Chapter 127: Aerial Battle Above the Imperial City!
"Sorry, sorry, my hand slipped..."
The four-star Dou Wang, Yao Bai, had stabbed his spear into the ground, leaving a small hole, while the four-star Dou Ling, Yuan Bao, who had unfolded his four-leaf feather-sheath wings, was floating above Yao Bai's head like a fly rubbing its hands together, a sheepish smile on his face.
Immediately, the whole audience was in an uproar. The upper echelons of the Jia Ma Empire all turned curious gazes toward the airborne Yuan Bao. They weren't surprised by flight—after all, flying Dou Techniques existed in this world. It was just that such techniques were rare in the Jia Ma Empire. Over in the Falling Goose Empire, flight techniques were much more abundant.
However, most flight techniques were just mimics of Dou Wang wings—essentially forming dual Dou Qi wings. Someone like Yuan Bao, with four wings sprouting from his back, was an incredibly rare sight.
"Is that... a flight-type Dou Technique?" Yao Ye on the viewing platform narrowed her eyes.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple. So this is the true confidence of the Weapon Refiners' Guild?" Jia Xingtian shook his head slightly, his gaze full of interest as he looked at the four wings behind Yuan Bao. As a peak nine-star Dou Huang, Jia Xingtian had extremely sharp senses. He could tell that the wings behind Yuan Bao weren't formed by traditional Dou Techniques, but were instead a tangible flying Dou Device.
"But isn't that the specialty of the Falling Goose Empire? How did that guy Hulei get his hands on something like this?" Jia Xingtian was genuinely puzzled. It wasn't the device or technique itself that surprised him, but the fact that Hulei possessed such a thing.
"Yanran, do you see now? Weapon Refiners never fight unprepared battles." On the other side, old man Nalan seized the chance to lecture his granddaughter, Nalan Yanran. This little girl was too self-centered for his liking. As a seasoned veteran, the old man knew all too well that the Weapon Refiners' Guild would never show their face unless they had something impressive to reveal. That's exactly why all the noble families in the capital came to watch this duel—because they were curious what kind of shiny new gadget the guild had this time.
"...Just a dying struggle."
Even though Yuan Bao had slapped Yao Bai in the face, it felt like a slap to Nalan Yanran's pride as well. Still, she clung to the idea that a Dou Ling couldn't defeat a Dou Wang who had the advantage of flight.
"Whether it's a flying Dou Device or Dou Technique, flight consumes Dou Qi. How can a Dou Ling's Dou Qi possibly compare to a Dou Wang's? Not to mention, Dou Wangs fly more freely—"
Before she could finish her hard-headed argument, she shut her mouth.
Because high above, the enraged Yao Bai had shot up from the ground and charged at Yuan Bao. But the four wings behind Yuan Bao folded and twisted at various angles, causing him to spiral downward in a controlled dive, seemingly unaffected by gravity. He neatly dodged Yao Bai's spear and flipped upside-down to launch a surprise attack. At some point, a Tier 4 long blade had appeared in his hand, and he rushed at Yao Bai in an unconventional, counterintuitive manner.
Yao Bai wasn't fazed at all. He kicked his spear toward Yuan Bao's—uh—head region. But this upside-down flying stance from Yuan Bao made Yao Bai extremely uncomfortable. He'd never faced an opponent like this. Still, he was confident that even if his opponent's attack couldn't break through his Dou Qi armor, his spear could definitely bust Yuan Bao's balls!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Just as the two were about to clash in a 69-position melee, Yuan Bao's four-leafed wings suddenly shifted. His entire body spun like a top, narrowly avoiding Yao Bai's spear and appearing at his flank. He immediately unleashed a barrage of wild slashes!
The long blade struck Yao Bai's Dou Qi armor, sending up a shower of sparks and even carving marks into the bright silver soft armor underneath. Yao Bai was shocked and quickly flew upward to avoid Yuan Bao's blade aura. While Dou Qi armor was incredibly resistant to Dou Qi attacks, its defense against physical attacks wasn't as strong. Normal blades wouldn't cut through it—but this was a Tier 4 Xuan blade specialized in breaking Dou Qi defenses, wielded by a four-star Dou Ling! If not for his inner armor absorbing some of the impact, Yao Bai would've been seriously wounded!
"Whoa! Look! A Dou Wang just took off!"
As Yao Bai soared above the city wall, the crowd outside, who were about to leave, suddenly saw a Dou Wang fly into the sky!
Thud!
Just as people looked up, another red figure shot upward from below—wielding a long blade, flying straight at Yao Bai with yellow Dou Qi wings. The two figures, completely covered in Dou Qi armor, clashed violently in midair, separated, and then the red-armored figure with four wings spun nimbly in the air. With a sudden burst from his wings, he accelerated and charged once again at the still-stabilizing Yao Bai!
"Oh my god! There's a battle between Dou Wangs above the imperial city!"
Outside, the common folk and passersby near the capital gasped in shock.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The red-armored fighter with four wings attacked like he was pumped full of adrenaline. Despite the massive Dou Qi consumption, he kept launching attacks against the dual-winged yellow-armored Yao Bai. With the superior maneuverability of four wings, the red-armored fighter could brake midair, spin rapidly, and perform complex aerial moves that traditional Dou Wangs could never pull off. Yao Bai's long spear was useless against such nimbleness—he couldn't land a clean hit. All he could do was use wide sweeping strikes to try and ward off his foe and avoid being toyed with and countered after a miss.
"Aren't Dou Wangs only supposed to have two Dou Qi wings? How does that red figure have four? Could it be a Dou Huang?!"
"What Dou Huang?! That's red Dou Qi—it's the Weapon Refiners' Guild's Yuan Fatty!"
"Wasn't he a Dou Ling?!"
"Holy crap! A flying Dou Device! That's such a dazzling flying Dou Device!! The control from those four wings is insane! That Dou Wang looks like he doesn't even know how to fly in comparison! How can someone manage full-speed aerial combat, control a flying device, and fight a Dou Wang all at once?!"
In the capital, knowledgeable spectators had already begun shouting in awe.
In truth, most native Dou Wangs of the Dou Qi Continent weren't proficient at flying—or at least not skilled at it. When a bunch of these subpar flyers fought in the air, it usually came down to speed rather than maneuverability. That's also why humans of the same realm rarely caught flying magical beasts—they simply lacked comparable aerial control.
Yuan Bao hadn't thought of this approach at first either—until Jiang Lin's words opened his eyes:
"A traditional Dou Wang aerial battle is just two guys fighting a ground fight in the sky. True aerial combat has no blind spots—sky is ground, and ground is wall."
Thud!
Long blade and long spear clashed fiercely in the air. From within the red armor, Yuan Bao grinned. His wings maintained balance, then burst laterally with force. His blade screeched as it dragged across Yao Bai's spear—and finally, in Yao Bai's stunned eyes, slashed hard into his back!
(END CHAPTER)
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