Chapter 500: 2V2?

Chapter 498: 2v2?

Fan Sheng snorted, "You attacked me for no reason, and now you're talking nonsense!" With that, he swung his axe at a wooden pillar. "Come down and die!"

The wooden pillar snapped instantly, crumbling like straw under his hand. This fellow possessed monstrous strength, surpassing even Meng Shan, and his combat skills and demeanor were far superior. Where did such a... no, such *two* monsters come from, and why are they staying in the Caster's room?

He Lingchuan sighed, "Are you an external reinforcement invited by Zhongsun Mou, or are you with Cen Boqing's faction?" With such a commotion, the inn's occupants weren't dead; everyone from the staff to the guests poked their heads out, only to flee in terror at the sight. Only the innkeeper stood at the entrance, his face contorted in a grimace, bowing to the two men and the bear. "Good sirs, please have mercy on my livelihood!"

Fan Sheng responded by swinging his axe again, severing a second pillar. With both pillars gone, the wooden beam could no longer hold, and it crashed down with a roar.

He Lingchuan was incredibly agile; as soon as Fan Sheng revealed his axe, he slipped out through the hole in the roof again. His target was the room Fan Sheng had burst out of. The room's wall had a large hole torn by the giant bear. He Lingchuan stepped inside and pulled out his mirror, shining it around. "Find clues, quickly!"

The room was dim, unlit except for the natural light from outside. Besides a bed, there was a square table and two round stools. The tabletop was bare, with only some scattered fragments. But such conditions were no challenge for the Soul-Capturing Mirror. "There are two drops of blood on the chair," the mirror instantly reported upon scanning. "There was some on the table too, but it's been wiped away—hey, not this one, the chair opposite!" "Could you be clearer?" He Lingchuan retorted just as his peripheral vision caught a movement.

He turned his head and saw Fan Sheng had also jumped up. He Lingchuan quickly snapped the chair in half and tossed it into his storage ring.

Just then, flames suddenly erupted underfoot and in all four corners of the room. The flames were a strange dark purple, burning incredibly fast, igniting anything they touched as if fueled by an accelerant. In just two breaths, the entire room was engulfed in raging fire. Damn it, he'd fallen for their ambush after all! He Lingchuan cursed under his breath, turning to escape, when the mirror cried out, "And these fragments! Don't miss them!"

"Can you just say everything at once?" He casually grabbed a leather pouch, the one left from buying roasted chicken last time, then swept his arm, scooping all the wooden fragments from the table into the pouch. Just that extra motion, and Fan Sheng arrived just as the fire erupted, purple flames spewing in all directions. Sensing the virulent fire-poison, he was unwilling to confront it directly and stepped back two paces. He saw He Lingchuan's figure flashing within the flames, yet not howling or thrashing. He frowned slightly.

He Lingchuan tucked the leather pouch into his storage ring and rushed out of the room from the other side. Fan Sheng followed like a shadow. His movements weren't as agile as He Lingchuan's, but his speed was genuinely fast. He threw his left-hand axe, which spun straight for He Lingchuan's nape. The onlookers only saw a blur in the air. This flying axe had severed countless heads.

He Lingchuan didn't even turn his head, throwing something back that struck the axe with a clang. The axe was deflected, spun around, and returned to its master. Fan Sheng saw clearly that what had struck the axe was a chest guard mirror. It spun several times in mid-air, reflecting blindingly bright light directly into his eyes.

He quickly raised his arm to block the light. Just then, a brown blur lunged from the ground, followed by a soul-stirring tiger roar. Jiao Yu had arrived. Fan Sheng, inconveniently in mid-air, simply swung his axe straight at its forehead.

Jiao Yu's move was a feint; its hind legs didn't leave the ground. It twisted its body and darted out, then followed with another roar: "The Lieutenant General of Hundred Mountains is here! State your name!" Simultaneously, three projectiles, all wreathed in purple flames, attacked from the side. This fire was inextinguishable by patting, and Fan Sheng didn't want to touch it, so he raised his axe and knocked them away. Blade shadows flickered before him again.

He Lingchuan struck while the iron was hot, launching a jumping attack, bringing his Fleeting Life Blade down directly. It was finally his turn to take the initiative. At this moment, with a gesture of his left hand, the chest guard mirror returned to his grasp.

His blade aura wasn't as solid as his opponent's, but now, imbued with purple flames, it gained a power bonus. He unleashed a continuous Seven Kills, and fire and blade energy crisscrossed the air. The opponent blocked three strikes. Just as he was about to be hit by a blade, he expanded his chest, pulled in his abdomen, took a deep breath, and then exhaled forcefully. He shot backward by a zhang, as fast as a batted baseball. What was that? He Lingchuan was slightly startled. Toad Skill?

Now the tables had turned; it was a man and a tiger besieging Fan Sheng. The fierce tiger, Jiao Yu, even found time to ask He Lingchuan, "Why didn't you call me when you left?" He Lingchuan had previously exited the inn by climbing out a window, the wooden window creaking clearly in the night. But that kid ran too fast, like he was fleeing for his life, climbing high and darting low; it was difficult for Jiao Yu to keep up.

Suddenly, with a loud crash, the inn's main door was blown off, and the giant bear Fan Bao came charging, roaring fiercely. Two against one, ganging up on its brother? Unacceptable! Back to two-on-two? He Lingchuan sneered, "Dream on." The moment the giant bear's figure burst through the door, He Lingchuan threw something toward the inn's entrance. It was only palm-sized, inconspicuous amidst the showering embers from the second floor.

