Chapter 485 - 155: Corruption, the Frenzied Xiao Ziye; Ambush, Framing the Moon Worship Sect
"This is bad!" the two guards cried out, their faces turning deathly pale.
Although Ye Chang’an lacked combat experience, his reactions were not slow. Sensing a vicious gust of wind behind him, he spun around abruptly, flinging a handful of dark green powder he had already prepared in his left hand.
HISS—
A cloud of black mist with a sickeningly sweet and pungent odor instantly billowed out, completely enveloping him.
This was the Bone Decay Miasma he had meticulously refined. If even an Acupoint Realm Martial Artist came into contact with it, their bones would soften, their muscles would go numb, and their Primordial Qi would stagnate in no time.
"Poison?"
The black-robed person seemed to let out a soft chuckle, their forward momentum not slowing in the slightest.
Their figure flickered like a phantom. As if they already knew the exact range of the poisonous mist, they used an unbelievable Body Technique to skirt around the black cloud and instantly appear at Ye Chang’an’s left flank!
’He’s actually this fast!’
The corner of Ye Chang’an’s mouth twitched, and his heart pounded in his chest.
Before he could react, the palm wrapped in Black Gold Silk loomed before his eyes and slammed heavily into his cheek!
An incomparably ferocious force, laced with a bizarre, bone-chilling Yin Cold Inner Force, surged into him, instantly shattering his Protective Primordial Qi!
A sweet taste rose in Ye Chang’an’s throat as he violently spewed blood. He screamed as his body flew backward like a kite with a snapped string, smashing hard into the sand dozens of feet away and sending dust flying everywhere.
"Master Ye!"
The two experts, one with a saber and one with a sword, looked on with eyes nearly splitting from fury, a mixture of shock and rage on their faces.
They were shocked by their opponent’s bizarre Body Technique and terrifying speed.
They were furious that their combined attack had failed to hinder him in the slightest, allowing their employer to be so grievously wounded right before their eyes!
With a furious roar, both men pushed their Primordial Qi to its absolute peak.
The glint of saber and sword intensified, raining down on the black-robed person like a torrential storm, as if they vowed to tear this Demon to shreds!
But not only was the black-robed person incredibly fast, their Step Technique was also bafflingly superb.
They anticipated every move, perceiving the trajectories of the saber and sword, weaving through the dense barrage of attacks as easily as if they were taking a leisurely stroll.
Again and again, they dodged Killing Moves by a hair’s breadth, using the openings between the two men’s attacks to inch closer to Ye Chang’an!
"Die!" the saber expert roared, his heart burning with desperation.
He suddenly threw his Long Saber. The blade swelled in mid-air, then shattered with a thunderous CRACK!
SHING SHING SHING—
Innumerable fragments rained down, blanketing the black-robed person!
At such close range, it would be impossible to retreat unscathed, no matter how fast one was!
"Shenxiao Imperial Golden Shield!"
The black-robed person spun around. A brilliant light flashed around their body, and a Golden Bell Protective Shield materialized from thin air.
CRACK!
The instant the shield appeared, it was shattered to pieces by the fragments of the Long Saber!
The black-robed person raised a palm to shield their face as innumerable fragments pelted their chest with a sharp PINGING sound.
"It worked!"
Joy appeared on the two guards’ faces.
But then they saw that while the black robe had been torn open in several places, it only revealed the Black Gold Armor underneath—made of the same material as the gloves!
The razor-sharp fragments had failed to even scratch it!
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The large, saber-wielding man charged forward several steps like a clap of thunder, leaped into the air, and gestured with both hands.
The shattered blade fragments flew back in response, reforming into the Long Saber. He gripped it tightly and brought it down in a frenzied slash!
The black-robed person neither dodged nor evaded. They simply drew a circle with their right hand and raised their palm upward.
WHOOSH!
Fully activating the Silent Extinction Quicksand Technique, they condensed the surrounding sand into a massive Sand Sword that shot diagonally toward the man in the air!
BOOM!
The Frenzy Blade collided with the Sand Sword!
Yellow sand exploded outward, whistling sharply as it shot in all directions!
Each was forced back three steps, but neither was injured.
But this brief clash gave the two experts the opening they needed to catch up and intercept the black-robed person once more.
"Keep them busy!" the middle-aged swordsman shouted.
The long sword in his hand hummed as Sword Qi erupted from it, forming a man-devouring python that coiled toward the black-robed person.
The saber expert also tightened his grip on his Long Saber, unleashing a waterfall of Saber Gang that formed a pincer attack with the Sword Momentum!
Seemingly growing impatient with their assault, the black-robed person spun around and actually charged to meet them head-on.
