Ling Yun suddenly felt a sense of danger. "Get out of the way." He pushed Xiao Rou aside, and the two separated in a flash, each jumping more than ten meters away.
With a hiss, an incomparably sharp, gleaming blade of light flashed down from above the two men's heads like lightning, like a giant guillotine suddenly and silently cleaving through the ground they had just stood on, instantly creating a deep crack. The ground beneath their feet was made of some unknown material, a flawless black surface, like a huge piece of Hetian black jade. Jade is normally incredibly hard, but under the attack of the swordsman and the blade's light, it was barely stronger than tofu.
Ling Yun looked up and saw two dark green lights flash above the top of the pillar. Then, a somewhat bloated figure quickly fell down. The bloated body, covered in armor weighing hundreds of kilograms, landed heavily on the ground, but it was like a feather falling to the ground without making a sound. This was another samurai wielding a sword. Except for a V-shaped stamp on his mask, he was almost identical to the samurai who had turned around from behind the pillar.
The longsword in his hand gleamed with a cold, mercury-like light. It wasn't light reflected from the sharpness of the blade, but rather the sword itself possessed the ability to concentrate light. Clearly, the bright blade light from just now came from his hand. Ling Yun wondered what kind of ability this swordsman possessed to unleash such a sharp blade light. Just seeing the cracks in the ground made Ling Yun feel slightly alarmed. Such a silent attack was definitely equivalent to a full-force strike from a superhuman with the strength of a lieutenant. However, he still couldn't figure out where the swordsman came from.
With a few thuds, the sword-wielding warrior who had emerged from behind the pillar walked up unhurriedly. He stopped beside the sword-wielding warrior who had just descended from the top of the barrier. His two large hands, clad in steel gloves, gripped the hilts of the sharp, narrow swords tightly, emitting a strange whistling sound. The two swords, in the same posture, simultaneously shone with a bright light, their tips pointing directly at Ling Yun and Xiao Rou, who were just inches away.
Chapter 295 Ornamental Warrior (Part 2)
Standing before the two silent, armored warriors, Ling Yun and Xiao Rou suddenly felt a strange sensation, as if they had been transported to an ancient battlefield, facing a vast army, where two armies clashed fiercely, countless brave soldiers and warriors engaged in brutal hand-to-hand combat, the air filled with shouts and cries of battle, countless tragic and heroic melodies born from this chaos. A surge of fervent passion welled up within Ling Yun, and he felt an urge to let out a long, resounding roar to release the burning fighting spirit within him. At this moment, all his focus was concentrated on the enemy.
The two exchanged a glance, their minds already in sync. Their mental energy fields surged forth simultaneously. Ling Yun stretched out his hand, and above his palm, five silver lines, as thin as hair, suddenly appeared. After the fifth simulation, when the telekinetic cutting was unleashed again, the silver lines were so thin they were almost transparent! If Ling Yun had fully grasped the mysteries of the microscopic world, then his telekinetic cutting of silver lines could reach the micrometer level. This meant that his attacks would occur silently, making it difficult for any opponent to defend against such a tiny attack.
With a flick of her flawless white hand, a silver telekinetic spear materialized in her palm. Ever since she severely injured Maxim with her Extreme Thrust in the underground bar's barrier, the girl had developed a certain affinity for guns. The telekinetic spear that appeared now was different from the one in the underground bar's barrier.
The original six sharp rhomboid blades have been changed to eight, and the edges of the blades have been changed from sharp, knife-like surfaces to jagged, serrated shapes. This means that when the gun body rotates to attack, the attack power of the gun tip will be greatly enhanced, and the person wielding the gun needs to have extremely high telekinetic control to support it.
The pale white flames on the spear tassel transformed into a deep blue. Xiao Rou infused the flames with renewed lightning power, then used her mental energy field to tightly bind the lightning to the spearhead. Because the barrel and spearhead were hollow, serving as channels for the mental energy field, the lightning only formed a golden point of light at the tip. The power of the lightning was no longer outwardly emitted but rather contained, only becoming effective when it pierced the target. Compared to the previous telekinetic spear, the current weapon was clearly more threatening and stealthy.
Xiao Rou also adjusted the length of the telekinetic spear based on her own feel, including changing the position of the spiral grip in her hand. This would help increase the power of her attacks when using the spear. Although it was only a tiny difference, in battles between strong individuals, victory or defeat is often decided by a mere instant.
Suddenly, the two warriors moved at the same time. The armor, weighing hundreds of pounds, seemed to be nothing to the warriors wielding swords. Their bodies seemed unaffected by gravity, appearing light and ghostly. Yet, they left deep footprints on the hard black jade ground, paradoxically combining the two completely opposite feelings of lightness and heaviness, yet somehow appearing so harmonious.
