When Luo Yan realised his hair didn’t turn white because his mental fortitude was inadequate but because Abels absorbed the majority of his internal energy, it was too late. Notwithstanding his external injuries, Abels’ green and red qis on either side of his face calmed down. The smoke whisking up from Abels’ head was a sign that he was at an important junction of his energy circulation process. Abels leveraged the fire and ice true qi Luo Yan transferred into him to appease the rampaging yin and yang qis inside him, counterattacking the qi deviation he suffered.
As much as he tried to fight it, the searing sensation in Luo Yan’s arms left him defenceless against Abels burst of energy. As a result, Luo Yan lost his hold on his swords, depleted of the energy necessary to even stay on his feet.
Abels’ Evil Eminence Scripture is a style that focuses on utilising power, not defending against ice and fire true qi, which was why the poison style triggered a qi deviation reaction. I know I had a sixty percent chance of killing him using my two true qis and swords. I accounted for everything. Where did I go wrong? I’ve lost; I don’t even have the strength to speak now.
Abels took his time meditating to recover and then ripped out the two swords in his shoulders once he was done, containing his blood underneath his skin using an unidentified energy. “I told you: you can’t kill me.” Yes, Abels’ back and shoulders were bloody, but Evil Eminence Scripture eased out his flow of blood and qi, so the injuries didn’t hinder him. Armed with Siming Sword and Flame Emperor, he cracked the grin of a savage and commented,” I give you credit for outsmarting me. Though I was privy to the fact that you learnt Freezing Scripture, I was taken aback when you demonstrated the ability to wield both swords and definitely wasn’t aware you had learnt Repository Swordplay. You nearly had me there. I tried to plan in advance for the day you would try to assassinate me while I was weakened, but you acted earlier than I predicted.”
“How… How…”
“The reason the yin and yang qis in me went berserk is a consequence of me failing to convert them while using poison to train. Using ice and fire qi to trigger a qi deviation reaction was splendid. Unfortunately, you weren’t aware I happened to need a strong source of energy that could be controlled to reel them in. As a result, you went and helped me when I was stuck. Thank you for helping me ascend to new heights.”
Though there were similar styles to the ice and fire true qis styles Luo Clan had, none of them shared the same mental cultivation method. Accordingly, it made no sense to Luo Yan as to how Abels could convert internal energy the former dedicated decades to cultivating into an energy source of his own – regardless of the fact that Abels’ qi deviation was a result of his yin and yang qis spiralling out of control.
“I can do it,” Abels arrogantly asserted.
“You’re not hurt.”
“Indeed. If your ice and fire qis were balanced, you probably would’ve exacerbated my injuries. Sadly for you…” Abels held up Siming Sword and flicked it hard, snapping the sword, then stated, “This sword broke long ago, which is why the boost it offers is notably less compared to Flame Emperor. It never occurred to you as you are too used to wielding Flame Emperor.”
“How do you know about that?! Was it my brother who told you?! Where is he?!”
Abels one-sentence response to the questions sent Luo Yan into a frenzy, but it didn’t faze Abels.
“I’ve heard enough from you.” Abels unleashed his signature high pressure, riveting Long Yan, not that it stopped the latter from putting up a futile struggle.
“Hahahaha.”
“What are you laughing about?”
“You can’t kill me, pitiful worm. Fool, you think you can kill me? You kept humiliating me, but you can’t kill me. It doesn’t matter that my brother told me to obey you. Without me, you don’t have the smithing department to order around. Without my smithing department, Refining Divine Convention is just Laughing Stock Convention. Good luck forging a divine sword, hahaha.”
The only man who could command the blacksmiths of Luo Sword Manor was the man who led Sun Character Worship. Unless Luo Ming spoke up, the only way Luo Siming and Luo Yan could force the other faction to submit was via brute force for, while Luo Yan was Luo Clan’s second in charge, he was he was the real leader of the smithing department, yet Abels didn’t give a perturbed impression in any shape or form.
Taking advantage of Abels’ misdirected focus, Luo Yan lunged six metres away on all fours, escaping Abels’ pressure barrier.
“Sneaky, huh? Not even hesitating to resort to drugs, are you?”
