Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Beastification
"I hadn’t even come looking for you, and you’ve already delivered yourself to my doorstep."
On a hillside near the Sword Hall, a man in a black trench coat stared at the woman before him with a wicked grin. He adjusted his thick glasses and spoke flatly.
His name was Lou Zhen. He had originally planned to observe the Sword Hall from this hillside, looking for an opportunity to strike. But as he watched, he was startled to find this woman had somehow appeared behind him.
If it were an ordinary person,
he would have killed her on the spot without a second thought.
It would have been a free contribution to his record. But this woman was different. He recognized her at a glance: Shen Ruyun, a member of a special organization and Su Yu’s personal bodyguard.
She was definitely not someone he could kill in an instant.
"Lurking around here in the dead of night instead of sleeping... isn’t a good look, is it?" Shen Ruyun brushed her long hair back from her shoulders and said slowly, "And another thing, are you from the Spiritual Sect?"
Her duty was to protect Su Yu.
During such a clearly dangerous time, she naturally wasn’t sleeping soundly, so she had sensed his gaze the moment it fell upon her.
Her Sequence was Wind,
which made her extremely sensitive to such disturbances.
That was how she’d located Lou Zhen so quickly.
Shen Ruyun looked at the young man before her—wearing black-framed glasses and a black trench coat, bathed in the evening breeze. He was emitting waves of a Sequencer’s aura no weaker than her own. This alone was enough for Shen Ruyun to confirm his identity.
"Heh, I am indeed a member of the Spiritual Sect."
Lou Zhen smiled and nodded, unabashed. It seemed his status as a member of the Spiritual Sect was a point of pride.
"But you’re not quite right. I’m the Spiritual Sect’s strongest Assistant Priest. My name is Lou Zhen. Once I kill you and take Su Yu, I’m guaranteed a promotion to Priest."
"Your promotion has nothing to do with me."
"Come with me quietly, and the law might spare you. Otherwise, you’re dying here tonight!"
Watching him ramble on so confidently, Shen Ruyun’s delicate brows furrowed. Wisps of pale cyan energy began to gather on her slender fingers, and then she struck, aiming a palm straight for Lou Zhen’s head!
WHOOSH!
The calm air suddenly began to swirl violently. Shen Ruyun’s palm turned completely cyan, accompanied by the sharp howl of the wind.
As a member of a special organization,
she knew all about this Lou Zhen—what he had done recently, and just how many people he had killed. Though he looked like a young man, Shen Ruyun had no intention of underestimating him. Her first move was a strike unleashed with the full force of her Sequence energy.
"Heh. Too weak."
A cold sneer spread across Lou Zhen’s face. Facing Shen Ruyun’s fierce palm strike, he showed no fear, simply throwing a punch to meet it.
The next moment,
Fist and palm clashed!
BOOM!
A sharp crack echoed. From the point of impact, a pale cyan ripple of energy expanded outward, vanishing a moment later.
From the sheer force of the blow,
both Shen Ruyun and Lou Zhen stumbled back four or five steps.
Crucially, Lou Zhen hadn’t even activated his Sequence, while Shen Ruyun had already used her Sequence energy. The disparity in their power was obvious.
However,
a real fight is never that simple.
On the surface, a fight is simple: it’s about who is stronger. But the reality is far more complex. It’s not just about the obvious metrics—strength, speed, Sequence rank, or energy intensity. Factors like reflexes, combat experience, and, most importantly, mindset all influence the final outcome.
Seeing that Lou Zhen hadn’t even activated his Sequence,
Shen Ruyun understood. ’This guy must be incredibly arrogant.’
’I originally thought I’d have to go through a bitter fight to kill him.’
’But...’
’Killing someone this arrogant isn’t so complicated.’
’Sometimes, a sudden, all-out attack means they die before they even get a chance to show their true strength.’
Shen Ruyun tapped her right foot, her pink sneakers unexpectedly bright in the darkness. She launched herself at Lou Zhen like a cannonball.
Her right fist once again flared with cyan Sequence energy.
Seeing Shen Ruyun use the exact same move, Lou Zhen’s face twisted into a sneer as he met her attack with another punch of his own.
Except,
this time, Shen Ruyun had a trick up her sleeve.
Fists collided with another sharp CRACK. Both Shen Ruyun and Lou Zhen were thrown backward again. But as Shen Ruyun reeled back, the Sequence energy from her fist suddenly flooded her entire body, coalescing into a Wind Blade as large as a person.
The Wind Blade was barely a meter away from Lou Zhen.
There was no way he could dodge it!
VMMM!
With a slicing sound, the Wind Blade cut toward Lou Zhen at incredible speed. But Lou Zhen was a battle-hardened Sequencer; his reflexes were just as quick. He threw his body to the right, turning what should have been a fatal blow into one that only took his left arm.
He felt an intense, searing pain shoot up his arm and into his brain.
As if completely consumed by the agony, Lou Zhen lost all reason and charged wildly at Shen Ruyun.
Shen Ruyun controlled the wind to lift herself into the air, dodging his desperate lunge. Simultaneously, she formed another Wind Blade and sent it slashing into his body!
This slash was even more powerful.
The slash struck Lou Zhen, opening a huge gash across his torso. Blood gushed out as if from a firehose, its dark spray shockingly vivid in the night.
Shen Ruyun prepared to land the final blow,
but then she noticed the massive wound on his body begin to heal at an unnatural speed.
At the same time, patches of coarse black fur sprouted from the healing flesh. Like ink spreading through water, the fur quickly covered him until he had transformed into a grotesque, half-human, half-beast creature.
’This guy...’
’Sequence #76: Beastification?’
Watching this, Shen Ruyun knew exactly what was happening. Lou Zhen was finally using his Sequence. An aura was radiating from him in waves, so powerful that it made even her heart flutter with unease.
She kept herself aloft with the wind, floating silently in the air as she watched Lou Zhen struggle to his feet below. Her eyes narrowed. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, she turned and flew down the mountainside.
Her combat experience told her everything.
Shen Ruyun could tell instantly: he was far stronger than she was. Staying here would be far too dangerous.
She could fly, but Lou Zhen couldn’t.
The only choice was to leave as quickly as possible,
and let Liu Ming handle this. That was the best option.
The rims of Lou Zhen’s eyes turned red. He watched Shen Ruyun fly down the mountain, feeling a tide of fury overwhelm his senses. He bellowed after her:
"You son of a bitch! Don’t you dare run!"
’Landing a hit and then running off,’
’What kind of bullshit is that?!’
’This is fucking infuriating!’ Lou Zhen felt a knot of anger lodged in his chest that he couldn’t dispel. The more he thought about it, the more incensed he became. Finally, an idea formed in his mind: storm the Sword Hall.
’Fuck it...’
’I’m going to kill you today no matter what!’
In his beastified state, Lou Zhen’s combat power was greatly enhanced, but his reason had been severely diminished. He didn’t spare a single thought for the consequences of storming the hall.
He was driven by a single, furious impulse,
and he turned, ready to charge into the Sword Hall.
However, just as he was about to head down the mountain, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed up the path, drawing steadily closer. A powerfully built man in white, a longsword in his hand, gradually came into view.
"You?"
Seeing Su Xing, Lou Zhen froze for a second. Then, he licked his blood-red lips and murmured:
"Fine by me... I’ll use you to vent some of this frustration!"
