Chapter 279: Let’s fly together
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
How is that possible?
Xing Qingsui did not understand why Fang Zhengzhi could get something he could not despite more than a decade of trying.
What is going on?
Xing Qingsui felt that he did not have less courage than anyone. So what did Fang Zhengzhi have over him? Battle spirit? No way! Determination? That didn’t seem right either.
Could it be...
All of a sudden, Xing Qingsui thought of something, friends.h.i.+p!
Friends.h.i.+p?!
Xing Qingsui clenched his fists. His eyes glimmered, it has to be friends.h.i.+p. Fang Zhengzhi did not want to win for fame or benefit. He wanted to win because of his friends.h.i.+p with Yan Xiu.
His father killed the empire’s enemies not to contribute or get rewarded. He did so because of his friends.h.i.+p with Emperor Lin Mubai.
A will to win could make someone brave. However, it could not multiply someone’s abilities.
Force!
Force was a necessity!
True friends.h.i.+p was something that could ignite someone’s will to fight. It would cause someone to attack relentlessly and without consideration...
"Father, I think I understand now!" Xing Qingsui looked towards the Stabilisation Constabulary, unable to hold back his emotions.
All of the spectating officials were in turmoil.
"Fang Zhengzhi has really learnt Xing Hou’s fighting technique!"
"Is this a coincidence?!"
"He is a commoner who has never been to a school of Dao. He has managed to top every examination he has taken. Furthermore, he knows the secret Divine Constabulary technique, as well as Xing Hou’s battle technique..."
Questions flew by in the officials’ minds.
Initially, they had thought that Fang Zhengzhi was simply a talented commoner. Now, they began to question their beliefs.
Eight years ago, when Chi Guyan set up the school in the Southern Mountain Village, Fang Zhengzhi was chased out of the school. He ended up studying by himself in the Northern Mountain Village. Was this a coincidence?
Eight years later, Fang Zhengzhi would defeat all his opponents despite being a commoner who had never attended school.
After which, he made a deal with Chi Guyan. Furthermore, the date for the duel was the same year that the Heavenly Prophecy was supposed to materialize.
Was this also a coincidence?
Even if the above were all coincidences... how can he ‘coincidentally’ know the Divine Constabulary’s secret technique and Xing Hou’s battle technique?
That is too many coincidences!
This is a conspiracy!
It is possible that it was all planned from the start.
So...
What was the motive?!
What kind of responsibility did Fang Zhengzhi have in this conspiracy? What kind of revolutionary effect would he have on the courts?
None of the officials could understand. This conspiracy was too deep and terrifying.
In comparison, Emperor Lin Mubai knew more than the officials. At the very least, he knew what happened between Fang Zhengzhi and Xing Yuanguo in The Vast World.
He had forcefully suppressed Fang Zhengzhi’s ma.s.sacre of a hundred soldiers because of what happened.
The Stabilisation Constabulary’s heart and loyalty was much more important than a hundred elite soldiers.
However, Emperor Lin Mubai was also thinking of the same thing. "Is Fang Zhengzhi such a genius that he can replicate Xing Yuanguo’s techniques just after one look?! If that was the case, how talented is this youth? I’m afraid even Chi Guyan cannot do this! If he was not a talent, how did he manage to learn Xing Yuanguo’s technique? Xing Yuanguo, who had never interfered with political affairs, came to plead on Fang Zhengzhi’s behalf upon arriving in the city! Is there... really nothing more than meets the eye?"
Emperor Lin Mubai did not want to guess what the Stabilisation Constabulary’s role was in all of this.
As the Emperor, he had the responsibility to snuff out any potential accidents before they had the chance to fester.
That was his job.
"I hope that it really is a coincidence!" Emperor Lin Mubai glanced at Fang Zhengzhi and sat back down.
Crown Prince Lin Tianrong did not stare at Fang Zhengzhi. He quickly turned to look at King Duan. He had suddenly thought of something he didn’t think of before.
Chi Hou of the Divine Constabulary might be on King Duan’s side!
Even though Chi Guyan had always remained neutral, she was still loyal to her father. Is she really as neutral as she seems?
Was it a coincidence that Chi Guyan set up a school in the Southern Mountain Village eight years ago? Was it not a plot?
If it was a conspiracy...
Is it possible that Chi Guyan is the mastermind? Or was King Duan the one working the strings?!
They had one person to face the public whilst the other worked behind the scenes.
King Duan may seem like he is working against Fang Zhengzhi, but in fact, he may be helping him. After all, Fang Zhengzhi has not been injured since he entered the capital. Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi had quite the smooth journey when King Duan was the chief examiner...
Is there more to this than meets the eye?
Crown Prince Lin Tianrong squinted his eyes. It did not seem very possible. After all, this would be a ma.s.sive conspiracy.
However, in an attempt to become the most powerful in the land, anything was possible. The most impossible conspiracies could actually be the best ones.
Whilst the Crown Prince tried to guess Fang Zhengzhi’s allegiance...
King Duan was doing the same thing.
He had used the same logic as the Crown Prince. He wondered if Chi Guyan was loyal towards the Crown Prince.
Wouldn’t that mean that the Stabilisation Constabulary was also leaning towards that side?
In the fight for the throne, each side would plot against one another. A single misstep could cost one the entire war. Losing the war meant that your life was in danger.
Contest!
Ever since he decided to contest, there was no turning back.
Regardless of Fang Zhenghi’s ident.i.ty, regardless of the powers behind him, he had to die! Once he died, everything would come to light...
...
Fang Zhengzhi did not know that he would draw such a reaction by imitating Xing Yuanguo. His only goal was to defeat Yan Xiu.
