Chapter 555 - 554
The person on top thrust a blade straight down with both hands, the Blade Qi was not just piercingly cold, but the killing aura within was even harder to hide. Ye Tian, merely holding an inch of sharp edge between his fingers, did not move but stared intently at Zhang Liang standing behind. He wondered if it was possible to avoid these people and land a one-strike kill. However, Zhang Liang seemed to see through Ye Tian’s thoughts; his eyes narrowed slightly, and he once again stuck a soybean-sized particle between his fingers—not a soybean, but a grain of sand that the little monk had cleaned of impurities.
This action made Ye Tian abandon the idea of a one-strike kill. People who could manipulate a grain of sand between their fingers couldn’t be that weak. One-on-one might be manageable, but did he really think the twelve men surrounding him were merely for show? Ye Tian dared not be overconfident and settled for a slow and steady fight.
A long stream of killing aura poured down from above. Ye Tian’s steps were elusive; though it seemed he did not move, he made slight shifting steps, just enough to dodge the blade stabbing from above. He took the opportunity to thrust with the sharpness between his fingers, only to be blocked by the black blade.
It was expected; otherwise, they wouldn’t dare to arrange this Array.
The Futu Array, forming a tower with men, endlessly evolving, known as the Array that grinds down immortals and drags down demons. Ye Tian had seen this described in just a few sentences in the "Heavenly Star Collection" while reading in the Great Zen Master’s little house. Although brief, its listing at the beginning of the book was enough to draw Ye Tian’s serious attention.
The assailant with the curved knife dissipated the descending momentum by scraping the blade on the ground, followed by five blades stabbing towards the middle. Ye Tian’s figure flickered, invoking the Mysterious Step Technique, and he burst out from the left side. The Futu Tower dispersed, and in an instant, ten people vanished from the spot; some hidden in the bamboo forest on the mountainside, some crouching on rooftops, and others standing quietly off to the side with blades in hand, ready to strike.
Two black-clothed men wielding blades stepped forward, dragging their steel swords on the rocks, sparking a trail of fire. In a moment, the Clear Wind Gang Qi between Ye Tian’s fingers surged from one inch to one foot, using the Panchen Finger as a sword, a first in a thousand years.
Zhang Liang’s eyes shone. Clearly, he knew what realm it meant for Gang Qi to emerge from the body, to say nothing of using it to combat the physical steel blade without being at a disadvantage. Among the Sixth Group, only a few could reach this level. It seemed the effort was well spent; no wonder the higher-ups valued this man so highly, it did make some sense after all.