As a man, Fang Zhengzhi felt that he should take up some responsibilities. However, he couldn't be always doing that.
Especially when he was severely injured.
He had taken up the first strike. Now the second?
You're kidding me!
Fang Zhengzhi really wanted to protest, or at least made his differing opinion known. But it wasn't something that he had the final say. The reason was simple: he was standing behind Chi Guyan.
In other words…
If Chi Guyan stepped away, he would be struck by lightning.
"Isn't this a little too much?" Fang Zhengzhi looked upward, and instantly his eyes were once again wide in shock. This was more difficult than he imagined.
The second bolt of lightning descended from the heavens.
It was as though it could reply to Fang Zhengzhi's internal screams: could they possibly be any larger?
You bet it could!
The second bolt of lightning was at least twice as large as the first.
"Boom!" As Chi Guyan dodged the strike, Fang Zhengzhi felt as though he was afloat among the clouds, drifting weightlessly in the air.
He couldn't feel anything else.
Everything was reduced to numbness.
Except for this body, which was floating in the air, like a small boat in a vast ocean, swayed by winds and storms…
And on the other hand, of course, the battle between Chi Guyan and Nangong Hao continued to rage.
When Chi Guyan struck her first blow, Nangong Hao didn't just strangely evaded it, but also advanced a step while his Wuwei Sword pierced ahead.
But when Chi Guyan laid her second strike with her sword, Nangong Hao didn't manage to evade, but suffered a slash and fell to one side.
However, this didn't affect Nangong Hao's resolve.
At this moment, it was as though Nangong Hao couldn't hear anything, nor feel any apprehension upon the looks of the crowd. He had only one target: Fang Zhengzhi.
And while Mu Qingfeng and Tian Xing watched this unfold, they had differing opinions.
Mu Qingfeng was surprised at Nangong Hao's aim of attacking at this juncture.
After all, Nangong Hao hadn't been at the Heaven Dao Pavilion for a very long time. But in his past two years here, he had shown excellence in both his skills and character.
For such a talented genius…
To act in such a way…
There must be a reason for this, right?
Like Mu Qingfeng, Tian Xing was also astounded by Nangong Hao's attack, but he was more surprised at how he managed to dodge Chi Guyan's strike.
Not only did he dodge her first strike, he didn't slacken at her second strike.
To put things in perspective, Chi Guyan now had her Nuwa pulse completely awakened. After a period of time, when her powers are truly realized, no one, not even himself, could confidently say he could defeat her.
But Nangong Hao did it, and he did it without revealing any skills in his pulse.
"Wow, not bad!" Tian Xing smirked, and this smirk grew upon seeing Fang Zhengzhi struck by the second bolt of lightning.
Without hesitating further…
Tian Xing rushed ahead.
He couldn't be bothered why the Heavenly Prophecy would descend upon two people, but he knew that the more Fang Zhengzhi grew in power, the less he could sleep in peace.
Fang Zhengzhi must be killed!
Tian Xing charged toward Fang Zhengzhi.
But someone did the same, too.
Mu Qingfeng.
"Tian Xing, do you really wish to act against Heaven?" As the Pavilion Leader of the Heaven Dao Pavilion, although Mu Qingfeng didn't fully understand why Nangong Hao chose this time to attack Fang Zhengzhi, he felt that it was strange.
Since it seemed strange, he had to stop it. At least to understand his rationale before reaching a decision.
And the person he had to stop would not be Nangong Hao, but Tian Xing. Because Tian Xing was obviously more powerful than Nangong Hao.
"Act against Heaven? Haha, old man, do you really think that this brat is the Chosen One? He merely basked in Chi Guyan's glory, it was just a coincidence!" Tian Xing replied plainly.
Without any sign of slowing down or turning behind, he continued to charge toward Fang Zhengzhi.
"A coincidence?"
"How could this be a coincidence? It's impossible!"
"But if it weren't a coincidence, then there will be two Chosen Ones?"
As the disciples of the Nine Pinnacles Mountain and Heaven Dao Pavilion heard Tian Xing's words, they exchanged confused looks.
In fact, all of them had similar concerns.
Regarding this matter, they could accept that Chi Guyan was the Chosen One. After all, the Heavenly Prophecy did indeed descend upon her as forecasted.
But it was particularly unexpected for Fang Zhengzhi, who just happened to be above Chi Guyan, to be cast within the glow of the Heavenly Prophecy too.
Fang Zhengzhi was also the Chosen One?
There were two Chosen Ones?
Coincidence, or part of fate?
Countless thoughts flashed past their minds, but none of them could be validated because there was simply no way to confirm.
Of course, even though Tian Xing claimed that this was merely a coincidence, no one could be certain of its truth.
After all, this seemed too peculiar.
"Boom!" A deafening blast came from above, interrupting the thoughts of the Nine Pinnacles Mountain and Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples, drawing their attention to the person, dressed in white, in the sky.
Nangong Hao.
"Brother, don't kill Fang Zhengzhi!" At this moment, an urgent voice emerged from a distance, then a figure leaped into presence.
And this figure was closely followed by another.
Nangong Mu and Yan Qing.
Both had been totally immersed in fighting among themselves, and now they seemed a little tired, with bloody cuts all over their bodies.
But at this instant, Nangong Mu abandoned their fight, which had been raging on for quite a while, and rushed toward Nangong Hao, completely ignoring Yan Qing who followed closely behind.
As for Yan Qing…
He chased behind Nangong Mu. He was as fast as a meteorite.
