Chapter 83: Combat Techniques of Alchemy (3)

"Then I won't hold back!" Ye Lang nodded, then made several gestures in the air...

What was he doing? Was he drawing an alchemy array? But somehow, it didn't seem right—what kind of alchemy array looked like that? The royal alchemy masters were baffled.

Soon enough, they realized that Ye Lang's movements were nothing but idle gestures, entirely meaningless. What followed was the true beginning.

Ye Lang suddenly withdrew his hand, reached into his spatial ring, and pulled out a long object. It wasn't even the full thing yet—just the first segment, already longer than a grown man. Next, the rear section emerged: a large piece made of variously sized square boxes, followed by more of the cylindrical body.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the object was a cylinder, with a dark hollow center—a simple way to put it, this was a barrel! The entire surface was covered with mysterious engravings, which were unmistakably alchemy arrays. All the alchemy masters present could confirm that.

This was an alchemical item, and its shape resembled a cannon. Yet this cannon could be carried by hand, equipped with a handle and a trigger.

At that moment, Ye Lang gripped the handle with one hand, the trigger with the other, and aimed it straight at Li Danteng—then pulled the trigger.

A section of the "handheld cannon" began to glow, followed by a brilliant radiance from within the barrel...

"Damn it, activate the barrier now!" The staff member responsible for the barrier instantly triggered it. Regardless of what Ye Lang's contraption was, they sensed danger.

"Look at that..." The eyes of the alchemy masters gleamed, as if they'd spotted some rare treasure.

The "handheld cannon" fired a straight beam of light, rushing straight toward Li Danteng.

Li Danteng was still puzzled a moment before, uncertain what Ye Lang's device was. But his swordsman instincts prompted him to dodge instinctively.

Boom! The beam struck the barrier and exploded instantly, a powerful shockwave scattering sand and dust within the enclosure. The blast echoed throughout the arena and even far beyond.

Just the sound alone conjured images of the power hidden within Ye Lang's handheld cannon. The sand, the debris, and the cracks forming on the barrier all declared one thing—

The weapon in the hands of the Thirteenth Young Master was absolutely terrifying!

"Ah..."

Everyone stared at Ye Lang, dumbfounded.

This young man, so unassuming, possessed such a dreadful weapon, and yet no one had ever known!

Exclamation marks filled Li Danteng's mind. He wondered, if he had been hit by that beam, would he still be standing here? No—he should ask, would he even be alive?

Ye Lang, meanwhile, remarked innocently, "The power's a bit low. I'll turn it up later!"

What? He can turn it up?

Everyone's eyes widened further, mouths agape...

Of course he could. It was obvious—the alchemy arrays on Ye Lang's cannon were not fully activated. If he unleashed them all, the power would surely soar to a new level!

Moreover, Ye Lang's arrays could be combined in myriad ways, each producing a different effect. The surprises would be endless.

Boom!

Without a word, Ye Lang fired again, this time with noticeably greater force. Thankfully, the barrier was at its maximum, so there was no damage.

"You dare shoot again!" Li Danteng, having dodged a second blast, shouted angrily.

"Why not? You're still alive, aren't you?" Ye Lang replied, continuing to fire.

"That's shameless! How can you use such a weapon? This is a duel!" Li Danteng cried, battered and furious.

"Is it forbidden?" Ye Lang paused, glancing at the alchemical cannon in his hands.

"Of course it's forbidden! That's against the rules! Have you ever seen someone use a weapon like that in a duel?" Li Danteng roared.

"But I'm an alchemist. If I don't use alchemical weapons, what should I use? Take this!" Ye Lang pressed the trigger once more.

Indeed, forbidding an alchemist from using alchemical weapons was like forbidding a warrior from using martial energy, or a mage from casting spells. What was the point of competing then?

This time, Li Danteng was distracted by Ye Lang's words, thinking Ye Lang would stop. But unexpectedly, Ye Lang kept firing at him.

As a result, Li Danteng was a fraction of a second too slow and was struck—

Boom!

Li Danteng was sent flying a great distance, struggling to steady himself, one hand pressed to the ground for support. His eyes, bloodshot with fury, glared at Ye Lang. He didn't seem seriously injured!

Indeed, not too badly hurt. Though he'd hesitated for a moment, he instinctively unleashed martial energy to defend himself, using sword energy to deflect the beam.

Of course, his martial skill couldn't withstand the cannon's blast, but his body was propelled away upon contact, rather than standing his ground to take the full force. Therefore, his injuries weren't severe.

Nevertheless, Li Danteng's hands were trembling uncontrollably. The massive impact had left them unsteady, so his glare at Ye Lang was not a challenge, but a moment of recovery.

"Don't look at me like that, you'll scare me. And when I'm scared, I might accidentally press this again..." The alchemical cannon in Ye Lang's hands began to glow once more. He showed no intention of letting anyone catch their breath; even when his opponent was gasping for air on the ground, he wouldn't hesitate to attack again!

"Damn it!"

Seeing the beam forming, Li Danteng resorted to the undignified move known as the lazy donkey roll. Though embarrassing, it was a trick everyone knew, and in critical moments, it always worked!

Li Danteng dodged yet another blast, then sprang to his feet and charged straight at Ye Lang. His speed was like a meteor, shrinking the distance between them in an instant!

No wonder he was the grandson of the Sword Saint—he quickly realized that Ye Lang's cannon was a ranged weapon. Though powerful, it was cumbersome to use.

Each shot required a pause, a sort of cooldown. Also, the cannon struggled to track and aim at objects moving at high speed!

Moreover, as a ranged weapon, its power was lost at close quarters!

Thus, if he could close the gap in the interval between shots, he could neutralize the cannon's threat!

This seemed confirmed—Ye Lang's alchemical cannon was indeed ineffective at close range, something everyone could guess. Yet what no one anticipated was—