Volume 4 Chapter 14: Lone Cultivator
"You are a mid stage Soul Expert."
This perfectly straight Great Mang army cultivator, despite only wearing shabby prisoner clothes, once again released the iron-blooded aura of a soldier, but he didn't immediately take action. Instead, he said this with a type of strange tone, as if he was waiting for Gao Yanan to give him the confirmation.
"Your cultivation was originally higher than mid stage Soul Expert." Gao Yanan didn't reply to this Great Mang soldier, instead looking at her own fine white palm, saying with a heavy voice.
"I originally had initial stage Soul Master level cultivation. Because the highest cultivation level among the students this time is mid stage Soul Expert level, my cultivation was crippled to mid stage Soul Expert." This messy haired, full bearded Great Mang soldier said with a sunken voice, "This is something I understand. However, what I do not understand is that you only have mid stage Soul Expert level cultivation, so why do you have explosive strength far exceeding this level?"
"Do you have any family members?" Gao Yanan still didn't respond to his question, instead asking this Great Mang soldier something.
"I do." The Great Mang soldier nodded, but his eyes instead revealed an even more resolute expression. "However, this is precisely the reason why I must carry out my duty to the fullest. Moreover, the deaths of my companions... make it so that I even more so cannot negligently continue living."
The sound of wind roared through this place.
This Great Mang soldier no longer said anything else. His hands formed tiger claws, scratching towards Gao Yanan. At the same time, snow flew everywhere, a kick aimed at Gao Yanan's lower body.
Even though his cultivation already fell from initial stage Soul Master level, his real combat experience was still far greater than any normal mid stage Soul Expert's.
However, Gao Yanan instead didn't use any tricks. She only slightly bent her body, and then sprung up, a kick aimed at this Great Mang soldier's feet.
This Great Mang soldier was sent flying once again, all of his attacks completely failing.
He advanced again, but following another loud noise, he was blasted back once more.
This was completely the scene of Lin Xi facing Wanyan Muye, all exquisite techniques and moves, before the opponent's overwhelming strength, were completely useless. Gao Yanan understood this extremely clearly, so she only used simple and powerful moves, not in a rush to knock down the other party, only forcing him back.
It was extremely simple, but it was also extremely effective.
A trace of sorrow appeared in this Great Mang soldier's eyes.
With his initial stage Soul Master level, after falling to mid stage Soul Expert level, he ended up encountering a student whose strength was a bit absurd, moreover one exceptionally cool-headed when facing an enemy, not panicking or rushed at all. He was actually overwhelmed by this student to the point where he was at his wits end, having absolutely no chance of winning.
His body that had been locked in prison for a long time definitely couldn't hold on for a long time. Meanwhile, when facing this calm Green Luan Academy's tall and slender young lady, she clearly already completely saw through him.
"How much longer are you going to wait in the darkness? Are you waiting for her to drag you out after she knocks me down?"
He adjusted his own breathing, gave the pitch-black mountain forest behind Gao Yanan a look, and then shouted in anger, "If you don't work with me, don't stop her movements somewhat, how can I possibly knock her down?"
Wind noises sounded from the edge of the pitch-black forest.
The third individual who fled after being knocked down by Gao Yanan silently but quickly ran over.
This was a dark skinned, short Thunder Academy student whose eyes seemed especially black. The light armor on his body was smeared until it was black, wrapped around his feet was some type of beast's fur, making it so that he wouldn't release any sound when running on the snowland.
Great Mang's soldier gave this Thunder Academy student a look. The two of them, one in front, one in back, rushed at Gao Yanan at the same time.
Gao Yanan's brows furrowed. A streak of cold light appeared in her hand, her other weapon, the three-edged dagger, directly stabbed at Thunder Academy student's throat. At the same time, his body extended outwards, almost leaping through the sky, one foot kicking at Great Mang soldier's body.
Blood radiance surged from this Thunder Academy student's body. He evaded this thrust, but Gao Yanan's dagger immediately slid down, forcibly hacking through the soft armor covering his right breast, drawing out a deep bloody grove.
Ka!
The right leg of the Great Mang soldier that was supporting the ground released fine bone fracturing noises, but what was different from before was that this time, he actually didn't take any steps back!
He seemed to be supporting his body's burden on his right leg, moreover completely absorbing the impact of Gao Yanan's attack.
His entire body was shaking intensely, every single muscle in his body seemingly compressed, but he actually didn't back up, instead advancing. While borrowing his left leg's fierce step, his entire body lowered, waist bent, and then like a rock, he smashed into Gao Yanan's body.
Gao Yanan's hand descended once again. The three-edged dagger that still carried the blood of Thunder Academy's student stabbing towards Great Mang soldier's back, drawing forth an arc of blood radiance.
However, this Great Mang soldier only protected his head and other vital areas with his arms, charging at her, this impact also making her face suddenly turn pale, backing up for the first time in this snowland. She immediately took more than ten steps in succession.
The dark skinned, especially dark pupiled Thunder Academy student moved his fingers across his chest, fishing up a bit of his own blood. After licking it with his tongue, a savage and cold expression appeared in his eyes, as if he was a valiant wounded wildcat.
Great Mang soldier's body unfolded like a wild goose on the snow, about to soar. His body then instantly arrived before Gao Yanan.
Gao Yanan didn't face him head-on. Under the other party's berserk tiger-like state where he didn't care about his own body at all, the best method was to not let the other party get close at all. That was why she moved sideways, evading Great Mang soldier's attack.
Right at this time, Thunder Academy's student already pounced over. With a raise of his hand, several streaks of cold light shot towards Gao Yanan's face again.
Crossbow sleeve!
Yellow light flashed by Gao Yanan's body. She turned her head, dodging the cold bolts. As her ponytail jumped in the air, her entire body also suddenly rose. With a domineering trampling stance, a foot descended on this Thunder Academy student's forehead.
This black pupiled Thunder Academy student who still had some of his own blood on his lips revealed a cruel expression.
When faced with Gao Yanan's kick, the sounds of fabric tearing could be heard from his shoes, his ten fingers fiercely grabbing the surface of the ground, arms crossed once more, facing Gao Yanan's trampling attack.
He understood it extremely well, under Gao Yanan's full strength attack, his own arms might even break. However, in this thick darkness, he could also clearly see that behind Gao Yanan, the large Great Mang soldier's entire body had also buckled. After just a second of time, this Great Mang soldier would jump even higher.
At that time, when Gao Yanan crushed his arms like a horse trampling a swallow's wings, this Great Mang soldier's body will be like a tiger that soared even higher, appearing behind Gao Yanan, jumping onto her body. Under this type of attack, Gao Yanan will definitely be seriously injured.
When a mid stage Soul Expert faced the close range attack of another mid stage Soul Expert, there was no way they could escape unscathed, let alone this type of dauntless soldier who didn't care about his own life.
However, right at this time, this incredibly valiant Great Mang soldier whose body was dripping with blood suddenly went rigid, his head that was raised towards the sky looking towards his own feet in disbelief.
The moment he was about to leap out, his feet suddenly felt a bone penetrating coldness, nailed to the ground by a wave of tremendous force, as if a pair of ghost hands suddenly reached out, grabbing his legs.
The eyes of the Thunder Academy student whose face was full of a ruthless expression, all of the muscles on his lower back and arms compressed into steel plates, also immediately contracted.
Only someone with his type of eyesight, in this type of dark night, could clearly see that the snow below this Great Mang soldier's legs actually formed strips of exceptionally sturdy ice, tightly wrapping around them.
Ka!
Right at this time, Gao Yanan's feet already fiercely stomped on his arms.
His arms snapped in a type of terrifying position.
Following a muffled groan mixed with pain and horror, Gao Yanan who was no longer threatened by anything behind her sent her other foot's toes straight into the pit of his stomach.
Pu!
This Thunder Academy student sat down on the ground, kicked until he continuously slid backwards, blood spurting crazily out from his mouth.
A thick layer of ice, for a Great Mang soldier wasn't much. After using a bit of strength, the sturdy ice that extended up to his knees was completely shattered to pieces. However, his legs were frozen to the point where they were completely numb, losing all feeling. His body actually couldn't stand still, falling forward, smashing into the ground fiercely.
Gao Yanan didn't seize this opportunity to attack, only taking more than ten steps again, completely pulling open the distance between this Great Mang soldier and herself. The expression on her face seemed to have become a bit more pale than before.
"Snow resistance!" The Thunder Academy student who already didn't have any strength to stand back up stared at Gao Yanan like he was looking at a ghost. Even though he was coughing out blood, he still did his utmost to spit out these two words.
"Snow resistance? Right..."
The Great Mang soldier who fell onto the ground supported himself with his arms, standing back up. With a bitter laugh, these two words finally allowed him to understand some problems.
There was a cultivator in this world whose strength was naturally much greater than normal people's, rumored to be the descendant of the northern frozen sea's giants. Moreover, this cultivator knew a type of cultivation method even Green Luan Academy didn't know about, through soul force, he was able to even use ice and snow to face the enemy. Within a set range, ice and snow seemed to be his runes, his soul weapons.
Originally, there was only one cultivator like this in all of Yunqin, as well as the entire world.
"So your surname is actually Zhou?" This Great Mang soldier knew that there was no way he could kill this young lady. He lowered his hands, asking rather respectfully.
Gao Yanan shook her head, "My surname is Gao."
Great Mang's soldier frowned, looking pensively. "Then you took on your mother's surname?"
Gao Yanan didn't say anything.
"So that was what it was." Blood flowed from Great Mang soldier's mouth. He suddenly charged out crazily, but it wasn't at Gao Yanan, but rather at the black pupiled Thunder Academy student.
This time, Gao Yanan was powerless to stop this mid stage Soul Expert's assault, neither could the seriously injured and completely powerless Thunder Academy student.
"For a Thunder Academy student with this type of aptitude to accompany me to the next life, it is also worth it."
After muttering this, and then looking in Great Mang Dynasty's southern direction, this Great Mang soldier's hands separately pressed against the Thunder Academy student's and his own chest.
Two needles separately pierced through the Thunder Academy student's and his own heart.
Similarly red and surging hot blood melted the light snow.