The Card Apprentice

Chen Mu raised his right hand lethargically. Five long and thin fingers were tapping in the air, playing a strange melody. He played the rhythm so smoothly there was no pause of hesitation. The melody was neither fascinating nor beautiful, yet, it attracted everybody’s attention. Chen Mu’s expression remained solemn. His gaze was cold and emotionless.

The energy beads that were floating in the middle of the air were reforming. Brighter and brighter, the white energy beads started to glow as though they suddenly caught on fire. No one was able to stare directly at the blinding flare. On the other hand, the black energy beads grew dimmer. They turned dark to the extent that they appeared like an abyss. They were not bothered by the brightness of the white energy beads in any way and continued to devour the light rays like mini black holes.

The Black and White Boundary formed a striking contrast, mesmerizing everyone with the scene before them. The impactful energy wave resembled the breath of an ancient giant. Every wave would make people feel that the strength could destroy the whole universe! At this moment, Chen Mu opened his right hand. His five fingers were laid out like a blossoming flower!

A beam gradually emerged from the bottom of those deep cold eyes. Abruptly, he clenched his fist.

Bipolar-The Black and White Boundary!

The white energy beads flared up like burning meteorites. Meanwhile, the black energy beads turned into a ball of shapeless misty darkness. One could hardly stare at the complete and terrifying darkness that was located at the center of it. Like the revolution of the stars in the universe, the white energy beads and blurry darkness began to travel at a slow speed.

All of a sudden, the arena was shrouded by a silent pressure. With no exception, everyone in the arena was covered by it. The expression of the guards beside Mose changed. They exchanged a look and got ready to attack! The almost surreal pressure indicated that they were also within the enemy’s range of attack, which also meant that the enemy could attack them at any time.

Hazak stared curiously at the man in the arena who was wearing a ghost-faced flower mask. This skill belonged to Tianyou Federation. Being one of the top five captains under Hedrat, Hazak was very experienced and knowledgeable. He had encountered many card artisans from the Heavenly Federation. However, never had he witnessed any card artisan who could perform such a powerful skill with such a strong aura. In fact, he had only witnessed it once. But that was from Lord Hedrat himself…

The revolving black and white beads slowly came to a pause. The white energy beads stopped sporadically and formed an illusion as though they were the stars in the night sky. In the meantime, the black energy beads combined into a black curtain that acted as the beautiful night sky for the stars.

Everyone shockingly realized that the pressure that acted upon them disappeared abruptly.

What happened?

Puzzled, they stared at the starry night sky that was formed by energy. Until now, it had not done any harm to them.

Gammick’s face was ghastly pale. Unknowingly, the green flare from the Lotus Leaf Shield had diminished. It appeared just like an ordinary shield and was no longer half as frightening as it was before.

Clank. The deafening sound echoed across the quiet arena as the shield fell and hit the ground.

Everybody felt as though they had woken up from a dream. The flexters, who had initially lost complete control of their bodies due to the power of the Lotus Leaf Shield, suddenly realized that they were able to move again! The oscillation that was affecting them had disappeared entirely.

Amid relief and confusion, Hazak was the first person to grasp the situation. He deepened his gaze as he was overwhelmed by fear and shock!

Immobile! The pure energy was held immobile under this beautiful night sky!

That also meant that no one could fire any energy attacks under this night sky! Even the strong energy from the Lotus Leaf Shield could not escape from it and was extinguished from this area! The Lotus Leaf Shield was nothing but a useless item without its oscillating power.

The method is inconceivable. Who is he? Is he a legend? A hint of confusion flashed across Hazak’s eagle-like eyes as he stared at Chen Mu. It was also at this time that everyone else came to realize what had happened too!

Gammick was experienced nonetheless. He realized the specialty of the Black and White Boundary as soon as Hazak did. Better yet, he was sensitive enough to figure out the opportunity within it!

Indeed, pure energy would not be able to function in the Black and White Boundary. But, his body movement was not at all restricted. The situation was, in fact, more favorable for him. Aren’t the card artisans of Heavenly Federation only good at using pure energy?

He swiftly dashed towards the Lotus Leaf Shield that was left on the ground and intended to pick it up. Despite not being able to utilize pure energy, the Lotus Leaf Shield was a rare and precious weapon! As compared to battles, how could the card artisans of the Heavenly Federation be the match of the flexters from the House of a Hundred Depths?

He was excited when his hand barely touched the Lotus Leaf Shield. But abruptly, he halted his motion. He widened his eyes as he stared at the thin golden vines that penetrated through his chest in disbelief. The Soft Golden Vines was unexpectedly strong like a golden arrow at this moment and easily pierced through his heart.

Chen Mu could not help but throw Zara a gaze of approval. To be able to fire a fatal shot at the most suitable moment, this was definitely the character of an elite assassin! Although this was not the first time Chen Mu witnessed this, yet, he was impressed. Shyness was seen in Zara’s eyes as she noticed Chen Mu’s gaze that was on her.

The flexters of the sword and shield sect were terrified as all their faces turned pale. The moment Hazak’s gaze landed on the Soft Golden Vine, and his expression changed significantly. He removed the bag from his shoulder and walked towards the arena at a steady pace.

