Chapter 400

Zheng Xiaoman was the leader of the Grass Bandits and Cao Ning was her right-hand man, just as Cao Ning’s father was Zheng Yuanhong’s . Both families had been been acquainted for a long time and their friendship wasn’t ordinary . Once again, they escaped the bloodbath of Deep Sea Enterprise together and they strongly trusted in each other .

Cao Ning was a brave and attentive character with outstanding capabilities and a shrewd gaze .

The stranger before him was faintly familiar looking and he felt as though he’d seen him somewhere . But at that point, he had no time to entertain that thought, since once the battle started, he was going to use his sword to talk .

Three hundred people besieged one man, giving him no chance to flee . He heaved a sigh of relief before worry set in . If that man came over so boldly, he must have something up his sleeves .

Cao Ning increased his guard and the incoming Ai Hui sank down suddenly .

The distance between them decreased and everyone’s hearts tensed up continuously . Ai Hui’s abrupt move caused some of the more tense Grass Bandits to react instinctively .

Cao Ning’s face changed slightly . He wanted to make a sound to stop them but was too late .

Quite a few of his comrades had already struck and some others quickly joined in upon seeing that .

“Ooh… My goodness!”

Initially, the cries were fragmentary . Soon, they became clearer and more resounding .

The sight of three hundred people releasing an attack was beyond spectacular . Multi-colored elemental energy light rays gathered together like surging waves . Ai Hui threw himself forward and the hiss that filled the sky abruptly increased in pitch, drowning their bellows .

Cao Ning did not look too good . Their attack appeared mighty but was in fact far from passable . For them to have survived in this chaotic world and resisted Deep Sea Enterprise, they naturally had their own means of existing . Their attacks were skillfully coordinated and ingenious . Those who weren’t of the level of Master absolutely wouldn’t be able to directly withstand the elemental energy current amassed by hundreds of elementalists . Plus, under their meticulous arrangement, their scope of attack was extremely wide, so it was difficult for their target to escape once they were close enough to him .

Even Deep Sea Enterprise hadn’t managed to take advantage of them .

This was the correct way of battling – the way Cao Ning had been taught since young, so he had precise control over this type of battling method .

What this meant was that in the battling aspect, the current Deathgrass Division couldn’t compare to the Grass Bandits .

But Cao Ning looked grave at this point as his opponent was slyer than he had expected . His sudden downward movement was made with perfect timing . Not only did he disrupt their momentum, he also triggered some impetuous members to strike first, throwing the team’s rhythm off .

Any elementalist could do what he’d done but the key was to grasp the correct timing . His opponent was evidently a seasoned fighter with rich experience .

An absolutely simple move could actually lead to an extraordinary outcome .

An expert!

Their seemingly powerful attack was unlikely to intimidate him .

Indeed, Ai Hui, who had made that sudden drop, rose upwards suddenly and flew straight for the Grass Bandits from the side . His azure wings flapped full force but the hissing elemental energy current was approaching him at a rapid speed .

A trace of joy was seen in Cao Ning’s eyes . It was too late for his opponent to escape from this wave of attacks!

While this wave of attacks was somewhat messy, it was of a tremendous volume, so once the target was caught in its ripples, it was very difficult to escape .

Suddenly, Cao Ning noticed his target’s posture .

Ai Hui’s posture was very unique . His azure wings stuck close to his back and his body was extended . The sword in his hand swallowed and spat light rays like a swordfish migrating deep underwater at a high speed .

Cao Ning’s pupils contracted .

The elemental energy current appeared to be swallowing the target, but then he vanished from his line of sight suddenly .

This…

Cao Ning had seen many speedy elementalists . During his time in Deathgrass Division, their scouting speed was usually astonishing . Some could even leave a lifelike afterimage in the sky . Some moved like fog while others could conduct long distance raids lasting for days . But he’d never seen such a valiant and short-range sprint .

For that split second, he was actually unable to catch sight of his opponent’s silhouette .

A delayed boom sounded .

Cao Ning was stunned . Wind barrier?

Did he break the barrier in that moment?

He raised his head abruptly, fixing his gaze on the left side of the sky . The zooming afterimage was like a black dot .

So fast…

Was he escaping?

He did not know why, but this thought relaxed his tensed mental state . When he came around to react to it, he couldn’t help but mock himself . Although his opponent’s attack was very brief, his performance had far exceeded theirs . He had a profound understanding of battling and had a perfect grasp on timing .

This was the kind of enemy he had hoped not to meet, because even if they did win, a substantial amount of damage would be inflicted on them . Cao Ning thought about who his opponent might be . To possess such skills, he mustn’t be someone nameless .

Upon failing their first wave of attacks, the team readjusted themselves, albeit in an unorganized manner .

It was always like that when it came to battling . The moment they lost the upper hand, it meant that their rhythm was also disrupted . If it had been the former Deathgrass Division that was in their position, the team would’ve been able to readjust themselves quickly because of their experience and cool-headedness .

A pity Grass Bandits were Grass Bandits and the Deathgrass Division, the Deathgrass Division .

Alright, even the current Deathgrass Division wasn’t as impressive as before .

Cao Ning also felt that he’d been over-demanding . Although the team was somewhat disorganized, they were still adjusting and their daily trainings hadn’t been for nothing . He replaced his focus onto the target high in the sky . Eh?

His opponent was already in position and facing them . This is . . . ?

Cao Ning and Ai Hui made eye contact .

Not good!

Cao Ning realized in an instant that his opponent hadn’t planned to flee . He was going to attack!

His Starry Gem Swordwings spread open mightily and Ai Hui swooped down like a falcon .

