Chapter 226 - Hei vs. Feng Chen - 2

That dark mass still blocked Feng Chen's sword, and, despite having the advantage over the Elemental Laws, he couldn’t immediately burn that dark mass. Besides, now he had to face Hei's attack.

With no better alternatives, Feng Che chose the least risky solution and let go of his sword, backing away. His choice left the public amazed because they didn’t expect that he would abandon his weapon, which was his main source of attacks, without resisting.

"Spider Lance, Palm Mode + Intent of the Spear, Spear Throw."

Seeing Feng Chen back away, Hei didn’t let go but continued to attack. Instead of following him, however, he decided to throw his spear. He then hit the flat end of his spear with his palm, imbuing Spider Lance's strength into his weapon.

"Ice Law, Ice Armor!"

Stab!

The spear was hurled with incredible speed at Feng Chen, who received a direct hit. The young man's figure flew for about ten meters as the spear plunged deep into his stomach.

"Come back," Hei recalled his spear back into his hand and saw that the tip was free of bloodstains. Instead, it contained small ice crystals that melted shortly after.

'The Ice Law ... he must have created armor or something similar to block the damage. But the unknown is how much damage my attack did.'

Hei pulled his hair back to its position. However, Feng Chen's sword was still attached to the dark mass and, although it tried to return to its master, it was unable to. Meanwhile, Feng Chen stood up as nothing had happened.

"Congratulations on capturing my sword. Would you be kind enough to give it back to me?"

“Even if I gave it back to you, you wouldn't use it anyway, would you? So I think I could also give it to you at the end of the fight."

"Hahaha. You're right. I wouldn't use it or not directly anyway. Before continuing, let me ask you a question. What are the two best types of weapons in our world? "

Hei was slightly taken aback by the question but answered nonetheless, "Weapons made of Spirit Metal and those derived from Divine Beasts."

“That's right, and the reason is because of the ability to store a part of the martial artist's soul, giving way to the Weapon Materialization. However, when the owner of one of these weapons dies, what happens to that weapon?"

“The soul contained within begins to wear out until it disappears. At that point, the weapon returns to its original stage and can be used by another martial artist," replied Hei, who had studied the theory behind the Weapon Materialization.

“Yes, it’s correct. The stronger the martial artist, the more the wear of the soul is slowed down. At the same time, as long as the soul is present, the weapon cannot be used by another martial artist as the soul contained in the weapon rejects anyone who tries to wield it. However, there are exceptions. There are cases where the soul inside the weapon accepts someone and allows that person to wield it. In addition to this, the soul gives a gift to its new owner: fragments of memories and experiences lived by the previous owner."

After saying this, Feng Chen pulled a red-gold-colored sword out of his space ring. The blade was covered with patterns that resembled the feathers of a bird, while two golden wings with red feathers opened from the hilt.

“This is my real weapon, the sword that once belonged to the First Family Head of the Feng Family. This is the first time I've taken it out in a fight, and I'm not going to lose my first fight with it. I'm about to get serious. Hei. So get ready. Phoenix Bloodline, Activate!”

Feng Chen activated his bloodline. He then took the sword in both hands and rested his forehead on the blade as he closed his eyes.

"Phoenix Wings!"

Chirp!

A bird's cry was heard echoing throughout the stadium. And then, two red-gold wings sprouted from Feng Chen's back, extending two meters each. At the same time, his sword flared with red-gold flames that possessed an intensity greater than the ones shown in his previous fights.

“Feng Qing. What a shrewd bird. You hid such a card." Hu Luoyang commented, laughing.

"You aren’t alone in having an exceptionally talented child." Feng Qing replied before explaining, “As you know, the Feng Family owns a sword created by the phoenix from which our bloodline is derived. The First Family Head used it, but the sword was kept as a ceremonial object after his death due to its importance. After all, there is part of the soul of our progenitor inside. It isn’t something we can afford to lose, or our honor would be affected. Thus, we slowed down the wearing away effect of the soul through special formations.

“But when Feng Chen had his Awakening Ceremony, the sword reacted to his spirit power. This had never happened before. And as Feng Chen got stronger, the more the sword asked to join him.

