Chapter 1277: One Battle Secures the Southwest (Part Fourteen) [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Whether a scholar with a refined mind or a martial artist with unwavering courage, once one has achieved a certain level of cultivation, one can maintain a youthful appearance, remaining stable in one's twenties or thirties. Depending on one's temperament, this may fluctuate by a few years. Therefore, one cannot determine the true age of a scholar or martial artist solely by their appearance.

In Shen Tang's words, Luo Sha's face was so tender it looked like it could be squeezed for water. When Luo Yuan first saw him, he thought he was some ignorant junior, but the second glance overturned his first guess.

His eyelids twitched uncontrollably: "Where did this old thing come from?"

Luo Sha's response was to have a trident fly towards her. When she caught sight of her subordinate lying in a pool of blood, her pretty face was filled with a chilling killing intent: "Luo Benfu, what kind of lowly thing are you!"

With a sharp metallic clang, the fork jammed against Luo Yuan's sword guard, followed by a tremendous force like a mountain crashing down on him. The sudden loss of balance nearly caused Luo Yuan to fall into the water, and a sharp pain shot through his hand. The fork pressed closer to his face.

Luo Yuan sneered: "What's your relationship with that old man?"

The "old man" he referred to was naturally his "mentor." Luo Sha was shocked that he would dare to mention his grandfather, and his anger surged, further fueling his martial energy surge. The already terrifying force intensified threefold, and a phantom fish tail lashed out from the void, carrying a hint of sea salt, and crashed head-on into Luo Yuan.

Compared to this fish tail, Luo Yuan's size is truly minuscule.

But it's not just the fish-tail shape that's terrifying.

Luo Yuan tried to dodge the impact of the fish tail, but as soon as he thought about it, he was shocked to find that his body was being drawn by some irresistible force and he could not break free. It was as if he was sinking into the boundless deep sea, and when he looked up, he could only see a faint light penetrating the water and creating a few ripples.

The waves enveloped his limbs and head like a giant cocoon.

The opportunity to escape was fleeting; in the blink of an eye, the chance to get away was missed.

boom--

A loud bang.

Luo Yuan was slammed into the muddy bottom of the river by the giant tail of a whale.

A thick column of water shot skyward with the appearance of the crater, instantly boiling the calm river surface. Ripples spread outwards, and thick silt churned everything underwater into a murky mess, also obscuring Luo Yuan's figure. A fierce glint flashed in Luo Sha's eyes. He raised his hand and pulled the trident into his palm. An invisible blade of energy slashed downwards, and the curtain of river water slowly parted from both sides: "Die here!"

The fight between the two was quite loud.

Shen Tang initially thought it was just martial artists fighting near the battlefield, but Ji Moqiu, extremely sensitive to auras, instantly recognized one as Luo Sha's, and the other as similar to Luo Sha's, suggesting they were probably from the same school. Needless to say, it was Luo Yuan!

She issued the order without hesitation.

"Order all units to be on high alert and ready to engage the enemy!"

Shen Tang went to check on Luo Sha's situation first.

Even if Luo Sha is eager for revenge, does he need to be in such a hurry?

Out of caution, Shen Tang did not go directly to the center of the battlefield, but instead observed the situation from a distant hilltop. She was lucky; she witnessed Luo Yuan being flung into the muddy water by a tail as soon as she arrived. Luo Sha certainly had the ability to exchange a few blows with the Nineteenth Marquis of Guannei, no wonder he dared to lead his men ashore to seek revenge on Luo Yuan.

but--

Shen Tang stared wide-eyed and said, "High Priest, I have a question."

Ji Moqiu, holding a wooden staff, said warily, "Your Highness, please ask."

Shen Tang pointed to the river surface where water jets were exploding and waves were surging, and asked a question that puzzled her: "You mean mermaids?"

Ji Moqiu himself said that Luo Sha's Martial Courage Totem is a mermaid!

"yes."

