Boom!
Broken stones blasted outward like a violent storm.
The ground where Yang Zicang had been standing was instantly carved with a trench of scorching hot qi waves.
The young man’s vanished figure reappeared over a dozen meters away, but the faint sound of wind rapidly sliding behind his ears could be heard. With a light tap of his foot on a fragment of a wall, Yang Zicang once again borrowed the momentum to dodge. Where he had been standing, a fluctuation that left cutting marks in the air swiftly swept through.
With a mighty roar, this huge energy blade slashing horizontally from the outside inward blasted a twenty-odd-meter-long split line across the stone fortress.
Silence fell over the air.
In the dust, a gradually clarifying energy body materialized, turning its head to scan left and right. It was like a humanoid silhouette kneaded from countless minute dust particles, broken spiritual fragments, and the luster spreading from the dust. The features were blurry, only two dim points flickering faintly at what should be the head’s position.
Then it fixed its gaze on Chairman Yang Buchen of the World Ark, standing further away with a cloth bag in hand, his face dark and locked onto it with deadly intent.
“Esoteric Emissary, that’s what you’re called, right? “
Amid the gradually distantbaas, Yang Zicang’s voice pierced through the pervading dust.
The energy being referred to as “Esoteric Emissary ” made no sound; it simply raised a twisted arm formed from slight particles of sand.
Yang Zicang sensed that among the dust floating around him, countless energy blades had materialized covertly, forming an encirclement around his body.
The moment he saw them, Yang Zicang instinctively sensed the condition of the small boy bronze statue in his hand that had sealed the entrance to the sub-aether field space.
“Damn it! “
In the instant the realization struck his mind, these blades, manifested by the bloodline ability mobilized through Stellar Yuan, instantly accelerated at high speed, converging and slashing toward the center from within a radius of four to five meters! Like countless intangible blades forming a net around him, at this moment, they contracted and slashed toward the prey within.
“President, watch out! “
The Demon-Blood Warrior had already arrived nearby, his eyes burning with rage upon seeing this.
He let out a low grunt. Beneath his bare skin, blood vessels glowed a deep crimson, muscles bulged, and Stellar Yuan covered his entire body! His speed increased by another thirty percent, leaving a trail of dust behind as he charged forward.
“Wait— ” Yang Zicang’s shout had barely begun, but the figure had already rushed to the vicinity, attempting to strike the handles of the blades converging toward the center from the flanks, carving an opening.
But the blades had already descended with a thunderous roar.
Rumble! Countless layers of dense, terrifying Stellar Yuan energy writhed like agile specters, exuding a bone-chilling aura of severance, surging forward in a torrent of collisions and cuts.
With a swift swoosh, a stone was kicked forcefully from under the shouting Soldier Army soldier’s foot, wrapped in Stellar Yuan, hurtling like a cannonball fired from its chamber.
The fist-sized rock wrapped in this Soldier Army’s Stellar Yuan, upon colliding with the high-speed blade of the suspected Five-Ring Bloodline, was cut down to less than half within microseconds and crashed inward together with the wind blades.
The energy wind blades, whose speed had been slightly reduced by the coordination ability displayed by the million-level grid positions, were intercepted by this rock that suddenly spun rapidly around the young man, blocking the wind blades aimed at his head.
Yang Zicang activated all his temporal sequences to withstand the full-force strike from this secret envoy, created from the Full Moon Angel’s Five-Ring ability.
“Urgh! ” Yang Zicang narrowed his eyes. Yet another outcome like this—just this time with a different opponent to bootstrap from!
In this split-second choice between escaping via a Key or staying behind,
the wind blades screamed and surged!
The energy blades, which had been slowed down, all accelerated once more, converging onto the young man in the middle.
In that instant, a flash of grey-white void flame rose between Yang Zicang’s fingers, and the chilling air began to spread around him, condensing rapidly in the wind—freezing his clothes solid before they shattered and exploded apart.
These tattered fragments of frozen clothing, flashing a metallic lustre of gold and red, ripped away from his body while carving arcs of rotation…
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Countless clouds of dust violently erupted!
