Chapter 1168: Crimson Flurries
The horned monster was colossal. When it slammed into the ground, it was as if a mountain had suddenly fallen from a great height. The instant the thunderous impact reverberated, the ground shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck.
Every house in the village, regardless of size or state of disrepair, save for the three-story building where Ding Tianhua resided, crumbled into ruins under the profound tremor of the ground.
These houses were already ancient and dilapidated; even those in marginally better condition were barely holding on. Under such violent shaking, how could they possibly remain standing?
Dust and smoke billowed forth. Through the haze, the horned monster could be faintly seen struggling to its feet. An enraged roar ripped from its maw, and its terrifying power conjured a gale that immediately dispersed the enveloping dust and smoke.
Owing to its truly colossal size, when the horned monster finally struggled out of the immense crater and stood upright, it loomed like a towering mountain between heaven and earth. Even with Yang Haoran suspended in mid-air, he barely reached the monster's waist.
The horned monster, its face contorted in fury, shook the dirt and dust from its head. Its gaze then locked onto Yang Haoran. Seeing Yang Haoran, tiny as an ant at its waist, it unleashed the fury in its heart and swung a massive palm straight at him.
Faced with the colossal horned monster, Yang Haoran chose not to meet its might head-on, but instead decisively opted to dodge.
Simultaneously, the vanished Remnant Moon was re-summoned, though he did not allow it to swell to its former enormous size. It remained at its normal proportions, as this was the state in which Remnant Moon achieved its maximum speed.
When dealing with such an opponent, one certainly couldn't directly clash in terms of strength. Strength was clearly the monster's forte, and it would be somewhat irrational to challenge an opponent's strong suit. Therefore, Yang Haoran concluded that engaging in a battle of speed was the most sensible approach. After all, his attack speed was *his* forte, and using his own strength to exploit the opponent's weakness would not only conserve his energy but also yield astonishing results.
Yang Haoran's body flickered, dodging the horned monster's enraged slap. From the state of his evasion, it appeared he hadn't expended much effort to avoid the blow. As he dodged, Remnant Moon, under his mental command, transformed into a streak of black light, launching its own attack against the horned monster.
In this state, Remnant Moon was both swift and sharp. The horned monster was too slow to react, and a gash appeared on its arm, carved by Remnant Moon. Blood spurted forth, yet before it could even hit the ground, it transformed into a crimson mist and vanished entirely.
This phenomenon occurred because, despite the horned monster's semblance of life, it was not truly alive. Its flesh and blood body was entirely condensed from raw power. Thus, when blood sprayed from its wound, it would dissipate into a bloody mist, and this dissipating mist was, in fact, also a form of power, not actual atomized blood.
In truth, the area Yang Haoran intended to strike was not the horned monster's arm, but its chest. Although the horned monster was too slow to fully dodge the lightning-fast Remnant Moon, it managed to thrust its arm towards Remnant Moon at the crucial moment, which was why its arm was merely gashed instead of its chest being pierced through.
In a single exchange, Yang Haoran remained completely unscathed, while the horned monster was the first to take a hit. However, this minor injury was utterly trivial to the horned monster. Not only did it fail to wound the monster's core, but it instead ignited its ferocity, causing its attacks on Yang Haoran to grow even more violent.
This was precisely the effect Yang Haoran desired. The more violently the horned monster attacked, the greater its expenditure of power would be. Once the monster was sufficiently depleted, eliminating it would become all the simpler.
However, the horned monster's attacks were indeed quite formidable, so Yang Haoran dared not be overly careless. Should he genuinely take a few solid hits from the horned monster, it would undoubtedly inflict even greater damage upon his still-recovering physical body.
To avoid being struck by the horned monster's assaults, Yang Haoran constantly made predictions in his mind, dodging repeatedly based on these foresightful judgments, eluding the monster's attacks time and again.
As for his Soul Armament, Remnant Moon, it ceaselessly attacked the horned monster under his control. Because Remnant Moon's speed was truly astounding, and the horned monster was too gargantuan and cumbersome, it found it exceedingly difficult to completely evade Remnant Moon's assaults.
Precisely because of this, in a short span of time, Yang Haoran was not successfully hit even once by the horned monster's attacks. Instead, numerous wounds were carved onto the horned monster's body by Remnant Moon.
On the rooftop, Ding Tianhua watched the battle between Yang Haoran and the horned monster, his expression once again turning rather grim. For as the current situation stood, Yang Haoran, not he, held the upper hand. If this continued, Yang Haoran would certainly sustain some damage from the horned monster's attacks, but the horned monster would undoubtedly suffer far greater harm, potentially even being dispersed by Yang Haoran.
Ding Tianhua harbored such thoughts because he knew Yang Haoran hadn't yet unleashed his full power. Yang Haoran and the horned monster had only been fighting for a short while, yet Yang Haoran had merely utilized one Soul Armament and already inflicted numerous wounds on the monster. If Yang Haoran were to deploy his other Soul Armament as well, it would undoubtedly cause even greater harm to the horned monster.
Ding Tianhua still vividly recalled the scene from the great battle in Tongyou City, where Yang Haoran had simultaneously managed three tasks. Currently, apart from dodging, Yang Haoran was only controlling one Soul Armament to deal with the horned monster, so Ding Tianhua knew Yang Haoran wasn't using his full strength at all.
“That fellow, Yang Haoran, is still this strong even with his injuries unrecovered. I must find a way to change this situation! ”
Ding Tianhua mused inwardly. He glanced at the two violently churning masses of Yin Qi beside him, hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, abandoning the idea of controlling his Soul Armaments to attack Yang Haoran.
It wasn't that he didn't want to seize this opportunity to control his Soul Armaments and strike at Yang Haoran, but rather because both of his Soul Armaments were melee-type. If he were to command his Soul Armaments to attack Yang Haoran, he would first have to retract the golden protective barrier surrounding his body. Otherwise, his Soul Armaments' attacks would simply be blocked by the golden barrier.
The golden barrier could indeed repel external attacks, but any attacks originating from within the golden barrier that sought to affect the outside would similarly be blocked by it, unless the golden barrier was broken or retracted. Thus, after a moment of hesitation, Ding Tianhua ultimately chose not to use his Soul Armaments, unwilling to have the golden barrier disappear merely for their deployment.
In comparison, he felt that the golden barrier's utility at this moment outweighed that of his two Soul Armaments. After all, the golden barrier could temporarily ensure his safety. Without the golden barrier protecting him, Yang Haoran would undoubtedly attack him immediately, prioritizing ending his life first. Because once he died, both the horned monster and the formation enveloping the village would swiftly be broken by Yang Haoran. Hence, Yang Haoran would certainly act in that manner.
In Ding Tianhua's view, his Soul Armaments were certainly to be used, but not yet. With the golden barrier temporarily protecting him, he felt that if he wished to inflict more damage on Yang Haoran right now, it would be better to start with the Array Disk in his hand. One reason was convenience; the other was that the formation's full power had yet to be unleashed. Once the formation's full might was displayed, if he still couldn't defeat Yang Haoran, it wouldn't be too late to employ other methods then.
“Yang Haoran, aren't you supposed to be formidable? Why do you only know how to dodge? It seems you have no other skills besides scuttling around like a mouse! ”
Ding Tianhua hurled mockery at Yang Haoran, hoping to infuriate him and throw him off balance, thus making it easier to find a weakness.
“Heh heh, if I don't dodge, am I supposed to just let this monster's attacks land on me? Only an idiot would do such an idiotic thing. Would you do that? Are you an idiot? ”
Yang Haoran continued to dodge while commanding Remnant Moon to attack, all while retorting to Ding Tianhua.
Yang Haoran's expression remained as unperturbed as before, his tone as calm. His words, delivered without rush or a hint of breathlessness, clearly indicated that Yang Haoran had expended little energy thus far.
“Hmph, don't imagine you can keep dodging like this forever. Next, I'll wipe that smile right off your face! ”
With a cold snort, Ding Tianhua cast his gaze upon the Array Disk in his hand. Then, with one hand, he retrieved a Soul Pill and ingested it to replenish his depleted Spirit Power. Immediately after, his palm pressed firmly onto the blood-colored Array Disk, continuously pouring a torrent of Spirit Power into it.
Although this set of formation flags originated from the Demonic Cult, it wasn't exclusively usable with demonic power. Other forms of energy could also activate it, and Spirit Power was naturally no exception. Otherwise, Ding Tianhua wouldn't be so foolish as to choose this set of formation flags to deal with Yang Haoran, a Guardian.
Ding Tianhua had expended a considerable amount of Spirit Power from the moment he began activating the blood-colored Array Disk. Now, with the intensified infusion of Spirit Power into the Array Disk, his internal Spirit Power had significantly dwindled. This was why he now consumed a Soul Pill, to replenish his spent Spirit Power.
As a massive surge of Spirit Power flowed in, the blood-colored Array Disk began to tremble violently.
Suddenly, the formation operating overhead erupted with a crimson light, descending from the sky and striking the horned monster that was currently battling Yang Haoran.
The instant the crimson light struck the horned monster, a power fluctuation even more terrifying than before erupted. Not only did it send Remnant Moon, which had been attacking the horned monster, flying back, but it also forced Yang Haoran, who had been continuously dodging the horned monster's assaults, to retreat a considerable distance due to this sudden burst of power.
Conversely, the horned monster, directly struck by the crimson light, was not harmed in the slightest. Instead, its power increased under the light's augmentation. As the crimson light continuously poured into its body, a dense, blood-red aura emanated from it, and the wounds left by Remnant Moon visibly healed at a rapid pace.
In but the blink of an eye, all the crimson light descending from the overhead formation had poured into the horned monster's body. Empowered by the crimson light, the horned monster's muscles bulged in slabs. Its body now appeared not only brimming with power but also remarkably lustrous, as if it had suddenly undergone a rebirth.
“ROAR! ! ! ”
A hearty, unrestrained roar erupted from the horned monster's mouth. It once again swung a fist at the minuscule Yang Haoran, but compared to before, its current punching speed was notably swifter. As for its strength, there was even less need to mention it—it had increased by at least twofold.
While Yang Haoran's previous evasions of the horned monster's attacks hadn't been particularly effortless, they hadn't posed a significant threat to him. Now, however, a change had occurred: Yang Haoran's attempts to dodge the horned monster's assaults had clearly become more strenuous.
Ding Tianhua observed this scene, and he was far from satisfied with the outcome. Despite the reinforced horned monster landing several successive punches, none had successfully hit Yang Haoran; Yang Haoran had still managed to dodge them all. Although Yang Haoran appeared to be struggling considerably more than before, this was ultimately not the outcome he desired. What he truly wanted was for Yang Haoran to find it extremely difficult to dodge the horned monster's attacks, ideally for a few punches to severely injure or outright kill Yang Haoran. That was the result he longed to see.
“Damn it! I, Ding Tianhua, will see today just how much you can dodge! ”
Exasperated, Ding Tianhua couldn't help but curse loudly. Having just expended a massive amount of Spirit Power, he once again frantically infused Spirit Power into the Array Disk in his hand. As the Spirit Power surged into the blood-colored Array Disk in his hand like a deluge, his complexion gradually turned pale.
His injuries were originally unhealed, and his body remained very weak. The continuous expenditure naturally took a tremendous toll on him. In particular, the consumption of Spirit Power within his body was astonishing. Even after taking a Soul Pill, the Pure Yin Qi released by it couldn't meet the demands of his expenditure, which was why his face was now ashen.
