Ash, who had just clambered to his feet, immediately noticed Yu Lian's eye-roll and loudly protested, "Isn't this, isn't this only natural? Every spiritual energy user is an angel of the universe spirit, inherently one family. Master Gushan of the Temple said so. I took his soul fragments and power crystals; whether I make them into treasures or exchange them for money, it grants him another form of eternal life!"
It must be said, in a certain sense, he actually had a point. Look, even Elder Hessen over there agreed, didn't he? He let out a furious roar. The swirling winds around him completely ceased, and what emerged from the settling dust was a humanoid figure composed entirely of lightning.
He had elementalized himself. In this state, the kinetic bullets of ordinary soldiers were even more useless against him.
What, can I blast him with a blaster? Aren't you afraid of hitting myself from this close?
"Everyone, fall back twenty meters!" Yu Lian shouted to the soldiers.
Lieutenant Parkin nodded, feeling increasingly that this young Moon People officer was truly a meticulous person. He clearly decided to act personally so as not to let the soldiers die in vain!
The martial virtue of the Awakened, the responsibility of elite Moon People—this was clearly evident. If all our officers were like this, the Earthlings would have long since become the overlords of the galaxy.
At least a head taller than Yu Lian, and nearly twice his weight and build, the Lieutenant wiped away non-existent tears and said emotionally, "Everyone, fall back! Maintain vigilance!"
Oh, right, Yu Lian and Ash were speaking in the Commonwealth common tongue just now, and very quickly at that. The Lieutenant, with only a high school education, couldn't understand a word.
However, the elementalized Elder Hessen had already swiftly pounced on Ash, who had just gotten up from the ground, transforming himself into a plasma cannonball. Ash instinctively tried to dodge, but then seemed to remember something. His cat-style fluid movement, which had already shifted half a step, was abruptly pulled back, and his Lightsaber chopped down head-on.
The collision between the Lightsaber and the elemental body did indeed cause plasma to splash, illuminating the surroundings with a dazzling light.
This time, it was Ash who suffered a great loss. He was electrocuted, his scalp tingling, his hair standing on end, and even his eyes were a bit bloodshot. If this guy wasn't an Awakened, and his 'Traveler' Star Realm was at least a combat-oriented one, strengthening his body considerably, he would probably have been fried by now.
Even so, he still gritted his teeth and held on, never even thinking of backing away. He was truly a tough guy! It didn't quite match his money-grubbing behavior.
"Idiot! Switch to Type Two!" Yu Lian shouted a reminder as he quickly rushed over from behind.
Ash, who was using the Fourth Type of Nebula Guardian Swordsmanship, also known as the legendary "Anti-Humanoid" type, paused slightly, but his body was faster than his mind. With a burst of force, he pushed his opponent back a few steps. Seizing the opening, he swung his sword, creating an impenetrable fan-like barrier with his Lightsaber in front of him.
This was not a metaphor, but literal. The Second Type of Nebula Guardian Swordsmanship was the "Arrow Breaking Type," which, in short, had considerable defensive power against dense firepower and was theoretically used to deal with numerous armed enemies.
Therefore, the moment the Lightsaber transformed into a fan and immediately expanded, Ash instantly regretted it. He didn't know why his hands moved faster than his brain. Well, it must be because that guy's tone was too matter-of-fact, as matter-of-fact as a training camp instructor. Even the tone he used to scold him, and that emphasized trailing sound, were exactly like that cold-faced, cold-hearted sword instructor from back then...
Ash shivered and dared not think further. He suddenly realized that the Second Type sword path he had instinctively deployed was working wonders at this moment.
He saw the elementalized opponent transform again, turning himself into hundreds of thousands of lightning streaks that howled towards him. If he hadn't changed his stance, he would probably have been caught off guard, and might even have been riddled with holes by these arrow-like lightning streaks. But this time, the newly deployed Lightsaber fan perfectly received every one of the opponent's attacks.
