Chapter 193 - 148 Swords Drawn Together

Chapter 193: Chapter 148 Swords Drawn TogetherThe two had skirmished five hundred times on the Martial Arts Platform, each so familiar with the other that a single movement could prompt a guess at the next step. But this time, Zhao Manying guessed wrong. Her Flash Step surged forward, speed at least three times faster than in the virtual world, covering even more distance, the bright blade of the Jinghong Sword in her hand glowing with a cold light as it thrust directly at Ji Xinghuo’s front. This was her usual way of fighting, fierce and sharp, aiming to strike quickly. Twenty meters disappeared in an instant. However, Ji Xinghuo deviated from his usual straightforward combat style in the virtual world and instead retreated backwards. The Rotating Magnetic Field operated at full force, electric currents appeared beneath his skin, Star Power and physical fitness burst forth simultaneously, performing Flash Step three times in succession, his figure leaping through the darkness, instantly creating a distance of more than sixty meters. During the process of Flash Step, sparks of electricity glimmered between his fingers, accumulating electrical potential along the Thunderbolt Battle Blade in his right hand, and the moment he gained distance, he released it. The blade of the sword burst forth a thick bolt of lightning. Boom! A thunderclap roared, silver-white electrical light illuminating the entire mountaintop, bending through the air toward the advancing Zhao Manying. She had long sensed the lightning that Ji Xinghuo was storing up. When the lightning was only three meters four from her, her body suddenly disappeared, flashing back and forth within a span of several meters at such a speed that even sight couldn’t lock on to her. Mysterious Footsteps! This was the signature ability of "Flying Steps." By moving at high speed within a certain range, one could dodge attacks, with a duration much longer than Flash Step, suitable for both offense and defense. But as she executed Mysterious Footsteps, the thick lightning veered in her direction. The lightning suddenly struck downwards, bombarding the ground. Boom! The range of Mysterious Footsteps was completely enveloped by the electric shock, shattering stones and mud flying, the ground blasted with a half-meter-deep crater. Zhao Manying hadn’t expected Ji Xinghuo’s Thunderbolt Hand to be able to turn, and Mysterious Footsteps were suddenly interrupted, several exploding currents hitting her. Her left wrist conjured a semi-transparent shield, blocking the lightning. That was a silver-white arm armor. Previously hidden under the cuff of her leather jacket, now fully revealed, the arm armor was like a bracer, about ten centimeters wide, solid and ingenious in structure, fitting her arm perfectly. The shield covered her entire body, first blocking the current, and then the mechanical structure on the arm armor instantly expanded to form a silver-gray round shield about eighty centimeters in diameter, deflecting the flying stones and shockwaves. "Chromium Arm Armor." Seeing this, Ji Xinghuo wasn’t surprised. This superpower Two Stars defensive equipment was quite renowned, a flagship product of an equipment company in the Asia-Pacific Community, priced in the hundreds of millions but with scarce production. The Chromium Arm Armor came with the "repulsion field" of the Star Torch Hand, capable of unidirectionally repelling physical and energy attacks, and could also unfold into a foldable shield, incredibly tough and with sharp edges that can also be used as a weapon. Moreover, it also had effects of "Durability" and "Fast Recovery." Wearing a piece of Chromium Arm Armor would give mutants comprehensive and powerful protective abilities. As Ji Xinghuo pondered the origin of the Chromium Arm Armor, he moved even faster. The Invisible Stab was already in his left hand. His right hand, still holding the blade, didn’t affect his ability to draw the bow, and took advantage of the moment Zhao Manying was fending off the Thunderbolt Hand’s assault to shoot three silent arrows. His eyes blinked, bow drawn three times. The silent, invisible arrows flew out, even harder to see in the dark night, directly targeting Zhao Manying’s chest. He still held back, not aiming for her head. Zhao Manying had just unfolded the foldable shield to block the electric surge when she detected the incoming arrows. But instead of using her shield to block them, she retracted it back into the arm armor, exposing herself. Her gaze intensified. The air around her seemed to solidify, the three invisible arrows were grasped by unseen hands, revealed in the dark, suspended mid-air, unable to advance another inch. Ji Xinghuo’s subsequent arrows, too, seemed to sink into mire, barely moving forward. Energy Stringer! He frowned slightly, the Energy Stringer could transform spiritual energy into real force, acting upon matter from a distance, the bane of all archers. In a flash, spiritual energy swept across half of the mountaintop. Stones, dirt, arrows, and surrounding debris were all gripped by Zhao Manying from afar, forming a torrent of matter and energy intertwined, like a floating giant serpent, rushing towards Ji Xinghuo. Ji Xinghuo quickly dodged, but didn’t rashly approach Zhao Manying. The closer he was to her, the stronger her spiritual energy. Without certainty of a decisive victory, getting close to an Energy Stringer was unwise. With a roar! The energy torrent exploded some ten meters away from him, the shockwave striking the ground, the entire mountaintop trembling, countless stones and dirt scattering. Ji Xinghuo was unharmed, but Zhao Manying had achieved her goal. She had escaped from the long-range attack of the bow and arrows. With a shake of the Jinghong Sword’s hilt in her hand, four substantial sword shadows congealed around her, each identical to the Jinghong Sword, the blades straight and sharp, glinting with a cold light. They floated in mid-air, shooting out as soon as they appeared, disappearing in different trajectories almost instantly. Shadow Clone wasn’t part of the "Shadow Blade" Professional Templates, yet it was a Transcendent Ability all Shadow Blades dreamt of. It could create multiple clones identical to the original, lethal in their own right. And a single sword now possessed Shadow Clones. S~eaʀᴄh the ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Sword