Chapter 195: Fighting Two Alone

"Elder Wu!"

The remaining five elders behind were completely dumbfounded. None of them expected that I would kill Elder Wu with just a single strike.

"Goodness, Elder Wu actually got killed. I guess we're really doomed this time."

"Indeed. It was done with such ease. Lin Yao, renowned throughout the cultivation world, is truly no ordinary opponent."

"Let's get out of here quickly before we get dragged into this."

Spurred by this realization, many disciples began to quietly slip away, leaving the remaining elders utterly humiliated.

"Little scoundrel, I'll take your life!"

At that moment, one of the five elders leaped out from the group. His cultivation was higher than mine, having already reached the fifth tier of the Spirit Lotus Realm.

"Go, Elder Nan! Kill this brat!"

Many onlookers were still shouting words of encouragement, but I was already closely observing Elder Nan's every move.

My observation revealed that this Elder Nan radiated a fierce, explosive energy from the inside out; he was clearly a powerhouse-type fighter.

True to form, when he was still a dozen meters away from me, he leaped into the air and simultaneously retrieved a large axe and a heavy hammer from his storage ring.

I had heard of this weapon combination before, though I had forgotten its proper name, but I clearly remembered its attacking style.

I watched as Elder Nan charged at me at high speed from above. Refusing to back down, I prepared to take the blow head-on to see what he was truly capable of.

Using one hand, I summoned the Eight Trigrams Arhat Formation, raising both the formation and the Snow Blade above my head.

Elder Nan brought his axe down squarely onto the Eight Trigrams Arhat Formation. I could clearly see cracks appearing across the formation in a mere fraction of a second.

Realizing his initial strike hadn't broken through, Elder Nan immediately used the hammer to smash down hard onto the back of the axe.

My Eight Trigrams Arhat Formation simply could not withstand this combined blow and began to shatter completely, forcing me to stumble back a few paces to barely evade the impact.

"Elder Nan is mighty! Kill him!"

"Go get him! Push the attack!"

Spectating disciples can be truly annoying. Taking the initiative, I summoned a volley of the Five Thunder Decree and hurled them directly into the crowd.

"You brat, come at me!"

My action completely infuriated Elder Nan. He charged at me once again, and I quickly realized that while he relied entirely on raw power, his speed was inferior to mine.

It was time to change tactics and adopt a guerrilla strategy.

Every swing of his axe carried thousands of pounds of force, gouging massive craters into the ground with terrifying destructive power.

However, raw strength without speed is utterly useless!

I continually circled around him, withholding the Wing Shadow Blade Technique because I knew that if I gave him even the slightest opening, I would be in serious trouble.

My guerrilla tactics soon began to pay off. Before long, various large and small lacerations appeared all over his body.

"You little bastard, pay with your life!"

Roaring with rage, Elder Nan began swinging his weapons wildly in all directions. I decided to indulge in a bit of verbal sparring.

"Look at how old you are, and yet you're still cursing. You have absolutely no manners, didn't your parents teach you any better?"

I had to admit, my trash-talking skills had improved significantly. I was spinning Elder Nan around in circles, leaving him bursting with impotent rage.

"Elder Nan, I have come to lend you a hand."

At that moment, another voice echoed from behind, and seconds later, I felt a chilling breeze strike my back.

I quickly executed a backflip, narrowly dodging the sneak attack. Looking back, I saw that yet another elder had arrived.

"Elder Tian is here now too! Lin Yao, you're finished!"

Ignoring the idle chatter of those disciples, I narrowed my eyes to inspect Elder Tian's weapon.

His weapons consisted of a pair of arrow-like implements, each about the length of a forearm.

They looked more like a pair of miniature spears, though they certainly wouldn't be used the way regular spears were.

"Kid, your strength is quite impressive, but you die today!"

The newly arrived Elder Tian declared grandly. It made me wonder if villains always felt compelled to spout dramatic one-liners before every fight.

Instead of answering him, I summoned a protective layer of golden light, instantly leaped into the air, and brought my blade down with full force.

While my appearance suggested I was targeting Elder Tian, my true target was the bulky Elder Nan.

Mid-air, I forcefully altered my trajectory and plunged toward Elder Nan's head. His reactions were slow, and by the time he finally raised his weapons to parry, my blade was already upon him.

With a loud crash, he was sent flying several meters away, though the actual damage inflicted was minimal.

At that exact moment, I sensed Elder Tian launching an assault from behind.

I spun around instantly to deflect his strike, finally figuring out his attack pattern.

The two arrow-weapons in his hands seemed almost sentient; after my parry, they maneuvered back on their own and settled securely into his palms.

"This is getting a bit tricky..."

I muttered indifferently, preparing to launch my counter-offensive. Although my speed was high, his was by no means slow.

I had also discovered a flaw in his weapon: the twin arrows seemed restricted to long-range attacks or tactical harassment. If forced into close-quarters combat, he might not be a match for me.

Therefore, I racked my brain for ways to close the distance so I could unleash the Wing Shadow Blade Technique.

Yet, with the immensely powerful Elder Nan still looming nearby, I was caught in a pincer attack and needed to eliminate one of them first.

Faced with Elder Tian and his twin arrows, I chose to deal with Elder Nan first, seeing as his weapon and overall combat style had clearer strengths and vulnerabilities.

I swiftly formed a hand seal, causing a Five Thunder Decree to materialize and hover above my head. Discharging a bolt of lightning first, I whirled around to attack Elder Nan.

Elder Nan was just awkwardly scrambling back to his feet when my blade struck him down once more.

Suffering such repeated humiliation deeply enraged him. As he rose again, I could clearly sense him channeling all his spiritual energy into a desperate charge toward me.

Yet his speed remained too sluggish for my liking. While dodging his assault, I sent a mental command to unleash another bolt of lightning at Elder Tian.

This bought me enough time to keep Elder Tian preoccupied with lightning while I seized the opportunity to dispatch Elder Nan.

Dodging another sweep of his axe, I thrust my blade directly into his waist. Lacking any defensive arts like the Golden Bell Shield, he was impaled clean through.

"Elder Nan!"

The others cried out in alarm, but my blade did not pause. With another swift thrust, I pierced straight through Elder Nan's body.

His grip on his weapons finally loosened, and he collapsed onto the ground, his fate unknown.

Meanwhile, Elder Tian had evaded all of my lightning bolts and was charging straight at me with full force.

"Little scoundrel, go to hell!"

Roaring in fury, Elder Tian hurled both of his arrow-weapons at me.

True to the saying that the weapons arrive before the blade itself, the two arrows moved at blinding speed, resembling twin streaks of spiritual light.

I managed to swat one of them aside, but the other pierced straight through my shoulder.

"Keep going, Elder Tian!"

"Kill this little prick and avenge the elders!"

Amidst the roaring cheers of the disciples, a malicious grin spread across Elder Tian's lips.