Zhan Zhao Adventures - Chapter Six (Part VIII)

Chapter Six: Crane Rushing to the Sky (Part VIII)

These abrupt bursts of several changes were already causing a person's eyes to be dazzled and blurred, yet they were moreover rapid and swift like a lightning-flash and a thunder-peal.
 
Zhong Xiong stood quietly on one side, and his face could no longer maintain calmness. Zhan Zhao's movement technique and martial arts were still not the place that brought him the most shock. What Zhong Xiong was shocked at was, however, that this black-clad youth could unexpectedly within this single instant look through the opponent's true purpose, and execute the most effective stance!
 
Within Zhong Xiong's eyes, there was already deep thought.
 
Then he precisely heard Mo Dao's hideous smile. This sparse-of-speech and lack-of-words Shura Cult elder's voice was unexpectedly for the first time filled with hatred.
——"Not a single person has ever been able to withdraw his entire body from my hands safely."
 
Before the sound of his words fell, instantly flowers filled the sky like rain, gold light sparkling and flashing, blocking the sky and covering the sun beneath the sunlight, shooting toward Zhan Zhao.
 
The tiny bits and drops that could be broken by blowing upon them were unspeakably desolate beneath the sunlight, infinite in their bright color, and endless in their tender attachment, appearing like a roll of a wave, a burst of a clear breeze, causing a person to be lost in a blur within it, completely not resembling being in the human world.
——The Apricot Flower Rain of the Shura Cult!
 
The child and young married woman behind Zhan Zhao's body who had just detached from danger had already involuntarily become intoxicated within the beauty of this Apricot Flower Rain, blankly, to the point that even their breathing appeared to stop.
 
Who else knew that this Apricot Flower Rain, what it brought to a person, was fundamentally not a spring dream, but rather a nightmare from which one would never wake up.
——Could it be that once stained with the Apricot Flower Rain, one would then hurriedly hope for this dream to shatter. Could it be that only until being stained with this Apricot Flower Rain did one know that one would rather have the dream shatter, which also surpassed the torment brought by this nightmare.
 
But this innocent child and young married woman, at this time, only wished to watch for a little while longer. Their blurred gazes, unknowingly, soaked within this magnificent and beautiful apricot flower dream, to the point that even their footsteps could not move away.
 
Only that this apricot flower dream, once encountering this long sword, would ultimately shatter.
——The sword Qi crisscrossed, and what shrouded within this patch of rain and fog was a strand of ice-colored light light-pliant as a dragon, in a flash of a second then rising up within the clouds like a thunderbolt and lightning-flash. Simultaneously, Zhan Zhao's left hand appeared to have also already been raised up. The painted flag within his hand, beneath the stimulation of his internal power, suddenly spread open with a "zheng" sound, flowing with a "chi-chi" burst of sounds, appearing as if it had already changed into a hard shield.
 
How long can a blink of an eye be?
——The child and young married woman who were intoxicated within this Apricot Flower Rain that filled the sky, only within a blink of an eye did they find out that before their eyes was unexpectedly yet again the bright sun filling the sky; that misty and drizzling rain of just now, could it be that they themselves were dreaming?
 
Immediately following, they then discovered that before their presence, a flag was blocking.
 
The flag had already been burned until charred and ruined; upon that flag, every single place that was touched by the Apricot Flower Rain still splattered and emitted strands of faint green smoke.
 
The dream had already shattered; the foul and fishy odor of this Apricot Flower Rain had already diffused in the air.
——Just now if it were not for this flag that came from who knows where, upon their own bodies, would it not be the appearance of this flag?
 
Only they just had this notion when they already could not stop themselves from bending down their waists, and began to vomit!
 
Zhan Zhao's countenance, however, suddenly changed.
 
At this time, he suddenly discovered that he himself had committed a mistake. Right when he withstood the Apricot Flower Rain, Mo Dao's person was already inside the 'Yanmei'er' array.
 
He hated.
 
