Chapter 102: Chapter 101: Qi Body Origin Flow? Deity Possession?
Everyone turned to look at Taoist Yi Hong.
Taoist Yi Hong flicked his foot, hooking a Familiar Copper Rod that had been dropped by a fleeing bandit and had rolled down the mountain path. He caught it in his right hand and gave it a fancy twirl.
Then, Taoist Yi Hong slung the Familiar Copper Rod behind his back with a reverse grip and strode forward, walking right up to face the big man.
In everyone’s line of sight, Taoist Yi Hong seemed to grow taller and taller as he walked.
This was literally true. Taoist Yi Hong’s steps grew heavier, his body began to swell, and his height shot up from just over 1.6 meters. In the span of a few breaths, the scrawny Daoist had grown more than thirty centimeters taller, his entire frame becoming robust and imposing.
"Holy shit! The Hulk?" Gu Zhao exclaimed.
Taoist Yan Song was also stunned. "Divine possession?"
The next moment, Taoist Yi Hong formed a sword-hand with his left fingers and pointed at the big man across from him. He chuckled, his voice booming with a distinct capital accent, "I look upon this scoundrel as a mere straw man with his head up for sale!"
Gu Zhao: ???
’So you really did summon Lord Guan to possess you?’
Seeing Taoist Yi Hong suddenly grow so tall, the big man was taken aback for a moment. Then, a savage excitement flared in his eyes as he raised his Wolf Fang Club and brought it crashing down on Yi Hong’s head.
"CLANG—"
The deafening clash of weapons actually sent a shockwave expanding in all directions, causing the leaves and branches of the surrounding trees to sway and tremble.
Taoist Yi Hong’s body didn’t move, but the Familiar Copper Rod in his hand had actually bent slightly.
The Wolf Fang Club in the big man’s hands was fine, but he himself had stumbled back two steps.
Who was stronger and who was weaker was clear at a glance.
But the big man refused to believe it. He was of a ferocious beast’s bloodline, a Great Demon who excelled in strength and was unbeatable in close combat!
So the big man raised his Wolf Fang Club again, only to see the Familiar Copper Rod coming at him, a good deal faster than his own weapon.
"CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG—"
A rapid, dense, and ear-piercing series of clashes rang out. Taoist Yi Hong’s frame was still not as large as the big man’s, yet he was pressing him all the way back toward the mountain stronghold.
The big man didn’t want to retreat. He not only put more force into his grip but also circulated Demon Power throughout his body. Empowered as such, while he couldn’t move mountains, fill seas, or subdue dragons and elephants, his strength was still enough to shatter mountains and crush stone.
But even so, he still couldn’t withstand his opponent’s power, which felt as vast as mountains and seas. He gritted his teeth and held on, each step backward digging three inches into the earth, but he still couldn’t halt his retreat.
In speed, strength, and reflexes, his opponent was superior in every way.
More importantly, the power radiating from his opponent’s body wasn’t Demon Power, but another kind of energy that terrified him—a power as natural and immense as the heavens and the earth.
’He hasn’t formed a Harmony with a Great Demon? He’s just a Mage?’
’How is that possible?’
’How can a mere Mage possess such physical strength!?’
The big man swung his Wolf Fang Club in a frenzy. Risking mutual destruction with an upward strike from below, he finally forced his opponent to a halt. Only then did he steady himself, grit his teeth, and look up. "Who are you?"
Taoist Yi Hong paused for a moment, then strode forward again. He twirled the Familiar Copper Rod into a flourish and brought it down on the big man’s head. "An oath in a peach garden, three brothers sworn; through passes and generals, a Guan Saber is born!"
"CLANG!"
After the tremendous crash, the big man’s arms were trembling faintly, and he almost lost his grip on his weapon.
He now looked as pathetic as he had been arrogant when he first appeared.
"Second Young Master!"
The next moment, two more figures leaped out from the mountain stronghold. One used a Single Saber and the other a Long Spear, closing in on Taoist Yi Hong from the left and right.
But with a single swing of the Familiar Copper Rod, Taoist Yi Hong unleashed a torrent of dense Magical Power that surged out with a howl of wind. Even though the two men were in mid-air, they were forced to halt their advance and retreat to the big man’s side.
