Chapter 48
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Chapter 48: The Yuanjie Duel
Suddenly, a flash of golden light appeared in front of Mu Xiaofeng, blocking Lao Wu’s attack. Lao Wu, surprised, looked up and saw a man enveloped in Yuan energy, with his right hand glowing with a golden radiance. It was clear that he had activated the Yuanjie in his right hand. Mu Xiaofeng, staring at his savior, was shocked to see that it was Chen Jianba. “How is it you?” Mu Xiaofeng asked, “I thought Lao Wu had already defeated you.”
Chen Jianba smiled and nodded, “Yes, Lao Wu did defeat me not long ago, and I was pinned to the ground for a while. But I managed to break free by unlocking the Yuanjie in my right hand, and I made it just in time.” Lao Wu, listening to Chen Jianba’s explanation, understood what had happened. The person in front of him had indeed unlocked one Yuanjie. After thinking for a moment, Lao Wu realized it made sense—anyone capable of challenging him would need to unlock at least one Yuanjie, as he himself had done.
Lao Wu stepped forward and shouted at Chen Jianba, “Young man, it seems I underestimated you. Unlocking a Yuanjie doesn’t mean you can defeat me. Let me show you what my Yuanjie can do!” As he spoke, Lao Wu’s right leg lit up with a red glow, radiating an explosive surge of Yuan energy—he had unlocked the Yuanjie in his right leg.
Chen Jianba frowned, sensing the gravity of the situation. Breaking free from Lao Wu’s grip had consumed much of his energy, and the red energy from Lao Wu’s Yuanjie indicated explosive power, while his own golden energy represented balanced growth. Previously, Zhang Wenyu’s white Yuanjie symbolized an undeveloped potential, pure Yuan energy.
Chen Jianba realized that Lao Wu now posed a significant threat to Mu Xiaofeng, so he advised, “Mu Xiaofeng, you should leave this place. Lao Wu is too strong for you to handle right now.” Although Mu Xiaofeng didn’t want to leave, knowing that Chen Jianba might be defeated again if he did, he also didn’t want to be a burden. He decided to unlock the Yuanjie in his right hand to prove his strength. Concentrating on the power within his right hand, a purple glow suddenly erupted from it, and Yuan energy flowed out, covering his body. Lao Wu, seeing Mu Xiaofeng unlock his Yuanjie, instinctively stepped back.
However, Mu Xiaofeng quickly felt his energy drain, leaving him weak and causing him to collapse to one knee. Lao Wu sneered, “What? I thought you’d unleash a Sword Qi Slash. Don’t they teach that as the first Yuanjie technique in schools anymore?” The Sword Qi Slash, a diminishing-return heavy sword warrior technique, grows less powerful with increased energy but is commonly taught as the first technique to heavy sword warriors. On the battlefield, the overwhelming use of Sword Qi Slash creates a formidable force.
While Lao Wu looked down on Mu Xiaofeng, Chen Jianba was genuinely shocked. The purple Yuanjie Mu Xiaofeng had unlocked signified rare restorative abilities, a rarity among humans. Moreover, Mu Xiaofeng’s Yuanjie technique was the demonic Sacrifice, which rapidly consumed a portion of his energy in exchange for enhanced regeneration. Chen Jianba realized that Mu Xiaofeng was not as simple as he appeared and made a mental note to be more cautious around him in the future. Meanwhile, Lao Wu saw this as the perfect opportunity, intending to strike Mu Xiaofeng while he was weak.
Lao Wu quickly drew a bow from his back, notching several arrows and shooting them towards Mu Xiaofeng. Simultaneously, he unsheathed a dagger and dashed forward at great speed. Chen Jianba noticed this, but Lao Wu, having unlocked his right leg’s Yuanjie, was now too fast, as the first Yuanjie technique for Shadow Assassins typically boosts speed. Chen Jianba rushed to block the arrows with his spear, but Lao Wu was already circling to his right, looking for an opening.
Suddenly, a heavy sword came crashing down, forcing Lao Wu to change course. Mu Xiaofeng had predicted Lao Wu’s movement and launched an attack from behind Chen Jianba without Lao Wu noticing. Lao Wu narrowly avoided the sword strike by retreating, but Chen Jianba took the opportunity to stab at Lao Wu with his spear. Though slightly slow to react, Lao Wu was grazed on the arm, but he managed to escape their immediate range, keeping a safer distance from both Mu Xiaofeng and Chen Jianba.
