Chapter Thirty-Seven: Someone Comes to His Aid

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The next moment, the man in black pushed off against the wall and shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Jie Peiling advanced fearlessly, forming a fist seal. The faint sound of rushing water arose around him, and in the next instant, a furious tide came surging forth.

The man in black let out a muffled grunt. His boxing technique was nothing special, merely the most ordinary kind. However, his experience in combat was exceptionally rich, and his understanding of fist techniques was undoubtedly far superior to Jie Peiling’s.

In every other aspect, though, Jie Peiling’s strength surpassed his opponent’s by a wide margin. Their perception was worlds apart. No matter what movement the man in black made, Jie Peiling could sense it and alter his attacks accordingly.

Jie Peiling dared say that if his spiritual power were still at Han Jiang’s level, he would have smashed the man in black into the wall with a single punch at the very beginning.

Both of them fought with the utmost care, doing everything they could to avoid injury. Every punch thrown by the man in black landed with tremendous force; if even one struck Jie Peiling, he would be unable to withstand it.

So far, however, Jie Peiling had not been hit even once.

A sudden, full-powered punch sent Jie Peiling flying several yards backward, nearly driving him into the wall. He stopped himself and deliberately revealed an opening.

That was the moment.

As the man in black struck, Jie Peiling summoned all his strength and seized his right hand. Before the other man could kick him, Jie Peiling planted one foot firmly against the ground.

Boom!

A crack appeared in the stone tiles. The sudden loss of support caused the man in black to drop downward, and Jie Peiling immediately gathered all his strength and slammed a punch into his face, sending him flying.

But before Jie Peiling could even catch his breath, the man in black bit into his own hand. A faint black mist rose from his body, and his entire form transformed into a beast far more powerful than before. With one punch, he sent Jie Peiling flying into the wall, where he became embedded in the stone.

“Cough, cough…”

Jie Peiling had been in more than a few fights, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone transform in the middle of battle.

After turning into a beast, the man in black seemed to have lost all reason. He charged recklessly toward Jie Peiling.

With a muffled grunt, Jie Peiling used all his strength to kick the beast away. He then shattered the stone wall beside him and drew his long sword, charging toward the creature.

Had that kick struck the man in black before his transformation, it would certainly have made him howl in pain. Against the beast, however, it merely forced him back several steps.

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Jie Peiling’s breathing remained steady, though his entire body was covered in blood. He glared viciously at the beast before him.

He had expected the creature to attack again. Instead, it turned and fled.

Jie Peiling knew all too well that allowing such a threat to escape would invite disaster. Activating his footwork technique, he pursued it.

Before long, two black shadows were weaving through the streets and alleys.

The beast stood nearly ten feet tall, making it impossible to overlook. Along the way, several martial artists attempted to intervene, but none could withstand even a single exchange with it. Still, their attacks managed to slow it down slightly.

At that moment, a youth carrying a sword on his back stepped into its path. He did not draw his weapon. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes. Before the surrounding people could shout for him to move, he took the initiative and stepped forward.

A blazing sun appeared behind him as he met the beast’s fist with his own.

The beast staggered back several steps. Seeing Jie Peiling already close behind, it glared viciously at the sweat-soaked youth carrying the sword.

The youth had poured nearly all his strength into that single punch, merely to hold the beast back for a moment. Realizing this, the creature cursed under its breath.

Knowing it could no longer escape, the beast’s aura grew even more violent. It charged at the youth, intending to drag him down with it before it died.

It also knew that it should never have so recklessly attempted to assassinate Jie Peiling and exposed itself so openly. Given the way its “accomplices” acted, they would never come to its aid.

When the youth saw the beast charging toward him, his trembling hands drew the sword from its sheath. Gritting his teeth, he raised it and hacked down at the creature.

Jie Peiling thought the youth was rather foolish. His cultivation was far from complete and contained many flaws. He was probably an unaffiliated cultivator. Jie Peiling had not expected him to attack instead of retreating, and the decision surprised him.

Clang!

The sword in the youth’s hands was an ordinary weapon made of common iron. Otherwise, he would not have asked the prefect for money to forge a better one.

Had Jie Peiling not appeared, the prefect might have considered the request. But after seeing Jie Peiling, he had made his decision and told the group to go wherever they pleased, so long as they stayed out of his sight.

The sword in the youth’s hands snapped. He abandoned it without hesitation and threw another punch, only to be sent flying with a rush of air.

The beast pressed its advantage, smashing a fist toward his head. Just as the blow was about to land, a white radiance enveloped him.

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Not far away, Jie Peiling held a pale-yellow talisman. The black ink upon it spread outward, eventually forming a barrier of light that trapped the beast inside.

The talisman was genuinely meant for protection, but Jie Peiling could not think of any other way to save the youth who had helped him. In a moment of inspiration, he had used the protective talisman as a sealing talisman instead.

The effect was excellent. The beast was bound in place.

From the corner of his eye, Jie Peiling saw the youth slowly rise to his feet. He took a deep breath, then kicked several stones at his side, arranging them into an interlocking pattern.

Once it was complete, he silently recited an incantation. In the next moment, six flying swords rose into the air above the six stones.

This was an exceedingly simple sword formation, one that any beginner could create. Of course, Jie Peiling had no other choice. These were practically the only techniques he knew, and he could think of nothing else that might help him.

Jie Peiling placed his hand over the talisman and used his spiritual power to seal away the energy remaining within it. Then he immediately retreated.

“Roar!”

The beast burst out of the radiance. At the very instant it roared, six flying swords pierced its body.

It paid no attention to its wounds. Seeing that the youth it had nearly beaten to death had disappeared, and that Jie Peiling had retreated to maintain a safe distance, it prepared to flee once more.

It had not expected to fall into an ambush laid by the sword formation.

Natural power spread through the six bloodied wounds, restraining its entire body. It seemed as though flowers, grass, and trees were growing from within its flesh.

Jie Peiling exhaled deeply. He knew he could not hold the beast for long, so without the slightest hesitation, he released the talisman’s full power. A radius of more than thirty feet, including the place where he stood, was swallowed by light.

After roughly fifteen minutes, the barrier of light faded, and the sword formation vanished as well. The crowd approached, but Jie Peiling was nowhere to be found.

Only the beast’s corpse remained, lying in a pool of blood.

Dozens of sword wounds covered the body, large and small, many of them overlapping. The sight sent chills through everyone who witnessed it.

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