Chapter 112 — The Heavenly Fox
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 3 of 7
Ming Li's body convulsed, and his face went almost instantly deathly pale. His body, leaping in midair, felt as though it had been struck by a colossal force; it seemed to him that in a single instant a thousand sharp blades were stabbing into the flesh and blood of his body all at once. That pure yang force within him, as though provoked by the cold, savage aura of the Blood-Devouring Bead, incredibly turned in an instant into a searing, scorching flame that filled every meridian in his body, warring ceaselessly with the icy aura of the Blood-Devouring Bead.
His entire body collapsed in that instant, and he fell helplessly from the air, crashing heavily to the ground. Soul-Devourer, having flown but halfway, lost its master's urging and at once, as though possessed of spirit, flew back and struck him with a thud.
"Squeal—roar..." All three of Little Grey's eyes turned toward him at once, and it bellowed loudly, plainly unable to imagine why Ming Li had suddenly come to such a state.
But almost at that same moment, the flame beast opposite began to move. Upon the flame totem halo that had all along revolved behind the flame beast, one of the eight fierce deities suddenly flared bright, and with a great roar from the flame beast, it charged forth with all its might. That deity of light moved as though alive, clawing and fanging as it rushed alongside the beast.
Little Grey roared in fury, and its massive body suddenly lunged. The two enormous monsters collided in midair with a thunderous crash, then plummeted heavily to the ground, and the whole hall shook without cease.
The burning flames swept over like a collapsing mountain and overturning sea; in an instant several patches of Little Grey's powerful body caught fire, yet it seemed utterly indifferent to the pain of the flames. One claw slashed down and struck the flame beast hard upon the head, but almost at the same instant its own belly took a vicious blow from its opponent.
The two giant beasts roared in pain together, and moments later they were locked again in a tangled, tearing brawl, their enormous bodies become a dreadful volcano, each heavy blow sending a rain of blood into the sky.
Ming Li lay helpless on the ground, unable to move for the enormous agony that tormented him. Before his eyes all was the color of blood, and yet somehow, at this moment, his mind suddenly cleared.
All the sounds of the fight receded at once; the blazing heat of those burning flames seemed to lie at the far edge of the sky. The incomparable pain within his body gnawed its way densely through every inch of his skin. Through the bloody haze his eyes clearly saw the fierce deity of light, manipulated by that uncanny power, come lunging hideously toward him through the air.
Yet he, incredibly, felt no fear at all!
An instant—how long a time was that?
At the very edge of life and death, what is it that you remember?
That night of rustling rain in the bamboo mountains years ago? Or the pale figure beside you as you fell into the endless abyss?
In a daze, as though seeing the past, that faint smile at your first meeting...
He slowly closed his eyes.
So I am to die? Then let me die!
This life—it has truly been a weary one!
The next moment, boundless darkness, heavy with menace, swallowed him.
"Bang!"
The enormous force blasted Ming Li's body straight up from the ground and sent him flying backward. The deity of light, in its radiant form, clung to him with a hideous grin, tore his clothes open with a ripping hiss, and opened its bloody maw to bite at his throat.
Little Grey, still battling the flame beast, heard the sound and turned to look. In that instant its eyes flew wide, the corners of its eyes split and bled, the blood streaming down across its face, so that it looked almost like a fiend of the Nine Hells, and it loosed a shrill, piercing scream.