boyutpedia Page 58
Page 58
【Agility Gloves】(Purple): Agility +6.
[First-Circle Spell - Stone Fist Technique]: Strength +6.
Liu Hong's expression was solemn. Yang Zhi was only one step away from the top level 12, and her class combination was also quite terrifying, a very traditional warlock turned into a dragon vein warlock.
However, the traditional Dragon Vein Warlock consists of a level 1 Warlock plus four Warrior classes to meet the prerequisite for advancing to Dragon Vein, and then greatly enhances melee capabilities.
Yang Zhi, on the other hand, did the opposite. He became a level 4 warlock and then a level 1 scale armor monk, which greatly enhanced his spellcasting ability. This was a rare magic-based dragon vein spell.
This person was also a first-class master in "Water Margin". Although Lin Chong was holding a short knife and Yang Zhi was holding a broadsword, which gave them an advantage in terms of weaponry, the two fought on foot for more than forty rounds without a clear winner, which was quite impressive.
Knowing he was no match for this man, Liu Hong went without hesitation to call for Lin Chong.
"Sister! Lead the charge!"
"Roar!!!"
Lin Chong let out a deafening roar, his voice like that of a tiger or leopard, responding to Liu Hong's command. A gale blew, a blizzard fell, and the half-human, half-tiger-leopard demon prince, surrounded by the blizzard, roared and charged forward like a silver blizzard!
Yang Zhi snorted coldly, spurred his horse forward and galloped wildly, like a blue storm charging forward. Two storms, one blue and one silver, came crashing down on the ground at a speed that could not be seen with the naked eye. The deep pit dug by the iron hooves and the demonic claws instantly burst out with plumes of white smoke that smelled of sulfur.
Lin Chong held his eighteen-foot-long ancient serpent spear horizontally, like a giant python stretching its spine. The blood grooves on the spear shaft were filled with the west wind, emitting a terrifying shriek like a pack of beasts tearing apart their prey.
Yang Zhihun's iron-tipped steel spear trailed behind him like a silver python coiling around a mountain. The terrifying spear blade scraped across the ground, and the sparks it plowed ignited a wall of blazing fire on the 100-meter track.
Three hundred meters, two hundred meters, one hundred meters!
The combined force of fifty pounds of heavy armor, the charging warhorse, and the ferocious speed of tigers and leopards created magnificent ripples of death in the sky. The crimson tassels on Lin Chong and Yang Zhi's phoenix-winged helmets were torn into terrifying straight lines by the wind pressure. The tiger and leopard pupils emanating from the gaps in their visors collided with the ferocious light of the dragon on Yang Zhi's birthmark, creating invisible sparks that startled passing crows.
The two spears finally entered each other's attack range at an extremely close distance of eight meters: Lin Chong suddenly pushed off with his four claws, and the half-human, half-beast demon prince leaped into the air! The serpent spear's venomous tongue whistled as it shot down from above, delivering a deadly thrust that was as terrifying as a falling meteor.
Almost simultaneously, Yang Zhi gripped the saddle tightly with both legs and roared as he used the [Blood Blade Technique]. Crimson blood gushed from the wound on his wrist, turning into a long river of blood that wrapped around the tip of the steel spear like a red tassel, piercing straight up into Lin Chong's abdomen, as terrifying as a rainbow piercing the sun.
"clang!!!"
The instant the two peerless weapons clashed, time seemed to be wedged into an anvil. The curved blade of the eighteen-foot-long ancient serpent spear and the shaft of the solid iron and steel spear tore at each other, instantly sparks flying and metal clanging!
The terrifying kinetic energy from the collision of the armored warhorse and the demonic tiger-leopard, both one-ton behemoths, caused the two gun barrels that were tearing each other apart to bounce upwards instantly, bending like a full moon bow. The terrifying kinetic energy was transmitted through the vibrations of the gun barrels, instantly making the shockwaves manifest as spiral-shaped air patterns, pulverizing the air within three zhang!
It was only because Lin Chong and Yang Zhi possessed exceptional physical abilities that they were able to grip the spear shafts tightly, preventing their weapons from slipping out of their hands amidst the vibrations.
After the charging tiger and leopard completed their cross-trajectory charge, the two weapons remained locked in a twisted, interlocking manner. The sound they produced was no longer the metallic scraping of metal, but a terrifying low-frequency noise, similar to the cracking ribs of a giant whale, until the two figures, propelled by inertia, had traveled more than ten meters in opposite directions before finally separating the weapons.
