Chapter 2001 — So Moved! Wei Zhao Must Find a Countermeasure—Without One, He Can Hardly Defeat the Earth-Rank Man in Black
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Even as he healed his wounds and replenished his strength, Wei Zhao's mind raced, groping for a way out. But under the circumstances before him there was no other way at all: his strength fell short, his martial skill fell short, his mental cultivation... yes—his mental cultivation!
Wei Zhao had all along been using the first layer of the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art to heal his injuries and restore his strength, yet he had never once tried the second layer for that purpose. Back then it was because his command of the first layer had grown so proficient that there was no need to call upon the second; and so his use of the second layer had been plain and single-minded, and he had never done anything else with it.
At the thought, Wei Zhao swiftly shifted the art from the first layer to the second. The next moment, his injuries began to mend at two or three times their former speed, and the true qi he had lost was rushing back into his body at a rate many times faster than before!
At this Wei Zhao was overjoyed—and even in his joy he silently cursed himself for a fool. Had he only used the art this way from the start to replenish his strength and heal his hurts, he would never have fallen into such a wretched state. At the very least, in a straight clash of blows like this, he would no longer come off the worse!
Of course, the situation today was pure chance. The Earth-Rank man in black had come with a purpose; anyone else would never have traded blow for blow with a skilled hand like Wei Zhao, who possessed such formidable martial techniques.
But he could not get past Wei Zhao, and so he could forget about killing Xu Shilan. And Wei Zhao had met him head-on from the very first exchange, fighting with utter desperation, leaving the Earth-Rank man in black no choice at all—he could not simply keep dodging forever, could he? And even if he dodged, it would be a single dodge; if Wei Zhao followed with a feint and then a real strike, he would be in danger.
Besides, as a mid Earth-Rank expert, he had his pride, and he had no wish whatsoever to show weakness before Wei Zhao, an early Earth-Rank expert. He was two whole ranks above the man—why should he dodge?
But above all, the Earth-Rank man in black believed his own strength greater than Wei Zhao's, and that if they wore each other down like this, the first to die would surely be Wei Zhao. And in truth, after five successive collisions, had Wei Zhao not discovered that the second layer of the art could heal him and restore his strength faster, a few more exchanges would certainly have killed him.
So when the Earth-Rank man in black spoke those words, it was also to sound Wei Zhao out, to see whether his estimate was right. If Wei Zhao truly was an early Earth-Rank expert, then no matter how formidable he was, one or two more exchanges would surely finish him.
"I told you already—it ends only in death. Let us continue!" Wei Zhao rose to his feet and looked at the man in black with a smile.
Matters had come to such a pass that Wei Zhao could not possibly let the Earth-Rank man in black go. Never mind whether the man's word could be trusted, whether he would spare Wei Zhao's family—simply from the way things stood, Wei Zhao could not abandon Xu Shilan and walk away alone!
Moreover, the Earth-Rank man in black had to die. He had already learned Wei Zhao's background and true strength; once he returned and spread the word, once it reached the ears of Wei Zhao's enemies, his true power would be laid bare. And would the clan whose three Earth-Rank experts Wei Zhao had killed ever let the matter rest?
So no matter what, he could not compromise.