Lord Shadow

Chapter 124: Prowess

The explosion is like the harbinger of death descending to give bad news to the Seven Fairy.

Azief look at his surrounding with his eyes full of fury. His left and right side is full of dust, the result of his crash landing.

He is standing on a huge crater, the land scorched and burns, as the fire still eating the soils.

The dust slowly settles and he scans this area with his divine sense and finally identify the Seven Fairy position and he crack his knuckles as laws and principle of this world slightly moved.

He then heard the people cheering for him.

‘Lord Shadow!’

‘Lord Shadow!’

‘Lord Shadow!’ the people cheering was like a song, their voice is high and full of life and anger.

Their voice is full of life because their savior has arrived, full of anger because of their humiliating situation right now.

Azief hair blows calmly as the winds of the plains keep blowing on his direction.

‘MY LORD, HELP US!’ one of the Eden soldiers shouted.

He was near the center of the village square so everyone could hear. The Seven Fairy people panicked and slap that man and yell

‘Shut up!’ Azief was enraged.

‘HMPH’ he snorted and Azief focused his attention to that man who slapped his soldiers. The man was an Orb Condensing Stage High Realm but when he was being locked by Azief consciousness, his Orb cracked and then shattered as the man kneels to the ground screaming.

‘ARGHH!’ The other soldiers of the Seven Fairy back away from their prisoner in fear and full of trepidation.

The man was still screaming as he could feel his Orb dissipated and turns into Pillars.

And then the Pillars cracked and exploded. The man spurted blood from his mouth like a fountain.

The pressure that is being locked on him is like he was being crushed by a mountain.

The man could not endure such pain and fainted on the ground, wiggling in pain, mouth frothing and bones breaking.

The other soldiers of the Seven Fairy look on in terror as their hands slowly tremble. If at first they felt dread, this time they felt an instinctive fear and they wanted to run.

Sohye and Yoojung who looked at this happening felt their hairs stand up.

They immediately know that they could not defeat this man if they fight him individually.

‘You Seven Fairy really have the audacity to provoke me.’ Azief said calmly but in is tone even though it is calm, it was imposing, an imperial will.

Even though his voice was calm, everyone could feel the fury present in that voice, making them shiver in coldness.

‘Sisters!’

Sohye communicated urgently with their telepathic link and every one of the Seven Fairy immediately fly out from their places and converge around the crater

(fly out here does not mean fly like Azief but more like jumping high and fast while covering a large distance)

Nayoung did not even have the chance to explain before Azief suddenly appears.

Meanwhile on the center of the village, seeing that most of the Seven Fairy forces is afraid to approach them, one of the soldiers, Meng Yuan utilizes all of his strength and break out from his chains.

One of the soldiers belonging to Seven Fairy was shocked and tries to stop him with his spear, thrusting out his spear to attack Meng Yuan before a voice like thunder pierces the wind and yell

‘STAY YOUR HAND!!’ And the man spear exploded while the men itself fall to the ground with blood spurting out from his mouth.

‘Lord Shadow!’ Somi yelled in anger seeing Lord Shadow domineering behavior.

Azief did not only warn but he also injured that man.

But what is more astonishing, is that from the beginning to end, he was still standing right on that crater.

He merely uses his Suppression of a Higher Being on them.

And with his Pure Divine Sense he can concentrate his consciousness at one point and uses soul attack which attack the attainment of levels.

The attainment of levels refers to the Pillars, The Orb, the Strand of Energy in Energy Disperse and the Seed in Seed Forming.

‘Stop this instant!’ Doyeon warned.

‘Or what?’ Azief said his tone was unwelcoming and severe.

Nayoung however was pale. Her worst case scenario has happened. But as she is the calmer one, she quickly said.

‘Lord Shadow, let us Seven Sisters give you an explanation’ she said as gently as possible

But how could Azief in the mood to hear explanation.

When he landed down he could see his men corpse on the field, his village battlement burned and destroyed how could he has the mood to hear explanation?

He comes down to teach Seven Fairy a lesson and end their lives as repayment for the departed souls of his troops!

If they think that Energy Disperse Stage could match up with a Seed Forming Azief is here to prove them wrong

What formation? What artifacts? Azief learns in his journey, if you possess the ultimate strength, strategy, formation, artifact all of these holds no meaning.