“Since the death of the First Family Head, we of the Feng Family have hoped to find someone who could inherit his memories and experiences. But for my son being that person... I have to thank the Heavens for such an honor. However, the fact that I have entrusted the sword to Chen'er means that in a short time, the residue of the soul inside the sword will disappear once and for all.”

A hint of reproach could be seen in Feng Qing's voice. The First Family Head was almost regarded as a deity; he had created the Feng Family. By giving the sword to his son, Feng Qing had decreed the irreversible disappearance of the last existing object belonging to that character.

“You don't have to blame yourself. You did what you thought best. Furthermore, the sword itself asked to be wielded by Feng Chen. Not to mention it was only a matter of time before it happened. Even if your formations can slow down the wear of the soul, they cannot stop it forever.

This was also the wish of the ancestors of the Feng Family. Finding someone who could wield that sword and paying homage to its previous owner. Besides, it was the sword itself, or the fragment of the soul of your First Family Head, that named your son as his valid successor." Principal Long Jing spoke a few words to ease his old student's guilt.

“Thank you, Principal Jing. But it doesn't change the fact that my actions will lead to the definitive disappearance of the First Family Head. Nevertheless, I don’t regret it. I am convinced of my choice. I am convinced that my son can take our family to a new peak. Thanks to the memories contained within the sword, we recovered some incomplete techniques never disclosed before. At the moment, we've only managed to complete one, but that's more than enough for Chen'er to win this match and the tournament as well."

In the meantime, in the fighting stage, Hei had witnessed Feng Chen's change. In particular, the red-gold flames along the sword gave Hei an oppressive and suffocating feeling.

Without thinking twice, Hei sprinted forward. He quickly began to think about how to move now that the situation had taken such a turn.

'I planned my battle plan based on the intensity of the flames emitted by Feng Chen in the previous battles. I knew he hadn't used all his strength, but I didn't think the gap was that big. If I want to win, I have to understand firsthand how dangerous those flames actually are.'

Hei's plan had initially proceeded much as he had planned. He had managed to block his opponent's sword and hit him with a heavy attack, but he hadn't expected Feng Chen to have such a card. It wasn't just a matter of having a replacement sword; the power of the flames had grown to a level beyond what Hei had anticipated.

"Snake Fist + Spider Carapace."

Hei moved his arms forward as his spirit power formed a kind of armor over them. Even though he had decided to attack, he wasn’t so reckless as to attack without protection.

'Even though the intensity of his flames has increased, Caparace Spider should be able to resist. At least it should give me time to figure out how to act.'

Peng! Peng!

Hei's quick blows landed on Feng Chen, who parried them using his sword. The red-gold flames burned so intensely that the poison on Hei's claws evaporated before it even landed on the blade, creating a purplish smoke.

Peng! Peng!

Hei continued with his assault, but he could feel his poison turn gas and shrink with each hit. At the same time, the armor provided by Spider Carapace was thinning visibly.

"Phoenix Blast."

Feng Chen's wings extended entirely behind his back and then flapped violently back and forth. Thus a fiery wind was generated, raging fiercely on Hei.

Boom!

Hei put his arms forward to reduce the damage but was pushed back several meters by the technique's power. Spider Carapace's armor on his arms had melted entirely, and even part of his defensive layer of spirit power had similar conditions.

"Phoenix Feathers."

Flapping his wings, Feng Chen took off. Then dark red lights flew from the wings behind his back and bombarded the stage below from above like rain of fire and flames.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each feather would crash heavily to the ground, generating small bursts of flame that looked similar to the blooming of red-gold flowers. At the same time, these explosions superheated the air, increasing the temperature on the battlefield. With such a drastic temperature rise, Hei found himself having a harder time since his breathing became heavier.

'He doesn’t want to give me even a second of rest, affecting the surrounding environment as well. By doing so, however, it means that he is attacking without taking into account his expenditure of spirit power. Could it be a state of limited duration? If so, I just have to last until the end and then counterattack at full power.'

Hei's hypothesis was correct. But even if he had guessed correctly, it didn’t improve his situation. If he didn’t think of something right away, he would be suffocated by the flames before he could even launch his counter-offensive.

