I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 175 - 173: Weakness

Fang Lufei cautiously performed the Hanging Talisman. Wang Meng didn’t attack, but Fang Lufei didn’t dare to be careless. He was still worried about a sudden, sneaky Sword Qi attack. This was fine, though. Fang Lufei steadily set up one Talisman after another.

The process of Hanging Talismans revealed his skill. Fang Lufei truly was one of the best to emerge from Fire Cloud Hall. If Yao Yuan hadn’t burst onto the scene, he would have been Fire Cloud Hall’s number two.

He hung a total of forty-nine Talismans. His Talisman Array clearly contained a higher number of Azure Fire Talisman Arrays and Bursting Fire Talismans. This demonstrated his control over Fire Talismans, which was a matter of Spiritual Power.

Once the Hanging Talisman Compass was fully operational, Fang Lufei’s confidence skyrocketed. With both his offense and defense prepared, he felt that not even Wang Meng, with all the power in the world, could stop him now.

A thunderclap suddenly tore through the clear sky. Fang Lufei’s eyes snapped wide open, his hair and beard standing on end as if he had become another person entirely.

KILL!

Fang Lufei was quite direct. The Hanging Talisman Compass activated the array, causing it to spin up rapidly. A torrent of Talismans, like a great river, poured down toward Wang Meng.

In terms of combat experience and Skill Technique, Fang Lufei was far more steady and mature than Yao Yuan. This talismanic array was not set up randomly. The combination of Fire Talismans, Azure Fire Talisman Arrays, and Bursting Fire Talismans was a distillation of all his combat experience. It’s a matter of personal approach—the same Hanging Talismans will produce completely different effects when set by different people.

Sword Qi could be dodged with the Flying Shadow Technique, but Talismans were another matter. Talisman attacks were mostly explosive area-of-effect damage, differing only in the size of their blast radius. Moreover, Fang Lufei’s Array Talisman Bow was watching like a tiger. He wasn’t in a hurry to fire it, though. Just having the bow aimed at Wang Meng was a threat in itself, and threats have a huge impact on a battle. Once an attack was launched, that threat would be gone.

This was a mature Cultivator!

In the Small Thousand World, where geniuses constantly emerged, one should never underestimate the seniors who had trained bitterly to this day. They might not be flamboyant, but that was because they had gained more experience and learned more lessons through countless battles, which in turn had made them even stronger.

All eyes were on Wang Meng. He, too, was ready to dodge, apparently planning to use his incredible Flying Shadow Technique again. To have trained the Flying Shadow to the level of the Illusion Step was truly no small feat. In fact, toward the end of their fight, Jia Shidao’s Thunderlight Cross Chain Spin Kill, while being Sword Qi, had also carried a powerful area-of-effect paralysis attack. It was just that, even at the very end, Jia Shidao couldn’t figure out why it had been ineffective.

If it were just an ordinary explosive attack, it certainly wouldn’t be enough. But this was an entire Talisman Array. Anyone else in this situation would be best served by dealing with their opponent before the attack launched.

Would another miracle happen?

Wang Meng didn’t move recklessly. He was waiting for his opponent to use the Array Talisman Bow. That would be the deciding factor.

Ten Fire Talismans were the first to arrive. The attack frequency of the Fire Talismans was indeed fast, and their precision targeting was aimed straight at Wang Meng’s vitals.

That dreamlike Flying Shadow Step appeared once more. He dodged the Fire Talismans one by one. The Bursting Fire Talismans detonated, but to no avail. The Azure Fire Talisman Arrays also exploded, but Wang Meng’s speed was greater. Especially when the initial Fire Talismans failed to pin him down, the true effect of the combined talismanic array couldn’t be brought to bear.

Fang Lufei’s expression was incredibly stern, his Array Talisman Bow remaining aimed at Wang Meng the entire time. He replenished the Hanging Talisman Compass with Fire Talismans one by one.

"Fire Cloud Hall is really sparing no expense. That Hanging Talisman Compass must be powered by Top-Grade Spirit Stones."

Mingren said with a shake of his head and a smile.

