STNS: Chapter 476 (Patreon)

Wu Jian had fought many strong opponents in his life. He still remembered each and every one of them clearly. They were stepping stones on his path to becoming stronger, roadblocks that he'd had to overcome. To date, the most powerful foe he had faced off against was the assassin who had come after him, Shuchang, and Huo Yulie. That man had nearly killed them. He would have succeeded if Huo Yulie hadn't recovered in time to deal the finishing blow.

Luan Desheng was even stronger.

Wu Jian was confident in his strength. He believed that he could defeat anyone below the Realization Realm, and according to their reports, Luan Desheng was supposed to be a peak Seeker Realm cultivator. Between him, Shuchang, and Youmei, victory should have come easily.

[The Eternal Night's Embrace]

Luan Desheng’s chi surged as darkness seeped from every pore in his body like water escaping cracks in a flower vase. The ground around them became shadows of the blackest night, so dark that Wu Jian worried he and the others might fall inside.

Youmei tried to leap into those shadows, but she was rebuffed. He had never seen that happen before. She had dove headfirst toward the nearest shadow but, instead of plunging through it like she always did, she smashed into the floor. And as she yowled in pain, Luan Desheng laughed.

“Did you think I would let you use the shadows against me? Little girl, you are quite foolish. In a contest of technique, the one who has the most skill and power always wins out in the end.”

“I'll show you skill and power,” Shuchang shouted.

Wu Jian's friend suddenly ignited in a conflagration so hot that the shadows withered and withdrew as though they feared the bright fire. The flames danced with brilliant amber hues and the heat intensified to the point where the room became sweltering. Suddenly, a bird's cry rang out, but it was quite unlike any bird Wu Jian had ever heard, and then, the flames took shape. Wu Jian remembered the statue of the Vermillion Bird he had seen, and Shuchang's flames looked just like it.

[Vermillion Burst]

Shuchang flew toward Luan Desheng so fast a normal cultivator would have never been able to track of him. Wu Jian could, but only because he had trained in high speed movement. He also decided not to just stand there and quickly teleported above Lua Desheng. By that point, Shuchang had already reached their enemy and thrust out a fist that was surrounded by flames shaped like a bird's claw.

Luan Desheng smirked.

And disappeared.

“What…?”

Shuchang's eyes widened as he struck nothing but air. He was not given time to let the shock sink in either, for the ground beneath him suddenly exploded with darkness. Several spears erupted from the ground to impale him. Most were deflected by the incredible flames that protected him, a few were avoided entirely when he dodged, but two of them stabbed straight through his body--one through his shoulder and the other his leg.

“Hrk…”

Luan Desheng emerged from a shadow on the opposite side of the room. He chuckled at Shuchang as the man tumbled to the ground, though he managed to quickly leap back onto his feet, despite the wound leaking blood down his pants.

[Teleportation]

Wu Jian bent space between him and his foe. At the same time, Youmei attacked from behind as Wu Jian appeared in front of him.

“Oh? A pincer attack? Not a bad idea. However…”

Pale Moon looked like a dark object as he swung it, for there was no light to reflect it's brilliance. Luan Desheng did not move from his spot. He raised a single hand and caught the swung sword as though it were nothing. A shockwave rushed around them and the ground underneath his feet cracked, but the man who had been subject to the weight of his swing had not moved a single chih.

What…?

He wasn't the only one who Luan Desheng blocked as though it were nothing. Youmei had come at him with an attack of her own. Unlike Wu Jian who at least had some formal training in martial arts, Youmei ran on pure instinct and her attacks were wild, unpredictable, and ferocious. Yet Luan Desheng deftly subverted each attack with a single fist, then kicked her in the face.

“Gya?!”

Youmei was launched backward, tumbling across the ground, and only came to a stop when she dug her clawed hands against the shadows covering the floor. Blood dripped down her nose and tears stained her eyes. Her face was set in a ferocious snarl as she prepared to blitz back toward them.

