Chapter 716 - 32: Bi Kai
Even during the most rigorous training in martial arts, Bi Kai rarely felt like he did now.
A burning sensation flowed in his throat and lungs; every breath he took was fiery, like ignited liquor, leaving him powerless.
His temples were already buzzing, and at this moment, lifting his sword was difficult, let alone dodging.
Meanwhile, the mammoth cared not for the condition of the tiny creature beneath it, but only stomped its massive feet, reveling in unleashing its fury.
As the darkness fell with the descending pillar-like object, despair filled Bi Kai’s heart.
Forcing a breath, he braced the sword tip against the ground and exerted himself forward.
The sword tip slanted into the earth, unable to pierce fully for a moment, bending with Bi Kai’s effort. Off its rebound, Bi Kai expended his strength to leap the final step, just three meters.
Upon landing, Bi Kai could no longer use footwork to dissipate the force and toppled amongst the wild grass.
He glanced back to see the Treasure Sword Fei Xing struck by the mammoth. The steel-forged sword quickly bent and then let out a mournful "clang," breaking into two pieces, plunging his vision into darkness.
His swordsmanship was inherited from family teachings; legend had it that his ancestor was the Sword Immortal Bi Kun, whose swordsmanship was extraordinary, leading to enlightenment and even ascension in daylight.
However, by his generation, the Bi family had long declined, leaving only fragmentary scrolls of the "Hunyuan Sword Manual," without training methods, relying only on talent to comprehend.
Though Bi Kai was talented, he grasped but one or two percent of its essence. His young fame in the Martial World largely depended on the famous sword Fei Xing.
This sword was crafted in the style of the Seven-Star Treasure Sword, with a flexible steel blade that could bend and stretch. It had a copper guard, black horn handle, and sharkskin scabbard, accompanying him for years, proving invincible against foes, stained with countless bloodshed. When camping in the wilderness, if there were beasts, it could clang on its own, saving him from peril repeatedly.
Bi Kai had thought Fei Xing would accompany him for life, never imagining it would break here today.
Overdrawing his breath, coupled with the sword’s destruction, seeing the mammoth closing in, his heart was anxious and despairing. A sweet taste welled in his throat, and he suddenly spat out blood. Even lifting his head, he had no strength left.
"When the sword is there, so am I; when the sword breaks, I perish. Who would have thought I, Bi Kai, would die in a foreign land today..."
Resolving to his fate, he knew even if he had full strength, he would lose most of it. Closing his eyes, unwilling to look at his broken sword, Bi Kai lay quietly on the ground, waiting for death.
...
The battle was fierce; the mammoth, large and massive, was like moving walls, leaving Bi Kai no time to consider Chen Zhou’s situation.
After seeing the exotic object shining all night, the two rode deer to reach it.
As the sun set, the duo sought to hunt a beast to satiate hunger, coincidentally encountering a lone exotic beast by the river. It was neither like an elephant nor unlike it, covered in long hair.
Coming from the north, Bi Kai and his companion had seen many such giant beasts, but this one seemed a young one, only camel-sized.
Unaware of the mammoth’s danger, and oblivious to such creatures’ valuing their young, they merely wished to taste this exotic beast’s flavor.
In the martial world, people are careful enough to avoid even a falling leaf, yet bold to the point of seeming brainless, daring to challenge any taboo or idea.
Bi Kai and his companion promptly agreed. The companion would shoot arrows while Bi Kai blocked the front, planning to swiftly slaughter the young exotic beast, then satiate and continue their journey.
Unexpectedly, other exotic beasts hadn’t gone far, merely swimming in the nearby river. As soon as the two took action, they provoked the beasts, drawing multiple giant beasts to attack.
In panic, they fled on deer. Thinking their lives would end here, they unexpectedly spotted a firelight along the way.
In the desolate land, people were rarely seen. The only ones they saw were Chen Zhou and Paul.
That night, after crossing the river to the mound, they found a skinned bear carcass and inspected the wounds, both shocked immensely—
The giant bear weighed thousands of pounds even in death. Even top martial artists would struggle to kill it alone in combat.
Both had made a name for themselves young, renowned as promising youths in the martial world. Seeing the bear’s carcass, they internally compared themselves to the unknown expert.
Concluding similarly—
If they were to fight the bear, they would likely lose, attesting to the bear killer’s exceptional skills.
Regrettably, this expert seemed reclusive. Under the night sky, they only saw the expert’s silhouette alongside their companion, not their true appearance.
This brief encounter only continued after the recent provocation of the beast swarm.
With lives hanging by a thread, though they knew luring the beasts to the expert was wrong, desperation forced them to head there.
The duo had already agreed that if the fire starter was indeed the expert, they would approach for help.
Should the mound’s fire starter not be the expert, they would face the consequences and redirect the beasts elsewhere—
This world’s rules are harsh, but the two were not ruthless murderers, upholding a moral compass. Those they struck down deserved death, wicked to the core or exploiting the people, none were good.
To their delight, the fire starter on the mound was indeed the expert.
However, as Chen Zhou ran toward them, neither Bi Kai nor his companion could discern which martial art Chen Zhou practiced. Judging by his movements, he seemed more like a wild brute from the mountains.