"Are these bodies all the victims he made during the day, or maybe they were a group that banded together, considering Shen Xue as either the biggest threat or point bearer in the competition, they tried to take him down and this was the result." All kinds of suppositions sprang up in Ye Mo's mind faced with such a scene, but he quickly abandoned them to focus on Shen Xue slowly approaching.
There was still quite a distance between them when all of a sudden, Ye Mo felt a kind of heavy oppression like the air thickened around him and just drawing a breath was difficult.
It seemed like the temperature lowered and he was suddenly facing a monster about to swallow him whole.
Yet, the corners of his lips rose as his eyes flashed with discernement.
Shen Xue didn't bother with any pleasantries, at this moment, he could be seen casually raising his sword.
From the tip of the blade, a swirling cyclone of frost wind emerged and circled around. The hovering, chilling vortex was so cold that the air froze on its sides, turning into shimmering shards of broken glass accompanying the frost wind.
With just a thought it surged forward, cutting through the air with an eerie howl. The path it carved seemed to draw the warmth from the surroundings, chilling the air with a sharp, biting cold.
In an instant, it was before Ye Mo.
This one took a step back, taking a firm foothold on the ground, then moved his hips, turned his waist, his shoulder rotating forward and his center of gravity lowered as he threw his fist.
Stone Breaking Punch!
With perfect form, the fist crashed directly on the center of the cyclone creating an explosive reaction as cold air was sent rippling outward in all directions.
The cyclone enveloped Ye Mo's fist, then his wrist while the ice shards that flew around cut his arm.
He gritted his teeth as he fully exerted his strength, pushing with all his might. He resisted bitterly in what seemed like a long time while in truth it only lasted a second where ice, wind and fist were entangled, before the chilling air finally dispersed.
Ye Mo breathed loudly, thorougly worn out.
He was so absorbed in the clash that only when he broke through Shen Xue's technique did he realize he was pushed back several meters, a small pile of earth gathered behind his feets.
When he looked at his hand, he could see it was flushed an angry, raw red. Sharp needling pain radiated from the biting cold he felt, and on his arm were lodged many small ice shards that cut his skin.
On the other side, Shen Xue's eyebrows slightly rose as he looked at the result of the clash on his otherwise impassive face.
"This guy, he tried to torment me with his spiritual sense then kill me when my guard is lowered." Ye Mo thought as he picked up and tossed aside the shards on his arm.
He was clear about what happened, as soon as Shen Xue noticed him with his spiritual sense, he used it to muddle his mind and immediately went for the kill.
Spiritual sense could take life with just a thought when the gap in cultivation was big or the willpower of the opponent was weak.
However, all the students remaining here were at least of the 8th layer of the Qi Gathering realm, but many were actually 9th or peak 9th layer cultivators. Although the qualitative change was great between a Foundation Establishment expert and these students, in terms of cultivation it was just one or two breakthrough apart, the difference wasn't that big for the spiritual sense to harm so easily.
Nonetheless, even if the spiritual sense couldn't kill in these conditions, it was still enough to affect their minds and make them freeze for an instant. For an elite like Shen Xue that could easily bring death without using it, the combination of his spiritual sense and his strike during the small lapse in his opponent's defense was a sure-kill method.
However, Ye Mo didn't even flinch under Shen Xue's spirit sense.
If the gap in cultivation wasn't that big, then the most determinent factor was the willpower and in this aspect, the result spoke for itself.
"Compared to my confrontation with the Wrathful Black Ape, this kind of intimidation can't even be taken as a joke. His strength instead, is the real thing, I gave everything I could and more in this Stone Breaking Punch but it was barely enough to block this casual wave of his." Ye Mo contemplated.
He knew Shen Xue was very powerful, he didn't wish to fight him. Alas, good fortune wasn't on his side and by a twist of fate, he met face to face with the worst scenario he could envisage.
Shen Xue didn't give him any time as he raised his sword once more and converged his Qi on his blade.
His stance shifted as his body coiled like a spring under immense pressure, his blade arching back behind him.
Pale tendrils of frosty vapor drifted upwards, curling like ghostly smoke against the frigid sword.
For a small instant all fell silent.
Then like the crack of a thunderclap, Shen Xue swung the sword in a wide arc, a large blade of energy traveling horizontally as it reached Ye Mo in an instant.
This one only saw a flash of light before he reflexively used Buddha Golden Bell's battle skill in this split-second.