With two sharp slashes, two more gleaming blades of light cleaved out from the longswords of the two warriors, hurtling towards Ling Yun and Xiao Rou like lightning. Unleashing blade light seemed to be just a basic attack for the sword-wielding warriors. Ling Yun and Xiao Rou didn't even see the warriors prepare to slash; with a slight flick of their heavy armor wrists, the massive blades of light were instantly unleashed.
Xiao Rou had already dodged the blade's edge once, but this time she wouldn't give way. Her telekinetic spear suddenly flicked forward, drawing a huge silver circle in front of her. Her movement wasn't fast; it seemed more like drawing a picture, yet she finished just as the blade's edge was about to strike. The area around the circle suddenly shone brightly, forming a perfectly round silver light shield.
With a clang, the blade's edge slammed into the silver light shield, which trembled slightly before stabilizing. Feeling the immense force transmitted through the mental energy field, Xiaorou couldn't help but show surprise. She had already made a preliminary estimate based on the power of the blade's edge striking the ground, and although she had exaggerated her estimate, she had clearly underestimated the strength of the armored warrior wielding the blade. A slight tingling sensation spread through her hand, but it vanished without a trace after a flash of silver light from her telekinetic powers.
Ling Yun flicked his hands repeatedly in the air, and dozens of telekinetic cutting silver lines suddenly transformed into a silver net, instantly slicing the oncoming blade light into countless tiny fragments of light. The force of the attack dissipated, and the blade light instantly turned into hundreds of scattered rays of light, disappearing into the air in the blink of an eye. The silver net of light did not lose its momentum and suddenly broke apart again, turning into countless silver light arrows that stabbed towards the sword-wielding warrior.
The swordsman was the same V-masked warrior who had previously ambushed Ling Yun at the top of the barrier. Upon seeing Ling Yun's counterattack, he suddenly leaped up lightly, his massive body floating in the air as if it were a feather, weightless. Even more strangely, he could move sideways in mid-air, dodging the light arrow. His armor lightly touched the smooth surface of the giant pillar, and like a sharp arrow, he rushed towards Ling Yun. His long sword was aimed directly at Ling Yun's chest. With just a light touch, needle-like blade light suddenly burst out from the tip of the long sword.
Ling Yun gave a soft "oh," seemingly surprised by the speed and agility of the swordsman. However, in a battle between superhumans, speed and agility alone are far from enough. Facing the swordsman's fierce and integrated attack, Ling Yun once again extended his index finger and flicked it lightly at the swordsman's head as he charged forward.
A sudden, deafening thud echoed through the silent space, like a heavy object crashing into water from a great height. The needle-like blade of light, as if encountering a massive, invisible, and unyielding obstacle, abruptly transformed into a brilliant silver flower, then dissipated into countless tiny specks. The swordsman's charge also abruptly slowed, as if an invisible rope had been harnessed to him, forcefully pulling him back.
Ling Yun flicked his index finger again, but this time he increased the amount of power he channeled. A ripple, clearly visible to the naked eye, instantly emanated from his fingertip, like ripples created by a stone thrown into a lake. In the blink of an eye, it spread to the swordsman. The gleaming longsword immediately became distorted when the ripple reached its tip, seemingly due to the refraction of sunlight in the water. However, in reality, the swordsman's longsword was completely deformed. The incredibly hard steel blade offered no resistance in the face of the powerful mental field.
In reality, any hard material in the world can be destroyed in the eyes of a superhuman. A truly invincible shield does not exist or has not yet been invented. Even high-tech composite metals that can withstand the intense bombardment of TNI are inevitably subject to repeated breakage and metal fatigue in the face of telekinesis. The only weapon that a superhuman can truly rely on is a mental field.
With a crisp, loud crack, the gleaming longsword bent into an almost belt-like shape under the crushing force of the telekinetic energy. It must be said, the longsword was incredibly resilient; even twisted, it didn't break. However, under the continuous and increasingly intense pressure of the telekinetic energy, it finally succumbed and shattered into countless fragments. Then, the swordsman with the V-mask suddenly plummeted from the sky. This wasn't due to gravity, but rather because the invisible ripples of telekinesis suddenly transformed into countless ropes that bound his body, forcefully pulling him down from the air.
So far, the only warriors capable of fighting against telekinetic individuals are the berserkers of the extreme cold regions. They can temporarily break through the mental field's constraints with their astonishing strength. Otherwise, speed and agility alone would not be enough to break through Ling Yun's blocked mental field. This swordsman doesn't seem to have any other trump cards either. If he doesn't, the battle will end here.
The swordsman with the V-shaped mask was trying to get up. Despite wearing massive armor, his speed and agility were unaffected. Unfortunately, just as he raised half his body, a foot lightly stepped on his chest. Although there was no sign of force, the armor where the foot touched suddenly caved in halfway, knocking the swordsman back to the ground. The spiritual energy field instantly transformed into a huge, flat, heavy object, pressing down on him and rendering the swordsman unable to move an inch.
