Chapter 1254: Don't Get Upset
Hong Xi replied, "There's a lot of room for improvement on my end."
Zhang Lie advised, "Focus on improving your body. Don't think that it'll naturally grow stronger just by absorbing gene fragments—remember that the core, the foundation of your techniques lies in a strong body. Hone your foundations, and strengthen the concentration of genetic energy in your attacks. Did you see how I dispelled all of them easily?"
Hong Xi nodded. "I understand, Master."
Zhang Lie raised his head. "In that case, Hanxiang will be next."
The pocket dimension had only suffered a few cracks from the shockwaves of the confrontation between Hong Xi and Zhang Lie, unlike when Zhang Lie fought with the members of Team Zenith. Zhu only had a few simple repairs to do before it was time for Zhang Hanxiang to face her brother.
After witnessing Zhang Lie's fight against Hong Xi, Zhang Hanxiang was a little fearful of what she was about to face. Within moments, however, she had mastered that fear and stepped forward. If she feared even her own brother, how would she hope to defeat the enemies of higher realms that awaited her? She had to prove that she wasn't the weak liability that she had been before, a sister that Zhang Lie had to devote time and attention to protect.
Zhang Hanxiang strode forward. She channeled bitter cold. Cold air froze everything around her. A layer of frost covered the ground, and snow began to drift down from the heavens.Frost surged forward like the tide.
"[Ninecarp Transformation: Golden Tiger]!"
The image of a golden tiger appeared behind Zhang Lie's back, and its roar echoed through the air. A golden aura suffused Zhang Lie. A mountain of blades rested atop the tiger's back, and Zhang Lie's body itself underwent a transformation. His hair turned silvery-white, until they became akin to silver needles.
His genetic energy likewise became more honed. Silvery-white genetic energy gathered over his body, and tigers' stripes appeared on his arms. His eyes became those of a tiger's, and steely sharpness erupted from every pore.
The image of the golden tiger behind him roared as his water-attuned genetic energy transformed into gold-attuned energy. The energy thrummed and rippled, hard as steel. As the tiger roared, the chilly air was repulsed. The frost on the ground shattered, and icy shards filled the air.
Zhang Hanxiang pushed forward with a flurry of palm strikes, each stronger than the might of a blizzard.
"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Fade]!"
The [Fists of the Silent Sea] formed a fist in combination with the black serpent form and a mallet with the golden tiger. The condensed genetic energy solidified into sharp silver crystal, piercing through the blizzard.
Zhang Hanxiang leapt up into the sky as blades of ice condensed beneath her feet. She blurred as she skated forward like a professional. Frosty air gathered as hundreds of icicles shot toward her brother.
"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Fade]!"
A crystal wall appeared behind Zhang Lie, reflecting light in five colors, so dazzling it dazed any who looked at it, so beautiful it sparked their desire.
As Zhang Lie manipulated space, that crystalline genetic energy shot out of the wall behind him in the form of sharp daggers, able to penetrate anything thanks to Zhang Lie's mastery of space.
The daggers tore through space in a storm of silver.
Zhang Hanxiang dodged her way through the stream of daggers.
Yang Ze sighed. "Our captain really takes care of his sister, doesn't he?"
Hong Xi cocked her head. "He's not using his full power?"
Yang Ze rolled his eyes. "Of course not! Could he really stand to do that against his most cherished sister?"
Li Feng commented, "If our captain did that—no, if he used the same amount of strength he does against us, Hanxiang would already have fallen."
Sun Mengmeng shook her head. "However, that's not what Hanxiang wants, is it?"
Daggers of ice shot out of Zhang Hanxiang's palms.
Ice and snow surrounded Zhang Hanxiang like a pristine flower of ice. Zhang Hanxiang launched palm strikes continuously before her, infusing that energy into every strike. Each snowflake became a dangerous projectile.
"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Hundred Dragons Soaring]!"
Zhang Lie condensed his genetic energy. Sharp white crystals floated around his body.
As he cocked his fist, dozens of crystalline dragons formed behind his back, roaring in unison and causing the sky to tremble.
The next moment, they shot out through his fists.
Hundreds of crystal dragons criss-crossed through the air, beautiful and dazzling, radiating multicolored light. The snowflakes struck the crystal dragons with metallic clinks, like bullets striking titanium, to no avail. Even the sharp snowflakes could leave no trace or mark behind on the dragons' bodies.
Chilly air erupted from Zhang Hanxiang and transformed into a blizzard.
Emulating Zhang Lie's actions, Zhang Hanxiang punched forward. Hundreds of dragons manifested within the blizzard, devouring the crystal dragons.
The crystal dragons froze in the sky, turning into dazzling sculptures.
Zhang Lie clapped. "Well done! You've improved tremendously, Hanxiang."
Zhang Hanxiang seemed rather upset. "Don't coddle me, Brother! This is like an insult. Am I worse than the others?"
Her eyes flared with cold, with displeasure and grievance, like burning flames. Cold air continuously emanated from her body as her eyes turned into orbs of ice.
Zhang Hanxiang explained, "I hope you won't go easy on me, Brother. I'll have to face a lot of strong foes and challenges in the future, and none of them will do so. If you do, it'll hurt my future prospects."
Zhang Lie sighed forlornly. "You really have grown stronger, Hanxiang. Very well. If you insist, I'll strike at full strength."
As Zhang Lie activated his blood ant and dragonwolf soulshards, he transformed into a dragonwolf with russet fur and limbs covered with dragons' scales. His aura became magnified as a hurricane of blood spawned around him. The ice on the ground melted as the temperature rose again.
"Don't blame me if I hurt you, alright?" Zhang Lie warned her.
"That will make it interesting." Zhang Hanxiang's eyes turned cold. Frost seeped into the sky and the ground, and the temperature that was slowly returning to normal shot back down to negative values instantly.
A wave of frost besieged them all. Sun Mengmeng's black flames ignited around the members of Team Zenith to keep the cold in abeyance.
As more and more frost gathered, flowers of ice manifested underneath Zhang Hanxiang's feet, then spread outward from her.
Time and karma froze from her chilling aura,
but Zhang Lie was completely unaffected. He swiped forward with his claws, sending scythes of bloody light forward to tear apart the frozen domain. The swipes passed by Zhang Hanxiang's body so quickly she couldn't even react.
They left long furrows on the ground, causing Zhang Hanxiang to suck in a deep breath when she saw them. She knew that, if they had landed on her body, she would have been cut apart.
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