Chapter 1581: Chapter 934: Fisherman (Part 2)
As the sandstorm in the distance dispersed, even the Chamber of Commerce man was momentarily stunned, seeing the Half Ghost collapsed on the ground, still gasping heavily.
In front of him stood a figure cloaked, wearing an old conical hat woven from bamboo splints, holding a ship oar in hand, resembling a fisherman from ancient boats, but much more imposing.
With this person’s appearance, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly became oppressive. The Sand Woman realized that it was the ship oar that blocked her deadly attack.
The Half Ghost, who narrowly escaped death, glared viciously at the Sand Woman, muttering indistinct curses. In the previous battle, a sand blade had chopped off one of his arms, and now the severed limb was a bloody mess, making him grimace in pain.
"It’s him, everyone be on guard!" Jiang Qingluan also stepped forward at this moment, positioning herself between the Sand Woman and the Chamber of Commerce man, never taking her eyes off this person’s aura.
The Half Ghost continued to speak insistently to the "Fisherman" about something, clearly urging him to act quickly and avenge his fallen companions.
In the next moment, the Fisherman made his move. The mottled surface of the ship oar flashed, followed by a low grunt from the Half Ghost, who looked down in disbelief, only to see a hole in his chest.
If the angle were right, one could almost see through from the front to the back, and more terrifyingly, there was no blood flowing from such a large wound.
It felt as if the flesh and bone at the point of impact had instantly vaporized and disappeared.
The Half Ghost fell backward to the ground, lifeless, and only then did blood finally seep from the wound, gradually soaking into the ground beneath.
The Fisherman’s quick action confirmed Jiang Qingluan’s suspicion; indeed, it was this person who was responsible for the two corpses they had seen on the road earlier.
This person is strong, extremely strong, and their level of spiritual power far exceeds everyone present, including Japan’s Apostle "Shadow Spider" and "Curse Blade."
This was also why Jiang Qingluan had yet to make a move. Her instincts told her this person was full of flaws, yet the more it seemed so, the more cautious she became.
This level of expert wouldn’t make such a basic mistake unless, perhaps, he was luring them to attack, or...he possessed such extraordinary skills that he didn’t even deem them worthy of consideration, and had no intention to trouble them.
Now Jiang Qingluan could only hope for the latter; during their battle with the East Japan Ninja, this person hadn’t intervened and had just killed the Half Ghost. Jiang Qingluan judged that his ties with these Japanese Apostles were not deep, likely just a coincidental cooperation.
If that’s the case, there’d be no reason for a deadly conflict between them; it would be best to part on good terms, even if this person demanded some benefit from them, Jiang Qingluan was willing to provide.
After all, within the Secret Realm, avoiding extra trouble is best, especially since their current state wasn’t optimal and their chances of winning weren’t high.
After careful consideration, she set down the whip in her hand, bowed respectfully to the newcomer, and said loud and clear, "Senior, I am the young priest of Yi Sect. These people are ninjas from Japan’s Iga Sect, secretly infiltrating our borders for reckless assassination and destruction. I was sent by my master to eliminate the bandits, and I hope you can allow us some convenience. Yi Sect would be immensely grateful!"
Seeing that this person neither spoke nor made any gesture, Jiang Qingluan took a deep breath and added, "Senior, after we leave, please come to Yi Sect for a chat. I have a significant gift to offer, would you find that acceptable?"
"Something’s...something’s not quite right," the Sand Woman whispered, staring in the direction of the newcomer.
Suddenly, the stick in the person’s hand flickered twice, and Jiang Qingluan, reacting extremely quickly, dodged to the left, but another was obviously a step slower since the Chamber of Commerce man had a crippled leg.
At the critical moment, he was knocked over by a force, narrowly avoiding the attack, a faint flash passing through where he’d stood a second earlier.
And at this moment, the "Fisherman" also seemed to be hit by some force, but the damage wasn’t significant, just causing him to tremble slightly without taking a step back.
"Why are you just standing there, move already?!" Yang Xiao shouted as he got up, having saved the Chamber of Commerce man using the Soul-Capturing Mirror.
Having just arrived, he witnessed the scene from afar as Jiang Qingluan conversed with the person. Yang Xiao was nearly exploding with anger, as this young lady’s lack of experience in the world of martial arts was evident. It was inconceivable how Yi Sect had trained her.
Through the Human Bone Staff, he could sense that the guy harbored murderous intentions toward them, and this animosity was pure and chilling.