The high priest didn't understand what was wrong with what he said.

But His Highness's expression doesn't seem to agree?

Shen Tang's expression was about to crack.

How can I get her to agree?

"Whose mermaid is a humpback whale?"

Although the fish tail appeared only for a brief moment, and the fish body and head were almost transparent, the short and small dorsal fin, short and wide baleen, four-toed flippers, serrated leading edge, wavy notch trailing edge, and arched back... all these features made it look like a bowback whale.

Oh, it's commonly known as the humpback whale.

How could Ji Moqiu lie and say that this is a mermaid?

"Then what does Your Highness think a mermaid should be like?"

"At the very least, it has to be a human body with a fish tail. In short, it can't be a whole fish. No matter how beautiful a whole fish is, it's still a 'pretty fish,' not a 'mermaid'! The key is the 'human' in the middle! A human body and face fit the general public's definition of 'beauty'!"

This is what a mermaid looks like in the eyes of humans.

Shen Tang never expected that she would be scammed by Ji Moqiu!

Ji Moqiu breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the explanation.

“It is indeed a ‘human body with a fish tail’.”

The combination of the Martial Spirit Totem and the warrior is not limited to one person and one beast.

Ji Moqiu explained that it can be roughly divided into three forms.

Shen Tang suddenly turned her head: "What?"

Ji Moqiu said, "Let's take Anian as an example."

When Gongxi Chou fought, sometimes he would summon the Martial Gallant Totem to fight for him, and sometimes he would transform into the Martial Gallant Totem and sit coiled up in the sun. In fact, there was a third form: half-human, half-snake. The upper body was human, and the lower body was a snake tail.

It can also have a snake's head as the upper body and human legs as the lower body.

The two can be categorized into a fusion form.

Shen Tang: "???"

Her mind went blank for a moment, as if she couldn't process it: "Shao Xuan has never shown his fishtail..."

Gong Xichou: "Because there is no frequent need to go into the water."

Maintaining a fishtail doesn't mean a person becomes another species, but they do retain human-like physiological and psychological characteristics. This coexistence of both can easily lead to cognitive and emotional disorders. It doesn't benefit cultivation, and it's inconvenient for fighting. Why do it for no reason?

Shen Tang added, "But Gongxi Chou has never..."

"Because it's not very useful." Although the snake's tail fits the torso and is the right size, it's still much more cumbersome than legs. Why would Gong Xi Chou maintain his half-human, half-snake form for no reason? Wouldn't walking on two legs be more convenient than wriggling around on a tail?

Shen Tang: "..."

She couldn't help but think of her own Martial Spirit Totem, and a mouthful of blood welled up in her chest. She asked, "Whose Martial Spirit Totem is a person?" This made it impossible for her to even disguise herself as an orc.

As night fell, the dark river surface was already turbulent.

But something even bigger is brewing underwater.

Shen Tang gazed into the distance, her gaze landing on the location of the Southwest Allied Army's camp. If she had a choice, she wouldn't want to start a battle today. The timing, location, and manpower were all at odds; the wind direction was unfavorable, not all of her own troops were present, and the remaining advantage of location was slightly disadvantageous due to being downstream. However, Luo Sha's appearance did help her recover some of her disadvantages.

She weighed the harpoon that had materialized in her hand.

“Luo Yuan is a 19th-rank Marquis within the Pass. My joining Luo Sha in beating him up shouldn't be considered ganging up on him.” Experts are allowed to be ganged up on; in a fight, victory is paramount, what does shame matter? “Luo Sha's strength exceeded my expectations. I previously…”

She paused for a moment at this point.

Shen Tang was not entirely sure of Luo Sha's true strength.

Those skilled at concealing their aura are not easily able to discern their strength or level. Unless the difference in strength between the two parties is too great, even the most masterful concealment of aura will be riddled with flaws in the eyes of a true expert.

What does it mean that she can't see through Luo Sha?