Luo Yan saved the physical-attribute-boosting drug as a last resort to take down Abels, never expecting it would be the last resort to get him out of his pickle.
Abels made no effort to chase down Luo Yan when the latter fled via a secret path that Evil Spirits was never informed of. Rather, Abels’ true qi had only been replenished, thereby limiting his mobility. Luo Yan left whilst laughing as though he had the last laugh, unaware of the smile spread across Abels’ lips as he restored mobility to his joints one by one.
Luo Yan, your wick is barely there anymore. At best, I bet you only recovered thirty percent of your full power. In your current state, my foot soldiers could give you trouble.
Luo Yan took almost an hour to escape outside, and he continued fleeing to the northeast of the island, where he hid a canoe in case of emergency, not stopping to catch his breath in case Abels caught up. Upon finding his canoe, he heard from behind, “Long-time no see, Second Uncle.”
Luo Yan turned around to see dozens of people, most of whom he could names to faces, accompanying Luo Siming: “… You’re back?”
Luo Siming replied, “Back? This is your island, Second Uncle.”
Luo Yan smiled bitterly: “True, it is my island. You came here faster than I expected.”
The underground area was built on Whale God Island, the largest island at Taihu Sword Island and the place where Luo Clan’s smithing workshop was located. Luo Siming began his search on the island after failing to find Luo Yan on Repository Island, finally coming across Luo Yan after searching half of the island.
“I’ve taken back Repository Island. If you hand over Flame Emperor as well as Siming Sword, I will not make life difficult for you.”
“Why not?”
“At the end of the day, you are my senior and the leader of Luo Clan’s smithing department. As interim matriarch, I have no prerogative to meddle with Sun Character Worship. Please come back to the estate with me. I will let my father decide what to do once he comes out of seclusion in a few days’ time.” Luo Siming prioritised Luo Clan’s health over his personal grudge, so he prepared his speech beforehand.
Luo Yan sincerely extended a thumb: “Superb. That is how a descendant of Luo Clan must act, hahaha.”
“Second Uncle, what happened to your hair? You seem… hurt.”
Luo Yan, recalling Abels’ taunts, broke character in the presence of everyone and raged, “Bloody hell! Bloody heavens, why don’t you do something about him when he’s such a persistent barbarian?! Screw you, heavens!”
“Second Uncle, please hand over the ultimate weapons.”
Thanks to the energy Luo Siming imbued his voice with, Luo Yan snapped out of his madness.
“What? Ultimate weapons?”
“I will store Flame Emperor in Repository Sword Hall so that nobody lays a hand on it. Siming Sword is an important weapon for the swordplay department. Please return it, Second Uncle.”
“Siming Sword? Siming Sword has snapped.”
“It snapped?”
“Siming, even your father h-” Luo Yan suddenly choked on his words, literally. He heard in his head, “What are you trying to tell him?” and felt an invisible hand cranking on his neck, but his entire body was locked in stone – Evil Eminence Scripture.
“Don’t flatter yourself. Be it the smithing department or you, I can kill whoever I please, whenever I please,” Abels whispered to Luo Yan.
Luo Siming, hearing his father mentioned, sauntered forward to query, “What are you trying to tell me, Second Uncle?”
Luo Yan, arm raised against his will, inwardly blustered, “What are you trying to do, you scoundrel?!”
Abels answered, “Commencing your funeral procession.”
Luo Siming assumed Luo Yan intentionally threw the palm strike, therefore seized Luo Yan’s arm. “You refuse to change?!” Luo Siming thundered as he smashed Luo Yan’s chest in with a palm hammer of his own.
Instead of rolling the words he wanted to say off his tongue, Luo Yan spurt blood onto the water surface as he plunged into it. While Taihu Lake’s current wasn’t violent, nor was it a deep lake, the current moved blazing fast, especially in this northeast section, which was why Luo Yan picked it for his escape route.
How ironic that my escape route would become my death route.
Perhaps Abels’ intended to mortify Luo Siming with the guilt of killing his uncle.
Siming, you must rise above these deep, dark waters. Luo Sword Manor is in your hands from now.