Yang Xiao’s earlier attack on the Fisherman was also using the Human Bone Staff, intended only as a probe rather than a decisive move. Yet, after this strike, Yang Xiao’s heart sank tremendously; this guy was frighteningly powerful.
He possessed strength nearing the Peak of Ghost Level, remarkably, his spiritual power was continuously increasing, suggesting it was only a matter of time before he would surpass the Peak of Ghost Level.
"He’s on drugs!" Yang Xiao shouted, drawing his Ring-Headed Saber, reminding everyone loudly, "Earlier, he hadn’t acted because he was waiting for the drug’s effects to settle and the right moment."
"Don’t give him time, attack!" Yang Xiao was the first to act, engaging the Human Bone Staff with his right hand, then launching an attack before charging forward.
This person’s current state was highly unstable, a backlash from forcefully consuming forbidden drugs. Back in the Esoteric Sect, under Dean Sheng’s suggestion, Yang Xiao had used forbidden medicine to "ripen" Bo Yetong. Once the latter’s spiritual power ascended sharply to the Peak of Ghost Level, he was thrown into the Alchemy Furnace as an ingredient.
Dean Sheng had mentioned that the backlash from such a level of forbidden medicine was extremely terrifying, damaging one’s foundation at worst, and sudden death wasn’t uncommon.
This places extremely high demands on the Apostle’s own qualities and the quality of the elixirs. The elixir he consumed in the battle against the Demon Sect Vajra was top-level, rare even in major forces like the Dharma Sect. Moreover, he himself was quite unique, having the Hundred Demons Coffin Clothes as protection, yet even so, he suffered intense backlash.
Most wouldn’t have his opportunities or luck, and once such dominating elixirs were consumed to forcibly enhance spiritual power, it was essentially a mortal gamble.
The Yi Sect’s elixirs were only for stabilizing spiritual power, with no effect on boosting it, which relatively made it much safer.
After detecting the opponent’s killing intent, Yang Xiao understood that today’s issue was difficult to resolve peacefully, therefore striking first was essential.
The identity of the person no longer mattered; what mattered was killing him.
Another spiritual attack struck the mysterious "Fisherman," who didn’t even bother dodging, completely ignoring Yang Xiao’s assault.
After the fierce battle with the Japanese Woman, Yang Xiao’s spiritual power was significantly depleted, making him struggle against this caliber of master. He could only resort to consuming forbidden medicine, but he did not use the elixirs provided by Yi Sect. He had his own better alternative, given personally by the Cannibal Buddha before he left.
The only elixir Yang Xiao hadn’t dared to use was the one brought back by Elder Sheng from the Dharma Sect. It was considered his trump card for survival, intended for confronting individuals like the young Sect Master or the patron of Withered Bone Pavilion.
Moreover, the effects of that elixir were too domineering, and the ensuing backlash was unbearable.
After this Secret Realm journey, his spiritual power was greatly depleted, and he foresaw soon being drawn into a Nightmare World by another Ghost Script.
His poor condition, similar to Jiang Qingluan’s earlier state, would spell his doom, as he could save others, but no one could save him.
Yang Xiao still had two elixirs gifted by the Esoteric Sect. As soon as he exited that dimensional world and noticed the situation here, he swallowed one without hesitation, knowing a fierce battle awaited.
The Human Bone Staff merely feigned a move, and midway, Yang Xiao’s figure instantly vanished, reappearing beside the Fisherman, at a puddle on the ground.
The Ring-Headed Saber swung in a grand arc, avoiding the ship oar for a clean strike.
Faced with Yang Xiao’s surprise attack, the person’s reaction was noticeably delayed, as the Ring-Headed Saber was already halfway down as the Fisherman slowly raised the oar.
At this pace, by the time the opponent lifted his stick to block, Yang Xiao’s blade would have already chopped off his head.
But what happened next completely deviated from Yang Xiao’s expectations; the Fisherman barely moved, not even turning his head, yet the conical hat he wore suddenly spun, with its holed side facing Yang Xiao.
The next second, Yang Xiao suddenly felt as if he were being spied upon, the resentful, icy, and dead silent emotions surrounding him instantly, causing him a moment of mental distraction.
Even more terrifying, his hands slowed involuntarily, making him watch helplessly as the "Fisherman" raised the ship oar as if in slow motion, pointing its slightly sharp end toward his heart.
