Chapter 101: Star General Assassin
Both of Zhao Yan's arms were crippled, his eyeballs nearly about to pop out from their sockets. To think there was a Three Flowers warrior in this world that had such powerful strength able to peel away his Three Flowers. When he lifted his head, Northern Dipper was already swinging right at him. He mustered all of his strength to try and block it with Divine Intent, but the Divine Intent had barely touched Northern Dipper before being blown away. Northern Dipper smashed heavily into his face.
His skull shattered.
This insufferably arrogant Three Flowers Saint of War had been struck dead by Chen Mo's staff.
Trampling and Invincible, Chen Mo had exhausted a large portion of his Star Energy to finally find an opening to kill this overconfident warrior. His hand gripped Northern Dipper as he panted, once again using the Nose Locking Art. Just as he was prepared to sift through this Saint of War's effects, at this moment, a nearly inaudible whistle echoed through the air. This sound was extremely quiet, like a pin falling.
His chest chilled as he was pricked by something. All of a sudden, he was numb, the True Qi in his body immediately dispersing. Chen Mo promptly used the One Qi Ring, having not taken it off yet. The scattered True Qi was immediately gathered by the One Qi Ring.
Chen Mo fell back, and a frightening killing intent abruptly surged just like a ferocious beast baring its fangs and claws, as if it had been waiting for Chen Mo to take the bait. Chen Mo stamped his foot, spinning around, the Clear Breeze Bright Moon Escape instantly activating. The sneak attacker was greatly astounded, having never anticipated that Chen Mo would surprisingly be able to escape away with an ability after sustaining their "Qi Dispersing Needle."
The boy assassin's Qi Dispersal Needle was a famous hidden weapon of the Tang Sect., specialized in handling Qi Flower Realm warriors. The needle was thin as a hair, capable of instantly dispersing the True Qi in a warrior's body upon insertion. With True Qi unable to be gathered, the warrior's techniques that utilized True Qi would suffer the effects, and the warrior's body itself would also become very weak. Seizing this period of weakness, the Tang Sect would use this opportunity to kill.
This assassination method had practically precision in the Tang Sect.
Once the Qi Dispersing Needle was fired, the warrior was inevitably dead on the spot.
Chen Mo raised his staff and swung.
Northern Dipper rolled forth a breeze, coiling towards the boy assassin like a black dragon. The boy spun around, bringing out a Three Star assassination dagger, using a strange body technique to dodge the staff.
If it was not for Chen Mo using up most of his energy beforehand, he would have already slain his foe with a Bagua, but against those demonic body techniques right now, he was unable to muster his strength. He was already somewhat straining to wield Northern Dipper. Chen Mo, however, continued to roar.
Northern Dipper's heavy pounding rocked the cavern.
Yet the young man nimbly climbed onto Northern Dipper. He stabbed with his dagger, a cold light thrusting towards Chen Mo.
Chen Mo sneered, suddenly pointing a finger on his left hand.
A ray of killing intent like a flaming sword shot out from his fingertip. Like a pinprick of sunlight, it instantly smashed through the opponent's incoming killing intent. "Dark Yang Finger??" The taciturn young assassin shows astonishment for the first time.1
Dark Yang Finger was the signature technique of Prince Yang, a super first-rate martial art. By pointing with the finger, the attack appeared relaxed, but the power was akin to a stove explosion, its might boundless. In the Great Chong Dynasty, the Dark Yang Finger was also famed all over for its fighting prowess. If you did not have a blood relationship to Prince Yang, other warriors could not possibly learn it.
The young assassin clearly did not expect Chen Mo would learn the Dark Yang Finger from Ting Nanyuan. Although his was a bit superficial in learning, Chen Mo also had Attila's "Trampling" Innate Skill, so its might was still extreme.
Having been struck by the Dark Yang Finger, his opponent showed an opening. Chen Mo did not hesitate at all to swing Northern Dipper into the "Splitting Mountain Style" for a direct hit. Northern Dipper seemed to become a massive blade about to cleave the enemy apart.
Bang.
