Twenty-five: Asking the Water, But Whom? Part Four
That stab cost Wu Rang most of his life.
After the spear was pulled out, he fell to the ground with the force of the other man's blow, but he was still conscious. His first sensation was, of course, pain, like being chilled by a summer wind. Was it an illusion? He felt as if the area around his wound was still being churned by a gale, and every conscious part of his body was being squeezed and convulsed. He couldn't utter a sound, couldn't move an inch, and could only let his body be treated like a toy, being held by the back of the neck and dragged behind him by the cultivator.
Feng Wu was displeased. When he was angry, he didn't speak, but simply waved his hand, and a fiery whip flew arrogantly towards his opponent, intending to lash him out. However, his anger somewhat betrayed his purpose. Before he could unleash his attack, a silent burst of flames spread out from his body, serving as a warning to his opponent.
Therefore, when the whip was lashed out, Wu Rang was also propelled into the air before landing behind him.
The whip lashed the ground, leaving a black trail, accompanied by a musty smell.
Wu Rang's vision was blurry, and he felt himself being placed on the ground. His chest felt tight and uncomfortable, and he coughed involuntarily, using the cough to open his eyelids. Suddenly, he found that the world had turned into a deep blue.
He was sitting on the ground, but his upper body was tied to a stone pillar.
This is the magic array that bound Pinghe before.
But he was powerless to do anything and simply fainted in the prison.
"What are your plans?"
As they formed their ranks, Ji Zhen waved his hand and unleashed a series of water spells to deflect the various flames that Feng Wu threw at him at will.
“I just heard Gong Sha’s name,” Mu Ning said, freeing her hand to grip the gun handle. “This is an opportunity.”
"Capture them alive?" Ji Zhen pondered carefully. "That will take some time."
"Seizing an opportunity isn't so easy."
As soon as he finished speaking, a gust of wind rose from the water and transformed into a tree-tall sword, which slashed down at Feng Wu from mid-air.
On the other side, Gongsha Duo, missing Wu Rang, had to carry out the order himself. However, before he and Pang Ming could even make a move, before their muscles and bones were even warmed up, a sound pierced their brains.
What are you still doing?
Turning around, I saw that once Feng Wu left, the array on the lake was not as stable as before. In addition, the two cultivators used the power of the lake water to cast spells, and for a time the lake surface became turbulent, no longer having any tranquility.
Old Man Goriot got angry.
Gong Sha muttered to himself.
So, without anyone noticing, a figure appeared standing on the shore.
His attire was also quite elaborate; his robes and headdress, made of unique materials, exuded a serene luster. If several evil spirits stood in a row, he would undoubtedly be the most conspicuous one.
He spoke without a hint of threat, yet Feng Wu and Gong Sha, and even the still dazed Wu Rang, all felt a jolt upon hearing his voice.
This is a sign of dissatisfaction with them.
Gong Sha used to be the first to respond, but now, upon hearing even a whisper of wind, he immediately hides for his own comfort.
The wind was like a feathered arrow, slicing through the air straight towards its target, and as nimble as a bird of prey, keeping a close watch on its prey.
"This is so annoying."
Gong Sha stopped and waved.
A spell with a black border clashed with the wind, and a booming sound echoed through the air.
In the distance, a muffled rumble of thunder could be heard.
“Yuanbei,” Mu Ning came out, “go to the Tongji Elders’ Association.”
"Yes, please take care."
Behind Mu Ning, the battle between water and fire had already stirred up bursts of mist that spread all around. From a distance, it looked like some kind of fairyland had descended to earth, but the surging heat alone was enough to make anyone's skin peel off.
Seeing his target run towards Feng Wu, Gong Sha suddenly raised an eyebrow, secretly pleased. He had just sparred with this kid and tested his cultivation level. In the current situation, he probably wouldn't get any information out of him. As long as he could get Feng Wu to easily defeat him, he would have something to say. Afterwards, even if he had to take responsibility, he would be ranked after Feng Wu.
Then we can bring Zhegui into the mix, and Gao Lang won't have anything to say.
However, Gong Sha sized up the person in front of him and figured he was probably not someone to be trifled with.
“This Taoist priest, no, elder,” Gongsha picked up the fan that had fallen to the ground and said with a smile, “may I ask if we have met somewhere before? Otherwise, why do you look at me with such a vengeful attitude? Although I am not very bright, I have the best memory, but I do not remember your name.”
He spoke eloquently, and as he spoke, many gray-white spheres suddenly appeared around him. They appeared as spheres, but once they formed a complete sphere, they began to melt, maintaining their similar coloration as they floated on their own in a fixed position in mid-air.
