Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 186

Chapter 208 Attacked

"The silkworm does not yearn for autumn silk, the cicada is unaware of winter snow. Withering and flourishing are not determined by human life, prosperity and decline are not determined by royal power."

Among the six elders, the Master of History was the one who activated the Twenty-Four Earthly Branches. He slowly recited the verses, not in a hurry to activate the formation, giving the two people in the center of the field ample time to react.

The greatest pressure Lu Wei ever faced was on the eve of New Year's Eve when he was twelve years old. After hanging lanterns on a street in Jicheng, he was stared at from behind by the Moon Goddess.

That was the only time he broke out in a cold sweat.

Today, Lu Wei is facing the Sixth Elder's Earthly Twenty-Fourth, and the difference in strength between the two sides is no less than the difference between him and the Moon Goddess back then, but Lu Wei is not afraid at all.

Although from a test perspective, he will most likely be injured or killed today... Speaking of which, when was the last time I was injured?

"here we go!"

As the Master of History's "Power" fell, the whooshing sound of internal energy swirled up the leaves falling from the vines in the hall. Lu Wei clearly saw one of the leaves drift past him: the green leaf first became crisp and tender, then tough, then withered and yellow, and finally condensed into ice shards and shattered into powder!

In less than a breath, a whole leaf, having gone through the cycle of the four seasons, turned to dust...

Lu Wei dared not be careless at this moment, and his inner energy circulated at full speed. In front of him, the Lord of War dragged his giant sword, took a step, and his figure disappeared in an instant. When he reappeared, he had already swung the giant sword, which was no less wide than the Giant Sword, and slashed at him with tremendous force!

Swords and swordsmen both possess their own attributes; it's generally accepted that rapiers are light and agile, while greatswords are simple yet powerful. However, under the blessing of the Twenty-Four Earthly Branches, the attack speed of the soldier wielding the greatsword was actually much faster than that of Lu Ni, who was wielding the Jingni Sword!

Lu Wei dared not meet the sword head-on. Instead, he extended his sword and followed the momentum of the sword master's strike, using his own profound internal energy as a foundation to guide the angle of the opponent's swing upwards.

With such a massive sword swung at full power, the inertia of the blade meant that he couldn't extend and retract the sword freely with every strike. Theoretically, after inducing the opponent's sword to deviate, the next step would be his own counterattack.

However, this is the Twenty-Four Formation of the Earthly Marsh, and the Sixth Elder is not fighting alone.

After the sword slashed off course, the figure of the War Lord vanished abruptly as it had appeared, replaced by a crescent-shaped wave of energy that was even sharper than the Overbearing Sword Technique.

This is the swift blade energy unleashed by the Grain God's Sickle!

The two elders' attacks were well coordinated, leaving him only one chance to change his move.

Lu Wei had no time to react. He could only sheathe his sword and hold it horizontally in front of his left chest, using the Swallowing Sea Sword itself to block the blade energy.

But this was only the attack of two elders. The third Medicine King attacked from the side the instant the blade energy dissipated, wielding the Shennong Ruler...

Boom! The thick internal energy was like a giant hammer, forcefully sending Lu Wei flying.

A surge of blood rushed to his throat from his chest. Although the Medicine King's internal energy was not as strong as his, the flow of energy from the four seasons first weakened the Rejuvenation Technique's defense with the power of Autumn Withering, and then the combined attack of Summer Flourishing and Winter Extinction directly caused an explosive effect.

On the other side, Tian Guang was evenly matched with Yu Tu and Xian Zong in hand-to-hand combat, and Tian Guang had also learned the unique skills that the two elders knew.

After Lu Wei was repelled, Yu Tu Buzhou used his severed palm to force the leader of the knights to retreat to Lu Wei's side.

"This isn't the real Twenty-Four Earthly Marshes; it's only half of it at most," Tian Guang explained, watching the Sixth Elder, whose figure kept flashing around them again.

"I dealt with four of them, so I can say I had two-thirds of the battle."

As he spoke, Lu Wei simultaneously used the Rejuvenation Technique to repair the internal injuries he had just suffered. He focused his mind and carefully observed the Sixth Elder's movements.

Although only three people made three moves to attack him directly, in reality, the attacks from the Lord of Soldiers, the God of Grain, and the King of Medicine were all based on the Calendar Master's Starry Steps.

It is precisely because of this that the Lord of War is able to wield a greatsword at the speed of a rapier.

"No matter how many, at this rate we won't last even an incense stick's time before we're defeated." Tian Guang sensed his partner's aura quickly returning to stability, and his evaluation of Lu Wei's internal energy level rose another notch.

“I know, so we’ll use Earthly Swamp Twenty-Four to counter Earthly Swamp Twenty-Four next.” The Sixth Elder didn’t launch another attack for a long time, clearly waiting for them to finish their exchange.

