Martial Dao: I Can Enhance My Talents

Chapter 299: Chapter 296: Battle of the Upper Three Grades

"Chen Wanjun! It’s you!"

The black-robed man’s voice was filled with terror and venomous hatred.

"You... you were here all along?! Hiding in the shadows this whole time?!"

"If I hadn’t, how could I have made a skulking rat like you let down your guard? You were lucky to escape last time. Today, I will capture you!"

Chen Wanjun’s expression was blank, his eyes as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice.

The reason he hadn’t shown himself immediately was that he had sensed the black-robed man hiding nearby.

To prevent the black-robed man from escaping again as he did last time, he held his hand and waited.

He only launched his sneak attack when the black-robed man was about to kill Fang Han and had lowered his guard against his surroundings.

"SWOOSH—"

Before his words had even faded, Chen Wanjun’s figure flashed, appearing before the black-robed man as if he had teleported.

He swung his golden long-saber, and an incredibly condensed stream of golden Saber Qi slashed toward the black-robed man.

The attack was like a tidal wave, instantly engulfing the heavily injured black-robed man!

"Despicable! And you call yourself a member of a righteous sect!"

The black-robed man was both terrified and enraged. At his peak, he might have been able to fight Chen Wanjun, but now, severely wounded and his strength greatly diminished, how could he possibly be a match?

He roared, and a dense, bloody light erupted from his body. Disregarding his injuries, he forcefully activated his Demon Skill and transformed into a blood-red shadow, attempting to flee into the distance.

"Where do you think you’re going!"

Chen Wanjun shouted coldly, his figure sticking to the man like a shadow. Golden Saber Qi crisscrossed the air, forming an invisible net of blades that tightly entangled the black-robed man.

The two immediately clashed in a fierce battle. The sound of their Qi Forces colliding was like thunder, and terrifying energy fluctuations swept out in all directions, draining the world of color.

’That was close!’

Having just walked through the gates of hell and back, Fang Han’s back was soaked with cold sweat, and his forehead was beaded with it as well.

He let out a long, turbid breath. Watching Vice Hall Master Chen locked in battle with the black-robed man, his tense mind finally relaxed a little.

’Thank goodness! Thank goodness I sensed Chu Feng’s Cultivation of the Demon Skill and immediately sent a message to the Sect. And the one who came was an expert like Vice Hall Master Chen Wanjun of the Law Enforcement Hall.’

’Otherwise, not only would I have died here today, but the entire Fang Family would have likely been annihilated.’

"Oh no, Chu Feng..."

Suddenly, Fang Han’s expression changed. He whipped his head around to look at the spot where Chu Feng had collapsed—it was empty!

All that remained on the disturbed ground was a pool of dark red blood that hadn’t dried yet and a drag mark.

’Chu Feng really did escape!’

A chill went down Fang Han’s spine.

’I absolutely cannot let Chu Feng get away!’

’That beast’s mind is completely twisted, and he’s cultivated a fast-track Demon Skill. Letting him escape would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains.’

’In the future, neither I nor the Fang Family of Liangshui City will ever know a moment’s peace. We’ll constantly face his insane revenge.’

"HUMMM—"

With his thoughts racing, Fang Han activated his Spirit Smelling Technique at full power.

His nostrils twitched, and he quickly picked up Chu Feng’s unique scent in the air—a mixture of blood and the Demon Skill.

Soon, he locked onto the direction of Chu Feng’s escape.

’Chase him!’

A cold glint flashed in Fang Han’s eyes. He activated the Wind and Cloud Escape again, his body turning into a faint green stream of light as he sped off in the direction indicated by the scent.

He had to take advantage of Chu Feng’s severe injuries and finish him off for good!

Chu Feng was grievously wounded and his escape speed was greatly reduced. After chasing for several hundred meters, Fang Han saw a staggering, blood-red figure ahead.

"Chu Feng, don’t even think about escaping!"

Fang Han let out a low shout and increased his speed again, catching up in just a few leaps and bounds.

"Fang Han! Do you believe I’ll take you down with me?!"

Horrified, Chu Feng whipped his head around at the sound of the voice. Seeing Fang Han in pursuit, his face twisted into a ferocious mask of desperation and madness.

