Chapter Sixty-Four: At the Heart of a Misunderstanding

Chapter Sixty-Four: A Misunderstanding

Li Hao’s Earth Soul avatar threw a punch at the head of the destitute youth—swift and fierce. The youth narrowly escaped harm. After all, the fallen noble’s cultivation was at the peak of the Wandering Realm, his reflexes lightning-fast. As he saw the fist coming, he instantly gathered the laws of heaven and earth into his right hand, his fingers curling into the shape of an eagle’s talon. In a flash, he seized Li Hao’s attacking left hand.

Having secured his grip, the youth took a subtle step back, pulling Li Hao’s avatar with him. The avatar, caught in the youth’s grasp, was forced to continue his forward momentum. One advancing, one retreating—the youth stubbornly refused to release the fist he held, while the avatar struggled to break free from those five unyielding fingers, yet inertia kept him trapped.

When the youth had retreated a certain distance and nearly dispersed the force of the attack, he suddenly lifted his left foot and kicked viciously at the avatar’s chest. Caught off guard, Li Hao’s avatar was sent flying seven or eight yards before crashing to the ground.

Sensing he was no match for this youth, the avatar could only rely on his Phantom Mirage Steps, circling around the youth, searching for an opening to strike.

The fallen youth watched as shadows of the black-clad figure flickered about him, unable to determine from which direction the next attack would come. The avatar’s movements were unpredictable, leaving the youth perpetually on the defensive, never able to catch a glimpse of his foe’s true form.

Occasionally, the youth was struck by the avatar’s attacks, forcing him into a purely defensive stance. After several exchanges, his patience wore thin, and he summoned his twin crescent sabers.

Li Hao’s avatar, weaponless and unwilling to meet the crescent sabers head-on, could only rely on the Phantom Mirage Steps to dodge and evade. The youth’s sabers traced erratic, unfathomable arcs through the air.

With his soul guiding the laws of heaven and earth, the youth manipulated his twin sabers effortlessly, forcing the avatar to dash in all directions, leaping and dodging desperately. The longer the battle dragged on, the more astonished the youth became—dozens of exchanges, yet he still hadn’t subdued the black-clad youth.

Dodging endlessly could never last; human endurance has limits. The avatar’s energy waned, his understanding of the laws of heaven and earth still shallow, having only recently been manifested. As the youth launched his three-hundredth attack, a crescent blade arced toward the avatar’s head. The avatar twisted desperately but failed to evade; the saber left a deep gash on his left cheek, blood streaming down.

Seizing the moment as the avatar flinched from the blow, the youth pressed his advantage. With one saber still out of reach, he used a powerful side kick to send the avatar sprawling ten yards away. He then recalled the second saber and brought it slashing down toward the avatar’s neck.

Through his avatar’s senses, Li Hao saw the youth withdraw from Lu Yao’s side, and Lu Yao herself lying disheveled at the tree’s base.

When Lin Xueyou later questioned him, it wasn’t that Li Hao was unwilling to explain—he simply didn’t know how to begin.

Now, realizing his avatar was in dire peril, Li Hao grew anxious. It was too late for him to come to its rescue in person, but in a flash of inspiration, he activated the Fusion Array of the Primal Chaos Yin-Yang Formation. The fallen avatar, sensing its master’s summons, responded instantly—dissolving into a streak of light and merging back into Li Hao’s main body.

By this time, Li Hao had already arrived in the sky above Lu Yao. The return of his avatar left him feeling greatly strengthened.

Summoning the Nine-Dragon War Halberd, Li Hao launched a sudden assault. From a thousand feet above, the halberd descended like a dragon plunging into the sea, aimed straight at the youth below.

However, the youth’s saber did not strike the avatar’s neck, but instead landed beside it. He’d never intended to kill the black-clad youth who had attacked him, but had been stirred to competitive fervor by the avatar’s uncanny movement techniques. Thus, their battle had dragged on for hundreds of moves.

Just as the youth thought he’d finally bested his opponent, the avatar dissolved and vanished at Li Hao’s summons—utterly disappearing before his eyes. The scene was so bizarre that the youth was left baffled and uneasy.

Still reeling, the youth suddenly sensed the laws of heaven and earth churning overhead. Looking up, he was struck with terror—a war halberd was plummeting toward his head like a thunderbolt.

He could only arch backward, narrowly avoiding the descending strike. The halberd crashed between his legs, gouging a pit two or three heads wide and piercing several feet deep into the earth.