The coiling electric arcs still leaped over the Lightsaber's fan barrier like nimble venomous snakes, and many still struck Ash, making him scream continuously in pain. However, Yu Lian always felt a hint of delight in the guy's pained cries, which sent shivers down his spine.
Then, with a "boom" of an explosion, Ash was sent flying backward, landing even more awkwardly than before, directly on his back with all four limbs in the air. However, Grand Elder Hessen was also similarly repelled by the direct and most intense collision of his stance and spiritual energy.
As a Three Rings master, his spiritual energy intensity was immeasurably higher than Ash's, so he wasn't immediately knocked over. But even so, several fierce attacks had no effect, which had a considerable impact on his mental state. For a short time, he could no longer maintain his elementalized form and reverted to his original flesh and blood body. Before he could even catch his breath, the wind pressure from behind made the scales on the back of his head sting.
"You miscellaneous soldier also came to die!" The enraged Hessen cursed in the Sand People dialect that no one understood. Perhaps in the Grand Elder's simple understanding, a chainsaw sword, a product of a factory assembly line, was something used by miscellaneous soldiers, completely lacking the style and taste a spiritual energy user should have.
Therefore, he didn't even dodge. He just turned around and crossed his hands in front of him. The scales on his arms also gained an extra layer of bright silver, warm luster, elegant and mysterious, clearly having turned his arms into Mithril.
However, he, "merely" a Three Rings, could only Mithril-ize a very small part of his body.
"Clang!" The chainsaw sword struck Hessen's "Mithril Arm Armor," sending sparks flying, followed by a teeth-grinding sound of metal cutting.
Yu Lian felt his entire arm, encased in power armor, tremble, knowing this was the spiritual energy recoil effect formed by "Mithril Simulation." He simply retracted his sword, took a quick look, and found that many of the saw teeth on it had been ground down.
The Grand Elder Hessen on the opposite side grinned, revealing sharp teeth like a large carnivorous reptile, as if in mockery. However, Yu Lian returned his mockery, raising his sword horizontally and adopting a peculiar starting stance.
The Grand Elder froze, remaining stunned for over a second on this perilous battlefield. Then, his body involuntarily trembled, and he quickly tensed up his entire body, wailing in an almost mournful voice, "You, are you finally going to make a move against me?"
Before his words faded, Yu Lian had already swung his sword down—of course, since the saw teeth were ground flat, it would be more appropriate to say he smashed it down. Hessen, however, was still in a daze, only instinctively blocking with his Mithril-ized arms, terror and confusion evident on his face.
Yu Lian was very pleased. He found it truly interesting to bully people with an information advantage, no wonder the transmigrators and reborn predecessors he saw in his previous life were so hyped.
The stance he had just adopted was the "Precept Breaking Evil," a secret technique of the Virtual Spirit Temple's Precept Monks, a spiritual energy martial art that fused elements of blades, swords, spears, and staves—of course, it was just the starting stance.
This was, after all, a "high-level" spiritual energy martial art. Without the power of at least Three or Four-Ring, it was impossible to unleash even a fraction of its power, and it was very easy to become mere showmanship.
The news reports of later generations should be true; Grand Elder Hessen did indeed learn spiritual energy techniques from the Temple.
Of course, the specific process was widely disputed. Commonwealth media of later generations said he was just a servant who snuck into the Temple and painstakingly stole some spiritual energy techniques; enemy media, on the other hand, said he was a legitimate Temple apprentice who interrupted his studies for the sake of his country and bravely returned home.
Of course, for the Virtual Spirit Temple, the indigenous independence movement on the small Jade Gate star, and the future of the Sand People, were just minor conflicts in a remote region. They never clarified anything, even when Yu Lian was incinerated by the Star Dragon King.
However, looking at the Grand Elder's startled bird-like appearance, the former possibility seems more likely.
Yes, the Precept Monks of the Temple had the reason, obligation, and responsibility to execute those "deserters."
