"Boom!"
Mr. Dain was closest to Shenhe, and thus, more affected.
After he said, "It's none of your business," a brief silence fell between Mr. Dain and Shenhe.
The silence was then broken by the sound of wind. Mr. Dain saw the giant boulder Shenhe was holding fly rapidly towards him—Shenhe had thrown the boulder down.
"Crack—" Amidst the trembling of the earth and the loud crash of crumbling rock, a barely audible rustle of grass emerged.
In the distance, Mr. Dain calmly watched the dust-filled air. Not only did his expression remain unchanged, but even his breathing showed no fluctuations.
His teleportation was even more skilled than that of an Abyss Mage.
"Whoosh—"
A gap suddenly opened in the large cloud of brownish dust. Then, Shenhe's figure shot out from the gap. In her hand, she held a sharp, light-blue Polearm.
Shenhe spun and swept her Polearm horizontally, intending to use the accumulated momentum to take down Mr. Dain in one go, but he parried with his bent arm.
"Clang!"
Sparks flew. The leather-like sleeve guard on Mr. Dain's arm was unexpectedly hard. The blade of the Polearm, crafted from an exotic crystal, struck it without leaving even a scratch.
He raised his arm and pushed outwards, deflecting the Calamity Queller that had struck his arm. Shenhe's guard was consequently left wide open.
Mr. Dain stepped forward, instantly closing the distance between himself and Shenhe.
As a disciple of the Adepti who cultivated in the mountains, Shenhe not only studied adeptal arts but also possessed first-rate martial prowess.
She knew better than anyone the consequences of being grappled at close quarters while wielding a Polearm. Not to mention, her opponent in close combat was a powerful individual like Mr. Dain.
Shenhe quickly retreated, simultaneously thrusting her Polearm straight forward. The sharp spear tip moved back and forth, its cold gleam forming a sharp net of blades. Anything caught within it would be riddled with holes.
Unfortunately, these attacks had no effect on Mr. Dain. The Polearm's thrusts were fast, but Mr. Dain's movements were even faster.
He weaved and dodged within the fine net woven by the spear tip, each time narrowly evading the point.
No matter how fine a net, there will always be fish that cannot be caught. And Mr. Dain was undoubtedly that uncatchable fish.
"So…so amazing."
Xingqiu didn't know where he pulled out a pair of glasses, putting them on and watching the scene unfolding before him with rapt attention.
The two's movements were subtle, limited to physical clashes, but the commotion they caused was by no means small.
Each forward thrust of the Polearm brought not only the sharp spearhead but also booming waves of air.
The airwaves, propelled by the spear tip, swept across the ground, instantly carving several trenches, demonstrating the immense power of the wielder.
But Mr. Dain was no less impressive. Shenhe's spear techniques were continuous and impenetrable, with every strike landing with precision.
As he dodged, Mr. Dain found that there were always a few strikes he couldn't avoid.
So, he extended his palm and slapped horizontally, intending to deflect the incoming spear shaft.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Even more jarring than the sound of the spear tip cutting through the air was the thud of Mr. Dain's heavy blows against the spear shaft. Each strike compressed the air between them, creating a gust of wind that ravaged the ground.
It must be said that Shenhe not only possessed great strength but also wielded a first-rate divine weapon in her Polearm.
In such circumstances, if it were an ordinary person, their weapon would either break or they would be shaken to death by the reverberating force. Yet, Shenhe merely flushed slightly and her breathing became a bit hurried.
"Tsk, it seems your aunt's poker face isn't as good as Mr. Dain's." Ember propped his glasses with both hands in front of his line of sight, lamenting.
"Hey! Senior, you're going to break the glasses!" Xingqiu, seeing the glasses warped by Ember's grip, couldn't help but remind him.
These glasses had been with him for a long time; if they broke, he would be heartbroken for a while.
"Here, take them back. They're such a hassle to use." Ember returned the snatched glasses to Xingqiu.
He had originally wanted to try what it felt like to wear glasses, but he found his helmet was too big, and the glasses simply wouldn't fit.
"It's your head that's too big," Xingqiu muttered under his breath. Ember pretended not to hear him.