They used the Ghostly Body Technique again, dangerously weaving through the gaps in the Saber Gang and sword light, appearing between the two men as if by Instant Teleportation!
’Damn it! That speed...’
The two experts felt utterly suffocated with frustration.
They possessed the cultivation of the Acupoint Realm and profound Martial Arts, yet they couldn’t even touch the hem of their opponent’s robe. The feeling of having so much power with no way to use it was so infuriating they could have coughed up blood!
With their opponent now in close quarters, both men knew the situation was dire and tried to retreat to create distance.
But then the black-robed person’s figure blurred violently!
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
In that instant, six identical black-robed figures appeared on the field, making it impossible to tell which were real and which were illusions!
"What is this...?" The two men’s faces went pale with shock.
The six figures instantly split into two groups. Three attacked the saber expert, while the other three swarmed the middle-aged swordsman!
The sudden change caught them completely off guard; it was already too late to retreat!
The middle-aged swordsman’s eyes hardened. ’I can’t tell which is real,’ he thought, ’my only option is to overwhelm finesse with brute force!’
With a cold snort, he poured all the Primordial Qi in his body into his long sword. The blade erupted in brilliant light as a crescent-shaped beam of energy swept out, slicing the three approaching figures in half at the waist!
’They’re just Illusions!’
The beam of energy passed right through them, and the three figures dissipated into wisps of green smoke.
But in the moment he was distracted, he heard his companion’s agonized cry from beside him!
He whipped his head around to see his partner take a direct palm strike from the real black-robed person. His companion’s Protective Primordial Qi shattered instantly. Spewing blood, he was sent flying like a discarded sack, his Long Saber slipping from his grasp and clattering to the ground.
’This is bad!’
The middle-aged swordsman’s heart sank to the pit of his stomach.
’With our cultivation and Divine Sense at the Second Heaven of the Acupoint Realm, we couldn’t even tell the real from the fake right away. Our opponent’s Stepping Martial Technique is simply terrifying!’
He knew there was no room to hold back any longer!
"Sword Control Skill—Sky Splitting!"
The middle-aged man flung his long sword into the air, his hands forming a series of seals as fast as lightning.
The sword grew as it flew, instantly transforming into a massive blade dozens of feet long. It hummed, emanating a terrifyingly sharp aura as it locked onto the black-robed person below, poised to strike down with the force of a thunderbolt!
This was his ultimate Secret Skill. Although using it would severely drain his Primordial Energy, he couldn’t afford to worry about that now!
However, the black-robed person paid it no mind.
Before the giant sword could even begin its descent, their figure was already a blur!
WHOOSH!
As if using the Shrinking Inches technique, the black-robed person ignored the threat of the massive sword in the air and closed the distance in a flash, instantly appearing right in front of the middle-aged swordsman!
’Damn it!’
The swordsman’s face filled with horror. With his opponent so close, his Sword Technique was interrupted. The giant sword in the air wavered, its light dimming.
He instinctively tried to retreat, but compared to the black-robed person, he was moving as slowly as a snail!
He had only managed half a step back before the opponent’s palm, clad in a Black Gold Glove and trailing a Residual Image, struck toward his chest like a phantom claw!
’I can’t even see the path of their attack!’
THUD!
With a muffled impact, his Protective Primordial Qi shattered on contact!
A vicious Yin Cold Inner Force pierced his meridians like an Ice Cone. The man’s face contorted as he felt the Primordial Qi in his body grind to a halt, his very blood seeming to freeze solid!
Pressing their advantage, the black-robed person showed no mercy. Their figure flashed to the swordsman’s right, and another palm strike descended upon his right shoulder blade!
THUD!
"AHH—!"
A shrill scream echoed as the man stumbled and collapsed. His entire right arm instantly went numb, its meridians sealed by the Extreme Cold Qi. He couldn’t even move a finger.
The black-robed person gave him one cold glance before ignoring him completely, turning their gaze toward Ye Chang’an, who was desperately fleeing toward the mouth of the valley.
The two grievously wounded guards struggled to get up and intercept them.
But after running only a few dozen feet, the Yin Cold Qi in their bodies began to spread like a living creature.
Wherever it went, their meridians froze and their flesh ached as if being eaten away. The piercing cold and excruciating pain rapidly drained their strength, until they collapsed, powerless, to the ground!
All they could do was watch helplessly as the life-stealing shadow closed in on their employer, step by agonizing step.
In Lingyou Valley, only the frantic footsteps of Ye Chang’an’s escape and the approach of the black-robed person—like the steady drumbeat of death—remained.