Chapter 18: Death Battle
Through discussing the Martial Dao with Bai Lingyun, he found that many of the basic techniques he knew of actually existed on the Azure Sky Continent. The Earth Step movement technique he taught Lou Meng was actually the most common method of movement for Martial Artists, and the more advanced methods of movement like Wind Step and Water Step were even practiced by Cultivators as well.
From what he was told, the Earth Step of the Azure Sky Continent was a little different from his own technique. The 'Earth' in his technique name represented the planet while the 'Earth' in the Azure Sky Continent's technique represented the Dao of Earth.
Unlike his previous world, the history of martial arts on the Azure Sky Continent always had something to do with Cultivators and their methods of warring against humans and beasts alike. The Heavenly Dao was something only those with Spiritual Channels had the potential to comprehend. However, that didn't mean Cultivators couldn't share their comprehension of Dao with Mortals.
The Earth Step of the Azure Sky Continent was actually something that couldn't be learnt without talent in comprehending the Dao of Earth... and money. The Martial Alliance most Dao Seekers and Heaven Combatants join acts as a gathering point for all Martial Artists and exists to strengthen the humanity's foundation of power. They even sold techniques to martial artists who had the money to buy them.
The more Fang Yun spoke with her, the more he felt like a frog in a well. The mystical world of the Azure Sky Continent was vast and although there were many vicious Cultivators who would murder in broad daylight. There were also people who genuinely wanted to fight against the Demonic Beasts that have been invading the continent.
He wanted to talk more with Bai Lingyun before they made their way to sign up as a hunting team but he suddenly stopped talking to her as his ear pricked. Bai Lingyun was about to ask what was wrong yet was unable to say anything before he reached out his hand faster than she could react.
A sound could be heard in the area he grasped as a silver chain appeared in his hand. Bai Lingyun swiftly reacted without a word and sprung up the table they were sitting next to as a shield.
"Who dares rampage in my Ash Flame Inn?!" The first person to speak after they were attacked wasn't Bai Lingyun or the ambusher, instead it was the scar-faced owner of the Inn that looked like he could rip someone apart with his barehands. The atmosphere of the Inn became tense as various people hired to protect the Inn looked over at the shifty-eyed attacker with bloodlust.
"I'm sorry. The woman over there is my most hated enemy. I apologise for causing a disturbance." The man bowed his head and apologised without a second thought. He didn't think that the ambush he had been planning for such a long time would be ruined by a punk who looked like a flower boy.
The man's sinisterly glanced over Fang Yun with doubt as he couldn't believe his chain had been grasped so easily. A hint of doubt appeared in his eyes as he decided to be more cautious of the youth who seemed to hide secrets.
Bai Lingyun went back to her persona as soon as she saw the man's face and Fang Yun felt a headache coming on as he really didn't want to get involved with her if she had a record of shady exploits. He let go of the man's chain and picked up his Medical-Kit before moving away to show where he stood.
Although he didn't hate Bai Lingyun considering how helpful she was to him, he still didn't have a good enough relationship to help her out for nothing. Being on a Hunting Team is beneficial for both of them, but getting involved in someone else's complicated matters would not be advantageous.
Seeing that Fang Yun wasn't interfering with him further, the chain-wielder took a step back and decided to not mess with him. He was keenly aware that someone as young and strong as him wouldn't be just some nobody.
"If you two want to fight, take it out of this Military Checkpoint. The Dong Clan will not tolerate anyone causing chaos in their business." The owner of the Inn also didn't take sides as he immediately 'asked' them to take their leave. Fang Yun eyes hid his surprise as he heard the familiar family name.
If the Fang Clan was a family that nurtured future powerful Cultivators then the Dong Clan was a family that boasted powerful military might. The Dong Clan itself might not be as powerful as the other four of the city's powerhouses but that was only due to the clan having spread its power.
Both the chain-wielder and Bai Lingyun didn't talk anymore nonsense and made their way out of the dome. A curious light appeared in Fang Yun's eyes as he decided to follow them and see how their battle would turn out. It was only now did he realise that Alex Stuman's philosophy also passed on over to him as well. He was sure that if it wasn't for the previous Fang Yun already having people he trusted, the kind of life he'd be living right now would be completely different.
Alex Stuman was both a soldier born for battle and an assassin created for murder, so it's only natural that his philosophy on life centred around keeping others far from his heart. To Alex, a friend was no more than a tool. If they were useful, they were worth befriending. If not then he'd just abandon them without batting an eye.
The two Martial Artists made their way outside the dome, where some people like himself decided to spectate. He could tell that some of them were just hoping both would die at the same so they could steal from their corpses. The rest of them were just here to spectate since it was rare to see a duel between two Martial Artists in this day and age.
From what Fang Yun could discern from their actions, they seemed to have decided on having a life or death battle to settle their scores. Although he didn't know what their circumstances were, he could at least deduce that their hatred for each other was powerful.
This was especially true for the chain-wielder. The look in his eyes was almost like she killed his parents. The two of them silently readied there weapons and took their battle stances.
"Dao Seeking Martial Artist, Bai Lingyun, sword hidden in the arctic."
"Dao Seeking Psychic Mage, Han Fenglin, chain strangling the abyss."
