Chapter 281: A Flow of Inspiration (4)

"I haven't exercised in a long time." Ji Huaisu raised his light shield, "I'll go first!"

She lunged forward, her shadow blade transformed into a giant sword, hurling it directly at Riko's wooden wings. Riko folded her wings and touched the tip of her spear to the ground, stirring the earth beneath their feet and sending dozens of thorns spurting out like snakes.

Ji Huaisu's sword swung, severing the thorns. But even as the blow ended, several new shoots sprouted rapidly from the neatly cut surface. The regenerated thorns surged forward, binding Ji Huaisu tightly like ropes. A freezing cold air seeped through the jade armor, but the thorns remained unbroken, merely coated in a layer of frost.

Ji Huaisu struggled hard but couldn't break free. The thorns tightened her grip even more tightly, and even through the ice armor, one could still see her beautiful figure.

Li Ke silently gave a thumbs up, and Chu Hengkong blew a long whistle.

"Shut up, you idiot!" Captain Ji yelled. "What the hell is this?"

"This is a frost-resistant plant grown on the farm. You deserved to lose!" Li Ke swung a gun. "Well, let's call it a day!"

Li Ke thrust her spear forward, and Ji Huaisu stuck out her tongue and grimaced. Her jade armor instantly melted, transforming into a shimmering golden armor. The scorching flames incinerated the thorns to ash, and the Pure Fire Greatsword slashed straight at Li Ke's spear.

Riko dodged the attack with her wooden wings, her eyes wide open. "Are you kidding me? Turbid Tears uses fire?"

“There are so many things you haven’t seen yet!”

Ji Huaisu formed a sword with his two fingers, and the sparks in the air instantly connected into a burning magic circle. The soil, at his will, disintegrated into sand, then reshaped into translucent glass under the intense heat of the fire, like an inverted flask, enveloping Li Ke.

Light, Fire, Earth. Discipline Seal, Demon Sealing Bottle.

Then, the power of the Turbid Tears merged with it, forming a superimposed Holy Trinity at the bottom of the seal, isolating it from external forces. Within the jar, Riko was pointing at the spear, but her half-prepared technique suddenly stalled. Stunned, the young girl pounded the jar with her fist. But it couldn't be broken! It's a shame that Miss Riko isn't a Dragon Country martial artist!

"When it comes to actual combat experience, you're still a little naive!" Ji Huaisu said proudly. "Who hired you? What are you doing here? Tell the truth."

(Please spare my life~ I confess~)

Miss Li Ke raised her hands pitifully to beg for mercy. Ji Huaisu took a step forward. At this moment, a dripping sound rang out in the flower field, and the ground under her feet expanded like a balloon, and a fierce flame shot straight into the sky!

At close range, Ji Huaisu could clearly see the source of the explosion: a black mushroom, buried deep in the ground! She retreated and slapped the ground, ready to summon an ice wall to protect the area. However, her enemy, Chengkongyi, reacted faster than she did. Riko seized the opportunity to break free from the jar and close in. A pink flower sprouted from her hand, and a suspicious fragrance filled the air.

Ji Huaisu's thoughts paused briefly, causing her to ignore the enemy's next move. Mental toxin? No, it was different from the feeling she'd had during the battle with Wen Yao. There wasn't that overt malevolent charge, but it was rapidly disrupting her thinking...

"Pheromones?"

"That's right, it's a relaxing floral scent~" Rico chuckled, "Miss, you're a police officer or a detective, right? Your mind is so tense during battle, this scent is perfect for someone like you!"

As she spoke, she had already circled behind Ji Huaisu. Ji Huaisu turned around hastily, only to see a sea of ​​exploding mushrooms. Hiding behind the mushroom wall, Li Ke flashed the small flashlight-like object. A faint light of memory-erasing shimmered from her relic!

"Miss Police, you are indeed quite capable, but it's a pity that I am only a Chengkong Wing. In the field of speed—"

"——I'm still faster." said the killer.

A silver prosthetic hand grasped Li Ke's fist, causing the light to disappear in its palm. Chu Hengkong stood between the two of them, where the mushroom wall should have separated them.

No one knew how he appeared, just as no one knew where the mushrooms had gone. It was as if a momentary gap had appeared in the continuity of time. One second he was whistling in the back, and the next he was standing there, easily blocking Rico's sudden attack.

