Chapter 3
Something Slumbering Beneath the Valley
"Old Man Zheng Renyi! I've been waiting for this day for a long time!"
The fierce man with a wild beard, or "Eastern King Ma Fufeng," spoke while laughing heartily. His thunderous voice made some of the spectators' ears ring until they felt dizzy for a moment.
"Honestly, an old man like me doesn't really want to fight young folks like you." Zheng Renyi, who had the demeanor of a kind elderly person, sighed softly while reaching back to touch his sword hilt.
"Enough talk! I said we'd settle this with a fight!"
Eastern King Ma Fufeng had no intention of negotiating whatsoever. Both his fists struck together at his chest, creating a heavy impact sound.
"...Fine then."
Sword Master Zheng Renyi lived up to his "Sword Master" title. The moment he held his sword in hand, his demeanor changed in an instant. His once gentle gaze became completely still. The qi circulating within him manifested outward like an aura enveloping his body.
"Ah..."
The spectators in the very front felt as if something sharp cut across their faces. When they touched their cheeks, they found thin cuts had appeared there.
Not just him—several spectators with weaker power were experiencing this same thing!
"That's real sword qi... incredibly sharp."
Tang Tianjie murmured softly. His close friend, Old Song, nodded in complete agreement.
On Ma Fufeng's side, qi also exploded outward until it could be seen with the naked eye!
The qi enveloping Ma Fufeng's body was extremely different from Sword Master Zheng Renyi's. Because it looked like raging water. When it manifested, the surrounding area felt like it was being hit by a storm. Small trees and lots of dust all flew up into the air.
Boom!
Before anyone realized it, both men standing in the middle of the arena charged and clashed in the center with a loud sound. The sharp sword in Zheng Renyi's hand struck against Ma Fufeng's fist, but instead of cutting through the fist, it was stopped!
Looking carefully, they discovered that Ma Fufeng's fist wasn't just a bare fist as they thought. Because he was wearing something like reddish-brown gloves with sharp claw-like tips on each finger, making them look like beast claws.
And these gloves could handle Zheng Renyi's sword easily!
"So these are the famous Asura Claws. They're as tough as everyone says."
Zheng Renyi spoke in a calm tone, but his arm still swung the sword in a long slash that left faint traces in the air, striking at Ma Fufeng relentlessly.
"Save the compliments, old man!"
Ma Fufeng laughed heartily while unleashing a barrage of punches. But neither of their attacks could make the other falter even slightly.
"Haha!"
The two tangled together in the middle of the arena with neither willing to yield. After dozens of exchanges, both released their qi before shooting up into the air above the arena almost ten meters high!
They were actually floating in the air!
The people below all had eyes shining brightly. Being able to fly through the air was the mark of truly entering the Grandmaster stage. It was the goal of all the cultivators standing here.
"General Ma is really powerful."
A young man in military uniform murmured softly while his eyes locked onto the sky above.
"Of course. General Ma's one of our army's four generals. There's no way he's weak." His fellow soldier beside him spoke in an admiring tone.
"But do you know why these two are fighting?"
The first soldier whispered quietly. After all, he was on duty right now.
"I think they're betting on something. But soldiers like us don't get to know much." His friend brushed it off, telling him to stop being curious about things that didn't concern them.
"...I guess so."
They whispered softly but their eyes still locked onto the grand battle in the sky.
"Hahaha!"
Ma Fufeng, who was like a beast, manifested dense red qi that covered his body completely. It enveloped him entirely while releasing a fearsome aura.
"...Asura Body?"
The spectators watching felt their hair stand on end, but they couldn't help being excited. Because what they were seeing was one of Ma Fufeng's trump cards. It was the technique that made him become the Eastern King.
The red aura covering his body would become both armor and weapon at the same time. Plus it could move as if alive, like a raging beast craving blood.
Besides this, it also enhanced Ma Fufeng's speed and reaction time to another level. His speed now was something ordinary cultivators definitely couldn't follow with their eyes.
Whoosh!
Ma Fufeng's figure disappeared from everyone's sight. But in the blink of an eye, behind Zheng Renyi appeared a mass of red power that struck him, sending Zheng Renyi's body flying down from the sky.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The Sword Master's body was like a bullet. It shot down from the sky and crashed into trees, breaking them in a long path. White dust clouds scattered everywhere until no one could see whether he was alive or dead. The spectators all swallowed audibly without realizing it.
Was the battle decided already!?
"...Young folks these days are really strong."
Zheng Renyi's voice rang out from within the dust cloud simply. But that made the surrounding crowd breathe a sigh of relief. Suddenly a huge gust of wind blew away the dust from the brief clash, revealing Sword Master Zheng Renyi's figure completely uninjured!
Around him appeared over twenty golden sword qi that looked more like real swords, spinning around his body. Besides being able to absorb damage, they could also be used for attacks!
Whoosh!
The Sword Master's free hand waved lightly. Over twenty sword qi shot up into the sky at incredible speed.
Ma Fufeng himself also exploded with another burst of qi before shooting down from the sky. Both hands wearing the Asura Claws swung to deflect the sword qi attacks away from his body while getting closer to the ground.
Boom!
The clash between sword and claws happened again and again.
No one knew how much time passed, but the sun that had been blocked by the surrounding valleys until it felt cool now appeared in the sky above everyone's heads.
"...They've been fighting for almost an hour."
Tang Letong could feel the heat increasing.
Patter
Patter
Patter
A few drops of water slowly fell from the sky. The crowd watching the battle were extremely surprised. Because no one expected it would rain.
But they were all cultivators. These small raindrops couldn't affect them. Some had even prepared umbrellas thoroughly, especially those from the major clans whose attendants were always prepared.
Rumble!
Besides rain, there was also the roar of thunder sounding occasionally. Even so, the two Grandmasters tangled in combat didn't care at all.
"...It's getting heavier, isn't it?"
Tang Letong murmured softly. Because the rain that had been just light drizzle earlier had become like a thunderstorm. Plus it seemed to be only this mountain area experiencing this strange phenomenon.
Crack!
The sound of lightning striking the ground thundered so loudly that even this quiet mountain shook. The creatures living here all fled in panic. Without anyone knowing, at the center of this mountain, something was slumbering!