Chapter 232: A Chaotic Battle Where One Move Affects the Whole Board
The dense metallic impacts, like fireworks blooming in the first lunar month, rapidly struck the observers’ eardrums.
“Three Steps Eighteen Spears,” stepping forward three times, was merely a matter of a breath. In this brief moment, eighteen spear shadows connected into a crisscrossing torrent of light and lightning, wildly surging and rapidly descending, pursuing and striking Gongsun Zhi.
Gongsun Zhi’s body hairs stood on end, and he brandished the gold knife and black sword in his hands, creating a defense impenetrable to water.
Very few people could clearly see Zhou Yan’s specific spear styles, but Gongsun Zhi wielded two weapons, and the onlookers saw them clearly. They saw him wielding the light and airy black sword for hard chops and cuts, while a heavy and solid toothed gold knife flew nimbly, following a purely single-sword path. The techniques he used were precisely the opposite of martial arts principles.
Such martial arts were truly unprecedented and unheard of, and the people of the Western Regions’ martial world cheered incessantly.
Qiu Qianren, Zhang Sanqiang, and Golden Wheel Law King all watched with extreme focus, marveling to themselves and wondering how they would break this technique if it were them.
Yang Kang’s eyes suddenly brightened. He had never witnessed Gongsun Zhi’s martial arts before, but now that he saw them, he found them miraculous. If such a talent were recruited, wouldn’t it be like adding wings to a tiger?
Zhou Yan’s “Three Steps Eighteen Spears” was merely to test Gongsun Zhi’s mastery of the cultivation technique “Yin Yang Reversal Blade Technique” and to familiarize himself with the opponent’s style.
After the first wave of attacks, there could be another “Three Steps Twenty-One Spears.”
Gongsun Zhi had no way to express his suffering. An inch longer is an inch stronger. Without the containment of Helian Chuncheng, Yin Kexi, and others, not only could he not break through the opponent’s spear momentum, but he also found it difficult to unleash the power of his peerless skills. Moreover, with each spear Zhou Yan blocked, his knife and sword vibrated, and his tiger’s mouth went numb. If this continued, it wouldn’t be long before his knife and sword were smashed out of his hands by the heavy spear.
Helian Chuncheng, Ni Mo Xing, and Yin Kexi, seeing Gongsun Zhi block Zhou Yan’s lightning-fast thrusts, instead felt their spirits lift and their confidence greatly increase.
“Stop being so arrogant.”
Helian Chuncheng’s iron spear, held level in his hand, drew a conspicuous mark as it swept towards Zhou Yan’s waist. Yin Kexi’s long whip coiled towards the Profound Iron Heavy Spear, and Ni Mo Xing continued to pounce from behind Zhou Yan.
Suddenly, the vibrating spear in Gongsun Zhi’s line of sight disappeared. When it reappeared, it was already to Zhou Yan’s left. In the next instant, the crisp sound of metal clashing exploded, and sparks burst forth like lightning generated from thin air.
With a hum, Helian Chuncheng’s spear was repelled. Zhou Yan retracted his spear, his palm sliding to the middle of the spear. The spear style spun out in a magnificent circle, and he and the spear rotated together. The spearhead, like a blade, sliced towards Ni Mo Xing, while the spear tail swept horizontally at the charging Gongsun Zhi.
Ni Mo Xing only felt essence light splashing and azure flames flashing in his line of sight. The surrounding air was filled with a chilling killing intent. He let out a loud shout and flipped backward again.
Gongsun Zhi’s black sword “clanged” as it chopped at the spear tail. The irresistible force of the impact bent the black sword into an arc, and he retreated several steps.
“Excellent, a stroke of genius! Such spear techniques are truly eye-opening.” The discerning martial arts experts did not spare their praise and shouted loudly.
Lu Beihe sighed and said to Zhang Wangyue, “Every time I see Brother Zhou, his cultivation has improved by a level. I have no choice but to admire him.”
“Brother Zhou is like an ascetic monk on the path of the martial dao; he is truly admirable.”
On the outer edge of the crowd, a smile bloomed on Zhang Sanqiang’s face. This was his own spear technique, yet it was being used by the opponent, and it was as elusive as a sheep hanging its horns, leaving no trace. A spear technique genius, it’s a pity he cannot join the Ming Cult.
Zhou Yan, after forcing back Gongsun Zhi and Ni Mo Xing with one spear, then unleashed the killing move “Three Steps Eighteen Spears” from the “Storm of Pear Blossoms Spear” technique, which he obtained from Yang Miaozhen.
He had mastered many spear techniques now, but in such a chaotic battle of one against four, this technique was the most suitable.
Profound internal force surged from the already tempered Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian, pouring out from the acupoints in his hands, wrists, and fingers, such as Guanchong, Yemeng, Zhongzhu, and Yangchi, propelling the Profound Iron Heavy Spear.
Zhou Yan employed the Tomb Lightness Skill, moving with divine agility within a radius of about ten feet. His movements were so fast that it seemed he appeared before Helian Chuncheng, Gongsun Zhi, Yin Kexi, and Ni Mo Xing simultaneously.
Beyond the sight of top experts like Hong Qigong, Huang Yaoshi, Ouyang Feng, Golden Wheel Law King, and Huo Gong Toutuo, in the vision of everyone else, Zhou Yan’s figure appeared as an indistinct, blurry phantom. Amidst the sharp sound of the spear breaking the wind, his figure materialized once, unleashing six spears per step. In an instant, he thrust twenty-four spears towards Yin Kexi, Helian Chuncheng, and the others combined.
