Chapter 724: Subduing Yan Liang
Chapter 724: Subduing Yan Liang
September 25, 2017
In the forbidden area of Lu Hai Kong's Northern Sealed City, a man has been imprisoned for a long time. This man, known as Yan Liang, is one of the Four Pillars of Hebei, alongside Wen Chou, Gao Lan, and Zhang He.
For the past four months, since his bet with Lu Hai Kong, Yan Liang's confidence has been constantly battered.
Despite having a higher level of martial arts mastery than Lu Hai Kong, and believing that his diligently practiced martial skills were far superior to Lu Hai Kong's repetitive use of the Fundamental Axe Technique, Yan Liang has never managed to last more than a hundred moves when facing Lu Hai Kong.
Nine times in a row, he went into the battles with full confidence, only to inevitably end in defeat.
However, Yan Liang did not give up entirely. After all, in his battles with Lu Hai Kong, he usually lasted around ninety moves before being subdued.
This near-miss in every fight gave Yan Liang the illusion that he was not far behind Lu Hai Kong, and with a little more effort, he could surpass Lu Hai Kong's hundred-move limit.
Especially after a month of intense training, Yan Liang felt that his strength had significantly improved. This time, he was confident that he could last beyond Lu Hai Kong's hundred-move limit, and even defeating Lu Hai Kong seemed possible.
It was for this reason that Yan Liang decided to use his last chance to challenge Lu Hai Kong.
However, over the past four months, Yan Liang's initial purpose of challenging Lu Hai Kong had become less clear. It was no longer a straightforward desire to escape Lu Hai Kong's captivity as it had been before.
At this point, Yan Liang's challenges were more about a martial artist's pride, and perhaps even a desire to prove his strength to Lu Hai Kong.
Regardless of the motivation, a challenge remained a challenge. When Lu Hai Kong arrived for the final battle, Yan Liang had only one thought in mind: to defeat Lu Hai Kong!
Lu Hai Kong, fresh from his meeting with Xi Zhi Cai, looked at the battle-ready Yan Liang and smiled slightly.
Yan Liang had not wasted the past four months. In the one and a half months since they last met, although Yan Liang's strength remained at 92 points, his martial foundation had become incredibly solid. If they were to fight solely based on combat power, Yan Liang at this moment could definitely knock down the Yan Liang of four months ago within a hundred moves.
After taking their stances, without any opening remarks, Yan Liang simply said, "Let's begin," and their final battle commenced.
Having witnessed Lu Hai Kong's strength over the past four months, Yan Liang immediately unleashed his full power at the start of the battle.
With a roar, a shadow appeared behind Yan Liang, and as the shadow emerged, Yan Liang's aura soared to its peak.
Lu Hai Kong glanced at the shadow on Yan Liang's back, holding his Primitive Axe diagonally. He calmly awaited Yan Liang's attack.
This was a rather arrogant move, as Lu Hai Kong's weapon of choice was an axe, which emphasized overpowering the opponent. If Lu Hai Kong were to be attacked first, he would be at a significant disadvantage, especially since Yan Liang used an unpredictable and ever-changing sword technique. If Yan Liang gained the upper hand, Lu Hai Kong might not even have a chance to counterattack.
Interestingly, despite Lu Hai Kong's arrogance, Yan Liang showed no reaction. He raised his broadsword, and as his aura peaked, he charged forward.
Yan Liang's first strike was like a thunderous shock, with a hint of thunder in the slash of his blade. The terrifying force seemed capable of splitting the earth, and with this opening move, their final battle officially began.
The two had fought ten times before, and strictly speaking, this was their eleventh encounter. They were very familiar with each other's fighting styles, and as soon as Yan Liang made his move, Lu Hai Kong instantly entered a battle-ready state, and the clash began.
From the start, Lu Hai Kong realized that Yan Liang's martial skills had improved significantly compared to a month ago.
Each slash of Yan Liang's blade was even more unpredictable than before, fully showcasing the Cloud Form Inconstancy technique.
However, despite Yan Liang's progress in swordplay, Lu Hai Kong found it much easier to deal with Yan Liang's moves than before. This was not only because Lu Hai Kong's martial skills had also improved over the past four months but was mainly due to Lu Hai Kong's eyes.
Lu Hai Kong's eyes had merged with the Celestial Eye Technique, and although he did not immediately feel the changes after the technique's upgrade at first, he gradually became more aware of the incredible benefits his eyes brought him.
Previously, Lu Hai Kong could counter Yan Liang's sword technique only by relying on his formidable strength and exceptional martial arts mastery. But it was never as effortless as it was now.
The current Lu Hai Kong didn't even need exceptional martial arts mastery; his eyes alone could predict Yan Liang's every move.