This was not originally a test for the succession of the chieftain, but a test for the transmission of the Twenty-Four Formations of the Earthly Marsh.

The reason why the old hero is also included when checking the strength of the new hero is simply because the Earthly Marsh Twenty-Four usually requires two or more people to activate.

They will definitely survive this incense stick's time, but how much damage they will suffer during this period depends on their understanding of the Twenty-Four Formations of the Earthly Marsh.

Tian Guang has thoroughly mastered the essence of the Twenty-Four Earthly Branches, and the Sixth Elder has been dedicated to cultivating this path. These seven are undoubtedly the most profound practitioners of the Twenty-Four Earthly Branches in the world.

The seven people worked together, one to assist from the side and six to exert pressure and force, all to help Lu Wei quickly grasp the essence of this formation.

Clearly, even if Lu Wei figured out this secret, he would still pretend to be unaware and continue playing the part.

During this time, you must not take any chances just because you think you will definitely not die here. The combo that just injured Hall Master Lu is a warning.

He would have to endure the beating for the duration of an incense stick burning, and if he didn't fight back, his fate would be entirely in the hands of the Sixth Elder.

The feeling of being controlled by others is never pleasant.

“The Twenty-Four Earthly Branches are not good at defense. To face the Sixth Elder’s attack, we need to use offense as our defense.” Tian Guang understood that Lu Wei had seen through everything. Dealing with smart people saves a lot of talking. Therefore, he didn’t say anything else and only discussed the Twenty-Four Earthly Branches themselves.

The Sixth Elder paced around for about ten rounds, seemingly feeling embarrassed by the prolonged delay, and launched a new offensive.

The main warrior was tasked with slaughter, while the other five provided support—a significant concession. Even so, the sharp energy of the seasons still left several bleeding wounds on the two being besieged...

"The changes in the Qi of the four seasons in the Earth Swamp Formation are the key to all offensive strategies, but if applied properly, these Qi of the four seasons can also be used by us!"

Tian Guang, seemingly disregarding the Sixth Elder, began explaining the principles of the formation, and used his palm technique to repel the Five-String Finger Technique of the String Sect Elder who was attacking. On the other side, Lu Wei also withstood the scythes and Shennong Ruler of the Medicine King and the Valley God, but later had to dodge the sword swing of the War Lord.

"What should I do?" Lu Wei flipped his right hand, reversed his grip on the sword, and, enduring the pain of being injured by the scythe and copper ruler, thrust it towards the soldier.

The result was predictably disappointing, and he was left with a huge knife wound running from his neck to his waist...

Without threatening the astrologers who guide the elders' movements, it's impossible to hit any of the array nodes by trickery.

After all, this formation was created by Shennong himself, and it would be extremely difficult for anyone to break through it.

Tian Guang replied, "In the Twenty-Four Earthly Branches Formation, which originated from the Twenty-Four Solar Terms, the summer solstice and the winter solstice are the days with the longest day and night of the year, respectively, and we must strictly adhere to these two positions!"

When I first met Chu Nan Gong in Shouchun City, Nan Gong compared the Five Virtues of the Yin-Yang School with the Twenty-Four Earthly Branches of the Agricultural School, clearly pointing out that the changes of the two extremes were the key to their respective situations.

The more you grasp the essence, the better you can understand the formation.

Tian Guang had already secured the Summer Solstice position, and Lu Wei quickly occupied the Winter Solstice position that the Sixth Elder had intentionally reserved. In this way, the two of them effectively merged into the formation itself, instantly halving the pressure they felt...

No matter how hard you try, you can't hit your left wrist with your left fist, and the same goes for your right hand.

Next, led by the Sixth Elder and Tian Guang, Lu Wei witnessed all 1,460 variations of this exquisite formation...

The 1,461st change is where the formation's weakness lies! Hall Master Lu, holding the Devouring Sea Sword, keenly sensed a blockage. His eyes lit up, and he raised his sword, piercing through the sword and saber energy of the Lord of Soldiers and the Valley God, pointing directly at the core of the formation: the Calendar Master!

After three 365s, the next year will be 366. The final 366th change is the biggest weakness of the farmer's formation that uses magic to work with nature!

By this time, the incense had long since burned out; they had no idea how long they had been inside the Tomb of the Six Sages...

------

As we walked out of the Tomb of the Six Sages, the wind and rain outside were roaring fiercely.

Tian Guang was relatively dry, but Lu Wei's clothes were mostly stained with blood.

As the one being taught, he was the primary target of the attack.

Every wound on his body was the price he paid for the mistakes he made when dealing with the Twenty-Four Earthly Swamps...

There were no injuries on his face or right hand, but the wounds on his upper body and legs were starting to feel slightly numb.

"The day I became the leader of the knights was during a downpour like this." Tian Guang walked out of the passage, letting himself be soaked in the rain. As he let his whole body get wet, a smile appeared on his lips: "Everything started with a downpour, and everything will end with a downpour."

