Flicking my hand, I sent several golden streams of light lancing toward the approaching scalding serpent. The titanic snake jolted and fell backward, its body pierced in several places and blood erupting like geysers from various wounds.
Even so, it managed to hurl a gigantic fireball at me. I didn't bother drawing my sword. Stepping out of my formation circle, I revolved my hands about and gathered qi into my palms. A yin-yang symbol appeared behind me just as I caught the massive fireball.
Whirling about, I spun the fireball above me, altering its trajectory and avoiding a detonation before it could collide with anything physical. Whipping my arms about, I then hurled the huge fireball back at the wounded scalding serpent.
As injured as it was, it couldn't avoid the fireball in time. Hell, my killing array should have been more than enough to kill it, but I was admittedly keen on trying a new technique. Also, the killing array would have been incinerated by the fireball anyway, the flames burning out the spirit runes I used to create my formation, which was why I stepped out to deal with it myself.
There was a huge explosion and the poor scalding serpent was reduced to a charred skeleton. Evidently it didn't have the same heat resistance as the salamanders despite possessing the same ability to manipulate fire.
"Whoops, what a waste."
I was hoping to collect several of its ruby colored scales, which would be useful and sell for a bit. Then I saw a few scorched ruby scales scattered next to the skeleton, several unbroken ones hurled away by the blast.
Turned out that I was lucky, after all. Well, not as lucky as I would like, given that there were very few ruby scales left intact, but it was better than nothing.
Collecting the ruby scales and salamander parts took me some time, but I managed to cram everything into my backpack. Unlike normal backpacks, this was a cultivation-type equipment, which meant that they had an alternate space within the storage device. I could cram lots of stuff in there, but the bag wouldn't bulge because the contents would be stored in an alternate space.
The qi-powered device that produced the alternate space was actually pretty bulky, which was why people couldn't simply craft it into storage rings or hand-sized pouches like you would see in the usual cultivation stories and manhua (or dongman). The device was slightly smaller than the backpack itself, but fortunately it wasn't too heavy.
Just call it cultivation science.
Anyway, I succeeded in collecting whatever and so I continued onward, climbing the mountain after a short rest. My killing array vanished, with me dismissing it so that no one else could use it. Well, only array masters could use spirit formations, but I was taking no chances. Best to assume that there were array experts among the enemies.
After all, if I were to come across a formation, I would certainly use it for myself if the situation called for it. Formations were stuck in fixed positions, being incredibly immobile, so it wasn't as if I could carry them with me wherever I went. That was the role of spirit talismans.
If only I could be like Ye Ming, who appeared to create spirit arrays immediately, and simply by using martial coins. And I would have a cute spirit called Bei Ming accompanying me wherever I went. Damn…too bad. Martial Arts Reigns!
Looking around the volcano, I relied on my sixth sense to detect any enemies that might be lurking close by, but I couldn't perceive much through the thick fog of fiery yang qi produced by the molten lava below the heated rock.
Even so, I could hear the audible hissing as something approached me through the boiling steam that erupted from geysers and hot springs. Not just something, but a lot of things.
Wiping the steam from my glasses, I caught sight of something green and yellow. Lizards the sizes of crocodiles were approaching. This time, they weren't salamanders but lava lizards, resembling dinosaurs. They hissed and a frilly hood appeared over their necks, expanding to give them an intimidating appearance.
One of them opened its mouth and a hot stream of lava spurted out to crash down on where I was. Fortunately, I had seen its attack coming when I picked up the slight surge of fiery qi and I moved before it could hit me.
More of the lava lizards surrounded me, spitting streams of lava and forcing me to dodge.
Using a footwork technique, I kicked off from midair and crashed down upon one of the lava lizards. Drawing my sword in a flash, I beheaded it.
The lava lizards were also warrior-ranked like the salamanders, but their scales weren't as tough. Despite the hoods they used to give themselves a more menacing appearance, they lacked the sturdiness of my previous opponents.
On the other hand, they were faster and more agile. A lava lizard leaped away nimbly, avoiding the length of my sword. Another pounced on me, forcing me to dodge. I tried to counterattack with a riposte, but it swiped my sword away with a paw.
However, I had predicted its movements. Pivoting around, I smashed a kick into its midriff and sent it flying into one of its stunned brethren, who was trying to flank me from the side. Spinning around, I then beheaded a second lava lizard before it could pull back in reflex, taking it by surprise.
The rest of the lava lizards wisely backed off, making use of their speed to widen the distance between us. Twirling my sword, I watched them cautiously, wondering if they planned to retreat or continue the fight.
Keeping my sword pointed at them, I reached for my ice spirit talismans with my other hand. I was glad I bought extra ice talismans. Having known that I would be going to the fiery yang qi rich Mystical Volcano Chain, which was inhabited by many fire-type spirit beasts, the vast majority of the spirit talismans I bought were ice types. The second most talismans I had were protective talismans, which I had already used prior to this match.
I wasn't like Bai Xiao Chun, fearing death to the point where I would put on armor and slap on a lot of protective talismans. But I was cautious enough to take…precautions. Okay, that was a bad pun. Sorry.
