Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Slaying a Celestial Martial Artist
The projectiles Ye Xuan had launched weren’t ordinary hidden weapons. They were the very Self-Destructive Flame Beads Zhao Wei had traded him.
A single Self-Destructive Flame Bead was equivalent to a full-power strike from an Earth Martial Artist. The man in black could have blocked it, but because he’d underestimated Ye Xuan, a mere Martial Master of the Third Layer, his carelessness earned him a minor injury.
"You damn brat! How dare you ambush me? You’re courting death!"
The man in black was enraged. His body moved like a bolt of lightning as he circulated his Profound Power. With a sudden palm strike, he cleaved through the smoke in front of him. A formidable black energy erupted from his hand and shot forward violently.
A series of THWAPS echoed out as the ground before him was instantly ripped apart, leaving a terrifying, crisscrossing web of ravines shrouded in dust and smoke.
Yet, there wasn’t a single drop of blood on the ground. His attack had clearly missed its mark.
The man in black was startled. ’He actually dodged my attack?’ As he spread his Profound Sense, preparing to locate Ye Xuan once more, a loud buzzing sound suddenly erupted from all around.
Ye Xuan had somehow appeared a dozen meters behind him and was continuously tossing out black Array Discs. A total of seven discs quickly landed in various positions around the man.
’Could this kid be an Array Master, too?’
Seeing this, the man’s rage turned to laughter. Ye Xuan’s cultivation was only at the Third Layer of the Martial Master realm. Even if he was an Array Master, he’d be Second Grade at best. ’He thinks an Array set up by someone like him can trap or kill me? He truly doesn’t know his own limits.’
Despite his thoughts, the man’s actions didn’t pause for a moment. He pushed his Profound Power to its limit, forming a thick shield around himself once more. Then, like a tiger pouncing on its prey, he lunged viciously at Ye Xuan.
BOOM! He threw a punch, the wind from his fist roiling with power. Fueled by his Profound Power, the very air around him seemed to shatter. If this blow landed, it would pulverize even an Earth Martial Artist!
Just as the force of his punch was about to hit Ye Xuan, the surrounding light flared. The seven Array Discs abruptly released seven faint beams of light, which instantly merged into a massive net of light, blocking the man’s attack.
His fist slammed into the net of light. The entire net distorted violently, emitting a faint glow and trembling under the impact of his Profound Power, but it refused to break.
The man in black was utterly shocked. He couldn’t fathom how an Array laid by a mere Martial Master of the Third Layer could block a powerful strike from a First Heaven Celestial Martial Artist like himself.
Outside the Array, Ye Xuan tossed out two more Array Discs, streams of his Soul Sense pouring into them.
VMMMMMM!
An immense amount of light began to circulate. Waves of Soul Power formed within the array’s patterns and assaulted the man in black, making him feel drowsy. At the same time, a piercing killing intent welled up inside him. Sharp glints of light suddenly materialized within the Array, sweeping ferociously toward him.
In the blink of an eye, the man’s clothes were in tatters and his body was covered in countless tiny cuts.
The man was horrified. He knew that if this continued, even if his powerful cultivation allowed him to survive, he would be severely injured within moments.
"You damn brat! To think you could push me this far... no wonder you were able to kill our sect’s experts. But it’s a pity. If you think you can kill me with just this Array, you’re still a long way off."
With a roar, a black, ghoulish face materialized above his head. Two black halos pulsed around it as streams of black Profound Qi erupted from his body, clashing with the light of the Array and setting off violent explosions.
’A Ghost Face Martial Soul? The Shadow Ghost Demonic Art? So he’s from the Shadow Killing Sect!’
Ye Xuan finally understood his opponent’s origin. The man had been tailing him for a while, and Ye Xuan had assumed he’d been sent by the First Prince, Zhao Feng. He never expected it was actually an assassin from the Shadow Killing Sect.
Ye Xuan also realized why he had come. Back in Blue Moon City, he and his family had killed the Patriarchs of the Wang and Zhou families, along with the three assassins they had hired from the Shadow Killing Sect. It seemed the Shadow Killing Sect had sent an even stronger expert to get revenge.
The only reason the assassin hadn’t acted in the Royal City was because of its special status; he hadn’t dared to make a rash move there.
It was no wonder his concealment skills were so formidable. For a high-level Celestial Martial Artist from the Liuyun Kingdom’s most mysterious assassin organization, it would be strange if his stealth wasn’t top-notch.
Realizing his opponent’s identity, the killing intent in Ye Xuan’s heart intensified.
"BOOM!"
Just then, a violent roar echoed. The Array Ye Xuan had laid suddenly trembled, and the net of light shattered. At the same time, the patterns on the Array Discs dimmed.
Covered in blood, the man in black walked out of the Array’s remnants. He looked a mess, but his injuries were merely superficial; nothing life-threatening. Still, his pathetic state sent him into a towering rage.
As a top assassin for the Shadow Killing Sect, he had hunted countless masters. If not for the special circumstances in the Royal City, the organization would never have sent a high-level member like him. He never thought a mere teenager could leave him in such a pathetic state. If word of this got back to the organization, his reputation would plummet.
At that thought, his gaze turned as ferocious as a wolf’s. He pushed his Martial Soul and Profound Power to their limits and lunged at Ye Xuan once more.
If he didn’t kill Ye Xuan, how could he ever show his face in the Shadow Killing Sect again?
Seeing him charge again, Ye Xuan remained perfectly calm. He raised his hand, and three more streaks of light shot out.
"Petty tricks. You think you can hurt me with those?"
The man in black instantly coated his entire body in Profound Power, sneering. He’d already fallen for the trick with the Self-Destructive Flame Beads once; he wasn’t about to be fooled again.
With a roar, the man punched the Self-Destructive Flame Bead. BOOM! Smoke and dust filled the air. Now that he was prepared, the bead—with power equivalent to an Earth Martial Artist’s attack—failed to harm him in the slightest. It only made him pause for a fraction of a second before he charged out again.
"Die!"
The man in black pinpointed Ye Xuan’s location and moved in for the kill. Just as his attack was about to land, a sudden sense of extreme danger washed over him.
As an assassin, the man had a keen sixth sense honed by numerous life-or-death situations. Though he didn’t know what the danger was, he reacted instantly, pulling back his attack and retreating without a second thought.
The moment he retreated, SWOOSH! SWOOSH! Two streaks of light shot past where he had just been. If he hadn’t dodged in time, they would have pierced his chest.
’What a cunning brat!’ The man was both shocked and furious. The Self-Destructive Flame Bead had just been a diversion.
His Profound Sense locked onto Ye Xuan’s position, and the man lunged forward with a ferocious expression.
PFFT!
Just then, the third streak of light shot toward him. It was too late to dodge. He could only watch as it slammed into the Profound Power shield in front of him. In that instant, he saw it clearly: the streak of light was an antique-looking throwing knife.
To the man’s absolute shock, his Profound Power shield couldn’t stop the knife’s advance. With a slight tremble, the knife instantly pierced through his shield as if it had a mind of its own, heading straight for his heart.
In that life-or-death moment, the man couldn’t afford to hold back. Tentacles of black Profound Qi suddenly shot from his body, forcibly intercepting the throwing knife.
But in the next instant, two more whooshes echoed from behind him. The two knives he had dodged earlier had curved around and were now speeding toward his head and the back of his heart, their speed and power astonishing.
"Soul manipulation! How is that possible? You brat... you’re a Soul Refiner too!"
The man was dumbfounded, utterly shocked. He never imagined that, in addition to being an Array Master, Ye Xuan was also a Soul Refiner. And the finesse of his control was so exquisite that even he could barely track it.
In his haste, the man tried to dodge, but the knives were as fast as lightning. PFFT! PFFT! They streaked past his body, leaving two holes. One knife pierced straight through his shoulder, while the other shot through his chest, trailing an arc of blood.
"Brat, go to hell!"
The man’s savage nature flared. He no longer had time to wonder why Ye Xuan’s knives could pierce his defenses. He knew if he didn’t fight with everything he had right now, death was the only thing awaiting him.
With that thought, the man roared, mobilizing all the Profound Qi in his body to attack Ye Xuan.
He now felt a profound sense of dread toward this Third Layer Martial Master. All his earlier contempt was gone, replaced by the recognition that he was facing a mortal enemy.
Seeing this, Ye Xuan gave a cold smile. His figure flickered, and he sped away without a backward glance.
"Brat, where do you think you’re going?"
Ye Xuan’s figure came to a sudden halt. He smiled faintly. "Why should I tell a dead man where I’m going?"
"A dead man? Brat, I admit your talent is astonishing, but you think you can kill me with just a few flimsy knives..."
Before he could finish, the man’s expression changed drastically. "Damn it, why can’t I summon my Profound Power?"
The Profound Power in his body suddenly felt as if it had frozen solid. Its flow slowed to a crawl. No matter how he tried to mobilize it, the response was sluggish. A wave of terror washed over him.
"Heh heh." Ye Xuan gave a cold laugh. "It’s not just that you can’t summon your Profound Power. Are you also feeling weak all over, like you can barely stand?"
The man’s heart sank. He roared in fury, "You damn brat, you poisoned the knives?"
"Not just the knives. I also added some poison powder to the Self-Destructive Flame Beads. When you shattered them earlier, the poison had already entered your body. You just didn’t notice."
Ye Xuan sneered, his voice turning cold. "If you want to live, tell me: Where is the Shadow Killing Sect’s stronghold? How many experts are there? Who is your sect master, and how strong is he?"
