Chapter 1484: Expensive Battle

A collective gasp rose from the crowd. However, there was no blood splattering, nor were guts spilling out. He Lingchuan saw He Yang raise his elbow, not retreating, but instead ducking into a forward lunge. The fierce saber energy almost grazed his scalp, slicing off a few strands of hair.

He Lingchuan had seen General Hong use this unethical move several times, and he himself had tried it once or twice with General Hong's Yinglong Spear in the Great Square Cauldron world. The moment he saw He Yang's unusual movement, he became instantly vigilant.

At the same time, He Lingchuan unleashed a handful of cold light. He Yang, facing him, saw twinkling points of light, as if countless needle-like rays were shooting towards him, and immediately raised his shield to block.

What He Lingchuan used were "Starlight Nails," purchased from the great armaments master, Ling Donglai. Their principle was similar to that of the "Pear Blossom Needles in a Rainstorm"—a light press of the mechanism would release over three hundred star-nails all at once, intended to cover the opponent's entire head and face.

This small item alone cost three hundred taels of silver (three hundred thousand coins).

Yes, he had always despised such extravagant behavior, but today he decided to adopt a different fighting style.

He Lingchuan didn't lie down; instead, he pushed off the ground with his forearm and sprang forward like a leopard. Most of the officials present couldn't even track his movement with their eyes.

Qing Yang, outside the arena, propped her chin on her hand, watching intently. He Xiao's skill must be considerable; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to defeat Fan Sheng, the Deputy Commander of the Tongxin Guard, back then. However, over the years, no one had gathered specific information about He Xiao's cultivation level.

Today, however, presented an opportunity.

He Yang raised his shield to block, and the starlight nails exploded upon contact with the shield surface, pushing him, shield and all, back three to four zhang.

The performance arena had limited space, so this push sent him directly to the wall.

Thick smoke billowed.

The smoke was also mixed with a special substance; those affected would experience dizziness, confusion of the five senses, and their reactions would be at least half a beat slower.

If not for the barrier set up in the arena, this smoke would have drifted into the audience stands.

He Lingchuan plunged into the smoke without a sound.

The Soul-Capturing Mirror exclaimed, "Kill him while you have the chance!"

It continued, "While the thick smoke obscures everyone's view, its master should simply go all out and strike down this He fellow."

He Lingchuan, however, ignored it.

He Yang wasn't the main concern; it was Qing Yang outside the arena, watching like a tiger, who demanded his continued caution.

He Yang's long scythe had shrunk to the size of a farmer's sickle, extremely sharp for carving and cutting. However, each attack was silent, giving him a great advantage in the obscured environment.

He Lingchuan could only predict his opponent's moves by the disturbance in the smoke. With several clanging sounds, the two fought blindly within the smoke, exchanging several blows.

The fight grew faster and fiercer.

Outsiders only heard incessant clanging, occasionally catching glimpses of cold glints rolling through the smoke, like lightning concealed within dark clouds.

Although He Yang appeared arrogant, he fought steadily and cautiously, showing almost no openings. Moreover, his true energy was bone-chillingly cold, which complemented the icy springs of Jade Spring Palace perfectly, amplifying his five parts of ability to eight parts. He Lingchuan felt waves of cold energy emanating from the blade, making his long saber heavier and heavier. Someone with weaker cultivation might find their entire arm frozen.

He Yang had a unique technique for wielding his scythe blade; besides the usual cutting and chiseling, he often subtly flickered and vibrated it. This made his opponent feel as if a venomous snake was intently watching them, highly skilled at close combat, and capable of biting at any moment.

Once, during a weapon entanglement, the scythe blade suddenly lengthened, like a venomous snake extending its fangs. If He Lingchuan hadn't pulled his hand back quickly, the web between his thumb and forefinger would have been pierced through with a bloody hole.

After just a dozen breaths, He Lingchuan was quickly becoming familiar with the long scythe's fighting style, and he provoked He Yang verbally:

"Commander He, you wield a scythe so well, you really should go help in the fields during the autumn harvest."

He Yang sneered, "Before opening up fields, I'll use your head as a sacrifice to the heavens!"

With a flick of his hand, five streaks of cold light shot out, aiming for He Lingchuan's eye sockets.

In that instant, he actually put away his crane-beak scythe and brought out the tiger claw!

If He Lingchuan hadn't pulled his head back quickly, not only would his face have been disfigured, but his eyeballs would have been gouged out.

The mirror muttered incessantly, "This guy's tough to beat, really tough! That old woman is also staring at you, completely focused."

He Lingchuan really wanted to slap the mirror; if it couldn't help, it should stop talking and just adding to the tension.

However, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Qing Yang had indeed sat up straight, her gaze deep and focused, with her hands clasped beneath her chin. This posture usually indicated deep thought.

The smoke earlier had not obstructed her vision at all. She hadn't missed a single detail of their battle.

He Yang had intended to overwhelm his opponent with crushing force from the outset, to thoroughly intimidate King Yao, but He Xiao was moving with ease and showed no signs of panic.

He Yang had been taught by her personally and always preferred to take unconventional approaches. Qing Yang had told him off many times, but she knew it was his nature. Fighting styles and temperament needed to align to unleash maximum combat power.

Yet, even from the start, He Xiao hadn't suffered any disadvantage. Had he researched He Yang's fighting style, or was he just adapting on the fly with his keen spiritual sense?

If it was the latter, this person was truly remarkable.

Just seeing his normal expression amidst He Yang's attacks, unaffected by the bone-chilling cold, revealed his profound cultivation. Moreover, his combat techniques were concise, fierce, and efficient. Although he tried to conceal it, Qing Yang could tell that this young man was a seasoned veteran of countless battles!

