Chapter 40 Dusk
No one could see Li Tianlan’s move clear.
Therefore, no one could describe it.
There were whooshing sounds with fierce sword radiance. At that moment, Li Tianlan was surrounded by fire, but his swift Sword Essence looked as if it came from the ancient times and connected the sky and the ground. It was so irresistible.
“No!”
The young women, who had failed a fatal attack, raised her head. Her expression suddenly changed as she saw the fire rose up instantly. “No!” Her voice was filled with horror.
Li Tianlan looked indifferent amid the fire, however, his eyes had turned mysterious red. The two long narrow swords turned around as he moved and filled the battlefield with countless sword shadows.
The raging fire was shrunk to the extreme.
A second later, it expanded widely again.
The burning sound of the fire came to everyone’s ears. In their sights, there were no Li Tianlan or Wang Yuetong any more, just a huge roaring and exploding fireball.
The fire spread away wildly around Li Tianlan, causing the dozen Ice-condensing Realm experts who were attacking Wang Yuetong to perish in the fire before they could let out a scream. Nothing of them was left, not even ashes.
“How domineering this move is!”
Horsewoman and the Enchantress, who were ready to fight, spoke in unison near the battlefield.
They had expected the power of the move very boldly, but, when they saw it with their own eyes, they were still so surprised.
Though Li Tianlan was still in the Fire-flaming Realm, the power of his move had exceeded this realm and looked like a move from someone in the Thunder-shocking Realm.
“This power is the ceiling of the Fire-flaming Realm.”
Horsewoman narrowed her eyes as she spoke. “Indeed.”
The Enchantress’s expression changed continuously, unable to find a word to speak.
All the unique skills of the Wang family of Beihai emphasizing extreme explosive force was a well-known fact to all the people of the Dark World. The family leader, Wang Tianzong, was the number one expert in the Zhongzhou State even when he was without the Human Emperor. Few could not surrender under his explosive force.
However, The Enchantress was filled with dread as she saw Li Tianlan’s move. Though the move was not as extreme as those of the Wang family of Beihai, it sought an explosive force as well and was as powerful as the unique skills of the Wang family.
If such a man like Li Tianlan had a relationship with the powerful Samsara Palace, and turned against them in the future, he would definitely become a strong opponent of the Wang family of Beihai.
After a moment of hesitation, The Enchantress finally chose to give up her actions.
Li Tianlan’s just move was so powerful that she could tell he was raising his level by force.
It also meant that Li Tianlan had once reached the Fire-flaming Realm, but, according to the information on him, he was just 19 at the year.
As a young man who had Wind and Thunder Veins and reached the Fire-flaming Realm before 19, Li Tianlan could be regarded as talented as Wang Shengxiao from the Wang family of Beihai.
Moreover, Li Tianlan had killed Liu Xiuwei when he was in the Ice-condensing Realm. Now, he had raised his realm into the Fire-flaming Realm, therefore, it would make no difference whether or not she would intervene in their battle. She might as well stay there in secret and see what Li Tianlan’s other trump cards were.
The ice and frost were melted.
The storm lulled.
The glow of the fire was dissipating.
Li Tianlan appeared on the battlefield again with a sword in each of his hands.
Wang Yuetong had no scratch on her except that she looked pale. Obviously, though Li Tianlan’s move was powerful, he had controlled it very well in protection of her.
No more than 10 meters away in front of them were a young man and women, who were both in the Fire-flaming Realm. They all wore a dull look at that moment as they stared at the empty battlefield with disbelief.
There was nothing left. Nothing.
After Li Tianlan’s move, it looked as if the dozen experts who had attacked Wang Yuetong together had never existed. No trace of them could be found anymore.
“Where are they?”
The young woman considered the battlefield and murmured unconsciously.
“The way to hell is long, and they must be near here, awaiting you.”
Li Tianlan held the swords in his hands and radiated an extremely crazy and cold killing intent from head to toe. He looked so different from when he was in the Sky Academy. Now, only one word could describe the feeling he gave others.
Dangerous.
Absolutely dangerous.
“How can you kill them?!”
The young woman suddenly looked up at Li Tianlan with hatred in her eyes. Her angry expression was mixed with a trace of vicious desperation.
Today’s action squadron was the achievement of her and her husband after so many years of painstaking effort. 18 experts either at or near the Peak of the Ice-condensing Realm and them were just the right number for a squadron.
She was Number One, and her husband was Number two.
Those experts were their treasures and what they could rely on to get a foothold in their organization.
However, now, everything was gone and destroyed by Li Tianlan.
Number One felt as if her heart was torn apart. She was in pain and despair that she was even unable to breathe at that moment.
“Damn you.”
She gazed at Li Tianlan in front of her and cracked her own teeth while gnashing them. Blood streamed down the corner of her mouth, her expression twisted. Her beautiful face looked hideous like a ghost.
Number Two, the young man, stood beside Number One with frenzied eyes. He opened his mouth, tried to speak, but only made some hoarse sounds. He turned out to be a mute.
A mute?
Li Tianlan was surprised and looked at the pale Wang Yuetong.
If they wanted to trace those people’s background, this mute might be an obvious feature of them.
“Is there any need to leave any one of them alive? I don’t have too much time.”
Li Tianlan frowned and asked in a low voice.
It was only until this moment that Wang Yuetong noticed some blood stream down the corner of Li Tianlan’s mouth as he spoke. His face was twisted somehow.
Wang Yuetong immediately understood that Li Tianlan’s previous peak status was in the Fire-flaming Realm.
