Chapter 204: A Turbulent Storm, a Sudden Killing Blow
Pigs come in all sorts: black, white, spotted, and fragrant.
The one before him, however, was purple.
The pigpen was especially foul-smelling.
Though there was only one pig, the stench was more overpowering than that of a sty holding a dozen!
The purple pig groggily opened its eyes, which were like black crystals.
Their gazes met, and the black crystals seemed to swirl into a vortex, completely capturing Tang Wen’s attention.
"That pig’s an Extraordinary hybrid. It’s lazy. You don’t need to pay it any mind."
A faint voice interrupted Tang Wen’s surprise.
He wanted to ask a few more questions, but he’d been through enough for one night.
He didn’t want any more trouble right now.
His Spiritual Power materialized, lifting the entire pigsty shack into the air.
Stone brick... stone brick... stone brick...
Nothing?
"The item is on the wall. Why are you dismantling the pigpen?"
Tang Wen’s brow furrowed.
As if he could no longer support it, he withdrew his Spiritual Power.
THUD.
All the materials of the pigsty shack crashed to the ground.
BZZZ!
It was as if space itself had frozen.
The instant all the materials hit the ground...
The old man behind him moved.
His eyes shone like lanterns!
A single hand pressed down like a claw!
[Wind Department Visualization Martial Arts—Thirteen Forms: Wind Pressure]
This form shared a remarkable similarity with Night Binding.
Both were methods of trapping a person.
However, it was clear Elder Li had been immersed in the Wind Department Technique for a very long time.
This move, Wind Pressure, was executed without a hint of flourish.
True mastery appears simple.
Effortless execution!
Night Binding also trapped people silently, pinning them in place with sheer intimidation.
But Wind Pressure used Spiritual Power to manipulate airflow.
It was like a demonic gale, originating not just from Spiritual Power.
The air around the lower half of Tang Wen’s body was completely sucked away.
The pressure from above was suddenly immense, like a mountain!
The Wind Pressure gathered like a furious, raging tide.
The scrapyard was spacious.
Elder Li was a good thirty to fifty paces away from Tang Wen.
But the moment he had Tang Wen immobilized...
Elder Li bent over, and in a single stride, appeared half a meter behind Tang Wen.
[Wind Department Visualization Martial Arts—Nineteen Forms: Tiger Pounce Mountain]
A tiger’s pounce can fell it from a mountain ridge.
Wind Slash.
Elder Li’s hand became a blade.
He aimed straight for Tang Wen’s neck.
Even though Tang Wen was still in a state of Invisibility...
...the old man’s hand, as dry and dark as the bark of a century-old pine, accurately located his neck.
He wouldn’t have moved if not to kill.
And when he moved, it was for the kill!
CLANG.
The faint sound of metal striking metal rang out.
A forearm, as dark as a moonless night, shot out to block the fatal chop.
Elder Li, whose expression hadn’t changed since he’d exposed Tang Wen’s location, finally showed his shock at the sight of this ink-black forearm.
"A Hard Skill Visualization Method?!"
Tang Wen’s voice sounded coolly. "They say an old man who won’t die is a thief. Surely a mere Hard Skill isn’t enough to surprise an old master such as yourself?"
Elder Li’s palms became a blur of afterimages.
[Wind Department Visualization Martial Arts—Form Three: Gale and Torrential Rain]
Two pitch-black arms shot out, unleashing a sky full of fist shadows.
[Night Divine Fist—Form Two: Night Battle Eight Directions]
At this moment, despite the overwhelming killing intent...
...the commotion was not large.
Elder Li seemed certain that Tang Wen wouldn’t dare make a scene.
The Wind Pressure enveloped the area.
He unleashed one Killing Move after another.
Old veterans of the world all understood.
Show no mercy when you strike, and do not strike if you intend to show mercy.
After saying his piece, Tang Wen fell silent.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to speak.
It was that the Wind Pressure had sealed his mouth!
Sealed his mouth and nose!
’This cunning old fox! This damned schemer!’
’The ancients truly didn’t deceive me.’
The Wind Department’s techniques included many violent moves like Wind-Rolled Ruins—moves that were loud, powerful, and created a huge disturbance.
They weren’t known for their subtlety.
And they were even less suited for assassination.
