novelraw Chapter 52: Crisis
Chapter 52: Crisis
Among the ritual priest, the Earth Deity lineage excels at borrowing the power of mountain and water deities. If they have the protection of a corresponding deity, they can cause localized earthquakes or redirect rivers even at the eighth-rank.
The advantage this power brings in warfare is self-evident.
But it is not irresistible.
Military cultivators are also skilled at utilizing terrain and, even more so, at leveraging human collective power.
Heavenly spirits? Earth deities?
How can they contend against the power of humanity united!
The Military Path is a major branch of the Human Dao.
The Human Dao trusts neither heaven nor earth.
Humans will surely conquer heaven!
"Form up! Rise up!" the officer shouted loudly.The others immediately raised their weapons, and then a strange connection established itself around them.
The blades of all the soldiers ignited with a red glow.
Fire at the tip of the weapon, this is military Qi.
Blood Qi within the fire, this is malevolent Qi!
Military Qi and malevolent Qi intertwined, manifesting a strange phenomenon above their heads.
The aura connected like melon vines, like people holding swords and shields, a solid red mass, like blood.
Li Qi, observing from underwater, immediately realized this was a military formation similar to what Big Strong Shan had used!
However, compared to Big Strong Shan's, this military formation was much stronger.
Li Qi could see the fierce malevolence within it! Red like a battle standard, with soldiers beneath it, exuding a colossal aura that he absolutely could not contend with!
Yet, it was just nine people, but their might was so terrifying.
Fortunately, he was in the water; everything was still according to plan.
He had never been so grateful that he had practiced Wave-Breaking Force, which gave him excellent swimming abilities and allowed him to hold his breath for over two ke (approx 30-45 minutes).
The officer, seeing that the formation was activated, nodded: "Use military Qi to suppress the mountain root and hold down the water veins. We absolutely cannot let him borrow the power of the mountains and waters! ritual priests are not skilled in martial arts; they are weak in close combat. I will go down and deal with him!"
With that, he shed his armor, jumped directly into the water, bit down on his saber hilt, and swam strenuously towards Li Qi.
Li Qi, seeing this, was secretly pleased.
He came down, just as expected!
But he didn't dare surface. Crossbow bolts were aimed at him from above; he'd become a porcupine if he went up.
So he continued to wait at the bottom of the pond for the officer to dive down.
At the bottom of the pond, the officer held the saber in his mouth, its tip glowing, illuminating the dark depths of the pond.
Soon, he discovered Li Qi.
He picked up his saber with one hand and moved towards Li Qi.
Li Qi, in the water, didn't fear him and just glided along with the current.
Yes, the officer was swimming strenuously, splashing water as he moved. He was strong, so his speed was also fast.
But Li Qi was different.
Li Qi's swimming made little commotion. The officer swam but he glided like a fish in the water. Though without splashes or great force, he was much faster!
Clearly, the officer's swimming ability was far inferior to his.
He was a boat hauler who could tie a tow rope to himself and pull boats while swimming in the water!
Li Qi approached.
The officer, seeing this, raised his saber and thrust!
Resistance was high in the water, making it slow to swing a saber, but thrusting was not slow.
However, in water, any movement, no matter how slight, would inevitably create a current.
By skillfully using this current, one could drift with the flow and naturally evade the opponent's attacks!
Li Qi felt the turbulent water caused by the officer's powerful thrust. He turned his body, and the current naturally swept his body sideways, perfectly dodging the blow.
Pulling boats in the water was not safe. Upstream, there were often logs, even rocks, and various debris floating downstream.
The current was swift, and if struck by these things, one would surely suffer a bloody injury.
Therefore, boat haulers who dared to pull boats in the water must have mastered the technique of moving their bodies according to the current. Those who couldn't perceive and move with the current would have long since had their heads smashed open.
Li Qi had such a significant advantage in the water, which was why he led these people down to fight him.
Having dodged the thrust, Li Qi directly grabbed the officer's wrist!
With Wave-Breaking Force active, the water flow couldn't prevent him from exerting force. His six thousand eight hundred jin of immense strength erupted instantly, intending to crush the fragile wrist directly!
However, to Li Qi's surprise, the officer suddenly smiled, immediately let go of the hand holding the saber, and while clenching both hands into fists to protect his wrist, the saber itself actually moved!
The saber hummed lightly, and propelled by military Qi and malevolent Qi, it actually turned its blade in the water and fiercely stabbed towards Li Qi.
And the officer immediately grabbed Li Qi's wrist in return, refusing to let him escape, intending to lock him in the position the saber pointed at.
Just moments ago, Li Qi had grabbed a soldier, holding him tight and preventing his escape, resulting in him being crushed to death by stones. Now, less than a minute later, he found himself experiencing the same tactic!
With the saber about to strike, Li Qi's heart pounded with anxiety. Disregarding his stamina, he forcefully tried to break free.
But the officer held him tightly, absolutely refusing to let go.
Li Qi, frustrated, and ignoring his diminishing stamina, continued to exert force. Suddenly, two wisps of white Qi surged from his nostrils, turning into a string of bubbles in the water that gathered the current and sprayed onto the officer's face!
This was the effect of breathing while using the Bull Strength Art!
Li Qi knew he didn't have many cards to play, so he had already thought of many methods beforehand, considering every possible power he could utilize.
This was one of them.
Fortunately, the strength advantage brought by the Bull Strength Art was ultimately overwhelming. The officer was barraged by countless bubbles. Already not skilled in water combat, his heart panicked, and his strength faltered, allowing Li Qi to break free.
After breaking free, Li Qi immediately used his last bit of strength to flip backward, barely managing to dodge the saber.
But it was truly a close call; his skin was still cut, and he bled a little.
The wound wasn't large, probably similar to cutting one's hand while chopping vegetables.
But with just that small wound, Li Qi felt his entire body stiffen.
The wound was numb, and! The numbness was gradually spreading!
Military Qi and malevolent Qi had invaded his body, disrupting the naturally flowing ying Qi and wei Qi!
With his ying Qi and wei Qi hindered, Li Qi simply felt that something was wrong with his body.
He didn't know why, only that he had been hit.
But if it were Shen Shuibi, she would surely blurt out: "If ying Qi deviates, opposing the flesh and texture, then boils and swellings will appear. If wei Qi flows in reverse, and the pure and turbid mingle, causing chaos in the chest, this is called great vexation. If Qi is chaotic in the lungs, then one will gasp and pant. If chaotic in the arms and legs, it will cause four kinds of numbness and paralysis."
This meant that if ying Qi was disrupted, it would lead to the collapse of bodily functions and the formation of boils and swellings. At the same time, if wei Qi flowed in reverse, and the pure and turbid Qi mingled, it would cause difficulty breathing in the lungs, and the limbs would become cold and numb, losing their proper function.
Li Qi now understood the old horse's pain.
The old horse had been cut on its rump, and the malevolent Qi on that blade must have come from this!
The old horse's body was so weak, it must have been constantly plagued and entangled by this malevolent Qi!
The officer, meanwhile, saw Li Qi suddenly stiffen like a dead fish, no longer moving. He knew his military Qi had worked.
A smile appeared on his face; he had great confidence in his military Qi.
However, he was still very cautious. He gripped his saber with one hand and slowly swam forward again, preparing to deliver two more heavy blows to the stiff and immobile Li Qi.
Only dead men could be trusted.
Living men always managed to thrash around a bit.
(Chapter End)