Before Zhang Fengxi turned to spearsmanship, he too cultivated the path of swordsmanship. He was naturally familiar with the Four Divine Beasts Cultivation Manual.
The only problem was the weapon he currently carried.
Zhang Fengxi held his sword vertically in front of him and infused it with spiritual power. His sword glowed bright red from the heat. The color slowly changed to orange, then yellow.
The sword shook in Zhang Fengxi's hand.
"Please, please," Zhang Fengxi gritted his teeth. "Please hold on."
Any form of the White Tiger Wrath required the sword to absorb heat and unleash it at the opponent.
Once the sword glowed white, Zhang Fengxi stepped off the rocky ground and attacked.
"White Tiger's Wrath, First Form!"
The combined attacks from Xie Jianyu and Zhang Fengxi were not enough to kill the centipede spirit, but it was enough to knock it out.
That was fortunate, because Zhang Fengxi's sword broke after only one strike.
He tossed the broken sword to the side and lit a fire talisman.
"Xie Jianyu, are you insane?" he was unable to keep his voice low. "Why didn't you come to the safe tunnel I found?"
Xie Jianyu glared at Zhang Fengxi in response.
At first, Zhang Fengxi did not understand why the Crown Prince gave him a piercing glare. And then, when the fire talisman illuminated Xie Jianyu's lower half, Zhang Fengxi understood what was wrong with the omega.
One of Xie Jianyu's legs was bleeding. A huge slash extended from his knee to his foot. Staring at it long enough made Zhang Fengxi's scalp tingle.
"Did you break your leg during the fall?" Zhang Fengxi wanted to take a closer look at Xie Jianyu's wound, but Xie Jianyu pointed his Winter Frost at Zhang Fengxi instead.
"..."
"Take it," Xie Jianyu scowled at him. "You wanted it right?"
Zhang Fengxi stared at Xie Jianyu in confusion.
"Are you giving me your sword...?"
Xie Jianyu narrowed his eyes at Zhang Fengxi. He nodded toward the passed-out centipede spirit some distance away from them.
"You were aiming for its spiritual core, weren't you? Go and take it before it wakes up."
"Oh."
Indeed, this was Zhang Fengxi's goal all along. He wanted to take the Thousand-Legged Centipede Spirit's spiritual core.
In his last life, the one who took it was General Fu, who was tasked to annihilate the spirit after it went berserk and flattened one human village after another.
The task proved to be a blessing in disguise for General Fu.
The spiritual core greatly aided him in his later conquests. Zhang Fengxi almost lost the Supreme General position to him.
So Xie Jianyu knew all along.
Zhang Fengxi gulped.
No wonder he was mad. He went back to save Zhang Fengxi and got hurt in the process. And all for a spiritual core.
But hey, it was a valuable spiritual core! Besides, Zhang Fengxi did not exactly ask for Xie Jianyu's help. Until now.
"Uhm, can I borrow your sword?"
Xie Jianyu shook his head.
"The sword only acknowledges me as its master."
Ah, yes.
The legendary spiritual weapon Winter Frost.
Of course.
"Che. Fine."
Zhang Fengxi regretted tossing his broken sword away. Now he had to search in the darkness for the stupid sword.
"Let me cut it out for you," Xie Jianyu suggested.
"Don't," Zhang Fengxi held a hand up. "You are hurt. You should sit there. I will take care of your wound as soon as I kill this spirit."
"You broke your sword. Don't tell me that you plan to cut it open with that broken sword. It will take ages."
Xie Jianyu stubbornly inched forward by supporting himself using Winter Frost.
Zhang Fengxi could not feel worse. He quickly abandoned his search to help Xie Jianyu.
And yet, when he tried to hold Xie Jianyu up, he was slapped viciously by the Crown Prince.
"Don't touch me," Xie Jianyu said coldly.
"..."
Xie Jianyu was not cute at all. He would rather hobble toward the giant centipede on his own than accept Zhang Fengxi's help.
He was clearly in a lot of pain, but he did not want to cry or shout. He endured it all, biting his lower lip until it started to bleed.
He was the very image of a tragic character.
Zhang Fengxi growled in anger. Was it necessary to play the victim at this place, at this time?
Xie Jianyu widened his eyes when he felt a strong arm around his waist.