Xiaochun had already acquired the nine-colored flame, he didn’t want to keep fighting. Without any hesitation, he began to flee in the opposite direction.
“Are you looking to die!?!?” Zhou Yixing roared, his eyes brimming with rage and his hair starting to unravel from its top knot. So far, he still hadn’t deduced Bai Xiaochun’s identity. However, this opponent was blocking his path, had stolen his nine-colored flame, and made it impossible for him to have time to unleash any magical techniques. As such, his rage was burning extremely hot.
Slapping his bag of holding with his right hand, he produced the black greatbow that he usually kept on his back. Speeding after Bai Xiaochun, he pulled the bowstring back and then unleashed a screaming, illusory arrow.
It was a soul arrow formed from soul power, and as soon as it left the bow, it pierced through the air to appear right in front of Bai Xiaochun.
His bow was a precious treasure that had received a ninefold spirit enhancement. The sheer power on display caused Bai Xiaochun’s eyes to widen before yet again opening his Eternal Parasol to defend himself.
Intense rumbling sounds rang out as the power of the parasol was unleashed. As for Bai Xiaochun, he trembled as the parasol absorbed the power of the attack, and yet was shoved backward nonetheless. After a moment, he struggled to a stop, whereupon he looked over at the greatbow.
“Why didn’t you say that you had other precious treasures!” he said, licking his lips. Instead of fleeing, he began to stride toward Zhou Yixing.
Zhou Yixing’s jaw dropped; never before had he met someone as openly brazen as this. Not only had he stolen his nine-colored flame, but the mere sight of his greatbow caused him to stop fleeing and come back to rob him of it.
“Are you looking to die?!” Zhou Yixing roared a second time. Then he pulled the bowstring back and launched three soul arrows in rapid succession.
Off in the distance, Chen Jue was shaking in fear. Although Zhou Yixing hadn’t yet recognized Bai Xiaochun, the instant that frigid qi appeared, Chen Jue did, and it sent his mind into a tailspin. The first thing that popped into his head was that he himself was doomed to die. Howling inwardly in grief, he tried to decide whether or not to flee.
Then, the fighting between Bai Xiaochun and Zhou Yixing started again. That was when something completely unexpected happened!
“Red hats, green hats, we’re a bunch of little hats....
“Red heads, green heads, our favorites are the white heads....” A strange chanting song that almost sounded like a nursery rhyme suddenly filled the air!