They both introduced themselves one after the other before attacking each other. Fang Yun was excited learn that this 'Han Fenglin' was a Psychic Mage but unable to understand the meaning behind the latter of their introductions.
It was only after they started fighting did he seem to be enlightened. A sword retracted out under Bai Lingyun's right wrist while the extremely long chain in Han Fenglin's hands took on a much darker hue as soon as he threw it at her. Fang Yun didn't understand how Martial Artists and Psychic Mages could use movement techniques without having their feet touch the ground but was able to comprehend the reason through seeing them clash.
Bai Lingyun was an expert of the strange yet mystical style of her retractable sword. The places where she stood would leave behind a footprint of ice whenever she took a step forward, propelling her anywhere she liked. With his understanding of martial arts, he could easily make out that she was actually using ice to manipulate the friction between her feet and the ground beneath her. This made it look like she was skating on-top of the grass outside the checkpoint.
Han Fenglin on the other hand wasn't as fast as Bai Lingyun. However, the mysterious method of movement he showed was something Fang Yun had never seen before. He heard of fictional martial artists leaving behind afterimages with each of their movements, but the chain-wielding 'Psychic Mage' was just ridiculous!
The man's chain seemed illusionary under the influence of the Shadow Chakra. Using the new ability he obtained after somehow merging the Chimerical Sun's Aura Glyph and the Crystal Moon's Psion Circuit in the depths of his sea of consciousness, he was able to observe the two fighters way more clearly than anyone else.
After adding his Spiritual Perception on top of his already extremely sharp eyes, he was able to sense something unbelievable...! Han Fenglin's Soul Force actually partially phased out of his body whenever he used this 'Shadow Image' technique to make decoys for Bai Lingyun to attack.
Although it Han Fenglin naturally couldn't allow his Soul Force to completely leave his body, he used some unknown method to confuse Bai Lingyun using his mental energy. The Shadow Psion seemed to turn his eyes shade of pure black that gave him to ability to weaken the senses of foes.
Fang Yun realised that it must have been this ability that stopped Bai Lingyun from sensing the blade-tipped chain that was thrown towards her. The Dao of Shadow may be best-suited for assassination but the weapon Han Fenglin chose wasn't suitable for surprise attacks. A wielded chain would inevitably make small, tiny sounds whenever it was moved due to how each of its bonds struck each other.
Han Fenglin seemed to know this fact well, that's why his entire fighting style seemed a lot more sinister than Bai Lingyun's flexible Sword Arts. Her ice cold sword could only cut, slice and stab the Shadow Images while slowly being entangled by his dark chain.
From what Fang Yun could predict, Bai Lingyun was going to lose for sure. The chain-wielder's methods of dodging acrobatically and sinister fighting style that relied heavily on patience seemed like something that was tailor-made to counter her icy swordsmanship. If one was to compare them, Bai Linyun's method of combat was perhaps 'too simple' when placed before the unusual methods used by Han Fenglin.
Bai Lingyun noticed her situation wasn't looking too good and changed her method of attack. Her sword retracted into her sleeve as she closed the distance between them before striking out with her fist. Han Fenglin seemed fearful of her as he didn't even try parry her fists with his hands.
From what Bai Lingyun told Fang Yun some time ago: Psychic Mages only train their soul and mind, and didn't even bother trying to train their Physique Force. The result made it so Psychic Mages feared head-on confrontations the most. Han Fenglin wasn't someone who just recently started fighting Martial Artists and already knew that he could only stay away from Bai Lingyun while trying to restrict her movements with his chain.
Unsurprisingly, Bai Lingyun wasn't able to stop him as he escaped from her grasp. The dark chains coiled around her body before constricting her like a snake, Han Fenglin's expression eased up a little as he saw she was unable to move and was about to have her neck broken by his chains. Even though Martial Artists had strong physiques that could make it harder to injure them than most, Psychic Mages had an almost telekinetic ability to increase their power and control over any weapon they mastered with training.
A few cracks appeared on Bai Lingyun's eyes as she tried to struggle in vain. A vicious light appeared in her eyes as she pointed her palm towards Han Fenglin and shot out the blade of her retractable sword like a hidden weapon. Han Fenglin's hair stood on end as he immediately reacted by twirling his dark chain in a spiralling shield motion and deflecting the retractable sword before it hit him.
In that one moment he was distracted by her sword, she initiated the plan came up with after she analysed his fighting style. She no longer acted like she was helpless and decided to bet everything on her next attack. Using her Ice Step movement technique, Bai Lingyun manipulated the friction between her and the chains restraining her to quickly break out of his grasp before lunging straight towards him.
When the chains that restricted Han Fenglin's view of her fell, he saw fist fly straight through the gap in his chains and towards his head. He guessed that Bai Lingyun escaped his restraints and used his Shadow Image ability to dodge the fist before it landed on him.
However, he realised that he had been tricked after seeing that the only thing that phased through his afterimage was a glove! The real Bai Lingyun followed behind the glove with her exposed arm and grabbed him before he had the chance to escape from her once more!
"The end." Bai Lingyun coldly spoke as she injected the Ice Ki from her meridians into his brain. The man could only stared wide-eyes at the beautiful but mutated hand as his face froze his head like an ice sculpture. His head then broke into pieces due to the second strike she used to shatter him.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone