Chapter 191: Death of Captain Wang (Part Two)
Chapter 191: Death of Captain Wang (Part Two)
A moment later, Tang Jinbiao descended to a spot a dozen or so zhang above the jumbled rocks. The Wings of Frost on his back beat slowly, emitting waves of cold air that plunged the temperature within a zhang around him to a frigid level.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
But right then, the seemingly ordinary pile of rocks suddenly stirred. Clearly, the formation on the ground had been activated.
As the rocks moved, a layer of green glow, visible to the naked eye, abruptly appeared in the air beneath Tang Jinbiao, enveloping the entire rock pile.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Not only did the light shield protect the rocks, but simultaneously, the stones on the ground began flying and darting through the air at a dizzying speed. If an ordinary person tried to carefully observe the paths of these rocks with their divine sense or naked eye, attempting to decipher their trajectories, they would be falling right into the trap.
For this was the Chaotic Rock Formation!
The Chaotic Rock Formation’s greatest strength was not defense, nor offense, but the ability to disrupt the enemy’s line of sight and unsettle their mind.
An unstable emotional state was a major taboo in combat.
“Heh heh, once I’m free, I won’t even go back to the Demon Realm, won’t play at being that damned Demon Emperor anymore. I’ll just stay right here in the Mortal Realm, disguising myself as a small-fry Core Formation Cultivator. I’ll go everywhere flexing without restraint, leeching off others wherever I go! Hmm, might that not be a joy of life too? Being high and mighty all day, I’m utterly sick of that kind of life! Much better to experience the hardships of the common people! Yeah, that’s it. I’m truly brilliant! Without enduring storms, how could one see the rainbow, right? Only by experiencing grassroots life can one truly soar! Good, good, good! Right here in this excellent place!”
High in the air, the Azure Dragon paid absolutely no attention to the unfolding events below. Wearing an expression of excited fervor, he radiated his presence while enthusiastically fantasizing about the blissful life he would lead after the seven layers of the Divine Confinement Seal imprisoning him were broken.
Had the Azure Dragon seen the changes unfolding in the Chaotic Rock Formation, he would surely have recognized its secret at a single glance. Tang Jinbiao, however, did not.
“Hmm?”
Watching the stones dart around with dizzying intensity, Tang Jinbiao felt an involuntary urge to see clearly what was happening. He frowned and focused intently on observing them.
Certain things were buried deep, almost like instinct.
When arriving in unfamiliar territory, it’s human nature to instinctively survey the surroundings. This was the principle of “Observation” contained within the Six-Syllable Mantra!
“Ah, my head spins!”
Yet, after only watching for a short moment, Tang Jinbiao felt dizzy. The flow of Qi Energy within his body grew sluggish and stalled within him.
Swoosh!
Just as Tang Jinbiao lost focus for that instant, his inner Qi flow disrupted, his body tilting towards a fall, a rock weighing roughly a hundred jin flew out from the chaotic pile.
This stone wasn’t an ordinary round rock; it resembled a sharp awl, its sharp point aimed precisely at Tang Jinbiao’s chest.
Hiss! Hiss!
The sharp stone flew with incredible speed, friction with the air producing crackling sounds as it sliced through.
Clench! Clench!
Suddenly feeling himself falling, Tang Jinbiao instantly snapped back to full alertness.
This was a human instinct. Even in deep sleep, a sudden loss of balance or the sensation of falling jolts one awake.
Hiss! Hiss!
The very moment Tang Jinbiao regained awareness, he instantly felt the killing intent radiating from the incoming stone. With a fierce surge, he mobilized the Qi Energy within his body.
As Tang Jinbiao channelled his Qi, the Wings of Frost on his back began beating slowly once more. His downward momentum paused slightly, then halted completely.
“Blast it!”
However, the situation wasn’t as simple as Tang Jinbiao had imagined. The stone was already terrifyingly close. Tang Jinbiao’s inner Qi instantly prioritized activating the Wings of Frost, arresting his fall.
However, this meant he could no longer mobilize Qi Energy to attack the rock or counterattack within a short time.
After all, he was merely a Third-stage Initial Tier Body Refiner. Learning and utilizing a flying Martial Technique was already remarkable; expecting him to simultaneously employ flight while counterattacking was simply asking too much.
Realizing this, Tang Jinbiao’s face drastically changed.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
But the pointed rock paid no heed to Tang Jinbiao. It continued hurtling towards him at high speed.
Thrum!
Tang Jinbiao’s Wings of Frost flapped slowly once on his back, finally stabilizing his posture and granting him a fleeting sense of balance.
“Right, this is the only way!”
Suddenly, the very instant his body steadied, the Qi Energy inside Tang Jinbiao immediately dissipated. The Wings of Frost on his back vanished with a bamf, and simultaneously, his body plummeted towards the ground.
Swoosh!
In the space of a single breath, as Tang Jinbiao dropped only one meter, the rock surged past, narrowly grazing the top of his head before shooting away.
“Success!”
After dodging the rock, an involuntary, triumphant smile touched Tang Jinbiao’s lips.
That brief moment had given him crystal-clear awareness: relying solely on the Wings of Frost to adjust speed and dodge while destroying the rock was impossible. Even if the rock wouldn’t kill him, it would definitely wound him. So, at the critical last millisecond, he abandoned flight with the Wings of Frost. Instead, he let gravity pull his body down in a rapid plunge. This created just the gap of a head’s distance, allowing him to dodge by the slimmest margin. Had Tang Jinbiao hesitated even for the blink of an eye, the outcome would have been entirely different.
Thud!
After evading the rock, Tang Jinbiao fell about three meters before the Wings of Frost unfurled from his back once more.
Tang Jinbiao didn’t notice, however, that after missing its target, the rock flew a short distance as if its support vanished, then gradually slowed and plummeted earthward.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Perhaps irritated by its failed strike, the jumble of rocks scrambling across the ground below increased their speed, weaving trajectories that became a dizzying blur.
“Heh, trying to mess with my head?”
But now, with experience gained, Tang Jinbiao gave a faint, cold smirk. He stopped trying to follow the rocks’ paths with his eyes, instead narrowing them to slits.
As Tang Jinbiao narrowed his gaze, the chaotic scene below transformed. Through his narrowed eyes, he saw only seven or eight brilliantly flashing dots weaving relentless paths through the air—all except one, the brightest of all, which remained stationary.
Conveniently, these moving dots of light corresponded precisely to the rocks poised to attack Tang Jinbiao.
Swish!
Abruptly, one of the rocks carrying a light spot broke away, launching straight at Tang Jinbiao.
“That’s the one!”
Spotting the glowing dot, Tang Jinbiao’s lips curled in another icy smile. He raised the Frost Silver Spear in his hand. Exerting slight force, he instantly channeled Qi Energy.
Fsshhht!
A billowing cloud of icy white vapor erupted directly from the spear towards the incoming rock.
Crackle!
The newly launched rock, still three meters away from Tang Jinbiao, was suddenly blasted by the spear’s frigid breath. Instantly frozen into a solid lump of ice, it hung suspended for a heartbeat before crashing to the ground.
Tang Jinbiao’s spear blast had frozen more than just the stone; it had also trapped a thread of Spiritual Energy contained within.
Had the spiritual energy within not been frozen solid, even if Tang Jinbiao destroyed that rock, the formation’s guidance would draw the energy back. Another ordinary stone would then gain “life.” As long as this field of chaotic rocks didn’t vanish entirely, the Disorderly Stone Formation would never cease.
“Hmm?”
Just after Tang Jinbiao froze that stone with ice, he narrowed his eyes and miraculously discovered a flicker. On the ground, the largest point of light, representing Captain Wang, began to flicker erratically, as though gripped by extreme emotional turmoil.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The disarrayed rocks on the ground continued their relentless flight and crisscrossing paths. Yet, through Tang Jinbiao’s eyes, the number of stones glowing with spiritual energy had decreased slightly.
