Teach me a lesson?
Jiang Chen burst into laughter at the absurdity of the statement.
His bout with Wu You earlier might not have been a spectacular display of technique, so ordinary folks wouldnât have gleaned much from it. However, this guy wasnât much stronger than Wu You... so where did his confidence come from? Did he not like to use his brain?
âI am Shen Fan, the top genius of the Cloudwave Sect.â The young man in question tossed Jiang Chen a contemptuous look. âIn Eternal Divine Nation, I admire only one person â big brother Xiahou Zong. Since youâve offended him, youâre automatically my enemy. I will deign to teach you how big the world really is!â
âYou?â Jiang Chenâs eyes narrowed. âTeach me about the size of the world? What would you know about it?â
âTsk tsk, I know why big brother Xiahou hates you so much. Youâre such an annoying brat.â
âIâve no problem with your preference for being Xiahou Zongâs dog. However, I tend to beat up any dogs that yap in front of me.â Jiang Chen didnât like wasting words on people like these. It was a waste of time and intellect.
Shen Fanâs expression frozen over. How dare that kid call him a dog?!
âYouâve really made me angry now!â His voice had a sharp edge like a knifeâs.
âJust angry, hmm?â Jiang Chen smiled coolly. âMore exciting things are about to come.â
Shen Fan cackled. âEnough talk. Go to hell!â
Spirit energy whipped up from all around him as he said this, forming wave after wave of an inexorable tide. This was a water attribute ability.
It wasnât the first time Jiang Chen traded blows with a water attribute cultivator. He had fought more than three times with such enemies. Shen Fan was much superior to his past foes, but neither was he unchanged from back then.
Jiang Chen fearlessly cut into the powerful surge by wading in. He seemed almost relaxed amid the tempestuous waves. No matter how the waters swirled in space around him, he remained unfettered by their restrictive influence.
Shen Fan was a little surprised by Jiang Chenâs agility. His water attribute ability didnât look very destructive, but it was very nearly perfect ace. Once an enemy was trapped by the waves, they would continually apply increasing pressure and constraining power until the enemyâs inevitable demise.
The vortex formed by the waves gained in ferocity once more, but they seemed insufficient to ensnare their target. Shen Fan was even more taken aback; he had considered himself capable of holding his own against the sacred landâs Sui Chen.
Heâd thought the suddenness of his best attack enough to overwhelm a wandering cultivator with panic. Though it seemed that he had been sorely mistaken, he had never been one to admit defeat to anyone in his generation â aside from Xiahou Zong, of course.
Someone comfortable as the foremost genius of the Cloudwave Sect was sure to be exceptional in more ways than one. He produced a sparkling, golden whip in his hand with a flourish. A powerful murderous aura emanated from the whip, along with a palpable bloodthirst.
âDo you think you can dodge my attacks with speed alone? How naïve!â Shen Fan chuckled. âThis is the Raging Serpentâs Whip, formed from the bone and tendon of a Raging Serpent from the infinite oceans of Myriad Abyss! It contains the spirit of that beast. I will use it to consume your soul in turn!â
Raging Serpent?
Jiang Chen knew the bloodline was draconic in nature, though a mutated offshoot. Raging Serpents were fierce and bloodthirsty, capable of consuming all in their paths. They were some of the most combat-capable dragons out there, and every part of their bodies was suitable to be refined into treasure. Their tendons especially, were superb for weaponry.
It was rare to see such a complete tendon in the wild. Jiang Chen was surprised that Shen Fan had something like this â and so well-refined, to boot. The quality of that empyrean weapon was nothing short of splendid.
Shen Fan actually isnât an enemy to take lightly.
âShen Fan, a treasure like the Raging Serpentâs Whip is supposed to be a blessing to its bearer. Alas, youâd rather wag your tail like a dog. Donât you know that dogs arenât fit to own valuable things? You bring shame to all Raging Serpents everywhere, and their draconic ancestors as well!â Jiang Chen intentionally poked at his opponent.
Shen Fan flew into a rage. âDeath is staring at you in the face, kid! Shut up!â
He brandished his whip to create a myriad of swings and waves. The weapon created a series of afterimages that glittered enticingly in the air. The air whooshed ominously, like a reaper doing his work.
The power of the Raging Serpentâs Whip didnât lie solely in its destructive ability. It could also strike at a cultivatorâs consciousness, tearing away bits of essence and blood with each blow.
Truth be told, Shen Fan could probably rely on his Raging Serpentâs Whip to even fend off someone as strong as Xiahou Zong for a long time. The whip rent the air with terrifying force.
âIâd like to see how long you can dodge from me, kid!â Shen Fan had clearly trained extensively with his whip. He wielded it like an extension of his body.
Jiang Chenâs speed advantage was more pronounced because of it. Thousands of his images danced through the air, making it impossible to see where he specifically was with the naked eye.
Shen Fan was hardly concerned. âYouâre very fast, kid, but that doesnât matter. In my zone of control, you wonât escape my whipâs judgment no matter how fast you are!â
As soon as his voice fell, the Raging Serpentâs Whip seemed to elongate as it spun in circles in midair. Golden rings rippled outward from the weapon, creating a number of strange, black glyphs. Their oddness warranted special attention.
âRestrict, cut!â
The Raging Serpentâs Whip suddenly collapsed inward.
Fwoosh!
Space seemed to be cut apart by ring after ring of the whip.
Shen Fan stared at the air, half-expecting an explosion of blood and guts. Unfortunately, the lack thereof of anything significant disappointed him.
âHow can this be?â
The zone of control provided by the Raging Serpentâs Whip was already absurd enough. There was almost nowhere in the ring the whip couldnât reach.
The whip first sliced up space horizontally, then vertically. No mortal man could escape the whipâs fine dicing. Even flies were powerless before such a dense attack vector. But where had Shao Yuan gone??
âLooks like this whip really is a waste in your hands.â A voice echoed forth from the air.
âWhere are you?â Shen Fan roared, pushing his consciousness to the maximum. He raised his whip to deliver a lethal attack anytime.
âIâm here.â
âAnd here.â
âAnd here...â Countless voices rang through the air. Suddenly, images of Shao Yuan began to crop up all around Shen Fan.
Each afterimage was more real than the last. A faintly mocking expression decorated every face with biting disdain. Clearly, Jiang Chen didnât think much of him. This hurt Shen Fan deeply.
âAll you know are little tricks, kid!â Shen Fan was positively infuriated. âGhosts and spirits, begone!â
He flourished the Raging Serpentâs Whip as much as he could. It swept into the indistinguishable afterimages like a bolt of lightning. By Shen Fanâs logic, both true and false options were targeted by the whip.
The afterimages were snuffed out like candles being extinguished. When they disappeared, they turned into blue smoke that vanished before his eyes. There was no anticipated detonation of biological matter.
Shen Fan felt his heart race. He recognized all too late that this opponent wasnât as easy as heâd thought. The Raging Serpentâs Whip was his strongest tool. His prominence in the Cloudwave Sect â and among other youths of his generation as well â was owed to the weapon.
The whip was more than just a strong weapon. It transformed his aura and granted him hidden advantages. Many of his opponents crumbled thanks to the whipâs passive intimidation alone.
Thus, Shen Fan almost felt that he could face Xiahou Zong without too much of a handicap. So why would he care about Shao Yuan? His battle against the youth merely a minor responsibility to Xiahou Zong.
But things hadnât gone nearly as easily as he had thought. Though he had the Raging Serpentâs Whip, his opponent was significantly more recalcitrant. Jiang Chenâs unfathomable way of moving and suite of various methods went beyond his scope of knowledge.