Had he reacted a fraction slower, the Nine-Dragon War Halberd would have cleft him in two from head to groin. Even as he dodged, he saw the halberd nearly impale something vital beneath him—he kicked off with all his strength, barely escaping disaster. Had he been even half a breath slower, he would have lost that which men hold dear.

Chilled to the bone, the youth thought, “That was too close.”

If he’d had time to complain, he would have cursed, “Is this retribution? Earlier I cut off that scoundrel’s manhood to protect an innocent maiden—and now Heaven threatens to take mine? I did it for justice and virtue! I’ve never harmed a girl—my honor is still unsullied! If you’re going to punish me, at least take something less vital!”

But there was no time for complaint.

Li Hao, surprised that his ambush had failed, immediately employed the Phantom Mirage Steps to appear behind the youth, sweeping the halberd in a devastating arc at his waist.

The youth’s heart raced—such speed, such uncanny movement!

He hastily recalled his twin sabers and mustered all his strength to block the halberd’s sweep, barely managing to defend himself. Before he could see his attacker’s face, the figure grew indistinct again—a movement style reminiscent of the earlier black-clad youth.

Puzzled and wary, the youth realized he’d encountered two different but similarly unpredictable opponents today. Yet this one was clearly stronger in both power and cultivation.

But Li Hao gave him no chance to breathe. As the sweeping strike was blocked, Li Hao used the Phantom Mirage Steps to ascend high into the air. This time, instead of the dragon’s descent, he brought the halberd down with the crushing force of a mountain, each blow accompanied by thunderous dragon roars and flashing shadows.

The youth felt that Li Hao’s cultivation seemed a bit weaker than his own, except for his ghostly movement technique. Yet the youth himself had trained in advanced forms as well.

Today, he’d saved a familiar young lady, only to be attacked by two similar figures. After enduring two fierce strikes, he still hadn’t seen his attacker’s face.

He wondered, “Are these two here to avenge that scoundrel I punished?”

So resolved, he unleashed his own movement technique, determined to fight this mysterious youth to the end. Both now mobilized the laws of heaven and earth within a thousand-mile radius.

Their duel raged on, both figures flickering around the battlefield. Though Li Hao was four minor realms beneath the youth, his body brimmed with primal chaos force, and his Phantom Mirage Steps surpassed the youth’s own. Thus, their strengths were evenly matched.

Four or five hundred blows passed with no winner. The youth grew more and more alarmed, while Li Hao fought with ever-increasing vigor. What unnerved the youth most was that, even after so many exchanges, he had yet to glimpse Li Hao’s true face.

Lin Xueyou, hopeless in matters of combat, could only stand anxiously on the sidelines, calling out for Li Hao to be careful. As the battle dragged on, her worry for his safety grew.

The medicine bottle the youth had placed at Lu Yao’s chest had slipped askew and failed to take effect. Lin Xueyou suddenly noticed Lu Yao lying disheveled by the tree and finally understood Li Hao’s urgency and anger.

She quickly landed beside Lu Yao and checked her over, noting her disordered clothing and the medicine bottle on her chest. Doubts gnawed at her heart. “Could this be the reason Princess Lu Yao was rendered unconscious?”

She dared not touch the bottle directly, but carefully enveloped it with the laws of heaven and earth, probing its nature. Finding it non-poisonous, she was somewhat reassured. Examining the bottle further, she discovered it contained an antidote to the Bewildering Spirit Powder.

Seeing Lu Yao’s disarray, Lin Xueyou thought, “If I wake her now, and she sees herself in this state, she might not be able to handle the shock. That would be a disaster.”

So she buttoned Lu Yao’s clothes and fastened her purple jade belt before placing the antidote by her nose.

After about a minute, Lu Yao slowly awoke.

Dazed, she opened her eyes, gradually recognizing the beautiful young woman before her. She murmured, “Sister Xueyou?”

Lin Xueyou asked gently, “It’s me, Yao’er. Are you awake?”

Lu Yao, still foggy, asked, “Sister Xueyou, what happened to me?”

Lin Xueyou herself was full of questions and didn’t know how to answer. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Yao’er, try to remember—how did you end up unconscious here?”

Gradually regaining her senses, Lu Yao noticed the intense clash of heaven and earth laws above her. Rubbing her eyes, she saw two figures moving with astonishing speed and skill. Watching for a while, she couldn’t make out their faces, but one seemed oddly familiar. Curiosity piqued, she turned to Lin Xueyou and asked:

“Sister Xueyou, who are they? Why are they fighting here?”

Still somewhat dazed, Lu Yao’s attention was drawn to the fierce battle, and the question of why she lay here unconscious was forgotten entirely.