[Binding Nightmare]

Before Youmei could stand to her full height, dark particles seeped from Luan Desheng's body and drifted toward her. Some of them seemed to enter her nose and mouth as she breathed, and the moment that happened, Youmei stopped moving.

“Youmei?! Dammit!”

Wu Jian channeled the Dao of Space into his foot. The entire foot up to his shin was engulfed in a vast sea of stars as he launched a kick at Luan Desheng with all the strength he could muster. He narrowed his eyes when the man let go of his sword and leapt away to avoid the graceful arc of his foot. The attack tore through space and created a rift that closed seconds later.

“Don't think understanding the Dao of Space makes you strong, child!”

[Void Palm]

Wu Jian sensed the dark energy gather around Luan Desheng's palm as he thrust it forward. There was enough chi packed into that attack that it would have destroyed a person below the Deva Realm. Wu Jian was prepared to cut through it with Pale Moon.

[Vermillion Descent]

He felt the heat above him before he saw Shuchang's descent. The older man flew down, extending his left, which had taken the shape of a flaming crescent blade that sliced right through Luan Desheng's Void Palm. Wu Jian knew an opportunity when he saw one.

“Youmei!”

He rushed over to the panther's side. The magical beast shaped like a girl had fallen onto her hands and knees, her entire body shivering from head to toe. There didn't appear to be any wounds on her, and yet, she refused to move even when he shook her shoulder.

“Youmei? What's wrong?”

“Hmhmhmhmhmhm.”

Chuckling echoed around them and made Wu Jian look up. He glared at Luan Desheng.

“What did you do to her?” he asked with a snarl.

“Nothing much. I just ensured she wouldn't be a nuisance during our battle. That's all.”

It was obvious that Luan Desheng would not tell them about his technique. Cultivators sometimes shared what their techniques did during combat. A part of combat etiquette actually dictated doing this, but it was only during friendly bouts and not life and death combat. Only a fool told someone what their technique did in the midst of a battle to the death. However, Wu Jian had been hoping that their opponent would be arrogant enough to give away his secrets.

He should have known better.

Wu Jian moved to stand side by side with Shuchang as they faced off against Luan Desheng.

“Are you ready?” he asked as he readied Pale Moon.

Shuchang's fists ignited with powerful flames. “Of course.”

[Body of the Celestial White Tiger]

Wu Jian knew better than to hold back now that it had become clear their opponent was someone far beyond them. With his chi surging like an erupting volcano, Wu Jian unleashed the dormant power of Byakko's blood that lay deep within his dantian. An overwhelming amount of chi flooded his body and granted him physical prowess far beyond the ken of mortal beings. He became imbued with the power of the celestial white tiger.

As if in response to his increased prowess, his body underwent a dramatic transformation--muscles expanded and ripped through his garments as they thickened and hardened like armor. His stature grew more commanding, more intimidating. His eyes morphed into the slitted irises reminiscent of a predatory cat, exuding a primal dominance. Simultaneously, both hands and feet shifted into deadly claws, sharp and resilient, capable of ripping apart the toughest armor and shattering chi barriers with ease. Even his hair grew far longer and became a startling shade of white, much like the beast whose blood flowed through his veins.

“That is quite the transformation,” Luan Desheng said, whistling as though in admiration, though his tone was full of mockery. “However, I hope you don't think something as simple as a transformation will be able to defeat me.”

“I guess we'll see,” Wu Jian said.

And then he and Shuchang attacked.

The battle that raged through that room was unlike anything that had been seen in a long time. Shuchang and Wu Jian launched technique after technique at Luan Desheng, who seemed to have a plethora of skills meant specifically to negate the powers of others. Wu Jian's spatial severing blades and Shuchang's brilliant flames were absorbed into the shadows and released back at them. Shadows rose from the ground in an attempt to bind the pair. They were only a minute annoyance, but it was enough of a distraction that Luan Desheng was able to close the distance and attack them.

[Void Palm]

The Void Palm was a technique that Wu Jian had already seen once and figured out what it did. It was an attack that launched a powerful blast of dark chi at an opponent. While simple, it was extremely effective if hit, for it damaged the spirit and not just the body.

