[Tai Lung's POV]
A small smile appeared on my face when I felt the iron net fall from the sky and crash into the city. It gave me a much-needed respite but I was even more happy at what that meant.
Mei had betrayed me but she couldn't bring herself to go all the way.
I always knew she would come around, after all, how could you truly turn your back on someone who introduced you to the wonders of fish? I mused to myself.
The soldiers stopped and gawked at me with wide eyes. I also felt many eyes from different directions on me as they awaited my next move.
They froze, thinking their plan had failed and I would run away. Yet I was not about to do such things.
If I wanted to, I would have. The iron net they used to trap me in the city was nothing but an illusion. If I truly went at it, they could never stop me.
I could also dig underground using my newfound earth-bending techniques and escape yet I had done no such things because I did not wish to.
Not only did I accept thier challenge to kill me due to my pride, I was also stopping the invasion of China by doing this and all the damages I did would ultimately benefit China in the end.
So even if I could, I didn't run.
But it seemed that the enemy just realized this as they were shocked when i did not run away.
I stared directly at Samudragupta who had given away his position in a moment of shock. I had a small smile on my face as I asked them why they stopped.
"Keep on fighting!!" My eyes glowed and then blurred as I covered the space separating me and Smudragupta.
My claws absorbed the light with its void-like colour and without using flash steps to save my chi, I ran across the city while taking out the weakened Tiebtn soldiers like flies.
They were once too powerful to be one-shotted but after Mei had taken thier enhancement, it was possible and I capitalised on that weakness. The elephant soldiers of the Gutpa Empire were too big and slow to catch up to me and they only roared and destroyed the grounds where I once stood.
But ultimately, my goal was thier king. I was quickly running out of chi so to deal a massive blow with my remaining strength, I wanted to take out thier king along with thier morale.
'What is he doing?' I thought to myself while slashing at the neck of an antelope soldier as I gazed directly at the body of Smudragupta.
He was sitting down on one of the towers with her legs crossed and the surrounding chi rushed inside his body and seemed to strengthen and heal him.
The injuries sustained in our last clash had turned into nothing but scratches on his visage and the amount of chi I felt in his body was many times more than when I last saw him.
How?
How had he done this?
*Splash!!*
I pierced through the chest of a water buffalo soldier with my arm, effectively turning him into a donut as his eyes bleed out and then he fell on the ground after I pulled my arm out.
I flicked my hand to clean the blood as I closely observed Samudragupta.
I focused chi into my eyes and even though I was running low on chi, I used a shit ton to appease my curiosity. This could give me the answers to all the questions I had during battle.
And just like I expected, I did get my answer.
Samudragupta was circling the chi inside of his body in a rhythmic pattern. His chi circulated in his body and the interaction of energy on energy attracted the chi in his surroundings, prompting them to join in the dance of energy.
it was hard to describe as it would take a longer observation. And he was also still quite far so I could not get a good look.
Nevertheless, with my extensive knowledge of martial arts and combat skill that spanned beyond the limits of this world, I was able to tell what he was doing.
His actions and the result spoke of exactly what he was doing.
He was cultivating.
'Motherfucker that's our thing!!' I wanted to scream at him.
Now that explains a lot of things. From the supernatural strength the elephants had without enforcing themselves with chi, the sheer weight of thier experience which hints at the many years they had lived, and thier vitality which was nothing like I had ever seen before.
All were the cliche traits of a cultivator.
A smile split my face as I finally solved the puzzle to my problem.
Cultivating. I was ashamed to say but I had never tried to do such things because the energy in this world was chi and not qi. But I could see how the fuel of a miracle could be used in such a manner.
Exciting.
This was just too exciting.
The enemy had given me exactly what I had been unconsciously searching for. An answer to all my problems.
I couldn't wait for this battle to end so that I could truly indulge in finding more about this new path to power.
In my excitement, I bisected the bodies of two more soldiers and before their blood got cold, I already slaughtered ten of thier friends.
it was then that Samudragupta finally got up from his seat and made his move. Instead of simply waiting for me after seeing my approach, he promoted to meet me in the middle.
"Tai Lung!!" Samudragupta roared and he took a mighty leap. His image fused with the afternoon sun and blinded me for a moment before he descended right at me like a shooting star, his body encased in a violent aura.
"Come at me, coward." I spat out and stood my ground.
"You can't WIN!!!" He said and then slammed the entire force he full weight of the force he had gathered from falling down.
My eyes glowed bright for a moment as I blocked by putting up my arm. Actually, blocking would be the wrong word as I merely redirected the full weight of his blow to the ground using Water Stream rock smashing fist.
You don't have to fight force with force.
Force was a universal concept. Now one could fully own it. Use the force of your opponent against themselves.
Be like water, adapt and flow. Full up your flaws like water filling up a hole. And find the downfall of your enemy and flow over them.
My body acted as an anchor as the blow was directed at the ground. The earth cried out as the foundation of the city was shaken so terribly that the whole city collapsed on itself.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
The groups opened up as if the core of the earth had exploded. The earth turned into boulders and boulders into rocks as everything was crushed under the weight of one powerful attack.
The ground caved in like how water would cave in when a rock fell into it. Solid turned into liquid and then liquid turned back to solid.
The release of energy was too much that it brought a hurricane into the city as the ground rumbled and tremor powerful enough to break legs spread throughout the ground
I stated laughing with glee when I saw the look of horror in Samudragupta's face.
This was it. This was kung fu.
The ultimate technique.
The clash ended with an explosion that sounded like thunder. Samudragupta created distance from what he perceived now as a monster and he awaited.
He stood there, observing me closely to see if I truly was unharmed. And when he saw that I was, it scared and baffled him in equal measure.
"You are strong, Tai Lung." He stared, "I don't think there is anyone who can defeat you in a fight."
I shook my arms which were numbed due to directing such force and I barely paid attention to his words. But he continued anyway.
"But this is not a fight." Hs said and spread his arm.
"This is war."
Unshaken by the show of power, the soldiers of the Gupta Empire started rising and tread on the broken ground of the city. They started circling around me and string to inflict despair with the only advantage they had over me.
Thier number.
"I can see it Tai Lung." He said, "You are running out of chi. You won't be able to achieve such incredible feats no longer."
Some of the Tibetan soldiers also started rising while most were already dead from my rampage and the explosion of force.
"You stand alone, but I stand with my army. That is your greatest mistake."
..
..
..
"Shhhhh." I put a finger on my lips and silenced him. He was caught off guard by my action and gave me a questioning look.
Then I pointed at the sky.
At first, I was surprised to feel his presence as well from what happened the last time. But he had no ill intent even after he made his move, I concluded that he was on my side.
He was probably sent by Shen. I didn't know how he healed but I was ironically glad he did.
He said he had an army with him did he not?
But I had someone who was known as..
The Vanquisher of Armies
"Focus. Or you won't see him coming."
???
..
..
..
Reality protested but it was discarded.
There was no indication that it happened even after it already did.
People died but stood confused as death itself was not fast enough to claim them.
The world shook.
Then everything shattered.
*VROOOOOOOOOOOOIOM*
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!*
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[IMAGE]
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