Chapter 354: Chapter 347: Shackles and Whip
Chapter 457: Shackles and a Leather Whip.
By now, the preliminaries for the challenge match were complete. Elder Bai slowly raised his right hand—a gesture that seemed to be a habit of his, but one that carried a single, unspoken command: silence.
Glancing at the number of participants on each side, Elder Bai, a seasoned veteran of the Empire’s tournament, naturally understood the Cangyue Empire’s intent. He was quite appreciative of it. He didn’t see it as a slight; on the contrary, he considered it an act of fairness. After all, the strength of a Middle-class Empire and a Low-class Empire were never on the same level to begin with.
Clearing his throat, Elder Bai addressed both teams. "Since you are all ready, as per the rules, the first battle of the challenge match will be an individual battle, and the second will be a team battle. Any questions?"
"No!"
The reply came in perfect unison. Elder Bai smiled and nodded, then instructed the two teams to stand on two opposing, empty platforms. Since the challenge match was a battle between only two Empires, the surrounding rings were vacant, so Elder Bai repurposed them as temporary rest areas for the teams.
"Brother Qing Lei, I’ll take the first battle." After leaping onto the rest platform, Little Tiger walked over to Qing Lei’s side and spoke, full of confidence.
Qing Lei shook his head. "That’s not a good idea. While you haven’t revealed your full strength, they’re definitely familiar with your power-focused combat style by now. If you go, they’ll surely send someone with high Body Technique Cultivation to tie you down. In a battle of attrition, you’d never outlast a Martial Artist with superior Body Technique Cultivation."
Seeing the disappointed look on Little Tiger’s face, Qing Lei chuckled. "Silly kid, take a look at that big guy on their team."
Little Tiger blinked, looking up at Ta Shan of the Cangyue Empire. As he did, Ta Shan seemed to feel his stare and met his gaze.
"See him?" Qing Lei said softly. "If I’m not mistaken, he’s just like you—an Earth Attribute Martial Artist specializing in strong Power Defense. Aren’t you always itching for a clash of pure strength? I’ll leave the big guy to you. As for the rest, let me go first and probe their Combat Skills and tactics. That way, the rest of you won’t be caught off guard when it’s your turn."
Qing Lei’s words plunged everyone into silence. No one could refute him. It was true; after so many battles, their individual attributes and combat styles were all exposed. But their opponents? They didn’t know the first thing about the attributes of the five enemy members. The enemy was hidden while they were exposed; they couldn’t afford to be reckless.
"I agree with what Qing Lei said." Ye Shuangshuang always supported her man wholeheartedly. Her personality was bright and open, and she expressed her affection with the same forthrightness.
"Then Qing Lei will go first," Mu Bingling said with a resigned sigh.
As for Mo Qing, with her easy-going and gentle nature, she naturally went along with the group’s consensus.
Seeing that everyone was in agreement, Qing Lei grinned. "Heh, I just love the thrill of opening the show. An unknown challenge is the most exciting kind, isn’t it?"
The other four all sighed, rendered speechless.
Three minutes passed in the blink of an eye. Elder Bai raised his right hand again and called out, "Time’s up! For the first individual match of the Low-class Empire challenge, will the chosen participants from both sides please enter the ring!"
Without a moment’s hesitation, Qing Lei leaped onto Ring One with a WHOOSH. He landed in an extremely relaxed posture, looking indolent and devoid of any fighting spirit. But his four teammates knew this was his most focused combat stance.
"They’re starting with their captain?" Peng Chong frowned, hands in his pockets, and pursed his lips. "A Dark Attribute Martial Artist... what a pain. Guess we can’t just send Ta Shan to sweep their entire team by himself."
Liu Feiyan giggled and patted her chest. "You still have me, don’t you? Like I said before, if this weren’t a stage battle, he could probably sweep our whole team by himself. But what a pity for him—the combat area is only a thousand meters wide. This Dark Attribute Martial Artist is in for a tragedy." With that, Liu Feiyan spun, launched herself with a light touch of her toes, and landed gracefully on Ring One, as nimble as a swallow.
"Ah, that girl." Peng Chong retracted the hand he had started to raise and shrugged. "Can’t be helped. Just let her have her fun. Even though Feiyan isn’t an Ice Attribute Martial Artist, there’s another Attribute in this world with equally powerful control abilities. And Feiyan... she’s a genius among them, with incredibly high Body Technique Cultivation. ’Qing Lei, can you still maintain your unstoppable advance?’"
While both teams were lost in thought, the two on Ring One were already locked in a tense confrontation.
"Qing Lei, Dark Attribute Martial Artist of the Xuanling Empire! I don’t know what gave you the nerve to challenge my Cangyue Empire, but let me be blunt: I won’t go easy on you just because we’re both from the Flame Dragon Dynasty!" Liu Feiyan declared the moment she stepped onto the stage.
A cold glint flashed in Qing Lei’s eyes. "Heh... Why don’t you back up that big talk with some actual strength," he sneered. "Otherwise, it’s going to be very embarrassing for you when you lose."
Liu Feiyan faltered for a second, then stomped her foot on the platform. "You’re the one who asked for it! Don’t come crying to your mommy and daddy later! Referee, we can start!"
Provoked by Qing Lei’s retort, Liu Feiyan seemed utterly flustered. But any discerning eye could see it was just an act, meant to cloud Qing Lei’s judgment. ’But would he really let his guard down over something so trivial?’
"Begin!" At Liu Feiyan’s urging, Elder Bai gave the command and shot up into the air.
The battle began the instant Elder Bai’s voice faded. Upon hearing the command, Qing Lei immediately entered his Shadow Concealment State. He vanished from the platform, his aura disappearing without a trace along with him.
Liu Feiyan swiftly mobilized her Primordial Power, a light chuckle escaping her lips. "A parlor trick! Let me show you just how massive a disadvantage a Dark Attribute Martial Artist faces in a confined space!"
THWIP THWIP THWIP!
In the blink of an eye, dozens of ink-green vines shot out from around Liu Feiyan. Not only were the vines thick and tough, but more troublingly, they immediately began to spread rapidly, covering the area around her.
At the same time, as the ink-green vines expanded, a steady stream of green Primordial Power flowed from Liu Feiyan’s body. Its purity and strength were impeccable. In an instant, four blue Martial Rings materialized at her feet. A Fourth-Ring Martial Sect!
Standing behind the platform, Mu Bingling’s expression darkened. "This is bad," she muttered. "She’s a full Martial Artist Level higher than Qing Lei. On top of that, she’s a Wood Attribute Martial Artist—second only to Ice Attribute Martial Artists when it comes to control! Qing Lei’s in a tough spot!"
The instant Mu Bingling finished speaking, a clump of vines on Ring One suddenly writhed. Liu Feiyan saw it and giggled, crying out, "Oops, found you! Ink Vine Entanglement!"
At Liu Feiyan’s cry, the ink-green vines suddenly coiled, twisting like countless slender, ink-green serpents. They shot upward, instantly ensnaring something invisible.
"Hngh..."
A muffled grunt sounded from within the tangled mass of ink-green vines. Qing Lei’s shadowy figure flickered into view on the platform, several long, tough ink-green vines wrapped tightly around his ankle.
"Hee hee, I told you from the start," she chirped. "A Dark Attribute Martial Artist in a confined space is like a bird with broken wings. No matter how strong you are, you can’t cause much of a stir. Paralyzing Spike!"
With a swirl of Primordial Power and a flick of her arm, all the vines on the platform began to writhe. A moment later, inch-long spikes, glowing with a faint blue light, shot out from the vines wrapped around Qing Lei’s leg. They were clearly coated in poison!
SHINK SHINK SHINK!
Just as the sharp spikes were about to pierce his skin, Qing Lei spun violently. With a flash, two short, black blades that seemed to swallow all light appeared in his hands.
"Blade Spin!"
With a low cry, Qing Lei flung his arms out, carving a perfect black arc that sliced through the vines on his leg with a clean SLASH. But in the instant the vines were severed, one of the faint blue spikes grazed him, tearing through his pant leg with a ZING and leaving a minuscule scratch. Yet, the appearance of that tiny wound caused Qing Lei to lose a sliver of control over his foot.
THUD.
Landing on a patch of the platform clear of vines, Qing Lei instinctively glanced down at his right foot. A faint, numbing tingle spreading from it made him frown. For a Dark Attribute Martial Artist who relied on Body Technique and assassination, their legs were what they had to protect above all else; they were the very source of their power. But now, his foot was already losing feeling, and he could no longer move as freely as before.
Seeing Qing Lei’s right leg begin to tremble, Liu Feiyan grinned. "Hee hee, how does it feel? Can you feel the sensation in your right foot fading away? That it’s starting to stop listening to you? I don’t mind telling you, my paralyzing Poison spreads on mere contact with the skin. And as it spreads, not only will your right foot go numb, but your entire right leg, and eventually your whole body, will be paralyzed! Next, I’ll let you have a taste of what a good whipping feels like."
With another giggle, Liu Feiyan grabbed one of the vines. Primordial Power surged from her arm, and once again, rows of blue spikes sprouted from its length, transforming it into a long, thorny whip.
CRACK!
Cracking the vine whip against the ground, Liu Feiyan reveled in the impact, a queenly aura suddenly radiating from her. Seeing her in this state, Peng Chong, Chu Liwen, and Huang Bo all felt a chill run down their spines. They instinctively crossed their arms over their chests and said with wry smiles, "That girl Feiyan is about to start her ’shackles and whip’ game again."
"Yeah, it’s unbearable."
"Ahem, you think the other guy is going to be mentally scarred?"
"Who knows..."
...
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