Near the same time, Shen Xue's battle skill crashed against the barrier, destroying the bell of light with no difficulty.
Ye Mo brought his arms forth to block the blade with his wrist guards crossed before him.
He barely raised them that he was taken away by the energy blade, traveling across the clearing for several hundred meters before the ground trembled and a loud rumbling resounded far off.
Near the crash site, smoke unfurled while dirt and grasses gradually fell down the air.
Quickly, the smoke dissipated and behind it was revealed a small crater devoid of any vegetation. At its center laid Ye Mo on his back, looking upward absent-mindedly.
The upper part of his martial suit was torn to shreds revealing a body covered in wounds and bruises, the taste of blood filling his mouth while one of his shoe was lost in the collision. Without looking, Ye Mo placed his hand on the pocket of his pants and felt the token before the hand heavily fell back down, visibly out of forces.
After a short time, Ye Mo suddenly laughed weakly without moving.
"Hehehe, as expected of the most talented youth of Azure Water City, there is nothing common about his strength."
He remained unmoving, looking at the sky.
While he stared at the clouds drifting and the flock of birds flying as if guided by a single mind, he grew serene.
Since young, looking at the sky always appeased him.
On earth, cultivators killed for ressources, blood beasts ate each other and the world was plunged in battles, machinations and chaos.
Yet, no matter what your problems were, the sky was always the same, distant and peaceful, stretching limitlessly, a familiar sight to accompagny you everywhere. Akin to a vast entity that observed everything happening on the surface, mocking these ants for their pitiful struggle, utterly insignificant in the face of this infinite veil.
Before the sky, everything is trivial.
Then when he looked down, he was once again faced with this bloodthirsty prodigy coming to take his head. Although he was far enough to only see a small figure walking in the distance, the aura of inflexible coldness that emanated from him was very palpable.
"Is it even possible to replace the sky, one can only wonder and try his hardest." Ye Mo slowly rose up, many of his inner injuries already healed by Endless Vitality, the minor wounds on the exterior only persisting.
He tossed his remaining shoe to balance his support and not be hindered by a destabilised foothold.
Ye Mo was unwilling to spend his energy on a hopeless endeavor like defeating Shen Xue, it was too soon, the other party had much more time to cultivate while he only started less than a year ago. Shen Xue was stronger, faster, trained much longer and wether in terms of battle skills or cultivation, he largely surpassed him, but this one didn't leave him a choice. He knew that if he tried to escape, the swordsman could easily catch up to him.
"If I could breakthrough the third revolution of the fiend body, maybe I could do something, but there is no point thinking of this now."
No matter how much you prepare yourself, the basis of any plan is always your own strength, against absolute power, scheming is useless.
Place someone in a cage with an enraged gorilla and even if he's the smartest man there is, he's still gonna get beaten to death.
When Shen Xue saw Ye Mo standing up, his eyebrows locked tightly together.
It was already the second strike and this unassuming guy was still alive, when was the last time it happened?
In this competition, he killed dozens and hundreds of participants and the rare few who would survive his first strike after being under the influence of his spiritual sense would definitely end up dead with the second one.
It was a peak-tier sword battle skill of his Shen clan he unleashed, with just the speed and the width of the arc, no one could avoid it and with the power of the technique combined with his Foundation Establishment cultivation, who could endure it beside another expert of the same level?
It must be reminded that Shen Xue could only use half of his Qi in this competition, a peak-tier battle skill was quite taxing to his reserves so when he performed one, he didn't accept any other result than the death of his opponent.
Yet, this person he had no memories of could survive with his 8th layer cultivation, utterly senseless.
He was really disconcerted and unnerved for a second, but he quickly lowered his brows as his eyes narrowed slightly.
Before, he only brutishly executed his techniques without using any tactics nor anything, he didn't need to for his opponents to drop dead, but now he became serious.
Without much options, Ye Mo took a posture, crouching down as he clenched his fist tightly, concentrating his Qi. His upper body twisted to one side with the punching arm drawn back and the opposite shoulder slightly forward.
He seemed about to release a formidable move.
Shen Xue kept walking forward, neither worried nor afraid, as he raised his sword and prepared himself to receive the strike.
Ye Mo's eyes were like dark abysses, no emotions could be seen through them.
When enough Qi was expended, he took one resolute step forward then turned around and with wind currents enveloping his body, he ran away.
Shen Xue: ....