Chapter 852: Chapter 848: That Realm
Just as Qiantai finished forming the hand seal, a sudden burst of black mist erupted around him, and immediately another figure appeared beside him, identical in posture and expression to him.
"Bang bang bang bang bang..."
After several explosions on the face, there were nine figures of Qiantai in total, including the original body, forming a circle. Each corresponded to a shadow clone that Sun Miaohan had conjured using the power of the Divine Weapon, creating a scene that seemed to reach a stalemate.
The next moment, Sun Miaohan’s sword shadows simultaneously swung forward, while the figures Qiantai had projected also made defensive maneuvers at the same time.
"Clang!"
After a familiar crisp sound, Sun Miaohan’s sword shadows suddenly converged as one, and the clones summoned by Qiantai through Ninjutsu dissipated, marking their first round of competition, showcasing an evenly matched situation.
However, for Qiantai, who is a ninja, this prolonged struggle is the most feared situation. The longer the time drags on, the more insufficient his explosive power becomes, and it will be harder to continue. At that moment, no matter how legendary his tale, he’s likely to fall with resentment under the opponent’s sword.
This is an innate disadvantage, a congenital shortcoming that Qiantai really can’t be blamed for.
Of course, it doesn’t mean that Qiantai’s profession doesn’t have any strengths; at least in terms of speed and explosive power, no expert of the same level can match him.
But on the flip side, once dragged into a stalemate battle, this advantage immediately turns into a disadvantage, and the larger the advantage, the exponentially greater the disadvantage, causing the situation to reverse in an instant.
...
Despite not achieving a favorable outcome at the start, Sun Miaohan felt no discouragement; the battle spirit around her showed no sign of diminishing, and instead seemed to be growing with time.
On the other side, Qiantai, unwilling to engage in a prolonged fight, suddenly thought of the two treasures in his possession, and his eyes rolled as he quickly hatched a plan...
Qiantai, who had already devised a plan, immediately held the Megrez Stone in one hand and firmly grasped the Shaking Light Disc in the other, appearing as though he intended to use the treasures as a threat.
"Don’t push me!" Qiantai struggled to make his pronunciation more precise, saying, "If you don’t want them destroyed, you’d better stop pursuing me."
Faced with Qiantai’s words, Sun Miaohan responded by drawing her sword once more, showing no indication of being swayed.
In fact, Sun Miaohan’s choice temporarily let reason slip away to boost her own power growth. Moreover, as a disciple of a major sect, she had done her homework in advance and would naturally not believe any nonsense about the treasures being destroyed!
If the world’s treasures were as fragile as glass marbles, how could they contain the vast surges of energy?
Thus, to some extent, the material of the treasure might be more precious than the energy within, even though there’s an enormous disparity in energy strength.
But being a container for such powerful energy, how could the treasure’s material be anything but extraordinary?!
This is a consensus in Huaxia, and it’s unclear whether this ninja from Japan is genuinely ignorant or takes Sun Miaohan for a fool to deceive.
However, regardless of Qiantai’s motives, Sun Miaohan’s sword had already spoken for her, showing she resolutely refused to succumb to threats!
While fending off the continuous, wave-after-wave attacks, Qiantai’s mind raced as he seriously observed the timing, confident he could escape in an instant of blinks.
However, the seal on True Qi had already been broken; Sun Miaohan unleashed over twenty years of learning, using them almost without repetition. It was impossible for a gap to easily appear.
Although till now the opponent showed no signs of fatigue, Sun Miaohan did not seem anxious, as though treating Qiantai like a training dummy, executing those moves she had practiced countless times, akin to boiling a frog in warm water.
At this point, the disparity became apparent, especially for Qiantai, Sun Miaohan’s opponent, who felt it all the more profoundly!
Clearly, there seemed to be a gap between the opponent’s strength and his, but likely due to cultivation technique suppression—Qiantai consistently felt his moves were flawless but were eventually countered one by one.
With beads of sweat forming on his forehead, Qiantai’s heart slowly sank; calming down, he seemed to realize something.
Could she be someone from that layer?!
With this thought, Qiantai, who initially did not wish for more entanglement, became even less willing to engage in further battle.
Because Qiantai clearly understood, if Sun Miaohan truly belonged to "that layer," even if he could defeat the opponent, what awaited him was a descent into an abyss.
Moreover, Qiantai, clearly restrained at every turn, evidently unable to overcome Sun Miaohan, was naturally inclined towards retreat.
"Take it!"
With one hand each, Qiantai threw the Megrez Stone and the Shaking Light Disc in two different directions. Then, forming a peculiar hand seal again, his figure instantly turned into a mass of black dust, vanishing from sight.
...
Not until he had run a kilometer away did Qiantai dare to slow down slightly, to calm the chaotic True Qi.
This time, for Qiantai was a complete loss; not to mention gaining Kojima Minako’s favor to elevate him to the level he dreamed of, he’d consider it lucky if he weren’t punished.
And if there was even a one in ten thousand chance of escape, Qiantai would never have used the ability he did just now.
In just that brief moment, Qiantai expended a cost equivalent to a small advancement level, and this type of cost wasn’t something recoverable.
To restore, he must achieve another breakthrough, and even having experienced breakthroughs before, Qiantai would not guarantee a hundred percent success next time.
This stems from the ninja’s unique system, forming his distinct breakthrough method unlike ordinary people.
In the ninja world, even a minuscule level is enough for others to revere.
The reasons are twofold: firstly, breakthroughs are exceedingly difficult, coupled with a significant failure rate; secondly, a small level difference can span an immeasurable distance, creating absolute suppression from higher to lower levels.
In this uniquely severe hierarchical environment, high levels remain lofty, while lower levels can only look up!
Thinking thus, Qiantai felt as if his heart was bleeding, only able to console himself with the notion of survival.
However, upon thoroughly reviewing the sequence of events before and after the battle, Qiantai increasingly believed Sun Miaohan might be a person from that level he revered, becoming immensely grateful for his own choice!
Yet, just as he prepared to pause for breath, a sudden piercing pain struck between his eyebrows. Then, everything went dark before his eyes, and the flow of True Qi unexpectedly halted...