"In your current state, you don’t have the strength for that!"

Fang Han flicked his Flowing Wind Sword, and a flash of sword light, fast as lightning, stabbed toward Chu Feng’s back.

If Chu Feng hadn’t been injured, it was indeed highly possible he could have taken Fang Han down with him. But now, severely wounded, it was absolutely impossible.

Knowing escape was hopeless, Chu Feng’s vicious nature erupted. Roaring, he spun around and counterattacked desperately, brandishing his dimly glowing Red Patterned Sword.

However, he was already on the verge of death from his injuries, with only a fraction of his strength remaining. How could he be a match for Fang Han, who was still in good condition?

"CLANG! SHINK—!"

After just a few exchanges, Chu Feng’s moves had become chaotic and sloppy.

Fang Han spotted an opening. His Flowing Wind Sword struck like a viper leaving its den, easily swatting aside Chu Feng’s parrying sword.

With a flick of the blade, a condensed stream of green Sword Qi, like the cold light of Leng Yue, flashed with pinpoint accuracy across Chu Feng’s throat.

Chu Feng’s forward lunge froze abruptly. His eyes bulged, filled with ultimate venom and unwillingness to accept his fate.

He futilely clutched his throat as blood gushed like a spring from between his fingers. His lips opened and closed as if he wanted to say something, but only a gurgling, "HCK... HCK..." sound escaped.

Finally, his body fell limply to the ground. It twitched twice, then went still.

This once glorious, proud, and arrogant Celestial Pride True Inheritance of the Qingxuan Sect had finally died for falling into the Demon Dao.

Fang Han slowly sheathed his sword. Looking at Chu Feng’s corpse, the tension in his heart finally eased.

’By killing Chu Feng, this hidden danger has been completely eliminated.’

’I wonder if Hall Master Chen can take down the black-robed man...’

Fang Han picked up Chu Feng’s gradually cooling corpse and walked with steady steps across the devastated front courtyard of the Fang Family estate.

The air was thick with the heavy stench of blood, dust, and the lingering, intertwined auras of scorching heat and chilling cold left behind by the clash of powers.

"BOOM, BOOM, BOOM—"

In the distance, golden light and blood-red light were still clashing violently. The sounds of explosions and the sharp shrieks of Qi Force tearing through the air were incessant, as if they would tear the very world apart.

The battle between Vice Hall Master Chen Wanjun and the black-robed man had reached a fever pitch.

Chen Wanjun was shrouded in brilliant golden light, like a golden-armored deity descended to the mortal realm. Every single move he made contained a noble, righteous air and a majestic Momentum.

As he wielded the seemingly simple and ancient long-saber in his hand, streams of golden Saber Qi, so condensed they seemed solid, cut through the air, constantly pushing back and purifying the monstrous, bloody aura released by the black-robed man.

Although the black-robed man resisted with all his might, his Body Technique was bizarre and his blood-red afterimages were numerous, he was already faltering under Chen Wanjun’s absolute suppression of strength.

His large black robe was torn in many places, revealing pale skin and wounds so deep that bone was visible.

Dark red blood seeped out continuously, dyeing his black robe an even deeper shade.

With every direct clash, he would grunt and fall back, his aura weakening at a visible rate.

’What terrifying power!’

Fang Han stopped by a broken wall a hundred zhang from the battlefield, watching the intense fight, which was far beyond his current level, with a sense of dread.

Although he had already reached the Late Stage of Fifth Grade, his true combat power was enough to crush an ordinary Fourth-Grade Martial Artist.

However, compared to these two who were in the Upper Three Grades, and were outstanding even among them, the difference was like that between the clouds and the mud.

The energy ripples emanating from a casual strike from either of them made his skin ache and his Inner Qi circulation stagnate.

If he were to be hit head-on, even with his Soft Armor for protection, he would likely be severely injured or even killed in an instant.

This perception of a higher level of power, and the sense of unease it produced, made him clearly recognize his own insignificance and filled him with a longing for a higher Realm.

He saw this battle as a rare opportunity to observe and learn.

Chen Wanjun’s Saber Technique was grand and majestic, containing profound principles within its ultimate simplicity. His ability to draw upon the Momentum of the world was completely natural and seamless.

