Chapter 185: Chapter 130: Ji Jie of the Blood-crying Spear (Double-Length)
"You may announce your name now."
"I’ve faced many at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, and you’re quite a figure among them." Liou Yuan, not one to be outdone, responded to Ji Jie while taking a deep breath, wielding his sword and addressing Ji Jie with solemnity: "Liou Yuan from the Five Extremes Mountain!"
"Ji Jie!"
The exchange between Liou Yuan and Ji Jie was brief.
Yet, the sound of metal clashing and the trembling of Spiritual Power during their duel was unmistakable, echoing far and wide through the Huifeng Marketplace.
The marketplace was filled with countless cultivators, instantly attracted by the situation.
They poked their heads out from where they stayed, and some cultivators in the Huifeng Inn even stepped onto the street.
As soon as they heard the two announce their names, the marketplace erupted into chaos.
"The Blood-crying Spear Ji Jie, where are the guards of Huifeng Marketplace, what are they doing, how did they let such a fierce person in?"
Many cultivators were apprehensive; hearing Ji Jie’s name made them feel like their lives were in danger, and they began to scold the guards of Huifeng Marketplace.
Those who could stay in the marketplace were mostly Loose Cultivators, and their cultivation wasn’t very high. The place was remote, not a famous county in Jiuli State, so there wasn’t even a single Late-stage Qi Cultivation here.
Ji Jie’s fierce reputation was daunting, no wonder they were scared.
A local cultivator from Huifeng Marketplace quickly answered: "Huifeng County is under the jurisdiction of Qingfeng Valley. That sect has only two Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the highest disciple guarding this marketplace is only at Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer. Whether they can defeat Ji Jie is another question."
"Damn, no wonder I haven’t seen Tu Lu lately. Did Ji Jie kill him?"
The appearance of Ji Jie caused a brief chaos in Huifeng Marketplace.
Fortunately, the identity of Liou Yuan as a disciple of the Five Extremes Mountain standing on the street confronting Ji Jie offered them some comfort.
"Luckily, there’s a prominent disciple from the Five Extremes Mountain. He should be here to apprehend Ji Jie."
"It’s unlikely to be that easy to handle Ji Jie. Previously, even a Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer disciple from the Disciplinary Hall of Five Extremes Mountain couldn’t apprehend him."
"This guy is at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, and I’m afraid he can’t even protect himself."
The Loose Cultivators in Huifeng Marketplace were mostly pessimistic about Liou Yuan’s ability to capture Ji Jie.
...
On the second floor of the tavern, Gong Linqing silently walked down from upstairs.
He stood at the edge of the battlefield.
He knew from the time Liou Yuan and Ji Jie exchanged blows that the level of this battle was beyond his ability to intervene.
Since he couldn’t intervene, he did what he could.
As Liou Yuan had instructed before, he backed him up.
The discussions around did not affect the duel on the field.
After Liou Yuan and Ji Jie exchanged names, a murderous intent simultaneously erupted in their eyes.
Bang! Liou Yuan thrust the Profound Brilliance Sword, swinging the second strike.
The Green Tide Sword radiance surged, and his body moved with the sword tip, shooting towards Ji Jie.
Wherever it passed, ripple-like patterns shot out and trembled.
The latter let out a long roar, shook his spear, and a chilling aura emanated from the spearhead, thrusting toward Liou Yuan.
Ding! The might of the Profound Brilliance Sword and the Blood-crying Spear collided once more.
One wielded a sword, the other a spear; their weapons clashed, neither willing to yield an inch.
The surging sword radiance and spear power spread from the point both stood, causing the cultivators near the battlefield to reel.
"Ha!" Ji Jie’s spear stance suddenly changed, retracting the spear between his hands, taking a step back, and drawing an arc behind him, smashing it toward the close Liou Yuan.
Liou Yuan advanced instead of retreating, activating the traits of the Profound Brilliance Sword, heavily tilting it toward the direction from which the spear was coming.