Xiao Rou's slender body suddenly leaped up. She abruptly withdrew her telekinetic spear and, like a swaying fish, plunged headfirst into the silver light shield that stood still in the air. As if entering a deep pool of seawater, she disappeared in an instant, her entire body vanishing into the single-plane silver shield.
Seeing that his first attack had missed, the swordsman opposite him once again moved erratically, lightly touching the ground before pouncing on the top of the silver shield. However, Xiao Rou suddenly disappeared into the silver shield. This bizarre change startled even the swordsman who had been silent all along. He had already chosen his target and was preparing to use his physics-defying movements to bypass the round shield and thrust at Xiao Rou from above. But the sudden disappearance of his target rendered his actions meaningless.
In the instant the swordsman hesitated, the silver shield suddenly emitted a huge light, like a dazzling silver sun emitting a blinding glare. Then the silver shield began to spin rapidly, instantly forming a dancing silver ball. With a whoosh, the silver ball shot out like a meteor from its stillness, slamming heavily into the chest of the unsuspecting swordsman.
With a crack, the armor on the chest of the swordsman caved in. The silver ball was so powerful that it not only sent his hundreds-of-kilograms-weight body flying, but also kept him flying until he crashed into a giant pillar with a loud bang, at which point he slowly came to a stop.
The colossal pillar, ten meters in diameter, trembled visibly several times before regaining its stability. The sword-wielding warrior was now completely embedded in the solid pillar, forming a stone carving entirely of a living, armored warrior. After a long while, the sword-wielding warrior finally fell from his embedded position in the pillar with a thud, crashing heavily to the ground. His long sword had shattered into countless small, sharp steel fragments. Apart from a small portion that had shattered away, most of the remaining fragments were embedded upside down in the warrior's armor, the longest of which had even pierced through the warrior's waist.
The silver shield stopped spinning, drawing a graceful arc in the air before slowly falling to the ground. Then, the silver shield began to grow taller, until its diameter reached two meters before stopping. After the silver light disappeared, the shield surface, which was purely composed of light, gradually faded away, leaving only an incredibly beautiful and slender silver silhouette. As the silhouette slowly emerged from the air, Xiao Rou slowly walked out from a patch of silver light, looking just like a beautiful fairy.
Ling Yun kicked out, sending the warrior flying sideways. With a loud bang, the warrior crashed into the sword-wielding warrior who had been knocked to the ground by Xiao Rou. The two heavy suits of armor collided violently, instantly sparking a shower of sparks.
The two sword-wielding warriors seemed to still be conscious, oblivious to pain, and struggled to their feet. However, Ling Yun's flying kick not only struck one warrior but also crushed his waist armor. Thus, no matter how much the warrior struggled, he was constrained by the armor and could only writhe on the ground, unable to stand. The sword-wielding warrior who had been violently struck by Xiao Rou had his armor completely deformed. If someone were inside, they would undoubtedly have been severely deformed along with the armor. It was uncertain whether they could have survived under such circumstances.
The fight was resolved with a mere flick of the wrist; the two hadn't even used a fifth of their strength. The two inexplicably wielding swordsmen had crumbled to pieces. However, Ling Yun and Xiao Rou didn't show any relief; instead, they seemed to have a strange sense of having their power wasted. Ling Yun walked to Xiao Rou's side and gently gestured with his hand. The struggling swordsmen suddenly stopped all movement, and the masks embedded in their faces were slightly moved by telekinesis, barely obstructing their movements before being lifted off.
Ling Yun sighed softly. Just as he had thought, there was nothing under the masks. The two sword-wielding warriors were simply two steel armors wielding sharp blades. No wonder he couldn't hear the sword-wielding warriors' shouts or feel the impact on their physical bodies during the attack. Since they were lifeless organisms, they naturally wouldn't have the emotional characteristics of a fight.
Ling Yun's Eye of Illusion suddenly flashed. He saw clearly that two extremely faint and thin wisps of black smoke suddenly rose from the mask that had been lifted from the armor. Like sentient beings, they slowly floated upwards along the pillar. Then, as if they were absorbed into the pillar, the black smoke slowly seeped into the pillar. Under Ling Yun's gaze, the originally blank pillar surface suddenly had an image of a swordsman carved on it. However, the lines had turned completely dead gray and no longer had the lifelike vividness.
Chapter 296 The Lost World
Ling Yun transformed his mental energy field into an invisible giant hand, gently stroking back and forth along the lines of the decorative pattern. His senses were conducting the most subtle scan. Just as the two sword-wielding warriors had returned to the decorative pattern on the pillar, the Eye of Illusion suddenly sensed something. It seemed that a giant pillar had slowly shifted its position slightly, but upon closer inspection, there was nothing unusual, and everything remained quiet.