This means that Luo Sha is not only adept at concealing his aura, but his cultivation level is not significantly higher or lower than Shen Tang's. Firstly, Shen Tang herself is an 18th-rank Grand Chancellor—even if her breakthrough was not long ago and her foundation is not stable, there are still 19th-rank Marquis within the Pass and 20th-rank Marquis above her. Secondly, Luo Sha's strength is far weaker than Shen Tang's, making it impossible for him to withstand Luo Yuan's attack.

In other words, Luo Sha's strength falls somewhere in between.

His arrival at this critical juncture has indeed relieved a lot of pressure. The premise is that Luo Sha is genuinely targeting Luo Yuan, and not just feigning surrender to manipulate Shen Tang's mentality: "...I was worried before that Luo Sha's motives were impure, but now it seems that he really wants Luo Yuan dead."

As soon as he finished speaking, the trident burst forth from the water.

The water column that was raised was a hundred feet high, and if you looked closely, you could see that the edges were tinged with a light pink, and you didn’t know whose blood it was.

Luo Yuan clutched his arm, his eyes wide with fury.

Luo Sha's chest was slashed open, leaving the skin and flesh turned inside out.

The wound oozed bright red blood with each rise and fall of his chest, yet it healed at a visible speed under the nourishment of his martial energy. At this rate, it would be completely healed in less than half an incense stick's time, leaving not even a scar.

The healing abilities of a martial arts master are terrifying!

"Who exactly are you to that old man? Which son of his? Or which adopted son?" As the two exchanged blows without holding back, Luo Yuan noticed that this person's aura was somewhat strange. At first, he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, until a flash of inspiration struck him and he suddenly realized something was amiss—even if the old man had personally taught him, Luo Sha's aura was far too similar to the old man's!

Similar, but not entirely identical.

Luo Yuan naturally thought of the old man's son and disciple, and every word he uttered was like a stomp on Luo Sha Shen Jing: "You actually managed to obtain his true teachings? I wonder what price you paid? Did you give up your wife and daughter, or yourself?"

Luo Yuan spewed filth, and the intense humiliation made Luo Sha not only want to kill him, but also to slice Luo Yuan into pieces and make him into a plate of raw pickled fish!

His anger was exactly what Luo Yuan wanted to hear.

The old man's cultivation practice requires a certain level of mental stability. He must not experience extreme joy, sorrow, shock, or anger. The greater the emotional fluctuations, the easier it is to affect his performance, and in severe cases, he may even go astray and become possessed by demons.

Back then, seeing that his chances of winning were slim, Luo Yuan resorted to underhanded tactics—to be precise, he secretly met with his ex-wife while his father was away, partly out of resentment that the woman's heart was gradually leaning towards the other man, and partly to lay the groundwork for this day.

This method should also be applied to dealing with the Luo family members in front of us.

Not everyone is as shameless as you!

Just because he's dirty doesn't mean everyone else is. Luo Sha finally understood why his father had committed suicide out of shame; having such filthy blood on his body was truly disgusting. Luo Yuan was satisfied to see the flame burning in Luo Sha's eyes, just like the old man's.

"Oh, really?"

Those three simple words made Luo Sha feel as if the world before him had been painted a vast expanse of blood red. In a daze, he saw bloody tears flowing from the seven orifices of his subordinates whom Luo Yuan had killed. These were all skilled swimmers, second only to him in skill, and also his kinsmen who had grown up with him.

Just as his emotions were about to explode, a cool sensation washed over him, and his scarlet vertical pupils returned to their original state. Facing the deadly attack that was so close at hand, Luo Sha immediately had a thought, and his fishtail phantom unleashed waves that collided with the attack, canceling it out: "Thank you!"

These words were naturally spoken to Ji Moqiu.

Luo Yuan sneered, pretending to gather his clothes that had been torn apart during the fight, transforming them into martial armor. He didn't forget to mock, "As expected of the old man's teachings, your hypocritical appearance is quite similar to his."

