Chapter 444: One versus One | Butler! (3)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
Now that they were so close, Butler had finally seen the four Heavenly Jewels around Zhou Weiqing’s wrist. His heart was filled with shame and irritating, as a Upper Level Zong Stage Master, he had actually been afraid of a mere four-Jeweled Low Level Zun Stage Master! That little brat’s Heavenly Skill Image must be a fake, how could a four-Jeweled Master have a Skill that only a Heavenly God Tier Master could have? As for his gold war wolf mount’s shivering, he rationalized it by attributing it to Zhou Weiqing’s Demonic Change State aura. The only puzzling thing to him now was that… could it be the Heavenly Demon Sect had started cooperating with the ZhongTian Empire? Even if that was so, the Five Great Saint Lands were not supposed to join in ordinary wars. That was breaking the agreement between the Great Saint Lands!
All these thoughts flashed in Butler’s heart in that instant, and Zhou Weiqing had already arrived before him, not allowing him anymore time to think deeper and further on that. With a cruel light in his eyes, he swung the massive spiked club in his hands in a wide sweep. At the same time, he invoked a Bloodthirst Skill, causing his already immense strength to grow further.
For Butler, being chosen to be honoured to ascend the Heavenly Snow Mountain was not just some dumb luck, nor was it only because he was the heir to the wolfman tribe. Furthermore, his Elemental Jewel was of the Darkness Attribute. Although the WanShou Empire had a severe disadvantage in terms of Consolidated Equipment, they had a rich natural advantage in terms of Storing Skill. With the Ten Thousand Beast Heavens, the highest echelons of Heavenly Jewel Masters of the WanShou Empire would not lack good Skills to Store.
Once again, another enemy had underestimated Zhou Weiqing. On seeing the mere four Heavenly Jewels, Butler only chose to use his first Jewel’s Elemental Skill, one that he had Stored so many years ago, the Bloodthirst Skill. Of course, though it was a lower ranked one, it had also grown with him to the nine-Jeweled stage, instantly giving him a burst of strength and killing intent. Seeing Zhou Weiqing’s leg careening down, in Butler’s eyes, if Zhou Weiqing did not have any Skill or change in direction, that leg would undoubtedly be instantly destroyed by his spiked club. Furthermore, he had prepared another Skill to use in case Zhou Weiqing had a backup plan once their strikes met, then his powerful Darkness Skill would be unleashed unhesitatingly to give Zhou Weiqing a massive blow. He wanted to kill this little brat as quickly as possible before charging into the enemy ranks to slaughter them and take revenge for his fallen tribesmen.
Butler’s calculations were not bad, and his judgement was not wrong as well. Zhou Weiqing did indeed have a backup plan. Alas for Butler, that backup plan was far beyond his expectations.
A purple red vortex appeared stealthily over Butler’s head before anyone knew what had happened. When the purple red light stained his entire body, it was also at the instant that his large spiked mace was about to impact with Zhou Weiqing’s right leg.
In the next moment, Butler was totally stunned. To his shock, his spiked mace disappeared before his eyes. It was not just his spiked mace, as all his Consolidated Equipment did so as well, and along with that was the powerful Skill that he had prepared. In that instant, he seemed to have lost his link with them.
No matter how powerful a Heavenly Jewel Master was, to meet with something so inexplicable so suddenly, one would definitely be affected in some way, and a momentary pause of shock was unavoidable. This was all part of Zhou Weiqing’s plan and expectations, and his right leg continued downward without pause, without any holding back.
Butler was truly a seasoned warrior who had been through many battles, and after a split second of being stunned, he recovered swiftly, realising something was off. At this time, it was too late for him to do anything else, and almost totally subconsciously, his arms lifted upwards in a block. He had lost his Consolidated Equipment and access to Stored Skills, but he could still use his powerful Heavenly Energy, and it burst forth immediately, covering his arms in white as they crossed in a lock to block Zhou Weiqing’s right leg.
Another loud explosion, and Zhou Weiqing was sent flying back, while Butler’s entire body shook violently. He could feel the bones of both his arms creaking with the sheer impact. Although his powerful Heavenly Energy had protected his arms from being broken by that downward kick from Zhou Weiqing, the terrifyingly powerful impact from the Demonic Right Leg, in his Demonic Change State, still caused both his arms to hurt. Furthermore, that power had been sent right through him all the way down to the gold war wolf below him, and its legs buckled and it crashed to the ground.
Ever since Zhou Weiqing had charged forward, that gold war wolf had lost its awe inspiring dignity and valiant look. It dared not even attack Zhou Weiqing; after all, it had only just reached the Zong Stage, and the aura around Zhou Weiqing could affect even a powerful Heavenly Beast like the Silver Emperor, let alone itself. The poor gold war wolf could not even bring forth thirty percent of its usual power.
Just as Butler was reeling in shock from the blow, as well as why his Consolidated Equipment and Stored Skills were blocked off from him, he suddenly felt a strange sensation on his arms. At that point, his Heavenly Energy protective aura had almost been shattered by Zhou Weiqing’s kick, and as soon as that strange sensation appeared, he quickly looked down.
A tiny little pearl, glowing blue, black and grey in a strange swirl, was now stuck on his arm. When he looked at it, he could clearly see that the last dredges of his Heavenly Energy protective aura was eaten away by that strange pearl, opening a small hole in it, and the pearl wormed its way in.
Butler was not Han Tianyou after all, and furthermore he did not have any knowledge of the true power of the Dark Demon God Lightning, nor had he experienced it for himself yet. As such, he naturally would not cut off his arms to cut his losses just like that. Another violent explosion shook the entire battlefield, and even the wolf cavalry soldiers on the other side of the fire wall could clearly see the strange tri-coloured glow that rose all around Butler.