Azief was still holding the hope that maybe the Seven Fairy wanted to meet him for some matter before he saw the condition of his village but after seeing it Azief think he once again miscalculated.

After all, Azief could not possibly think any reason why the Seven Fairy would provoke him without reason

That is why he was very confident that the Seven Fairy did not come to attack his village and urge his soldiers to continue the search and rescue effort before.

But now?

What could he say to himself? So, he no longer wanted to waste time hearing any excuses or explanation.

He is angry at the Seven Fairy and at himself.

Little did he know, that he was right at the mark. But how could Azief knows other people also plotted against him.

‘Explanation? Hmph. Did you think I come down here to hear your explanation? My men corpse on the battlement is enough explanation!’

Then his aura surged up to the clouds as his body was shrouded with golden light.

The clouds on top of his head turn golden, like the scenery of the paradise of Gods, illuminating the whole Central Plains.

Goldenskin aura that covered the clouds and surged up to the sky, only Eternal Body could create such a magnificent scene.

His physical body began reinforcing itself as invisible barriers forms in his skin, making him almost invulnerable.

The crater sunk one meter down as the pressure around Azief increased, each steps of his foot is like the weight of a hill.

First it was his skin. Then his flesh. And one could even see a trace of lightning sparks circling his flesh momentarily.

Ascending the Lightning Tribulation by his lonesome, it is no wonder; lightning also appears inside Azief body.

Lightning Essence exist inside Azief body, though it is scarce but the trace remains.

The area around him suddenly experienced a surge of increased temperature.

The fire on the edge of the crater suddenly was fanned alive, as fire broke out in the edge of the crater.

The surrounding atmosphere around Azief come crumbling down replaced by increased heat, making the Orb Condensing and Pillar Forming user to back far away from the crater.

The pressure and the temperature rise up exponentially, burning the grass and choking the air around them.

Then a dark aura exploded around him making the Seven Fairy backed up and jumping to their positions.

It has just been two seconds after Azief rebuked Nayoung. All of this weird phenomena happened in the span of two seconds.

‘Please wait!’ Nayoung once again pleaded. Somi on the other hand with the telepathic link, explain to the other Seven Fairy what has really happened.

But just because Nayoung said wait, will Azief who was full of anger and guilt right now stop?

It is he that forces others to stop and not the other way around.

On the center of the village square however, not far from the crater, yet also not near, there is a fierce fight between the residents of Eden and the forces of Seven Fairy.

The Seven Fairy could not move to help their forces, else risking that Lord Shadow defeated them.

After all they know without their formation, they could not hold up a candle against his prowess.

Azief also did not help any further.

After all, when he defeated the Seven Fairy later, with one wave of his hand he could destroy this rabble forces.

Azief must thank Meng Yuan.

After all, he could not fight 8 thousand people while at the same time focusing his attention in fighting the Seven Fairy.

And Azief would also likely hold back in killing unrelated parties. While he was not softhearted, it does not mean he was heartless.

Meng Yuan was smart. He did not run and bring the resident out the village instead performing guerilla operation inside the village.

Why?

Because Meng Yuan knows if he runs out the village, while their safety is guaranteed, Lord Shadow will have to face the brunt attack of 8000 people plus the Seven Fairy.

Meng Yuan does not know how powerful Lord Shadow really is but even he would be expended after fighting that many people.

And if Lord Shadow falls, in the end they would still suffers if the Seven Fairy wanted to exact revenge.

The other reason is because Meng Yuan wanted to accumulate merit.

If Lord Shadow acknowledged his help today, maybe later he will be promoted to captain and become the Marshall considering Nie Feng died.

Nie Feng the previous Marshall died when the Seven Fairy stormed the village. He uses all of his strength to repel the invaders while taking fifty people with him to Hell.

Meanwhile, near the crater, Doyeon shouted

‘He is not letting us explain! Employ the Elephant Defensive Formation! We must defend ourselves first!’

The other Fairy nodded and quickly white aura strand surges from their body and intertwine with each other as they all glow white.

‘HUMPH’

Azief snorted as he jump out of the crater and his Golden Domain spreads all across the village, as some of the buildings cracked because of the pressure.

It was the pressure of a God. Azief was looking at the Seven Fairy when Azief suddenly shot a palm strike towards an approaching force of soldiers.