It was so shocking to know that Li Tianlan had Wind and Thunder Veins and once reached the Fire-flaming Realm when he was barely 19. For some unknown reasons, he had managed to recover to his peak status by force from the bottom of his power at such a critical time. Bearing the power of the Fire-flaming Realm with his flesh still in the Qi-controlling Realm was so painful every second that Li Tianlan felt as if his heart was pierced through by thousands of arrows. It felt worse than death.
Even if he was determined, how long could he hold on in the Fire-flaming Realm?
It was different from in the Ice-condensing Realm. Giving his current situation, he could hold on three to five minutes at best.
“No. We can’t get anything out of their mouth.”
Wang Yuetong answered quickly and continued, “Senior Brother, how do you feel?”
Li Tianlan smiled and shook his head. There was a wicked and silent shine to his eyes as he turned back.
Number One and Number Two, as attackers, were enraged at the loss of their subordinates, because since then they lost their foundations in their organization.
However, Li Tianlan was even more furious than them as it had cost him so much to raise his realm into the Fire-flaming Realm by force.
Injury and pain that he had suffered were less important. What really mattered was that it had influenced his potential of the future. The Fire-flaming Realm was a special realm to him. This time, he had entered the realm by force and held on for several minutes, however, when he actually reached the Fire-flaming Realm and was about to enter the Thunder-shocking Realm some time later, it would take him one more year to do that at least. He also might fail to get what he wanted even if he spent one more year on it.
One more year!
Li Tianlan could not afford it.
He closed his eyes, feeling the pain burning inside him. The corner of his mouth twitched and he forced a crooked smile.
The air in front of him was heated in an instant.
Number One and Number Two made a move with all their power almost at the same time
Since they had lost all their experts, only by accomplishing their mission could they survive and find a new foothold in their organization. If they failed, even if they could make it back alive, they would face a fate totally worse than death.
Therefore, they had to kill Wang Yuetong and Li Tianlan.
As for Li Tianlan, he had paid such a great price to pull his realm into the Fire-flaming Realm, so, if he could not kill some worthy opponents for his sacrifice, he would be extremely frustrated, which would in return influence his mental state and willpower.
Therefore, from his perspective, the women and man in front of him had to die.
Flames rose up suddenly.
Number One and Number Two charged out simultaneously. The fire surrounded them was merged together and a lightning flickered among it.
“Be careful!”
Wang Yuetong’s pupils contracted instantaneously.
Obviously, the man’s and woman’s Martial Arts were interlinked in some way, just like Liu Dongchao and Liu Dongyu in the Sky Academy. They could double their power by joining their forces together. By doing so, Number One and Number Two could act as one person and became as powerful as an expert newly in the Thunder-shocking Realm.
The lightning floated among the fire. Li Tianlan and Wang Yuetong were surrounded by raging flames.
At that point, Li Tianlan could only go forward. If he stepped backward, the sword radiance that floated among the fire would probably fall on him and burn him and Wang Yuetong into charred coke in a second.
Number One looked calm again and acted with Number Two. They were less than 10 meters away from Li Tianlan, but they walked slowly, and with each of their steps, the lightning in the fire became brighter.
Li Tianlan narrowed his eyes almost into one line. In the raging fire, he suddenly said, “Help me.”
Wang Yuetong was dazed for a while.
She recalled that when facing Liu Xiuwei in the maze during the entrance maneuver, Li Tianlan did not want to display his unique skill anyhow. Thinking of this, Wang Yuetong was struck by an idea and lifted one of her hands.
Countless exquisite ice swords rose up densely around her and exploded instantly, bringing coldness into the hot burning air.
The ice was melted by the fire. Under the refraction of the sunlight, everything got blur again.
Li Tianlan suddenly held the thin and long swords in his hands together.
There was a cracking sound in the air as the two swords were combined together. The swords were merged into one ancient wide sword with a strange shape and two sword tips.
Li Tianlan held the hilt of the sword with both hands and lifted it to the level of his eyebrows.
At the moment, the Sword Energy waved and rolled like a sea, as if there was no end of it.
The sword was yet to struck out, but, its Sword Energy had spread everywhere.
The fire on the Number One and Number Two was still flowing and burning around Li Tianlan and Wang Yuetong, but, as Li Tianlan raised his sword, the flames began shaking wildly, seemingly to die out.
Even the lightning among the fire quivered violently at the moment.
Li Tianlan looked calm. His red eyes turned even more wicked like blood drops.
The move he just displayed was once famous among all the Martial Arts of the Li family and his unique skills, but now, few still remembered that name.
The name was Eighth Blade!
The Eighth Blade of Celestial Flames!
Now, the move he was displaying was named Ninth Blade.
The Ninth Blade of Eventide!
The sword tip quivered in Li Tianlan’s hands; the fire burning around him immediately flickered even more wildly as if it would die out at any time.
Number One and Number Two changed their expressions at the sight of it, but, before they could make a move, Li Tianlan had struck out.
It looked as if he had not moved, but he actually appeared in front of the two, lifted his sword, and slashed down.
All the flames went out at the moment.
There was only a faint but extremely horrible lightning left between Number One and Number Two.
The long sword came down from above of them.
At first, it made no sound.
However, as it slashed down, there was a burst of terrifying whistling sounds.
The whole place was alarmed.
The air that was dozens of meters away Li Tianlan was moving wildly and twisting.
Flames rose up high in all directions more than 10 meters away and gathered toward Li Tianlan. It then disappeared, but the air around got hotter and hotter.
In Number One’s and Number Two’s eyes, all light seemed to disappear. Everything around them was like the last light of the sunset.