"Colorful! Colorful! Colorful!!!"
The soldiers watching from a hundred meters away cheered in unison, beating drums to encourage their respective generals!
Lin Chong twisted his waist, Yang Zhi turned his horse around, and the two cavalrymen charged forward again! The eighteen-foot-long ancient serpent spear and the solid iron steel spear clashed head-on, the spear shafts arching their backs as if they were alive, sparks flying and clanging loudly!
When two cavalry generals charge at each other once, it is called "one round". If they turn around and charge again, it is called "one duel".
Therefore, two charges constitute one round.
The two women were evenly matched, their skills as equals. The ancient serpent spear they wielded was like a storm at the end of the world, while the steel-tipped spear spun like a blue dragon in the sky. The two fought fiercely, their battle so intense that the sky darkened and the sun and moon lost their light. They fought back and forth for twenty rounds without a clear winner!
The two armies' experts were dumbfounded and secretly alarmed, wondering how many rounds they could last against the enemy if they went up there.
The soldiers on both sides, though unable to discern the intricacies of the situation, could still see a lively spectacle: two indistinct storms, one silver and one blue, clashing against each other. Each collision generated shockwaves that caused the banners of both armies to flutter wildly in the wind.
In the thirtieth round, Lin Chong, relying on his illusionary abilities of changing light and shadow, finally tricked his opponent. His eighteen-foot spear shot out like a dragon, striking Yang Zhi's breastplate heavily. The brass mirror instantly shattered into seventeen pieces, falling to the ground like a torrential rain of brass.
In other words, there was an iron armor underneath the breastplate, and under the iron armor was a layer of blue dragon scales, which allowed Yang Zhi to withstand the damage and avoid having his heart pierced by Lin Chong's spear.
In the thirty-third round, Yang Zhi managed to seize an opening and roared as he used a [Second Ring Arcane Art - Netherworld Blade]. The steel-tipped spear became as ethereal as a ghost, piercing directly through Lin Chong's Imperial Guard armor. The blood-stained spearhead drew a horrifying, blood-soaked arc in the air, finally wounding Lin Chong's skin.
In the fortieth round, the blue-maned horse, carrying Yang Zhi and two suits of armor, had been charging with all its might for so long that it was panting heavily, its chest trembling wildly like a bellows.
Lin Chong's speed also slowed down. The two stopped charging at each other and instead spun around, entangled, and fought like a revolving lantern. Their weapons created twelve terrifying afterimages in six seconds, tightly intertwined and inseparable.
Seeing that he couldn't gain the upper hand with the gun, Yang Zhi didn't hesitate to use his left hand to draw the golden dragon-inlaid saber left behind by Lord Yang, and slashed fiercely at Lin Chong's neck.
Lin Chong was faster, and even though he was a little slower than Yang Zhi in drawing his sword, he was still able to strike first and launch a counterattack by suddenly drawing the White Tiger Star Lord Sword with his left hand.
Two sharp blades, one gold and one silver, drew terrifying arcs in the air before colliding violently, sending sparks flying everywhere. The shockwave from the collision of the two precious blades even caused the ground beneath their feet to shatter into pieces, before scattering in all directions!
Chapter 130: The Dragon-Panning Staff Displays its Divine Power
"Good work!"
Yang Zhi exclaimed in admiration, praising Lin Chong's dashing and heroic appearance.
"Good skill!"
Lin Chong's beautiful eyes darted around as she watched Yang Zhi's spear and sword skills, nodding frequently in approval.
"Hero, since you possess such skills, why don't you go to the battlefield and fight for fame and glory with sword and spear? Instead, you choose to become an outlaw here! Doesn't that tarnish the glory of your ancestors? How laughable!"
As Yang Zhi brandished his spear and short sword, launching a fierce attack like a raging storm, he curiously asked Lin Chong a question.
"I'd like to ask you the same question."
Lin Chong also twirled his spear and short sword with both hands, his defense impeccable, perfectly parrying and deflecting Yang Zhi's attacks one by one.
"Since a hero has such abilities, why doesn't he go to the battlefield to make a name for himself, instead of staying here and helping a bunch of local tyrants and bullies to do evil? How absurd!"
Yang Zhi's face darkened, and his right hand wielded the iron-tipped steel spear with the speed of a dragon. With a slight tremor, it unleashed a thousand spear flowers under the sky, fiercely stabbing towards Lin Chong.