The Palm strike scatter the forces as each and every one of them was flying back and landed on the ground, all with injuries on their body.

But none of them were death.

It was not because they are strong but because Azief held back because he realizes something about that battalion.

They were old men, and children. How could Azief bears it in his heart to kill the elderly and children.

‘Stay out of this!’ He yelled. And his voice spreads through the Central Plains.

‘Stop the attack, Meng Yuan!’ Azief ordered. Meng Yuan stopped.

Nayoung seeing this unexpected concession also shouted her order

‘Stop the attack!’ Azief look at Nayoung and a flash of respect appears on his expression.

‘This is between me and the Seven Fairy.’ Nayoung nodded.

She knew that Lord Shadow while he might let her people go he will not let go any of her sisters go.

That is his bottom line.

To Lord Shadow, the force of Seven Fairy while not entirely innocent, but they could not be blamed solely.

If their leader does not order attack, will they attack and risking provoking a man of his strength?

And the other reason is because Azief is not so coldhearted that he will kill weak children and elderly without reason.

But he could not spare the Seven Fairy.

After all if they do not participate in the battle, how could his 200 cavalry could not drive these rabbles away and delay while waiting for him to come back?

‘This is my only concession’ Azief said looking at Nayoung and he cracks his knuckles. The wind around him went away as energy roils out around his body.

The wind gives way and dissipated crushed by the pressure around him. Soundless. That is the phenomenon that happen around five meter radius around his body.

Even though one could not see, his bones in his body are glowing with runic pattern. Then he shot out a punch towards the Elephant Formation

Somi who was on the center of the formation yell out

‘You think it is easy to break the Formation of the Seven Fairy! You are too confident!’ Shouting this she thrust her sword forward and an illusory image of a twenty feet purple elephant appears as it stand in front of the Seven Fairy, protecting the formation with its body.

Explosion sounds filled the village square and anywhere this image of elephant passed the land beneath it exploded.

On the hill, the spectator looking at the screen yelled out.

‘What thick essence!’ Some shouted

‘Sword essence’ some people with swordsman class exclaimed in amazement.

‘No wonder the Western Plains could hold back the Mountain Clans. With the Seven Fairy ability, not many could contend them one on one’ said a man with wine gourd on his left hip.

‘Pity, that the Seven Fairy is matched up against a being like Lord Shadow’ a man on the second floor of a nearby tavern comment and the crowd looks and pay their respect

‘Celestial Painter Xu Cong, you think the Seven Fairy will lose?’ ask the man with the wine gourd.

The man on the second floor nodded.

The man is handsome, white flawless skin, his hair wave left and right because of the winds of the plains while sipping the tavern precious wine.

Opposite him is a woman, wearing a white dress, an otherworldly beauty, the symbol of an Asian beauty.

Celestial Painter Xu Cong and Heaven Flute Lihua are known as the Immortal Couple.

‘Just watch and my words will be proven right.’ He nonchalantly said and the crowds nodded in agreement and they watch the battle again.

On the village, Azief punch emits a droning sound that with each second become louder until it breaks the sound barrier in almost a fraction of a second, resulting in an explosion like sound.

The punch was powered by the Celestial meridian as and the punch was punched out, energy covered the punch with the droning sound of air explosion.

And when it collided with the purple elephant a purple gigantic explosion happens that shakes the village and destroys any building around twenty meter radius of their battle.

The winds howled and crack, tempest of soil and wind were formed and holes covered the lands.

The elephant howled in pain as the land beneath its feet loses its vitality and withers but the image is still there.

Azief stepped back two steps back and his impassive face changed into amazement

‘Impressive!’ he exclaimed

‘Then try this one’ and Azief activated his Nine Forbidden Opening as he punched out another strike.

This time the strike was not only faster but also deadlier.

The punch aura rips apart the wind and collided almost immediately with the purple elephant before the image of the purple elephant shatters as Somi yelled

‘Seven Star Fortress Formation’

And the Seven Fairy changes their position and stance, as defensive aura shield formed around them, full of bold runic marking.

They then swiftly evaded that strike by hair breadth.

The strikes hit a house and the house exploded into bits and the explosion was like someone dropped a napalm bomb as the soil lost its vitality.

But Azief this time could not let the Seven Fairy reform a new formation again. So, he uses his Hyper Speed.

