Liang Chen clenched his regrown hand a few times to check its state, giving an imperceptible nod when he saw that it was working as it should. His eyebrows twitched slightly as he finished checking his arm, his feet kicking off the ground as he shot to the side like a blur. More of Song Zhao's brown flames landed where Liang Chen had just been standing, the stone sizzling as it melted into a bubbling liquid hissing with steam.
His feet were just about to touch the ground again when the two remaining men suddenly unleashed a large burst of Qi, Song Zhao's flames bursting to life with vigour and instantly spreading to cover a larger area. The flames spread to cover several kilometres, Yumao quickly picking up and moving away the disciples that Liang Chen had brought along so that they weren't swept up in the battle.
Liang Chen immediately judged that there was no longer any place suitable for him to stand on the ground so he took to the sky, the raging wind around him lifting him into the air. He stopped a bit above the ground, the air solidifying beneath him so that he could have a semi-stable foothold.
All the land around the headquarters of the sect had become a bubbling muck of molten stone, steam briefly showing itself whenever a bubble sputtered in and out of existence. Liang Chen only had to look at the shimmer of heat above the muck, as well as the fact that all the rain evaporated before it even got within several metres of the land to realize just how warm it was.
But even so, Song Zhao and his men were standing in the liquid seemingly without problem, it was just that their expressions were grim and solemn as they gazed at him. Song Zhao was the strongest among them and thus his expression was the grimmest, because not even he had been able to properly follow Liang Chen as he moved. His expression was dim, not even the dirty glow of the molten land able to brighten it.
"My comrades, we are left with very little choice. Retreat to the entrance, we must use the lamentation."
Song Zhao spoke the words with a rather heavy heart, the Nine Wraths Lamentation was not something to be used lightly. The lamentation was one of the two trump cards each of the Nine Wrath affiliated sects had, being forced to use it meant that they were only a step away from being forced to use their own unique trump card, it meant that they were a step away from destruction.
The two men didn't dare dally, they knew how serious the situation was so they instantly charged for the main entrance. Liang Chen's hand moved slightly, some of the lightning that filled the sky shooting down towards the two men. But Song Zhao charged in front of it to block it for them, he had expected Liang Chen to move against them so he had been ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.
The lightning clashed with the brown flames that constantly swept out from his large sabre, the crackling and hissing sound almost threatening to drown out everything else as they cancelled each other out. Thanks to Song Zhao's guard, the two men reached the entrance safely, immediately sitting down.
A strange rippling defensive shield formed around them as they closed their eyes, their Qi flowing out in a steady stream and rushing into Song Zhao. He drew a deep breath as the energy flowed into him, several more streams reaching him from all over the city and the surrounding area. His aura immediately rose, like a fire that had just reached some kindling.
"To feel wrath is to feel lament, you cannot be furious without having something to lament. This is the Ninth Wrath, and thus the Ninth Lament, and we reserve it for the Wyvern plucked out of the sky, the eagle whose home was taken from him by covetous humans. I am Song Zhao, and I am the Wyvern's Wrath, the Sorrow of the Sky. They called you Storm Lord earlier, did they not? Then that is what I will call you. So come, Storm Lord, experience the sorrow and wrath of those who lost the sky."
Sorrow birthed wrath and wrath birthed new sorrow, hand in hand they went together towards tragedy. Song Zhao drew in the sorrow of all those who had lost their home in the sky, converted their hatred into fuel and power, had he been stronger then he may have been able to draw in all of that sorrow that was gathered here in Purgatory's Cradle.
Song Zhao gathered his newfound strength, the molten land beneath his feet rippling like a stormy ocean as he bent his knees slightly. When he straightened his legs again, he shot into the sky like a meteor, molten stone flung through the air like torrential rain.
Liang Chen's eyes flashed sharply, his spear smashing down as he slammed it towards the incoming Song Zhao. The spear met the sabre, the foothold Liang Chen had created instantly shattering as he was pushed into the sky, Song Zhao pursuing him like a maggot clinging to his bones.
The ever-present storm around them kept swirling around Liang Chen as he was pushed higher into the sky, sinking into his body to repair the fractured bones and ruptured veins that his arms suffered from blocking Song Zhao's sabre. His strength didn't grow by just a little after he used the Nine Wraths Lamentation, it wouldn't be their second-greatest trump card if it was weak.
In what felt like merely an instant, Liang Chen and Song Zhao had arrived a handful of kilometres above the city, just a small distance away from the dark clouds that covered the sky. But Liang Chen would not allow it to continue. Song Zhao was the lamentation of all the wyvern's that could not fly in the sky, but at this moment, Liang Chen was the dark clouds that sealed off the sky. And he would not give Song Zhao a chance to fly.
"Third Step shatters mortality."
A mutter so soft that it couldn't even be heard over the sound of the evaporating rain. But the effect of the mutter was everything but soft and subdued, it was an eruption of wind that sounded as if it was trying to break the eardrums of everyone in the city, more akin to a thunderous crack than the rumbling of thunder.
All the air within a few kilometres had instantly been gathered in the small space between Liang Chen and Song Zhao before finally getting detonated, instantly expanding back to its previous volume. Song Zhao had ascended so he was launched down again like a falling star, more of the surrounding storm sinking into Liang Chen to repair the damage he suffered as the expanding wind rushed over him.
But he didn't even wait for this damage to fully heal, his gaze locked on Song Zhao. A bolt of dull violet lightning left the clouds above him and shot straight down, Liang Chen latching onto it and riding it down as he chased Song Zhao. His spear stabbed downwards just as he was about to reach Song Zhao, all the might of the lightning spiralling around the tip of the weapon.
Song Zhao wasn't going to just act like a sitting duck so he ignored the fact that he was lying horizontally in the air and swept out with his sabre, smashing it into the side of Liang Chen's spear. Liang Chen's bones vibrated and cracked slightly from the impact, but Song Zhao wasn't much better, parts of the lightning jumped off of Liang Chen's weapon and arced onto his body.
He'd never felt lightning like this before, it felt like it would scorch his very soul if he was unattentive with his defence. He could smell his own blood burning but he just grit his teeth and spat a glob of blood onto the wound produced by the lightning. The blood turned into dark brown fur, the lightning coursing through his flesh gathering around the hairs and forming small crystals crackling with power.
But while the lightning was dealt with, he still had to deal with the actual force behind the attack. He had deflected the spear so it couldn't pierce him, but the act of doing so pushed him to the side with quite the amount of force. And when the force of Liang Chen's attack was factored into that rebound force, Song Zhao ended up bouncing across the molten earth for more than just a few metres, smashing through even a handful of buildings before he finally stopped.
Liang Chen was also left in a somewhat awkward state, the redirection of his downward stab had thrown him completely off-balance. And coupled with the fact that he had yet to become truly accustomed to riding along with the lightning, he smashed into the molten earth at full speed. He passed right through the molten layer and crashed into what remained of the solid ground, the sheer force and speed behind his descent forcing the surrounding earth down to birth a new crater.
His body ached as he laid within the bottom of the crater, but he luckily had the surrounding storm to support him so he was able to regenerate quickly. This was the advantage of dabbling in body cultivation, especially one as peculiar as Liang Chen's, his recovery rate was far above his opponents.
But he didn't let that fact get to his head, springing into a standing position straight away and locking onto Song Zhao's distant position. His body twisted as he grabbed his spear, pouring his power into it while unleashing two techniques at once.
"Chaos King's Punch, Fourth Step Pierces the Sparrow."
He first unleashed one of the three techniques contained within the Chaos King technique, unleashing the devoured energy he had set aside for a moment like this. Then he amplified all that power through the fourth of his Dragon King's Six Steps to unleash carnage.
The crater around him was torn open by the arcs of lightning that roared out from his spear, spider-web like gorges appearing across the land and swallowing what remained of the molten earth. His spear left his grasp and shot forward, the air neatly splitting in front of it and allowing it to easily pierce through the earth as it rose diagonally to run Song Zhao through.
Song Zhao couldn't see the attack coming for him, but he could feel it, hear it. The soft whistling of air getting cleaved, the horrifying sensation of having something lock onto his heart, like a dragon barreling through the earth as it rushed towards him. But he was the Wyvern's Wrath, it didn't matter if the storm covered the sky to block him, he would just have to smash through that storm to clear the skies again, that was his duty towards all the other poor souls that had been plucked from the sky.
His back split open, his skin tearing so that blood could pour forth in great quantities. The blood solidified into a mushy imitation of two eagle-like wings on his back, the air groaning softly under the power gathered in them. Both wings shot forward, one greeting the incoming spear while the other tore itself off of Song Zhao's back and flew towards Liang Chen.
The wing that tore itself off and shot forward coiled around itself, forming a crimson spiral that dug through the earth as fast as lightning, reaching Liang Chen in practically only an instant. Liang Chen's energy gushed out to block the attack, but the crimson spiral strangely hopped forward at that second, seemingly teleporting right past his defence.
It dug into his chest and passed right through it, tearing a hole that was nearly two fists wide in his chest, just barely missing his heart as it practically took his entire left arm off at the shoulder. The surrounding storm instantly descended to heal his wounds, but the blood from the wing lingered on his wounds to block the storm and the growth of new flesh, drastically decreasing the speed at which he recuperated.
But Song Zhao didn't fare much better, his entire body tense and trembling faintly as he welcomed the spear. He didn't have any grand notions of blocking the attack, all he wanted to do was to deflect it. And thus, the outstretched wing met the spear, an almost blinding flash of dull violet light erupting from the weapon.
The lightning within the spear ravaged the area as it was unleashed, even the molten earth beneath Song Zhao evaporating from the heat. But what was worse was the fact that the lightning was as insidious as it was ferocious, it interfered with his nerves and the signals they sent, paralyzing him where he stood.
He could only rely on his Qi to move his blood, forcing his limbs to move by controlling the blood in his veins. But doing so was inevitably slower than normal, so the follow-up attack of his sword was a beat slower than he wanted it to be.
The crimson wing disintegrated under the force gathered in the spear, Song Zhao's sabre only reaching the spear by the time it was a handful of centimetres from his face. He used all his might to push the weapon to the side, the power and heat of the spear melting a two-finger wide indent into his sword.
He succeeded in pushing the spear aside, but it still cut across his shoulder as it flew past him, taking the crimson wing with it as it soared into the distance, tearing a path clean through the city. He had managed to deflect the attack and wound Liang Chen, but it had cost him both of his wings and borderline ruined his sword.
But what was even worse than that was the fact that this still wasn't the end, all that hadn't been enough to take down a cultivator two small realms beneath him. He spat out a mouthful of blood, the blood already so coagulated that it was like jelly. Had it not been for his strong blood then the poison contained within the spear would have already blocked off his heart and brain, ending him on the spot.
He grit his teeth and focused his gaze towards the front, as if he was trying to peer through the small hole the spear had left in the earth. The blood that ran out of his mouth started to wriggle and twist, sinking into his eyes and turning them crimson while also forming small fangs in his mouth.
"Come, Storm Lord, this isn't over yet."
A voice so insignificant in the storm that it seemed pointless, but it reached Liang Chen nonetheless. He spat out a heavy breath and focused his gaze, ignoring the pain of his slowly repairing body. Song Zhao was strong, extremely strong, this was something Liang Chen had to acknowledge. This was probably the most even fight Liang Chen had had in a long time, one wrong step and he might lose.
But he wouldn't allow himself to lose, he couldn't lose. His gaze pierced through the earth and was locked solely on Song Zhao, his Qi surging and roiling. The land beneath his feet slowly started to lose all colour, taking on an almost bone-like texture before it slowly started to turn into ashen sand. He wasn't done yet, he had more to give. So the end of all existence slowly started to rear its head, the Void creeping out as Liang Chen gathered his strength.
Liang Chen clenched his regrown hand a few times to check its state, giving an imperceptible nod when he saw that it was working as it should. His eyebrows twitched slightly as he finished checking his arm, his feet kicking off the ground as he shot to the side like a blur. More of Song Zhao's brown flames landed where Liang Chen had just been standing, the stone sizzling as it melted into a bubbling liquid hissing with steam.
His feet were just about to touch the ground again when the two remaining men suddenly unleashed a large burst of Qi, Song Zhao's flames bursting to life with vigour and instantly spreading to cover a larger area. The flames spread to cover several kilometres, Yumao quickly picking up and moving away the disciples that Liang Chen had brought along so that they weren't swept up in the battle.
Liang Chen immediately judged that there was no longer any place suitable for him to stand on the ground so he took to the sky, the raging wind around him lifting him into the air. He stopped a bit above the ground, the air solidifying beneath him so that he could have a semi-stable foothold.
All the land around the headquarters of the sect had become a bubbling muck of molten stone, steam briefly showing itself whenever a bubble sputtered in and out of existence. Liang Chen only had to look at the shimmer of heat above the muck, as well as the fact that all the rain evaporated before it even got within several metres of the land to realize just how warm it was.
But even so, Song Zhao and his men were standing in the liquid seemingly without problem, it was just that their expressions were grim and solemn as they gazed at him. Song Zhao was the strongest among them and thus his expression was the grimmest, because not even he had been able to properly follow Liang Chen as he moved. His expression was dim, not even the dirty glow of the molten land able to brighten it.
"My comrades, we are left with very little choice. Retreat to the entrance, we must use the lamentation."
Song Zhao spoke the words with a rather heavy heart, the Nine Wraths Lamentation was not something to be used lightly. The lamentation was one of the two trump cards each of the Nine Wrath affiliated sects had, being forced to use it meant that they were only a step away from being forced to use their own unique trump card, it meant that they were a step away from destruction.
The two men didn't dare dally, they knew how serious the situation was so they instantly charged for the main entrance. Liang Chen's hand moved slightly, some of the lightning that filled the sky shooting down towards the two men. But Song Zhao charged in front of it to block it for them, he had expected Liang Chen to move against them so he had been ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.
The lightning clashed with the brown flames that constantly swept out from his large sabre, the crackling and hissing sound almost threatening to drown out everything else as they cancelled each other out. Thanks to Song Zhao's guard, the two men reached the entrance safely, immediately sitting down.
A strange rippling defensive shield formed around them as they closed their eyes, their Qi flowing out in a steady stream and rushing into Song Zhao. He drew a deep breath as the energy flowed into him, several more streams reaching him from all over the city and the surrounding area. His aura immediately rose, like a fire that had just reached some kindling.
"To feel wrath is to feel lament, you cannot be furious without having something to lament. This is the Ninth Wrath, and thus the Ninth Lament, and we reserve it for the Wyvern plucked out of the sky, the eagle whose home was taken from him by covetous humans. I am Song Zhao, and I am the Wyvern's Wrath, the Sorrow of the Sky. They called you Storm Lord earlier, did they not? Then that is what I will call you. So come, Storm Lord, experience the sorrow and wrath of those who lost the sky."
Sorrow birthed wrath and wrath birthed new sorrow, hand in hand they went together towards tragedy. Song Zhao drew in the sorrow of all those who had lost their home in the sky, converted their hatred into fuel and power, had he been stronger then he may have been able to draw in all of that sorrow that was gathered here in Purgatory's Cradle.
Song Zhao gathered his newfound strength, the molten land beneath his feet rippling like a stormy ocean as he bent his knees slightly. When he straightened his legs again, he shot into the sky like a meteor, molten stone flung through the air like torrential rain.
Liang Chen's eyes flashed sharply, his spear smashing down as he slammed it towards the incoming Song Zhao. The spear met the sabre, the foothold Liang Chen had created instantly shattering as he was pushed into the sky, Song Zhao pursuing him like a maggot clinging to his bones.
The ever-present storm around them kept swirling around Liang Chen as he was pushed higher into the sky, sinking into his body to repair the fractured bones and ruptured veins that his arms suffered from blocking Song Zhao's sabre. His strength didn't grow by just a little after he used the Nine Wraths Lamentation, it wouldn't be their second-greatest trump card if it was weak.
In what felt like merely an instant, Liang Chen and Song Zhao had arrived a handful of kilometres above the city, just a small distance away from the dark clouds that covered the sky. But Liang Chen would not allow it to continue. Song Zhao was the lamentation of all the wyvern's that could not fly in the sky, but at this moment, Liang Chen was the dark clouds that sealed off the sky. And he would not give Song Zhao a chance to fly.
"Third Step shatters mortality."
A mutter so soft that it couldn't even be heard over the sound of the evaporating rain. But the effect of the mutter was everything but soft and subdued, it was an eruption of wind that sounded as if it was trying to break the eardrums of everyone in the city, more akin to a thunderous crack than the rumbling of thunder.
All the air within a few kilometres had instantly been gathered in the small space between Liang Chen and Song Zhao before finally getting detonated, instantly expanding back to its previous volume. Song Zhao had ascended so he was launched down again like a falling star, more of the surrounding storm sinking into Liang Chen to repair the damage he suffered as the expanding wind rushed over him.
But he didn't even wait for this damage to fully heal, his gaze locked on Song Zhao. A bolt of dull violet lightning left the clouds above him and shot straight down, Liang Chen latching onto it and riding it down as he chased Song Zhao. His spear stabbed downwards just as he was about to reach Song Zhao, all the might of the lightning spiralling around the tip of the weapon.
Song Zhao wasn't going to just act like a sitting duck so he ignored the fact that he was lying horizontally in the air and swept out with his sabre, smashing it into the side of Liang Chen's spear. Liang Chen's bones vibrated and cracked slightly from the impact, but Song Zhao wasn't much better, parts of the lightning jumped off of Liang Chen's weapon and arced onto his body.
He'd never felt lightning like this before, it felt like it would scorch his very soul if he was unattentive with his defence. He could smell his own blood burning but he just grit his teeth and spat a glob of blood onto the wound produced by the lightning. The blood turned into dark brown fur, the lightning coursing through his flesh gathering around the hairs and forming small crystals crackling with power.
But while the lightning was dealt with, he still had to deal with the actual force behind the attack. He had deflected the spear so it couldn't pierce him, but the act of doing so pushed him to the side with quite the amount of force. And when the force of Liang Chen's attack was factored into that rebound force, Song Zhao ended up bouncing across the molten earth for more than just a few metres, smashing through even a handful of buildings before he finally stopped.
Liang Chen was also left in a somewhat awkward state, the redirection of his downward stab had thrown him completely off-balance. And coupled with the fact that he had yet to become truly accustomed to riding along with the lightning, he smashed into the molten earth at full speed. He passed right through the molten layer and crashed into what remained of the solid ground, the sheer force and speed behind his descent forcing the surrounding earth down to birth a new crater.
His body ached as he laid within the bottom of the crater, but he luckily had the surrounding storm to support him so he was able to regenerate quickly. This was the advantage of dabbling in body cultivation, especially one as peculiar as Liang Chen's, his recovery rate was far above his opponents.
But he didn't let that fact get to his head, springing into a standing position straight away and locking onto Song Zhao's distant position. His body twisted as he grabbed his spear, pouring his power into it while unleashing two techniques at once.
"Chaos King's Punch, Fourth Step Pierces the Sparrow."
He first unleashed one of the three techniques contained within the Chaos King technique, unleashing the devoured energy he had set aside for a moment like this. Then he amplified all that power through the fourth of his Dragon King's Six Steps to unleash carnage.
The crater around him was torn open by the arcs of lightning that roared out from his spear, spider-web like gorges appearing across the land and swallowing what remained of the molten earth. His spear left his grasp and shot forward, the air neatly splitting in front of it and allowing it to easily pierce through the earth as it rose diagonally to run Song Zhao through.
Song Zhao couldn't see the attack coming for him, but he could feel it, hear it. The soft whistling of air getting cleaved, the horrifying sensation of having something lock onto his heart, like a dragon barreling through the earth as it rushed towards him. But he was the Wyvern's Wrath, it didn't matter if the storm covered the sky to block him, he would just have to smash through that storm to clear the skies again, that was his duty towards all the other poor souls that had been plucked from the sky.
His back split open, his skin tearing so that blood could pour forth in great quantities. The blood solidified into a mushy imitation of two eagle-like wings on his back, the air groaning softly under the power gathered in them. Both wings shot forward, one greeting the incoming spear while the other tore itself off of Song Zhao's back and flew towards Liang Chen.
The wing that tore itself off and shot forward coiled around itself, forming a crimson spiral that dug through the earth as fast as lightning, reaching Liang Chen in practically only an instant. Liang Chen's energy gushed out to block the attack, but the crimson spiral strangely hopped forward at that second, seemingly teleporting right past his defence.
It dug into his chest and passed right through it, tearing a hole that was nearly two fists wide in his chest, just barely missing his heart as it practically took his entire left arm off at the shoulder. The surrounding storm instantly descended to heal his wounds, but the blood from the wing lingered on his wounds to block the storm and the growth of new flesh, drastically decreasing the speed at which he recuperated.
But Song Zhao didn't fare much better, his entire body tense and trembling faintly as he welcomed the spear. He didn't have any grand notions of blocking the attack, all he wanted to do was to deflect it. And thus, the outstretched wing met the spear, an almost blinding flash of dull violet light erupting from the weapon.
The lightning within the spear ravaged the area as it was unleashed, even the molten earth beneath Song Zhao evaporating from the heat. But what was worse was the fact that the lightning was as insidious as it was ferocious, it interfered with his nerves and the signals they sent, paralyzing him where he stood.
He could only rely on his Qi to move his blood, forcing his limbs to move by controlling the blood in his veins. But doing so was inevitably slower than normal, so the follow-up attack of his sword was a beat slower than he wanted it to be.
The crimson wing disintegrated under the force gathered in the spear, Song Zhao's sabre only reaching the spear by the time it was a handful of centimetres from his face. He used all his might to push the weapon to the side, the power and heat of the spear melting a two-finger wide indent into his sword.
He succeeded in pushing the spear aside, but it still cut across his shoulder as it flew past him, taking the crimson wing with it as it soared into the distance, tearing a path clean through the city. He had managed to deflect the attack and wound Liang Chen, but it had cost him both of his wings and borderline ruined his sword.
But what was even worse than that was the fact that this still wasn't the end, all that hadn't been enough to take down a cultivator two small realms beneath him. He spat out a mouthful of blood, the blood already so coagulated that it was like jelly. Had it not been for his strong blood then the poison contained within the spear would have already blocked off his heart and brain, ending him on the spot.
He grit his teeth and focused his gaze towards the front, as if he was trying to peer through the small hole the spear had left in the earth. The blood that ran out of his mouth started to wriggle and twist, sinking into his eyes and turning them crimson while also forming small fangs in his mouth.
"Come, Storm Lord, this isn't over yet."
A voice so insignificant in the storm that it seemed pointless, but it reached Liang Chen nonetheless. He spat out a heavy breath and focused his gaze, ignoring the pain of his slowly repairing body. Song Zhao was strong, extremely strong, this was something Liang Chen had to acknowledge. This was probably the most even fight Liang Chen had had in a long time, one wrong step and he might lose.
But he wouldn't allow himself to lose, he couldn't lose. His gaze pierced through the earth and was locked solely on Song Zhao, his Qi surging and roiling. The land beneath his feet slowly started to lose all colour, taking on an almost bone-like texture before it slowly started to turn into ashen sand. He wasn't done yet, he had more to give. So the end of all existence slowly started to rear its head, the Void creeping out as Liang Chen gathered his strength.