“So that’s how it is!”
In that instant, Tang Jinbiao judged that his Spirit Eye could not only trace the path of spiritual energy but also discern changes in the emotional state of its wielder by observing fluctuations within the energy itself.
“Right! Exactly! Back when Wei Wuya unleashed the God of War’s Stride, the spiritual energy within him burned like a blazing fire – mirroring his own state of mind! He saw himself as that raging fire! I understand! I finally understand why! Why, even though I obtained the God of War’s Stride technique, studied it, and learned it, I could never replicate that imposing aura when executing it! I always suspected it wasn’t the complete form. And sure enough!”
Tang Jinbiao didn’t just grasp the connection between energy flux and mental state; he also recalled the God of War’s Stride technique he had been secretly practicing. Though acquired from Wei Wuya, it seemed incomplete. He felt he had mastered it, yet the essential, overwhelming presence was missing during execution. He had long harbored doubts that his copy was flawed. Naturally, he also knew it lacked the “God of War’s Kick” technique Wei Wuya had revealed just before death.
“Hmph. Wei Wuya. To think you’d cause trouble for me even from the grave. Had I actually tried fighting with that half-assed God of War’s Stride, I’d probably be dead without a burial place, wouldn’t I?”
Even having slain Wei Wuya with his own hands, Tang Jinbiao still felt a simmering resentment towards him.
“Forget that now. The most pressing matter is dealing with this Captain Wang. I’m burning with curiosity – what kind of magic does that Talisman possess? How could it transform him so drastically in just three short years?”
Tang Jinbiao raised the Frost Silver Spear and gently tapped it towards a rock hurtling towards him. The stone instantly froze, transforming into an icy lump and plummeting downwards.
Flicker! Flicker! Flicker!
After this second rock was encased in ice, the point of spiritual light marking Captain Wang on the ground flickered even more violently, radiating disbelief.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Having suffered consecutive setbacks, three rocks simultaneously shot upwards from the ground towards Tang Jinbiao.
“Heh heh. Getting impatient? Well then, let me astonish you further!”
Seeing the trio of rocks streaking towards him, Tang Jinbiao’s sneer widened. He lifted the Frost Silver Spear and stabbed lightly at each of the oncoming missiles in swift succession.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
Three streams of freezing vapor erupted from the spear tip, racing towards their respective targets.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Three muffled thuds followed. The stones met the same fate, transforming into frozen lumps and tumbling downwards.
Hummm! Hummm! Hummm!
As the three icy rocks crashed down, a harsh, grating sound suddenly pierced the air. The protective green barrier encircling the formation emitted a mournful wail before exploding with a deafening roar, shattering into countless sparks that dissolved into the air.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With the destruction of the formation, the chaotic pile of stones on the ground was revealed. And equally exposed was Captain Wang, who had been concealed within it.
Now, deep terror filled Captain Wang’s previously vacant eyes as he lifted his head to gaze upon Tang Jinbiao suspended in the air. Tang Jinbiao’s image filled his sight: Clad in white robes, adorned with majestic Wings of Frost at his back, Frost Silver Spear gripped firmly in hand, and possessing strikingly handsome features—he should have appeared like a noble celestial being. Yet, the cold smirk curling his lips painted him the very picture of a demon.
Yes, precisely. Tang Jinbiao was a demon incarnate.
He played by no rules, adhered to no conventions. Results were all he sought. And for whatever he desired, he was capable of absolutely anything.
“Hsss! Hsssss! Hssssss!”
Captain Wang gave no retort. He could only stare fearfully at Tang Jinbiao, hissing uncontrollably. Whether he was incapable of speech or rendered mute, his meaning remained utterly unintelligible.
Tang Jinbiao, naturally, ignored the hissing. A mocking smile touched his lips as he spoke in a chillingly calm tone, “Heh heh. Captain Wang. It’s been a while.”
…