Chapter 371 Light Secret Technique: Luoshen Play!
"Hm?"
The Xing Family members were perplexed. What did that mean? And what had that person said? He had merely tapped the Saintess on the head, so how could she have memorized it? This wasn’t some scene from a television drama! Was it like the story where Zhang Wuji battled the Xuan Ming Elders on Wudang Mountain? Where Zhang Sanfeng imparted the Tai Chi Sword Technique and Tai Chi Fist to him right before the fight, allowing him to win? Was it really like that?
The Xing Family members wore expressions of utter confusion.
Xing Chong, however, looked as though he’d been deeply insulted, his face turning livid with rage.
"Enough!"
In his view, the two were just taking the opportunity to flaunt their affection, putting on a show for his benefit. At this thought, Xing Chong’s expression turned exceptionally grim. Pointing a finger at Lin Mu, he said coldly, "Once I’ve taken the Saintess, I will personally break your limbs and crush every bone in your body. I’ll make you watch as we consummate our union!"
No man could tolerate such humiliation. He would make Lin Mu regret ever being born! A life worse than death!
"You can talk after you’ve beaten me," Xing Chong said coldly. His figure flickered as he lunged to grab Li Lingqing. His strength was slightly greater than Li Lingqing’s, and given that she was already severely injured, capturing her should have been an easy task.
Xing Chong moved with extreme speed, arriving before Li Lingqing in the blink of an eye.
Unlike before, however, Li Lingqing now appeared calm. Her eyes were devoid of joy or sorrow, and her entire demeanor had become more composed and restrained. Facing Xing Chong’s attack, she took a light step, shifting her body just enough to evade him. That slight movement caused his hand to grasp at empty air.
"Hm?" Xing Chong’s eyes narrowed sharply. What was happening? He was certain he had caught her. Why, then, had he failed to even touch the hem of her clothes?
As shock filled his heart, Xing Chong’s face grew increasingly unsightly. He launched a continuous barrage of attacks at Li Lingqing. The two moved at incredible speeds, constantly swapping positions around the field. But no matter how fast Xing Chong was, he failed to touch Li Lingqing even once.
To the onlookers, Li Lingqing seemed like a completely different person. She was faster, her posture more graceful. Toward the end, a series of afterimages began to flicker into existence, creating a dazzling spectacle that baffled the eye.
*Her form, as graceful as a startled swan, as supple as a roaming dragon. Elusive as the moon veiled by passing clouds, ethereal as snowflakes caught in a returning breeze.*
Somehow, these poetic lines surfaced in the minds of the crowd. Only they could perfectly capture Li Lingqing’s image at that moment.
HISS!
The crowd gasped, their eyes wide with shock.
"What’s going on? Why has her movement technique become so terrifying?"
"You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"
"Impossible! This is impossible!"
The crowd was stunned, a hint of fear creeping into their eyes. The change in Li Lingqing was all because Lin Mu had touched her head just moments before.
The technique was a movement art from the Lightness Secret Record called the Journey of the Luo Goddess. It was the signature cultivation technique of the Luo River Goddess Clan in the Eternal Immortal Realm. Once mastered, one could even traverse the void, crossing thousands of miles in an instant. The reason Lin Mu knew this art was that he had once battled the Goddess of the Luo River Goddess Clan. He had not only defeated her but also compelled her to disclose her clan’s signature secret technique, which he then recorded in the Lightness Secret Record.
Li Lingqing was naturally ethereal, making her perfectly suited to practice this art. When Lin Mu touched her head earlier, he had merely transferred some of the excess energy from the Innate Spirit Wood within his body to her, helping her achieve a more perfect understanding of the Journey of the Luo Goddess.
Xing Chong’s style favored wide, powerful, and domineering attacks, which were not built for endurance. Li Lingqing, on the other hand, was as fluid as water, choosing to use softness to overcome hardness, thereby conserving her strength. Their actual power levels were nearly identical; Li Lingqing had only been injured before because she foolishly chose to clash with him head-on. Now that she was playing to her strengths and exploiting his weaknesses, it was only a matter of time before Xing Chong was defeated.
And just as predicted, after a few minutes, Xing Chong’s breathing grew heavy and his movements slowed. Li Lingqing, in contrast, showed no signs of slowing down. In fact, she grew even faster, constantly searching for an opportunity to strike.
As the Head of the Xing Family, Xing Yong possessed extraordinary strength and insight. He saw through the situation at a glance, and his expression turned extremely ugly.
"Chong’er, this girl is stalling for time! You must end this quickly!" Xing Yong couldn’t help but shout a reminder, fearing his son would be injured if this dragged on.
"I know!" Xing Chong retorted impatiently, accelerating his attacks.
"Ling Qing, if you’re done playing, go ahead and finish him off," Lin Mu said with a slight smile.
"Yes, Master!"
Li Lingqing’s voice rang out, once again astonishing everyone. The afterimages surrounding her multiplied, appearing to be in the hundreds, if not thousands, making it impossible to distinguish which was her true self. Xing Chong was like a headless fly, flailing about as he attacked one afterimage after another, only to find them all to be false.
As the afterimages continued to multiply, Xing Chong suddenly let out a furious roar, and a thick, bloody aura erupted from his body.
"Chong’er, don’t!" Xing Yong’s expression changed drastically as he cried out in alarm.
ROAR!
Xing Chong’s eyes turned blood-red. He ignored the warning, seemingly beginning to activate some kind of secret technique.
Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed slightly as he murmured to himself, "About time."
As his words fell, all of Li Lingqing’s afterimages suddenly froze in mid-air. An instant later, they all merged into one. The countless phantoms coalesced, reforming Li Lingqing’s true body. In a flash, her hands formed a series of dizzying seals that flowed like blossoming flowers. Finally, Li Lingqing uttered a soft, esoteric syllable.
BOOM!
A terrifying aura instantly erupted from her. Behind her, a colossal phantom faintly appeared. It was a woman in palace attire, her three thousand strands of dark hair coiled into a cloud-like bun and adorned with a dangling step-shake pin. A single dot of cinnabar graced her brow, and a light-green sash was tied around her waist. Her posture was delicate, like that of a celestial maiden. The soft cry seemed to emanate from the phantom’s red lips. Vaguely, the crowd thought they heard the syllable "Luo."
At the same time, both the palace maiden and Li Lingqing formed a seal with their hands and gently pushed forward, striking Xing Chong squarely in the chest.
PFFT!
With his blood surging and eyes burning red, Xing Chong was struck before he could even unleash his secret technique. A spray of blood erupted from his mouth.
BANG!
His body was sent flying backward, crashing hard onto the stone floor. The impact sent countless cracks spreading across the flagstones, and the ground itself trembled.
Witnessing this, the crowd could only gape in open-mouthed shock, their eyes filled with utter disbelief.
The Dragon of the Xing Family... defeated? And by a woman, no less?
Everyone from the Xing Family felt as if they were trapped in a dream, unable to believe what they were seeing.
"Master, your disciple has not failed your expectations..." Li Lingqing said as she walked up to Lin Mu and bowed respectfully.
Before she could finish her sentence, her expression changed dramatically. She whirled around to see a massive, blood-red battle-axe swinging down at her.
Instantly, the color drained from Li Lingqing’s face.
"Xing Tian Battle Axe!"