"I was originally a military commander in the Imperial Guard! But last year, the Yellow River was flooded with heavy rains, and the ship I was escorting for Emperor Zhao to transport the precious stones capsized. This is a serious crime! I had no choice but to flee. Only after Emperor Zhao granted a general amnesty this year did I dare to go back, sell my family property, and obtain a large amount of treasure. I wanted to bribe officials in Kaifeng in order to make a comeback."
"I'm desperately short of money to bribe Grand Commandant Gao and the entire bureaucratic system in Kaifeng. These wealthy men promised me money, lots of money, if I help them get rid of you guys!!!"
"So that's how it is. No wonder they were able to hire someone like you. Last year you overturned the Flower and Stone Tribute, you have dragon scales and dragon horns on your left cheek... You are the grandson of Lord Yang, the Five Marquises, and the Commander of the Palace Guard, the Blue-Faced Beast Yang Zhi?!"
Lin Chong remained calm and composed. With a gentle flick of his right hand, the eighteen-foot-long ancient serpent spear, "Dragon Over the Sea," unleashed a thousand spear blossoms, meeting Yang Zhi's myriad spear shadows. The two spears and the thousand spear shadows intertwined, clashed, and mingled, creating a dazzling spectacle for onlookers.
"Ha, Grand Commandant Gao is no good person. You'd better be careful. She almost ruined my family! If it weren't for my brother's help, I would have been wiped out. That's why I fled Kaifeng and became an outlaw."
Before Lin Chong could finish speaking, his White Tiger Star Lord Blade in his left hand drew a terrifying arc in the air and slashed down fiercely, but it was blocked by Yang Zhi's Golden Flower Inlaid Dragon Blade. For a short time, neither of them could gain the upper hand.
"Hmm? A long spear, silver hair, and a feud with the Grand Commandant... Could it be that my sister is Lin Chong, the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards, the Leopard Head?!"
Yang Zhi recognized Lin Chong at this moment and was equally startled. It turned out to be his former colleague. The two of them gradually calmed down and widened the distance between them again.
"My sister's prowess is renowned throughout the world, and I am fortunate to meet her here today."
Yang Zhi sheathed his golden sword and bowed with his hands holding his spear.
"My sister's skills are equally renowned throughout the world. It is truly fate that we meet here today."
Lin Chong also sheathed his sword, held his spear in both hands, and bowed to Yang Zhi from a distance.
"However, wasn't your behavior a bit too extreme, sister?! Why didn't you go to the Kaifeng Prefecture for help? The Prefect of Kaifeng would surely give you a fair judgment. Why did you kill the Grand Commandant's entire family in a fit of anger?!"
Yang Zhi looked at Lin Chong with a mixture of confusion and regret.
"Now my sister has no way out. Many times, patience brings peace and retreat opens up new horizons. Why did my sister have to put herself in such a desperate situation?! To the point of becoming an outlaw and tarnishing the reputation of our ancestors?!"
Lin Chong stared at the bewildered Yang Zhi, momentarily stunned, as if seeing his own incredibly naive self from the past. A complex and mocking smile appeared on his face.
At that time, I also placed all my hopes on the officialdom of the Song Dynasty, hoping that a figure like Bao Zheng would save me, distinguish right from wrong, bring Gao Yanei to justice, and make Gao Taiwei dare not be arrogant.
But the truth is, how many Bao Qingtians are there in the world? His story of being upright, incorruptible, daring to stand up for a common woman, and killing the emperor's son-in-law is nothing more than a fairy tale used by adults to numb themselves.
“I have no intention of arguing with my sister. If she doesn’t believe me, she can go back to Tokyo and see for herself. I just want to remind you that Grand Commandant Gao is not a kind person. You must be extra careful when dealing with her.”
Lin Chong was too lazy to argue. He believed that people could not teach him anything, but he could understand things after just one lesson. He said that they had only met by chance, and he was only saying so much because she was the granddaughter of Yang Linggong, the Five Marquises. He would not have paid any attention to anyone else.
When they couldn't agree on anything, Lin Chong clasped his hands in a salute, then calmly withdrew, as if he hadn't fought at all.
Yang Zhi, his arms trembling from Lin Chong's blows and exhausted, was on the verge of collapse. He had no intention of pursuing and was preparing to retreat when a golden light shot into the sky, descending upon the battlefield like a gilded meteor! The shockwave from the descent even created a terrifying crater on the ground, burning with gilded flames. A pair of cocoon-like golden wings unfurled, revealing Liu Hong wielding a dragon-patterned staff.