"Phew… that really startled me. It seems Mr. Dain is quite powerful, so there shouldn't be any problems." Chongyun, due to his long years of travel and frequent meditation, naturally had much better eyesight than Xingqiu.
Who told Xingqiu that he liked to read wuxia novels even when he was performing acts of chivalry?
"Are you implying that if Mr. Dain weren't strong, there would be a big problem?" Ember scratched his head, asking in confusion.
Chongyun sighed at this, then explained: "Senior, you don't know, my aunt, Shenhe, is a person with a difficult fate."
"The Adepti once divined for her, saying she was afflicted by the Solitary Star and the Calamity Star, a rare and ominous fate encountered only once in a millennium."
"No? Is there something wrong with you? You're a once-in-a-millennium occurrence? Your aunt is also a once-in-a-millennium occurrence? How can 'once-in-a-millennium' be so common? Two of them popping up at once?"
Ember pointed out the blind spot in Chongyun's words. How could "once-in-a-millennium" be like a wholesale item? Coming in pairs?
"It might be a modifier, not a literal description." Xingqiu pushed up his glasses, adopting the demeanor of a Scholar.
"I think that's possible. Many physiques are also claimed to be once-in-a-millennium, but my family records quite a few." Chongyun nodded, unusually agreeing with Xingqiu.
"We're getting off-topic. Continue talking about your aunt!" Ember patted the thoughtful Chongyun, reminding him.
"Oh? Oh!" Chongyun's head recoiled, and he snapped back to attention. What was going on? When did his thoughts become so scattered?
It seems he needed to meditate more often. Chongyun secretly admonished himself. After organizing his words, he continued:
"With such a fate, my aunt's experiences are imaginable. In short, after many things happened, my aunt was left all alone."
"The Adepti saw her special physique and her solitude, so they took her in as a disciple. Because her physique carried too much ill omen and killing intent, they bound her calamity-causing energy with red ropes."
"Unfortunately, these red ropes also restricted my aunt's emotions." Chongyun sighed a few times as he spoke.
He had also learned these things from his elders. Compared to his own experiences, Chongyun felt incredibly fortunate.
As someone with a Pure Yang Body, at most, he would occasionally get hot-headed, unlike Shenhe, whose fierce energy could easily harm others and even more easily harm herself.
"So that's why your aunt is so fierce?" Xingqiu seemed to have a sudden realization. So that was the reason Shenhe always gave him a sense of ferocity. He had truly misunderstood her.
"Yes, my aunt, living deep in the mountains, is unfamiliar with worldly affairs, and her emotions are suppressed. Her actions are quite different from ordinary people. This is also why I was so worried about Mr. Dain earlier."
Chongyun nodded. In fact, he had understated it. Shenhe couldn't even be described as unfamiliar with worldly affairs; rather, she didn't understand common sense, couldn't distinguish between right and wrong, and didn't know her limits.
In short, she was a stubborn individual who tackled everything head-on, completely unaware of how to adapt.
"The more you say that, the more I think Mr. Dain is amazing." Ember looked up again, towards Mr. Dain in the distance.
Shenhe's breathing was noticeably more erratic. Under Mr. Dain's relentless pressure, she was running out of room to retreat. Any further back, and she would hit the giant boulder she had just thrown down.
In contrast to Shenhe's erratic breathing, Mr. Dain still maintained his calm expression. Shenhe's sudden attack hadn't changed him, nor had the subsequent battle.
The Geo element was always known for its stability, but Ember felt that Mr. Dain's face was even more stable than the Geo Hypostasis; his face simply didn't change at all.
"Indeed, I think so too. Mr. Dain's strength is clearly superior to your aunt's," Xingqiu agreed, turning to Chongyun.
The battle between Mr. Dain and Shenhe was truly a feast for his eyes. It was far more spectacular than Ember setting off firecrackers or casting spells.
"Are you thinking something rude?" Ember turned his head and asked Xingqiu.
"No, I was just thinking if Senior should intervene. If they keep fighting, I'm afraid something might happen." Xingqiu decisively shook his head.
"It's not that simple; my aunt still has many techniques she hasn't used." Chongyun stroked his chin, his eyes fixed on Shenhe.
His fascination with Adeptal arts was no less than Xiangling's with cuisine or Xingqiu's with wuxia novels.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"