To the Seven Fairy, the only thing they could see was how suddenly Lord Shadow disappears from in front of their eyes in mysterious manner and then they heard the scream of Sohye.

Azief was there in the middle of the formation, choking the life out of Sohye, black aura shrouding the neckline of Sohye.

‘Sohye!’ The other yelled in alarm.

‘Release her!’

one of the Seven Fairy shouted. Sejeong who was the closest waves her swords and struck towards Azief.

The waves of her sword was embedded with sword essence and when it was struck out the light around the village dim like it was being absorbed.

Azief move to his right with speed beyond human capabilities as the wave of energy passed him by and stuck a house and exploded.

The prowess of Lord Shadow is truly one to be admired. Not only he manages to evade, he manages to evade while still holding Sohye hostage and without even one sword essence touching his shirt.

The land shakes and the house destroyed into bits and pieces of wood.

Yoojung and Chungha moved into another position and then thrust their sword filled with momentum of a killing strike, wanting to attack together.

‘Release her!’ Yoojung yelled.

Azief was caught in the middle of the sword killing strike but Azief was still calm like in the beginning.

The people of this world underestimated him too much.

‘Did you really think I am a toothless tiger!’ Azief said. The sword essence strike landed on the side of his body and exploded and Azief hand loosens.

Sohye kick Azief chest and catapulted herself backwards away from Azief, hand mark visible on her neck.

Even though Azief accidentally loosens her hostage and accepted the attack of both Fairy he was still standing there, alone, unscathed.

Yoojung clicked her tongue.

Two Fairy attack with their deadly strike but Lord Shadow is not even injured.

The Seven Fairy was astonished and so are the people looking from the screens, all exclaiming amazement and shock.

Then the other Six Fairy unleashed their barrage of attack, each one was like a tiger released from the wilds and dragons prancing the Nine Heavens.

Each strikes capable of killing hundreds of Pillars Forming Stage and Orb Condensing Stage users but his face did not change and he ignored the attack.

Numerous crashing and explosion sounds can be heard when the strikes collide with his body.

But it was like the Seven Fairy was striking a sand bag with a weak palm.

When the explosion settles and the sound stops, they relaxed for a bit before they see the man is not harmed one bit

‘Impossible!’ Sohye shouted in shock

‘I don’t believe this man is invincible!’ Doyeon could not believe what she is seeing

‘How can a human be this powerful? Isn’t he the same level as Sasha? Even Sasha wasn’t this overbearing!’ Nayoung asked herself

‘Employ the Killing Dragon Formation!’ Somi shouted as she was the first to regain her calm

Azief was standing there, with black aura and golden aura intertwined making him an unholy fusion of both holy and dark, had no intention of leaving and all intention to play with them till death.

Somi back off fear to near this bane and then yelled

‘Take your position!’ and then the sound of ringing can be heard as their sword trembles and emits a white killing aura.

The ringing produce a melodious sound like a beating of a war drum, the bugle of a marching men

The Seven Fairy glance at each other and shouted

‘Killing Dragon Formation!’ And their aura exploded piercing the clouds on top of them

Three of them aimed at Azief lower body, the other three aim to cut down Azief legs, while another one strike forward

When their strikes were released an illusory image of an ocean appears on the battlefield with a slash that could overwhelm the world.

The slash cleaves the whole ocean into two, making a path of desolation in the middle of the ocean and this strike was aimed at Azief lower body around his waist.

The one attacking his leg produce an illusory image of starry sky with a tempest of swords coming horizontally to cut of his legs.

The other Fairy who was flying towards him right now, thrusting her sword to stab him in his chest produce an illusory image of a mountain being dice into dust.

Each one were powerful and deadly strike, for all intent and purposes is to destroy and annihilate

Azief did not pay attention to these attacks and the image behind the sword strike but instead looked at the young girl who was flying towards him and thought

‘Impudent! Arrogant! One who could not measure their own abilities!’

He moved his body with his Hyper Speed, his left palm strikes the illusory image of the starry sky and the illusory image shattered with the sound of a broken glass.

The three people aiming to cut of his legs were all thrown back by the force of his palm strike like a kite being cut off from its string.

While his palm strike the illusory image of the starry sky, he kick the image of the sword slash coming to him with his foot and the illusory image of the ocean dissipated like the clouds being blown by a fierce gale.