This taciturn person's heart was already filled with unspeakable hatred.
——He who held the status of a Shura Cult elder had still never missed a hand, yet upon the person of this person before his eyes, he had however already missed his hand twice.
 
The first time was inside the Copper Net Array, and the second time was unexpectedly this Xiqiao Ferry.
——What was originally thought to be a seamless arrangement had however been broken by this person before his eyes, using this kind of strange method to break the 'Yanmei'er'!
——He——was——very——angry!
 
His Apricot Flower Rain was precisely for the sake of making the flag of Zhan Zhao's left hand no longer able to take care of the people trapped inside this 'Yanmei'er' array.
 
His right hand opened out like a basket, straightly clutching toward an old fellow inside the array; resentment and annoyance had already caused him to forget his hidden weapons, which originally did not require entering the array to be able to injure a person within formlessness!
——The terrified and helpless face of that old fellow before his presence had already become larger and larger, then he suddenly heard a burst of wind sound.
 
Inside Mo Dao's hand, there suddenly appeared a stiff object. What his Five-Poison Shura Hand clutched onto was unexpectedly not that old fellow's shoulder!
 
His eyes gave a blur.
——The wrinkled and weather-beaten face of that old fellow before his presence suddenly changed; not knowing at what time, it then changed into another face, a face Mo Dao was very familiar with.
——While the old, weak, and declining old fellow who was originally at the location of this face's position was unexpectedly by the living person who grew this face, directly bumped out from the 'Yanmei'er' array.
——This living person flying over within the empty air was clearly an imperial guard who was just now encircling and attacking Zhan Zhao!
 
Mo Dao's heart suddenly sank down.
 
Only at this time did he perceive that what he was clutching within his hand was a slender flagpole.
 
This slender flagpole, beneath the power of his hand fully covered with the Five-Poison Shura Hand, had already fractured into broken shards, and the shards precisely splattered like shooting stars!
——Upon this slender flagpole, the place where the flag originally was was still smoking with faint green light smoke.
——This slender flagpole was clearly just now still within Zhan Zhao's hand, still for that child and young married woman who had already fled away from the 'Yanmei'er' array, screening off the Nanke dream of the Apricot Flower Rain. At this time, how could it again appear inside his own hand?
 
Mo Dao could not think it through.
 
He also was too late to think.
 
The imperial guard soldier before his presence, because of being too close to him, already had no way to avoid. Those shards of non-uniform lengths, beneath the drive of his toxic palm which was too late to check its momentum, had already been completely agitated onto this soldier's body, and then immediately without a sound drilled inside his body.
 
Amidst that soldier's miserable shriek sound, a strand of cold Qi had already pressed straight over; the freezing cold sword-edge had already appeared as if it seeped inside Mo Dao's skin, and the sharp and fierce killing intent upon the sword-edge unexpectedly seemed to be surging and boundless, instantly shrouding his entire body.
 
Upon his spine, a cold shudder immediately rolled across.
 
He flew his body, he retreated rapidly, and his person had already backed away by several zhang.
 
Only now did he discover that this single sword thrust of sharp and fierce stance had unexpectedly forced him out of the toxic array of 'Yanmei'er' yet again.
 
Mo Dao already did not believe his own eyes.
——His person was inside the array; this long sword, how was it unexpectedly stretched inside again?
 
He murmured: "Impossible! This is impossible!"
 
Since Zhan Zhao had no way to draw near this 'Yanmei'er,' no matter how long his long sword was, how could it be delivered inside this array?
 
The remaining imperial guards had already stepped down in an orderly fashion, encircling in a circle, and guarding him.
 
Mo Dao turned his head back, only then to see that upon Zhan Zhao's right hand, not knowing at what time another flag appeared yet again; at the end of the flagpole, what the flag wrapped around was precisely his long sword. He was unexpectedly using the flagpole to govern the sword; the person did not enter the 'Yanmei'er' array, yet could out of expectation force back Mo Dao's attack.
 