The youth usedhis Star Weapon to block. He immediately tasted the power that made even Zhao Yan afraid. This dagger Star Weapon was smashed apart, the power of the blow jolting his chest and sending him flying. At the last moment, the young man circulated his Qi Flower protection to barely withstand Northern Dipper cutting him in two.
From assassination to defeat, the entire process elapsed in a few blinks of the eye.
The young assassin showed an astonished face as he stared at Chen Mo, an expression of disbelief.
This young lord was not only capable of killing a Saint of War, he was even able to ward off a sneak attack. This was honestly too frightening.
"Bozhi!2 Just how long are you going to wait!" The young man finally let out a hoarse shout.
Bozhi??
Chen Mo already knew hidden somewhere was another assassin, so he did not dare be careless. What a pity that he had played nearly his entire hand yet was still unable to kill this young man, which made Chen Mo a bit depressed.
After the young man spoke, a woman sauntered out. She seemed to be taking a stroll, an absent-minded appearance.
She seemed to view Chen Mo's kill on the Saint of War just now as well as the stunning battle that repelled her partner like she would a cup of tap water – very dull. "Bozhi, he is already mostly out of energy. We must quickly work together to kill him, that weapon of his is very out of the ordinary." The young man's observations were astute.
"True, perhaps it is a Destined Star Weapon." Bozhi smiled and said. "If we turn it over to the Sect Leader, this will be a very meritorious deed. Bozhi cannot let him escape."
The youth showed a cold grin. A Destined Star Weapon absolutely was worthy of merit.
Just as the boy was about to move, at this moment, a dagger pierced through his chest without warning. The young man's smile promptly froze, and he stared blankly at the bloody dagger poking out of his chest. His partner's gentle voice entered his ear. "A mediocre warrior deludes himself with ideas about the Destined Star Weapon. Truly ridiculous. Die just like this."
"You, you." The young man's mouth gaped. "Star…General."
The woman's stab ended him mid-sentence. His head tumbled to the ground just like this, his large eyes still retaining the young man's naivete.
"I really did not think I would encounter such a thing by staying in the Tang Sect." The woman played with the dagger in her hands. It was completely black, a ghastly, crimson groove filled with blood inlaid along its body. Accompanying it were three bright stars.
These three stars were not the stars of an ordinary Star Weapon.
Normal successful Casted Stars glittering around a Star Weapon were all dead while the stars of a Destined Star Weapon would emit resplendent light. As the number of stars increased, so too would it seem to come alive.
Chen Mo had never seen this Destined Star Weapon before.
"You're a Star General?" Chen Mo was taken aback.
"I think you should be very surprised that a Star General would come to assassinate you. This is your lucky day." The woman looked at Chen Mo as if she was looking at prey about to die. Her expression and movements were all full of a Star General's arrogance and a disdain for Chen Mo.
"Other than assassins like Jing Ke, Zhuan Zhu, and Nie Zheng, I honestly am surprised other Star Generals would serve as hitmen. You aren't Jing Ke, are you?" Chen Mo smiled and said.
"Are you mocking me?" The woman's voice lowered, very displeased.
"It's hard to meet a Star General. I just want to know in death." Chen Mo said.
"I am ‘General of Pingnan,'3 Chen Bozhi.4 Remember my name." The woman proudly said.
"Chen Bozhi?"
Chen Mo was rather familiar with this name. In history, legend stated that Chen Bozhi was a hoodlum who pushed people around ever since he was little. As his family was in great distress, he made a living by robbing people. Later, he followed a cavalry general from his hometown, Wang Guangzhi, on a punitive force to sort out the King of Anlu of the Qi Dynasty, Xiao Zijing, earning some merit and a promotion to Champion General, the title White Cavalry Minister of War. He was bestowed Yufu County, a 500 fu horary.
But this was not what he was most famous for.
In truth, there was an incident pertaining to Chen Bozhi involving a "Book on Chen Bozhi." Qiu Chi, a writer from the Liang of the Southern Dynasties, used universally appealing language to write a note of surrender in the name of Chen Bozhi, who was a great general guarding a city at the time. He left behind a masterpiece for posterity showing the pen was mightier than the sword.
"So you're Chen Bozhi." Chen Mo subconsciously said.
