Chapter 72: Chapter 64: The Catastrophe of Northern Ji
Du Chengfeng once thought he understood this world well enough.
When he first arrived, he thought he needed to survive in the wilderness, and just staying alive meant victory. After arriving at the Yang Family Fortress, he believed he had to build a family business from scratch to secure food and clothing. It was only after the fortress was besieged by the Hu people that Du Chengfeng realized this might be a chaotic era where human life was worthless, and only those with enough power could survive—fortunately, this world does indeed have some ways to make people stronger, such as killing.
Becoming stronger through killing is somewhat insane and bloody. In Du Chengfeng’s view, it might already be the world’s limit.
However, the reality before him told him that it was merely the limit of his imagination.
And the world itself had long exceeded his understanding.
"What kind of monster is this?"
Looking at the gigantic flesh-and-blood bird flying in mid-air, even with Du Chengfeng’s strong mentality, he couldn’t help feeling a bit bewildered.
"Isn’t it supposed to have wings only on the left side? How is it flying?"
"Yihehehehehe—"
From the wings pieced together by thirteen severed limbs, thirteen withered, bird-claw-like arms emerged, wielding thirteen massive scimitars, slashing down toward Du Chengfeng.
Although the thirteen blades were attacking from the same direction, they precisely blocked all possible avenues for Du Chengfeng to evade.
"An expert!"
In an instant, Du Chengfeng realized that this flesh-and-blood bird was far less frenzied than it appeared.
Or rather, even if this bird was mad, its skill in killing was incredibly solid.
"Come!"
A blazing fire blade, three zhang long, rose into the air; the Broken Horse Long Saber in his left hand revealed its sharpness!
"Zeng——"
Blades clashed, producing a piercing metallic sound.
In just an instant, Du Chengfeng at least parried thirty-five strikes from that monstrous bird, nearly being driven into the ground by the heavy force.
This was not something a human could face; the monstrous bird, as tall as several floors, was a calamity in itself.
On the bird’s body, Du Chengfeng saw He Xiqing’s head.
It should be He Xiqing, at least the brows and eyes still carried his charisma, and there were scars on the face left by a saber strike from afar—but aside from the brows and eyes, Du Chengfeng couldn’t find any human traits on that hawk-like face with a beak.
"This thing actually turned into He Xiqing?"
In just that moment of distraction, the thirteen massive scimitars were once again slashing down on Du Chengfeng.
This was a battle with no margin for error.
Merely swinging the fire blade to block exhausted all of Du Chengfeng’s energy, yet the fleshy bird’s assault was endless—Du Chengfeng could distinctly feel that this was still not the bird’s limit.
But it was also not his limit.
"You, come down here!"
The Broken Horse Long Saber silently thrust out—the longest-range attack in Du Chengfeng’s current arsenal!
Two Forces of Dragon and Tiger, Extreme Intent Flying Dragon Saber!
"Puchi——"
Although separated by dozens of meters, one of the two heads of the monstrous bird seemed to meet an invisible sharp blade, instantly being split in two!
"Yihehehehehe—"
The enormous bird, which had been flying in mid-air, plummeted to the ground, shattering a large area of the surface.
Yet, after a successful strike, there was no hint of joy on Du Chengfeng’s face.
Because the head he split open should have been He Xiqing’s face.
But now, the ripped-open head had somehow replaced its face with a bloodied, unrecognizable visage.
Meanwhile, He Xiqing’s face had moved to another head.
"A Xuan! You died so miserably, A Xuan!"
While letting out a hoarse roar, the massive flesh-and-blood bird extended its beast-headed right arm.
"A Xuan! Eat in large bites! Eating you will bring you back to life!"
"Damn it!"
Seeing the massive beast head, as large as a dump truck, coming to bite him, Du Chengfeng hurriedly dodged.
The situation at hand had completely exceeded his expectations and even exceeded his comprehension—the monster before him was something that wasn’t manageable by humans—but it was too late for any rationalization now, for the monster would not show mercy simply because he couldn’t defeat it.
Obstacles, useless. Walls, useless. That gaping maw tore through any obstructions, devouring them whole.
And the space left for Du Chengfeng to maneuver was shrinking ever smaller.
"In the end, do I really have to fight with everything I have..."
After several dodges, Du Chengfeng was forced into a corner, eventually raising his Heavy Great Saber.
He fully trusted this saber, just as the saber trusted him in return.
"Alright."
Using the Broken Horse Long Saber to steady himself, Du Chengfeng grasped the hilt of the Heavy Great Saber with both hands.
Indeed, he had previously exhausted his arsenal of moves, but this strongest move, he had never used it.
"Come!"
The moment the spine flexed, a five zhang long blazing fire blade struck the incoming beast’s maw at lightning speed!
In a great battle, dragons ride forth, their blood transforming into mystical hues.
Two Forces of Dragon and Tiger, Dragon Form Slash!
"Boom——"
The massive beast’s mouth was utterly split open, even slicing away half of the monstrous bird’s right arm!
"Good!"
Finally dealing effective damage, Du Chengfeng once again swung his saber.
"Once more... huh?"
Feeling the sudden lightness of his hands, Du Chengfeng paused.
Bringing down his raised hand, Du Chengfeng stared blankly at the half-broken saber he held.
When Liu Qingyun created the Two Forces of Dragon and Tiger, he abandoned this move because the Dragon Form Slash exerted too much force for the Broken Horse Long Saber to bear—but in Du Chengfeng’s view, the Broken Horse Saber was too slender and sharp, so it was logical it couldn’t withstand that move. However, he believed his Heavy Great Saber should be able to handle it.
But he forgot that this Heavy Great Saber was, after all, just a piece of ordinary iron.
When Yang Fatty forged this blade, it was only meant to create a gimmick for butchering pigs.
It was never a battle saber, merely a crude tool made of iron worth two hundred coins.
This saber ultimately had its own limits.
"But this is still not my limit."
Regaining his composure, Du Chengfeng hung the half-broken saber at his waist and picked up the Broken Horse Long Saber.
This wasn’t his limit; he could still fight as long as he could capitalize on the creature’s weakness, he could surely...
"Hmm?"
Just as Du Chengfeng was about to charge forward, he froze in place.
He saw that the flesh-and-blood monster, though severely injured, was still lively. Arms extending from its left side’s thirteen wings continuously grabbed nearby red-eyed steppe warriors, feeding them into He Xiqing’s mouth.
He Xiqing’s half-severed arm had already healed, and even a new deformed wing was beginning to grow.
Clearly, the previous life-or-death struggle for Du Chengfeng was far from the monster’s limit.
"...You are ruthless."
Taking advantage of the flesh-and-blood bird’s feeding frenzy, Du Chengfeng picked up the broken blade head and rushed to the city gate, mounted his horse, and fled.
Indeed, this monster wasn’t something he could defeat now, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t defeat it in the future.
He needed to see where his own limits lay.
