Yamafu Military Affairs

Chapter 648 Shocking Change
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(The gist is: The wind entangles the roots, leaving no freedom; the fire of afflictions burns, harming all beings; pitiful, foolish, ignorant horse, it stirs my heart with compassion.)

The Tibetan songs that echoed through the fields were deep and magical. Accompanied by the alternating sounds of drums, Qin Huai suddenly felt a little anxious and restless, as if the flesh and skin on his body were about to detach from his body and grow independently under the influence of the drumming.

At the same time, from the boundless darkness surrounding Qin Huai, several shadowy pythons, each over ten feet long, burst forth, carrying a chilling aura of death, biting at Qin Huai, who was holding a knife in one hand, from various cunning angles.

The dragon claw forced back Li Dingguo, whose momentum was rising steadily. The crescent moon danced and cut through the horde of shadow snakes that were biting like waves. Qin Huai lowered his eyes to look at his left elbow, where the shadow python had just grazed him and was now covered with a few spots of withered and broken gray, giving the impression of a wound caused by a fierce battle.

With a thought, he breathed in and out, and the dark spots were instantly dispelled. Qin Huai glanced around and sensed something was wrong. From the endless darkness, a huge spider leg, several feet in diameter, emerged, its bristles as sharp as needles.

After one spider leg suddenly plunged down, another followed, and eight spider legs in a row rose from the ground. Then, the dark sky above everyone's heads convex and concave into a spider head with sharp pincers.

"Mahakala, grant me the body of a spider, and cleanse the heretics!"

The old lama's voice suddenly rose, and the shadow beneath Qin Huai's feet suddenly turned into a viscous liquid like asphalt, instantly standing up and enveloping his limbs and bones in the shadow!
At the same time, countless strands of translucent gray-black spider silk grew densely from the shadow that enveloped him. Qin Huai had a vague feeling that if he let the lama do as he pleased, his shadow would soon detach from his feet and disappear completely!

Although he didn't know what the consequences of the shadow disappearing would be, Qin Huai, who was now alone in a dangerous situation, didn't want to try it. The surging Qi energy destroyed the viscous shadow flow in the blink of an eye, and the gray-black spider silk that seemed to be able to extend its roots, break through the Qi energy barrier, and go straight into people's hearts also made a cracking sound.

Seeing that his prized Shadow Binding Spell hadn't even managed to trap Qin Huai for a single breath, the old lama immediately slammed his hands heavily on the drumhead. The thick blackness in his eyes overflowed, covering his facial features and then spreading throughout his entire body.

Immediately afterwards, the darkness that enveloped everyone faded considerably, all converging behind him to reveal the outline of pitch-black flames.

Within the blazing wheel of shadow flames, a twisted black figure stood, repelling the magnificent Qi energy swirling in the raging winds from reaching the wheel of fire.

Strangely enough, although the raging flames and the shadows that shrouded the sky were both pitch black, Qin Huai saw a bright color on the outer edge of the flames, like an iridescent rainbow or a burn mark. The coexistence of these completely opposite reactions caused a brief confusion between his reason and senses.

High in the sky, the Shadow-Binding Giant Spider and the ferocious Qi Dragon were locked in fierce combat. Each breath from the Qi Dragon could obliterate large chunks of the spider's body, but the darkness that exuded the scent of death seemed endless, and soon it corroded the Qi Dragon, leaving only a small portion of it.

Taking advantage of Qin Huai's momentary lapse in concentration, the old lama stood up, dismounted from the yak's back, carrying the twisted black shadow from the Flaming Wheel on his back, and slowly walked towards Qin Huai, holding a waxy yellow drum in one hand.

boom!
The old lama's wax-yellow drum rang out without being struck, and a black flame wheel burned fiercely behind him. The shadowy figure inside grew four arms, forming various hand seals.

At that moment, Qin Huai's figure suddenly blurred, leaving only a clearly visible humanoid phantom in the spot, while he himself vanished without a trace.

The old lama's face twitched, his expression showing some surprise. Even though he had now summoned [Mahakala] and used the omnipresent shadow streams to firmly control the surrounding world, he still couldn't grasp Qin Huai's aura.

It was as if Qinhuai had become a mirage, shifting position every instant, faster than human perception, faster than even a shadow could catch up.

"Mahakala, the Great Black One, who binds all beings with shadows, and vanquishes demons with wrathful eyes!"

The old lama bit his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood. Behind him, four arms of the dark figure emerged from the Shadow Flame Wheel, growing larger with the wind, and as if foreseeing what was to come, they reached out to grab the empty space in front of him.

The next instant, Qin Huai appeared there, his blazing, sun-like Qi transforming into ferocious claws, directly confronting the four massive black arms that were trying to imprison his body.

"This is... the power of the Divine Star?"

