I Can Devour Spirits

Chapter 364: Chapter 299: Iron Fan Inner Armor_2

As long as Duan Rong is captured, not only will the case of Jie Lei and Xu Ruhu be solved, but also the case of Jie Daohan’s murder. That would be a significant achievement.

With such an accomplishment, he has hope of advancing to an Inner Sect Disciple!

Fan Yuanhai, without taking a single breath, rode his steed until it foamed at the mouth, yet he continued to whip it fiercely...

Having traveled seventy to eighty miles, Fan Yuanhai estimated that he should have caught up to Zhu Qunxiang and the others.

Indeed, as Fan Yuanhai charged over a hill, he saw several black dots in the distance rising and falling on the hill ahead, and his eyes lit up with delight. He whipped the horse’s hindquarters hard enough to make the flesh split, and the horse, in pain, kicked its hooves and galloped madly forward.

Fan Yuanhai charged over three or four hills, and seeing that he was only seventy to eighty zhang away from Zhu Qunxiang and the others, his pupils contracted as he focused on the second of the quartet of official carriages.

He knew that Duan Rong was seated in that carriage.

But at that moment, suddenly, with a series of "bang, bang, bang" explosions, thick black smoke rapidly rose on the official road ahead, engulfing the shattered carriages instantaneously. Several figures jumped chaotically from the smoke, scattering in all directions...

Fan Yuanhai was shocked, reined his horse to a halt. A thought crossed his mind, but just then, a silhouette sprang from the wilderness beside the road, a cold glint flashing like lightning as it stabbed towards his face.

Fan Yuanhai felt a chill down his spine, his hair stood on end. The sword strike was unexpected and remarkably precise.

In haste, Fan Yuanhai circulated his True Qi, planted his feet on the stirrups, and flew backward like a fallen leaf.

Ge Qingchuan tapped the saddle with his toe, his figure soaring again, pressing towards Fan Yuanhai in mid-air. The long sword in his hand still gleaming coldly, pointing at Fan Yuanhai’s face.

The moment Fan Yuanhai left the saddle, his right hand reached for his lower back, grabbing a Refined Iron Fan. With a "ding," he slapped the fan against the attacking sword tip.

When Fan Yuanhai’s Iron Fan slapped the sword tip, he felt a softness, like hitting emptiness.

The sword tip bent into a large arc – it was a Soft Sword!

The craftsmanship of a Soft Sword is complex and precise, not something an ordinary craftsman can forge, and such weapons have long since disappeared from the market.

One who wields a Soft Sword is certainly not an ordinary person.

Fan Yuanhai slapped the sword with his Iron Fan, and Ge Qingchuan flicked his wrist, causing the sword tip to ripple wildly, dazzling Fan Yuanhai with the gleam of the sword light.

The sword shadow was right in front of him, Fan Yuanhai flicked his wrist, and with a scratching sound, the Iron Fan suddenly opened. Fan Yuanhai gripped the fan, using the fan surface to strike at the Soft Sword.

The two were in mid-air, one with a sword, one with a fan, already exchanging several moves.

Fan Yuanhai and Ge Qingchuan both had excellent Lightweight Skills. Though Ge Qingchuan had initiated the attack suddenly, he failed to gain any advantage over Fan Yuanhai.

The two floated to the ground, Fan Yuanhai’s Iron Fan protecting his chest, his expression cold and stern as he looked at Ge Qingchuan. He noticed that although Ge Qingchuan was dressed in men’s attire, she had skin like snow, eyes like waves, and a smooth throat, clearly a woman.

But this beautiful woman had nearly taken his life.

Fan Yuanhai glanced at the official road behind Ge Qingchuan, still billowing with black smoke, and glared at her, asking, "Who are you? How dare you attack a Sect Envoy?"

Ge Qingchuan chuckled softly and said, "So it’s a Sect Envoy! What a great authority!"

Ge Qingchuan’s Soft Sword shook, darting at Fan Yuanhai like a poisonous snake flicking its tongue.

With the sword tip shaking, Fan Yuanhai struggled to discern the direction, so he swung the fan directly.

Fan Yuanhai maneuvered to close in and attack, but Ge Qingchuan’s Soft Sword, like a whip or a dart, elusive and unpredictable, repelled Fan Yuanhai’s attempts to close in each time.

Fan Yuanhai’s Lightweight Skill and Martial Arts were a paired family inheritance, executed with a swift, unpredictable nature, making them difficult to guard against. However, Ge Qingchuan’s Soft Sword seemed designed to counter his Body Technique, like a snake’s head poised to strike, constantly swaying, ready to deliver a fatal blow when the opportunity arose.

Fan Yuanhai’s feeling wasn’t wrong; Ge Qingchuan’s Soft Sword Martial Arts was called the Spiritual Snake Sword Technique, which clearly countered Fan Yuanhai’s deft Body Technique.

