Finale (Part 2)
“You all jump down from there, huh,” Ming Feizhen remarked as he gazed at the ceiling with curiosity.
The ceiling was several metres above where Ming Feizhen stood, which indicated that anyone who survived the jump possessed incredible qinggong. Of course, jumping up there from below was an entirely different difficulty. Usually, only someone who could set aside their rationality and be awfully imaginative could’ve made the jump as nobody operating based off predominately common sense would’ve even thought of attempting it. A goal without a developed plan to achieve it was just a goal devoid of strategy, not intelligence. However, the person who confronted Ming Feizhen vanished and then, from the ceiling, said, “There’s nothing there.”
For a moment, there was the afterimage of a human silhouette that was replaced with the undulation of his movement. Still, Ming Feizhen was still grinning in place as though that was perfectly normal. The armoured man didn’t cower just because Ming Feizhen wasn’t intimidated.
“There’s nowhere for you to go even if you jump up. We’ve been waiting there ahead of time to head down and meet you once you clear the three tests. Everything has been calculated. Feng Jiutian isn’t there.”
Ming Feizhen stroked his smooth chin. “Did I say aloud my thoughts?”
“There’s no need for the mouth to work if the eyes can communicate.”
Ming Feizhen was genuinely interested in Feng Jiutian’s last test. The man in black armour was definitely a warrior who’d fought in real wars based on his gaze. What was interesting was that he was more taciturn that one would’ve expected from a soldier. That being said, he didn’t exude the vibe of an assassin, either. Perhaps the best way to describe his aura was that of someone who’d seen so many deaths that he could stare at his own death indifferently, and he hadn’t had sufficient time to adjust from the fatigue built up. With that said, the fatigue didn’t appear to cause any detriments.
The warrior drew his broadsword and held it to his side. On the battlefield, he drew his blade and forged forward without any planning, as well. He had been too many places and seen many lands in search of a goal that he couldn’t reach in a lifetime. Breaks were just pit stops to reorganise. He didn’t have and didn’t choose to live periods of peace. If it wasn’t a decision he proactively made, he wouldn’t look so calm.
“Three rivers’ Qu Ji.”
“Beiping’s Mingming.”
The warrior dove down into the battlefield. “I am not your match.”
“But you still insist on fighting.”
“It is a warrior’s honour to cross swords with Night Fortress’ master.”
Ming Feizhen expected that response, and it didn’t bother him whether it was genuine or not. Either way, he wouldn’t decline.
“I wield a broadsword. How about you?“
“You’ll find out once I retaliate.”
Qu Ji created an afterimage of broadswords that resembled an open fan when he finally swung. Qu Ji impressed Ming Feizhen enough for the latter to feel convinced he should’ve requested Qu Ji to teach Li Zizi. Qu Ji could’ve lopped someone’s head off painlessly. Yes, Ming Feizhen didn’t have the knowledge to rank broadsword wielders, but he could distinguish between good and bad broadsword wielders.
Despite Qu Ji’s performance, his blade still ran into an unmovable wall three inches from Ming Feizhen. When Qu Ji made contact, he instantly discerned what he ran into – silk threads. Ming Feizhen was able to create an X-shaped net using two strings and bound them to the ground without Qu Ji ever noticing until he ran into them. Putting aside the rarity of using threads as a weapon, even string masters in Fusang couldn’t make a weapon out of such thin threads.
“You’re the first,” Ming Feizhen praised with joy, “to immediately figure it out on the first strike.”
Ming Feizhen’s Seven King Strings allowed him to make moves without telegraphing, leave no traces of his work and adapt as he saw fit. After finding inspiration from watching Fusang’s string work, it took four years of experimentation during his retirement as a recluse to bring his thoughts into reality, which then took another three years of testing and tweaking to master. He hadn’t displayed it to any reputable warrior in actual combat or built any reputation off it.
One reason Ming Feizhen never displayed it was because he didn’t want to under those circumstances and always fell back on his old skill set, resulting in him questioning what he went through three years of testing for. At the same time, though, he needed an opponent who could truly put it to the test as he was able to virtually finish every other fight with a single swipe of his threads, which was hardly a fight. So far, only Luo Ming, when he posed as Abels, and Pangu were able to bring out its true splendid nature.