The quickness of this person's mind, the swiftness of his response to changes, and the unfathomable and unpredictable nature of his martial arts had unexpectedly already arrived at a stage of reaching the supernatural and transforming into the divine!
 
Zhong Xiong, who stood far away on one side consistently watching everything quietly, finally could not help but let out a long sigh.
 
Among the Iron-Blood Guards by his side, a person who had the look of a leader had already walked with rapid steps to his side.
"What orders does the Master have?"
 
Zhong Xiong appeared as if murmuring to himself, and also appeared as if saying with a sigh: "When the Prince spoke of this matter, I at the beginning still did not believe it. Even if it were a deity possessing three heads and six arms, wanting to extricate his body and emerge from the Chongxiao Tower is also a thousand difficulties and ten thousand hardships. Since the Copper Net Array could kill Bai Yutang, why could it then not trap a single Zhan Zhao. Seeing him today, only now do I know that what the Prince spoke was not false."
 
The Iron-Blood Guard leader said: "How does Master explain this word?"
 
Zhong Xiong said: "With that clutch of Taoist Mo just now, the refined Qi of his entire body was all condensed and tempered within this single clutch; since it was already launched first in the front, it then would be ten thousand difficulties to snatch his first move."
 
The Iron-Blood Guard leader said: "But Zhan Zhao however appeared to snatch his first move."
 
Zhong Xiong said: "That was because he thought out a method to cause Taoist Mo himself to slow down."
 
The Iron-Blood Guard leader said: "What method?"
 
Zhong Xiong said: "It precisely is because with that clutch of Taoist Mo just now, it had already condensed all of his true Qi; the flagpole of Zhan Zhao's left hand, if delivered inside his hand, he bound to unknowingly receive it over. Under this single receiving, his true Qi would then inevitably slow down by a bit and disperse by a bit; if he wants to condense it again, he would then have to slacken by this single instant. Only within this single slackening instant could that imperial guard then arrive in time, and bump that old fellow away."
 
Speaking up to here, his voice had already become unspeakably bleak and lonely.
——"No wonder, with the matchless machinery and traps of Murong of Jiangnan, the masters of the Jinshi Hall surrounding in a circle, and the several thousand imperial guards of the Xiangyang Prince's Mansion, yet it was allowed for him to emerge from the Chongxiao Tower, and even that Copper Net Spiral Array could not trap him!"
——"I merely did not expect that within this world, there unexpectedly still contains such martial arts, and such talent and wisdom!"
 
The Iron-Blood Guard leader behind his back was even more unable to restrain his anxiety; taking another step forward, he said: "Master, at this time the battle between Zhan Zhao and the people of the Jinshi Hall has already caused him to be unable to look after himself; why does Master not take advantage of the opportunity to extricate your body? This subordinate and others are willing to risk this life, to block him for a round on Master's behalf, and cover Master to leave first!"
 
Zhong Xiong took a glance at him, gently shook his head, and said: "The reason why the Ding family of Songjiang Prefecture was able to become the number one family lineage within the martial forest is precisely because of their peerless divine skill 'Crane Rushing to the Sky'; for a hundred years since past, no one has been able to break it. The magical wonder of this stance, how can it be what you and I can imagine. Although I am restricted by Zhan Zhao, if his 'Crane Rushing to the Sky' force does not retract, I will then forever have no way to detach from his restriction."
 
That Iron-Blood Guard leader's brow had already knit deeply together, and he said: "If spoken of like this, until when must Master unexpectedly accept being restricted by him?"
 
Zhong Xiong however smiled up.
 
The wind blew across, blowing his garments so that they flew and fluttered with a ripping sound; one only listened to him slowly, word by word, saying: "I will not wait very long!"
 
His words were suddenly cut off by Mo Dao's rasping voice.
 