His posture diving down was extremely sharp and agile . The grass bandits below were taken aback, messing up the team’s formation once again .

“We have a lot of people!” someone shouted, instantly giving the team a confidence boost . That was right, there were three hundred of them .

“Kill!”

“Get rid of him!”

The crowd was stirred . A few archers initiated an attack, shooting raindrop-like arrows toward the figure in the sky .

Cao Ning knew things were bad . The opponent was a seasoned battler with rich experience . Once he gained an upper hand high in the sky, it wasn’t going to be easy to stop him .

Ai Hui dove down fast, his figure rapidly swaying and his flight path instantly becoming strange and unpredictable .

Ai Hui’s rapid speed brought an oppressive atmosphere to the sky, where many Grass Bandits felt themselves being locked into place . They were trying wildly to attack and stop him but they couldn’t even get hold of the corner of their enemy’s garments . Intense fear caused them to lose all coordination . They battled individually, creating a complete mess .

Ai Hui, on the other hand, was like a nimble fish, dodging the raindrop-like light rays .

His swiftly moving figure produced layers of aftershadow, which magnified within everybody’s field of vision and became increasingly daunting .

His apathetic and cold face carried not the least bit of warmth . There was no malevolence, no clenching of teeth . He was exceptionally calm .

Amid the countless elemental light beams, his unusual calmness became jarring .

It was fear evoking .

Even Cao Ning shuddered . His judgment had once again been overthrown . How many times had it been today? He couldn’t remember but he knew that he’d provoked a truly ruthless person .

“Big Biscuit!”

He shouted with all the voice he had . Because he used too much force, the veins on his neck and forehead surfaced . It was a scary sight .

A faint, red muslin appeared at the tip of the sword held by the swooping figure .

Old Five was the backbone of the team and also a member of the younger generation of Deathgrass . In the team, there were a total of six members who were like him . They were all well-coordinated and had outstanding battle tactics, as well as rich family histories . They instantly understood Cao Ning’s intention .

They had to block off the opponent’s attack or there was going to be a bloodbath .

As if their hearts were linked, the six of them executed their own defensive moves simultaneously . They practiced different inherited arts but knew guarding moves . Wood elementalists emphasized control and guarding techniques needed training .

Six multi-colored light screens with different thicknesses stacked over each other, like a glazed, thousand layered biscuit .

This move was named [Overlapping Defense], a standard battle technique of Deathgrass, but everyone liked calling it “Big Biscuit” . Cao Ning had been following his father since young and under his influence, he too, started calling it big biscuit .

The six light screens were not stacked randomly but instead, meticulously arranged in a way whereby some were solid and others were flexible . That way, they would be able to keep off the opponent’s attack more effectively .

Ai Hui appeared unconcerned, but the Dragonspine in his hand was trembling rapidly .

The red muslin was spreading and becoming increasingly vivid . It was about ten meters long . It was as if he was wearing a long, dull red muslin belt while descending from the sky .

[Red Muslin]!

Having seen Brother Li Wei’s domineering move in the past, Ai Hui had made some minor adjustments to create this move . Brother Li Wei’s body was incomparably strong, so coupled with a soldiers’ inherited art, the combination was indestructible . Launching such an explosive attack was extremely complementary .

With Ai Hui’s [Red Muslin], it was the sword which bore the attack . His body wasn’t strong enough to endure such a terrifying attack .

Upon witnessing Brother Li Wei’s attack, Ai Hui thought to himself, “How can I increase the force of the impact?”

His speed increased unceasingly as the sword in his hand underwent changes . Because of Qing Feng’s accompanied trainings, Ai Hui’s execution was much more concise and efficient, thus allowing him to significantly increase the number of blows . Furthermore, with better controlling ability, Ai Hui was able to shorten the length of the red muslin, making it more formidable .

Previously, Ai Hui’s red muslin could clearly be seen by the whole of Peace City but now, it was only about ten meters .

The reduction in length made it denser and sturdier .

Ai Hui was like a meteorite falling from the sky, and the soft and gentle red muslin belt around him smashed onto the light screen forcefully .

Bang!

When his speed reached its peak, the impact it brought was exceptionally terrifying . The power contained in the red muslin belt exploded at the same time .

In a split second, the six layers of light screen had been pierced and the Big Biscuit shattered with a loud rumble .

The enormous recoiling force made Ai Hui dizzy, but he knew that this was a crucial moment so he forced himself to stay calm . He thrusted the Dragonspine sword, which he held tightly in his hands, toward the crowd .

The force of the thrust was extremely tremendous, as evident from a few additional cracks that appeared on the sword .

Cao Ning and his gang were in a much worse state . The force of the impact had injured them on the spot . [Red Muslin], still yet to release its complete power, stirred up a burst of bloody rain onto the troop when it hit them . A few unlucky elementalists were blown into pieces even before they could utter a cry . The tremendous force of the impact threw them all into a state of complete chaos .

What was worse was that their enemy had crashed into their formation .

The thing Cao Ning dreaded the most had happened after all .

The tiger had invaded the herd!

These words emerged in his mind .

Killing close-range required a lot of willpower and courage, something ordinary elementalists weren’t able to do . Plus, now that the opponent had intruded, his soldiers would refrain from attacking in fear of hurting their own people . Their hands were tied in that case, and their opponent could easily take advantage of them .

But at this point, it was too late .

What Cao Ning had to do now was to cling onto his enemy so as to allow his people to regain the upper hand in terms of numbers .

He gritted his teeth and charged toward Ai Hui, who was coming for them, set to kill .