"You recognize me?" The woman sneered.
"I don't. I wonder what your relationship to Chen Qingzhi is." Their names differed by one character, but it was regretful to see that their treatments differed like heaven and earth.
Upon mention of Chen Qingzhi's name the woman changed expression without warning.
Killing intent billowed.
Chen Mo was already completely on guard, but he was still cut by the woman's weapon. Chen Bozhi's cruel grin blossomed before his eyes. Chen Mo grit his teeth, sweeping forth Northern Dipper.
The woman did not dare block this Northern Dipper directly, promptly dodging out of its attack range.
Chen Mo painfully clenched his teeth. This was not a warrior but a Star General, a Star General practiced in Star Energy. Although this General of Pingnang Chen Bozhi still did not reach "Concentrated Fiend Realm," upon which she would possess a Star Position, she was still too strong compared to a normal warrior. She was not to be outdone by the likes of Zhao Yan, a Saint of War, even emerging superior to him.
"Chen Qingzhi…" The woman apparently detested this Star General who bore a name so extremely similar to her own very much. Once this name was mentioned, her expression somewhat contorted: "The White Robed God of War…Do you think she is very intimidating?"
"Are you telling me she isn't?" Chen Mo retorted.
"You ignorant warriors think that Chen Qingzhi charged straight into the Central Star Field, defeated the Ling Yan Pavilion's Twenty-four Generals, the Eight Pillars Kingdom, the Thirteen High Officials, and then you believe her to be without equal in this world…Magnificent Army Avoids the White Robe…Ridiculous, so ridiculous." As a Star General, the woman understood far more than a warrior could, and judging from her language, she apparently also came from the Inner Star Field.
"This is nothing more than a deathbed struggle. Chen Qingzhi's death day will be within the next two years. Hmph, how can a self-destructive, overconfident Star General ever compare to me, Chen Bozhi." The woman said, icily arrogant. She had the qualifications. For the sake of stoking her resolve for vengeance, she learned about the Tang Sect's concealed weapons, concealing herself from the Inner Star Fields in the Outer Star Field's Tang Sect, just so she could increase her power little by little.
She would not be like that Chen Qingzhi, to unexpectedly dare assault her way into the Central Star Field upon ascension to a Heavenly Star.
"Two years, I don't feel she will die." Chen Mo's expression sunk.
"To be frank, you won't see that day anyways." Chen Bozhi stamped her foot, her figure immediately splitting apart. Several killing intents shot up steeply like mountain peaks from Chen Mo's surroundings.
Chen Mo barely dodged them. Chen Bozhi then instantly appeared behind Chen Mo, her dagger stabbing him in the lung. Her moves were vicious and ruthless, the bladework combined with the Tang Sect's malicious assassination technique. She did not give Chen Mo any chance to catch his breath, her second attack then slicing Chen Mo's neck.
His head soared into the sky.
Chen Bozhi had efficiently completed her kill, but her smile immediately vanished. Chen Mo's figure became a talisman.
"External Projection Talisman!!" Chen Bozhi was caught off-guard. A mere Qi Flower Realm warrior was unexpectedly able to use a Middle Grade Talisman only Thunder Tribulation cultivators would have.
The girl immediately clenched her dagger, using one of the Tang Sect's ambush styles. If Chen Mo wanted to use the External Projection Talisman for a sneak attack, she would use Star Energy to expose the incoming attack enough to make a Saint of War die on the spot.
Hm?
Chen Bozhi looked. There was no killing intent at all in the surroundings. Chen Mo used the External Projection Talisman naturally in order to not stupidly face the Star General directly. He was exhausted to the point of collapse and had no chance of winning whatsoever.
He stowed Northern Dipper away.
Chen Mo promptly sped away. According to the Thirty-six Stratagems: If all else fails, retreat.5
"If you manage to escape, then I'm not Chen Bozhi!" The woman malevolently declared. Her hands and feet clawed, giving chase.
So it might actually be "Dark Sun Finger"… ↵
伯之 ↵
平南將 ↵
陳伯之 ↵
Joestar Family Secret Technique, nigerundayo~~↵
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel