# 1382
Chapter 1383: Black Lotus
Black lotus?
Whose divine artifact was that...
Lin Qiye thought for a moment but couldn't recall any mythological legend associated with it. His gaze returned to Yue Huai.
Torrential rain poured from the clouds, soaking them both through. Through the curtain of rain, they stared at each other. As a low roar echoed from the distant river, both figures charged out simultaneously!
His racing feet splashed through puddles. 【Finale Symphony】 activated once more as a blade of light sliced through the rain curtain, racing straight toward Yue Huai's throat!
This time, Yue Huai already knew that Lin Qiye possessed a method to counter his God's Ruins, so he didn't dare to be careless. His eyes locked onto Lin Qiye's movements, making his countermeasure the instant he raised his arm to swing.
He sidestepped swiftly to evade the Ame-no-Murakumo's blade, while a petal of black lotus drifted to his palm. He slapped it against the 【White Slash】 sword body!
Clang—!
The lotus petal struck the 【White Slash】, producing a sharp, jarring ring. The falling rain was pushed aside by the aftershock, carving out a brief vacuum zone in the air.
Lin Qiye's heart sank when he saw this!
He knew that Yue Huai had already figured out the characteristics of these two weapons.
The sword could slice through his lotus petals, so all he could do was dodge, not parry directly. The blade could sever him from any distance, but wasn't as sharp as the sword, so he could perform simple blocks against it.
The exchange had been extremely brief, but within that short span, Yue Huai had洞察 (discerned) Lin Qiye's fighting style and immediately countered it. This proved that even setting aside the capabilities of his God's Ruins, Yue Huai's combat talent was terrifyingly high!
After deflecting 【White Slash】, Yue Huai stepped forward with that eerie gait, appearing like a specter through the rain to behind Lin Qiye. The black lotus petal was夹 (pinched) between his index and middle fingers, resembling a black Short Sword as it pierced toward Lin Qiye's heart from behind!
Lin Qiye's form dissolved into a streak of night, vanishing in an instant.
When he reappeared, he was already above Yue Huai. Ame-no-Murakumo tore through the air, intending to split him in two from head to toe!
A wisp of black light dyed Yue Huai's pupils. His God's Ruins broke free from 【Finale Symphony】. His gaze locked onto the blade descending toward him, intending to turn it into虚无 (void) shadows, but Ame-no-Murakumo flickered like a television with poor reception, leaving behind a phantom image, shaking free of his God's Ruins and continuing its descent!
His God's Ruins had no effect on Ame-no-Murakumo?!
At that critical moment, the ground beneath Yue Huai turned to shadow. He quickly sank into the earth, barely dodging this strike.
A moment later, Yue Huai rose from the distant earth, his gaze toward that sword filled with bewilderment.
Since obtaining this God's Ruins, it was the first time he'd encountered an object he couldn't falsify... He, of course, didn't know that Ame-no-Murakumo was a genuine "Supreme" divine artifact, its status far above Yue Huai's current level, naturally unaffected by God's Ruins.
Lin Qiye stamped on the ground that had returned to reality, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Yue Huai's spiritual realm was slightly higher than his own. Though 【Finale Symphony】 could counter the opponent's God's Ruins, it only worked for a moment... This meant that with every exchange, he only had an instant to attack. Once the counter effect ended, Yue Huai could falsify any threatening attacks and seize the upper hand.
If not for Ame-no-Murakumo, even with 【Finale Symphony】 activated, he might not have been able to gain the upper hand against Yue Huai.
In the torrential rain, the two watched each other warily, every muscle tensed.
Just as they were about to strike again, a mournful howl rang out from the distant Huangpu River!
Yue Huai immediately steadied his stance, glanced toward the distance, his brow furrowing as if in contemplation.
Lin Qiye's strength far exceeded his expectations. Whether it was that unknown force that could suppress his God's Ruins, or that sword of unknown origin, both were highly effective against him. If they continued fighting, he might not gain any advantage...
He still had much to do. If he actually died or was severely wounded at this kid's hands, this trip would truly be a huge loss.
After a moment, Yue Huai tucked away the black lotus petal between his palms and spoke coldly:
"That's enough for today... You should think carefully about how to handle that big fellow."
As his words fell, a layer of black light dyed Yue Huai's eyes once more. His body plummeted into the earth and vanished from Lin Qiye's sight.
Seeing Yue Huai escape, Lin Qiye hesitated briefly but ultimately didn't give chase.
After all, the priority wasn't pursuing the Church of the Ancient Gods, but rescuing all of Huaihai City from the rampaging Baize.
Lin Qiye turned to look at the waterspout erupting from the Huangpu River into the clouds, his brow tightly knit. He transformed into a streak of night, shattering through the rain curtain and racing away!
...
In the churning river waters, the three-headed An Qingyu frantically devoured the blood-colored currents. As three vortices rotated continuously, the water level began dropping visibly.
The speed at which these violent blood currents spread through the water was no match for his devouring rate. Through An Qingyu's efforts, the crimson water shrouding Baize shrank rapidly and finally vanished entirely.
The two extra heads on An Qingyu's back receded beneath his skin. He climbed onto the shore bare-chested, stumbling weakly. He leaned against the railing, gasping for breath.
"Bluugh..." An Qingyu's mouth twitched, unable to suppress a dry heave.
He made a quick estimate—he'd just swallowed at least ten tons of river water. Though this water hadn't actually entered his stomach, the sensation of that fishy stench flooding his throat still tormented him.
"Are you alright, Qingyu?" Jiang Er floated to the shore, asking nervously.
"I'm fine." An Qingyu waved his hand, put on his glasses, and gazed at the shadowy giant shadow at the riverbed. "I just swallowed at least two-thirds of the violent blood. The remaining third should have already been absorbed by Baize. Although that amount shouldn't cause a complete loss of control, though..."
He didn't finish the second half of the sentence, sighing and falling silent.
Rain fell onto the churning river waters. That giant shadow coiled at the riverbed twisted in agony. Its mournful roars pierced through the currents, echoing along both banks.
"Baize..."
Tang Mingxuan gripped his Sky-Piercer Halberd with both hands, standing like a stabilizing pillar at the bottom of the Huangpu River. His figure swayed with the torrential currents, his face already deathly pale.
"Stay清醒 (clear-headed), Baize! Don't let those things disturb your consciousness!"
Baize struggled to lift its head. Those glass-like eyes brimmed with pain and struggle. Its voice echoed in Tang Mingxuan's ears:
"Captain Tang Mingxuan... Don't forget... our promise..."
It gazed at the wisp of golden light slowly emerging in its embrace, a tenderness surfacing in the depths of its eyes. "I don't matter... Whatever happens... please protect my child..."
Hearing these familiar words, Tang Mingxuan stood frozen on the spot, as if struck by lightning!