“Miss, can you remove the ghost-faced flower on your face?” He did not take big steps, yet, each step thudded on the floor heavily, like the sound of a hit on the drum. With merely a few steps, his aura had greatly intensified.

Zara’s eyes turned red the moment she heard the thud! Chen Mu could see that each and every vein around Zara’s eyeballs were filled with blood in no time. Zara slowly turned around. Surprisingly, she appeared to be very composed.

“Hazak?” Her tone remained calm, yet contained within was a trace of ruthlessness.

Hazak removed the weapon on his back as he glared at Zara. He said with a devious smile, “The vines of West Mountain King Tribe are indeed undefeatable. If I did not witness this amazing vine trick today with my own eyes, I would never have discovered Princess Zara’s true identity.” As though they were facing a great enemy, his guards gasped as he finished his words.

Mose was taken aback. He did not expect that such a skillful flexter would actually be Princess Zara from the West Mountain King Tribe. His guards, who were surrounding him, turned to look at him as they anticipated an order from him. Meanwhile, he gently shook his head to signal the guards to hold their position.

The West Mountain King Tribe and the people of the Black Abyss held an enormous grudge against each other! An incomprehensible smile was painted across his face.

“How is Hedrat doing? Unless you can obtain the Green Mark, the wound from Imprinting Vine will never recover,” Zara said emotionlessly.

Mose’s eyes glistened. Anger could be vaguely seen in Hazak’s eyes, but the smile on his face remained, “How can a mere Imprinting Vine challenge Lord Hedrat? I would suggest Your Highness to give up and not waste your effort anymore. I promise I’ll treat you like the most honorable guest and keep you safe. Isn’t this a more comfortable choice than loitering outside the city?”

“I’ll kill each, and every one of you,” Zara’s tone remained calm, but she had no intention to conceal her cruelty.

“What a waste!” Hazak shrugged. The next second, his expression turned merciless as he cried, “Capture them alive!”

The guards beside him, promptly charged forward. A brief excitement flashed across Mose’s eyes. Chen Mu did not expect to be able to meet the leader of the people of the Black Abyss.

“Go and take care of him,” Hazak ordered while he gradually approached Zara!

Zara’s ability left an impactful impression on him when he encountered her a few years ago. He was sure that Zara must have grown even stronger in the past few years. However, he was still confident in his ability. He reckoned that his guards were capable enough to deal with the other card artisan from Tianyou Federation.

Hazak’s weapon was a maroon-colored spear. The blade of the spear was flat yet sharp. They locked eyes in the middle of the air and did not try to contain their bloodthirstiness. Zara took the initiative to attack. She made a quick move and vanished into thin air.

“Is this all you got?” Hazak snorted. He gently drew across the air with the maroon spear in his hand.

Tsk!

It sounded as though the cloth was being slit apart. An Air Wave Blade of a crescent shape narrowly blocked the tip of the Painted Graphistemma! They collided, and a clear “Ding” rang out. The tip of the vine was raised high. Hazak made an abrupt move and poked into thin air with the flat spear blade!

Swoosh!

A sharp noise echoed as another wave of Air Wave Blade pierced through the air! Floating, Zara swiftly dodged the attack. The Air Wave Blade hit the ground and left a thin yet deep hole.

Airskill?

Chen Mu was astonished. Hazak was well-known for being proficient in Airskill. However, this was the first time Chen Mu witnessed an Airskill that was generated by a weapon. Indeed, the attack skills of the flexters from the House of a Hundred Depths were unpredictable. Chen Mu was very impressed.

Seeing the flexters who were approaching him, Chen Mu displayed no fear, Contrary to Hazak’s expectation. The Black and White Boundary did not restrict the usage of pure energy within its range. Instead, it could control the usage of pure energy within its range! Those two were fundamentally different.

Once again, he gently raised his right hand while his fingers moved softly like water weeds. The “starry night sky” above the arena suddenly exploded and turned into mesmerizing fireworks and sparkles. Countless light rays dived towards the ground in straight lines and formed a curtain of light beams.

“Ahhhhh!”

Crying and yelling echoed throughout the whole arena. They couldn’t dodge as the attack was directed from above.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

One by one, the flower of blood blossomed in the midst of the light curtain. The scene was haunting. The light curtain seemed to be soft and gentle, yet, no one could withstand the power of it.

The sudden attack caught the guards off guard. Meanwhile, the ruthlessness of the people of the Black Abyss was showcased perfectly in this situation. The penetrating force of the light ray was shockingly powerful. However, it was not fatal unless one was attacked at their crucial body parts.

The guards of the people of the Black Abyss threw themselves at Chen Mu like bloodthirsty wolves. They could not be bothered by the light beams that were piercing through their bodies! They were confident that they would be triumphant once they can approach the enemy!

Splash! Splash! Splash!

Chen Mu was astonished by the determination of the people of the Black Abyss. For the first time, he sensed their fierceness. It was as though they were immune to pain when they threw themselves at their enemy recklessly. The enemy would easily be scared off by their attack if the enemy did not have a strong mind. Unfortunately, Chen Mu’s mind had never been weak!

Despite being impressed, he understood that they were on different sides in the current situation! He would never show mercy to his opponents. Again, he raised his right hand!