Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Out of all the Shatu people in the Moon Prayer Hall, Morbeto was the one with the most valiant capability. One could say that as long as they got rid of Morbeto, there would be no other opponent in the hall who could match Yan Liqiang. There were many different ways to kill Morbeto, but there was only one solution that was the fastest, most reliable way. It would reduce Morbeto’s counterattack to the lowest — and that was to catch him off-guard and kill him within the shortest amount of time.
This was the reason why Yan Liqiang provoked Morbeto so that Morbeto would be the first one to pounce on him. If he were to fight and kill the others beforehand, Morbeto would be vigilant and it would be harder to kill him. Therefore, even if Morbeto was the hardest to kill, he was still the first person Yan Liqiang wanted to eliminate.
Yan Liqiang had already witnessed Morbeto’s capabilities, and he was considered the strongest opponent that Yan Liqiang had ever encountered throughout his whole life. Morbeto’s valiant capability had been well demonstrated when he was surrounded by the five elders just now, which surpassed that of Ye Tiancheng’s. If Yan Liqiang had met such an opponent like Morbeto when he was at the Imperial Capital, he doubted that he would be Morbeto’s match. However, at this moment, especially after Yan Liqiang had completed the cultivation of the spear technique, Morbeto had become the first person Yan Liqiang would test his new technique on.
Morbeto was insolent, full of self-confidence, cruel, and fond of killing. Although he sensed Yan Liqiang’s ill-intention against him and even slightly hesitated when he charged at the latter, Morbeto still wasn’t particularly threatened by Yan Liqiang’s appearance, physique, or temperament. Furthermore, Morbeto had killed at least twenty individuals such as Yan Liqiang who normally spoke of conceited nonsense throughout his life. Thus, his hesitation flashed through his mind like lightning and was cast aside. Morbeto simply didn’t believe that a powerful man would suddenly appear out of nowhere and defeat him. In this world, powerful individuals were not commonly found like the wildflowers blooming everywhere in the Gulang Plains.
His overconfidence on his capability and misjudgment of Yan Liqiang’s capability, especially the latter, became Morbeto’s fatal mistake today.
During a life and death battle, such a mistake could cost a life. Moreover, there was never a second chance to get revenge.
Yan Liqiang aimed at the center, assumed his stance, grasped the spear with both hands, and thrust it straight toward Morbeto’s throat. It looked like a common technique which was not special in any way.
Morbeto felt relieved when he saw Yan Liqiang’s spear thrust. In his eyes, aside from the speed which was slightly faster, more stable, and the fact that Yan Liqiang seemed to be a little calm, there was absolutely nothing special about the technique. Such a technique was common to anyone who knew how to use a spear.
There was a saying: the longer the weapon, the longer the range of attack, and the shorter the weapon, the shorter the range of attack. During a battle between a spear wielder and a dual blade wielder, it was important for the spear wielder to maintain their distance from the blade wielder. Yan Liqiang’s spear thrust reflected this theory.
Such a move was good for dealing with an average swordsman, but to deal with him…
Morbeto laughed sinisterly in his heart. He had been cultivating the Dual Blades Breaking Spear Technique since he was ten years old. Therefore, how would he even pay any attention to Yan Liqiang’s technique? For such a thrusting technique, he only needed to block, slide, then use his first blade to cut off his opponent’s hand and his second blade to send his opponent’s head flying without hesitation.
Morbeto blocked Yan Liqiang’s incoming spearhead with his scimitar. However, the moment he tried to deflect the spearhead, he realized that the powerful force coming through Yan Liqiang’s spear had exceeded his expectations. He could feel the spear coming toward him with the force of a sledgehammer knocking down the entire city gate through his blade. The momentum of the spear thrust did not reduce in the slightest as it continued piercing toward him. Morbeto was shocked…
However, Morbeto was still Morbeto. An ordinary competent warrior would’ve been at a loss in such a situation, but the scimitar in Morbeto’s hand twisted its course in a flash. He changed his steps, intending to dodge…
Unfortunately, his opponent was Yan Liqiang — a person who had just mastered Li Hongtu’s so-called ‘real spear technique’.
