Chapter 108: Swordbirds Setting Up a Formation
What irritated Jiang Chen the most, was that Yu Jie’s lofty and aloof tone seemed to be a hallmark of sect disciples. They looked down their noses at everyone else, and treated all common practitioners like ants.
Jiang Chen was quite put out of sorts by such arrogance.
He hadn’t been this haughty during his past life — and he’d been the son of the Celestial Emperor! Jiang Chen had befriended a wide range of people beneath the heavens, without regards to the level of their status. He had also never put on a supercilious face just because his status had been lofty.
“Yu Jie is it? You’ve said enough bullshit. You said you were going to use one finger to take care of me earlier, and then said that no one could save me between heaven and earth. I’m still right here, perfectly fine, after all that blather. Deploy your true abilities if you have any. If you don’t, leave Long Juxue behind, and get the hell back to your sect.”
Although Jiang Chen was injured, he’d recovered a great deal from his injuries thanks to the effects of the pills. Not to mention, his injuries weren’t a result of a direct head on collision, so the impact on him wasn’t as great as on Yu Jie.
He also knew that Yu Jie was likely putting on an act.
Although Yu Jie hadn’t been severely injured, he must’ve suffered somewhat. Otherwise, with his slash as a common practitioner causing Yu Jie to spit out a mouthful of blood, Yu Jie’s pride would surely cause have caused him to counterattack with the greatest divine abilities he possessed, and not just stand there flapping his mouth.
“Alright. Good. Very good.” Yu Jie laughed in the midst of his extreme rage, as killing intent surged in his heart.
It was just as Jiang Chen had thought, Yu Jie had indeed suffered some injuries. His meridians had been injured, and he’d only have around seventy to eighty percent fighting strength left, if he forced himself to fight.
If he used everything available to him, Yu Jie had a ninety percent chance of killing Jiang Chen.
However, if Jiang Chen once again displayed the same mighty fighting strength that he’d just projected, while Yu Jie tried to go after him with an injured body, the backlash from the power might worsen Yu Jie’s injuries.
If it harmed his core, it might bring about severe consequences to him during the prime training period of his life. That, in turn, could greatly affect the progress of his training, and even make him come to a standstill.
The cost would be a bit too great.
But if he didn’t fight, he would be sure to lose face in front of Long Juxue. His idea of currying favor with Long Juxue, and thus building a foundation for his future, would become an empty void.
It was a difficult decision.
He had planned on using words to probe Jiang Chen’s capabilities, and then make further plans, but he hadn’t thought that Jiang Chen wouldn’t give him any room to probe at all. He’d riposted with a stream of sarcasm and mockery, forcing his dignity and pride as a sect disciple down a path of no return.
If he, Yu Jie, took one step back after the words had been said, there was sure to be a shadow cast over his path of martial dao in the future. It’d also leave behind a poor impression in Long Juxue’s heart.
“Jiang Chen, I wanted to give you an easy and quick death, but it looks like you’re dead set on being at odds with my Purple Sun Sect. Since that’s the case, even if I pay a small price today, I will still thoroughly cleanse your Jiang family clan, and let the world know that there’s only one result for challenging a sect — death.”
At this moment, these threats were on the same level as empty blather in Jiang Chen’s ears. Even if these things hadn’t happened, would these sect disciples let his Jiang clan off the hook?
Yu Jie had blown so much hot air undoubtedly to regain some face.
Smiling coldly, Jiang Chen’s lips quirked into a lopsided leer. “Yu Jie, are all sect disciples as long winded as you?”
“You have a slick tongue. I, Yu Jie, will help you understand today that even if you have some potential and talent, you’re still a pile of shit in front of a sect disciple.”
Yu Jie was also truly infuriated. He realized that even when exchanging words, he was unable to gain any advantage over the other.
Jiang Chen smiled upon hearing those words, “If I’m a pile of shit, then you can’t even handle a pile of shit. So what does that make you? Less than the maggots? Display your true abilities! I’m looking down on you because of you only being able to flap your lips.”
