My Clones Can Cultivate

Chapter 214

"We are in danger, aren’t we?" King Rayden leaned back against his seat in the dark space, his usually composed expression carrying a rare trace of seriousness as he let out a heavy sigh. Liyu gritted his teeth.

He was the one who had launched the attack, the one who had charged forward with everything he had, believing that he could finally overwhelm Shi Tian. And yet, in what seemed like nothing more than a blink of an eye, the entire situation had been completely overturned by that bastard.

The defensive skill Shi Tian had unleashed was far more powerful than most killing moves Liyu had encountered, and now those nine terrifying gales were charging straight toward the two of them, closing in fast...far too fast.

"Well, we get moving then," Liyu said, his face darkening. King Rayden understood what he wanted without needing any further explanation, because while they were in the fusion state, their thoughts, emotions, perceptions, and even certain instincts were deeply linked together.

There was no need for words; they already understood each other. Liyu’s body suddenly crackled with more and more green lightning. Crackle! Crackle! The Heavenly Verdant Lightning surged around him, wrapping around his limbs and body as his aura climbed rapidly.

Then...his figure blurred forward. If that bastard Shi Tian wanted to play this kind of game with him, then Liyu was going to play with him as well. He wasn’t going to simply sit there and wait for death.

Liyu’s speed was already terrifying. With the aid of Linear Blink, his Hybrid State, the Fusion State, and the Heavenly Verdant Lightning all pieced together, his speed soared to an extraordinary level, his figure becoming nothing more than a streak of green lightning as he charged directly into the raging gales.

BOOM! Lightning rushed out from his body in a violent tide, and Liyu attempted to cut his way through the raging wind currents, sending countless strands of green lightning forward with enough destructive force to tear through anything in their path. But...things were completely different from what he had imagined.

The moment his lightning came into contact with the gale...BOOM! It was shredded apart, the raging wind currents tearing through most of his attacks as easily as a storm tearing through scattered leaves.

Liyu’s expression became grim as he was seemingly trapped. The nine gales were rushing closer and closer, gradually surrounding him from every direction, intentionally squeezing him toward the center, closing the distance, reducing the space available to him, and grinding him down to death.

If this had been any other person, their mind would already have been screaming that they were in danger, with their instincts howling one simple command: escape, get out, run, survive!

But Liyu’s plan was different. His eyes flashed. Using Spatial Severance, he tore into the surrounding space, creating a weak point within one of the raging gales. Then...he bombarded it. This time, the Heavenly Verdant Lightning did not take the shape of swords, daggers, spears, scythes, or any other weapon.

There was no shape, no form, no structure...only destruction. The green lightning swarmed forward and struck the weak point with everything it had, violently bombarding the gale as if the lightning itself wanted to consume the entire storm.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The gale trembled, and a portion of it was torn apart. But Liyu didn’t have time to celebrate, because he was still inside the Ninefold Gale Barrier, and being inside the gales meant that he was in constant danger.

In fact...the danger warning ringing inside his mind was flashing brighter and hotter with every passing moment. Danger. Danger. Danger. The warning seemed almost frantic, and the longer Liyu remained inside the gale, the heavier the sensation of danger became, as though death itself was closing its fingers around him.

The gales continued moving, coming closer, closer, closer still, their razor-sharp currents seeming determined to shred his body apart. Yet Liyu continued moving. With the use of Blink, Camouflage, Linear Blink, and the rest of his skills, he narrowly avoided one deadly attack after another.

Sometimes he disappeared just before a gale tore through where he had been standing, sometimes he twisted his body sideways by mere inches, and sometimes he used spatial movement to escape a strike that would have otherwise ripped him apart.

And most of the praise for his ability to do this belonged to King Rayden...his supreme mobility, his extraordinary control over lightning, and his understanding of movement all playing an enormous role in keeping Liyu alive. Liyu couldn’t help but feel that the situation was rather ironic. "It is quite ironic, isn’t it, Sys?"

For a brief moment, the system remained silent, then responded, "Yes, Host. It is." The system’s voice was as calm as ever. "You and I believed that Haoran would be your most deadly opponent to face. However, based on what has transpired so far, I would say that Shi Tian represents a higher danger level than Haoran."

Liyu’s eyes narrowed slightly as he continued tearing through the gale. "In terms of raw power and aura, Shi Tian is still currently less powerful than Peak Haoran. But his every move is executed with peak efficiency, every attack is precise, every movement is calculated, and every action aims to kill you."

The system paused. "If I didn’t know any better, I would say perhaps you have offended someone and your name is on some kind of bounty. Shi Tian might be someone who came to assassinate you and claim that bounty for himself. Be careful, Host. I feel as if this Shi Tian fellow isn’t even serious about killing you yet."

"Not serious?" Liyu cursed, his body flashing as he narrowly avoided another raging gale that swept across the space where his head had been a moment earlier, the terrifying wind slicing through the air and leaving behind a chilling sound.

"And I am already in the deepest pit of danger I have entered in a long while," Liyu said begrudgingly. He shook his head, then spoke again. "And even that isn’t what I’m asking you about." His expression twisted. "The irony I’m talking about is the fact that I’m the one who attacked first."

He paused, his gaze flickering toward the nine raging gales surrounding him. "And now I’m defending as if my life depends on it." He stopped for half a second, then mentally slapped himself. "Yes. My life depends on it."

Liyu gritted his teeth. "And that bastard’s defensive skill is the attack I’m desperately trying to survive against!"

The system fell silent, almost seeming as though it was trying to come up with something that could lighten Liyu’s mood, because right now...Liyu looked as though he was having a very, very bad day. No. Bad day didn’t even begin to explain it; he was having the worst day imaginable.

First, there was that freak, Haoran, who had forced him to gamble his life before Liyu finally managed to take him down.

And now...now he was facing another monster, someone who seemed as though he wasn’t even interested in simply killing him, but rather appeared to want to push him all the way to the edge of madness first before finally murdering him. Yes, Liyu was having the worst day anyone could possibly imagine.

The system finally spoke. "Host, you are right. It makes some twisted kind of sense." There was a short pause before the system continued. "It makes me naturally curious...If this defensive skill is something that you are barely surviving against...Then what will his attacking skills look like?"

Liyu’s body continued flashing through the raging gales, his hands moving continuously as he tore apart sections of the wind, desperately trying to survive while simultaneously destroying the attacks that were hunting him.

Yet he couldn’t help the heavy twitch in his eyes, because the system had voiced the exact question that had been swarming through his own mind...a terrifying question, one that he didn’t even want to think about.

If every single one of Shi Tian’s movements and defensive techniques could already be described as a sure-kill move...then just what level of terrifying killing skills did he possess?

Liyu felt a chill run down his spine merely thinking about it, and that was without even having to face them yet. If the defensive techniques were already this terrifying, if the movement techniques were already this lethal, and if even the simplest forms could push him to the brink...then what would happen when Shi Tian finally stopped defending?

What would happen when that bastard finally unleashed the true attacking forms of the Wind Sovereign Art? Liyu didn’t know.

Liyu shook his head. "Hey, Sys, you are supposed to be encouraging me, not informing me how dire my situation seems..."

"But, Host, there is no point in sugarcoating it," the system’s response came almost immediately. "Your situation has passed the point of being merely dire."

Liyu’s expression twitched. "I told you this would happen when you proposed the death match. Do you regret it now?" The system sounded genuinely annoyed, and honestly, Liyu was just as annoyed.

But despite their bickering, neither of them could deny the most important fact: Liyu had to survive. If Liyu died, the system would die as well, and since Liyu’s life was already in danger once again, the system’s existence was also hanging by the same thin thread.

Liyu shook his head. "No. You’re wrong. The situation is not out of hand." He paused. "At least, not yet."

As he said that, Liyu’s eyes sharpened, his body flashed forward, and his attacks accelerated...faster, then faster still. He pushed every unnecessary thought out of his mind and focused entirely on one thing: tearing down the Ninefold Gale Barrier.

BOOM! One gale was torn apart, then another, and then another. Of the original nine gales, three had already been destroyed. But as Liyu continued fighting, a strange feeling began creeping into his mind. Was it merely his imagination? Or...did it seem as though the more gales he destroyed, the stronger the remaining ones became?

At first, the change was subtle, so subtle that Liyu almost dismissed it. But the longer he fought, the more obvious it became: the remaining gales were becoming increasingly violent, their pressure was growing, their speed was increasing, and their destructive force was climbing. Liyu continued...four destroyed, five, six. And then...only three remained.

Liyu’s gaze suddenly twitched, as if someone had suddenly sent an electric current through his entire body. "What the hell...?"

The three remaining gales suddenly rose. BOOM! They shot into the sky like towering behemoths, their enormous forms twisting and roaring as they climbed higher and higher. Liyu’s expression changed as the three enormous gales surrounded him from every direction...one to his left, one to his right, and one directly above. Liyu’s pupils contracted. "What are they..."