Chu Hengkong released his hand, letting the surprised Li Ke distance herself. He turned around and said with a smile, "I suffered a loss due to the intelligence."

Ji Huaisu's skills were all powerful killing moves, each aimed at crushing the opponent to dust. However, in this kind of limited combat, she couldn't fully display them, and was easily restricted by the opponent's tactics. She said unhappily, "Thank you for your consideration, but it's not just about intelligence. This guy has a skill. His speed is not as good as Wen Yao's, but his vitality... 'thickness' seems to be superior."

"Legendary Particle 4?" Chu Hengkong threw Fan De to Ji Huaisu.

"Thanks to everyone's kindness, I have a name in the underworld... I wonder which island or immortal you are from?" Li Ke smiled wryly.

"They are all workers, no one has any reputation." Chu Hengkong leaned over and picked up two petals. "It's time for a replacement, please."

Li Ke used the same trick again, throwing out two leaf-shaped flying knives. Chu Hengkong shook his fingers, and the petals between his fingers were infused with his spirit and also flew out like blades.

Four hidden weapons, two green and two blue, danced like butterflies, darting around the flower field with almost living movements. The leaf blade first bit into a petal, only to be severed in half by a second. The petal then flew vertically with an acrobatic movement, turning backward and colliding with the second, reversing leaf! Both hidden weapons were destroyed!

"Awesome...!" Rico exclaimed.

On the surface, the two seemed evenly matched, but as a forest dweller, Li Ke knew the power of her enemy's move. Forest dwellers' concealed weaponry was highly dependent on the material. Plants they nurtured were intimately connected, allowing them to be used with ease. However, plants they picked up were like rotten wood, making them difficult to use.

Her bladed flying knife had grown from her own body, and even in Longquan Township, it would be considered top-notch Heart Sword material. Yet, the other party had only picked up two petals... Despite such a huge difference in materials, he was still able to achieve the same result. Just how terrifying was this person's skill?

"Senmin's hidden weapon technique is not well learned." Chu Hengkong shook his head, "Excuse me."

"It seems like you're the type who likes to look down on others..." Li Ke bumped her fists, "Then let's see how much you really are!"

Her wooden wings grew and transformed as she moved, transforming into another pair of powerful fists. Li Ke leaned forward, charging, her figure instantly vanishing. Even with the shifting form of her wings, she maintained her immense speed, capable of shrinking the earth to an inch. Before the onlookers knew it, a massive fist had already struck Chu Hengkong!

Chu Hengkong's movements were sluggish compared to Li Ke's, barely managing to raise his fist before the attack arrived. However, the back of his fist blocked Li Ke's path, and the wooden fist struck, only to be violently swung back. Chu Hengkong sidestepped and spun to avoid the second blow, then struck again with the back of his fist, carrying the force of the rotation. This time, the ground beneath their feet plummeted three meters, and the other wooden fist was also violently sent flying.

"Okay! Let her see how powerful Longxiang's secret teachings are!" Vander encouraged.

"It's not a secret." Ji Huaisu said, "He didn't use the Gangqi Armor just now. That was... Chenjun Palace's Qi Intercepting Strike!"

Chenjun Palace's Qi-Severing Strike cuts off the flow of energy, interrupting the enemy's attack. Chu Hengkong didn't use the secret technique of rebound attack. Instead, he used the Qi-Severing Strike to cut off the flow of energy within the wooden fist, causing Li Ke's attack to collapse on its own.

Dots of green fluorescence shone in the surroundings, flooding the wooden fists, rapidly repairing the damage inflicted by Chu Hengkong's blows. Li Ke clapped her hands twice, shrinking the wooden fists from one to two, then to four. Using her spear as a support, she leaped upward, sending four pairs of wooden fists raining down on him from above. Chu Hengkong remained unscathed amidst the blurry shadows of the fists, her attacks simply glancing past him, unable to inflict any real damage.

He clapped his hands to the side to block a fist and said, "More is not always better."

"If you want to see the technique, here it is!"

The wooden fist instantly decayed, taking all fists with it. Fickles of green light shifted from it, attaching to Riko's spear. Riko landed and thrust her spear forward. She wielded a cross-shaped spear, its shaft slender and extremely long, entwined with thorns. Its attack range was even greater than that of the ancient Japanese "jumonji spear."