‘Fortunately, the speed of the feathers was slower than Spider Run, and the total amount he can use at the same time isn’t enough to cover the entire stage. So I can continue to dodge even if moving within such a temperature requires more effort. But I can't even go up to the sky, or I'd end up even more at a disadvantage. With his wings, it goes without saying that he can move more freely and faster than me.'

Despite the difficult situation, Hei was dodging every blow by running hither and thither at incredible speed. His movements were fluid and contained no trace of uncertainty. This was due to his great mental capacity, which allowed him to focus on the movement of the feathers and move his body at the same time.

‘I'm not going anywhere like this. Even though I am cornering him, it isn’t enough to close the fight. I have to go with something heavier. Hei! Let's see if you can block this.'

"Phoenix Descent!"

Seeing Hei dodge his attacks, Feng Chen swooped down from the elevated position he was in. His wings gave him a faster movement speed than the Two-Legged Mode of Spider Run, so much that it was comparable instead with the Four-Legged Mode.

Boom!

When Feng Chen touched his ground, an explosion was generated from his position, and the flames flared up within three meters, engulfing Hei, who didn’t manage to distance himself in time.

Whoosh!

The sound of something cutting the air and then something heavy hit his body. Hei could only hear this before being thrown back several meters. His defensive layer of spirit power featured several zones that were melting like burning paper. His chest also had evident signs of a severe burn.

Cough!

Hei spat out a mouthful of blood from the violent impact. But he didn't have time to rest. Feng Chen had gone up to the sky again and was preparing to swoop down as before.

'Shit. His flames are too powerful to bear with just the normal defensive layer of spirit power. Not to mention that even using Spider Carapace, I can't resist unscathed. Furthermore, there is also the problem of his wings. Even though they are made of fire, they are heavy on impact.'

Hei touched his chest where he had been hit just before. The heavy thing he felt was one of Feng Chen's wings that had even shattered his defensive layer of spirit power upon impact. Fortunately, this wasn’t a long-lasting technique. Otherwise, if he had been exposed to such flames for a long time, his spirit power wouldn’t have been able to keep up, and Hei would only have to admit defeat.

'I have to win. Against Hu Jie, I had the advantage of the Elemental Laws, but now Feng Chen has that advantage. Even so, I can't lose. I still have some cards to play.'

Thinking so, Hei made his decision. Resolutely, he recreated Spider Carapace on his arms. In addition to it, he also added his Darkness Law to give his arms a further defense. Finally, he resolutely took his spear and aimed it at his hair.

Slash!

His long pitch-black hair was cut at the height of the neck, shocking all onlookers. Hei's hair had been an important weapon during all these fights, yet now Hei had cut it without a second thought.

"Come."

The cut hair moved as if it was animated and clung to the arms, enveloped by the Darkness Law. By that time, Hei's arms had become two thick pitch-black blocks, and only his hands held their shape, albeit covered in a layer of darkness and hair.

"Dark Carapace Tail Blow!"

When Hei finished his preparations, Feng Chen had also finished his. As before, he swooped down with his sword clutched in his hands. This time, however, Hei didn't choose to dodge. Instead, he folded his arms back and then pulled them forward again, colliding with his opponent's burning sword.

Boom!

There was a violent roar, and the flames flared up again. However, unlike before, these flames were deflected back by the impact power of Dark Carapace Tail Blow, leaving Feng Chen speechless.

"Dark Carapace Whip Tail Blow!"

Still holding the Snake Tail Blow stance, Hei softened the bones in his arms to increase his attack range. Then he spun on himself, his arms fluttering in the wind as if they were liquid.

BOOM!

Hei's joined hands landed on Feng Chen's left side like a pitch-black hammer. The latter felt a violent impact take his breath away as a sharp pain began to spread from where he had been hit.

Cough!

Feng Chen spat blood, but before he could even understand what had happened, another blow came. This time it was his right side's turn to be hit hard.

BOOM!

Cough!

Feng Chen spat blood again as his eyes finally managed to focus on what was happening in front of him. He saw Hei's arms, surrounded by that thick pitch-black armor, descend upon him once more. This time the target was his head.

"Shit!" Feng Chen swore, realizing the gravity of the situation. Such a blow was no different from receiving a headbutt from Hu Jie, and the last time he received such a blow, he nearly passed out on impact.