"Another one? With gilded golden wings, you must be Liu Hong, the Great Sage Who Conquers Heaven? You want to exchange a few blows with me?"
Yang Zhi sneered. Although he was exhausted from being beaten by Lin Chong, he was still not afraid of Liu Hong.
Liu Hong remained silent. Instantly, the Panlong Staff was coated with a layer of dark lightning and shadow, transforming from a gilded gold color into a dark, coiled dragon, carrying the power of the Ji River, and smashed fiercely towards Yang Zhi!
"clang!!!"
Yang Zhi parried with his spear, but he only managed to block the two-meter-long staff. The staff's head also had a sixty-six-centimeter-long short staff, which were connected by an iron chain.
As Yang Zhi parried the long staff with his spear, the iron chain, propelled by centrifugal force, sprang up like a scorpion's stinger, carrying the short staff forward and slamming it heavily onto Yang Zhi's shoulder. With brute force and weight, it shattered the shoulder armor beast-devouring armor. At the same time, the four etched dragons on the short staff opened their red, blue, black, and white elemental vertical pupils!
"Roar!!!"
The red dragon on the staff spewed out white phosphorus fire mist, which collided with the concentrated sulfuric acid seeping out by the black dragon in the air, instantly bursting out a bluish-purple corrosive acid flame, and then exploding, like a terrifying firework, instantly engulfing half of Yang Zhi's body.
The lightning currents erupting from the blue dragon's head and the frost blizzard spewed from the white dragon's head shattered simultaneously. When Yang Zhi's shoulder armor exploded, the blue and white plasma and the extreme cold frost rings actually formed an ionized ice crystal storm, even affecting the warhorse innocently.
The hissing sound of acid corroding iron armor mingled with the fatigued groan of metal being tempered by ice and fire, like thousands of poisonous ants gnawing at steel bones. Strands of electricity coiled around his limbs like swarms of snakes. The extremely strange and rare weapon, the Coiled Dragon Staff, caught Yang Zhi completely off guard!
Chapter 131: Winning Both Sides of the Battlefield
After forcing Yang Zhi to retreat with one blow, Liu Hong did not pursue him. Instead, under the cover of the elemental explosion, he spoke in a low voice.
"How much did these wealthy men pay to hire you to fight? I'll give you double!"
Yang Zhi was stunned for a moment. She had originally planned to launch a series of fierce counterattacks to test the abilities of this Great Sage of Chaos, but she did not expect that Liu Hong would actually try to hire her instead.
Yang Zhi thought about it carefully. The Five Marquises Yang Linggong was originally a military family with merits on the frontier. In the Song Dynasty, which valued civil officials over military ones, they didn't have much wealth or power and were severely suppressed by civil officials.
In addition, the Yang family was located on the frontier of the Song Dynasty, on the dangerous front line. The family suffered heavy losses in the Liao-Song war. In just one battle, the patriarch Yang Ye was captured and committed suicide by starvation. Six of his seven sons died in battle.
By the end of the Liao-Song war, almost all the adult male members of the Yang family had died, leaving only women such as Mu Guiying and She Taijun to continue fighting on the battlefield. The horror and tragedy of the war were evident, and the entire family's wealth was wiped out.
By the time of Yang Zhi's generation, the entire family had long since declined. The only valuable possessions left were the secondary weapons that Yang Ye had carried on his waist during his campaigns against the Liao Dynasty: the Po Jun Golden Saber and the Tiger Head Gold-Inlaid Saber, both of which had been lost to the Liao.
Yang Zhi was single-mindedly focused on restoring the Yang family's prestige. In order to regain his official position, he had no choice but to sell his ancestral property, house, and land, which only brought him a little over ten thousand strings of cash, about one-tenth of the birthday gift he received from Grand Tutor Cai.
In Yang Zhi's plan, half of the 10,000 strings of cash would be given to other officials and their associates to help them get an audience with Grand Commandant Gao.
The other half was used to go all in, bribing Grand Commandant Gao with five thousand strings of cash to regain his official position!
The Yang family will surely rise again in my hands!
However, Yang Zhi wasn't sure if the plan would succeed, otherwise he wouldn't have accepted the offer of these local tyrants. These men offered a flat rate: five thousand strings of cash for defeating Liangshan, and if he could capture Liu Hong, the Great Sage of Chaos, the hundred thousand strings of cash reward would be his.