"We are from Three Extremes Mountain. Are you Mages from Daluo Palace down the mountain?" the yellow-haired man asked, leveling his Long Spear at Taoist Yi Hong.
"Three Extremes Mountain?" Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow. "Isn’t Three Extremes Mountain in Changping Prefecture City? What are they doing here in Xiuyue County?"
The big man snorted. "I am my father-king’s second son, responsible for recruiting soldiers here in Xiuyue County. The lot of you should retreat at once, and I won’t hold this against you. Otherwise, I’ll slaughter the villages and towns, and tear down your Daluo Palace!"
Taoist Yan Song’s eyes narrowed. He suddenly asked, "When you all came out just now, were you on your way to slaughter the villages and towns?"
A moment ago, those bandits had rushed out of their stronghold, weapons in hand and excitement on their faces. Gu Zhao and the others had assumed they were charging at them, but thinking back now, they must have been preparing to attack the villages and towns at the foot of Cuiluo Mountain.
If these had been the bandits from before, they might have followed the code of not preying on their own neighbors. But now that they had been consolidated by this Great Demon from Three Extremes Mountain, all bets were off.
Gu Zhao remembered that Lord Huang Ping had once produced a Blood Spirit Pearl—a single pearl represented an entire village.
"Uncle-Master, do you need help?" Gu Zhao asked.
"No need!" Taoist Yi Hong brandished his Familiar Copper Rod. "Just wait and watch me face them alone with my single saber! Let’s see how they get close!"
Gu Zhao: "..."
’Uncle-Master, you’re using a Familiar Copper Rod. If you’re going to act the part, you should be playing Xiong Kuohai!’
As soon as his voice fell, Taoist Yi Hong twirled the already bent Familiar Copper Rod into a beautiful flourish. Without the slightest hesitation, he took on all three opponents, somehow surrounding them by himself.
Taoist Yan Song couldn’t help but tug at his beard. "This fellow seems so gentle and amiable. Who knew he’d be this ferocious in a fight?"
Gu Zhao smacked his lips. "Nice. The party has a tank now."
...
The big man wasn’t actually weak. With over a hundred years of Dao Practice and immense physical strength, not even Consort Yu of the Golden Wind Divine Sect could have necessarily defeated him.
But he just had to run into Taoist Yi Hong, who was the same type of fighter, only stronger than him in every single way.
After a flurry of wild smashes and cleaves, the big man and his two helpers found themselves at a disadvantage against Taoist Yi Hong. Forced back step by step, they were about to be driven right into their own stronghold.
The big man saw the killing intent in Taoist Yi Hong’s eyes and became both frightened and enraged. "You want to kill me?"
Taoist Yi Hong sneered. "And why can’t you be killed?"
The saber-wielding man next to the big man shrieked, "We’re from Three Extremes Mountain! If you dare kill us, aren’t you afraid our Great King will slaughter every last person on your Cuiluo Mountain?"
Taoist Yi Hong roared with laughter, the blows from his Familiar Copper Rod growing a good deal heavier. "Does he have the ability?"
"Wait!" the yellow-haired man shouted as he struggled to defend himself. "Daluo Palace is establishing its Divine Altar and will need Incense, which means you’re bound to be enemies with the Golden Wind Divine Sect. Since that’s the case, why not form an alliance with our Three Extremes Mountain?"
The yellow-haired man continued enticingly, "Mage, your Dao Practice is profound. Our King would certainly be willing to form an alliance. We can destroy the Golden Wind Divine Sect together, and Daluo Palace will be able to proselytize throughout the entire Changping Prefecture!"
Taoist Yi Hong laughed heartily. "We are tiger-like champions! Why would we ally with rats like you? Today, I will kill you all, and when your so-called ’Great King’ comes, I’ll take his head as well!"
As soon as his voice fell, he brought his rod down on the head of the saber-wielding man, instantly smashing his skull and obliterating both his body and soul.
Immediately after, he spun and slammed the rod against the shaft of the long spear, then continued the motion to swing it into the yellow-haired man’s chest. Magical Power surged into his body, directly breaking several of his ribs and sending him flying backward, coughing up blood, as he carved a path through the forest.
The final blow struck the Wolf Fang Club, slamming the leading big man so hard that his feet sank a foot into the ground and blood trickled from his mouth.