Ming Feizhen spread out his arms, and his hair started to flutter gently, while his silhouette started to blur as though he was sinking into water. “Don’t die too quickly on me now.”
Water King String – Gonggong’s Thousand Fishes
Ming Feizhen’s simultaneous release of Night Net strings and qi strings threatened Qu Ji even though they merely resembled lively fishes. The true qi that permeated throughout the room zapped him of his strength and suffocated him. Each breath he took created a hallucination that he was drowning deeper and deeper underwater. The threads slow waves couldn’t deal physical damage, but the mental psychological attack was amplified since they were in an enclosed room, meaning that the qi threads wouldn’t leak. As a result, the effect would gradually intensify. It was a Ming Feizhen favourite in enclosed spaces. Thanks to the material of the walls, they made bouncing qi off them even more effective, which was the reason the sinking hallucination took effect sooner than usual. Within minutes, the target would’ve struggled to stay standing and felt unweighted. However, the warrior didn’t lose his composure.
Although the environment wasn’t in his favour, the warrior was cognisant of the fact that only the “fish” would’ve dealt fatal damage. The threads were akin to fishes swiftly closing in on a target from every direction, so he lost his speed. That said, though he felt he was suspended in the air, his sword in the ground showed no signs of wobbling. His blade sliced every fish that tried to touch him, effectively dispelling the illusion and returning the threads to the form of threads. To be able to break the form of the threads and their control solely through grazing the true qi as opposed to directly cutting the threads was a masterclass on being flexible with a bladed weapon.
Grinning with more anticipation, Ming Feizhen uttered, “Ancient King String – Cushion.”
Ming Feizhen launched three threads as stiff as spears towards Qu Ji, plunging them into without any obstructions in a destructive manner and creating three rifts in the ground. Not even the ground was able to dissipate all the force, resulting in the cracks stretching to the walls. Alas, it wasn’t enough for Ming Feizhen to seize victory. Since Qu Ji barely moved away from the threads in the ground, it might’ve given the impression that he barely evaded them, but it could’ve also been the case that he was precise in judgement and movement. Either way, Ming Feizhen relished what he saw for Qu Ji wouldn’t have been qualified to see the next act if he failed to survive the three threads.
Ancient King Thread – Zhurong’s Fire.
The room suddenly resembled a sunny noon. With the three threads in the ground at the epicentre, blinding light illuminated the room. Qu Ji instinctively lowered his head and kept his other senses at high output; however, he barely escaped his foe’s attack that followed simultaneously. At the same time that the light inhibited his vision, a ruthless heatwave rose from the ground as if to replace the water he hallucinated himself in, and it rose to the ceiling within that split second. Still, the red pythons weren’t able to break Qu Ji’s mind.
Qu Ji quickly discerned that Ming Feizhen lit up his qi threads that were spread out using true qi. The three threads he plugged into the ground were triggers to set the qi threads alight. Evidently, Ming Feizhen’s prior moves were set ups to this end and as a countermeasure to the cold walls. Not only was the ground turned black against its will, but even Feng Qizhi was enveloped in the flames. The damage would’ve been far more significant if the walls didn’t have a cold property.
“Yang Realm internal energy alone isn’t enough to light up qi threads; rapid friction to create heat is also compulsory, which ‘Cushion’ achieves. I assume you know what they rubbed against to create friction,” Ming Feizhen enlightened as if he read Qu Ji’s mind.
Qu Ji instantly recalled what obstructed his first attack. The three spear threads passed by where the two threads at the start were, fulfilling all the conditions for the fire. “You are undoubtedly incredible to think of this countermeasure to the blackice walls.”
“You are the one who deserves praise. Though it’s my first time using this in real combat, I can’t believe I couldn’t even finish one person.”
It was Luo Sword Manor’s titanic cauldron that inspired Ming Feizhen’s strategy. While it was true that the blackice walls weakened the flames with its cold property, it was also true that the walls were greater at bouncing qi threads off than virtually any other wall. Ming Feizhen didn’t go all out. Nevertheless, it was clear that it wasn’t a perfected strategy. Of course, he didn’t consider Enlightenment as an option up his opponent’s sleeve when he decided on the strategy.
