Chapter 4487 — A Change of Opponent
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
Seeing the chief head's look of utter shock and collapse, Wei Zhao knew this was likely no private feud. Cheng Haonan had simply changed his strategy.
On reflection, it made sense. Wei Zhao did not consider himself sure of beating Cheng Haonan—and Cheng Haonan, fresh off a victory, likewise could not claim with any confidence that he had Wei Zhao measured.
Of Wei Zhao's earlier showing against Wu Baoliang, what had impressed the crowd most, and what they most loved to recount, was that turning of a technique back upon its master. But Cheng Haonan had noticed another detail of vital importance: this creature possessed a cockroach-like deathless constitution, and an inexhaustible reserve of stamina and true qi.
Hard as it was to believe, this was indeed the conclusion Cheng Haonan had drawn from watching. After being defeated by Wu Baoliang the first time, the man had rested for merely the time of a stick of incense; yet when this Ling Yi took the stage again, not only was he entirely free of injury, his true qi was abundant as well.
The latter point especially had been brought out to the fullest, both in the two later duels with Wu Baoliang and in the bout with Cheng Haonan himself just now. The fellow gave one the impression of a monster with limitless true qi, utterly beyond the measure of common sense.
Injuries that healed in an instant, true qi without end—facing an opponent so heaven-defying and uncanny, even Cheng Haonan, victor though he had just been, still had not the slightest confidence. His foe did not fear attrition. He did.
For all that he was a master of physical technique, and the true qi spent in each punch and kick was minute, seemingly negligible, far more enduring than the average expert—once the fighting dragged on, his true qi would still run dry in the end.
In that exchange of heavy blows with Wei Zhao just now, especially at the last, when he had been forced to unleash his bottom-of-the-box full-body darkening, at least half his true qi had been spent.
Full-body darkening was the unique ultimate technique Cheng Haonan had painstakingly cultivated in recent years since turning to the evil path. By stimulating the meridians and acupoints throughout his body with evil qi, it made his already formidable physical technique more invincible and overbearing still, giving the impression of a cheat suddenly switched on. In the full-body darkened state, Cheng Haonan could crush the vast majority of peak mid-Nascent Soul experts.
A move so powerful naturally drained true qi at an extraordinary rate. So unless it came to a genuine fight, Cheng Haonan generally would not lightly enter this state—first, for fear that the evil qi about him might be noticed by the discerning; second, for fear that spending too much true qi would leave him feeble in the later going.
And now, less than half his true qi remained, and he was wounded besides. Were he to face Wei Zhao again at full strength, he would almost certainly suffer badly; even if he won in the end, he would surely be ruined along with his opponent, with consequences too dreadful to contemplate.
So though he knew full well what a rare chance this was, Cheng Haonan dared not press the pursuit of Wei Zhao at this moment. He could not afford to take that risk! (To be continued..) R527