The two sparred back and forth, and after a fierce exchange, Fan Yuanhai’s shoulders were both wounded, though the injuries were not severe, his heart sank. He had already faintly heard the sounds of metal clashing in combat around him.

The explosion on the road clearly resulted from pre-planted explosives, and as luck would have it, the sword technique of the person before him restrained his agile Body Technique.

This was no coincidence! It was an organized conspiracy!

Fan Yuanhai smelled a hint of bitter danger!

Fan Yuanhai was considering whether to retreat first. Although capturing Duan Rong would be a significant accomplishment, it wasn’t worth risking his life.

Seeing such peril, it’s more important to stay alive!

Unlike the horses in the black smoke on the main road that had all been poisoned, Fan Yuanhai hadn’t entered the black smoke. Not far away, the steed he rode here was still on the roadside, grazing. If he could break free from entanglement with the person in front of him and escape on horseback, he should be able to avoid danger!

Having made up his mind, Fan Yuanhai decided to take a risk, aiming to injure Ge Qingchuan and quickly leave this troublesome place.

Ge Qingchuan’s soft sword struck again, and Fan Yuanhai seized the opportunity, suddenly employing a set of iron fan moves, which surprisingly rolled Ge Qingchuan’s soft sword onto the iron fan, then attacked with a palm strike to Ge Qingchuan’s chest with his left hand.

Fan Yuanhai was pleased with himself; this move was a spontaneous change, executed with precision and speed!

The distance between the two was already very close, and the angle of Fan Yuanhai’s palm strike was extremely bizarre and tricky. Ge Qingchuan could hardly block it and had to abandon the sword and jump away to evade the strike.

Fan Yuanhai’s intention was to force Ge Qingchuan to discard his weapon.

Once Ge Qingchuan lost his weapon, the soft sword restricting his body technique could no longer be used, allowing him to seize the chance to escape.

The palm strike was mere inches from Ge Qingchuan’s chest, and Fan Yuanhai thought the move would surely succeed. But at that moment, Ge Qingchuan suddenly drew the sword hilt, and with a flash of cold light, Fan Yuanhai’s left arm was severed at the elbow.

Moreover, the cold light emerged from a burst of blood, abruptly stabbing at Fan Yuanhai’s throat!

Ge Qingchuan’s soft sword was indeed a mother and child sword hidden within another sword!

This unexpected change was beyond anyone’s expectations!

Fan Yuanhai, unable to ponder, quickly retreated, with Ge Qingchuan’s sword following him like a shadow, vibrating loudly, the sword tip swaying like a spiritual snake’s head, and suddenly turned to stab at Fan Yuanhai’s chest.

Fan Yuanhai was shocked; he wanted to swing the iron fan to block but it was too late.

Just as Fan Yuanhai was about to meet his end, a massive black shadow like a mountain of flesh swiftly appeared, delivering a punch to Ge Qingchuan’s chest.

Ge Qingchuan, struck heavily, instantly flew backward!

She somersaulted backward in mid-air, floated down, and looked in shock at Ame standing in front of Fan Yuanhai.

"Huh?" Ame uttered a puzzled sound; she originally thought her punch could pierce Ge Qingchuan’s chest, but surprisingly Ge Qingchuan managed to withstand it and landed safely.

Ame could tell Ge Qingchuan didn’t have horizontal training martial arts.

Ame quickly noticed the clue; there was a large hole in Ge Qingchuan’s clothing at the spot where the punch landed on her chest, revealing a gray-brown surface, seemingly composed of fine mesh scales.

Ame’s expression shifted. "Is it inner armor?"

The young lady also had a piece of inner armor, but she never liked wearing it. Ame had never forced Lv Qingzhu to do anything against her will before. But after this incident, she decided that Lv Qingzhu must wear the inner armor.

Ge Qingchuan spat a mouthful of thick blood on the ground. Although she wore inner armor, her internal organs were injured and her energy disrupted from Ame’s punch.

Watching Ame drenched in blood and covered in flesh splatter, Ge Qingchuan’s heart trembled in fear!

Ame standing here meant something that no one understood better than someone who organizes deployments.

"Did you kill Fan Hanzhou?"

Ame glanced at Ge Qingchuan without responding, as Ge Qingchuan in inner armor would take effort to kill, something Ame didn’t have the time for right now.

Ame merely turned to Fan Yuanhai and asked, "When did you come? Did you see my mistress?"

Ge Qingchuan saw Ame not answering, her expression changed, and then suddenly, she darted into the wilderness by the roadside on the main road, disappearing from sight.

Fan Yuanhai watched Ge Qingchuan leave, sweat dripping from his forehead, and with a bitter smile said, "I arrived just at the explosion! Did not see Miss Qingzhu."

Ame got her answer, and with a leap, she vanished before Fan Yunhai’s eyes...