Clang! Ji Jie’s spear technique was extraordinary; Liou Yuan broke it with brute force, unexpectedly forcing Ji Jie, who wielded the spear, back several steps.
He used this to dissipate the force on Liou Yuan’s Profound Brilliance Sword and said, "Body Cultivator!"
"You’ve realized too late." Liou Yuan’s gaze was cold, pressing the advantage, swinging the fourth strike of the Profound Brilliance Sword.
Waves surged, enveloping Ji Jie from all sides.
The latter twirled his spear, forming a defensive field just big enough to cover him, deflecting Liou Yuan’s attack.
Simultaneously, the spear thrust out from that field at a tricky angle, aiming at Liou Yuan’s lower body.
Liou Yuan abandoned defense completely, gripping the sword with both hands to unleash the fifth strike.
The Profound Brilliance Sword’s blade was then covered in blue sword radiance, this strike more potent than before, breaching Ji Jie’s defense with a single blow.
At the same time, the sword radiance turned into a blue expanse, aiming straight at Ji Jie’s head.
If neither cared for each other’s attack, clearly, the likelihood of Ji Jie being slain by this sword was greater.
This forced him to abandon his assault, twirling his spear in a defensive flourish.
He thrust out several times in succession, striking at the Green Tide radiance, neutralizing the power of Liou Yuan’s strike.
"Excellent spear technique!" Liou Yuan, having refined the Shock Tide Swordsmanship until now, had never before had the opportunity to unleash the final strike in actual combat.
Seeing his repeated assaults easily deflected by Ji Jie, his eyes burned with even more determination.
Ji Jie, with an imposing aura, engaged closely, clashing on the street over a dozen times.
The Profound Brilliance Sword and the Blood-crying Spear collided, sparking clusters of flames and clashing metal, the sound dense as raindrops.
Their Spiritual Power, in the process, was pushed to its absolute limit without reservation.
In terms of cultivation, Ji Jie had the edge, but Liou Yuan’s Dual Cultivation advantage came into play here. The Yunwu Prefecture remained unwavering, surging with vitality, bridging the gap between their realms.
They fought to a standstill.
The spectacular duel held the Loose Cultivators in Huifeng Marketplace in rapt attention, not a single eye looking away.
"Mr. Liou is indeed formidable!" Gong Linqing observed Liou Yuan’s impressive figure, struggling on par with Ji Jie, with awe written on his darkened face.
He was amazed at Liou Yuan’s formidable strength, more so because Liou Yuan looked young, perhaps only eighteen.
And yet, he could match the renowned Blood-crying Spear Ji Jie to this extent.
Gradually, the narrow street was no longer sufficient for their display.
The two moved from the street to the rooftop of the Huifeng Inn as they battled.
Liou Yuan unleashed the sixth strike of the Shock Tide, the sword radiance bursting like waves on the rooftop of the Huifeng Inn.
The tiles on the roof were instantly scattered by the torrent, ultimately falling all over the Huifeng Marketplace, creating a sound of shattering like dense raindrops.
Ji Jie charged against the might of Liou Yuan’s sword radiance.
The Blood-crying Spear transformed into a giant serpent shape, weaving as if swimming in water, closing in on Liou Yuan’s face.
Clang! Liou Yuan raised his sword to block.
While parrying Ji Jie’s Blood-crying Spear, Liou Yuan and Ji Jie were face-to-face, less than three feet apart.
At such close range, it was the best opportunity to cast the Lion’s Roar Spell.
"Roar!" A ferocious sound like a lion or a tiger exploded from Liou Yuan’s mouth, echoing in all directions.
The sound waves were deafening, the loud roar covering every corner of Huifeng Marketplace.
The surrounding cultivators, with their weaker cultivation, fainted directly under Liou Yuan’s roar.
Many coughed up fresh blood.
Despite standing at some distance, bystanders were already severely wounded.
Ji Jie, at such a close range, was caught off guard by the Lion’s Roar Spell.
He felt as if his internal organs were displaced by the roar, blood spurting from his mouth and nose, his body flying backward.