Yu Jie’s face darkened. He knew that he had no chance of winning a verbal spar.
He snorted lightly, and grasped at the air with one hand. A sword suddenly appeared in his hand.
This sword was like a spring of autumn water, exuding spirit power that caused one’s heart to tremble.
“Autumn Water Sword!” Xu Zhen’s voice cracked as he called out, a trace of envy and jealousy appearing in his eyes. “Jiang Chen is dead for sure. The Autumn Water Sword! To think that the honored master favors senior brother Yu so much as to bestow this kind of spirit weapon on him…”
“Xu Zhen, control the situation for me, and contain those feathered animals. I’m going to personally kill that dumb beast, Jiang Chen.”
Yu Jie projected a superior demeanor as he gave his orders.
Since Yu Jie had spoken, Xu Zhen didn’t dare to not listen. He chuckled, “It’s my honor to put forth effort for senior brother Yu.”
The two sect disciples locked onto a section of the sky from right and left.
Jiang Chen still remained fearless. The more the other acted like this, the more it proved that he wasn’t on firm ground. Yu Jie was such a proud person, but he was willing to let go of face and call in reinforcements at this moment.
What did this mean?
This meant that he had surely suffered some internal injuries, and that his self confidence wasn’t as strong as before.
Although powerful strength was scary when faced with a strong practitioner, that wasn’t the most frightening.
The most frightening was powerful strength, and an even stronger conviction.
When in battle and both sides’ strength were on par with each other, it was often the one who was fearless in the face of death, and had faith as resolute as steel, who would stay laughing until the end.
With his practice of “Boulder’s Heart”, Jiang Chen had become aware by now, and understood that he who dares, wins in an unavoidable confrontation.
He was also taking a gamble on the power of the “Eight Trigrams Assimilation Formation”, and the comprehensive skills of the Goldwing Swordbirds.
The string of beast language he’d spoken before, was to pass on some of the mysteries of the “Eight Trigrams Assimilation Formation” to the Goldwing Swordbirds.
He knew that under the oppression of the two great spirit dao practitioners, the advantage in numbers would halt them momentarily, but it would still be absolutely unable to turn the tide around, and even more impossible to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
His only bet was on the “Eight Trigrams Assimilation Formation”.
Although he was only sharpening his spear just before going into battle, Jiang Chen had no choice.
Of course, he had his advantages in the form of several hundred Goldwing Swordbirds. With their numbers, once they set up the formation, even if they could only deploy ten percent of its power, that destructive power would still be exceedingly terrifying with such numbers.
“Senior brother Yu, I’ll contain those feathered beasts. You suppress Jiang Chen.” Xu Zhen said fawningly.
With a wave of his hand, a chain knife appeared unknowingly within his right hand. A length of dense chain was entwined on his arm, and was connected to a sharp, curved knife on one end.
Beneath the glare of the sun, the curved knife at the end of the chain reflected out dark red light. It was apparent with one glance that it had been quenched in the blood of multiple opponents.
Xu Zhen had the desire to put on an act. He shook his right hand, and made the chain sound out crisply in his hand. The chain also started shaking afterwards.
The curved knife formed a cutting, sharp disc as it moved. Frightening glints from the knife flew out continuously from the round disc.
Xu Zhen leapt up and soared through the air, attacking towards the sky.
“Yin Yang Lotus, cleave the air!”
Xu Zhen whistled sharply, as the chain knife gave off the aura of death. He thundered towards the sky as the knife’s light flashed everywhere, flaring out a frightening knife aura of spirit strength.
Jiang Chen’s lips moved slightly as he murmured something.
Suddenly, the Goldwing Swordbirds in the sky started moving, exchanging places with each other.
Although they were moving, their tracks were filled with a mysterious wonder.