The spells of evil spirits and those of demons share a similarity: they originate from the天地 (heaven and earth). Therefore, the spells of Feng Wu and other cultivators appear similar and can both be considered fire magic. To counter this, one can employ the principles of demon magic. However, evil spirits are reborn with spells from the underworld; for example, the spells of Gong Sha before us are purely from the underworld. These spells are incredibly varied and unpredictable. Therefore, if encountering a powerful evil spirit specializing in this type of magic, many cultivators suffer greatly from confusion.
"We don't need to meet, we are enemies," Mu Ning said calmly, but her hands did not stop casting spells. "Moreover, my disciple suffered a great loss at your hands, so I will not let you go."
One by one, whirls rose from the ground, and because they were close to the lake and the air was filled with moisture, the whirls also carried a translucent color, guarding Mu Ning's body.
"Suffered a huge loss?" Gong Sha grinned. "So you're still alive? You've probably picked the wrong person. If I were to do it, I definitely wouldn't leave any survivors. Although it's very satisfying to kill a famous elder, the newcomers are even more interesting. I never let them go."
"Enjoy your wit and pleasure."
Gong Sha smiled smugly. Suddenly, the invisible, shapeless blackish-gray marks around him began to grow, gradually reaching a size similar to Gong Sha's, and then their shapes became clearer.
Those were many public sands.
“Spells are really interesting,” Gongsha said with a smile.
As they blended into the other shells, all the male sands began to talk and laugh in bursts. Each shell made various hand gestures, and traces of different spell colors appeared randomly.
"I've put in a lot of effort to understand the wonders of magic. Elder, please enlighten me."
"Don't show off things that aren't real."
Looking at the identical black-clad ghost in front of him, Mu Ning suddenly felt as if he had stumbled into the insect's lair, buzzing incessantly in his ear, annoying and irritating.
The whirlwind flew forward, shredding several objects closest to Mu Ning that couldn't dodge in time into fragments. Perhaps due to the nature of magic, the fragments, after escaping from the gaps in the wind, rapidly expanded until they grew back into the shape of sand. Then, one by one, they unleashed various spells, rushing towards Mu Ning from all directions, each carrying traces of blackish-gray.
The wind swirled around Mu Ning, deflecting the continuous attacks.
"Elder, have you thought it through?"
The voices rose and fell like waves, carrying a frivolous tone.
Mu Ning tried his best to scan the characteristics of the enemies in front of him, but he also knew that his goal was not to break the spell, and that lingering in battle would be pointless. Deciphering the spell would take too much time; he had to act quickly and capture the only true form.
To be able to create so many disguises, the evil spirit must have provided ample magical power as support.
Mu Ning waved her hand to cast a spell.
The sun rises and the moon waxes. The ways of Heaven change and transform. In the beginning, all things were formed. Creation was the work of nature. In the fourth month, summer is conceived. The southward journey is observed. Gentle breezes gather. They drift southward. They find joy in all things. They observe differences and understand similarities.
The whirlwind grew larger and more numerous. Except for one that rushed straight into the horde of evil spirits, the others surrounded the outermost edge of the horde. Then, the whirlwind amplified its power, and water droplets attracted in swirled and collided within it. The originally soft water turned into translucent boulders, and dozens or even hundreds of identical evil spirits went from being tangible to being reduced to dust, then tangible again, and then reduced to dust once more.
Mu Ning wasn't sure if Gong Sha was mixed in with them.
If so, it's possible to kill him while we're at it; if not, it would be a huge miscalculation if he escaped.
The unseen factors in this battle are the patience of both sides and the depth of their cultivation.
After spending a long time learning all sorts of spells, Gongshao felt completely helpless against the unadorned wind magic in front of him.
All sorts of tricks and schemes were useless; what stood in his way was a strong wind. Unbreakable, it was a wall formed by the wind, and it could regenerate at any time.
But he could also maintain the stalemate, since the evil spirits had the greatest advantage in this regard.
However, we shouldn't be too complacent. If two cultivators have already arrived, we don't know if there are others on their way.
While Gongsha was still pondering, a thunderbolt suddenly flashed before his eyes.
What's going on? Is it raining? Or is Zhegui rushing over?
It's highly unlikely.
His mood was wavering, and he wondered if he was hallucinating.
Between closing and opening his eyes, he found himself no longer on the grassy bank. It was a narrow path. The sky was no longer the gray of impending rain, but a dark blue.
Look, another streak of silver lightning descends from the horizon. Before us lies an endless, winding path.
