Skyfire Avenue - Chapter 634

Chapter 634

Chapter 664: Stronger

Lan Qing froze . He knew that his brother had obtained thunder essence and was absorbing the immortal qi within . He knew Lan Jue was in the process of transforming his thunderbolt Discipline . The ancient, mystical lightning was real and he could feel it in the younger Lan’s power . He knew he couldn’t contend with it at his current strength, but Lan Jue couldn’t sustain it, either .

As Lan Qin stood still, stunned, Lan Jue escaped from his Domain with Qianlin . Down among the soldiers, two more figures joined in watching the hologram . Jue Di had changed into his favorite pair of overalls . He watched the two brothers compete with a grin plastered on his face .

“Who knew A-Jue could break free of A-Qing’s Domain! It looks like he’s underestimating his brother . ” Luo Xianni mused out loud at Jue Di’s shoulder .

Jue Di shook his head . “No, he didn’t underestimate him . It’s A-Jue’s Thunderbolt . It isn’t true All-Heaven Lightning, but his luck is other-worldly . The thunder essence bore the residuals of the real stuff . Whatever creature it used to be must have been strong . Strong enough that the old immortals chose to bring it down with All-Heaven Lightning . Now that it’s a part of Lan Jue, no average Domain can contain it . Taking into consideration that Lan Qing isn’t completely familiar with his Domain yet, and he didn’t know what to expect from Lan Jue, we can see how A-Jue managed to escape . Keep watching, let’s see what other surprises they have hidden up their sleeves . ”

Lan Jue managed to free himself and Qianlin from Lan Qing’s Domain, but he didn’t relax . Now that he’d experienced it, he knew Lan Qing’s Domain wasn’t just energy oppression . More frightening was its psychological and emotional assault . Indeed, his brother’s powers were physical and mental both . No wonder he rose so sharply through the ranks of Paragon .

Lan Jue remembered something his father had taught him . The strongest Domains had a psychological component, able to suppress the enemy’s thoughts and actions . Not only did it undermine one’s foe, it also boosted the self . At some point the imposing aura becomes strong enough to completely cow the weak-willed and empower one’s ability to new heights .

Their clash had been brief, but already Lan Jue was beginning to understand what he was up against .

Lan Qing reappeared . He didn’t seem the least affected by watching Lan Jue cleave apart his Domain . On the contrary, he was calm as ever . Lan Jue was learning about Lan Qing’s Domain, but at the same time he was discovering what he could about Thunderbolt Discipline . The two brothers eyed one another from a distance, sharing a moment of quiet understanding .

The soldiers couldn’t say their first clash was very exciting . To them there was just a flash, two flashes, and then they were watching each other . Only the few ninth level Adepts among them could glimpse parts of what had happened .

Lan Jue slowly lifted Captus, gripping it tight . Beside him, Qianlin released his hand . Demortus appeared in a flash to fill the void . Both of them pointed the god-blades toward Lan Qing .

Without physical contact, both Lan Jue and Qianlin felt their powers rapidly decline . However, Lan Qing had the inexplicable feeling that right now, these two were even more dangerous .

The sword in Lan Jue’s hand lashed out . What followed was a torrent of ghastly power, a tidal wave that raced for Lan Qing . At first it looked like a straight column, but as it approached Lan Qing saw it as a sea of energy . He became the focal point for the full force of it .

Zhou Qianlin attacked in tandem . Her strike fractured into ten thousand glimmering swipes . Like leaves on the breeze they flowed through space, descending on Lan Qing from all directions . While Lan Jue’s attack was a focused flood, hers was a torrential downpour . Individually her strikes were weak, but they were relentless . Every opening, every weakness was found and exploited . As the red and blue lights shone brighter, the two sword-bearers vanished .

Ten Thousand Swords as one, and Focused Flow! Zhou Qianlin and Lan Jue! At last their knowledge combined as a singular overwhelming assault on the An Lun super soldier!

Lan Qing sensed the purity in their sword dance . Neither could call upon the full power of their swords, but he daren’t hesitate or underestimate what they could do . Hands he’d kept pressed to his chest were thrust out in a dual-handed push . His chanting stopped, everything went silent . But his body did not remain still . The general’s figure exploded to a hundred times his normal size, blazing gold like a Buddha . A pale and unimpressive light shimmered behind his head . Although he did not change in appearance, an incomparable sense of shock struck Lan Jue like a train .

The Three Prajna Mantras! The Great Spiritual Mantra!

