Delong

Chapter 565 Sending Wu Xing (15)

As Bai Yousi challenged him, the ochre-yellow clouds, like some kind of monster, bared their fangs and claws and pounced towards the river. Through the yellow clouds, it was impossible to detect the figure within.

This wasn't just a simple matter of obscuring vision. Even those watching from the sandbar, at least at the Core Formation stage, had noticed its strangeness. This yellow cloud was clearly Wei Shengji's manifested true energy, essentially two states of the same entity as this grandmaster. And in this state, how could one harm someone without breaking through this cloud?
This is almost a grandmaster's technique.

However... however, almost everyone watching the battle, from Feng Fou down, felt something was amiss, because everyone knew that Wei Shengji was not a Grandmaster. If he were a Grandmaster, how could he be holding his own against Bai Longtou here?
This is interesting.

Sure enough, amidst the yellow clouds, Bai Yousi stood in the river as if walking on flat ground, completely still. Suddenly, a yellow cloud transformed into the shape of a fierce tiger and pounced downwards. At a distance of more than ten feet, the water below was stirred by the true energy, rippling as if countless petals were blooming around the target, Bai Sanniang.

At this moment, Bai Yousi finally moved. With a simple gesture, a golden light, like a wheel, slashed directly at Huang Yun. As the golden light passed, Huang Yun vanished as if battered by wind and waves, and the attack was naturally neutralized. However, although a corner of Huang Yun was broken, it quickly reassembled itself in the air and continued to transform and pounce.

And so, the two, one in the air and the other on the water, attacked and defended, their movements quickening and their battle range expanding... Often, four or five yellow cloud monsters would attack one after another or simultaneously, while Bai Yousi wielded his longsword as if dancing on the water, his golden, red, and silver lights flashing in succession, blocking them one by one. Occasionally, he would launch a counterattack, easily piercing through the yellow clouds, only to have them easily countered by his opponent.

Between movements, besides the golden glow of the clouds, there were also constant winds in the air and ripples on the river, making it a truly spectacular sight.

However, just as the onlookers were completely engrossed in the battle, Huang Yun suddenly stopped his attack. Then, a burst of laughter was heard in the air, followed by a voice booming down from above: "My dear niece, you were so arrogant just now, taking the initiative to challenge us, and you still resort to such methods. If this continues, let alone another spring, even if we fight for another three years, I'm afraid it will be difficult to determine a winner."

Those watching the battle then realized that this dramatic turn of events, with its golden glow, was simply part of their daily routine.

Bai Yousi, who was standing on the river, laughed upon hearing this: "What Lord Wei said is very true. Interrupting like this will not achieve any results... How about this, I have recently come up with some new methods and I want Lord Wei to evaluate them. In addition to these methods, I will only use three swords to attack tonight. If it succeeds, great; if not, we will disperse early so as not to keep tens of thousands of soldiers in the two cities awake at night."

Yellow clouds surged, and laughter thundered: "Good! Good! Good! Come on!"

As soon as the word "come" was uttered, a silver light rose from the water's surface amidst the surging waves and cut into the yellow clouds.

This attack did not initially alarm Huang Yun. In fact, Huang Yun paused, clearly intending to continue laughing, but he only laughed for half a moment before abruptly stopping and falling silent.

The people on the sandbar were puzzled, except for Feng Fou, who squinted at the sight and gradually became serious.

There's no other reason than that the attack just now wasn't actually Bai Yousi swinging his sword... Bai Sanniang didn't move at all... it seemed as if it was a reflection in the water that swung it!

To be honest, at this moment, Feng Can was not surprised at all. Instead, he had a feeling of "as expected". Sure enough, there was a reason why these two people in front of him had been regarded as the next grandmasters. They had really touched the threshold and had some methods that were inconceivable to him, an ordinary grandmaster.

But what about Chief Zhang, who was promoted to the rank of Chief Zhang with the backing of the entire Chulong Gang and half the world?
Just as they were thinking, Wei Shengji, who had clearly noticed something strange, took the initiative to probe. Huang Yun went down again, and sure enough, the water surface stirred. A blade of true energy was launched out almost automatically, ready to break through the attack.

Immediately, yellow clouds fell like rain, and sharp blades flashed like lightning. The two forces clashed, creating an effect similar to a torrential downpour drenching a river.