"Is this person Nangong Hao's younger brother?"
"I think he is!"
"He said Nangong Hao was going to kill Fang Zhengzhi? There were issues between them?"
"Possibly!"
The Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples watched as the two figures leaped upward. What a strange sight. If Nangong Mu hadn't appeared, they would have already forgotten about their duel.
"What? Two more joining in?" Tian Xing felt the presence of two figures joining the scene, though he didn't really have the time to bother too much.
Because Mu Qingfeng was very close behind.
He had to kill Fang Zhengzhi in one blow before Mu Qingfeng could reach him.
It was a messy scene, with Nangong Mu suddenly attacking Fang Zhengzhi and Chi Guyan protecting him with her life.
And Fang Zhengzhi didn't just do nothing, as he suffered two consecutive golden lightning strikes.
Then as Tian Xing charged toward Fang Zhengzhi, Mu Qingfeng rushed to stop him. And Nangong Mu and Yan Qing joined in the chaos.
"…"
The disciples of the Heaven Dao Pavilion and the Nine Pinnacles Mountain watched as these characters coalesced, speechless as they didn't have a clue what was happening.
But of course, on the topic of 'speechlessness'…
Fang Zhengzhi was much more 'speechless'.
Never in his life had he thought he would experience being struck by lightning… twice.
But now, he knew how it felt.
It was truly a godlike feeling, and if anyone doubted it, he could try flying a piece of iron as a kite on a stormy day.
Fang Zhengzhi was "speechless" to the helplessness he felt. Now he had two choices. The first was to ask Chi Guyan if there was a third bolt of lightning and if there was, who would be taking it?
And the second was to swap positions with Chi Guyan, to be the one who could dodge or fight as he wished.
Fang Zhengzhi really the second choice.
But now that he saw Tian Xing charging toward him, he made an even better decision. If there was really no way out, he'd just be struck another time.
After all, he had already been struck twice, how bad could one more be?
But as with many things in life, sometimes they would take an unexpected turn.
Like…
Now.
The third bolt of lightning emerged from the heavens, and it was bigger than the second bolt. At least three times larger than the second!
"Why are both choices… equally bad?!" For the first time, Fang Zhengzhi could not make a choice. Because he was very certain of one thing.
If this bolt of lightning were to land on him, he would be dead.
For sure!
And of course, if he were to swap places with Chi Guyan and fight against the Tian Xing and Nangong Hao, he would die too.
What a terrible situation.
There was no way out. Both paths lead to dead-ends.
"Chi Guyan, after I die, please take care of my parents!" Fang Zhengzhi was about to pull her behind him.
Since he had to die, he would die in both ways. At least the other could survive.
"You won't die!" Chi Guyan didn't turn back. Her body didn't budge, standing still like a statue.
Her pink dress was stained with splatters of blood, her hair swayed in the wind. At this moment, Chi Guyan's aura was one of intense resolution.
"Boom!" The third lightning bolt had struck right on Chi Guyan. This time, she did not dodge.
Of course…
This meant that Fang Zhengzhi was struck too.
Because one of his hands was on Chi Guyan's shoulder.
"…" Fang Zhengzhi didn't know how exactly to describe what he was feeling now, because what happened was exceptionally stupid.
In an instant, he felt countless frenzied electric snakes slithering from Chi Guyan's body to his.
If the first and second lightning strikes made him feel weightless as though he was floating in the air…
Then the third wasn't weightless and euphoric anymore. It felt like a rebirth after being soaked in a fire.
Of course, he was indeed on fire.
Because he could clearly smell his flesh burning as lightning flowed through him.
Was he about to die?
Fang Zhengzhi was not willing to accept this. Not that he wasn't prepared to be struck to death by lightning, but he saw Tian Xing and Nangong Hao approaching right in front of them.
Yet Chi Guyan stood unmoved.
"Do I really have to die together with Chi Guyan? No, I can't die. I have already lived till now. How could I die?" Of course, Fang Zhengzhi didn't really wish to die, because he was very scared of death, and this forced him to think of a solution. "Yes, the Dao of Yin Yang, the cycle…. Now I am again in a cycle with Chi Guyan!"
With this thought, he didn't really care if it will work anymore. He only knew that he could be dead at any moment, so why not fight till the end?
This situation was desperate for enough for him to try anything he could think of!
He quickly moved around the Origin Energy in The Vast World, and using the Dao of Yin Yang, he formed a cycle with Chi Guyan.
Of course, this time his cycle wasn't sparked by the power of the Thousand Years Fire Herb, but the electric snakes of flowing within Chi Guyan's and his body.
"Boom!" As the cycle of the Dao of Yin Yang was activated, Fang Zhengzhi instantly felt as though his body was eaten alive by the countless electric snakes.
Hissing sounds could be continuously heard from the surface of his body.
So…
Did this Yin Yang cycle channel all the electric snakes from Chi Guyan's body into his own?
Fang Zhengzhi laughed coldly inside. Sometimes he would be rather noble, especially toward his friends, like this helpful girl in front of him.
"But this bed-warmer hasn't really warmed my bed before." Fang Zhengzhi quickly raised his other hand and pointed his middle finger towards the Heaven.
Wait a minute.
How did he manage to raise his hand?
Fang Zhengzhi had a moment of doubt, then realized his charred, burnt skin had been shed now.
What was left was a completely new, glistening skin.
And most importantly, on this new skin, he could faintly see golden characters flowing about.