"Damn it…"
I was hoping to catch the lava lizards by surprise when I unleashed an ice talisman and froze the area, but unlike the salamanders, my current enemies were far too agile. They leaped away, evading the ice that erupted from the ground. Those few who weren't able to get away in time were killed instantly, encased within the deadly ice before shattering into pieces. They weren't as durable as the salamanders, but they were far more nimble. The majority of them had gotten away from the sudden explosion of ice.
In some way, the lava lizards were more troublesome than the salamanders. However, even they wouldn't be able avoid my killing array, where the beams of golden light moved at…well, light speed. If I had time to draw my killing array…
"Eh?"
To my surprise, I saw one of the lava lizards at the back suddenly fall, blood spurting from its neck. The rest of the lava lizards scattered, but not before another two went down to sudden attacks from behind.
"Hello there, friend. While I am sure you will be able to handle this just fine by yourself, I thought I would lend a hand anyway. We'll be able to finish these spirit beasts off more quickly if we work together. What do you think?"
To my surprise, it was the swordsman with the long hair who I saw boarding the same shuttle bus as me yesterday. He was approaching casually, a sword in hand. One of the lava lizards lunged at him, only to fall before its jaws could close around his neck, blood spurting from its split skull.
Fast! I didn't even see him swing his sword…though I could somehow perceive it thanks to Heavenly Flow and Earthly Paths.
His movements, his speed, and the power of his swings…this guy was an expert. Peak Heaven realm, or perhaps even early Yellowed Lands realm.
"I would appreciate your help," I said with a nod. He smiled cheerfully.
"Then let's do this."
The rest of the lava lizards were falling back, circling the newcomer. Rather, the horde was dividing into two groups, with the rest coming at me. While I got ready to engage the incoming swarm, the swordsman dealt with the other half who surrounded him.
To my surprise, an eight trigrams appeared right below him, showing all eight symbols of the Bagua diagram. Qian, Kun, Li, Kan, Xun, Zhen, Dui and Gen.
"Xun style," the swordsman murmured, and the corresponding symbol glowed. His arm flicked his sword deftly and several qi blades streamed out, moving as swiftly as the wind and cutting apart the nimble lava lizards who were trying to keep their distance. Blood spurted from their wounds as the shrieking spirit beasts went down.
The rest, realizing that they couldn't escape the swordsman's swift and precise strokes, pounced on him at once.
"Zhen style," the swordsman said. This time, the Xun symbol flickered out and a new one ignited to life. Swinging his sword just once, the swordsman unleashed several great thunderbolts from the heavens, incinerating the lava lizards and nearly wiping them out. A few of them escaped, their green and yellowed scales singed from the blast, but he wasn't done yet. "Kan style."
Swinging his sword, he switched symbols and sent torrents of water spearing the scattered survivors, wiping them out.
Not to be outdone, I was spinning about my position and cutting down the lava lizards. A few of them fled, but I used my footwork techniques to bounce from one of them to another, stabbing my sword into them, kicking off their convulsing bodies to launch myself at another. I was getting a feel for Liu, being able to sense the flow of their movements and slide myself inside to disrupt their rhythm.
"Hmm, not bad."
While I finished off the last of the lava lizards, the eight trigrams swordsman sheathed his sword and approached me casually. I also put away my sword and bowed my head. Pushing my glasses up my nose, I smiled gratefully.
"Thanks for the help."
"I really didn't do much. You're an array master, aren't you? I saw the salamanders and scalding serpent's bodies earlier. You wouldn't have a problem dealing with spirit beasts of this level."
"Yeah, but you saved me a lot of time and energy. Not to mention, the earlier battle left me exhausted. Even though I took a rest earlier, I still would have been drained from combat. You really helped me there."
"Ah, then it must be fate that brought us together." The swordsman nodded. I couldn't help but grin.
"Maybe. I'm Shu Cong. May I know this friend's name?"
"Fu Xi." The swordsman lowered his head and cupped his hands in response to my polite introduction. "Of the Eight Trigrams Sect."
"Earlier…that was Eight Trigrams Swordsmanship?"
"That's correct." Fu Xi glanced at his sword before nodding with a smile. "The signature technique of my sect. Eight main sword styles, with sixty-four variations."
He then chuckled. "My master says I have a long way to go, though."
"You've got to be kidding me." I gaped at the carcasses of the lava lizards. "You're already pretty strong."
"Nah. You haven't seen your master yet."
I rolled my eyes. "If your master isn't stronger than you, then you wouldn't be learning from him in the first place."
"Ha ha…yeah, I guess he deserves his reputation as the Sage of the Eight Trigrams."
Honestly, I had never heard of the Sage of the Eight Trigrams or the Eight Trigrams before, but I was familiar with the principles of the eight trigrams. Additionally, I had just witnessed Fu Xi execute his swordsmanship right in front of me, so I was able to fill in the blanks for myself.
"Amazing."
"No, not really. You praise me too much." Fu Xi looked sheepish. Then he turned serious. "So friend Shu Cong, what are you doing here in the Mystical Volcano Chain?"
"Oh. I'm looking for something…the Mystic Fire Fruit."
"Ah…" Fu Xi nodded understandingly. A light came to his eyes. "So you are the other one who took the mission?"
"Mission…?" I began. Then I understood. "You also took the mission to bring the Mystic Fire Fruit back for the Xia family?"
"That's right." Fu Xi smiled and tilted his head slightly. "Hmm…judging from your words, you also applied for the same mission as I did. If that's the case, then perhaps we should work together?"