A Paragon-level Great Spiritual Mantra!

An enormous golden palm appeared . It blocked the red and blue sword-strikes, mingling with them, and blocking them from proceeding .

Ruin, penetration; wide as the ocean, thin as a needle . Lan Jue and Qianlin could not enact the Harmonious Swords, but nonetheless what they created in their union was baleful . The focused power of Cpatus and Demortus roiled over one another until they carved a path through the golden palms . They blazed a path for Lan Qing .

The An Lun general didn’t speak, and didn’t run . His hands arose, fingers splayed like picking a flower . His fingers waggled .

“Ding – ding!” The two ringing sounds came one after the other . The two Banishing Blades shuddered as their waves of power were parted to either side of Lan Qing . Next he stepped forward, and the motion seemed to free him from the golden aura . It fell away like a shed skin, and in its place Lan Qing was a homogenous cyan .

In the next instant Lan Jue felt like he was in the eye of a tornado . Lan Qing’s pervasive and overbearing power underwent a dramatic upheaval . The wave of force swept passed him, thrusting him a hundred meters away . Qianlin – who had been standing by his side – was gone .

“You…” Lan Jue was too surprised to speak . He raced forward to regain the lost ground . However, every centimeter gained was contested by whirling cyan winds . One concentrated storm after another buffeted him, and as they continued to come they took on the form of hideous bloodthirsty dragons . Lan Jue was forced to rely on Captus’ power to fight them off .

The tip of his weapon danced in circles as Lan Jue drew upon his Taiji sword knowledge . He flooded the sword and its movements with All-Heaven Lightning . It was enough to carve up his brother’s attacks, but were very draining .

When the dust settled he looked for his opponent . He saw instead Qianlin, captured in a column of cyan light . She valiantly slashed with Demortus, but couldn’t penetrate the curtain of power . Of course, without enough strength she couldn’t summon enough of the sword’s abilities to free herself .

“You… you’re protogenia isn’t Vairochana?” Lan Jue looked at his brother with surprise clear in his gaze .

Lan Qing was once again the familiar, intractable figure of Prometheus . The same, only much stronger . The swirling waves of power from him continued all around, only now they were the essence of wind .

Lan Qing smirked . “They come from the same source, not much different from one another . It is an intrinsic part of me, why not employ it? It was my Discipline . Vairochana and Wind… there is no conflict . Do you understand?”

Lan Jue just looked at him . Of course he didn’t understand . He couldn’t grasp how his brother seemed to change so completely . Could a Paragon use two separate kinds of protogenia? How was this possible? But despite his disbelief the proof was right in front of him . He’d seen both from his brother, but that didn’t make it any less inconceivable . He’d been caught off guard and separated from Qianlin . He certainly was no match for general now .

Gusts of cyan wind roiled around Lan Qing’s body, once more becoming gold . Prometheus became the golden Buddha, and with the new appearance returned the crushing aura . Again, Vairochana! The change was instantaneous, like it was subject only to the will of Lan Qing .

Lan Jue’s shocked expression gradually gave way . Something was becoming clear to him .

There was a flash of turquoise and Qianlin was deposited back to Lan Jue’s side . When he took her hand their psychic connection was reestablished . Both of them felt their Disciplines surge to the peak of ninth rank . After a moment of quiet thought, Lan Jue spoke up . “I need to go back and think on this . ” The words were absent-mindedly murmured by way of explanation before Lan Jue took Qianlin and left back toward An Lun .

Lan Qing’s face revealed a small smile . This was exactly the result he was looking for!

What could two ninth level Adepts do against a Reflection of Heaven and Earth? The point wasn’t to beat Lan Jue . All of this was his way of imparting the things he’d learned, to bestow his knowledge upon his little brother . With luck it will shorten his path . That was all Lan Qing had aimed to accomplish .

“He knows how to make the best of the situation . ” Jue Di nodded in satisfaction, after which he turned and left the field . Luo Xianni laughed, overjoyed at what she saw . How could she not? These two brothers propped each other up, they would go much farther than the generation that guided them .

Lan Jue took Qianlin back to base, and directly back to their room . There, he sunk into quiet contemplation .

There was no question that Lan Qing had won their fight . It served to stoke the fires of competition among the Bloodiron Kahns and Star Division . They didn’t need any more motivation words from their commanders . Soon they could test themselves in DreamNet, and a single-minded thought consumed every soldier . Get strong .  Stronger . Stronger!