Chapter 19: Old Friend
Siao Ge and Ye Guan’s hearts sank upon seeing the giant walking out of the shining door with a massive ax.
Damn it! Another ax? Ye Guan and Siao Ge exchanged gazes. Run!
The two of them dashed toward the teleportation array.
Fweee!
A shrill noise could be heard as something flew toward them at incredible speed. A massive ax flew past Ye Guan and Siao Ge, and it struck the teleportation array.
Boom!
The teleportation array crumbled, forcing Ye Guan and Siao Ge to come to a halt.
We’re dead! They inwardly exclaimed.
Ye Guan composed himself. He stared deeply at the giant and said, “Brother Siao, we have no other choice but to do it!”
Siao Ge was silent. Their escape route was destroyed, so they had no choice but to fight for their lives. Siao Ge nodded at Ye Guan and said, “I will hold him back. Go and look for an opportunity to strike.”Siao Ge took a stance with his spear and hurled it at the giant.
Screech!
The spear screeched as it carved a path in mid-air and flew toward the giant. The giant opened its right hand, and the massive ax returned to its hand.
Moments later, the giant smacked the flying spear away.
Boom!
Siao Ge’s spear flew into the air from the impact. However, Siao Ge soared into the sky as well and snatched his spear out of mid-air. He twisted and pointed the spearhead at the giant before plummeting.
A burst of light erupted from the spearhead.
The giant remained indifferent.
It casually raised its ax and smacked the spear once more.
Boom!
A deafening noise echoed from the collision as both Siao Ge and his spear were thrown backward. However, Ye Guan appeared behind the giant like a ghost, and he thrust his sword into the giant’s head.
Puchi!
Ye Guan’s sword pierced the giant’s skin, but it got stuck after only a few inches.
Ye Guan was flustered. He mustered his sword energy to retrieve his sword before immediately rolling away.
Swoosh!
The massive ax swept past his previous location, and the air shrieked as it shattered beneath the force behind the ax.
Ye Guan had to retreat a few meters away. Upon recovering, he flipped over his palm and mustered his sword energy.
The giant stared at Ye Guan, and it was about to attack when a shrill noise echoed behind the giant. It abruptly turned and saw a spear flying toward it.
Ye Guan took advantage of the opening and rolled forward.
The giant raised its ax and smacked the spear away, sending Siao Ge and his weapon flying away. This time, however, the impact sent Siao Ge flying over a hundred meters away.
He crashed to the ground, and blood spurted out of his mouth.
Meanwhile, Ye Guan stabbed the giant’s crotch with his sword.
Was it a despicable move? Indeed. However, this was a life-or-death battle, so Ye Guan had more than enough reason to stab the giant’s family jewels!
Ye Guan’s sword dug a few inches deeper than earlier, but it still ended up getting stuck.
Ye Guan was dumbfounded by the sight. What the heck?! How can it get stuck there?
Ye Guan’s train of thought was interrupted by a horrifying energy above him. Ye Guan let go of his sword and rolled away, dodging the giant’s powerful attack. He flicked his finger and created a sword out of sword energy.
Unfortunately, the sword energy could only create a few superficial scratches on the giant’s neck before the giant shattered it with a smack.
Ye Guan’s expression grew solemn, and his thoughts were indecipherable as he stared at the giant’s neck.
The giant started moving toward Ye Guan, and the floor trembled with every step it took.
At the sight, Ye Guan blurted out. “Brother Siao, help me distract it for an hour.”
“An hour?!” Siao Ge’s eyes widened. He immediately lay on the ground and shouted, “I give up!”
Ye Guan hurriedly said, “No, thirty minutes. Give me thirty minutes, and I’ll kill it.”
Thirty minutes… Siao Ge was silent.
Ye Guan could see Siao Ge’s hesitation, so he added, “Just give me thirty minutes, and I’ll definitely kill it!”
Siao Ge gnashed his teeth. However, he eventually stood up and rushed at the giant. He moved quickly, and he carried with him an imposing aura as he charged at the giant.
The giant reacted and brought its ax down on Siao Ge.
Boom!
Siao Ge was sent flying away.