Chu Hengkong used his wrist to intercept the spear, and the thorns on the spear handle suddenly came to life, instantly catching his wrist. He used his will to pierce the thorns, but the thorns only became stronger under the impact of his will, wrapping around his wrist tightly. Li Ke took the opportunity to lower the spear head and stab his ankle. Chu Hengkong tried to retreat, but the thorns pulled him forward. He had no choice but to slap the spear with his right hand to adjust his stance.

Chu Hengkong's eyes lit up: "Not bad."

Unlike the previous, brute-force attacks, this unique spear technique clearly required painstaking effort, evolving into a myriad of methods by adapting to the growth and characteristics of various plants. Riko carefully maintained her distance, her voice unwavering, "Has anyone ever told you that your tone is annoying?"

"Well, no."

"Then I'll say this for the others." Li Ke raised her gun and stabbed again, "Those old men pointing fingers like my dad are so annoying!"

Green light emanated from her body, gathering at the cross-shaped spear tip. The infusion of life force made the wooden spear extremely hard. She thrust the spear with all her might, aiming directly at Chu Heng's empty abdomen. Chengkong Wing's speed was now fully utilized, and the onlookers could not even see Li Ke's movements clearly. However, the next moment, a heavy dull sound resonated with the ground, and Li Ke's spear tip deflected and fell into the earth.

Her spear's path had been seen through! Chu Hengkong stepped on the cross-shaped spear, interrupting the decisive blow in advance. His prosthetic body broke free like a slender snake and bit Li Ke's neck.

Startled, Riko immediately dropped her weapon and retreated. Her wings unfurled again, carrying her to a height of over a thousand meters. The branches woven into the wings bore orange-yellow fruits, like solidified flames. Each fruit was equivalent to a full-strength attack from Sephiroth 3 Pure Fire, even more powerful than the mushroom trap she had set earlier. She had already prepared for the next move: if close combat proved unsuccessful, she would leverage her speed advantage to launch a bombardment—

"Be careful."

A heartbeat like a war drum sounded from higher up. Chu Hengkong had already caught up! The man was right behind him!

The explosive power of the Heavenly Demon Furnace's core brought about an unprecedented instant acceleration. He used his willpower to create a blood-red long sword, held the sword sideways above his head with his right hand, and lightly pressed the sword with his left hand, making a thrusting starting posture.

An unprecedented alarm rang in Rico's heart. She folded her wooden wings back like a shield, protecting herself. She stuck all the fruit she was about to use to attack onto the shield's surface, relying on the momentum of the explosion to mitigate the impact. The layers of defense beneath the wings reinforced the structure, allowing Rico to fly to the ground at top speed.

Then the sword light slashed down, like a cold and sharp starlight that cut through the clouds!

The shield's exploding flames were the first to appear, a hollow crack etched in the center. It was the ultimate, unstoppable slash. That incredibly thin slash pierced the night like a needle, passing through Riko's wooden wings and reaching the ground, slicing through all obstacles along the way and transforming into the vanishing sword light in Chu Hengkong's hand.

Steel Edge Flow: Heart Breaking, a rapid strike that tears through a solid wall of steel.

Chu Hengkong's sword, his fierce spirit radiating from him, erupted into flames behind him like a giant flower, and his massive wooden wings instantly disintegrated. Riko collapsed headfirst into the flower field, her body unharmed, only her shield shattered by the sword. As quickly as she had ever fought, she raised a small white flag and shouted, "Surrender! Surrender!"

Chu Hengkong was a little helpless: "Your trump cards are useless."

"We are all here to work. If we mess up, the worst that can happen is we have to pay money. There is no point in risking our lives if we don't have any mortal enemies!" Miss Li Ke said confidently.

She sat down cross-legged, her face covered in dust. "What's the point of using a trump card against an opponent you can't defeat? What path are you from? A Mortal Monk or a Ghost Eyed Heartless One? I'm telling you, a Sephiroth 5, you really don't need to get serious with a Sephiroth 4 girl like me, right?"

Ji Huaisu walked over and put his arm around the killer's shoulders, pointing at him with a grin: "This guy hasn't even passed the First Abyss, he's a Seismic Point 3 Xu Lie Xin."

"……ah?"

Ms. Rico stared blankly with her eyes wide open.

"It's a joke, right? It's a joke, right?"

"real."

“No way?!!!!!!”

(End of this chapter)