Chapter 174: Chapter 130: With the Power of One
WHOOSH!
Ripples spread across the high wall of shadow as over ten figures passed through it, one after another.
At the head of the group was none other than Jun Buxiao of the "Shadow Puppetry" technique, the man who had orchestrated this entire affair. Behind him was Gu Qiutang, the "Immovable Saber."
Yue Yan followed close behind and saw Zheng Xiu standing alone on the street beside a pile of rubble, which was covered in bloodstains.
Many civilians also lay on the street, passed out. Zheng Xiu’s gaze locked onto Jun Buxiao and sharpened. Under his Spiritual Vision, Jun Buxiao’s figure was different from the others, like a blurry, flickering mass. After a moment of thought, Zheng Xiu understood. ’Jun Buxiao doesn’t dare to show his real self this time. The one walking at the front is just a "shadow"; his true body is hiding elsewhere.’
"The world is truly full of wonders."
Zheng Xiu once again marveled at the wonder of Miracle Techniques. They were like miracles granted to Humanity by Heaven, with endless variations emerging one after another.
Aside from Jun Buxiao, Gu Qiutang, and Yue Yan, the others who walked in were all dressed in black. They had Ye Weiyang waist tokens, and Ravens perched on their shoulders. In the dark of night, the Ravens’ eyes shone brightly, like jet-black pearls imbued with a vibrant luster, as if they were pairs of Human eyes spying on the area.
Three of them had star patterns on their sleeves and carried Black Boxes on their backs. Judging by their attire, Zheng Xiu recognized that these three must be from the "Twenty-Eight Constellations."
"Uncle Zheng?"
The appearance of this crowd of men in black frightened Chu Susu, causing her to instinctively hide behind Zheng Xiu.
She remembered what Zheng Xiu had said and couldn’t help but glance back at her friends lying on the ground.
Jun Buxiao let out an exaggerated, bizarre laugh. "Well, well? What happened to that monster, Feng Bei?"
Despite his words, Jun Buxiao’s gaze was fixed intently behind Zheng Xiu. He had clearly seen the scroll on Zheng Xiu’s back.
"Take a guess?"
Zheng Xiu laughed heartily. ’I’ve fought two members of the "Twelfth Moon" before, so I have a general idea of their Miracle Techniques. But in a conflict between Miracle Techniques, the key is the "miracle" part. It’s not as simple as a higher level making you more durable; upsets are common in battles between Miracle Masters. Just look at Xu Shu. He was far more experienced than Dou Xie, yet wasn’t he pinned from behind by that Mighty Man, had his neck snapped, and even had his corpse desecrated, all in the first encounter? He couldn’t even die in peace.’
Before his voice had even faded, Zheng Xiu grabbed Chu Susu’s hand. Inky light and shadow flowed from his back as a single wing unfurled and his fangs grew long. Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, Zheng Xiu transformed into a monster even more monstrous than Feng Bei and rocketed into the sky.
The single, ink-black wing shed a brilliant, flowing light, like a sharp dagger that sliced the night sky in two.
"Move... and... you... die!"
Gu Qiutang instantly took a stance, preparing to use his signature technique, "Immovable Saber."
"Come get me!"
In mid-air, Zheng Xiu sneered and pointed at Gu Qiutang from a distance.
Gu Qiutang’s placid demeanor shattered instantly. As if spouting some trash talk along the lines of, "If I, Gu Qiutang, don’t slaughter eighteen generations of your ancestors, then I’m not a man," his elegant, knightly air vanished without a trace. Like a rabid dog, he hurled the Treasure Saber from his waist at Zheng Xiu in the air.
Gu Qiutang let loose a torrent of curses.
The air suddenly fell silent.
Someone on a nearby rooftop staggered, completely dumbfounded.
Everyone was stunned.
No one could have imagined that the great Immovable Saber would be the first to move.
As everyone knew, the moment the Immovable Saber moved, its Miracle Technique was nullified.
"He’s Casting!"
Jun Buxiao was aghast. In their last confrontation, Zheng Xiu’s use of "Dragon Head Painting" had led Jun Buxiao to a mistaken conclusion: that the dragon head Zheng Xiu had conjured was so beautiful it had simply mesmerized them. While trying to analyze Zheng Xiu’s Miracle Technique, Jun Buxiao had focused entirely on the[Painter]Path. He never imagined his opponent’s medium for Casting wasn’t actually painting.
’Could it be he really isn’t on the Painter Path?’
’Damn it! I’ve been tricked!’
Jun Buxiao was both shocked and furious.
"Had Heaven not birthed me, the Deceit Dao would be trapped in an eternal night!"
Zheng Xiu flapped his single wing and flew arrogantly over everyone’s heads, his magnificent declaration shattering the silence like a tolling bell.
[Intimidation]!
His Masterful "Intimidation" already had an extremely high trigger rate. All Zheng Xiu had to do was show off with a little flair, and it would activate easily.
With those casual words, the Night Guards and Constellations on the street and rooftops, who had been preparing to use their various Miracle Techniques, were instantly affected. Their pupils trembled as if shaken by an earthquake, an inexplicable terror seized their hearts, and they froze on the spot, too scared to make a move.
Two of them were even more pathetic than Dou Xie. The whites of their eyes rolled back as they foamed at the mouth and fainted, not to get up again.
"Everyone, be careful! His Miracle Technique is full of variations, so watch out for tricks! Hee hee hee! Allow me to make the first move!"
Jun Buxiao was both surprised and amused, his tone bizarrely theatrical, like an old general on a stage. His speech carried a contrived, flamboyant air, and it was hard to tell if this was a Restriction of his "Shadow Puppetry." Jun Buxiao then brandished a pair of scissors and began snipping quickly at the shadows. Streaks of shadow, like black ribbons or tentacles, shot out from behind him, enveloping the airborne Zheng Xiu from all directions.
"Find a way to steal his mask!"
In a clash of Combat Skills between Miracle Masters, one had to use their brain as well as their hands. After a swiftly weaving shadow grazed his chest and left a clean-edged wound, Zheng Xiu hurriedly whispered to Chu Susu.
Chu Susu nodded vigorously. At that moment, she was like a little filly tossed up and down by raging waves; the sensation of soaring and somersaulting through the air made her dizzy as waves of nausea washed over her. But hearing his words, she knew Zheng Xiu was in a tough fight. Not daring to waste words, she reached a small hand into her robes and did her best to aim for the painted bone mask on Jun Buxiao’s face.
In truth, Zheng Xiu wasn’t sure if stealing Jun Buxiao’s mask would affect his Casting. But he was ninety percent certain that Jun Buxiao’s Path was[Actor]. His attire and his mannerisms all supported this conclusion. ’An Actor without his face paint can’t be an Actor anymore,’ Zheng Xiu guessed. With the mentality of ’it can’t hurt to try,’ he decided to have Susu give it a shot.