Carefully sensing the unique feeling emanating from the old lama—somewhat similar to Li Dingguo's, yet fundamentally different—Qin Huai's mind flashed, and an intensely blazing Samadhi Fire instantly erupted from his clawed palm, spreading to the black arm connected to it.

wow~
As the flames dissipated, the old lama Sashi instantly felt his hands being scorched by flames. Even though the chilling cold emanating from the shadow wheel behind him was nothing compared to the burning pain he was experiencing!

His gaze toward Qin Huai revealed a rare look of panic.

This Hundred Lotus Demon in front of me actually managed to injure me, who was protected by the power of the Great Black Heaven, all by himself!
"Mahakaraya—"

The old lama suddenly chanted secret mantras, and the illusory image of Mahakala behind him made hundreds of intricate hand seals. The four pitch-black arms that were wrestling with Qin Huai were covered with a thick layer of gray-white ice!
However, when the icy shadow stream that suppressed the Samadhi True Fire approached within an inch of Qin Huai's body, it seemed to sink into a quagmire, as if slowed down countless times, and stopped in place in an instant, only to be shattered by a giant iron fist!

【Word of Power - Time Zero】: The caster constructs a field centered on himself, slowing down the flow of time within the field, while he can still move at a normal speed.

This incantation places a tremendous burden on the caster's body, and can usually only be maintained for a few seconds. However, the caster can use various means to increase the duration and slowing factor of the field.

You can use time-space abilities such as Time Zero, Moment, and Time Wheel simultaneously, but the consumption will increase exponentially and cause irreparable internal injuries to your body.

Note: Zero is the gate to the void, the beginning, and the end.

The heavy iron fist that slammed into the old lama's vicinity suddenly transformed into a chilling tiger claw. A burst of rainbow light erupted, directly shattering his emaciated chest, which was nothing but skin and bones, along with the fiery wheel behind him. The illusory image of the Great Black Heaven inside was like a wisp of black smoke encountering a gale, instantly blown away without a trace!

At the same time, Li Dingguo, who had accumulated his military power to its peak by absorbing the baleful aura of the army formation, seized the opportunity while Qin Huai and the old lama were entangled and suddenly slashed out with his blazing longsword. The dark, boundless place where everyone was located was cut in two by the scarlet blade light, with a narrow crack from top to bottom.

Before Qin Huai, the dark red blood-red tent behind the old lama, which had been consecrated for many years, suddenly cracked in two.

Bang!
With a kick that sent the half-dead old lama flying, Qin Huai, moving with lightning speed, swung his knife. The evil dragon opened its bloody maw and bit at the weak point of Li Dingguo's attack from an extremely tricky angle, clearly intending to relieve the siege of Wei by attacking Zhao.

Both being master swordsmen who focus on the essence of the sword and are not bound by the variations of techniques, Qin Huai's swordsmanship is on par with Li Dingguo, who has fought on the battlefield for seventy years. Naturally, he understands where the outcome of a duel between two swords will ultimately lie.

The sword is the courage of all weapons, the vanguard of all forces. Qin Huai moved with incredible speed, seizing the last inch of time from the Spring and Autumn Greatsword. The ferocious dragon of sin roared into the range of the sword's aura, biting the dragon's head of the Spring and Autumn Greatsword, resisting the momentum of the diagonal slash. The blade then arced through the air, spinning and slashing towards Li Dingguo's throat. Li Dingguo pressed down with the hilt of his sword, blocking the upward slash. He stepped back, tilted his head back, and with a swift movement, brought his hands close to the blade, pressing the blade of the Spring and Autumn Greatsword towards Qin Huai's neck, where there was no longer any obstruction.

Qin Huai unleashed tremendous strength with one arm, his right hand gripping the knife suddenly slamming down and slapping it horizontally, deflecting the blade. Li Dingguo flipped the blade in his hand, changed direction, and slashed at Qin Huai's neck from the other side.

The arrogant dragon stretched its body, flashing through the air as if leaping, and went down the blade shaft to directly attack the vulnerable spot that Li Dingguo had exposed due to his previous preemptive attack.

not good!

Li Dingguo's hair stood on end. He immediately exerted force in his hand, pulled the back of the knife back, and sprang the long handle forward. The reddish-gold triangular pyramid at the end of the handle aimed straight at Qin Huai's heart.

The Spring and Autumn Broadsword itself has a fixed length, but the variations in length that Li Dingguo can create with both hands are almost comparable to those of a nimble short dagger. Having been in Yanfu for so long, this is the first time Qin Huai has encountered such a bold and meticulous swordsman who can rival him in long-weapon skills.

Unfortunately, brute force can overcome any skill. In Qin Huai's eyes now, even with the combined might of the entire Anxi Sixteen Camps, Li Dingguo's strength had only just reached the peak of the Seven Palaces level. It was unlikely that his superb swordsmanship alone could pose any fatal threat to him.

boom! boom! boom!
The two broadswords, one black and one red, clashed like dragons and tigers locked in battle. The dragon lunged, the tiger brandished its tail, and Qin Huai repeatedly deflected Li Dingguo's attacks, employing skillful techniques, ingenious strategies, or sheer force.
The Dragon Crescent Blade seemed to come alive on him, and many times he used only the slightest bit of force—the blade guard, the swallowing edge, and the tail cone—to hold off Li Dingguo's attacks and turn danger into safety before the Spring and Autumn Greatsword could fully unleash its offensive.

