Chapter 142: Chapter 141 Kill_1
This blade strike, with tremendous force and power, was immense and all-encompassing. Leaning back, Ling Chen used his sword to parry the blade’s aura. His sword edge then slid beneath it, invisibly dispelling the force of the strike. After blocking the blade’s aura, Ling Chen immediately counterattacked.
"White Dragon Passing the Gap!"
The sword emerged like a dragon, an illusion, dragging behind it sword qi resembling a dragon’s tail as it suddenly pierced outwards. The sword move clashed intensely with Kong Yuan’s black knife. A violent sound echoed for a long time between the mountains.
Both of them retreated almost simultaneously. Ling Chen took several steps back, the stones beneath his feet shattering and chunks of debris rolling down the cliff into the treacherous abyss. This retreat had forced him to the very edge of the cliff.
Seeing this, Kong Yuan’s face lit up with a hint of grim satisfaction. He rapidly changed his blade technique, his body spinning 360 degrees in mid-air as he unleashed three consecutive slashes. Each slash was incredibly violent, True Qi crackling like electricity as it interwove, further enhancing the power of his blade aura. Even a cliff face would likely have been shattered by such an assault. For a moment, Ling Chen could only defend passively, using the Wind Shadow Step to swiftly skim along the narrow mountain path, doing his best to avoid a head-on collision with Kong Yuan.
The younger generation of the Demonic Sect is indeed not to be underestimated. This Kong Yuan is just a Ghost Envoy, yet he is so difficult to deal with, Ling Chen thought.
Luckily, Ling Chen’s speed and Kong Yuan’s were virtually equal. If he hadn’t cultivated the Wind Shadow Step, he probably wouldn’t be a match for this man. He already knew that in the Saint Witch Religion’s hierarchy, above the rank of Ghost Envoy was the Demon General, above the Demon General was the Ming King, then the Saintess, and finally the Sect Leader. Although the Demonic Sect had many subsidiary sects, the Saint Witch Religion was considered the head and the most powerful. The only one that could somewhat rival it was the Myriad Beasts Sect; all other factions basically submitted to the Saint Witch Religion’s dominance. Therefore, the hierarchy of the Demonic Sect was essentially the same as that of the Saint Witch Religion.
It’s truly strange. This youngster hasn’t been defeated after exchanging more than thirty moves with me. A mere Fourfold Realm martial artist, yet he has such great ability? If his cultivation reached my level, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be his match in a single exchange, Kong Yuan grew increasingly alarmed as he fought, finally realizing this young man was not to be trifled with. He was confident that he was already a Martial Arts genius, but Ling Chen could challenge him, a genius, despite being at a lower realm. What did that make Ling Chen? An unparalleled genius that appeared only once every two decades.
"Magic Knife Triple Wave!"
Kong Yuan displayed a Lower-grade Heaven Level blade technique. His momentum surged, and a single slash transformed into three layered blade shadows, cleaving towards Ling Chen’s neck. The blade aura hadn’t yet reached Ling Chen when his robes were already torn in several places by an invisible force.
"Seeking Dragon without Shadows!"
Ling Chen suddenly soared into the air, unleashing his Sword Intent. His sword danced like a startled swan, weaving along Kong Yuan’s blade edge and stabbing towards the latter’s heart.
Kong Yuan’s expression changed drastically. He exclaimed, "This is Sword Intent? Complete Sword Intent... How could this be...?"
Generally speaking, even among Great Master Level Powerhouses, very few could fully comprehend Sword Intent. A young Warrior Master Fourth Realm who surpassed many Grand Masters could only be described as a freak of nature. Previously, the Swordsmanship Ling Chen had used hadn’t been augmented by Sword Intent, so he hadn’t displayed his true power.
Feeling the impending danger, Kong Yuan decisively abandoned his black knife, attempting to evade Ling Chen’s lethal strike. However, he still underestimated the power of Sword Intent. He had only retreated half a step when Ling Chen suddenly appeared five meters from where Kong Yuan had just been. An afterimage of Ling Chen lingered at Kong Yuan’s original spot, while the Heavenly Mansion Sword fiercely pierced Kong Yuan’s body.
SCHLICK!
The tip of the Heavenly Mansion Sword pierced through Kong Yuan’s back, fresh blood dripping from it.
"Lord Ghost Envoy!"
The expressions of the Demonic Sect’s people in black all changed. Clearly, they hadn’t expected Ling Chen to be capable of killing Kong Yuan. The renowned Magic Knife Ghost Envoy, a figure of such high esteem, couldn’t even defeat a nameless nobody.
"Captain, you’re incredible!"
A hint of pleasant surprise appeared on the faces of Mo Yu and the others. Within the Demonic Sect, every Ghost Envoy possessed extraordinary skills. They hadn’t expected Ling Chen to kill one single-handedly. It made them feel like joining Ling Chen’s team meant they had truly struck gold.
Kong Yuan looked at the sword piercing his body, feeling its chill. He wasn’t dead yet. He clenched his teeth, a crazed look surging in his eyes. "Let’s die together!"
Mobilizing the last of his strength, Kong Yuan struck Ling Chen, sending him flying. Then, both of them tumbled off the cliff almost simultaneously.
In the moment of crisis, Ling Chen grabbed a vine and fiercely thrust the Heavenly Mansion Sword into the cliff wall, arresting his descent.
"Go to hell!"
Kong Yuan had one last breath left. A vicious gleam flashed in his eyes as he suddenly threw a dart, severing the vine Ling Chen was holding in one swift motion.
Damn it! Ling Chen cursed inwardly as his body plummeted.
"Boss!"
Seeing this, the faces of Mu Feng and his three companions, who were fighting the other people in black, changed abruptly. The cliff was several thousand feet high; a fall from such a height meant certain death.
Bai Qianxing fought hard to repel the man in black before him and rushed to the cliff’s edge. But in the next instant, a figure swept up like a large bird, taking eighteen consecutive steps before landing on the precipice.
That was close. If I had reacted any slower, I would have been dead for sure, Ling Chen thought, his heart still pounding. His Wind Shadow Step consisted of only eighteen steps. If he hadn’t managed to get back up after completing all eighteen, he would have plummeted to his death. Probably only top-tier experts of the Sky Apex Realm could treat such a deadly cliff as nothing.
This time, he had been too careless. The enemy was, after all, an expert of the Ghost Messenger level. Until an opponent was completely dead, he couldn’t afford the slightest lapse in concentration. If he had let his guard down, he could very well have been killed in a counterattack.
"Retreat!"
Seeing that Ling Chen was safe and sound, the remaining people in black, despite their reluctance, threw Thunder Fire Bombs in front of them. Using the shockwave of the explosions, they leaped into the surrounding mountain forest.
Only about five or six of the black-clad men remained; the rest had been killed by Mu Feng and the others. Within their own team, both Mo Yu and Bai Qianxing were injured, but thankfully, their injuries were minor.
Ling Chen flipped his hand, revealing a blue Waist Tag. He had taken this Waist Tag from Kong Yuan just moments ago. The words "Netherworld Ghost Envoy" were engraved upon it.
"Boss, your battle contribution is going to skyrocket now! Killing a Ghost Envoy should instantly earn you a thousand battle contribution points, right?"
Mo Yu and the other three walked over, looking at Ling Chen with some envy. It was easy to earn battle contribution points, but difficult to earn a large amount. Even for completing this three-star mission, they would each only receive three hundred points. Ling Chen would get a bit more, but still only five hundred. Killing an enemy at the Ghost Envoy level, however, directly awarded double that amount. Of course, enemies of the Ghost Envoy level weren’t easy to come by, much less defeat.