novelraw Chapter 53: Sneak Attack
Chapter 53: Sneak Attack
Li Qi's body was stiff, his heartbeat erratic, his limbs cold, and even his lungs felt obstructed.
Furthermore, he was starting to suffocate.
Normally, he would take a long time to suffocate in water.
But earlier, to spray that officer, he had expelled all the air from his lungs.
An underwater battle inherently consumed a lot of physical strength, and expelling all the air in his lungs caused genuine breathing difficulties; he was starting to suffocate.
Military Qi and malevolent Qi disrupted the circulation of his ying Qi and wei Qi, causing his internal functions to become chaotic.
Even with meticulous planning before the battle, it was impossible for him to account for everything without intelligence.
But... although he hadn't anticipated this person's sword manipulation technique, such an injury was still within his expectations!
The old horse had almost died from malevolent Qi entering its body; how could he not have considered this point?
And how did the old horse solve it?By relying on his Great Forest Wood Qi!
The Great Forest Wood Qi from the Azure Dragon divine energy!
"The twelve meridians correspond to the twelve months. The twelve months are divided into four seasons. The four seasons spring, autumn, winter, summer each have distinct Qi. Ying Qi and wei Qi follow each other, Yin and Yang are harmonious, and pure qi and turbid Qi do not interfere with each other. This way, the microcosm of the human body adapts to the changes of the greater macrocosm, allowing the meridians to function normally."
Heaven and Earth have four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The climatic characteristics of these four seasons are all different. The human body naturally adapts to them. Ying Qi and wei Qi also have four phases. As long as the internal and external follow each other, operate in an orderly manner, Yin and Yang coordinate with each other, and the circulation of pure and turbid Qi does not interfere or invade each other, then the small world of the human body can adapt to the changes of the external great world, and the meridians can function normally.
Li Qi had specifically asked Shen Shuibi when she was explaining these things.
And Shen Shuibi, though she now seemed cute and somewhat foolish, had once been a fifth-rank cultivator, even possessing an Immaculate Body and had accompanied a powerful figure like Lady Luofu for many years.
Li Qi held immense trust in her words.
It was springtime, and the Great Forest Wood Qi was in harmony with the season. How could a mere wisp of malevolent Qi take his life?
But he seemed to have not used any of these.
He still lay stiff in the water, his lungs depleted of air, almost suffocating, so his face was turning purplish-blue.
At first glance, he looked like a floating corpse.
The officer swam closer, preparing to deliver the finishing blow.
But he was very cautious. He merely approached, then controlled his long saber, and thrust it remotely at Li Qi's floating "corpse."
He wasn't an idiot; why would he get close to stab him himself?
The saber, under his control, rapidly thrust towards Li Qi.
Then, at that moment, Li Qi, still a "corpse," suddenly opened his eyes!
He seemed to have no problems at all because he had already channeled all his Great Forest Wood Qi, leaving only a single wisp and poured the rest into his body, expelling every last trace of malevolent Qi.
In fact, under the flush of the large amount of Great Forest Wood Qi, all his external injuries had completely healed, and even some hidden ailments were cured by his powerful self-healing ability.
Then, without stopping, Li Qi untied a rope from his waist.
No, that wasn't a rope.
It was... a willow branch!
Li Qi gritted his teeth! You have a weapon, do I not?!
He simply didn't know how to use a whip. If he had brought it out earlier, he would probably have been made to look like a fool by the opponent's skillful saber art.
Only at this moment, by playing dead and when the opponent relaxed his guard, did he have a chance to strike!
The willow branch was flung out by Li Qi, then whipped sharply, tying around the long saber.
"Aargh—!" The officer let out a sudden cry of pain, clutching his eyes. Even in the water, he couldn't help but scream, expelling all the air stored in his lungs.
Because the divine soul attached to his long saber had been scattered!
Within the willow branch, there was the divine Qi of the Household Gods, Shentu and Yulei, two Earth Deities!
Specifically designed to combat ghosts, it had a deterrent effect on divine souls!
The willow branch also gathered Yin Qi, giving it a significant boost against Yin souls.
The two effects combined meant double the power!
One whip of the willow branch, while entangling the blade, simultaneously shattered the divine soul on it.
His divine soul shattered, it was like someone had smashed his nasal bone with a sledgehammer. The officer's head throbbed with unbearable pain, and he swallowed a lungful of water!
He never expected this ritual priest to actually have a magic artifact!
A genuine magic artifact, granted by a true Grand Shaman of Wushen Mountain!
This was not something a mere Little Banner officer could confront head-on!
This sneak attack was astonishingly effective. Li Qi hadn't even expected it to directly incapacitate him. Blood flowed from his seven orifices, and he convulsed uncontrollably in the water, as if struck by lightning.
But Li Qi didn't hesitate for a moment. He grabbed the officer's long saber and thrust it into the man's body!
One stab wasn't enough. He immediately pulled it out and stabbed four or five more times in quick succession.
Still not satisfied, he directly stabbed it into the throat and twisted it around.
It had to be said, this saber was incredibly sharp.
He casually pulled off the scabbard, then, carrying the opponent's corpse, holding his last breath, he quickly surfaced.
He surfaced not for anything heroic or grand.
But to use the corpse as a shield against arrows!
There was no heroic aura or passionate valor.
But this would allow him to live.
As expected, he had just surfaced and taken a breath when, with several whooshing sounds, crossbow bolts arrived, thudding into the officer's headless corpse.
"Little Banner!" The other soldiers' eyes were red with fury, and they roared!
But Li Qi couldn't care less about these people. While they were still reloading their crossbows, he threw the corpse aside, grabbed the saber, and swiftly swam towards the river mouth.
The eyes of the few soldiers guarding the river mouth were bloodshot. They all grabbed their long sabers, standing by in strict formation!
This bastard had killed their squad leader. If they didn't kill him to avenge their Little Banner, they would forever live in shame!
But Li Qi had already prepared for this. At this moment, he activated the trump card he had painstakingly devised earlier.
The heaven Qi Li Qi had accumulated, along with the trace of earth Qi he had obtained through trickery, were combined.
Earth Qi ascends, heaven Qi descends, Yin and Yang rub against each other, Heaven and Earth collide, spurred by thunder.
Thunder suddenly startled, shaking and shooting forth, stirring spring hearts, chasing cunning beasts, terrifying tigers and leopards, frightening fierce birds. What the thunder strikes, none are not shattered!
The combination of heaven Qi and earth Qi gave birth to thunder Qi!
This trace of thunder Qi was activated, transforming into a spring thunderclap that boomed loudly!
With a deafening crash, the few soldiers standing at the river mouth were instantly paralyzed.
Could this trace of thunder Qi kill them?
Honestly, Li Qi felt it was doubtful. The opponents weren't rookies; each was a cultivator, possibly even ranked!
Just like that officer, if he hadn't used the willow branch combined with his cunning, ambushing him, and also leveraging the advantage of fighting in water, with so many advantages combined, he barely won. If it had been on land, the opponent probably would have cut him down with one strike.
So, this not-so-strong thunderclap probably wouldn't kill them.
However, these people had metal armor and were standing in the water.
It wouldn't kill them, but it could certainly paralyze them!
Taking advantage of their paralysis, Li Qi swiftly broke through the river mouth and swam away in a flash!
Downstream, these few people would definitely not be able to catch up! They would have to go back and get their horses!
(Chapter End)