Unlike the typical flame, a flame produced out of true qi was difficult to extinguish. Even so, Qu Ji was able to create a safety zone around him with a swing of his blood. The black glow he spawned roused Ming Feizhen’s desire to fight even more.
“Any Edge Realm practitioner who can generate red, teal, or black energy is tough to deal with, but you seem to have not consolidated your progress.”
Eyes glowing the same colour as his blade and displaying the same toughness, Qu Ji slowly walked forwards, extinguishing the flames with his black energy. Only the layer on the ground that was burnt the most had some golden tinge to it.
In Edge Realm, red energy was a trait of sharpness, teal a trait of penetration, and black was a trait of consolidation. Ming Feizhen already witnessed Zero and Blade Demon’s black Enlightenments. Zero was able to consolidate his energy, but, unlike Blade Demon, Zero’s didn’t have a property that made gave the impression he melted the ground. There were several reasons for it. Notwithstanding the fact that Zero didn’t specialise in wielding bladed weapons, nobody was certain why Edge Realm warriors were special.
Seemingly reading Ming Feizhen’s mind, Qu Ji stated, “I’m not as skilled as you people. My Enlightenment is extremely draining.”
Never once for a second did Qu Ji assume he was Ming Feizhen’s match, but he wasn’t afraid and never considered backing down.
Ming Feizhen cast his gaze to the last blackice wall. “I recall someone mentioning that the gus’ cold venom would immobilise people and called it his ultimate strategy. That means you’re buying time, correct?”
Qu Ji paused for a moment, but then he surprisingly shook his head. “No. I have a means of neutralising their venom. The four blackice walls don’t slow me down. I am the ultimate strategy.”
Ming Feizhen didn’t think that was a joke; Qu Ji didn’t have a sense of humour. Qu Ji didn’t give the vibe of a money grubber, so Ming Feizhen struggled to figure out where Qu Ji came from and why he’d serve Feng Jiutian.
“You should be aware of the gap between us.”
“I do. You’re far stronger than I am, and you have time and experience on your side.”
“So, what you’re saying is, you’re going to defeat me using your Enlightenment?” Ming Feizhen looked at his fearless challenger in disbelief. “I don’t intend to kill you. I’m not here for a contest; I’m here for a vengeance. I must see Feng Shanshan, and I don’t mind killing in order to achieve that goal. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I do.”
“So if you’re his ultimate card, I’m going to laugh loudly.”
“Anything can happen until the final result actually happens.” Qu Ji never took his eyes off Ming Feizhen.
Ming Feizhen couldn’t work out what his foe cautiously advancing one step at a time was plotting. While it would’ve been understandable to laugh at the pointless caution, Ming Feizhen couldn’t laugh given Qu Ji’s expression. As stupefying as it was to watch Qu Ji advance, it was puzzling to see him move in for a frontal attack when the gap between their levels was huge.
“I won’t hold back this time,” stressed Ming Feizhen.
“Please don’t.”
It took Ming Feizhen several seconds to identify what attack was coming when Qu Ji vanished, but he was surprised when he realised Qu Ji selected the least likely to succeed option – a frontal assault. While Qu Ji’s movements were perceived to be swift, he wasn’t fast enough to make Ming Feizhen lose track of him. To the contrary, Ming Feizhen saw a dull trajectory and clear movement that wasn’t remotely interesting. Qu Ji’s decision wasn’t a mistake that Ming Feizhen thought the former would’ve made.
Qu Ji propelled himself forwards at a speed beyond his control as he focused all his energy into his feet. Going faster than what one could control didn’t grant any extra power even though it increased the odds of making contact with the target. However, that would’ve purely been a physical collision since his arms wouldn’t be able to keep up.
Ming Feizhen barely needed to shift laterally to make Qu Ji fly past, but he realised he was wrong when he saw that Qu Ji hadn’t swung yet despite having gone past him. Suddenly, the unthinkable happened, and Ming Feizhen lost track of Qu Ji. Only at that point did Ming Feizhen realise Qu Ji made use of his threads.
Ming Feizhen used the crossed threads in the ground to light a fire, while Qu Ji used the silk shield as a springboard to transfer the energy from his feet to his upper body, empowering him to execute a faster swing than he physically could alone. Qu Ji couldn’t see Ming Feizhen due to himself moving faster than he could control, but Ming Feizhen also couldn’t see Qu Ji for the first time.
