Volume 11 Chapter 90
Rather than the sound of Baidizi's landing on the ground snapping them back to reality, it was the blood assailing their noses that did.
"Dad!" Luo Siming, Feng Jian and other Luo Clan loyalists rushed over to Luo Ming's side. "D-Dad, y-you..." Luo Siming couldn't bring himself to say the words no matter how he tried.
Eyes blank, body stiff and immobilised, skin wrinkly and ashen hair were tell-tale signs of qi, blood and essence depletion.
Be it reforging one's body or achieving a breakthrough amidst a fight wasn't remotely easy. The latter was a product of enriched experience with the assistance of more comprehensive understanding; it was a product of luck, not effort. Of the two, the former is undisputedly more difficult.
Reforging one's body at Luo Ming's age was analogous to expecting to purify one's body at the snap of a finger. Firstly, a wealth of knowledge was required to reforge. You couldn't chisel want didn't exist in the first place, after all. Secondly, the individual needs the mental fortitude to fight off the pain that could diminish their abilities drastically. In Luo Ming's case, there was also the fact that he was literally trying to modify on the fly whilst in the crossfire; it was akin to fixing weapons while arrows were being fired at him. To top it off, whoever did it would have to adapt to their new body in a short timeframe.
Luo Ming delivered his final slash with no emotions for victory, defeat, life and death. Though he beheaded Baidizi singlehandedly, he also expended all his energy, leaving him immobilised similarly to being in a vegetative state.
While Luo Siming hugged his father in his shaky arms, Feng Jian did his best to heal his mentor in spite of detecting no essence left inside. Try as he may, Feng Jian would need magic to replenish it.
Ming Feizhen's plan wasn't wrong; to even come up with a feasible plan in the time they had was a miracle. That being said, he couldn't possibly debate Luo Ming had more experience than him as a military commander.
Soldiers adapt their formations, and formations adapt to situations. As Nieyao was the enemy's main camp, a drawn-out battle would give the enemy the initiative, particularly considering Baidizi's ability to form an army.
Baidizi could've lost interest in Luo Ming at the drop of a hat. Next thing they knew would be its army washing Nieyao with the blood of everyone behind Luo Ming. Luo Ming had to jump through numerous hoops in order to decapitate Baidizi, incapacitating himself in the process. If Baidizi's army supported it, Luo Ming would've just been food. Perhaps he would've survived until Abels and Moyan Luohou could come to his aid, but Luo Clan's elites might've been history by then. He already lost three sons once. Should he lose his last son and his disciple, too?
Luo Ming knew what the ramifications were when he made up his mind. Thankfully, his sacrifice was valuable. More importantly for him, he knew his survival did nobody any good. The imperial court wouldn't allow him to continue living a life of luxury and honour or sweep his crimes under the rug - no way. By extension, Luo Clan would be held accountable. The sole reason Emperor Yuansheng hadn't given his verdict was because he wanted to see what'd happen in Nanjiang first. If he could slay a perilous beast in Nanjiang, then Emperor Yuansheng would let Luo Clan off the hook. Luo Siming, as well as Feng Jian, was extra depressed as they were cognisant of those points.
Shen Yiren, peering at the elder from afar, ambled over.
Luo Ming believed Shen Yiren hand the hands to excel in swordplay but a heart that wasn't devoted to it. Ming Feizhen and Luo Ming both agreed that she was blessed with a knack for martial arts. Unfortunately, though her efforts exceeded many swordsmen, she treated swordplay as a means to an end. As a consequence, she would lose to the likes of Jia Yunfeng, who was a realm below her.
Besides struggling to adapt to her new internal style, the reason Shen Yiren couldn't consolidate her progress into Sword Spirit Realm was lack of interest in understanding swords. Her comprehension of martial arts exceeded her understanding of swords by far. At a less abstract level, she didn't develop the intuition for swords, while said intuition wasn't something that could be imparted. Notwithstanding the depth of Repository Sword Theory, even it could only explain "sword spirit" as, "You either get it or you don't."
Seemingly oblivious to the changes around her, Shen Yiren stated, "Everyone stay sharp. The beasts are about to go wild."
Baidizi's now leaderless troops grunted in stifled voices as they commenced their unhurried advance, replicating a long blanket made from scales.
Even though everyone entered Nieyao in combat mode, they couldn't shift their gazes away from Shen Yiren. She crouched down, then gently lifted the hand Luo Ming still clutching Yujing. Despite his lack of awareness, he loosened his grip, allowing her to take the sword from him.
"Thank you for entrusting me with this sword, Shifu."
Hiss! Baidizi's head shot from the ground toward Luo Ming.
The life force of snakes should never be underestimated; they're able to continue living for another day even if they've lost their head. A dragon's son's head still possessed its inconceivable might when its body was destroyed, special ability was gone and Enlightenment armour had ceased functioning.
The threat was right before their eyes, yet no eyes moved away from Shen Yiren for they detected a burgeoning sword spirit from her. The familiar, in addition to dangerous, aura coming from her could be passed off as a claim of Heavenly Swordsman possessing her. The sword spirit continued to intensify and then replete once Shen Yiren took up Yujing.
Shen Yiren flipped the sword around in her hand, then performed an upward slash, splitting the oversized python head down the centre.
A tinge of clarity returned to Shen Yiren's eyes. No more confusion. No more hesitation. She pointed her sword forward, triumph spreading on her lips. "What challenge are mere beasts? Smite them!"