But the moment it landed, it transformed into a ten-foot-tall golden-armored bronze figure! The door panels knocked off by the giant bear landed right at its feet. Or rather, the golden-armored bronze figure materialized precisely beside the door panels. Following He Lingchuan's command, it raised a hand, picked up the two overlapping door panels from the ground, and took a golf swing stance! Whether it was standard or not, He Lingchuan didn't know; he'd never had the chance to learn. But the effect was outstanding.

The heavy door panels were made of old beech wood, having withstood twenty years of wind and rain here, their quality still excellent. The golden-armored bronze figure swung the panels, hitting the giant bear squarely on its thick rear. With a resounding "thwack," clearly heard by all onlookers, the monster, weighing over two thousand pounds, was sent tumbling like a gourd, rolling and crashing into the base of the burning room. That area was already close to being burnt to a crisp; with this impact, it collapsed completely.

The two door panels in the golden-armored bronze figure's hands also snapped simultaneously, having fulfilled their purpose. "Fan Bao!" Fan Sheng exclaimed in surprise. He was answered by a bear's roar. This time, the raging bear burst out even faster because its entire body was on fire. That astonishing impact seemed less damaging than the purple flames. This fire couldn't be extinguished by rolling, and the giant bear's continuous thrashing on the ground had no effect. In contrast, He Lingchuan had moved through the fire earlier as if nothing was amiss; the purple flames seemed to have no interest in him at all. Fan Sheng knew at a glance that this fellow possessed a fire-warding artifact, and a high-grade one at that.

He Lingchuan wouldn't miss this excellent opportunity, rushing forward with a series of slashes. The fierce tiger cooperated from the side. This Fan Sheng was truly formidable; fighting two opponents while still concerned about Fan Bao's injuries, he didn't lose any ground and could even call out to his companion: "Fan Bao, over here!"

The large bear rolled twice, realizing the flames couldn't be extinguished, and then charged directly towards Fan Sheng. The golden-armored bronze figure immediately intercepted. In his battle with Fan Sheng, He Lingchuan had to maintain absolute focus, without a single mistake; on the other side, he also had to divide his attention to control the golden-armored bronze figure, blocking the raging bear's advance. He was used to fighting this way before, but this time it was incredibly strenuous. Dealing with Fan Sheng was more dangerous and mentally taxing. That fellow was too ruthless, especially the sickening slowing effect of the ice crystals brought by his spinning axe. He Lingchuan was ultimately distracted and was kicked in the abdomen by Fan Sheng, flying back a zhang.

Blood seeped from the corner of He Lingchuan's mouth. The golden-armored bronze figure's movements suddenly faltered. Seeing the opportunity, the raging bear slipped past it and lunged to Fan Sheng's side. The golden-armored bronze figure immediately ran back. He Lingchuan saw that Fan Sheng intended to help the giant bear extinguish the fire and immediately used all his strength to keep him engaged. Fan Sheng couldn't free his hands, and hearing Fan Bao's pained howls, his killing intent flared.

Before, it had just been a warm-up; his true killing moves hadn't been unleashed yet. This brat was asking for it! A brilliant white light erupted from Fan Sheng's body, his eyes turning slightly blue. He brought his two axes together and roared, "Imprison!" The swirling ice crystals nearby seemed to obey his command, rapidly converging on He Lingchuan, carried by the force of the wind. Once they collided, they instantly merged, transforming from ordinary snowflake size into large blocks of solid ice! Out of nowhere, He Lingchuan's hands and legs were suddenly encased in ice shackles. He was in high-speed motion, and now his actions were impeded, causing him to stumble and fall forward.

How could Fan Sheng miss this chance? He moved with his axe, intending to take He Lingchuan's head. His momentum was as swift as lightning. Jiao Yu was greatly alarmed; by the time he tried to provide emergency aid, it was already too late. The flashing axe blade, gleaming with cold light, finally sliced across He Lingchuan's neck.

The surrounding common folk gasped in shock at the sight; some women even shrieked and turned their heads, unable to bear witnessing He Lingchuan's head fall. Fan Sheng, however, secretly thought, *This isn't right.* The strike felt too light, completely lacking the sensation of cutting through flesh and blood; it was more like slicing through air. Damn it.

And behind him, He Lingchuan's figure suddenly appeared in the golden-armored bronze figure's palm. The young man's face was grim. Tapping his toes on the bronze figure's arm, he launched himself with full force towards the back of Fan Sheng's head. This was a swift and brief "Swallow Strike." The opponent was too strong; he had even used a trump card like "Substitution with a Replica," barely managing to gain this opportunity, determined to succeed in a single strike!

The blade gleamed like lightning; this time, it was his turn to target Fan Sheng's nape. At that critical moment, a fiery black mass suddenly appeared behind Fan Sheng. The giant bear launched an accelerated charge, wedging itself between the two, while a layer of bright yellow battle armor emerged on its body. This was battle armor forged from the essence of earth combined with the raging bear's natural talent, harder than refined gold and capable of flexible deployment. The timing was perfectly precise; it had just positioned itself as a shield, forcefully blocking the blade for Fan Sheng.

Everyone heard a crisp crack, like a hammer smashing a walnut. Where the Fleeting Life Blade passed, the armor shattered, flesh separated, and a string of blood beads splattered. Amidst its pained roars, the giant bear sent Fan Sheng staggering. Ignoring its injuries, it spun around and slapped He Lingchuan fiercely with its other bear paw, larger than a winnowing basket. That paw also had sharp claws over four inches long, faintly glowing red, capable of disemboweling anyone they struck.

He Lingchuan had no time to retract his blade. He raised his left wrist, forcing his mirror-shield in front of him. With a loud bang, he was sent flying two zhang away, crashing into the burning inn.