Killing techniques never required flashy embellishments.

Where did Shuangye find such a person in the first place?

As the smoke in the arena dispersed, everyone had an unobstructed view of He Lingchuan and He Yang's battle.

The two of them fought with increasing ferocity; even the petals falling from the old pear tree were swept away before they could reach their heads. Only one white petal drifted between them, visibly pausing in mid-air, then instantly being torn to shreds!

The tiger claw's attacks were fiercer than the crane scythe, but He Lingchuan was actually more accustomed to them because its fighting style was similar to Ah Xun's praying mantis hook, which also had a hook-and-spring motion.

These two exotic magical artifacts together were worth at least two to three hundred thousand, truly demonstrating the wealth of the disciples from Qing Palace.

If Ah Xun's weapon hadn't been too distinctive, He Lingchuan would have really wanted to take it out and spar with He Yang. He had practiced it for a long time and gained some insights.

Next, He Yang raised his hand again, unleashing four or five more magical artifacts, each with unique abilities, filling the arena with swirling rainbow lights.

The officials outside the arena were dazzled, letting out gasps of amazement.

Although this was the subordinate of the monarch's adversary, such a compact and spectacular battle was truly the best gift of the entire event today.

Like the other civil officials, Fan Shuang's eyesight was simply too poor to clearly see what was happening. His heart was practically in his throat, and it wasn't until he felt dizzy that he realized he had been holding his breath for a long time.

"Brother He, will Brother He still make it out alive?" he wondered.

"Was the Regent well-prepared today, perhaps even entrusting all his treasures to He Yang?"

Two and a half years ago, if He Lingchuan had encountered an opponent who was both skilled in combat and laden with magical artifacts, he probably wouldn't have lasted two exchanges.

The Soul-Capturing Mirror cried out, "Hey, hey, if this drags on, King Yao might want to call a halt."

King Yao, watching from his seat, saw He Xiao in perilous situations, his fingers pressing white against the armrest. He Xiao was indeed capable, but ultimately, he was a merchant. How could he be compared to a Qing Guard commander who lived by the blade? If the fight continued, someone would die.

It wasn't that King Yao cherished talent; rather, this match was essentially a contest between him and the Regent. If He Xiao were defeated and killed, he would lose significant face to Qing Yang at his own birthday celebration.

How unpleasant that would be!

The slight advantage he had painstakingly gained over Qing Yang in the early stages couldn't be lost now.

He Lingchuan paid no attention to the mirror's words.

King Yao didn't care about his life or death, and besides, calling a premature halt would be akin to prematurely submitting to Qing Yang. How could he do that?

However, the mirror was right about one thing: it was not advisable to drag it on any longer. Qing Yang was experienced; she could deduce much from even the slightest hint.

Thinking of this, He Lingchuan swept his long saber diagonally. While He Yang was entangled with his claw, He Lingchuan used a "Relying on the Mountain Swing" to knock him back four chi, then swiftly retreated a zhang himself, and threw something at He Yang's head.

It was a pinky-finger length, square seal.

But it grew as it caught the wind.

So, directly above He Yang's head, a large seal appeared, crashing down swiftly and powerfully.

The Heaven-Overturning Seal.

If anyone had good eyesight, they would also notice several chips on the bottom of the seal and two cracks on its body.

This was a magical artifact He Lingchuan had picked up from the Ghost King's underground palace. After entrusting it to Songyang Prefecture for repairs, a few usable pieces were salvaged, and this Heaven-Overturning Seal was one of them.

He Yang was no pushover; sensing a change in the light above his head, he didn't waste time looking up, immediately executing a rolling dodge, moving two zhang away.

With a loud "boom," even the cups on King Yao's table trembled, spilling two drops of wine.

It's important to note that a barrier had been activated in the performance arena during the royal martial arts competition to protect King Yao and the audience. Only a small portion of the vibrations and attacks from within the arena could transmit outside.

Where He Yang had been standing, a "small mountain" now stood, three zhang high. The Heaven-Overturning Seal was carved with landscapes on its top, and now, magnified proportionately, it looked like an extraordinarily tall rockery, easily capable of concealing more than a dozen people.

The audience exclaimed in surprise, having not expected so many magical artifacts to appear in today's martial arts competition. This one event alone was worth how many years of past competitions?

So, it wasn't just the Regent who had treasures; this Island Lord He also had hidden gems.

It was no surprise that He Yang, as Qing Yang's confidant, possessed treasures. As the lord of Yangshan, He Xiao was rumored to have countless sunken treasures in his waters—perhaps this was one of them?

Regardless, today's spectacle was certainly enjoyable.

He Yang had just dodged the enormous seal crashing down when two whistling streaks of cold light shot out from its top, heading straight for his face.

Two sleeve darts.

Another figure appeared on the "rockery."

He Xiao.

He Yang dodged, then silently leaped onto it. He certainly didn't have a habit of passively taking blows.

All that could be heard on the rockery was clanging and sparks flying. In the blink of an eye, they exchanged another four or five rounds of blows.

The rockery was narrow and steep, covered in protruding rocks and sharp edges. He Yang was now wielding the crane-beak scythe, which was too cumbersome. With a flick of his hand, it transformed into a short scythe. Standing on the rockery, he looked just like a herb gatherer.

He Lingchuan held the Soul-Capturing Shield in his left hand and the "Madam Zhu's Kiss" venomous dagger in his right, aiming every strike at He Yang's vital upper, middle, and lower body areas.

He had changed his weapon in time. The area was full of narrow crevices, making agile movement difficult, thus, in confined spaces, a short weapon meant greater peril.