Chief, don't hit me in the face

Chapter 29: The Seven Styles of the Headless One

The underground section of the altar was dimly lit. After three consecutive days of battle, Xia Ye had long since figured out the Headless Battle Spirit’s combat habits. If an intruder ran toward the stone niche, it would simply run to intercept them; but if the intruder sprinted, it would deem the threat significantly greater and use a Bone-Shattering Charge, attacking while intercepting. Xia Ye sprinted. Seeing this, the Headless Battle Spirit, after taking two frantic strides, stomped its legs together and immediately unleashed its battle technique. “This is the moment!” Xia Ye, having read the direction the Headless Battle Spirit was targeting, suddenly cut diagonally across its path and accelerated forward. Boom! The Headless Battle Spirit covered over thirty meters in the blink of an eye. As Xia Ye whizzed past, it could only swing its sword backward—but it was already too late to reach Xia Ye, who had accelerated. “Oye！” Xiao Song Guo jumped up and cheered excitedly; Big Brother’s dodge this time was absolutely brilliant. This smooth start gave Xia Ye a huge boost of confidence. Even after advancing in rank and experiencing a massive boost in physical prowess, if Xia Ye narrowly dodged the Bone-Shattering Blast, he’d still be hit by the follow-up combo. Therefore, he had to constantly monitor the Headless Battle Spirit’s movements and evade the moment it charged. Of course, he couldn’t move too early—otherwise, the Headless Battle Spirit would adjust its direction—so this was a true test of his ability to time his movements perfectly. Boom! The Headless Battle Spirit thrust its legs hard against the ground to halt its momentum, spun around, and lunged at Xia Ye, immediately assuming the starting stance for a Rising Dragon Slash, intent on obliterating him. Xia Ye sprinted seven meters into the stone niche. He showed no sign of elation; instead, his expression remained calm as he gripped the hilt of his sword and swept upward from below! Rising Dragon Slash! Whoosh! A crescent-shaped blade of energy whistled out, heading straight for the stone niche. Seeing this, the Headless Battle Spirit immediately abandoned its attack, charging at full speed past Xia Ye to block the niche. He had no choice—it was too late to raise his sword to block, so he had to take the blow head-on with his body. Boom! The crescent-shaped sword energy struck the headless battle spirit squarely, carving a gash across its chest as sparks flew. “Just as I thought!” Xia Ye was overjoyed—he’d guessed correctly. As the guardian of the secret treasure, the Headless Battle Spirit would rather die than let it be harmed. Another split-second advantage allowed Xia Ye to charge right up to the headless battle spirit. Without hesitation, he thrust the Four Seasons Song forward. Savage Slaughter! Whoosh! Dozens of sword shadows flashed into existence in an instant, like pear blossoms in full bloom or rain pounding on banana leaves, all striking the Headless Battle Spirit. Sparks flew in all directions, causing the dim underground to flicker with light. If the headless battle spirit had a head, it would surely have let out a piercing, agonizing scream. The bronze sword left behind by Xia Lingyue’s father was a thousand times sharper than Xia Ye had anticipated; it sliced straight through the heavy armor, leaving dozens of wounds on the enemy’s body. “We have a chance!” Xia Ye’s expression shifted—the power of “Four Seasons Song” had shown him the possibility of defeating the enemy. The headless battle spirit raised its sword, intent on slaying Xia Ye. Xia Ye spun around and ran, instantly creating distance and breaking free from the attack’s range. The Headless Battle Spirit had no choice but to sheathe its sword and continue its frantic pursuit. Just then, Xia Ye suddenly spun around and swung his sword backward with all his might. Rising Dragon Slash! Whoosh! A crescent-shaped sword aura roared forth once more, slamming into the Headless Battle Spirit’s right chest with a thud, causing its heavy armor to clatter and rattle! In the next instant, Xia Ye—having activated Bone-Shattering Impact—slammed violently into the Headless Battle Spirit. Boom! The headless battle spirit staggered backward, its chest armor shattered once more. Haa! Xia Ye let out a battle cry, gripping the sword with both hands and raising it high above his head! Soul-Shattering Slash! Whoosh! A flash of bronze-colored blade light streaked past; the heavy armor gave a “thud” as it was sliced open half a thumb’s depth, and a trail of sparks erupted, dancing like a silver serpent of fire, flowing wildly. “Whoa!” Song Guo screamed. Even though her big brother wasn’t as strong as that Headless One, he’d made up for it with tactics and had been holding the upper hand the whole time! Blood Wind Tornado! Xia Ye swirled like a tornado, crashing down on the Headless Battle Spirit. Clang! The Four Seasons Song struck the heavy armor, producing a rapid, piercing metallic clang. Once again, dozens of gashes stood out clearly. The Headless Battle Spirit lifted its right leg and slammed it down with all its might. God of War Stomp. Boom! Crack! The floor within three meters of the war boots instantly cracked, then shattered, sending stones flying in all directions. The immense force also sent Xia Ye flying into the air. The Headless Battle Spirit swung its massive sword. This time, with Xia Ye suspended in midair and unable to use the ground for leverage, he had no way to dodge. He could only hold his sword vertically in front of him, pressing down on the blade with his left hand. The blow struck! Boom! Xia Ye flew through the air like a baseball hit by a home run, but while he was still in midair, he violently thrust the bronze sword into the floor. Ssssh! A crack split open in the floor. Xia Ye used the resistance to halt his momentum, then charged toward the stone niche once more. The Headless Battle Spirit’s anticipation was spot-on; it had already rushed to Xia Ye’s landing spot and assumed a slashing stance. But when the strike missed, it was forced to chase after him once more. Xia Ye unleashed a Rising Dragon Slash—the same tactic as before. The Headless Battle Spirit was struck by the sword. It had no choice—it had to protect the treasure within the stone niche, even at the cost of its own life. This time, having closed the distance, Xia Ye did not opt for a brutal slaughter but instead unleashed the “Fierce Beast Charge” technique from the “Dragon-Taming Return” manual. Whoosh! Xia Ye charged forward like a hunting cheetah, plunging straight toward the Headless Battle Spirit, and the “Song of the Four Seasons” in his hand pierced precisely into its left chest. Zzzz! Its heart was pierced, and a burst of primordial energy exploded from its back with a “boom,” as dazzling as fireworks in the midsummer night sky. Xia Ye quickly stepped back, preparing for his next strike, but it wasn't necessary. Thud! The headless battle spirit knelt on the ground, its head drooping. “Oye, we won!” Xiao Song Guo cheered, jumping up and down as she ran over. “Haha!” Xia Ye laughed heartily, clenched his left fist, and gave it a vigorous pump. A brilliant tactic, a perfect outcome! In the centuries before Xia Ye, some tribespeople had also ventured into the underground section of the altar, but they were all killed by the Headless Battle Spirit. They had tried to defeat it or bypass it to seize the treasure, but not a single one had ever thought to use the treasure to pin it down. The Headless Battle Spirit wasn’t invincible—and it had a weakness: it had to protect the treasure. Therefore, the treasure could be used to devise numerous tactical maneuvers. “You really have no qualms!” Xiao Song Guo was very clever; she immediately grasped the essence of this tactic, which made her marvel even more—after all, it was a sacred treasure; who would be willing to destroy it? But Xia Ye, true to form, struck without mercy with every sword stroke. “Hurry up, grab the spoils and let’s get out of here!” Xia Ye opened the stone niche and discovered that inside was indeed a scroll—as thick as an adult’s arm and one chi wide. He couldn’t tell what material it was made of; it was neither paper nor leather. The headless battle spirit’s body gradually crumbled, shattering into dark red specks of light that drifted toward the scroll, as if being absorbed. “This