Several figures from the Soldier Army, stationed outside the battlefield, rushed over at high speed.
Inside the still-collapsing ancient castle. That “Hui Guang Mi Shi ” head slowly swept across the rapidly approaching figures emanating terrifying waves.
The greatly faded figure of the Secret Envoy raised its twisted arm once more, this time slightly turning in the direction of the distant plaza and the flock of sheep fleeing towards it.
But in the very next moment, it paused to turn its head, looking directly towards the tall and straight young figure that had been struck by most of its power.
That young figure, wearing trousers and a Holy Sword in his right hand, panted with slightly uneven breaths. The fragments of his tattered clothes, as if scattered by the wind, disintegrated and fell, revealing his muscular chest and arms.
Two Soldier Army (Army-type) warriors appeared quickly beside Yang Zicang. “President Buchen, are… are you alright? ” Their gaze fell upon the several gashes on Yang Zicang’s skin which were beginning to seep blood.
As Ren spoke, Yang Zicang unclenched his hand. The cloth pouch gripped tightly in his left palm, giving off faint red residual flames, fell to the ground with a soft thud.
He turned his head, glanced at the Soldier Army warrior beside him, raised his two wrists and brought them together, gently rubbing them against each other.
“I… I’m fine. The polluted energy of these demon bloodlines has finally been offset to a bearable level. “
As he spoke, a slight ripping sound came from his trousers as several fissures charred streaks gracefully appeared by cut marks turned from their weave.
He had just lowered his head to glance at his pants when the ground shook with a thunderous rumble. Two Soldier Army (Army-type) figures had already charged into the Rock Castle, their fists falling from above to smash into the body of the “Secret Envoy of Dark Radiance, ” whose dull light instantly dimmed until it was barely perceptible.
Yang Zicang’s gaze flickered. With no time to give instructions, his face turned solemn as he pushed off the ground with his feet. His body transformed into a high-speed afterimage in an instant, and the blade of the Void-temporal-sequence Dagger in his hand swept upward.
Boom!
In the distance, the soldiers who had retreated to the alleyway area looked back at the square before the ruined ancient castle, where dust whirled wildly.
At the circular square, a large, faintly glowing energy crescent blade that had suddenly condensed to swing obliquely out of the area shattered into several segments amidst a figure that appeared out of nowhere, standing with a Holy Sword. The remnants exploded and struck the ground.
Beside the ancient castle, several Soldiers of the Demon-Blood Warrior ceased their attacks. They straightened their backs to catch their breath, their gazes fixed on the lean yet muscular figure standing amidst the debris of the square.
……
The “/ “Secret Envoy of Dark Radiance “/ “, its energy fully depleted, was soon completely dissolved under the attacks of the Soldier Army (Army-type).
The Soldier Army (Army-type) warrior who had arrived first to provide aid felt the tainted blood aura pulsing from the ground. His gaze swept across the chaotic ruins and spotted a small object glinting faintly beneath several shattered coins.
He bent down to pick up the double-sided golden skull pendant that had fallen to the ground, and then saw Yang Zicang approaching at a slow, deliberate pace.
“Chairman Yang. “
The muscular warrior took two steps closer to the shirtless President of the World Ark.
“This is yours. “
“Yes, thank you. “
Yang Zicang took the pendant that was handed to him. It bore the marks of a brutal cut. Then, he looked at the rope that had been snapped under his own control.
Sure enough, though these gold and silver ornaments crafted by the Moon People still risked damage, they were at least much harder than ordinary jewelry made from common gold and silver.
Clutching the gold pendant, Yang Zicang looked up and said, “I owe you for the rescue earlier. “
“It’s President Yang’s reaction that was incredibly swift. “
Amid the whistling wind, the Soldier Army warrior glanced toward Yang Zicang, then shifted his gaze to the faint blood marks on his skin, and said:
“President Buchen, let me fetch you a set of clothes to change into. “
“Ah? Uh, yes, thank you very much. ” Yang Zicang nodded, with a hint of gratitude in his expression.
The warrior replied with a smile before running toward the square. Yang Zicang turned and walked over to several Soldier Army warriors near the crumbling rocks.