Throughout the entire process, Bai Yousi made no move, simply pointing her sword at the river and then slightly raising her head to look at Huang Yun, clearly poised to strike. The surging river water, the rising mist, and the splashing yellow clouds above did nothing to harm her clothing.

By this time, even Du Pozhen and the others realized that Bai Yousi hadn't even drawn a single sword, yet his reflection in the water was already dancing wildly.

Wei Shengji was clearly also observing, and his observations were obviously more effective and in-depth. So soon, the fast-paced attack stopped, and in its place came a deliberate probing and verification.

One moment it was like a falling cloud, the next it was like drifting mist. Then it struck the water from a great distance. Suddenly, a yellow cloud appeared at the far end of the river and ran like a wild beast, like a yellow ox galloping, heading straight for Bai Yousi from the river.

But all of these were neutralized by the reflections in the water.

The two reflections in the water, mirrored by the twin moons, truly resembled those of two grandmasters.

At this moment, even Wei Shengji of Huang Yunzhong finally spoke up in praise: "What a skill! No wonder Third Sister specifically challenged you to a battle! Moreover, this skill was clearly something you comprehended during your battle with me on the river, wasn't it? Of course, it also aligns with your philosophy of observing others and ultimately observing oneself. It is truly remarkable."

Just as Bai Yousi was about to reply, suddenly, the water rippled all around, and in the darkness of the river in the distance, waves surged. In a moment, yellow oxen transformed from yellow clouds came galloping from all directions, and this time the oxen's horns and bodies were clearly distinguishable.

From a certain perspective, this move seems to be a more advanced, all-out attack evolved from the previous move.

At first, Bai Yousi remained motionless. However, as the yellow oxen ran closer and formed a circle, they suddenly submerged half a body length, creating countless waves, and continued towards the target standing in the center.

From a distance, it looks like a yellow trap rapidly shrinking both on and under the water, so much so that the reflection in the water is destroyed by the waves.

This time, Bai Yousi finally made his move. He leaped high into the air, turned around, and swung his sword in a circle. Red light fell into the water, forming a ring that then expanded in all directions, instantly shattering the yellow outer ring.

Seeing this, the yellow clouds in the sky laughed again: "Third Sister, this is the first sword strike."

Bai Yousi seemed a little embarrassed. After regaining his footing, he laughed and said, "The method I just came up with is crude and laughable. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to ask Master Wei for advice."

Wei Shengji's laughter continued, and the distant river surface trembled once again. The people on the sandbar could see clearly from the outside that yellow clouds were descending, giving birth to countless yellow oxen, which were rushing inwards one after another, stirring up huge waves towards Bai Yousi. It was obvious that they had found an opening and were attacking relentlessly.

But how could Bai Yousi be found out a second time after he had already made a mistake?

This time, he remained still, and as the yellow oxen galloped outside, stirring up the water curtain, suddenly, the outer water surface lit up in the night, as if multiple moons had risen underwater, or perhaps it was simply the surge of true energy illuminating the environment... Even more bizarrely, as the light continued to appear underwater, reflections appeared in the water from all directions. The reflections were almost all dancing with swords, yet their movements were different. But no matter what, they all easily killed the yellow oxen in the center from behind.

The situation suddenly reversed. Wei Shengji was clearly shaken and hesitant, while Bai Yousi raised his head proudly. The surrounding reflections danced, and countless rays of light flew up to the yellow clouds, causing the yellow clouds to sink in repeatedly and retreat step by step.

Huang Yun hesitated for a moment, then suddenly expanded, completely obscuring Bai Yousi's reflection from the air.

Bai Yousi paused, then activated the reflection from a greater distance.

Huang Yun finally burst into thunderous laughter again: "So that's how it is! No wonder you stood still in the middle of the river!"

Bai Yousi sneered upon hearing this: "So what if Lord Wei knows? Neither of us are Grandmasters. Our battles over the past few days have been evenly matched. Tonight, I'm taking advantage of the opportune moment of the bright moon over the great river. Otherwise, how would I have the audacity to make this three-sword pact with you? In the end, it all comes down to what I said before. If you can become a Grandmaster, whether it's blocking out the great river or directly severing me, that's your skill. But if not, I've taken advantage of the opportune moment to defeat you!"

Huang Yun churned and sighed, "Not only that, you also called for reinforcements, didn't you? As long as I don't have a way to suppress you today, these True Fire Sect experts will no longer stand by and watch. Tomorrow night you can ask Sect Leader Cao and the others to join forces, form an array right here in the middle of the river, and break through my city and docks from afar, killing my soldiers, isn't that right?"

Bai Yousi remained silent.

Huang Yun continued to churn, his voice rising in intensity: "But you're right, we're locked in a stalemate, fighting for this one edge. If I can't defeat you, what right do I have to be a Grandmaster?!"

After he finished speaking, the yellow clouds did not fall, but instead rose high. Moreover, under the light of the two moons, the ochre-yellow clouds continued to expand and grow, even threatening to cover the sky and the river.

The group of people from Shazhou, who had been staring blankly, finally couldn't help but look at Feng Fou, because they really didn't understand what had just happened and the related conversation.

Xie Minghe even gave this grandmaster a push.

“It’s the Twin Moons!” Feng Can sighed, offering a brief explanation while his eyes remained fixed on the ever-expanding yellow clouds. “The White Dragon Head’s methods in the river are not as simple as just manifesting her reflection. More importantly, where does the true energy come from? If it’s the White Dragon Head’s own true energy, then there’s no way she could borrow the opportune moment of the bright moon over the river… And if I’m not mistaken, Bai San Niang cultivates the Three Radiance True Energy precisely to take advantage of the twin moons in the sky and their reflection in the river, directly borrowing the true energy of heaven and earth from the twin moons above her head. So what truly works is the reflection of the moon in the river, and then the grandmaster’s manifestation technique… As for the two reflections at the beginning, they were just an illusion.”

"So, Wei Shengji wants to block out the river so that the reflection can't be seen?!" Xie Minghe suddenly realized. "Bai Longtou has already taken advantage of the opportune moment, the favorable location, and even the will of the people. Now he's gambling on whether Wei Shengji can block out the river?"

Everyone realized what was happening and looked at the yellow cloud, as if the key to tonight's victory had already been revealed.

If Wei Shengji cannot block the river, then Bai Yousi will be invincible. At worst, as mentioned earlier, he can gather everyone tomorrow night, set up an array on the river, and calmly attack the city defenses and port against the opponent's Grandmaster, breaking through their defenses. Conversely, if Wei Shengji can block the river and cut off Bai Yousi's path... to put it extremely, he might even become a Grandmaster tonight.

The yellow clouds spread rapidly, covering most of the river surface in a short time, and continued to extend towards both banks.

Sensing the approaching yellow clouds, Feng Can quickly raised his hand, and a stream of true fire energy rose up in front of him, soaring straight into the sky, like a torch, drawing a line... However, when the yellow clouds were still more than ten feet away from the sandbar, a hole suddenly appeared in the middle of his own cloud.

Wei Shengji paused noticeably, but Bai Yousi below had been resting with his eyes closed for some time and seemed unaware of this flaw.

Huang Yun stopped spreading, but the previous expansion had made Wei Shengji's voice sound erratic: "Third Sister, is this what you mean? To provoke me, to provoke me, to make me fight against the heavens and the earth on my own? What if I'm outmatched and reveal a weakness, then you'll attack me with your sword?"

Bai Yousi finally opened his eyes, faced him calmly, and said without any panic: "Indeed, it was seen through by Lord Wei."

Feng Fou and the others outside were stunned... It turned out they had been fooled too!

Just as he was thinking, Wei Shengji's laughter filled the river: "What a plan, what a brilliant idea! But if you ask me, if you can't fight against heaven and against man, what right do you have to become a grandmaster?! Today, I'll take a gamble with you!"

Judging from his words, it seemed that he knew it was a scheme, but he still wanted to seize this opportunity!
“Well said!” Bai Yousi echoed proudly. “That’s exactly right, that’s exactly right!”

As soon as the two finished speaking, the yellow cloud suddenly spread out again, almost spanning the river to the left and right. Under the two moons, not a single ray of light could fall into the center of the river, except for a faint light around Bai Yousi himself.

Moreover, the entire process seemed flawless, and Bai Yousi did not make a move.

It seems, it seems, that he really succeeded!

Then, the next moment, the yellow clouds that had successfully covered the river surface suddenly descended, like a waterfall cascading down or a torrential downpour. From a distance, it looked like a huge ochre-yellow curtain covering the entire river surface.

At that moment, light finally burst forth beside Bai Yousi. She lightly touched the surface of the river with her feet, and the entire river surface suddenly swirled around her, like a gushing spring or a blooming flower, sending her up into the sky, or rather, like a sword thrusting straight into the descending yellow clouds.

Feng Fu and the others watched this scene with solemn expressions on the sandbar. At first, they could only see a glimmer of light through the yellow clouds, and then the light became fragmented, almost covering the entire yellow clouds.

It goes without saying that this was because both sides had exhausted their limits, and their brilliance was shining brightly, revealing their weaknesses.

Then suddenly, with a clear, even huge, sound like cloth being torn apart, a beam of light shot straight into the sky, illuminating the entire night sky. Bai Yousi, who was enveloped in a giant ball of true energy shaped like a phoenix, also flew high into the air... leaving Feng Fu, Xie Minghe and the others dumbfounded.

It wasn't that I was surprised that she actually broke through the giant screen, but that after the phoenix broke through the yellow clouds, it still spread its wings and circled the pillar of light at the breach, going straight up without stopping. It even quickly disappeared from sight, and I didn't know how high it flew, or where Bai Yousi was.
The only certainty is that with this second sword strike, Huang Yun is now below, and Hui Guang is above.

Huang Yun clearly sensed the danger and quickly repaired the breach, once again shielding the river. Taking advantage of this opportunity, everyone finally saw Bai Yousi's figure in the distance. She had shed her phoenix skin and was standing between the two moons, sword in hand. The two moons were no longer half-moons, but full moons.

After revealing his figure, Bai Yousi in the air pointed his longsword downwards, and the sword tip immediately drew out a stream of light. The stream of light drew out the two moons, silver and red intertwined, and overflowed around him... The next moment, he directly launched his third sword attack.

It descended from above, like a fairy falling from the moon, or as if it were actively pulling the two moons down, heading straight for the center of the yellow clouds.

This time, there was no phoenix appearing, only radiance accompanying the person.

The radiance was so intense that the entire sky seemed to brighten as if it were dawn, and the yellow clouds were completely enveloped in it.

That wasn't all. As Bai Yousi leaped down, the two moons followed, leaving the weak points below unable to withstand the attack. In an instant, they burst forth like arrows, piercing the yellow clouds and causing them to contract violently on the spot.

But as soon as it contracted, the river surface, reflecting the two moons or rather, countless rays of light, reappeared.

Now, even ordinary Core Formation cultivators on the periphery would realize that Huang Yun had revealed a flaw!
Sure enough, the light flowed into the water, becoming one with the water. The river surface reflected the radiance and the figures, who held swords and danced with them. It was a simultaneous attack from above and below. Above, there was only one sword and one person, yet it drew down two moons as if they were falling. Below, there were many people and many swords, a chaotic flurry of swords flying and moving in unison, cutting down patches of yellow clouds.

By the time Bai Yousi had fallen more than ten feet above the river, the yellow clouds had completely dissipated. A figure staggered through the air, revealing himself, but still stared intently at the beam of light coming straight up from above.

In an instant, the myriad points of light disappeared, and the two moons returned to normal. Only a "plop" was heard, as if something heavy had fallen into the water. Then, countless fragments of light rippled across the river, flowing straight eastward.

At this moment, tens of thousands of soldiers from both armies were alerted and came to see what was going on... but they didn't know what was happening or who had won or lost. They were just amazed at how big the night was and how spectacular the flowing light on the river was.

The people on the sandbar knew the outcome. Although they had different thoughts, they were all solemn and held their breath, waiting for someone to come.

Sure enough, a moment later, the light dissipated, and Bai Yousi walked from the river onto the sandbar. His left arm was covered in blood, and his hair was disheveled, but his clothes and hair moved without any wind.

Upon arriving, Bai Yousi didn't say much. He simply held his sword, cupped his hands, bowed, and then sincerely addressed him: "Thanks to everyone's assistance, we had a slight opportunity tonight to slay another Grandmaster. Tomorrow, we will quickly advance westward into Bashu to pacify the world. I hope you will all achieve meritorious service soon."

Feng Fu, Xie Minghe, and Du Pozhen led the way, solemnly returning the greetings. One of them said "Congratulations," another sighed "Very good," and yet another said "How dare I disobey."

PS: I was supposed to come back on the evening of the 18th, but it was raining heavily in Shanghai that day, and the plane didn't take off until almost midnight. What's even stranger is that after I got home, I wasn't sleepy anymore. I slept for a few hours and then woke up. The price I paid was that after I finished dinner at around 6 pm last night, I lay down on the bed and when I opened my eyes again, it was already early this morning.