For a moment, the entire area flashed with cold light and then suddenly retracted. Cold edges rapidly flowed with frigid light, shifting between reality and illusion, flashing back and forth. Although it was four people surrounding and attacking Zhou Yan, visually, it was as if Zhou Yan had drawn the four into his spear techniques.
Zhou Yan moved again, his figure solidifying before Gongsun Zhi. His spear rained down, surging forward like a python pouncing on its prey. Gongsun Zhi let out a loud cry, his black sword chopping at the heavy spear. With one chop, he concealed a sword style. His long knife thrust directly, yet it contained a knife style.
Zhou Yan inwardly scoffed. A knife is a knife, and a sword is a sword. Next, the long knife thrust directly, but in reality, it was a chop. The black sword changed from a chop to a thrust. The sword techniques on the knife and the knife techniques on the sword were all feints.
As Zhou Yan thought this, a flash of inspiration struck him. A sentence from the Nine Yin Manual surfaced in his mind: “He is strong, let him be strong, a gentle breeze brushes the mountain ridge; he is fierce, let him be fierce, the bright moon shines upon the great river. He is cruel and he is wicked, I have but a single breath of true energy.”
Zhou Yan suddenly felt the clarity of parting the clouds to see the blue sky. In a single thought, he mused, the Nine Yang Divine Skill has the characteristic of “all martial arts in the world, easily acquired.” In the world of Heaven Sword, Zhang Wuji, after taking a palm from Abbess Miejue, had an epiphany about the method of regulating breath. But in my opinion, isn’t this sentence the true mantra to break cultivation techniques like Gongsun Zhi’s Yin Yang Reversal?
Seemingly illusory, yet not illusory, what does it have to do with me? The offensive is upon me, allowing you to maneuver.
Zhou Yan let out a loud laugh.
He was familiar with the “Yin Yang Reversal Blade Technique” and already had a method to break it, but now he could break it with a simpler, more direct, and efficient method.
Zhou Yan guided his energy with intent. His internal force circulated from the Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian and then surged from the acupoints in his palms and fingers, propelling the great spear. He thrust out a most simple Middle Flat Spear.
Zhou Yan ignored the gold knife and the black sword. Gongsun Zhi, on the other hand, left his center wide open. In the Valley Master of Unfeeling’s line of sight, a straight line flashing with cold light rapidly magnified. The air was pushed aside in distinct ripples, and killing intent surged towards him.
“I’m going to die.” Gongsun Zhi, who had little experience fighting powerful enemies, felt his limbs instantly turn cold. His knife and sword froze in mid-air.
Yin Kexi, Ni Mo Xing, and Helian Chuncheng’s expressions changed drastically, and they desperately rushed to his aid.
“Be careful!” Qiu Qianren’s voice roared out. Driven by his internal force, it spread out like rolling waves. His figure suddenly floated up, swooping towards Zhou Yan like an eagle.
Master Ku Cheng watched the battle intently. Seeing Qiu Qianren’s thunderous shout and his peak internal energy, he feared Zhou Yan would be at a disadvantage and leaped up.
“How shameless.”
“Brother Zhou, be careful!”
Zhang Wangyue, Lu Beihe, and Yanbo Diaosou leaped out one after another. From Yang Kang’s team, the Vajra Sect, and the Western Regions martial world, Bao Lei, Tou Tuo, and Taihang Yixiao also charged forward.
In an instant, figures flickered everywhere. Ku Cheng also landed between Qiu Qianren and Zhou Yan at this moment.
Qiu Qianren considered Gongsun Zhi his brother-in-law. In his haste, he had no time for words. His iron palms flew, and a series of continuous moves, like a surging tide, enveloped Ku Cheng.
As Ku Cheng’s palm wind arose, one palm became two, two became four, four became eight, and eight became sixteen. The Shaolin Temple’s peerless skill, Thousand Hands Buddha Palm, was directed towards Qiu Qianren’s iron palms.
As soon as the two clashed, the air was instantly filled with thunderous roars like wind and thunder, and dust and smoke churned and billowed.
On the other side of the battle, Zhou Yan’s Profound Iron Heavy Spear, just as it was about to pierce Gongsun Zhi’s chest, suddenly deflected outwards and then rebounded, heavily smashing into Gongsun Zhi.
“Bang!”
“Gasp!”
Gongsun Zhi’s body was smashed and sent flying twenty feet away, landing on the ground with a thud.
In a flash of lightning, Zhou Yan, who had dodged Yin Kexi’s long whip, heard the sound of wind behind him. He circled his left hand back and grabbed the spear shaft five inches from its tip. This move of holding the spear shaft with his left hand was the third variation of the Yue Family Spear’s “Returning Spear,” a half-move. Without waiting for Helian Chuncheng to reclaim it, his right hand’s Profound Iron Heavy Spear thrust forward to meet him.
The moment Zhou Yan clamped the spear, Ouyang Feng disappeared beside Ouyang Ke. Huang Yaoshi, who was about to block with “Finger Flicking Divine Skill,” suddenly saw a great spear rise from outside the crowd with earth-shattering force, falling towards Ouyang Feng like a rainbow.
He was slightly surprised. Who was this?
How could this spear momentum be so domineering?
