Chapter 1617: Chapter 1919: Clash of Experts (2)
"Who goes there?" Ling Chen’s heart skipped a beat as he turned his head toward the direction the flying knife came from. In the darkness, a black-clad figure walked out slowly. The man’s attire was identical to the previous black-clad figures, the only difference being a mask covering his face. He moved silently, as if he were one with the surrounding darkness. Had it not been for his initiative to attack, Ling Chen would never have noticed his whereabouts.
Gazing at the black-clad man in front of him, Ling Chen felt a weight in his heart. The wrinkles at the corner of the man’s eyes indicated he was of advanced age, likely around sixty or seventy years old.
As the man approached, a stinging sensation prickled Ling Chen’s skin, and his whole body tensed. So strong! Ling Chen squinted, staring at the black-clad man across from him. Even though they hadn’t come close yet, he could already feel the aura emitting from him. Only true experts could exert such invisible pressure.
Other than pressure, what Ling Chen felt most deeply was the icy murderous aura. Though he was seasoned in battle and carried a murderous aura himself, in comparison to the man before him, he felt utterly outmatched. If his murderous aura was refined from the blood of a hundred people, the black-clad man’s was forged from a thousand lives, the disparity between them vast.
A Heaven List master! That was indisputable. Back then, Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion’s Qin Chuan was an assassin, as well as a Heaven List master, tasked with protecting the Pavilion Master’s safety. Due to Su He’s connections, Qin Chuan had once targeted him. At that time, he was only an Earthly List master. However, even though he had now successfully ascended to the Heaven List rank, the pressure from the black-clad man still surpassed what Qin Chuan had imposed.
This is troublesome... Ling Chen thought to himself. Surely, it’s a killer organization with a legacy spanning hundreds of years, able to cultivate such terrifying assassins.
At this moment, the black-clad figure was only ten steps away, his sharp eyes fixed on Ling Chen’s face. As their gazes met, Ling Chen felt the overwhelming murderous intent, and an urge to retreat flashed through his mind.
Over the years, he had faced countless opponents, including Heaven List masters, but never had anyone instilled fear in him.
The black-clad man remained still, and Ling Chen didn’t move either. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but that he didn’t dare, not even daring to breathe loudly. He knew that the other was waiting for him to show a flaw. Any action would prompt the man to unleash a merciless attack.
Time ticked away, the two standing motionless on the road of the compound.
Just then, a night breeze swept through, rustling the roadside trees. A leaf detached from the branch, slowly drifting down.
As the leaf settled between them, the motionless black-clad man finally moved. A glint of cold light flashed, and suddenly, a sharp iron sword appeared in his hand. The sword sliced through the air, piercing the leaf and aiming straight for Ling Chen.
As the black-clad man moved, Ling Chen sprang into action too. With a light tap of his toes, his body surged forward in an instant. Simultaneously, the Wave-cutting Sword slashed through the air.
Clang!
As the blades collided, sparks flew, and a potent force erupted between them. Ling Chen’s expression changed—such powerful force! The strike made his palm hurt intensely, and his entire arm nearly went numb.
Without time to ponder further, Ling Chen swiftly retreated. Although this move was merely exploratory for both, Ling Chen already deeply felt the opponent’s formidable strength.
In a direct confrontation with such a foe, he stood no chance of victory. He had to find a way to shake him off! Ling Chen thought to himself, the situation with the Nanrong Family was unknown, and the longer he tarried here, the less favorable the circumstances.
Quickly calculating, Ling Chen didn’t hesitate, instantly deploying the Nine Yang Qiankun Step, transforming into a shadowy blur as he darted into the surrounding greenery, using the darkness and trees for cover to evade the black-clad man’s pursuit.
However, after sprinting several dozen meters, Ling Chen realized in surprise that the black-clad figure was trailing closely behind, maintaining a distance of about ten meters. No matter how he tried to hide, the opponent seemed locked onto him, always able to pinpoint his location.
Indeed a troublesome adversary!
Gritting his teeth, Ling Chen pushed his speed to the limit. With his current power executing the Nine Yang Qiankun Step in the darkness, ordinary eyes couldn’t track him. In the blink of an eye, the two—a pursuit and a flight—had circled the compound.
Listening to the footsteps behind slowly closing in, Ling Chen suddenly leaped, rising high toward a tree ahead. At the peak, he twisted his body, forcefully kicking the trunk, launching himself like an arrow toward the black-clad man, the sharp sword tip aimed downward at the man’s face.
Since escape was futile, he’d have to fight head-on.
Seeing the sword approach, the black-clad man’s wrist flicked slightly, hoisting the iron sword up. Immediately, the iron sword seemed to soften, deftly winding around Ling Chen’s blade. Then, the black-clad man’s arm flung, sending Ling Chen’s body along with the Wave-cutting Sword flying to the side.
In these circumstances, Ling Chen could let go, freeing himself to land safely, but he valued the Wave-cutting Sword greatly, as it was a Divine Weapon given by Ling Gengqiu.
Unable to free the sword, Ling Chen gritted his teeth, concentrated his Inner Strength, and with a yell, fiercely pulled the Wave-cutting Sword back.
At that moment, the Wave-cutting Sword finally showcased the power of a Divine Weapon. With a piercing sound, the Wave-cutting Sword forcefully withdrew from the winding iron sword, not only that, the sharp blade left a deep gouge on the iron sword, nearly severing it into pieces.
Witnessing the sharpness of the Wave-cutting Sword, the black-clad man’s brow furrowed slightly. Yet, he remained unaffected, chasing Ling Chen once he saw him escape with the sword, closing in on him swiftly.
Ling Chen lifted his gaze, spotting a figure darting rapidly toward him, accompanied by a gust of wind. Simultaneously, a strong sense of danger surged through his heart.
Bad news!
Ling Chen’s heart sank, his toes tapping quickly on the ground as he leapt backward. Even though his reaction was swift, the black-clad man’s attack was even faster, the icy blade closing in on his face, its sting almost palpable on his skin.
With a loud shout, Ling Chen gathered his Inner Strength again, swinging his arm to slash out. With a crisp clang, the iron sword was severed into two, its tip dropping to the ground.
Seeing this, Ling Chen breathed a sigh of relief, finally resolving the crisis. Were it not for the Wave-cutting Sword’s sharpness, the previous attack might have injured him.