Yang Zhi thought it over carefully and realized that it made sense, which is why he chose to join. Money really does make things easier.
Now, Liu Hong is offering him 10,000 strings of cash to turn against him... This is very attractive and tempting.
If I could send Grand Commandant Gao 100,000 strings of cash, the success rate would definitely be much higher, but I don't have that ability. It's not a matter of whether Liu Hong is powerful or not, but that he has Lin Chong behind him, and I can't capture Liu Hong alive under Lin Chong's nose.
In Yang Zhi's eyes, these local tyrants were essentially the same as those from Liangshan Marsh—local tyrants beyond the jurisdiction of the county, except one was wanted by the authorities and the other was not.
Yang Zhi didn't have any goodwill towards either of them. It was true that Liu Hong had contributed more money, but could Liu Hong really win? He had over six hundred men, while the wealthy man on the other side had nearly two thousand…
Yang Zhi pondered for a moment, then suddenly charged again with his iron-tipped spear! Liu Hong remained calm, his gilded wings resembling two gilded shields, bracing against Yang Zhi's spear thrust. The iron-gray spear tore a series of shrill sparks from the gilded wings.
"boom!!!"
Liu Hong frowned, thinking the negotiations had broken down, and brandished the Shadow Scale Dragon Staff, smashing it down once again! Yang Zhi was caught off guard.
These bizarre weapons, resembling long and short nunchucks, are so strangely shaped, seemingly broken yet not quite, with a head and a tail, both seemingly one. When the long staff is swung, the short staff whistles through the air, creating a dazzling display.
His attack patterns and moves are unpredictable. Liu Hongming was using a standard chopping stick routine, but the short stick with the iron chain at the end of the stick could always create all sorts of strange trajectories in the air when he swung it, hitting all sorts of unexpected places.
In the third round, Liu Hong unleashed a perfectly executed "Splitting Mount Hua" move, her coiled dragon staff slamming into Yang Zhi's face. She skillfully raised her spear to block, but the iron chain, swung over the short staff, unexpectedly folded and struck down, hitting Yang Zhi hard on the back of the head—a spot that would never be hit by a normal weapon in a frontal attack.
Even though Yang Zhi was wearing a phoenix-winged helmet, she was still stunned by the shock. The four elemental explosions combined and nearly caused her to fall off her horse.
Liu Hong quickly changed his move, sweeping his Dragon Staff horizontally towards Yang Zhi's waist. Yang Zhi instinctively raised his spear to block, but was then struck hard in the lower back by the short staff that was folded and attacked, carrying the double tail flames of the Heavenly Gang Slash! The impact caused the starlight to flicker and shattered the iron armor.
This was unprecedented, as all the attacks clearly came from the front, yet Yang Zhi was hit in the back of the head and lower back. It made him very uncomfortable and he was very unaccustomed to the attack pattern of the Panlong Staff.
When Liu Hong struck again using the same method for the fourth time, Yang Zhi finally adapted to the fighting style of the Panlong Staff. He continued to parry the staff with his spear, then drew his Pojun Golden Saber to block the short staff that was coming from an unexpected direction. He swung his weapons with both hands at the same time, thus blocking the unpredictable attack trajectory of the Panlong Staff.
"Alright then, Great Sage."
After five rounds of fighting, Yang Zhi made his final decision.
"I pretended I couldn't beat you, and as the battle progressed, I drifted to the flank of the battlefield. You chased, I fled, and then you ordered a full-scale attack!"
Yang Zhi explained his plan.
"In that case, your Liangshan troops will be in high spirits when they see that I have been defeated. They might even be able to crush these allied forces in one fell swoop. As long as Liangshan has the advantage, I will also help you launch a flanking attack to disrupt the formation of these landlords' troops. In return, you will give me 10,000 strings of cash as a reward."
"However, if your six hundred soldiers are surrounded by two thousand soldiers and are at a disadvantage, I'm sorry, I'm going to get serious! Your head is also quite valuable; exchanging you for 100,000 strings of cash would be more worthwhile for me."
When I got back, they asked me why I ran away. I told them I was going to use my family's secret technique, the "Returning Spear," and that I had feigned defeat. They promised me the five thousand strings of cash, which I would get.
Yang Zhi ultimately chose "yes" over "no".
"Are you going to agree, or shall we fight to the death on the battlefield?!"