Yet this old man before him had hidden alone in Ganshan City for years, making an enemy of the city’s most powerful faction, the Huang Family.
He had probably spent every day plotting how to eliminate his enemies silently.
The Wind Department’s righteous and devastatingly powerful techniques...
...had been rendered so quiet, so silent and unnoticed, yet remained just as potent in his hands.
Even Tang Wen, an Extraordinary from the Dark Division, had to admit he was impressed.
However, this Elder Li, though old, was clearly an extremely seasoned Peak Extraordinary.
The pressure he exerted was immense.
Tang Wen had to summon all his focus to face him.
The black arms clashed madly with fists wreathed in Wind Force.
The rapid-fire impacts sounded like thunder from a clear sky.
But this considerable noise was completely muffled by the Wind Pressure.
Even if a Martial Artist were to pass by the scrapyard entrance right now...
...they would detect absolutely no sound.
Tang Wen’s figure flickered, and darkness erupted from him.
Though he was originally invisible, his own Dark Superpower now sketched out his body’s silhouette.
One figure, two figures, three figures.
[Night Divine Fist—Form Three: Night Parade of Hundred Demons]
Three figures, six fists, launched a scattered, powerful assault.
This wasn’t a mistake on Tang Wen’s part; this move had to be seen by the enemy.
It was meant to startle the opponent, forcing them to divide their attention.
It was like a man accompanied by two shadows, and both shadows had come to life.
Moreover, Tang Wen’s face was currently obscured by darkness.
His real body was still under the Invisibility effect of the Moonlight Robe.
He had no facial features—no ears, nose, or eyes.
The three pure black figures looked even more bizarre.
But Old Li showed no signs of panic.
His feet moved in a continuous blur as his Spiritual Power surged in waves.
Several afterimages appeared before him.
Although they weren’t as vivid as Tang Wen’s...
...which seemed like three living people attacking at once.
...they still made him look like an eight-armed Arhat, a mix of illusion and reality that made it hard to tell which was his true body.
[Wind Department Visualization Martial Arts—Form Six: Wind Residue]
Tang Wen’s eyes flashed.
His will to fight surged.
’A worthy opponent at last! This is what it’s all about!’
The two traded blows, countering each other’s moves.
Mud flew everywhere, turning the ground into a chaotic mess, like a demolition site.
After about a hundred moves...
...steam rose from the top of Tang Wen’s head.
Elder Li’s beard and hair bristled, making him look like a crazed lion, even more ferocious than before.
Suddenly, the pressure above Tang Wen’s head vanished.
The Wind Pressure was gone.
Surprise flickered in his eyes. ’What?’
’Did the old thief finally run out of steam?’
Just as he was feeling suspicious...
...the next moment...
...several tornadoes swirled toward him.
FUCK!
He wasn’t out of steam at all.
The old man had simply moved the area of wind control upward.
In other words...
...his opponent had plenty of Spiritual Power to spare.
He had removed the pressure for two reasons. First, he realized it was useless against Tang Wen.
Second, it expanded the silenced area, making it easier for him to unleash more, and more brutal, Wind Department Ultimate Skills.
The tornadoes stirred, picking up the mud from the ground and the manure from the pigpen.
They rushed toward Tang Wen.
Tang Wen cursed silently, not daring to face it head-on.
But he had no other options and couldn’t break the move for the moment.
He could only meet it head-on with his own Spiritual Power.
A dark illusion burst into existence.
A nine-story tower suddenly appeared, pressing down on the old man before rapidly shrinking.
[Night Divine Fist—Form Nine: Dark Binding, Spiritual Shackles]
The look in Elder Li’s eyes finally changed.
This time, he wasn’t faking it.
He could no longer afford to control the field with Wind Pressure.
A brilliant light burst from his eyes.
He engaged Tang Wen in the most dangerous and yet quietest form of combat: a contest of Spiritual Power.
The Dark Tower collapsed, layer by layer.
Tang Wen felt the pressure and frantically poured out his Spiritual Power, repairing the black tower once more.
"Wait! This is a misunderstanding!"
Old Li seized the opportunity to speak!
"A misunderstanding? Heh, you’re just stalling for time, waiting for that pig of yours to recover, aren’t you?" Tang Wen sneered endlessly.