Meanwhile, Ye Guan was busy controlling several sword energies. The sword energies hacked away at the giant’s neck.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Loud noises echoed incessantly as the sword energies exploded upon every collision, but Ye Guan’s tactic was working because the wound on the giant’s neck got bigger and bigger as time went on.
The giant suddenly took a stance with its ax and swung it in a circle.
Boom!
More than ten sword energies were destroyed at once, but Ye Guan suddenly appeared in front of the giant and thrust his sword into the giant’s throat.
Crack!
The wound in the giant’s neck grew larger. However, Ye Guan wasn’t done just yet.
He spared no quarter as he attacked incessantly with his sword while unleashing creating swords out sword energy at the same time. Eventually, Ye Guan backflipped away from the giant and immediately turned around to run away upon landing.
While running, Ye Guan flicked his finger and—
Slice!
The giant’s wound deepened as Ye Guan’s sword energy lacerated it.
Crack!
A grotesque noise echoed as the giant’s neck split open.
However, the giant was still standing, and it finally realized that Ye Guan was the biggest threat to its life. It turned its attention to the running Ye Guan and changed at the latter with its ax.
Ye Guan’s expression changed at the sight.
“Brother Siao, help me!” he hurriedly shouted.
Swoosh!
Ye Guan rolled to the side, dodging an attack that would have ended his life.
Meanwhile, Siao Ge was covered in his own blood. He growled and dashed at the giant upon hearing Ye Guan’s shout.
The giant turned and swung its ax toward Siao Ge.
Boom!
There was another loud explosion as Siao Ge was sent flying for over a hundred and fifty meters with his spear broken in one section. He crashed to the ground, and he immediately started seizing as blood flowed incessantly out of his mouth.
Meanwhile, several sword energies were attacking the giant’s throat non-stop.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several explosions reverberated, and a gaping wound finally appeared in the giant’s neck. The giant staggered backward, and it seemed to have finally realized that it was in peril.
Ye Guan was delighted by the sight, and he hurriedly cried out. “Brother Siao, distract him! I’m going to finish him!”
Siao Ge’s voice was trembling, and he barely managed to shout, “I’m a spearman, not a physique cultivator!”
The giant was furious upon sustaining a severe wound, and it charged at Ye Guan.
Ye Guan’s expression changed. He turned around and ran. Fortunately, he had been running away and dodging the phantoms’ attacks on the lower floors, so he managed to dodge the crazed attacks of the crazed giant.
Ye Guan knew that he was way weaker than the giant, so he chose to run away and dodge. If he were to take the brunt of even a single hit from the crazed giant, Ye Guan was sure that he would die outright or be immediately incapacitated.
However, Ye Guan was also aware that he couldn’t keep on running forever. He turned to look at Siao Ge and cried out, “Brother Siao, hurry up! One last time—distract him one last time!”
Siao Ge was on the ground, and he struggled to lift his head to look at the giant. He saw the gaping wound in the giant’s neck, and a sinister light appeared in his eyes.
He forced himself to stand up and charged at the giant once more.
The giant turned sharply and swung its ax toward Siao Ge.
Boom!
Siao Ge’s spear was broken, and Siao Ge himself flew almost three hundred meters away from the impact. He crashed to the floor, and he seized violently.
Siao Ge tried his best to squeeze words out of his throat. “I can’t… I really can’t do it anymore…”
While the giant was distracted by Siao Ge, Ye Guan approached the giant and stabbed the giant’s neck with his sword.
Squelch!
A grotesque sound echoed as Ye Guan’s sword coated with sword energy pierced the giant’s neck.
However, Ye Guan wasn’t done just yet. His eyes flashed sinisterly as he twisted and swung his sword.
Swoosh!
The giant’s head flew into the air.
Ye Guan immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the giant’s hand moved autonomously and swung the ax in its hand toward Ye Guan. To make matters worse, the ax was enveloped by terrifying lightning energy.
Ye Guan’s expression changed. He wanted to dodge, but it was too late.
Boom!
Ye Guan could only defend himself with his sword, but he was sent flying away upon impact. Coincidentally, he flew right into the severely injured Siao Ge, and the two of them were sent flying for another thirty meters before stopping.
Siao Ge groaned, and blood spurted out of Ye Guan’s mouth. However, he didn’t bother wiping the blood at the corner of his lips as he hurriedly looked at the giant.
The giant collapsed to the ground and disappeared.
Ye Guan breathed another sigh of relief before lying next to Siao Ge.
Ye Guan glanced at Siao Ge and said, “Brother Siao, that wasn’t too bad, was it?”
“What do you mean, it wasn’t too bad? I almost died!” Siao Ge retorted in a trembling voice.
Ye Guan grinned and exclaimed, “We won!”
Siao Ge nodded and said, “If we lost, we would have had no choice but to see each other in our next lives.”
Ye Guan boisterously laughed. It felt great to fight in such a perilous fight!
Meanwhile, the shining door started trembling.
Ye Guan and Siao Ge’s faces changed as their gazes turned to the shining door. A woman walked out of the door, eliciting a frown from the two.
The woman was an illusory figure, and she was wearing an emerald green dress. A sword sheath was on her back.
A swordswoman?
The woman walked over to the two. She gazed deeply at them before smiling. “Did the two of you work together to complete this floor?”
Ye Guan nodded. “Yes!”
The woman looked at Ye Guan and Siao Ge before saying, “You did great. I’ll group you two into one, and you two are the second conqueror of the ninth floor.”
Second? Siao Ge and Ye Guan stiffened.
Siao Ge stood up and asked, “Who was the first?”
The woman smiled and said, “She’s a woman called Ji Xuan from Zhongtu Divine Continent. And she cleared the ninth floor by herself! She was also about the same age as you two back then, roughly seventeen years old.”
Ye Guan and Siao Ge’s faces fell. The delight they felt from clearing the ninth floor instantly evaporated.
The woman seemed to have noticed that, and she smiled at them before saying, “Do not be discouraged. You two are outstanding as well! Come, let me give you a reward.”
She flipped her palm, and a box appeared in front of Ye Guan and Siao Ge.
Ye Guan blinked at the woman and muttered, “Just one?”
The woman nodded and replied, “Yes, just one.”
Ye Guan asked, “There are two of us here, can you give us another one?”
The woman repeatedly blinked before saying, “No...”
Ye Guan went silent. He opened the box to take a look and found a scroll in it.
Ye Guan’s curiosity was piqued. “What is it?”
The woman smiled and replied. “It’s an Immortal-rank cultivation manual.”
That’s definitely higher than Sky-rank! Ye Guan and Siao Ge’s expressions changed.
They were certain that not even the Guanxuan Academy had an Immortal-rank cultivation manual. They exchanged looks, and Ye Guan eventually said, “We’ll take a look at it together.”
Siao Ge nodded in agreement.
Ye Guan added, “It’ll belong to me once we’re done memorizing it.”
Siao Ge shook his head in disagreement.
With that, Ye Guan turned to look at the woman. He hesitated for quite a while before asking, “Can you give us another one?”
“No, I—” The woman was about to speak, but she stopped speaking upon seemingly realizing something. Her expression changed, and she grabbed Ye Guan’s hand with her right hand.
Ye Guan stiffened and stood rooted.
The woman stared at Ye Guan in disbelief before muttering, “Crazy Devil—”
The woman abruptly cut herself off and stopped speaking.
The confused Ye Guan stared at the woman. Moments later, the woman finally recovered from her trance. She looked deeply into Ye Guan’s eyes, and her expression softened as she released Ye Guan’s hand before saying with a smile, “Okay.”
She took out another box and gave it to Ye Guan.
Ye Guan and Siao Ge were overjoyed.
The woman looked at Ye Guan with a warm but complex look.
“My projection is about to disappear. Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing the both of you in the Main Academy,” she said.
Ye Guan muttered, “You’re from the Main Academy?”
The woman smiled and replied, “Yes, I’m from the Guanxuan Universe’s Guanxuan Academy. The Main Academy is a really fun place, so you better come here and visit!”
With that, the woman’s illusory figure faded away.
Meanwhile, Little Pagoda in the tiny pagoda spoke, “I didn’t expect to see Ye Yu here and in that way, to boot…”
The mysterious voice in the tiny pagoda responded, “Was she really Ye Yu?”
Little Pagoda replied, “She was just a little girl back then. Anyway, I really didn’t expect to see her like that.”