When the spear in his hands came into contact with Morbeto’s scimitar, Yan Liqiang felt that the spear in his hand was no longer a spear but rather a thought from his own consciousness. The moment the two weapons collided, Yan Liqiang was able to sense the change in Morbeto’s strength. It was an odd feeling, as if a messed up Rubik’s cube that was scattered had automatically reset to its original order. Even in the middle of a battle, Yan Liqiang was able to feel the odd yet beautiful rhythm…
Morbeto had not even shifted his technique, yet the changes in the strength and feel delivered from the spear had already given Yan Liqiang a clear idea on Morbeto’s next course of action — to evade and approach…
All techniques were virtual as a single technique was only an outer image of strength. Strength was the foundation and the change in strength was linked to thoughts forming the difference between real and fake, strong and weak, first and last. This then formed the difference in the comparison between the strong and the weak. There was one common ground between real, fake, strong, weak, first and last, not fake, not real, not strong, not weak, not first, and not last: the thought would’ve been exhausted before the strength was delivered. This was when the Yinyang field changed. Mastering this point would mean mastering the outcome of life or death and paving a path for a victorious situation.
This was the secret to strength hearing, or the real spear technique — predict the enemy’s move and evade the attack. A spear in hand keeps trouble away from god and devil.
Just when Morbeto was about to shift his technique, he discovered that Yan Liqiang had already made his move. The spear that looked so ordinary in Yan Liqiang’s hands seemed to have suddenly come alive. When he twirled, the long spear followed the scimitar in Morbeto’s hand, causing his technique to fail. The blades and spear were still closely sticking next to each other with absolutely no change in positions. At that moment, the bitterness from the failed technique almost made Morbeto spit blood.
What sort of spear technique was this? Morbeto was overwhelmed. He shifted his footsteps in an attempt to dodge the tip of the long spear. However, the third unexpected change happened. The moment the long spear deflected him, a frightening force instantly numbed Morbeto’s hand, and the scimitar he was holding was sent flying. It seemed that the long spear had already predicted his next move and the spearhead pierced toward his neck like a bullet with an increased speed of at least tenfold. Morbeto couldn’t even think about changing his technique. The spearhead of the fine steel long spear had predicted his every move and strength…
Although it sounded like a lengthy process, everything actually happened in just less than a second.
Shluk…!
Watching how the black spearhead pierced through Morbeto’s throat and protruded from the back of his neck, everyone on the stage thought their eyes were playing tricks on them. The details of the battle were not understood nor felt by those who stood at a distance. In their eyes, Morbeto charged toward Yan Liqiang with lightning speed and collided into him for a brief moment. After that… he slammed his own throat on Yan Liqiang’s spearhead…
The famous Phantom of the Wild Blade from the Gulang Plains was a first-class martial lord. Yet, he had just been killed like a dog by a stranger who appeared out of nowhere.
Was this all a dream?
Some people on the stage even rubbed their eyes, but the scene in front of them was self-explanatory…
The Moon Prayer Hall was in absolute silence. Only the sounds of blood dripping from Yan Liqiang’s spear onto the floor could be heard.
Morbeto struggled to keep his eyes wide open before losing consciousness. He slightly lowered his head in an attempt to see the cold spearhead underneath his chin. Until now, Morbeto found it hard to believe that he got killed just like that. His punctured throat with blood spilling out was trembling as if he was trying to say something. He wanted to ask Yan Liqiang for the name of the spear technique and the person who killed him. It was such a shame that it was extremely challenging for him to even utter a word in this situation…
Morbeto hands dropped and the other scimitar in his hand fell onto the floor with a loud ‘clang’. Everyone on the stage finally snapped back to reality.
Yan Liqiang withdrew the long spear in his hand, and a buzzing sound akin to the cry of a dragon was heard. The long spear bent and thrashed Morbeto’s body which weighed about two hundred jin like a ping pong ball twenty meters away. Morbeto’s body slammed into the wall of the Moon Prayer Hall with full force and his body slid down the wall like a lump of meat paste. Before the Shatu people could even react, Yan Liqiang picked up the scimitar that Morbeto dropped on the floor with his long spear and sent the scimitar flying instantly. It howled in the air while making its way toward the remaining Shatu people…