"Senior has a sharp eye, haha. But this has always been Fire Cloud Hall’s style. A Sub-Hall with an advantage in resources will always leverage their own specialties. This Fang Lufei is much more composed than Yao Yuan. If Wang Meng plans to wear him down in a battle of attrition, he’s seriously miscalculated."

Yang Ying said. The first part of her statement seemed to favor Fire Cloud Hall, but the latter half swung back around.

Mingren nodded. Yang Ying was willing to converse with Mingren because of his character. While everyone else might gossip, Mingren would never engage in such distasteful behavior. Saint Cultivators were still human, with their own emotions and desires. But if you were to find someone in the Jiufen Hall who was truly upright and clear about his grievances, it would undoubtedly be Mingren.

"If Wang Meng doesn’t realize this and tries to pull the same trick he used on Jia Shidao, I’m afraid he’s in for a huge loss."

The Lingyin Four Tigers also nodded in agreement. As elites from Lingyin Hall who practiced Talisman and Sword Dual Cultivation, they were the most qualified to comment. When a Sword Cultivator faces another Sword Cultivator, they can fall into a deadlock of tempo and momentum. However, against a Technique Cultivator, that kind of situation would never occur.

Yang Ying quietly glanced at the Lingyin Four Tigers. Any one of these four could be the Senior of any of the lesser Sub-Halls. In terms of elite disciples, however, Dao Guang Hall, Lingyin Hall, and even Immortal Origin Hall were a cut above the rest. This was the Thunder Pool that the other Sub-Halls had never been able to cross.

Perhaps Immortal Origin Hall had weaknesses, but their weaknesses were covered by their Pills.

Turning their gazes back to the battlefield, Fang Lufei was showing true patience. He allowed Wang Meng to display his dazzling techniques. The spectators from both sides watched nervously. Having defeated both Qiao Qian and Jia Shidao, Wang Meng had to be taken seriously, no matter what. Everyone else was also studying his weaknesses.

A Fifteenth Layer Sword Cultivator definitely had weaknesses, no matter how well he had perfected certain techniques.

Song Zhong watched, nodding repeatedly. ’Stay steady, keep up the pressure,’ he thought. ’Doesn’t he love showing off his Body Technique? Give him enough time. Fang Lufei just needs to hold his ground, wait for an opportunity, wait for Wang Meng to reveal a flaw, wait for him to forget the Array Talisman Bow exists.’

’The moment a crack appears in his Heart Spirit, even for an instant, will be his end. If Fang Lufei can take care of Wang Meng, then the sky’s the limit.’

The Fire Cloud Hall Disciples were getting a little anxious. Against trash like Wang Meng, they felt he should just be blasted to smithereens. But Fang Lufei was indeed playing the long game.

Those who understood Wang Meng also nodded incessantly. This was indeed the right way to deal with him. Don’t fight him head-on, and more importantly, don’t get impatient. If he wants to show off, let him show off. It’s not like it would kill anyone.

The result was what mattered most. Only a fool wouldn’t press their advantage.

With the help of the Hanging Talisman Compass and his own advantage in Elemental Power, if his opponent wanted to play around, then let him play.

Whenever Wang Meng showed any sign of closing the distance, Fang Lufei’s Fire Talisman attacks would intensify, forcing him back. No matter how you dodged, you couldn’t completely ignore the attacks.

As long as Wang Meng kept his distance, Fang Lufei would bombard him relentlessly with Fire Talismans. This was a test of patience. As a competent Technique Cultivator, Fang Lufei wasn’t the Senior disciple; he didn’t need to worry about saving face. He just needed to exhibit the patience and stability of a Technique Cultivator.

"Damn, is this Fang Lufei even a man? Fighting like such a coward! Doesn’t he dare to fight for real?!"

Zhang Xiaojiang was getting extremely anxious on the sidelines.

Elder Zhu watched quietly, a look of approval in his eyes. This Fang Lufei was indeed a reliable one. In most battles, the difference in strength wasn’t that vast. Aspects like strength, mentality, and more all had to be considered—that was the mark of maturity. One had to accurately gain Insight into the situation and make the most favorable judgment.

