Chapter 28 of 100

Chapter 28

14 min read3,491 words

A waterfall cascaded down from the mountaintop, carrying a thunderous roar as it crashed heavily onto the smooth rocks at the foot of the mountain, splashing countless tiny pearls that scattered and fell into the deep pool below. Flowers bloomed on the water's surface, reflecting the rising sun and shimmering with a rainbow of colors.

Seven guards formed a half-circle, with Princess Zhao Hua behind them. On one side, Guo Jiuling sat on a rock by the water, still coughing, with spots of blood falling onto the water in front of him, the bright red quickly dispersing in the flowing stream.

Deng Pu stood with his hands behind his back, blocking the only escape route. In fact, he did not believe that his opponents had any hope of breaking through. The only one who could be considered his match was Guo Jiuling, but unfortunately, in the earlier pursuit, Guo Jiuling had taken a heavy blow from Li Zhi and was seriously injured.

"Your Highness, the Great Qin has no ill intentions towards you. We merely wish to invite you to stay in Yongdu for a year. After that, you are free to leave or stay as you please. Why must so many loyal guards die for you?" Deng Pu said with a smile. "Many have already fallen on this journey. Your Highness, there's no need to struggle in vain. Don't count on General Zuo Lixing to save you. He and General Li fought a fierce battle, and now he is probably looking for a scenic spot to dig his own grave and lie in it."

"Out of the question!" Princess Zhao Hua glared at him coldly.

"Your Highness, I must truly apologize then!" Deng Pu smiled coldly and took a step forward. The seven guards retreated in unison; in front of such a formidable expert, even if they were willing to sacrifice their lives, it would be difficult to cause any real harm.

Guo Jiuling stood up from the rock, coughing as he walked forward. With each step, his face grew redder, and his figure seemed to grow taller, his bones cracking.

Deng Pu's expression changed slightly. "Guo Jiuling, are you courting death? You are only injured. With proper care, even if you can never reach the Master level, maintaining your current Ninth Rank skills is still possible. If you do this, you will indeed regain your usual strength for a short time, but after that, you will never recover. Is it worth it?"

Guo Jiuling straightened his body and stopped coughing, though his face was alarmingly red. "Of course it is."

Deng Pu's lips twitched. "Even so, can you defeat me? At your peak, we were evenly matched. How long can you maintain this state now?"

"Exert all human effort, and leave the rest to fate!" Guo Jiuling looked at him. "If I can trade my life for yours, the chances of Princess Zhao Hua breaking through will greatly increase. Even if General Zuo is finished, I believe Li Zhi is also in bad shape and will not have the strength to pursue us anymore."

Deng Pu laughed loudly. "Pathetic. Since you are determined to die, I will grant your wish."

Princess Zhao Hua's eyes were filled with sorrow. After this battle, even if Guo Jiuling survived, he would be a cripple. She took a pill from her pocket and slowly placed it in her mouth. "Fight to the death! If we can't get through this, we will all die here!"

On the mountaintop, Qin Feng lay by the stream, watching the battle below. Deng Pu and Guo Jiuling were still facing off, but Princess Zhao Hua and her guards had already engaged the Qin soldiers.

Chu soldiers darted past Deng Pu, but he paid them no mind. His entire focus was on Guo Jiuling, who, despite his injuries, was using an extremely sinister technique to burn his life force and temporarily restore his peak strength. However, the side effects were severe; one could only use it once in a lifetime, and after using it, one would be finished, if not dead, then almost as good as a cripple.

The chaotic battle quickly moved away from the pool. Deng Pu's men were more skilled, but the Chu soldiers were determined to fight to the death, each planning to take one down with them. For a while, neither side had the upper hand.

Qin Feng's eyes never left Deng Pu and Guo Jiuling. He knew that the outcome of this battle would be decided by their confrontation. If Guo Jiuling succeeded, Princess Zhao Hua would have a chance to survive. If Deng Pu won, they would all die, except for Princess Zhao Hua, whom the Qin wanted to capture alive.

Thinking of this, he glanced at the battle involving Princess Zhao Hua. At the daredevil camp, he had seen her skills, and although she was injured, it seemed to have little effect. Now, the Chu soldiers were actually gaining the upper hand.

It seemed the pill she had taken earlier was quite extraordinary, similar to the technique Guo Jiuling was using, but he wondered if it had any side effects. Would she end up like Guo Jiuling, losing all her martial arts skills?

Just as he was lost in thought, a splash of water hit his face. He was startled and turned to see the waterfall reversing, the water flying back and drenching him. Stones rose from the ground, slowly rotating, and Guo Jiuling's face was red as if it would bleed.

Qin Feng swallowed hard. A battle between Ninth Rank experts was not something one saw every day. He gripped the hilt of his iron saber tightly.

Guo Jiuling grunted, his hands moving forward as if holding something incredibly heavy. As he moved his hands, the stones of various sizes in the air whistled towards Deng Pu.

Deng Pu let out a fierce cry, his body spinning on the spot. With each spin, leaves from the surrounding trees fell from their branches, whistling as they flew and gathering into a massive fist in the air.

Loud crashes echoed as the stones shattered one by one, and the leaf fist gradually shrank. As they collided, Guo Jiuling and Deng Pu slowly approached each other.

Both moved with great difficulty, taking a step and then pausing for a long time before taking another. It seemed as if each step weighed a thousand pounds, yet they left no footprints in the damp soil.

Though slow, they eventually met. When all the stones turned to powder and all the leaves dispersed, the two finally came together. Guo Jiuling, as if meeting an old friend, opened his arms wide, seemingly wanting to embrace Deng Pu, while Deng Pu's fists met him head-on. There was no sound, but the water in the pool suddenly rushed to one side, crashing against the cliff wall.

A faint greenish hue flashed across Deng Pu's face, and Guo Jiuling grunted, stepping back. Blood trickled from his eye sockets.

Taking another step, Guo Jiuling's clothes turned to shreds and blew away in the wind.

Qin Feng took a deep breath and stood up. He knew he could wait no longer. Guo Jiuling could not hold on, and if he lost, it would be over.

Even if it meant risking his life, he had to take a chance. He raised his iron saber high, his inner strength surging and concentrating on the saber. The familiar feeling of burning from the inside out returned.

He could not afford to hesitate.

Qin Feng leaped from the cliff, his iron saber whistling as it cleaved towards Deng Pu.

Deng Pu, who was already in the upper hand, was feeling smug. Guo Jiuling's strength at his peak was not inferior to his, but the severe injuries and the use of this life-draining technique had weakened him. However, the whistling sound from the cliff top startled him. Looking up, he saw a burning saber falling from the sky.

He roared and raised his hand, forming a fist and striking out into the air.

Qin Feng felt his saber hit something like an iron mat, the massive counterforce making him feel as if his bones were about to shatter. He lost control of his body, tumbling and flying out, first hitting the cliff wall and then landing heavily in the pool, causing a massive splash.

Deng Pu, having sent Qin Feng flying, was also in a dire state. He was only slightly better than Guo Jiuling. The inner strength attached to the saber from above was extremely strange, like tiny worms breaking through his true qi barrier and wriggling into his body. At this moment, Guo Jiuling's counterattack arrived as expected.

In the next moment, Deng Pu also flew backward, spitting blood as he went.

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