"If you have any questions about the inheritance of the Farmer's Family, you can come to the Tomb of the Six Sages and ask the elders for guidance."

"You still need to stand in the spotlight for a while longer," Lu Wei said calmly, as he used his Rejuvenation Technique to heal his wounds.

“I can’t stay here much longer, but you can still use my name for a little longer.” Tian Guang was quite optimistic: “I can’t stay here for long. You should stay in the tomb tonight to heal your wounds. I need to go see a friend.”

After saying that, Tian Guang's figure disappeared into the rainy night.

Lu Wei watched the other person's figure gradually disappear. Instead of listening to his advice to stay at the Tomb of the Six Sages, he found the entrance to the tunnel half an incense stick later and crawled back towards the direction of the Drunken Dream Pavilion.

The Hall Master's wounds were mostly minor, so the Six Elders didn't use much force at first. It wasn't until they probed the approximate level of his internal energy that they were astonished and their attacks became much more ruthless...

...

Tian Guang met his old friend sooner than he had imagined.

Rainy nights are a preferred killing environment for assassins from the Luo Wang organization. Meeting the man wielding the Cold Cicada Sword in a narrow encounter, Tian Guang, without hesitation, swung his palm and struck him...

At the same time, dozens of assassins dressed in black with spiderweb patterns surrounded and approached him...

Chapter 209 Tian Guang is Stabbed

The fierce winds and torrential rain that night were like a violent whip, lashing the entire Daze Mountain, causing the trees to tremble in fear and utter constant howls.

As a streak of lightning cleaved the sky, followed by a series of muffled thunderclaps, blood mingled with torrential rain in the forest only five miles away from the Tomb of the Six Sages, irrigating the vegetation.

Clutching the piercing wound in his shoulder, Tian Guang finished off the twenty fallen assassins of the Luo Wang organization one by one. As for the unconscious Cold Cicada Sword Master, he did not kill him, but instead carried him on his shoulder and headed towards the Chi You Hall.

Inside the Tian family's secret hideout, Zhou Wen removed the Tian Meng mask from his face, lit a candle, and quietly waited for his target to arrive.

He didn't bring Tian Meng's Absolute Sharp Sword today, but instead placed the Autumn Toad he obtained from the Net on the table.

With a snap, the wooden door was pushed open, and a bolt of lightning illuminated Tian Guang's figure carrying a man.

The storm intensified at this time, and Tian Guang calmly threw the person on his shoulder to the ground, splashing water everywhere.

Then, dripping wet, he turned around and bolted the door shut to prevent the wind and rain from getting in.

Zhou Wen finally saw the face of the unconscious man clearly. He wasn't surprised and said calmly, "Wu Kuang? He was sent by Luo Wang to assist me, but he hasn't met with me yet. He has already paid his respects to the leader of the chivalrous sect."

"Being watched by the assassins of the Luo Wang organization, he had no choice but to force him to take action."

After taking off his completely soaked outer robe, Tian Guang did not choose to sit down and rest. Instead, he went to the window to shelter from the wind and leaned against the tree trunks swaying outside: "Wu Kuang should have some information to tell me, but he was being followed so closely that he couldn't say a word."

Tian Guang had expended a great deal of his energy today. Although Lu Wei did bear more pressure from the elders in the Tomb of the Six Sages and the elders had also stopped, in that kind of hall, he had to constantly circulate his internal energy to protect himself from being crushed by the aftershocks of the Twenty-Four Earthly Swamps.

Moreover, once outside the tomb, the price of willingly enduring Wu Kuang piercing his right shoulder to lure out all the hidden forces of the Net from the darkness was considerable, and killing them all would not be an easy task.

"They're all dead, but Wu Kuang is alive. Will this expose his identity?"

Zhou Wen got up, took Wu Kuang's pulse, and diagnosed his symptoms. He found that Wu Kuang's internal energy had been scattered and his internal organs had been damaged by the shattered palm strike of Bu Zhou. He would need to be treated by a professional doctor and recover for two or three days before he could wake up.

Tian Guang's control over the force of this palm strike was indeed excellent, leaving ample room for him to deal with the trouble.

“These people are inherently assassins.” Tian Guang shook his head, a shadow of gloom crossing his brow. “And what’s strange is that the Luo Net shouldn’t think they can kill me with just those low-level disciples.”

Even though he wasn't in good condition today, he easily handled this assassination attempt. And only Tian Guang and Lu Wei knew about the events at the Six Sages' Tomb. Wu Kuang was actually forced by the Luo Net to go to the Six Sages' Tomb to find him, and he only brought these people with him...

Either Tian Guang himself colluded with Luo Wang, or Lu Wei colluded with Luo Wang...

"Whether Wu Kuang is suspected or not, he can bring more value to Luo Wang and will not be given away so easily."

"unless..."

A soft thud—that's the sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh.