Chapter 52: Critical Situation
Among the Wu Zhu of the Earth Deity lineage, they were skilled at borrowing the power of mountains and rivers. With the protection of corresponding deities, they could cause localized earthquakes or redirect rivers even at the eighth rank.
This kind of power brought undeniable advantages in warfare.
But it was not unbeatable.
Cultivators of the warrior path also utilized terrain advantages and excelled in leveraging human coordination.
Heavenly gods? Earth deities?
How could they compete with Humanism!
The warrior path was a major branch of Humanism.
Humanism believed most in itself—humans would triumph over heaven!
"Form the array! Rise!" the officer shouted loudly.
The others immediately raised their weapons, and a strange connection formed around them.
All the soldiers' blades ignited with red light.
At the tip, fire ignites—this is the essence of martial qi.
Within the flames resides the blood-soaked energy—this is the Malevolent Qi!
Martial qi and Malevolent Qi intertwined, manifesting an aura above their heads.
The aura linked like melon vines, resembling people holding shields and swords, crimson as blood.
Li Qi observed from underwater and immediately recognized this as a formation similar to the one used by Shan Dazhuang!
However, compared to Shan Dazhuang's formation, this one was much stronger.
Li Qi could see its ferocity! Crimson banners beneath which soldiers stood, their imposing presence far beyond what he could handle!
Only nine men, yet their aura was terrifying.
Fortunately, he was still in the water, everything proceeding according to plan.
He had never been so glad that he had practiced the Pai-bo Technique, making him an excellent swimmer who could hold his breath for over two quarters of an hour.
Seeing the formation activated, the officer nodded, "Use martial qi to stabilize the mountain root and suppress the water veins; don't let him harness the power of mountains and rivers! Wu practitioners lack close combat skills, being weak at close range. I'll go down and deal with him!"
With that, he removed his armor and jumped into the water, biting the hilt of his sword as he swam toward Li Qi.
Li Qi saw this and felt a glimmer of hope.
Indeed, he came down!
But he didn't dare surface; there were crossbows aimed at him above, and surfacing would turn him into a porcupine.
So he stayed at the bottom of the pond, waiting for the officer to dive down.
Underwater, the officer held the sword with its tip glowing, illuminating the dark depths.
Soon, he spotted Li Qi.
Raising his sword, he approached.
Li Qi wasn't afraid in the water, sliding smoothly along the current.
Yes, the officer swam vigorously, creating splashes due to his strength and speed.
But Li Qi moved differently.
His swimming created minimal disturbance, more like a fish gliding through water, swift without splashing or great force.
Clearly, the officer's swimming skills were far inferior to his.
He could pull boats while swimming with ropes tied to his body!
Li Qi approached.
Seeing this, the officer thrust his sword!
Water resistance slowed the blade's swing but not its thrust.
However, any movement in water inevitably stirred currents.
Mastering these currents allowed one to flow naturally and evade attacks.
Li Qi sensed the disturbed current from the officer's powerful thrust and sidestepped, letting the current carry him aside, narrowly avoiding the blade.
Pulling boats in water wasn't safe; upstream often had logs or rocks floating downstream.
Rapid currents meant getting hit by these objects could result in severe injuries.
Thus, those brave enough to pull boats in water had mastered techniques to navigate currents. Those who couldn't sense and react to currents ended up injured.
Li Qi had such advantages in water, which is why he lured these men down.
Dodging the thrust, Li Qi grabbed the officer's wrist!
The Pai-bo Technique allowed him to exert force despite the water resistance. His immense strength attempted to crush the fragile wrist.
But unexpectedly, the officer smiled, releasing his grip on the sword and protecting his wrist with both fists. The sword seemed to move on its own!
The blade hummed, guided by martial and Malevolent Qi, turning to stab Li Qi.
The officer then grabbed Li Qi's wrist, preventing escape, intending to pin him where the blade pointed.
Earlier, Li Qi had trapped a soldier, holding him until he was crushed by falling rocks. Now, in less than a minute, he found himself caught in the same trap!
As the blade approached, Li Qi panicked, using all his strength to break free.
But the officer held tight, refusing to let go.
Li Qi, disregarding his stamina, suddenly exhaled two streams of white qi through his nose, forming bubbles in the water that converged into a stream hitting the officer's face!
This was the effect of the Bull Strength Technique's breathing method!
Knowing his options were limited, Li Qi had pre-planned various strategies, considering every possible advantage.
One of them was this.
Thankfully, the overwhelming strength from the Bull Strength Technique caused the officer, already uncomfortable in water, to panic slightly, loosening his grip just enough for Li Qi to break free.
Breaking free, Li Qi used his remaining strength to flip backward, barely dodging the blade.
It was a close call; he was cut and bled a little.
The wound wasn't large, similar to a minor kitchen cut.
But even this small wound made Li Qi feel stiff.
The wound went numb, and the numbness spread!
Martial and Malevolent Qi invaded his body, blocking natural circulation of nutritive and defensive qi!
Blocked nutritive and defensive qi made Li Qi feel something was wrong.
He didn't know why, only that he was affected.
If Shen Shuibei were here, she'd likely say, "Nutritive qi disorder leads to flesh decay and swelling; defensive qi reversal causes confusion in the chest, leading to great distress. Disordered lung qi results in labored breathing, and disordered arm and leg qi results in cold extremities."
This meant nutritive qi disorder led to muscle dysfunction and swelling, while defensive qi reversal caused respiratory difficulties and cold, numb limbs.
Li Qi now understood the old horse's suffering.
The horse's injury, caused by a slash filled with Malevolent Qi, must have resulted in similar effects!
The horse's weakness was undoubtedly due to the lingering Malevolent Qi!
The officer, seeing Li Qi suddenly stiffen like a dead fish, knew his martial qi had taken effect.
He smiled confidently in his martial qi's power.
Still cautious, he held his sword and slowly swam closer, preparing to deliver two fatal stabs to the motionless Li Qi.
A dead man was trustworthy.
A living one could always struggle.