Li Cunyi, a grandmaster of Xingyi Quan who taught Qin Huai, once enlightened him, saying that the true meaning of the sword lies not in killing, but in concealment.

Qin Huai only had a vague understanding of it at the time, and only regarded the sentence as a special kind of preparatory sword strike, without paying much attention to it.

However, after personally experiencing the many mysteries of the Dragon Hidden Blade Intent, Qin Huai has now come to understand most of it. He knows that the Hidden Blade Intent is more about concealing one's attack intentions, controlling the rhythm through subtle changes in eyes, movements, and aura, and pulling the enemy into a perilous situation where the tension is high and a single mistake will lead to death.

As Qin Huai's sword strikes became faster and faster, Li Dingguo's movements became increasingly ingenious. The sword handle repeatedly circled his waist and neck, rotating and changing, while his retreat was as fast as a hurricane, with the blade flashing incessantly around him.

Meanwhile, Qin Huai, strolling leisurely, closely followed the wind. The Sin Dragon Crescent Blade in his hand was ever-changing, chasing after the flashes of blades. It didn't seem like a life-or-death battle, but rather a friendly exchange of sparring.

After the old lama was critically injured and on the verge of death, the Sumeru Illusion shattered. Qin Huai and Li Dingguo fought each other with swords all the way from the camp through the dense forest. The trees and shrubs seemed unchanged, but long after the two of them passed by, from the mountainside to the foot of the mountain, suddenly the tree crowns flew up, the tree trunks were cut up, the shrubs were crushed, and there were cut plant remains everywhere. Even the pythons hidden in the trees were shattered by the powerful force.

Countless wood chips and debris fell to the ground, their dull thuds echoing for a long time, accompanied by an even longer rustling sound.

Seeing that he couldn't gain any advantage from Qin Huai despite trying his best, Li Dingguo let out a long roar. His already scarlet and fiery Spring and Autumn Greatsword was stained with a hazy blood color, and a rough and blurry huge figure suddenly appeared behind him.

Blood Asura!

Qin Huai's heart skipped a beat. His desire to spar with Li Dingguo and absorb the essence of the sword technique vanished. He unleashed tremendous power in his arms and struck Li Dingguo down from the air, sending him crashing to the ground like a tidal wave of wet earth.

Uh-huh! ! ! !

A red streak swept across the sky, silently brushing past Qin Huai's cheek as he turned to avoid it, before the sonic boom finally arrived, resounding throughout the heavens and earth.

"What kind of demon dares to harm my adopted son?!"

Accompanied by a thunderous shout, the surrounding stench of blood suddenly intensified. Qin Huai narrowed his eyes, knowing that the Great Western King had arrived, but he had no intention of confronting him directly at this moment. His figure faded again, and he fled at an extremely fast speed, imperceptible to the naked eye, and withdrew from the place.

"Your Highness Prince Jin, we will meet again!"

Before he finished speaking, an arc slash even more violent than the previous Blood Moon cleaved out of the hand of Zhang Xianzhong, the Great Western King, and smashed into "Qin Huai". The wind from the blade shook the surrounding area, and the land within a radius of more than a thousand feet trembled like the surface of the sea.

Those deep-rooted trees, like tiny wooden carvings, were tossed into the air, torn apart and blown away into the distance by the aftershocks of the sword energy.

But there was not a trace of the life force that should be present in it.

"Cough, cough, Father, it's my fault for failing in my duties, that Hundred Lotus Demon escaped!"

Li Dingguo crawled out of the pit covered in dust and dirt. His heavy armor and helmet were tattered and hung on his strong body, which was covered with terrible wounds. He looked quite pathetic.

"Those cunning thieves who only know how to talk big would never have such terrifying military skills. This person must have some other background."

The Great Western King glanced at his adopted son Li Dingguo, whose wounds were slow to heal, and looked at the blue lotuses that had transformed from the shattered remnants of Qin Huai. A chilling light flashed in his blood-red eyes.

"Where is Master Sa?"

"He was severely injured by that wicked thief who pierced his chest. I wonder what his condition is now."

Li Dingguo leaned on his sword and stood up. He sensed the Taotie power that was like a maggot clinging to his bones, inhibiting the healing of his wounds. His expression became very solemn.

“Sa Shi is a favorite of death. As long as Si Chen doesn’t accept him, he won’t die. Ding Guo, come with me. This time, the blood transfusion will probably have to be brought forward.”

The Great Western King patted Li Dingguo on the shoulder and quickly dashed towards the Sixteen Camps of Anxi in the distance.

(End of this chapter)