Butler was sent flying back from his gold war wolf by the abrupt explosion from the Dark Demon God Lightning. However, the explosion did not bring him any additional pain, instead a bone chilling cold.
The Dark Demon God Lightning was the most overbearing Yin-type Lightning, and the power generated after its explosion would only invade the enemy’s body and innards. If it were any ordinary person, or someone with lower cultivation than Zhou Weiqing, the process of the explosion and the invasion would be enough to cause the person to melt into sludge.
However, it was unlikely that Zhou Weiqing would use this overbearing Skill against anyone weaker. Butler was after all a Nine-Jeweled powerhouse, and his meridian passageways had all been refined by over thirty levels of Heavenly Energy, and he was much tougher and stronger than any ordinary person. As a result, the Tri-Attribute Venom from the Dark Demon God Lightning could only enter his body slowly, attempting to circulate around.
A cold shiver ran over Butler’s body, and he truly started to feel fear. Without hesitation, he punched out towards Zhou Weiqing, the thick Heavenly Energy causing the air to compress and explode outwards. Although Zhou Weiqing was at a distance of over twenty yards due to both of them being sent flying back, he could still feel the powerful backlash from that blow.
The gap between the Heavenly Energy and power levels of two were just too huge. Perhaps if Zhou Weiqing unleashed his Yin Yang Giant Spirit Palms and used their Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura, he could barely block the blow. However, would he really do such a thing? As the disciple of the God Eye Scoundrel, he would not do something so foolish like that.
In a flash of silver, Zhou Weiqing appeared ten yards to the side, and the fist of power from Butler naturally missed him. When Butler wanted to attack once more, the cold within his body abruptly flared up, growing stronger, and he did not dare continue attacking.
He could not possibly know what this Dark Demon God Lightning was, but he could sense that it definitely posed a threat to his life. Howling in rage, he summoned the gold war wolf to his side and he leaped onto it. This time, he did not charge towards Zhou Weiqing anymore, instead turning to flee.
The impression that Zhou Weiqing gave him was just a single one… Abnormal. That’s right, abnormal, just too strange indeed. A mere four-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, yet he could actually injure him… that sheer strength of his was just too overbearing. Even if he had the Demonic Change State, the gap between their Heavenly Energy was just too huge, yet he was still able to use his strength and skills to injure Butler. In that moment, Butler felt a sense of foreboding. He had also seen the wall of flames behind him, and as a leader, being separated from his own troops was yet another factor in that sense of unease. At this point, if another powerhouse came to attack him, he might be doomed. With all the factors combined, Butler did not hesitate to turn and flee. Who said that a beastmen would definitely be stupid? When it truly came down to life and death, sometimes face was not that important.
Seeing Butler turn tail and run, Zhou Weiqing did not give chase. Currently, he was panting with ragged breath, his chest tight and seized up, and his vital energy within was disrupted and in a mess, almost causing him to vomit out blood. His ‘single’ strike might have seemed easy enough, but it was a combination of many Skills and calculation, and it had taken a huge toll on him, especially on his spirit and vigour. Furthermore, the difference between the two of their power levels was just too huge, even with the Demonic Right Leg in the Demonic Change State, he had actually been injured by the reverberations and backlash of the impact. Luckily, his goal had only been to land the Dark Demon God Lightning on his enemy, not to truly clash head on. Otherwise, as a four-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master against a Nine-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, he knew he did not stand a chance.
Butler had not lost in terms of strength, but in terms of strategy and underestimating his foe, allowing all of this which had happened to do so. He was also the first Heavenly Jewel Master to actually take the full power of the Dark Demon God Lightning head on.
As Zhou Weiqing fought in more battles and cultivated further, his combat experience was already considerable. Especially in terms of fighting against those stronger than himself, his experience in that was truly impressive, and he had already formed a set of methods for him to deal with that. Zhou Weiqing was clear what his advantages were – to catch others by surprise. He had just too many abilities and Skills that were far beyond the common knowledge of most Heavenly Jewel Masters. For example, his Demonic Change State, Demonic Right Leg, Dark Demon God Lightning, and even the Dragon Silencing Seal.
Zhou Weiqing understood that such powerhouses like Butler, as nine-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Masters, they were not just powerful, but also had much combat experience. As soon as Butler was familiarized with his own powers, approaches and styles, then he would stand no chance at all. As such, he could only use his advantages to the maximum, unleashing his all in a short period of time to damage his enemy.
Of course, even Zhou Weiqing had not expected his plan to work this well. He had never dreamed that just by unleashing the Demonic Change State and the Heavenly Skill Image, he had already given his foe a huge scare, causing Butler to make several errors in judgement. Furthermore, the effect of the Dragon Silencing Seal was just too overbearing, and with all his preparation in that, he had succeeded just so finely, causing Butler to take such a huge disadvantage at once.
In truth, Zhou Weiqing’s plan was pretty good, but he had forgotten one thing. He had crafted it with Han Tianyou in mind, but he was after all a Heavenly King Stage powerhouse, and more so, one who had come from a Great Saint Lands. In terms of ability, vision and judgement calls, how could the wolfman tribe leader Butler be compared to Han Tianyou. Especially since Han Tianyou knew about him from Shen Little Demon and the other Heavenly Jewel Tournament Battle Team members. When Zhou Weiqing threw everything he had at someone, as long as he had sufficient preparation, and his enemy did not have enough knowledge about him or preparation, it was truly not an easy task to not fall for his traps.
Simply put, Butler had charged forth crazily and in a straightforward fashion, and in a moment of underestimating his foe, Zhou Weiqing had managed to make use of that moment to strike with all he had and poison him.