Chapter 179: Eternal Red (9)

Chapter 179: Eternal Red (9)

Wu Yulan blasts forward, though it is so fast that I do not detect any movement at all. To me, it appears as though she simply appears next to the fox, in mid-air, above and to the right of the beasts head. Her blade precisely follows the bright white line, carving through it as though it is supposed to be an obstacle to her sword, but in reality, it only accelerates her edge and sharpens it.

The speed with which the fox reacts is equally as impressive as Wu Yulans speed.

It turns its body into the path of the slash and opens its maw wide. A cluster of sword Qi appears in its mouth, shimmering black and white as it collects and forms a powerful core of martial technique.

Indeed, it is not just a barbaric blast of energy that Core Formation beasts are capable of. This sphere of condensed sword energy is controlled and even contains profound, formulaic energy like a prototypical martial art.

When it comes to mote-for-mote sword energy, not even Wu Yulan could compete with this fox. However, when it comes to the speed of gathering energy and the degree to which it can be compressed, not even ten of these foxes could compare to Wu Yulan and her [Eternal Moment Swordsmanship].

The art of the paradoxical concepts of eternity and transience is a potent force expressed in moments in which the sword is both immutable and ever-changing; that is to say, the force remains the same, while the vector may be expressed freely.

To Wu Yulan who comprehended the second layer of this art Emergent Nihility there can be no obstacle to prevent her sword from existing for a single, eternal moment and then returning to nothingness.

When her blade strikes the sphere of condensed sword energy, it comes with enough force to flatten the grass in the forest around them and emit a pulse of pure sword energy from the unraveling profound laws. Even though Wu Yulans energy is far greater than that of the foxs sphere, it can make no progress beyond the inner core of the sphere.

The white line that marks the path of Wu Yulans sword strike disperses.

At that moment, another six lines appear around the fox, marking slashes from all directions. Just as the lines appear, Wu Yulans sword intent and energy burst from her sword in a cluster of white and cyan light, in the shape of snowflakes, that swarm around the fox.

Caught in a brilliant tandem attack by these two, not even this fox can react in time to avoid damage. Lan Xiaohuis hand cuts across the foxs face, tearing flesh and bone apart as her hand buries itself halfway into her opponents skull, discharging all her gathered energy into the motion.

The fox roars, turns, and slams its six tails into Lan Xiaohuis body, launching her also in the same direction that it launched Wu Yulan, breaking several of my owners ribs, but then it rolls on the floor and howls miserably.

When Lan Xiaohui impacts the ground, hundreds of steps away from the fox, and comes to a stop, another fifty steps away from where she initially impacted the ground, both her useless left arm and more of her ribs break.

Not far from her, further away in the direction her trajectory took her, the unconscious and bloody form of Wu Yulan lies on the ground. At first, Wu Yulan appears to be dead, but in the several seconds it takes for my owner to climb to her feet, I notice signs of life in her companion, although merely hanging on by a thread.

What Lan Xiaohui does next is logical. That blow from the fox was enough to nearly knock my owner unconscious also, and with her diminished capacity, the only thing she can think of doing is picking Wu Yulan up, with her one remaining good arm, and trying to drag the other girl to safety.

Meanwhile, the foxs miserable howls have turned furious and explosions ring in the distance.

With both their Qi depleted and their auras nearly extinguished, finding them in the blizzard will be difficult.

Given the circumstances now, a path forward appears.

Run, I tell Lan Xiaohui.

Normally, I would never condone such an action. The sword never yields, relents, or retreats. But the path of a sword cultivator is always evolving. At least for now, and considering the inconvenience of finding a new owner, running is, in fact, an option.