Shadow Clones also had the ability to fly and "Refract" into invisibility, with Zhao Manying’s energy enhancement, both lethality and speed were elevated to even higher levels! Zhao Manying multitasked. She maneuvered the four invisible Sword Shadow Clones, while she herself, sword in hand, charged at Ji Xinghuo. Her expression was focused and calm, her pupils reflecting the figure of Ji Xinghuo, at this moment revealing a cold and deadly aura. Ji Xinghuo’s heart felt a surge of alarm, sensing immense pressure. Zhao Manying had already closed to within thirty meters. Suddenly, Ji Xinghuo felt his entire body become heavy as forces pulled and bound his limbs in different directions, the air around him compressed and imploded, violently squeezing his body and making even the slightest movement difficult. In the next second, four invisible sword shadows arrived. The magnetic field induction revealed that they were coming from different directions and tricky angles, forming a net of attacks that sealed off his escape routes. "Hiss!" Ji Xinghuo took a deep breath, his left hand’s Invisible Stab already replaced with the Demon Sound, the Star Power inside his body surging, pouring into the longsword. In an instant, a white wave of energy exploded outward. Sound Explosion! Boom—a loud thunderous sound. Ji Xinghuo stood at the center of the Sound Explosion. The timing of the blast was extremely clever, capturing all four invisible sword shadows and blasting them away. The power of the Sound Explosion he unleashed was naturally not as great as that of the Legendary Dagon people. Moreover, the Sound Explosion had barely begun before Zhao Manying sensed it. The invisible kinetic energy compressed inward, the force opposite to the direction of the Sound Explosion, offsetting most of it and failing to inflict damage on Zhao Manying, who was directly ahead. And she was already upon him! Still seven or eight meters away, Zhao Manying raised her hand and sent out a strand of Sword Qi from the Jinghong Sword, as thin as a hair and barely visible to the naked eye, blinking out of existence in a flash. Ji Xinghuo took advantage of the Sound Explosion to break free from the kinetic restraints and took a step forward. Instant Step! The figure vanished, bypassing the Sword Qi. The seemingly inconspicuous Sword Qi swept past, and a rock as tall as a person was instantly cut through, the cut as smooth as if done by a machine. Ji Xinghuo reappeared, and unleashed the Demon Sound toward Zhao Manying, repaying her strike in kind. Ultrasonic Sword Energy! His Sword Qi was profoundly different from Zhao Manying’s, composed of countless fine Qi Blades that covered a wide area, resulting in an onslaught of cuts should they hit. Zhao Manying remained unfazed, not even bothering to dodge as she walked straight through the Ultrasonic Sword Qi. An invisible kinetic shield unfolded around her body. Most of the Sword Qi was deflected, and the few strands that penetrated the shield were effortlessly blocked by a layer of Ice Armor that condensed on her black leather clothing. Derived from the "Ice Soul Bracelet" on her right wrist, this Superpower Three Stars equipment possessed most of the Abilities of "Bing Feng." Possessing the Ice Soul Bracelet was akin to being half a Bing Feng, though she primarily utilized this equipment for control and protection. After passing through the Ultrasonic Sword Qi, the two were within striking distance of each other. This time, like the five hundred encounters over the past month on the Martial Arts Platform, they once again engaged in a direct confrontation! Ji Xinghuo launched both his sword and blade at once. Zhao Manying held the Jinghong Sword in hand, surrounded by four Sword Shadow Clones. Clang! The Demon Sound and Jinghong Sword collided without reservation, emitting a crisp clashing sound as both Star Forces erupted and repelled each other. During the clash of the two swords, Ji Xinghuo’s right hand wielding the Thunder Blade released a bolt of lightning. Zhao Manying, anticipating this, Flash Stepped close to his side while kinetic interference constantly affected every move of Ji Xinghuo. The four Sword Shadow Clones attacked once more. Ji Xinghuo’s body erupted with electricity, and moving through the Rotating Magnetic Field with a Flash Step, he slipped between the gaps of the Sword Shadows, using his high-speed movement to avoid Zhao Manying’s kinetic restraints, then suddenly reversed direction still in Flash Step, shooting out a Sound Spear. The semi-transparent Sound Spear truly traveled at the speed of sound. Zhao Manying tried to counter with her kinetic shield, but found its protection greatly diminished against the sound waves. The Sound Spear penetrated the shield and struck her body squarely. The Ice Armor and Foldable Shield were too slow to deploy. Thud! Her leather clothing burst open, revealing a patch of skin on her left shoulder. But at the same time, her body reflected a silvery metallic luster, and the Sound Spear, striking her shoulder, was like hitting steel. Despite penetration by the sound waves, the damage inflicted was minimized. Ji Xinghuo noticed a necklace pendant exposed around her neck. "Steel Talisman..." "Another piece of protective gear!" he felt somewhat helpless. The Steel Talisman was a Superpower Three Stars equipment. Its most powerful feature carried a Transcendent Ability called "Steel Body," which, upon activation, made the Mutant’s body as hard as steel, though it also greatly reduced speed, even stopping the wearer in their tracks. The Steel Talisman also possessed "Iron Lungs" and "Metallic Inner Organs"—one for enhancing physical endurance and the other for protecting the internal organs. And "Injury Transfer," which could transfer damage of a moderate degree or less from one part of the body to another. A single Steel Talisman was almost equal to an extra life! With the Chrome Gold Arm Armor and Ice Soul Bracelet, all three pieces of equipment possessed different ways of providing protection. "Damn it!" "Is the Super League really that lucrative? Her whole body is decked out in top-notch gear, she’s like a damned iron turtle!" Ji Xinghuo cursed inwardly, but he knew the fight must go on. The four Sword Shadow Clones circled back in midair, quick as lightning and as deadly as venomous snakes, instantly swooping back for another strike.