[Nihility]

Wu Jian thought to avoid it with Nihility, which allowed him to move into a separate space. He became like a ghost that objects and techniques passed through. Yet as the Void Palm passed through him, he became wracked with unbearable pain. It felt like his insides were being scorched by dark energies.

“Dammit! Wu!”

[Martial Arts of the Vermillion Bird]

With his hands and feet covered in flames so brilliant they had turned white, Shuchang attacked Luan Desheng with punches and kicks that seemed to burn the very air. They were feirce attacks. Powerful and graceful attacks. However, Luan Desheng was able to avoid or redirect all of them as he retreated.

Shuchang didn't persue him. Perhaps he knew that attacking this man alone was a bad idea.

“You okay, Wu?”

“I'm…” Wu Jian wanted to say he was fine, but it felt like his insides had been irreparably damaged, like something he'd once had was suddenly gone, even though he couldn't figure out what. “I'll live.”

Standing to his feet, Wu Jian warily eyed Luan Desheng, who continued to smirk. Wu Jian wished he could wipe that smirk from the man's face. However, he understood that just attacking randomly would not yield them any results.

“He seems to be wary of your flames,” Wu Jian said.

“You noticed that too?” Shuchang chuckled. “I'm not surprised. I also noticed that he doesn't seem to like my fire very much.”

Luan Desheng appeared to be a shadow manipulator like Youmei, only stronger and more skilled at shadow manipulation techniques. Even his Void Palm was but an extension of his shadow manipulation skills. He compressed yin chi into his hand, transformed into a shadow, and launched it. That was why it damaged the spirit and not just the body.

Shuchang could burn through shadows. His flames were that of the Vermillion Bird, a being worshipped as a god in ages past. He might not have the strength of the Vermillion Bird yet. However, his flames still had the power to burn away shadows.

“If you can get rid of those shadows for me, I think I can finish him off,” Wu Jian said.

“All right. Let's do it.” Shuchang cracked his knuckles.

The pair were quick to attack once more, but this time, Shuchang took center stage, using his flames to keep Luan Desheng's shadows at bay. Meanwhile, Wu Jian maintained his distance. He preferred fighting up close, but he could attack at range when needed.

[Cleaving the Heavens in a Single Strike: Spatial Variant]

He engulfed his blade in spatial energy and chi, then launched it forward, using Shuchang as cover. The spatial energy around the crescent attack caused it to warp, appearing behind Luan Desheng. It didn't hit. Their opponent's body became like shadow and his attack passed right through, but Wu Jian did not give up. While Shuchang kept on the pressure, he launched many more attacks.

Youmei… is still out of it.

Thanks to his increased senses and spatial awareness while in this form, Wu Jian was able to tell that Youmei had not yet recovered from whatever had been done to her. She was curled up in a ball and sobbing quietly. He wished he could help her, but they would all be dead if he let up the pressure even for a moment.

He focused back on Luan Desheng.

Their battle continued to rage. Wu Jian and Shuchang threw everything they had and then some at Luan Desheng, who no longer seemed to be having fun. Several of their attacks had landed. The man was bleeding from several wounds, though all of them were negligible in the grand scheme of things. However, they still had hope. If they could keep on the pressure, this man would eventually be worn down. It would be a battle of attrition, but Wu Jian was confident in his stamina if nothing else.

And that's when it happened.

“Wha… t…?”

Wu Jian's entire body suddenly seemed to give out. He fell onto his hands and knees as his transformation wore off. It felt like all the strength had left him.

“Huuurk!”

The sound of something being struck echoed around him and a body flew through the air, skidding to a stop next to him. It was Shuchang. Like him, the man's power seemed to have vanished, the flames he once wielded disappearing without a trace.

What's going on…?

“Ah. I see my technique finally worked,” Luan Desheng said, grinning at the pair. “That took a lot longer than I expected, but it doesn't matter. I'm afraid this is where our battle ends.”