But, but, I just secretly copied some first-level data while cleaning the library! Didn't you say that the first and second levels were open to the public? Anyone could copy them as long as they paid? Yes, I didn't have money then... But I can pay now! Plus the highest late fees in the Universe, that's all! Is it really necessary to send Precept Monks to hunt me down?
The more the Grand Elder thought about it, the more wronged and terrified he felt, and the more flustered he became. His shoulders, waist, and even his tail were struck several times. His injuries accumulated, and the pain became increasingly evident. Only then did he finally realize that this messy, cloak-like smashing technique of the opponent was no "Precept Breaking Evil" at all. Perhaps it was just a bluff...
No, even an ordinary person striking that pose would look more like dancing; it's simply impossible to have that kind of oppressive feeling, like the shining of a star. This guy, could he be trying to lure me into revealing a weakness...
Yes, he must be trying to lure me!
Hessen felt he had grasped the truth. His fear of the Temple had long since permeated his bones, and the courage to fight to the death for the future of the Sand People had now vanished into thin air. He didn't even have the will to fight back, parrying left and right while thinking about how to escape!
Yu Lian watched the opponent's reaction and was secretly pleased. He wanted to try how much of the high-end spiritual energy martial arts he had mastered in his previous life he could unleash with his current One-Ring strength, so he switched from one set to another.
Star Realm Knight's Charge Spear Technique... Ugh, I can't even get a proper charge going!
Star Sea Guardian Swordsmanship, Aurora Eight Strikes... Hmm, too scattered, can't get any effect!
Dawn Revelation? Ugh, just mentally reciting the force-exertion method made my head spin a bit.
Alright, without inner force, even if you know the complete Six Meridians Divine Sword and Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, you won't be able to unleash any power, and you're more likely to cripple yourself. I must be careful in the future!
The above analogy might be a bit out of place, but observers outside the Great Universe should understand it quite intuitively, right?
This body is still a bit weak. I increasingly miss the glorious years of my previous life when, relying on these ultimate techniques, I could chat and laugh with the Empress of the Empire and the Grand President of the Commonwealth!
Yu Lian was still pondering, but the soldiers beside him were already dumbfounded. Of course, they didn't understand what Yu Lian's movements were, only that they were gorgeous, handsome, and powerful. They even felt their blood boiling and their veins bulging, feeling that they were witnesses to an epic battle. Yes, the spiritual energy user battles and duels in movies were never this dazzling and spectacular!
Baka felt he should perform a battle roar and war dance of his Bearmen to liven things up, so he raised his axe.
As for Ash, he only felt extreme dread. As the saying goes, an expert knows the ropes. Although he couldn't discern the origins of so many spiritual energy martial arts, he could always sense their exquisite subtleties.
This, who exactly is this guy? No, Commonwealth intelligence agents couldn't have such prestige? A wandering apprentice of the Temple? Or perhaps this generation's Temple Pilgrim? A sword-bearer from one of the thirteen families of the Alliance? An elite secretly cultivated by some King or Lord of the Empire? Or even the Emperor's illegitimate son?
None of the above had any basis, but each seemed quite possible, and Ash's heart grew even colder.
And Grand Elder Hessen himself grew increasingly terrified, even to the point of shame and despair.
He, he's not only luring me! He's also toying with me!
Hessen felt no shame, but only increasing fear, and his last shred of fighting spirit completely vanished. He roared, chopped with both hands, and at the cost of a large wound being torn open on his chest by Yu Lian's slash, he managed to create an air explosion, forcing his opponent back a few steps. Using the momentum from this impact, he leaped up, floated dozens of meters away, and was about to land outside the circle.
However, at this moment, Baka, standing on the tank and preparing to give everyone a war dance, had already raised his battle-axe and instinctively roared, "Kuma!" then swung it down.
Grand Elder Hessen's chest wound happened to catch on Baka's raised power axe. The carbon crystal axe blade, from a factory assembly line, sliced into the gap between his scales and then plunged deep into his abdominal cavity.
With a chillingly smooth tearing sound, Hessen's body was split into two smooth halves, as if he were a whole pig cut open by gears in a slaughterhouse.