Xiao Rou stood quietly behind him, watching the surroundings with vigilance and focus. If the sword-wielding warrior could transform from an illustration into a real person, then wouldn't all the various figures carved on this pillar be able to jump off the pillar and become real at any moment? Unable to pinpoint the source of this magical transformation, the two could only proceed with extreme caution.
His senses heightened, meticulously examining the lines of the ashen-gray swordsman on the decorative pattern, going back and forth again and again. With Xiao Rou watching over him, Ling Yun felt no fear of any threat from behind. Judging from the way she had just dealt with the swordsman, Xiao Rou's strength seemed to have improved significantly; in terms of physical attack alone, she was now on par with him. It seemed that the nameless bio-electric waves had once again exerted a powerful stimulating effect. If this trend continued, Xiao Rou's future would be limitless.
In the blink of an eye, the lines of the decorative pattern had been repeatedly probed by the senses no less than a hundred times, yet the lines remained just lines, except for the eerie change in color to a deathly gray, with nothing else strange about them. The hundreds-of-meters-high passageway fell silent once more, with no trace of activity visible except for the cracks in the smooth black floor that had just been cleaved by the two sword-wielding warriors.
However, what Lingyun and Xiaorou couldn't see was that on a pillar with its back to them, the lines on the half-exposed face of a decorative figure whose head and body were completely covered by a cloak suddenly moved, forming a ferocious and cold smile.
Ling Yun patiently explored the area again, though he wasn't usually very patient. He forced himself to repeat the simple, repetitive tasks. This passageway, filled with giant pillars and hundreds of meters high, was only a few thousand meters long. In just a few minutes, Ling Yun and Xiao Rou could reach the bottom of the stairs, leaving this eerie and terrifying area behind, and directly ascend the ten-thousand-meter-high steps following the deep and distant call.
However, Lingyun and Xiaorou did not do that. They both thought the same thing, and the answer was simple: if the problem of the decoration was not solved and they just ran away, they would soon encounter other more troublesome and difficult problems when entering the staircase. If the previous problems could not be solved, the later ones would be even more difficult to solve. In this way, when the problems erupted, they would soon be deeply involved and become very passive. If they were just running away, they might as well try to break through the barrier of this mysterious barrier and return to the sea.
However, it seems that getting out is easier than getting out recently. After being sealed by the nameless force, the structural points of the barrier have changed again. Just like the Earth's rotation, the two people's positions are actually changing every second inside the barrier. It's just that they can't perceive all of this because they are inside the barrier. This is another characteristic of the matrix mode barrier, which brings out the complexity and maze nature of the barrier to the fullest extent.
Ling Yun's senses were exceptionally sharp. He could clearly feel that the rate at which the dead cells on his skin were falling off was getting slower and slower. This slowing down at the microscopic level meant that the comparison between time inside the barrier and time outside was not fixed. Instead, as some kind of power was operating, time inside the barrier would become slower and slower. This made Ling Yun wary, but at the same time, he felt a little comforted.
What he was alarmed about was that the barrier's properties were far more powerful than he had imagined. The ability to change the time comparison with the outside world at any time meant that only a higher-level matrix mode could do it. On the other hand, the more time passed inside the barrier, the less time was needed outside. The two of them still had enough time to go out and continue tracking the traces of the nameless powerhouse who had captured Xia Lan.
A flash of golden light appeared in his eyes. Ling Yun had already pushed the power of the Eye of Illusion to its limit. He then realized that it wasn't that the Eye of Illusion couldn't see through the secret of the decoration, but rather that an imperceptible force was blocking its detection. This imperceptible force and the force that sealed the barrier originated from the same source. Although he couldn't detect the source through observation, Ling Yun had already made a calculation in his mind. The decoration itself might not have a problem, which was the main reason why he had been unable to find anything despite hundreds of detections. However, the pillar on which the decoration was located definitely had a problem. Therefore, by using the Eye of Illusion to examine the pillar, Ling Yun also wanted to probe the situation inside.
He gently tapped the giant pillar in front of him, and the vibrations of his mental energy field stubbornly propagated from the pillar's surface into its interior. This was a test to see if the pillar was solid or hollow. If it was solid, the vibrations would travel out at a constant speed from the opposite side of the pillar; if it was hollow, the frequency of the vibrations would immediately change. Each giant pillar was hundreds of meters high and ten meters thick. Since it wasn't used for support, it was enough to form a small cylindrical space inside.
A strange thing happened. As the vibrations of the mental energy field reached the center of the pillar, they suddenly slowed down. The mysterious force that had just blocked the Eye of Illusion reappeared, as if consciously dissolving the vibrations of the mental energy field into nothingness. Ling Yun's expression turned solemn. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and let out a powerful roar. A sharp, visible sonic wave burst from his lips, forming a sword of pure sound that instantly pierced into the pillar.