He wanted to defeat Yan Xiu within 15 minutes.
In his heart, he only had one thought. Attack, attack, and attack.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"..."
The two of them continued to clash repeatedly. Fang Zhengzhi attacked relentlessly. Just as Xing Qingsui had guessed, one had force when one was fighting for friends.h.i.+p.
As such, learning Xing Yuanguo’s battle technique was not a problem.
Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi began to improvise as he fought. His techniques began to deviate from Xing Yuanguo.
He incorporated some of his messy and uncoordinated techniques into the mix.
There was no manual.
But, he managed to link them all together.
Yan Xiu shock increased by the second. Fang Zhengzhi’s speed had picked up. It was so quick even Yan Xiu was struggling to keep up.
This was an unimaginable scenario for him.
After all, he was much stronger and faster than Fang Zhengzhi.
However, he was the one being suppressed now.
"Has he already reached such a stage after just a few months?" Yan Xiu was shocked, but he knew Fang Zhengzhi was capable of the impossible.
Even so, he felt that this was almost unbelievable! He knew Fang Zhengzhi extremely well, which made Fang Zhengzhi’s style of fighting all the more unbelievable!
It was almost as if Fang Zhengzhi had become a different person.
He had been held down for most of the fight. For Fang Zhengzhi to turn the tide of the battle so rapidly was strange.
Just as he thought about it, Fang Zhengzhi punched.
He had picked an exquisite angle for the strike. It was right inside Yan Xiu’s blindspot. When Yan Xiu saw it, it was too late.
"Boom!"
Yan Xiu was lifted from the ground momentarily. However, in the moment he was sent flying, Yan Xiu grit his teeth. A mountainous force pressed him back onto the stage.
This caused his injuries to worsen.
However, this allowed him to block Fang Zhengzhi’s next attack.
Sacrifices had to be made for the greater good.
...
The tide of the battle was now clearly in Fang Zhengzhi’s favor. He had the initiative now.
"Can Fang Zhengzhi really defeat Yan Xiu?"
At this moment, some people began to think this way. However, the majority still felt that Yan Xiu was going to win.
Xing Yuanguo’s battle technique required sufficient ability to sustain. When attacking this way, both sides did not get a moment of rest.
Can Fang Zhengzhi keep this up for 15 minutes?
Fang Zhengzhi was only in the Heavenly Reflection State. Even a Supernatural State cultivator would find it difficult to maintain such intensity for 15 minutes.
The result was still going to be the same.
At this moment, all of the officials began to notice a change in Yan Xiu.
The pale red glow rose from his feet. The two whirlpools seemed to submerge his calves.
From afar, it looked like Yan Xiu was being pulled down by the whirlpools.
"What is going on?" All of the officials were stunned by what they saw.
Some of their expressions began to change, almost as if they thought of something terrifying.
As for Yan Xiu, he was drenched from head to toe in sweat. He looked like he had been dragged out of the sea.
He knew that he was going to lose if he didn’t think of something quickly.
"No way, I have to fight to the very last moment!" Yan Xiu was determined to win. Fang Zhengzhi’s abilities surprised him, but he could not lose his dignity.
I said that I would defeat you, so I will!
Yan Xiu gave up defending. He did not have much time left. This would be his last stand.
"Bang, bang!" Two punches landed solely on Yan Xiu’s body.
Yan Xiu did not move. He grit his teeth and swallowed the blood in his mouth. He moved his hands and a pale red light screen appeared in front of him.
Fang Zhenghi’s gaze froze.
He knew how terrifying this red light was. Yan Xiu had used this to escape from his trap and destroy the Million Sword Ill.u.s.tration.
In the end...
The whirlpools had risen to his ankles.
Now, Yan Xiu was using this power again.
Fang Zhengzhi saw that the whirlpools were at Yan Xiu’s thighs. His heart tightened. If they rose anymore, they would be at his organs, or even his heart!
He could not let Yan Xiu do that.
Fang Zhengzhi wanted to stop him.
However, he was too late. Yan Xiu was not going to be hit a third time, so he shot out like an arrow.
Fang Zhengzhi had no way of stopping him.
Yan Xiu knew the power of his abilities. When he used this technique, he did not chop down, he simply charged towards Fang Zhengzhi.
"Bang!"
Fang Zhengzhi collided with the light screen.
In that moment, he felt as if he had broken a pane of gla.s.s with his head. The pain was intense. When the light screen shattered into spots of red light, he finally understood...
Now he knew why the Dao of Asura was a supreme Dao.
Good!
Evil!
These two vastly different natures were incorporated into the light. They entered Fang Zhengzhi’s head, causing a splitting headache.
His body froze and he was completely immobilized.
Is this a hallucination?
Or is this real?
Fang Zhengzhi had no idea. He knew that the Dao of Asura was the best offensive Dao amongst the six. As such, it could not be weak.
Of course, none of that was important right now. Critically, Yan Xiu was already charging towards him.
If this attack hit...
Fang Zhengzhi would definitely be sent flying off the stage.
Fang Zhengzhi wanted to dodge.
However, the intense pain he felt slowed him down. There was no way he could dodge.
Yan Xiu was getting closer and closer!
Fang Zhengzhi looked towards his chest.
Was he going to lose?
No!
I said I would defeat you, so I will!
Fang Zhengzhi grit his teeth and lunged towards Yan Xiu.
"Boom!"
The attack connected.
Fang Zhengzhi felt like he was about to take off. However, before he did, he grabbed onto Yan Xiu.
"Let’s fly together!" Fang Zhengzhi thought to himself as he held on to Yan Xiu tightly.