The other three was also thrown back because of the force of wind his kick generated, each one of them suffer internal injuries.

For the other one heading to him, he smirk as he moved his body, swiftly evading the strike, grabbed the Fairy sword handle and lightly pushed it back into its scabbard, stopping her stance and subsequent attacks, almost effortlessly.

Azief moves and attack was not only fast it was also overbearing.

With the Seed of Death inside his body, each of his moves were embedded with Death Essence without him activating it consciously making longevity withers, life decay, and rot the attack essence of each of the fairy.

He used the enemy moves to fight the enemy.

Even if there is a dozen Fairy, he could still use the enemy swords to attack the enemy sabers, the enemy spear against the enemy whip, utilizing the enemy to attack the enemy, one beating many.

Not to mention in this world, no one is his equal.

Azief could not understand these people.

He did not come making trouble, but they eagerly send themselves to death door.

Is this Earth not understand the concept of power of a Seed Forming?

If they based the capability of Seed Forming based on Sasha power level then they are sorely misinformed.

Sasha becomes a Seed Forming User by sacrificing the Body Refinement of Energy Disperse Stage.

If anything Sasha can be considered a Faux Seed Forming. How can he be on the same class as Sasha?

He possess an Undying Body, to compare the two, is like comparing the Heaven and Earth.

Even though, the Seven Fairy seems to fight a hopeless battle, there are still a lot of people in the hill nearby cheering for them.

And the Seven Fairy has not yet given up

Nayoung and Sohye then thrust again their swords this time making and arc of energy to be horizontally slashed out, making the air around them cracked and a tempest of wind shot toward the left and right.

But Azief once again uses his Hyper Speed and disappear from the trajectory of attack and flick Nayoung and Sohye wrist with his finger.

The flick of his fingers was like being slashed by an incomparably sharp sword, as sparks fly and Nayoung and Sohye gritted their teeth and fall back

Their wrist was numb with pain and starting to feel pain; they slanted their bodies and jumped away turning their bodies away from Azief as Azief appears in front of them again.

They stared at Azief, frightened but admiring him at the same time.

‘Reform the formation first!’ Somi shouted from afar.

Her forehead is already filled with sweats but as she was the most proficient with the formation she of course knows, that attacking Lord Shadow like this is pointless.

Without the formation Azief could just toy with them like a mouse trapped in a corner without a way out.

‘You think I would let you!’

Azief shouted and his shout create a sound wave that obliterated the square of the village with the low level one all scattering jumping and running as the shockwave crumpled the land and destroy the houses.

Somi who receive the brunt of this sound wave was thrown back ten meters as she coughed up black blood.

The soundwave was embedded with the essence of death, poisonous and lethal.

Doyeon and Yoojung who was nearby shouted to Nayoung and Sohye.

‘Unnie, fall back!’

After shouting this, both of them whistled out and their swords thrust out. Azief once again admired the Seven Fairy swordsmanship.

‘You sword skills are impressive and truly beautiful. But only you two are coming out to attack me? You seem to overestimate yourself!’

The swords create an illusory image of twin dragons of fire and ice, roaring as loud as possible, piercing the clouds and wake the Central Plains.

The people who were looking at the screen not far away exclaimed

‘What a powerful sword skill!’

‘Indeed! The Seven Fairy of the Western Palins truly lived up to their reputation as Fairy who mastered the sword skills!’

‘Pei!’ One of them spit to the ground.

‘What use of great sword skills? Don’t you see Lord Shadow is overpowering them? Anyone with eyes could see that Lord Shadow is playing with them.’

‘Lord Shadow underestimates the Seven Fairy to much’ another added.

‘Heh. Is that so? Did Lord Shadow underestimate the Seven Fairy or the Seven Fairy overestimate themselves!’ Another man offer his opinion while snickering

‘More wine!’ Another yelled.

‘Table four also wants another bottle of wine!’ Foods and drinks were ordered as everyone on the hill was enjoying the show.

Meanwhile on the village, the battle is still continuing.

The land was destroyed, the house turns into shredded wood, the building has crumbled into bits and pieces, the people of both forces has already made themselves scarce from the battlefield of the Seven fairy and Lord Shadow.

When the whales fight, the only thing the shrimps could do is make themselves scarce.

***