"Chief Zhong, even if you yourself are restricted by the 'Crane Rushing to the Sky,' your subordinates, how can they however stand by on the side with sleeves tucked in right here. If it spoils the Prince's grand matter, and allows this one surnamed Zhan to walk away and escape, I will look at how you explain to the Prince!"
 
This proud and arrogant Taoist, although he was unwilling to lower his voice and submit his breath, yet finally could not restrain himself from emitting a sound to seek aid.
 
Only having listened to these words, that leader of the Iron-Blood Guards however already had a belly full of anger; taking a glance at Zhong Xiong, after all he did not dare to break out in front of his master, and a single sentence that had just arrived at his mouth was again forcedly swallowed back down into his belly.
 
The Iron-Blood Guards behind his back, however, had already one after another gripped tightly their knives and swords; the knives and swords in a split second of a second appeared to emit sounds of clashing against each other.
——How could they not be angry. This Shura Cult elder was after all not understanding of affairs. The Iron-Blood Guards were all warriors who had followed Zhong Xiong for a long time and gone through a hundred battles; how could they then allow an ugly and strange Taoist to shout hither and order thither at their incomparably respected master.
 
Zhong Xiong stood right there, yet appeared as if he had not heard his words.
 
Beneath the sunlight, upon his face, surprisingly it was an appearance of having ample time and being at leisure, just as if the one restricted by Zhan Zhao fundamentally was not him. One only heard his low, deep, and pleasing-to-the-ear voice saying: "The Iron-Blood Guards of Junshan listen to orders: the men and horses of Junshan have consistently been the vanguard under the jurisdiction before the Prince's carriage. Within the signals and orders of Junshan, there is established the clause that he who blindly kills the innocent dies, which is precisely calculated for the sake of the Prince's grand undertaking. Furthermore, if without the Prince's gold medallion, let alone the Prince's imperial guards, even Commander Shao of the Jinshi Hall has no right to order the crowd of Junshan. The Iron-Blood Guards of Junshan naturally also are not allowed to interfere with the behavior of the imperial guards inside the Prince's Mansion!"
 
The Iron-Blood Guards behind his back gave a thunder-burst-like sound of "Receive orders!" In a flash of a second, even the rapid flow of the river water and the crying sounds of the old and young were suppressed down.
 
Mo Dao's face for a time appeared as if it changed into rock. Inside his eyes, it seemed as if there was fire burning.
 
After the silence, he finally opened his mouth to speak words. He spoke very slowly, because every single sentence he spoke must be responsible to himself, and also must let himself understand.
——"Speaking of it like this, Chief is iron-settled in his heart to watch the skills of the Jinshi Hall on the side?"
 
Zhong Xiong however appeared as if he did not look at this Taoist whose beard and mustache were already bristling like halberds and who was consistently sparse of words. His eyes had already gazed toward the rapidly flowing river water in the far distance, and within his voice there already possessed a trace of contempt and disdain. He appeared as if he did not answer Mo Dao's question, and also appeared as if continuing his words that were unfinished just now, slowly saying yet again: "Furthermore, I have already been restricted by Zhan Zhao's 'Crane Rushing to the Sky'; you all are therefore forced to be coerced into compliance for him; before the presence of the Prince, I naturally have my own plans."
 
The Iron-Blood Guards behind his back gave yet another loud and clear sound of "Respect orders!"
 
Amidst the light of knives and shadows of swords, Zhan Zhao's gaze had already become strange. Within a single instant, the two people appeared as if their four eyes cast and joined together, yet both swiftly avoided away!
——This opponent who had just had a life-and-death struggle, why would he clearly and openly abandon the opportunity to sandwich and attack together?
——Was it that he truly had misgivings about Zhan Zhao's 'Crane Rushing to the Sky'?
——If he truly forced his hand to strike, would Zhan Zhao truly restrict him to the place of death?
——Within this gaze that met in a single instance of time, was there the understanding of mutual affinity and appreciation, and the admiration between heroes?
 
The human hearts within this world, how many people are after all able to look through and guess them out?