Mu Xiaofeng taunted Lao Wu, “I told you, your movements are too predictable.” Furious, Lao Wu shot him a venomous glare, crouching low in preparation for another charge. Mu Xiaofeng, gripping his heavy sword tightly, slowly walked forward, placing himself in front of Chen Jianba while fixing his gaze on Lao Wu, daring him to make the next move.
With a swift motion, Lao Wu dashed forward, closing the gap between himself and Mu Xiaofeng in an instant. He aimed straight for Mu Xiaofeng’s heart with his dagger. Mu Xiaofeng, however, only smiled. He knew he couldn’t completely avoid the attack and allowed Lao Wu to stab his shoulder. Enraged, Lao Wu drove the dagger deeper, but Mu Xiaofeng grabbed his wrist, planting his heavy sword into the ground with his other hand—Lao Wu wasn’t going anywhere this time.
Lao Wu panicked. Blinded by anger, he had made the worst mistake for a Shadow Assassin—getting caught in close combat. Typically, their strategy was to strike swiftly and then retreat. Desperate, he tried stabbing Mu Xiaofeng in the heart with his free hand, but Chen Jianba’s spear intercepted, piercing Lao Wu’s left hand and causing him to drop his dagger. In a last-ditch effort, Lao Wu kicked Mu Xiaofeng in the head. The blow left Mu Xiaofeng momentarily dazed, and his grip loosened, allowing Lao Wu to escape. Though Lao Wu had managed to flee, he had
lost both his daggers and sustained several injuries in the process.
Chen Jianba raised his spear, preparing to chase Lao Wu, but Lao Wu, knowing he was now unarmed and wounded, quickly retreated into the nearby blizzard zone. A bow wasn’t suitable for close combat, and he needed to escape. Chen Jianba hesitated, then turned back to check on Mu Xiaofeng’s condition. Although Mu Xiaofeng was injured, his wounds were rapidly healing thanks to the Sacrifice technique. However, it was clear he still needed to return to Qiao Zi for proper recovery.
Standing at the edge of the blizzard, Chen Jianba felt a moment of doubt. Entering the blizzard zone could mean losing track of his companions altogether. As Mu Xiaofeng slowly got to his feet, retrieving his heavy sword from the ground, he walked towards the blizzard and, without turning back, said to Chen Jianba, “Let’s go. The others must be worried about us.” Chen Jianba, hearing this, nodded slowly and followed Mu Xiaofeng into the swirling snow.
Meanwhile, at the center of the blizzard, Lao Da, the one controlling the storm, sensed their entry. Turning to his nearby comrades, he remarked, “It seems Lao Wu has entered my domain… but there are two others with him. Lao Wu must have run into trouble. Lao San, go assist him. We’ll deal with them after we’ve regrouped.” With that, Lao Da cast a blue shield around Lao San, allowing him to move freely within the storm. Lao San vanished into the blizzard.
On the other side, the rest of the group anxiously awaited any signal from the robot Mu Huaichou had deployed. The small robot, instead of finding Xi Mo and Wu Xiaohang, had stumbled upon Chen Jianba and Mu Xiaofeng shortly after they entered the blizzard. Seeing the robot, Chen Jianba realized that Mu Huaichou was likely using it to scout the surroundings. Grabbing the small machine, Chen Jianba spoke into it, “Huaichou, it’s me, Chen Jianba. Mu Xiaofeng and I just entered this snowy area where we can’t see a thing. Lead us back to you!”
Far away, Mu Huaichou suddenly received feedback from the robot and opened his eyes. “I’ve found them! But it’s Chen Jianba and Mu Xiaofeng, not Wu Xiaohang and the others.” The group hadn’t expected this, but they were still somewhat relieved to have found some of their companions. However, Wang Yubu Ming suddenly interjected, “Didn’t they leave with more people than just these two?” His question reminded everyone—Zhang Wenyu, Qiao Zi, and Qin Baoyi were still missing. For Mu Xiaofeng and Chen Jianba, those three had entered the blizzard zone long before them.
Left with little choice, Teo Bella suggested that they retrieve Mu Xiaofeng and Chen Jianba first—saving anyone was better than none. Mu Huaichou used his Yuan energy to control the robot, guiding the two back to their location. Mu Xiaofeng and Chen Jianba, seeing the robot lead the way, followed it toward their allies. However, one unresolved question remained: where had Zhang Wenyu, Qiao Zi, and Qin Baoyi gone?