is interesting!” Xia Ye reached out to take it, but the moment his fingertips touched the scroll, there was a thunderous boom—an ancient colossal beast suddenly appeared before him, opening its massive jaws and letting out a roar. Roar! The beast’s head was so enormous it resembled a mountain; the blast of air it exhaled nearly knocked Xia Ye off his feet. Thud! A thigh as thick as a sky-piercing stone pillar came down beside Xia Ye, leaving a massive footprint. He looked up and gazed into the distance, realizing he was standing in a boundless wilderness. Against the azure sky, birds flew overhead, obscuring the sun, while schools of giant fish swam back and forth. On the grasslands, packs of ferocious beasts roamed. Staring at the Tyrannosaurus rex charging toward him, Xia Ye froze completely—until a huge drop of saliva landed on him. Splash! Xia Ye was drenched from head to toe. Suddenly! The birds and beasts all paused and turned their gaze toward Xia Ye; in that moment, the world seemed to stand still. “What the hell is this?” Stared at by countless eyes, no matter which way Xia Ye turned, he could see his own reflection in each and every one of their pupils. Screech! Accompanied by a piercing cry, a Vermilion Bird suddenly burst through the clouds and plummeted downward, kicking off the hunt. Before the bird had even arrived, the fish struck. A shark with blood-stained fangs lashed its tail and darted right in front of Xia Ye, lunging to bite his body. All around him, a pack of ferocious beasts charged toward him. There was nowhere to flee; enemies were everywhere! After struggling for less than three seconds, Xia Ye was seized by a silver wolf and dragged across the open plains, only to be swallowed whole by a giant serpent. Before it could even digest him, a flock of vultures swooped down to tear him apart and devour him. Xia Ye was covered in wounds—scratches, bite marks, peck marks, and the corrosive effects of venom—all while being trampled by massive hooves. The pain was so intense it nearly drove him to the brink of collapse. “Ah-woo?” Song Guo was startled. The moment Xia Ye touched the scroll, a brilliant rainbow-colored light burst forth from it like a sundial, coalescing into translucent ancient beasts, birds, insects, and snakes. They seemed like wild horses breaking free from their cages, struggling to escape. Boom! A massive shockwave began to spread. Inside the stone hut, Lu Lingxi, who had been reading the animal hide, suddenly looked up at the altar, her dark brows furrowed tightly: “He actually touched that scroll?” In the North District, Cao Ang and his party had already arrived to search the area. “What’s going on?” Cao Xu, who had been scouting ahead, was stunned to see countless translucent beasts surging toward them like a tidal wave—there was no way to avoid them. Just as he was about to give up hope, he realized these beasts weren’t attacking people! “Spirit-bound beasts? Damn it, someone’s found that secret treasure!” Cao Ang’s face darkened, and he took off running toward the direction the tide of beasts was surging from. “Brother Ang is so awesome!” Cao Xiong marveled. Faced with this sudden crisis, everyone else was stunned, yet Cao Ang remained calm and acted decisively. In the underground district, the spirit beasts erupted like a geyser. Song Guo watched as Xia Ye froze in place, drenched in sweat and trembling uncontrollably. A few breaths later, he stopped breathing, his face a terrifying pallor. “Oh no!” Song Guo swung her stone hammer, ready to smash the scroll. Just then, a golden light burst forth from Xia Ye’s left eye, spreading out like a tsunami and sweeping everything away. Wherever the golden light touched, all the spirit beasts were swept away, shattered into specks of light, and the glow on the scroll was suppressed, vanishing without a trace. Thud! Xia Ye collapsed, gasping for breath. “Big brother!” Song Guo hurried to help him up, her face full of concern. “I’m fine. Let’s get out of here first!” Xia Ye urged her. Having made such a commotion, members of the other tribe were surely on their way. They had to leave as soon as possible; otherwise, if they were cornered, all their efforts would be for nothing.