Before he could even finish the thought...the three towering gales suddenly collided. BOOOOOOM! Wind erupted, and the three massive torrents merged together, forming an enormous dome of violently rotating wind. Liyu was trapped. Completely trapped.

The moment the dome formed, the space around him became a hell of endless wind. Countless wind blades appeared within the enclosed space, coming from everywhere...left, right, above, below, front, behind.

There was no safe direction, no blind spot, no opening. Every single strand of air seemed to carry an intent to kill. The wind blades were terrifyingly sharp, and the coldness they carried pierced straight into Liyu’s body.

Liyu reacted immediately, his arms moving and lightning surging as he tried to guard. CLANG! CLANG! SLASH! But then he realized something, his expression changing: I’m trapped.

There was nowhere to escape, and the attacks coming toward him were truly the peak of endless, as if even the very air he breathed had become a weapon. Every breath carried danger, every movement carried danger, every direction carried death, and the entire enclosed space existed for one purpose...to tear him apart.

Liyu gritted his teeth and continued resisting. But the more he resisted...the more wounds appeared across his body. Slash! A red line opened across his shoulder. Slash! Another wound appeared along his side. Slash! Blood sprayed.

The Celestial Battle Skin trembled under the endless assault. Its defensive power was immense...astronomical, even. But even the strongest defense had a limit, and right now, that limit was being pushed to its absolute edge.

The Celestial Battle Skin was covered in countless cuts and marks, its once-pristine surface now battered beyond recognition, looking as though it was only a single step away from being reduced to nothing more than a rag. It seemed like it had seen better days.

Actually...it had been purchased brand new only about an hour ago. Who would have believed that? Liyu himself almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity, but he didn’t even have the energy for that. He didn’t consider removing the battle skin...not now.

Despite all the cuts and damage covering it, the Celestial Battle Skin was still granting him additional defense, and removing it at this moment would be nothing short of foolish. Absolutely foolish. So Liyu kept it on, kept fighting, kept pushing forward.

His struggle was brutal. Every second inside that enclosed space felt like another second spent wrestling with death. He fought through the endless attacks, through the suffocating wind, through the razor-sharp blades, and through the tightly enclosed space where even the air itself seemed to harbor nothing but murderous intent toward him.

Liyu’s body moved continuously, lightning exploded around him, his eyes flashed, his muscles strained, and his consciousness screamed at him to escape. But there was no escape, so he forced himself to continue. He endured, he resisted, he pushed...until finally, Liyu made a decision.

Enough.

His eyes became ruthless. The Heavenly Verdant Lightning surrounding his body suddenly surged violently as he began pouring his energy into it...more, more, more! Over half of his seemingly endless reserve of lightning was instantly mobilized. Then... "Detonate!"

BOOOOOOOOOOM! The green lightning exploded, the sheer destructive force of the detonation erupting from within the wind torrent. The massive dome of rotating wind trembled violently.

Then...CRACK! A fissure appeared, then another, and another. The entire wind dome began collapsing. BOOM! The raging torrent shattered, the endless wind blades disappeared, and the suffocating pressure vanished.

And Liyu...dropped.

His body slammed onto the ground, his legs wobbling beneath him as he desperately tried to stand. He forced one leg underneath himself, then the other. His body trembled violently as he tried to straighten his back, but he couldn’t; his strength simply wasn’t there. His legs finally gave out.

THUD. Liyu collapsed onto the ground, his entire body covered in bleeding wounds. Blood seeped from countless cuts, flowing down his skin and staining what remained of his battered combat suit.

And mixed with the blood...was sweat. His entire body was drenched in it, the sweat rolling down his face, his neck, his chest, and his back. Every drop was proof of the brutal struggle he had just endured...a struggle that had lasted only a few seconds, yet those few seconds had felt like an eternity.

Liyu’s heart was still quivering. This was the fourth time in such a short period that his life had been threatened. The fourth time. And this latest attack...this one had almost made him feel completely helpless.

If not for the detonation of his Heavenly Verdant Lightning...Liyu wasn’t even certain he could have broken out; he might have been trapped inside that wind prison until his defense was completely destroyed, until his body was shredded, until there was nothing left of him.

And all of that terror...all of that chilling, suffocating sense of helplessness...was supposedly caused by a defensive skill. Liyu’s eyes widened slightly. "What the hell...?" His voice was barely audible, and he was too exhausted to even properly curse anymore, still struggling to catch his breath as his chest rose and fell heavily.

How can a defensive skill like that even exist? His mind was struggling to comprehend it. Just what kind of lunatic...what kind of psychopathic monster...could create a combat art like this?