“Gentlemen, when the Radiant Envoy lurks here, does it need anything to serve as a vessel for channeling its energy—or does it require no form of sustenance? “
“As far as I know, there is one. ” A gruff-voiced man with weatherworn skin, bearing the rank of an infantry captain, said solemnly:
“However, if they prepare adequately and make arrangements in advance, any object present in the vicinity can serve as a container for hosting an ‘Envoy.’ Sometimes though, additional conditions do still apply. “
Having said this, they turned their heads to look at the collapsing fortress. Its crumbling slowed down at last, like a partially rotten apple, revealing a massive collapsed gap.
“I think I understand. ” Yang Zicang let out a breath.
Several figures, tough and robust in stature, nodded in agreement, indicating that Chairman Yang Buchen’s guess was the same as theirs.
Footsteps wentthud-thudas a Warrior ran over, holding a set of Soldier Army uniform.
“Mr. President, take this and change into it for now. “
Under the gazes of several surrounding Warrior figures, Yang Zicang took the uniform without being polite. He smiled apologetically at the group and said:
“I still have some matters to attend to outside the city. I must take my leave for now, my friends. Thank you all for your help earlier. “
“It is only right! “
“And thank you, Chairman Yang, for the rescue. “
Everyone shook hands one by one with Yang Zicang. Then, Yang Zicang, carrying his bag and draping the uniform over one arm, walked out toward the perimeter.
……
“Over there… is it really going to be okay?! “
Beside an airplane, Ma Shuo wore a wide-brimmed cap, a shepherding whip tucked under his armpit. The small black dog in his arms lolled its tongue, staring at him with bright eyes, as they both looked toward the ancient fortress collapsing in the city.
Amid the series of earthquakes came the deafening roar of crumbling rock, mixed with dust blown sideways across the sky, spreading far and wide.
A soldier trotted over and pointed inside, saying:
“Mr. Ma Shuo, Chairman Yang Buchen is about to arrive. We should head over quickly. “
Ma Shuo took a careful look at the man.
“Major General is over there too, ” the young, freckled soldier said.
“Alright then. ” Ma Shuo turned his head and said to the three who had come with him, “I’ll go over first. You guys distribute the goats here. Just save me two good leader rams. “
Amidst the responses of “OK, ” Ma Shuo, holding the black dog, trotted over with the soldier and the protector, pressing his hat down on his head.
Inside the tent, which billowed and rustled with the wind.
Yang Zicang pulled on his pants, walked past a pile of supply crates, slipped on an inner shirt, then stretched out his arms and put on a crisp, stand-collar khaki twill jacket.
A soldier’s figure stood outside the door. Yang Zicang fastened a button, moved his arm, adapting to the Soldier Army uniform’s balance of defense and mobility amidst the pain from his wound.
“So you’ve changed, ” the Major General, who had been jotting down notes in a small notebook, looked up upon hearing his footsteps. “Oho! This outfit seems to suit your temperament quite well. “
Yang Zicang, his stand-collar slightly raised, smiled. “How about you just give me this set of clothes? “
“Of course, no problem. ” The Major General smiled. After all, the shoulder insignia and some unit markings on the clothing had already been torn off.
Then both saw the figure holding a black dog and pressing down on a hat as he rushed over.
Yang Zicang immediately trotted over in the slightly abating wind.
“Hey hey, did an attack happen here too? Are you alright? “
It was as if the wind was blowing Ma Shuo’s voice sideways.
“No problem. “
Drawing closer, Ma Shuo said, “Ah, I’ve been run ragged today. Heh heh, ” he heavily rubbed the little black dog’s head.
Letting out a breath, Yang Zicang asked, “How was the attack over there? “
“Sword Thirteen has taken care of them all. “
With a snort from Ma Shuo, Yang Zicang thought for a moment and then asked:
“You’ve touched the Key, right? Do you have any impression of this wind? Is it blowing strongly? “
Ma Shuo looked up at the overcast sky.
“It’s okay, I think it’ll be stronger around noon, but it’ll die down quite a bit soon enough. “
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