Ji Moqiu: "How can a hypocrite entrust his life to someone?"

"If the old man isn't hypocritical, then who is?" Ji Moqiu's strength was far beyond his comprehension. "A mere ant dares to come and die?"

Ji Moqiu did not refute this.

Ultimately, this is an internal issue for Roche.

Luo Sha was determined to clean house and probably had no interest in telling his blood grandfather that his cultivation level was not only due to his superior talent and diligent practice, but also to the enlightenment he received from another person.

Yes, it was a revelation.

Even geniuses have different thresholds.

Gongxi Chou belonged to the highest tier and had various opportunities. For a long time, he was just a single seedling in the vast land of the Gongxi clan. He was blessed by the gods, but even so, he only broke through to the eighteenth rank of Grand Chief in less than a year. Luo Sha's talent was somewhat lower.

Even though Luo Sha is older, the extra years are not enough to make up for the gap between the two, but in reality, he has a slight advantage.

Ji Moqiu could easily sense a kindred spirit in the other person.

It is 【醍醐灌顶】 (a profound and enlightening experience).

Or perhaps it's about cultivating the same source through enlightenment.

Ji Moqiu boldly speculated that the person who performed the [Enlightenment] technique must have held nothing back, completely propelling Luo Sha to even greater heights. Judging from the aura, the person's strength before death was probably barely at the Chehou realm. At that level, unless one is determined to die, even with a chronic illness, one can prolong life for many years. With such a comparison, isn't it obvious who is hypocritical?

His guess was indeed very accurate.

Luo Sha lunged at the water's surface, the river current flowing upstream, docilely coiling around his arm, transforming into a sharp weapon: "Back then, I swore an oath before our ancestral land that in this lifetime I would cut off your head to offer as a sacrifice to our ancestors, to avenge our blood feud. My grandfather knew my heart..."

Luo Yuan was momentarily surprised.

He thought Luo Sha was an old man's son, but he didn't expect him to be a grandson. After calculating his age, jealousy welled up in his heart.

Does this old man deserve such a gifted grandchild?

It's truly a case of God being blind.

"...Before he died, he decided to lend me a hand."

Just as Ji Moqiu had guessed, his grandfather was in poor health and his lifespan was much shorter than others at the same cultivation level. He barely managed to break through with the help of external forces when he was about to die, but his foundation was almost destroyed, leaving him with cultivation power but unable to use it. The good news is that he can continue to live for several more decades with his cultivation, and reaching the age of two hundred is no problem. The bad news is that living is more like torture.

【Ah Lu, do you want to be a Marquis Che?】

My grandson will try his best.

[You're so stubborn! Don't you even know what it means to rely on your ancestors' blessings rather than your own hard work? Your ancestors are here!]

"So, now it's my grandfather and I who will kill you!"

Luo Yuan's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.

A helping hand before death...

He had been stuck at the 19th rank of Marquis within the Pass for many years, gradually mastering many secret techniques. As a grandson, Luo Sha was most likely no more than fifty years old, yet he could pose a threat to him at such an age...

He already knew what it was.

In an instant, his face contorted with jealousy.

There are always many injustices in the world. He had to offer his childhood sweetheart as a price to become a disciple, while Luo Sha only needed to be a member of the Luo family to receive the old man's life-risking entrustment: "Heh, if the old man were in his prime, it wouldn't be difficult for him to come out of seclusion and kill me, but he chose to give you 'enlightenment,' which means he can't get over the losses from back then. Junior, do you want to give it a try?"

(＞＜)

In the past, this kind of plot would usually make the villain realize that his own bloodline killed him, and then he would feel relieved and have a change of heart before he died, or he would forgive and forget (like the feeling of Illusion's scumbag parents abandoning their child when they were young, but now that they are old, someone is there to take care of them?). This story probably won't be like that, Luo Yuan just dies.

(End of this chapter)