He wanted to laugh, but then shook his head in confusion. He'd actually dared to turn around and look. Behind him was another path, but it ended. At the end, there was nothing particularly striking, just a somewhat dilapidated wall.
What happened? What happened?!
A sharp pain flashed through Gong Sha's mind, as if lightning had struck him on the head.
Did he go back by himself?
Thunder, thunder, thunder.
The lightning above his head never stopped, so loud that his ears shrank inward, and so flashing that his eyes rolled inward. He couldn't stand, so he had to lie on the ground, relying on his hands and knees. His mind could still perceive everything around him, so he moved his body along that path.
And the ground was scorching hot.
I thought it was soil, but it turned out to be fine sand. I grabbed a handful and put it down; the rustling sound of the sand was a bewildering melody.
Is this the view that other evil spirits saw before they died?
But why did I die again?!
Despite the pain, Gongsha strained his face to try and open his eyes. He refused to accept that this was the reality.
What did that monk do? Why have I ended up in this predicament?
"Gong Sha An Sheng!"
A low roar came from the horizon, shattering the sky, the earth, and the thunder. The thunder subsided, and Gongsha opened his eyes triumphantly, staring up with his bloodshot eyes. He watched as gray clouds reappeared on the horizon in the blink of an eye, and wild grass still grew beneath his feet.
The spearhead was already pressed against his chest. His body reacted automatically, concentrating his magic in his palm to meet the spear tip. But due to the haste, his strength was insufficient, and his hand went limp, allowing the opponent's powerful aura to send him flying, rolling on the ground.
All I could see was green.
Before rushing to stand up, Gongsha kissed the wild grass near his lips.
"What's going on here?"
Desperate to save his life, Gong Sha swayed as he stood up. Before he could even spot his opponent, he looked directly at the scene before him and had to shout at the top of his lungs, "Feng Wu!"
His first sound was weak, and probably no one else present heard it except him.
"Fengwu!"
The gun came again, but Gong Sha's cultivation was intermittent, so he couldn't exert any force. He could only try his best to form a shield to block the attack and save his life.
Fire against water, and surrounded by water, puts Feng Wu at a disadvantage. He had originally set up an array here to overcome his innate weakness, but he ended up encountering his opponent nearby.
Amidst the scalding steam, Feng Wu frowned, abruptly breaking the attack of the cultivator in front of him, and turned to look at Gong Sha, who was calling out to him. He usually paid little attention to Gong Sha's voice, after all, he was always unpredictable and carefree. But this trembling cry was something he had never heard before, and something he couldn't understand.
What can happen?
Turning around, the first thing he saw was a pair of eyes brimming with tears. His face was completely pale, so pale that the tears and sweat seemed to glisten. His body was slowly collapsing. A huge hole had been torn open in his chest, so large that he couldn't cover it with one hand, and blood could only flow freely, staining his body from the chest down red.
Feng Wu was unfamiliar with the smell of blood. He had principles: he would harm someone but not dispose of their body; the wound wasn't from his own body.
Gongsha is quite far away.
Then he saw a figure lying on the ground.
He wasn't dead yet; his body was curled up, still trembling and shaking. He had been struck by magic; a stream of water had pierced through his upper body, and the magic was still embedded in his body when he fell to the ground.
The wind and high temperature quickly spread the smell of blood, causing Ji Zhen, who was nearby, and Mu Ning, who was far away, to pause for a moment and subconsciously abandon their actions to go find the injured person.
Ji Zhen's release gave Feng Wu a chance. Things were going badly. He quickly turned around, pulling the fallen ghost to his feet. Seeing the ghost's face covered in sweat, Feng Wu prepared to break the spell. He reached out, but his hand only grazed the water blade that had pierced the ghost's upper body. It was like trying to catch a shadow in the water—grabbing nothing, not even getting his hand wet.
"Tall man, tall man."
Gao Lang was still awake, his eyes were still open, and he could look around slightly, but his trembling lips couldn't utter a single word. He just shook his head slightly at Feng Wu.
With enemies behind them, Feng Wu pulled Gao Lang away and ran quickly.
He whipped up a fierce wind carrying the scent of blood, crashing around Mu Ning. The smell and the tremors temporarily distracted Mu Ning, whose eyes darted between two urgent matters, unsure of which to choose. In the end, he couldn't defend himself against Feng Wu, and with his other hand still carrying the trembling Gong Sha, he disappeared into the horizon.
The waterside quieted down.
The temperature in the air gradually returned to normal, but as Mu Ning walked over, she felt as if she were covered in red.
As she drew closer, Mu Ning heard Ji Zhen crying.
The wind blew away the rain clouds. Suffocation pervades this place.
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