It was obvious that for the same amount of energy consumed, Wang Meng was taking more "damage," while Fang Lufei was getting more and more comfortable. He was actually starting to grasp the trajectory of Wang Meng’s Flying Shadow dodges. The pressure from the Fire Talismans intensified, making it harder for Wang Meng to evade.

In a fight, one didn’t necessarily need to lock onto the target with perfect precision. For a Technique Cultivator, simply determining the correct attack range was enough.

Under the pressure from the Fire Talismans, the Bursting Fire Talismans finally began to hit their mark. Wang Meng was struck by the shrapnel from a Bursting Fire Talisman.

In a stalemate, once one side revealed an opening, the situation would cascade like a breaking dam.

What’s more, Fang Lufei still had an ace up his sleeve that he hadn’t used. His confidence was steadily growing. Although the Azure Fire Talisman Array hadn’t hit Wang Meng directly, it had still managed to injure him. His evasive steps were clearly not as flashy as they were at the beginning.

A god?

’No such thing exists!’

Everyone has flaws, especially a Level 15 Cultivator. Even if you trained all your skills to their peak, it would be for naught. Strength depends on a combination of factors and balance. When no one is paying attention, you can definitely cause an upset. But after you become famous, you’ll be put under a microscope. People will dig three feet deep to find a flaw even if you don’t have one, let alone when you have one so obvious.

Jia Shidao’s mistake was not learning from Qiao Qian’s lesson: exploit the weakness. It might not look good, but it wins the fight.

What Yang Ying had feared most was happening after all.

The Lingyin Four Tigers looked at each other and couldn’t help but sigh. They had a very favorable impression of both Lingyin Hall and Wang Meng, especially his personality and techniques. But the man’s shortcomings were just too obvious. His interests were too broad, and his cultivation lacked focus.

The Fire Cloud Hall Disciples, who had been feeling suppressed, could finally breathe a little easier. The light of victory was just ahead. It doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice.

BANG...

A Fire Talisman. Wang Meng failed to dodge it completely. It struck his right leg, throwing his footwork into disarray.

The flames of victory burned in Fang Lufei’s eyes, but his thoughts remained perfectly clear. ’Chasing him with Fire Talismans now would only give him an opportunity to force a dodge.’

Hit him while he’s down!

The Array Talisman Bow was finally fired!

A ray of light shot rapidly toward Wang Meng. POP...

The Trapped Dragon Array exploded!

An undeniable lock-on!

No matter how great your power, you could not evade it.

Struck squarely by the Trapped Dragon Array, Wang Meng was instantly immobilized for at least five or six breaths. And this was followed by three more consecutive Trapped Dragon Arrays, exploding in a triangular formation around him, leaving him absolutely no chance.

Yao Yuan couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. ’So this is the gap between me and my seniors.’

Fang Lufei’s expression was incredibly solemn. ’It’s finally starting. This is my offering!’

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH...

Streams of Fire Talismans, Bursting Fire Talismans, and Azure Fire Talisman Arrays flew out like a spinning lantern, but they didn’t strike Wang Meng directly. Instead, they surrounded him.

In that instant, Fang Lufei demonstrated a masterful technique: Remote Hanging Talisman!

Fang Lufei’s face turned beet red from the effort. The difficulty of Remote Hanging Talisman was much higher, but once it succeeded, it was known as the Heaven and Earth Net!

Wang Meng was now surrounded by layer upon layer of talismanic arrays. At that moment, the Trapped Dragon Array was about to fade. Fang Lufei was holding his breath, gathering his Elemental Power to do this all in one go.

"The nets of heaven are vast, but they let nothing escape—Detonate!"

The fully-loaded talismanic array descended upon Wang Meng like a snowstorm. Bombarding him one by one, even if done consecutively, would still leave gaps and could even cause the explosions to cancel each other out. But with a successful Remote Hanging Talisman, the explosive effects would stack.

This display of Remote Hanging Talisman demonstrated Fang Lufei’s caliber as the number-two powerhouse of Fire Cloud Hall.

RUMBLE... (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)