Chapter 77: The Three Compete in Magic

The blade of the Bright Moon Sword was noticeably longer than ordinary swords, its silvery edge flashing in an instant. The man with the monkey-like cheeks couldn’t help but exclaim inwardly, What a splendid sword, what a splendid swordplay!

Not daring to be the least bit careless, he wove his hands, streaked with a web of black energy, and clamped down hard at the very path of the silver light, catching it in a fierce grip. Yet the force behind this strike was so great that his expression changed; his waist trembled, and he staggered back two steps.

“Second Brother, this one’s tough. Stay back and keep watch. If you get hurt, it’ll be hard to explain to Master!” he called out.

Qin Chuan’s face darkened, surprised that his opponent still had the mind to exchange words. Seeing that brute force would not gain him the upper hand, Qin Chuan flicked his finger against the blade. The monkey-cheeked man’s hands gripped the sword tightly; even as the edge sliced open his skin, not a drop of blood appeared. It was unmistakably a secret technique, transforming his body into a living corpse!

Such a body felt little pain, healed swiftly, and possessed extraordinary strength. Qin Chuan’s flick, though seemingly simple, made the monkey-cheeked man’s face change color as a shockwave traveled up the sword, through his arm, and deep into his organs.

What a strange technique, he thought, one I’ve never even heard of, yet so effective. Little did he know, this was no spell at all, but rather the “Flick” technique from the third volume of the Outer Refinement of the Mustard Seed Immortal Finger.

With his insides reeling, the monkey-cheeked man was forced to release his grip, flipping backward to evade the sword’s edge—yet his left arm was still injured.

The tall man at the side, seeing his senior brother wounded, grew grim. He retreated until he was five paces from the battlefield, murmured an incantation, and sent the two corpse birds flapping their bony wings to harass from the side.

Qin Chuan, wary of the strange birds, was just about to retreat when he felt a faint warmth at his left wrist. Ghost Seven was stirring, apparently eager to come out.

In the blink of an eye, the two corpse birds were upon him. With no time to think, Qin Chuan willed a thread of spiritual energy into the ribbon.

Ghost Seven’s form immediately appeared, letting out a hoarse roar at the two birds. Though his voice was weak, it was enough to make the corpse birds hesitate, circling warily as if deeply afraid.

A surge of joy rose in Qin Chuan’s heart—Ghost Seven was in better shape than he’d thought, not as frail as expected. He could even sense Ghost Seven’s excitement, as if he wanted to snack on the two corpse birds.

The strange notion flickered and vanished as Qin Chuan composed himself and raised his sword once more. Compared to spells that consumed vast amounts of spiritual energy, he preferred simply to cut straight through with his blade. In truth, apart from the spells needed for alchemy, he wasn’t particularly skilled at anything else...

His swordplay remained straightforward and unadorned, but with arms infused with spiritual energy, each stroke carried the weight of a thousand pounds. The energy surged and scattered, thick as misty rain.

This strike was almost the pinnacle of Qin Chuan’s ability. The sword light extended three feet, radiating a chilling aura. Striding forward in great bounds, he became a streak of white rushing ahead.

The monkey-cheeked man was inwardly terrified, not expecting that Qin Chuan had been holding back before. Now, caught a fraction of a second too slow, he had no way to dodge.

At this critical moment, he dared not hold back. The black energy covering his arms condensed around his hands, which were now densely coated with sharp, black spider-hairs. Ignoring the injury to his left arm, he let out a loud roar to bolster his courage, his face twisted as he hurled both fists forward.

A battle-hardened veteran, he knew he was at a disadvantage, but if he retreated, his momentum would be utterly lost. Besides, he still had a trump card!

Clang!

Instead of the expected sound of flesh being pierced, a sharp metallic ring echoed out.

Driven by the force of the encounter, Qin Chuan took half a step back. Before he could steady himself, a sudden whoosh sliced through the air from the side!

“Hm?”

The tall man standing at a distance showed no hint of inexperience; his eyes were cold as he seized the moment when Qin Chuan’s old strength was spent and new strength yet to rise. Forming a spell seal, he conjured a small, pitch-black sword.

This little sword, born of magic, darted lightly through the air, reaching over ten feet away in a blink—an instant later, it was upon him!

Qin Chuan’s face betrayed his alarm; he hadn’t expected the pair to use such tricks and nearly believed the man’s act of inexperience. Now there was no time to evade—he could only raise his sword horizontally to block.

Fortunately, the Bright Moon Sword’s blade was as wide as a palm. Though a hasty move, it proved effective.

Ding!

The black sword barely brushed the Bright Moon Sword before dissolving into a burst of force, traveling up the blade and into Qin Chuan’s arm.

The little sword excelled in speed, but its force was limited. Qin Chuan only staggered back two steps before regaining his footing.

But now, the monkey-cheeked man realized his subterfuge had been seen through and that his ambush had failed. He would have to fight head-on.

His body-refinement technique had reached the fifth level. Stamping his feet on the ground with a sound like muffled drums, the decaying flesh and bone of his hands, under the influence of his vital energy, healed almost entirely in a heartbeat.

Yet this kind of recovery clearly consumed a great deal of spiritual energy, but the monkey-cheeked man had no choice.

One step ahead, every step ahead—after such effort to force Qin Chuan to reveal a flaw, how could he let it slip by?

His spider-hair-covered hands shot forward with his stride, stirring a foul wind that aimed straight for Qin Chuan’s face.

Qin Chuan’s expression was grave, but he remained unhurried. In the nick of time, he reached to his waist and snatched up three or five black-and-white pills, infusing them with spiritual energy before flinging them forward.

They were Yin-Yang Thunder Beads!

The monkey-cheeked man knew at a glance these were no mere candies, but unsure of their nature, his heart filled with dread and his hands faltered, half-tempted to dodge aside.

But Qin Chuan suddenly pointed and gave a low shout. “Explode!”

A tearing force, wrapped in spiraling energy, rushed back at him, making his face twist with shock.

The monkey-cheeked man suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a pea-green bead. The moment it appeared, it swelled in the wind, already etched with several cracks as thick as a pinky finger.

The force slammed into the bead with a crisp snap, splitting it further.

No time to grieve over the loss, for Qin Chuan, without hesitation, unleashed another spell.

Forming a seal, he cast the Fire Separation Technique—two lines of fire snaked over the ground, converging in an instant to become a single, violet fire serpent. Agile and lively, it twisted its body and lunged at the monkey-cheeked man.

He was stunned, never imagining Qin Chuan could excel at both body refinement and spiritual cultivation, nor that he could wield such a spell. Fear gripped his heart.

There was no time now to fetch a treasure. He had yet to build his foundation, and though drawing a magical tool from his pouch wouldn’t take long, it would still be time enough for the fire serpent to kill him a hundred times over.

Clenching his teeth, he slapped his chest, forcing corpse-blood from his viscera, and spat it toward the fire serpent.

This corpse-blood was no ordinary substance; he usually nourished his organs with it as a rare treasure to enhance his cultivation.

The ghastly green corpse-blood was bitterly cold. As it appeared, the wild grass took on a frosty blue sheen, and in a crackling instant, it collided with the fire serpent.

The two forces canceled each other out.

Just then, the tall man’s spell was ready.