Roughly thirty or forty Goldwing Swordbirds moved out in unison abruptly, true qi spewing madly from their mouths, shooting down like rain and hail towards the rising Xu Zhen.
If it was merely the blows of thirty to forty Goldwing Swordbirds in concert, Xu Zhen wouldn’t have thought that it was scary at all.
But, this joint blow was obviously not a blind, disorderly hit. Under the aid of this strange formation, these attacks seemed to form some sort of wondrous rhythm, a magical tempo.
When they were combined, it actually coalesced into a power that was enough to threaten Xu Zhen.
The light from the chain knife had just swept past, when the joint effort from the Goldwing Swordbirds also poured down.
The two forces clashed together, and the light of the chain knife was actually halted.
Another band of Goldwing Swordbirds attacked in unison with the same rhythm, and the same method closely thereafter, pouring down madly — like the rivers of heaven were draining out.
Xu Zhen was greatly astonished. He hadn’t thought that these feathered animals would have the ingenuity to be able to form such an intricate partnership, and know how to attack in unison.
And this attack in concert, obviously brought with it a mystery that one couldn’t quite grasp fully.
“What the hell, I say break!” Xu Zhen’s chain knife moved once again, as he circulated his spirit strength, brushing aside the strength of the second blow.
Except, he could dissipate the first blow, the second blow even, but hadn’t thought that this attack would be without ends or limits.
The third blow and fourth blow were all quite orderly, and had nearly no moments of pause between them — as if the waves of the great sea, one after another, were crashing down endlessly.
The “Eight Trigrams Assimilation Formation” was the same as its name, locking down all eight directions with spirit power, and dividing the air into eight quadrants, completely locking the space down. Participants were able to attack and defend both inside and outside the formation.
Xu Zhen had brashly rushed upwards, and had already blundered into the heart of the formation. What welcomed him was naturally wave after wave of crazy attacks.
If this formation was deployed by spirit dao practitioners, then it would truly be inexhaustibly marvelous, with innumerous variations.
Although the Goldwing Swordbirds weren’t spirit dao practitioners, they were the equivalent of true qi masters. Each quadrant had roughly forty Goldwing Swordbirds.
If purely in terms of summing up their total strength, forty Goldwing Swordbirds were on par with an ordinary spirit dao practitioner.
With the effects of the formation, the combined strength of forty Goldwing Swordbirds had obviously more than doubled. Their offensive capabilities was enough to threaten a spirit dao practitioner on Xu Zhen’s level.
These eight quadrants sent out wave after wave of successive attacks. It was almost a seamless string of oppressive attacks, the equivalent of seven to eight equally strong practitioners beating down on Xu Zhen.
The difference in strength was immediately apparent.
Xu Zhen barely managed to fend off the fifth and sixth attacks, when he realized that he’d fallen victim to a trap. He shouted out, “Senior brother Yu, hurry and make your move. These feathered animals seem to know some formation, and it’s really quite strange!”
Yu Jie actually had seen that something was wrong even without Xu Zhen calling out. With Xu Zhen’s attack power, particularly the “Yin Yang Lotus” method that his chain knife was deploying, it should’ve been the best way to break through these Goldwing Swordbirds.
Except, Yu Jie hadn’t thought that apart from the first wave of attacks, Xu Zhen wouldn’t have any chance to make a move. He had been besieged almost immediately.
Yu Jie knew that he couldn’t wait anymore. If he waited any longer, and paid the price of Xu Zhen as well, then it really would be losing a tremendous amount of face.
Although Xu Zhen’s life or death didn’t matter very much to Yu Jie, he didn’t want to create the image of a villain who didn’t care about his fellow sect disciple in front of Long Juxue.
Particularly when Xu Zhen had gone to attack those feathered beasts under his orders.
“Jiang Chen, die!”
Yu Jie didn’t mince words this time, as he brandished the longsword in his hand. The sword vibrated with a humming sound, as if a dragon’s call had sounded out, and swept through the wilderness.