As vision was disabled, Qu Ji fell back on his own prior estimation and intuition to swing. The unique ability for his black Enlightenment to condense allowed him to condense his form; else, he wouldn’t have been able to finish his own gamble.
By the time Ming Feizhen located Qu Ji, the latter was already at his side. He never believed Qu Ji had a means to win; even though he contemplated what Qu Ji’s strategies could’ve been, he never gave it too much thought. Bouncing off his threads wasn’t some innovative idea never thought of, so it would’ve been easy to stop the improvised idea if he was careful. Alas, his own confidence hampered him. Due to his own hubris and constant guessing, his opponent was able to find his neck. Unfortunately, the feeling that transferred back to Qu Ji’s body wasn’t the feeling he desired.
Autumn King Thread – Empty Cicada Cocoon.
The humanoid spider silk fell apart, crumpling to the ground. Meanwhile, Ming Feizhen watched his opponent with respect from close by. “Empty Cicada Cocoon” was a technique he devised to avoid having to resist attacks head on, never expecting to resort to it against a warrior who hadn’t even reached Divine Realm.
Ming Feizhen raised a finger.
Shadow King Thread – Pangu.
The many threads fused into a dragon head with all the details and then crashed into Qu Ji’s back.
“This is the end.”
Even though Qu Ji managed to move away to reduce the damage, it was certain that he suffered a serious internal injury. Plus, he exhausted all of his energy in the last attack on top of his expensive Enlightenment.
Qu Ji crawled to his feet with blood coming from his nose and mouth, as well as a puddle of his own blood on the ground. His heavy breaths proved he was significantly weakened.
Ming Feizhen looked around to find that his flames had been extinguished, leaving just plumes of smoke, and that the temperature had dropped further. “It’s been rough on you to fight under these conditions.”
“… I have my own way of handling it. It won’t break me.”
“Hey, if you’re out of ideas, show yourself.” Gazing at the wall, Ming Feizhen questioned, “Or are you still counting on him?”
Ming Feizhen was referring to Feng Qizhi, who just managed to get up again. Even though Ming Feizhen enveloped the room in flames before and burnt Feng Qizhi, Feng Qizhi didn’t have any wounds. To the contrary, he had evolved even further. Perhaps it was owed to him growing accustomed to the environment, but he was even stronger than before. The only way to end the fight might’ve been to shred Feng Qizhi.
“… The gus are ineffective on you?” queried Qu Ji, in disbelief.
The gus’ venom was considerably more dangerous once they woke compared to when they just emitted cold venom in their slumber. Unless someone had pushed into advanced realms of their internal discipline focused on yang qi, then the cold would gradually weaken them. The debuff was particularly pronounced when people utilised their true qi. Without sufficient prior preparation, fighting under their influence was fatal. This proved Qu Ji was prepared; howbeit, it also puzzled Feng Jiutian.
The cold venom’s spread and the temperature were unrelated, so the cold venom should’ve impacted Ming Feizhen in spite of the flames raising the temperature, yet Ming Feizhen hadn’t even sneezed.
Ming Feizhen angled his head. “The venom is worthless on me. Did you poison me? I hope you didn’t because that’d be a huge waste.”
Feng Jiutian went silent.
Ming Feizhen rubbed his hands together. “If you don’t show yourself, I’ll have to find you myself.”
“… Brother Ming, do you know who is after your life?”
“Don’t you think it’s a little too late to start passing blame?”
“You misunderstand, Brother Mind. As you said, we have never had any grudges. Why should we harm each other? I am being forced against my will, as well.”
“Hahaha, you’re not going to tell me Yellow Prince ordered you to come after me, are you?”
“Eh? How did you know that?”
“Easy. Emperor’s Entourage noticed Feng Qizhi and Yellow Prince’s interactions. I was perplexed when they told me Yellow Prince was behind Feng Qizhi, but it all made sense once you got involved.” Ming Feizhen recoiled his celestial spider silk, thereby restoring his attire. “You’re with Yellow Prince. The only reason Feng Qizhi would connect with Yellow Prince is if it was on your orders.”
Feng Jiutian clapped. “You really are a smart guy, Brother Ming. I cannot oppose the command of a Prince.”