Although the black-robed man’s Demon Skill was sinister, his application of power and grasp of timing also had a cunning and ruthless quality.

Fang Han immersed his mind in the fight, trying to grasp the subtle Transformations and Magic Gates of power application, cross-referencing them with the Nine Swords of Sky Splitting and Wind and Cloud Escape that he practiced.

He felt as if his horizons had been broadened, and he was faintly inspired.

"BOOM—!"

Just then, the battle suddenly took a turn.

Chen Wanjun seemed unwilling to delay any longer. A sharp light burst from his eyes, and the long-saber in his hand let out a dragon’s cry that shook the heavens.

The golden light around his body instantly receded, concentrating entirely on the edge of the blade, making the long-saber look as if it were forged from pure gold.

A terrifying saber intent—one that could annihilate evil and pass judgment on sin—shot toward the heavens.

"Annihilate!"

Chen Wanjun’s voice was like a great bell as he slashed down with his saber.

The slash seemed slow, yet it appeared to lock down the entire space. Wherever the blade’s light passed, the air rippled violently, leaving a clear, pale-golden trail.

A colossal golden saber arc that stretched across the sky, like a guillotine falling from the ninth heaven, descended upon the black-robed man, carrying an unparalleled aura of destruction!

The black-robed man let out a roar of despair and defiance. The Blood Demon Skill Inner Strength in his body burned wildly, materializing before him into a blood-red giant claw, as large as a roof, that looked completely solid.

Ferocious demonic faces writhed on the claw’s surface as it attempted to withstand this fatal blow.

"SHLICK—SPURT!"

However, before this ultimate slash from Chen Wanjun, which concentrated his life’s Cultivation, the blood-red giant claw was like butter sliced by a hot knife. It held for only a moment before being split down the middle and violently disintegrating.

The golden saber arc continued unabated, viciously striking the black-robed man’s hastily crossed arms and chest.

"CRACK!"

The distinct sound of bones breaking rang out.

"PFFT—!"

The black-robed man was sent flying like a broken sack, a ghastly arc of blood spraying from his mouth.

He crashed through several already crumbling houses before finally smashing heavily into a pile of rubble, sending a plume of dust into the sky.

Chen Wanjun’s figure flashed, and he appeared at the spot where the black-robed man had fallen as if by teleportation. He reached out a large hand, intending to capture him.

The Sect placed extreme importance on the reappearance of a Demon Skill. This black-robed man’s identity was a mystery, and the source of his Demon Skill was a crucial clue. He had to be brought back for detailed interrogation.

However, just as Chen Wanjun’s fingertips were about to touch the black-robed man’s clothes...

The black-robed man suddenly lifted his head. His mask had long since shattered, revealing a pale, twisted, middle-aged face. The corners of his mouth stretched into a savage grin filled with mockery and madness.

At some unknown point, he had taken out a longan-sized, pitch-black, lusterless Elixir. He shoved it into his mouth like a flash of lightning, and with a bob of his Adam’s apple, swallowed it.

Chen Wanjun’s expression changed slightly. His grasping hand turned into a pointed finger, jabbing toward the black-robed man’s throat in an attempt to stop the Medicinal Power from dissolving, but he was a step too late.

"Hck... hck... Capture me alive? In your dreams..."

A rasping sound, like a broken bellows, came from the black-robed man’s throat, and the light in his eyes faded rapidly.

Large amounts of black blood poured from his mouth, nose, the corners of his eyes, and even his ears.

His body convulsed violently a few times, then his head lolled to the side, and his breathing stopped completely.

The black Elixir was so potently toxic and acted so quickly that even an expert like Chen Wanjun had no time to save him.

Chen Wanjun knelt and examined the body for a moment, his brow deeply furrowed.

Standing up, he looked at the corpse, which was rapidly turning black and stiff, and snorted coldly.

"Suicide by poison... such a decisive method. This ’Soul-Eroding Heart-Rotting Pill’ is definitely not something an ordinary Martial Artist could obtain. His origins... are anything but simple."

He sighed inwardly. ’The matter of this Demon Skill has far-reaching implications. This black-robed man would rather die than fall into the Sect’s hands. There must be an even greater conspiracy behind this.’

’Now that he’s dead, the clue is lost. Everything has become shrouded in mystery again.’