As Ding Tianhua frantically infused vast amounts of Spirit Power into the blood-colored Array Disk, the swirling formation overhead once again erupted with a dense crimson light. Only this time, unlike before, there was no pillar of crimson light descending from the sky. Instead, countless snowflakes, thick and dense, drifted down from high above.
These snowflakes were no ordinary snowflakes, for they were not white, but blood-red in color. It was more apt to call them 'blood blossoms' than snowflakes, and they were not a natural weather phenomenon, but rather a special kind of snowflake condensed from the power of the formation.
The blood-red snowflakes drifted down, eerie yet beautiful. Yang Haoran didn't sense the slightest power fluctuation from these snowflakes, yet a strong sense of alarm rose in his heart. He didn't grow careless simply because he couldn't detect any power from them.
After all, Ding Tianhua had expended a vast amount of Spirit Power just to unleash this technique through the formation. It certainly wasn't so that Yang Haoran could witness an unusual and eerie snowfall; it was obvious, without needing to think, that this was a killing move directed specifically at him.
When the first snowflake drifted down from the sky and landed on Yang Haoran, the smile on his face instantly froze, for the weight of this single snowflake exceeded his wildest imagination.
Under normal circumstances, a snowflake landing on one's body—let alone on a powerhouse like Yang Haoran, even an ordinary person—would not feel heavy at all; they might not even perceive its weight.
However, the blood-red snowflake currently drifting onto Yang Haoran's body felt like a heavy steel weight dropping upon him; its mass was utterly incomparable to that of a normal snowflake.
The snowflake quickly melted upon contact, but the weight it imposed on Yang Haoran did not disappear with it; it lingered.
In that instant, Yang Haoran understood what special ability these seemingly power-less blood blossoms possessed. The primary function of these snowflakes was to impose gravity on their targets, thereby affecting their movements.
At the same time, he also understood why no power fluctuations could be sensed from these snowflakes. It was because all the inherent power of these snowflakes was sealed within them. When a snowflake struck its target, the internal seal would break, releasing its power. This unleashed power would immediately transform into gravitational force, applied directly onto the target. This was also the reason why a tiny snowflake could possess the weight of a steelyard plummet.
For Yang Haoran, the weight of a single steelyard plummet imposed upon him would have no effect whatsoever, much less hinder his movements. However, thousands upon thousands of such weights bearing down on him would be an entirely different matter. Even he would be profoundly affected, perhaps even directly crushed.
As the first snowflake landed on him and melted, a continuous flurry of dense snowflakes followed. The snowflakes were too numerous and dense for Yang Haoran to evade; instantly, many landed on him.
Just like the first snowflake, the moment they landed, they immediately melted. Yet, the weight imposed on Yang Haoran did not vanish with their dissolution. His body, which had been dodging the horned monster's attacks in mid-air, was consequently affected to some extent, and his speed plummeted instantly.
After the horned monster was enhanced by the crimson light, both its speed and strength had significantly increased, making Yang Haoran's evasions considerably more arduous than before. Now, with his speed suddenly reduced, successfully dodging the horned monster's attacks naturally became even more difficult.
However, this was not the most critical point. The most crucial aspect was that these swirling snowflakes were not indiscriminate attacks. While the snowflakes affected Yang Haoran when they landed on him, they had no impact whatsoever on the horned monster.
For Yang Haoran, this was the most troublesome aspect. If these snowflakes could also affect the horned monster, he would not only avoid being put on the defensive, but he might even have the opportunity to employ other methods and slay the horned monster even more swiftly.
But reality was precisely the opposite: the horned monster was unaffected. Not only the horned monster, but even Ding Tianhua, standing at the edge of the rooftop, remained entirely untouched. There was only one person affected by the snowflakes, and that was Yang Haoran!
He was affected by the snowflakes, yet his opponent remained completely unaffected. What awaited him next was easily imaginable.
Barely dodging one of the horned monster's punches, Yang Haoran hadn't even had time to steady himself when another punch from the monster came hurtling towards him. Facing this blow, he had no time at all to dodge and was sent flying directly!
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