"What sets you apart from those in the Demon Way?"
Xiao Muyu spat disdainfully. She hadn't realized back in the Sect just how despicable Song Hailan and Yun Tianhe truly were.
"You're wrong. They are far worse than many Demonic Path Followers," Ling Chen said coldly as he walked over.
"Nonsense!" Song Hailan's face suddenly darkened, a murderous intent swirling in his eyes. "You two, defending that Demonic Woman! Even if you're not Demonic Path Followers yourselves, you're clearly spies for the Demonic Sect. Now that you've fallen into our hands, we'll make you wish you were dead."
"Just you?" A smirk touched Ling Chen's lips. It wasn't that he looked down on Song Hailan. Rather, with Song Hailan's current strength, he was mostly relying on Longyang's top-ten ranking on the Heavenly List to act imposing in these Tienzong Ruins. Any random Expert here could probably kill someone like Song Hailan with ease. As for Yun Tianhe, he was even less of a concern; he hadn't posed a threat to Ling Chen for a long time.
"Such shameless boasting! A mere Fifth Level Martial Artist dares to act so arrogantly before me, Song Hailan? You're courting death!"
Song Hailan, furious to the point of laughter, drew the Treasure Sword from his waist and thrust it at Ling Chen.
A cyan edge swiftly condensed on the blade, sharpening its aura.
Faced with the rapidly approaching sword, Ling Chen remained motionless, watching it with indifference.
He must be stunned by my strike! A mocking expression quickly spread across Song Hailan's face.
The next moment, however, his expression froze. Ling Chen had suddenly drawn his sword, and his speed was more than twice Song Hailan's!
Before Song Hailan could even react, Ling Chen's sword pierced his heart.
THUD!
Ling Chen withdrew the Cloud-hidden Sword, having already moved past Song Hailan. Song Hailan's body crumpled to the ground behind him, dead.
"Brother Song!"
Yun Tianhe blanched, horror filling his eyes. He never imagined Ling Chen could kill Song Hailan with a single strike, giving them no time to react at all!
"You may leave." Ling Chen said indifferently, having unsealed the acupoints on the black-robed woman.
"Thank you for saving my life, Your Excellency! May I ask for your name so I can repay this debt in the future?" Having escaped death, the woman hastily kowtowed in gratitude.
"No need." Ling Chen waved his hand. "You are a Demonic Path Follower, and I am a Righteous Path Disciple. The Righteous and Demonic paths cannot coexist. Though I saved you today, if we meet again, I might be the one to kill you."
Hearing this, the woman asked no more. Her gaze fell upon the Cloud-hidden Sword in Ling Chen's hand; the words "Cloud-hidden" were carved on its sword scabbard. She also noticed a black ring on the middle finger of his sword-wielding hand. I must remember this, she thought, then clutched her robes tighter and limped away.
After the black-robed woman had gone, Ling Chen's gaze fell upon Yun Tianhe.
"You bastard! How dare you let that Demonic Woman escape and kill a Divine Intent Sect disciple! Who are you? Do you dare state your name?" Yun Tianhe shouted, instinctively recoiling as Ling Chen's chilling gaze landed on him.
"Dead men don't need to know that much."
Naturally, I have no intention of revealing my name. I've wanted to eliminate Yun Tianhe for a long time, and now is the perfect opportunity, Ling Chen thought.
Without hesitation, he swept towards Yun Tianhe again, unleashing a fatal sword strike.
Just as Ling Chen's sword was about to strike Yun Tianhe, a beam of sword qi, swift as a cyan streak, shot out and slammed into the edge of Ling Chen's Cloud-hidden Sword, knocking it off course.
Ling Chen was forced back more than ten steps, nearly losing his grip on the Cloud-hidden Sword. A tingling numbness spread through his arm, and his bones ached.
The force behind that sword qi was immense; it had almost inflicted internal injuries on Ling Chen.
Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, Yun Tianhe was overjoyed. He looked towards the source of the sword qi and saw an imposing young man approaching.
"Eldest Senior Brother!" Yun Tianhe's spirits soared, his confidence instantly returning. The newcomer was none other than his Eldest Senior Brother, Longyang.
"Longyang?" Ling Chen's gaze sharpened. I didn't expect him to be here too.
A moment later, Yu Qingxuan also came into view, her eyes widening slightly in surprise as she looked at Ling Chen.
However, she didn't recognize him. She only glanced at Song Hailan's corpse on the ground, her expression one of utter shock.
"Eldest Senior Brother! These two are spies from the Demonic Sect! They even killed Senior Brother Song Hailan! You must kill this man and avenge Brother Song!" Yun Tianhe roared, glaring at Ling Chen with cold, venomous eyes.
"It's Longyang! What do we do?" Xiao Muyu whispered, a hint of panic in her voice. But I'm also a Divine Intent Sect disciple, so I'm not really afraid of Longyang. The problem is, Ling Chen and Longyang are mortal enemies. If Longyang discovers Ling Chen's true identity, Ling Chen will undoubtedly die.
"Let's split up! If things get too dangerous for you, reveal your identity. They won't harm you!" Ling Chen transmitted his voice to Xiao Muyu. She has no feud with Longyang's group, so they probably won't make things difficult for her. My own situation, however, is the most perilous.
With that said, Ling Chen's figure blurred. He executed the Wind Shadow Step and shot off in the opposite direction.
Xiao Muyu bit her lip, and without hesitation, she too turned and sped off in another direction.
"Trying to run?" Longyang's eyebrow twitched. He too suddenly activated his Light Skill, swooping after Ling Chen like a fierce giant eagle.
As for Xiao Muyu, Yu Qingxuan went in pursuit.
The Light Skill he cultivated was called Sky Eagle Step. While not as fast as Ling Chen's Wind Shadow Step, it wasn't much slower.
More importantly, Longyang himself was a Nine Heavy Realm Martial Artist, his True Qi far more abundant than Ling Chen's, who was only a Fifth Level Martial Artist. After chasing for only two or three hundred meters, Longyang was already about to catch up to Ling Chen.
"Since you had the guts to kill my junior brother, you can leave your life behind!"
Closing in on Ling Chen, Longyang slashed out. The shriek of the sword leaving its scabbard and its hum pierced the clouds. This was Ye Nantian's Jinghong Sword.
As the Jinghong Sword swung, a massive, arcing beam of sword qi shot towards Ling Chen's back.
With an extraordinary reaction, Ling Chen twisted aside, dodging the beam of sword qi. It slammed into a piece of rubble beside him, instantly pulverizing the stone.
Although the sword qi missed Ling Chen, the shockwave from the impact threw his footwork into disarray. Longyang seized the opening, appearing before Ling Chen and unleashing his second sword strike.
"Startling Cloud Over World!"
With a great shout, Longyang executed his signature Swordsmanship. His sword was incredibly swift and fierce; the sword qi it generated was extremely tyrannical, clearing the air wherever it passed, brimming with boundless explosive force.
In desperation, Ling Chen could only raise his sword to block. CLANK! Sparks flew. The next moment, Ling Chen was sent flying along with his sword. The Cloud-hidden Sword gouged a deep scar in the ground as he skidded to a halt over twenty meters away.