“Didn’t I tell you?” Ming Feizhen smirked. “It’s already too late to push the blame now. Yellow Prince just wants to circumvent me from being his shifu; he’s not interested in taking my life. What you’re doing has long gone beyond his intention and comprehension. All you’re doing now is trying to push the blame on to him to escape. You don’t give me enough credit, Brother Shanshan.”
“I would never! Didn’t I tell you? You misunderstand me.”
Ming Feizhen frowned. “What do you mean?”
“It is absolutely true that Yellow Prince wishes for your death. I don’t know the reason, but that is undeniable. That is why I tried to assassinate you.”
Giving a nudge in the direction something was going to further his own agenda certainly was Feng Jiutian’s style, so Ming Feizhen was somewhat convinced.
“There is one thing you have wrong, though. I am not telling you this to push the blame onto someone else. I just want you to know why you have to die. It’s time. Brother Zhi.”
Feng Qizhi suddenly inhaled a huge breath of air and belted! Judging from his tone, his throat organs must’ve been altered from a transformation. As he went up in flames, a pair of wings sprouted from his back. Had he had a few more years, he really might’ve been able to grow wings. Today, however, he was going to be on his back before he saw Ming Feizhen uncork the punch into his gut.
“You’re counting on this to defeat me?” Ming Feizhen questioned.
“Roar,” instructed Feng Jiutian.
Ming Feizhen suddenly stumbled back a step. Out of nowhere, he felt dizzy, blacked out for a moment and heard ringing in his ears, making his head hurt. It had been years since he felt his internal structures be jumbled ever since he completed his training. It was the first time he had a feeling of finding a rival since Pangu.
Ming Feizhen froze at the end of his punch. Feng Qizhi slowly slid down from Ming Feizhen’s fist and dropped on the ground, unable to budge an inch.
“… What is this?” Ming Feizhen opened his eyes.
Feng Jiutian smiled. “You don’t know that a dragon’s roar can summon winds and lightning, while a phoenix’s roar can destroy human organs, when you’re a disciple of Mount Daluo?”
Ming Feizhen was aware of that, but Nirvana was supposed to be the only one capable of aforementioned roar. It never crossed his mind that Feng Jiutian didn’t want Feng Qizhi to defeat him but to disable him. He was unaware that someone had successfully recreated the roar. If it was their clan’s first time being able to call forth the roar, then Feng Jiutian wouldn’t have been so familiar with how to get there, how long it took and how to get it out. In other words, Feng Qizhi wasn’t the only experiment in recent times.
“So what if I can’t move? You still have someone who can finish me?”
It was the final room, and Ming Feizhen’s ears told him there was nobody else left.
“You’re right. I’m out of men. Besides, it’d take someone special to even do anything to you. Therefore, it’s best to use a veteran. It’s your chance now!”
Without having to turn around, Ming Feizhen knew that the warrior on his knees, the warrior who had recovered somewhat, had re-entered combat mode with more power than before. In other words, Qu Ji had reserved energy for this opportunity.
“He’s right, but he missed out one thing.” Qu Ji emotionlessly marched forward without picking up his blade. “To be accurate, I’m not the me from just before. The phoenix’s roar may be fearsome, but it’s not almighty. Feng Qizhi was fine after the roar because he has qingluan blood in him and has undergone the brutal transformation process. A certain special population get the short end of the stick once the phoenix roars the same way we are disadvantaged against you. No matter mighty you may be, you’re still human. All you can do against truly special beings is bow down. There’s one more thing he didn’t tell you.” Qu Ji stopped before Ming Feizhen and raised his black hand. “Besides him, I’ve also mutated.”
Upon bringing his hand down on Ming Feizhen’s skull, Qu Ji didn’t hear bones crushing and brain parts splattering. He could see his fingers on Ming Feizhen’s dome and feel his fingers were there; he confirmed he already gave it his all.
“Yeah?” Eyes flashing red, Ming Feizhen rhetorically questioned, “This is how you took down Shen Wuzheng back then, too?”
Glossary
Gonggong – A Chinese water god who is depicted in Chinese mythology and folktales as having a copper human head with an iron forehead, red hair, and the body of a serpent, or sometimes the head and torso are human, with the tail of a serpent.
Zhurong – A Chinese god of fire and of the south.
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