These eyes could be considered Yan Liang's nemesis, for despite Yan Liang's remarkable progress in martial skills over the past few months, all his intricate and varied moves became laughable under Lu Hai Kong's gaze, easily countered with casual ease.
Lu Hai Kong, that crafty fellow, had the ability to see through Yan Liang's techniques, but he never revealed it. He deliberately concealed his strength, relying on his upgraded Celestial Eye Technique and formidable abilities. Instead of swiftly defeating Yan Liang in a dozen moves or less, he intentionally prolonged the fight, taking nearly ninety moves to finally overcome his opponent, giving Yan Liang the illusion that he could win.
Lu Hai Kong wasn't particularly optimistic about the outcome of this battle. His true anticipation lay in the other man's surrender after defeat.
However, something unexpected happened during the fight. As Lu Hai Kong was contemplating the ideal move to defeat Yan Liang with some dignity, the latter's combat style suddenly changed at the thirtieth move.
Yan Liang completely abandoned his unpredictable cloud-like techniques and engaged in a straightforward, brutal exchange of blows.
Each strike harnessed the explosive power of the clouds, devoid of their usual unpredictability, as if Lu Hai Kong were facing a mirror image of himself.
Lu Hai Kong was momentarily taken aback by Yan Liang's change in tactics but then smiled, understanding that Yan Liang had realized he could read his moves and had adjusted his strategy accordingly. This didn't anger Lu Hai Kong; instead, he was delighted.
Lu Hai Kong now became more serious, and although he still used the same Fundamental Axe Technique, his moves carried a unique flair.
As their combat evolved, what started as a dull exchange of moves transformed into a violent and passionate clash.
Yan Liang's fighting spirit grew with each strike, and the restrictive feeling he once had in his techniques gradually dissipated in this intense battle. Even though Lu Hai Kong still effortlessly countered his moves, Yan Liang preferred this unrestrained martial path over his previous cloud-like, unpredictable style.
In this moment, Yan Liang realized he might have taken the wrong path. His cloud path shouldn't be limited to the unpredictability of cloud-like techniques; clouds could also represent freedom. This new style, devoid of deceit, suited him better.
Lu Hai Kong and Yan Liang went all out, engaging in a fierce battle.
In the 1619 book bar version, their clash intensified.
Yan Liang's momentum steadily rose, and the phantom behind him became more substantial with each exchange of blows.
Lu Hai Kong could tell that Yan Liang was on the verge of enlightenment and a breakthrough. He couldn't afford to be careless, so he set aside any thoughts of a hundred-move agreement and focused solely on aiding Yan Liang in his martial breakthrough.
Lu Hai Kong repeatedly withstood Yan Liang's relentless attacks, and before they knew it, a hundred moves had passed in the blink of an eye. Yet, their battle continued.
Both men seemed to have forgotten about the hundred-move agreement, as Yan Liang was engrossed in his martial breakthrough, while Lu Hai Kong cautiously guarded against any potential setbacks during this critical moment.
They clashed fiercely for half an hour. As the time passed, Yan Liang's eyes flashed with brilliance, and with a thunderous roar, he unleashed a powerful strike with his blade. Lu Hai Kong clearly sensed that Yan Liang had achieved a breakthrough in his martial path, not only changing his combat style to better suit himself but also increasing his combat strength to a new level of 93.
After the breakthrough, Yan Liang and Lu Hai Kong stared at each other.
Yan Liang was thrilled with his martial breakthrough and delighted that he had lasted a hundred moves against Lu Hai Kong.
He could tell that Lu Hai Kong had helped him achieve this breakthrough by accommodating his combat, allowing him to surpass a hundred moves with ease.
A satisfied smile crept onto Yan Liang's face.
"Well, Lord Lu, I lasted a hundred moves. Can I leave now?"
Yan Liang no longer had any intention of leaving, but after being dominated by Lu Hai Kong for four months, he couldn't resist a moment of cheekiness. In truth, he had already submitted to Lu Hai Kong, and even if Lu Hai Kong let him go, he might not have left.
Lu Hai Kong shook his head at Yan Liang's audacity.
"Who told you that you lasted a hundred moves? Feel your neck!"
Yan Liang was startled and reached up to touch his neck, only to find a faint trace of blood on his fingertips.
"That was from your ninety-ninth move!"
Lu Hai Kong's casual remark caused Yan Liang's face to pale. After a moment, he regained his composure and knelt on one knee before Lu Hai Kong. "I accept my defeat, Lord. Yan Liang, at your service!"
As Yan Liang knelt, the system notification arrived as expected.
【Congratulations! You have successfully recruited the top-tier historical general, Yan Liang. You've obtained a Legendary Chest!】
(End of Chapter)
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