The Past (continued)

The blood-stained sword pierced the swordsman's chest and was swiftly pulled out. Blood gushed out like a fountain, and the splattered blood droplets transformed into crimson moths that fluttered and flew away. This was a unique feature of the "Illusory Moth Killing Art".

"Lin Xiu, you're insane!"

The remaining dozen or so swordsmen, their eyes blazing with fury and their teeth bared, showed no mercy and unleashed their ultimate moves to attack Lin Xiu.

However, all their moves missed.

At this moment, Lin Xiu had fully grasped the general outline of the "Scroll of Darkness," and his body had entered a subtle state, invisible, unknowable, and intangible.

Sight, hearing, smell, and touch could not detect Lin Xiu's presence; even his sixth sense had lost its ability to foresee danger. It was as if he had vanished from the world.

Blood splattered everywhere; it was a completely one-sided massacre.

Screams of agony occasionally emanated from this group of heroes, each one representing the loss of a life.

Among these heroes were many masters whose cultivation was no weaker than Lin Xiu's, but no matter how strong the attack, it was meaningless if it couldn't hit the target. They were like being chased by a ghost, who could hurt them at will, but they couldn't touch the ghost.

A chivalrous figure urged, "Lin Qingxiang, quickly tell us what the weaknesses of your father's 'Illusory Moth Killing Art' are! Now is not the time to be sentimental about father-son relationships!"

Lin Qingxiang was not an ungrateful person; he desperately tried to recall the secrets of the "Illusory Moth Killing Art" that his father had taught him.

"The Illusory Moth Killing Art" is divided into two parts: Movement Method and killing techniques. The Movement Method techniques are inspired by "The Scroll of Darkness" and can allow a person to enter a state of "darkness".

If we compare the world to a piece of paper, normal people and things are the words written on the front, while dark matter is the words written on the back. Even if the two overlap, they still cannot touch each other. Perhaps when the word is written with more force, the handwriting can be seen from the front, thus grasping the position and outline of the other. But this "seeing" is ultimately just an illusion. In reality, the two are still separated by a piece of paper and are not in the same area.

"The words on the front cannot touch the words on the back, and vice versa. To make contact, one must cross the barrier of the paper—only at the moment of attack will my father escape the state of darkness!" Lin Qingxiang shouted a reminder.

Once everyone knew the method, their morale soared, and they began to look for an opportunity to counterattack.

"Even if we knew the secret, so what? The gap between us wouldn't have narrowed in the slightest."

Lin Xiu suddenly appeared from behind a female swordsman, slashing his sword at her neck. Although the female swordsman reacted, she was ultimately on the defensive and was inherently a step slower. Before she could even touch Lin Xiu, her head was severed, turning her into a headless corpse. Blood gushed from the wound on her neck, transforming into countless blood moths fluttering in the air.

A swordsman nearby quickly thrust his spear forward, but only managed to create an afterimage; he felt no actual contact.

"If any of you were Spirit Transformation cultivators, I would only have the chance to escape in the chaos. Unfortunately, you don't. And your reaction speed can't keep up with my transformation speed, so your fate remains unchanged."

The killing continued. Putting aside the transformation, Lin Xiu was the fastest among them in terms of speed alone. Before joining the Chivalry Alliance, he was engaged in assassination and defense against assassination. Now, with the advantage of being practically invisible, he could assassinate his opponents before they could even react.

The real world is not a game; there is no such thing as a health bar. Even a master can die if their head is pierced by One Sword. No matter how thick the armor, it will be useless; there will always be gaps. For Lin Xiu, who can calmly choose his position and angle, such gaps are too obvious, just like being naked.

Unable to dodge, unable to defend, and utterly unable to retaliate.

Lin Xiu slaughtered those martial arts masters who could be considered top-notch, like livestock. They knew Lin Xiu's true strength, but they couldn't buy themselves even a second more time to save their lives.

Unable to withstand the pressure of death, someone roared, abandoned the others, and turned to run, but he hadn't gone far before One Sword pierced his throat.

In the end, only three people remained.

One of them was Lin Qingxiang. It wasn't that Lin Xiu intentionally let him go or showed favoritism to his son, but rather that Lin Qingxiang had blocked the assassination attempt earlier, almost giving others an opportunity to seize the chance.

Lin Qingxiang had also learned the "Illusory Moth Killing Art," though he wasn't even a beginner and couldn't even pinpoint Lin Xiu's location. However, he could sense Lin Xiu's killing intent, which was his only advantage over other martial artists. Therefore, Lin Xiu to save him for last to avoid being caught off guard.

Although Lin Xiu's mind was warped by the Super Martial Dao Cultivation Method, his intelligence was not affected, and he still retained the caution and composure of an assassin.

Among the three survivors was a burly man with an iron tower-like figure, known as "Mountain God" Yue Hai. He had cultivated the "Immovable Geng Metal Body," a martial art that required external force, and had withstood close-range artillery fire without sustaining any damage. This was the reason he was left to survive until the very end.

However, the Immovable Geng Metal Body could not withstand the One Sword of the Blood Moth Dance. Assassins who pursue explosive power are the nemesis of those who practice external martial arts. Lin Xiu had assassinated many targets who practiced external martial arts throughout his life, so he was very experienced in this regard.

However, the sword that had been thrust in could not be pulled out.

"The art of assassination emphasizes speed and decisiveness, but you fought for too long, your energy was depleted, and your speed was much slower than before, which is why I was able to capture you," Yue Hai said, gripping the blade between his muscles and holding Lin Xiu's arm tightly with both hands, speaking with a fearless tone. "Through the sacrifices of everyone, I've discovered that you always enter stealth mode only after drawing your sword, so I suspect you can't enter stealth while the sword is still connected to me."

"I didn't expect you to notice such a small detail. Perhaps I should have killed you from the beginning."

"Unfortunately, there's no going back. You were careless after all—now is the time to act!" Yue Hai shouted.

The surviving third person mustered his strength, his hands burning red like flames, and in a desperate move, struck Lin Xiu on the back.

"You deserve praise for risking your life, but unfortunately you miscalculated one thing."

Lin Xiu's figure suddenly vanished, entering a state of darkness, causing the attacker's palms to miss their mark.

"Once trapped, there's no escape except through weapons. I'm not one of those trapped; I can leave whenever I want."

Lin Xiu appeared behind the third person and struck him squarely in the back with a full-force palm strike. The surging True Qi shattered his heart, causing him to die on the spot.

"I'm not just good with a sword."

Lin Xiu's body disappeared again, entering a state of darkness.

Yue Hai gripped the sword embedded in his chest, a smile playing on his lips, and looked up at the sky.

A sudden sense of alarm arose in Lin Xiu's heart. He tried to dodge, but felt his internal energy stagnate. The excessive depletion of his True Qi slowed his movements, and he was instantly pierced by a sharp sword!

"Father, Senior Yue's 'take action' was directed at me."

Lin Qingxiang showed no mercy, unleashing his Sword Qi to shred Lin Xiu's internal organs.

Lin Xiu swayed, spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs, and asked in confusion, "How were you able to stab me?"

"I admire my father very much, so I secretly practiced the 'Illusory Moth Killing Art.' Although my skills are shallow and I can't enter the dark side as easily as my father, I can still manage to stab One Sword if I'm well prepared."

The front of the paper cannot attack the back, but the back of the paper can attack the back. When both are in a state of darkness, they can touch each other.

"No wonder, no wonder... no wonder you're smiling now."

Lin Qingxiang was horrified to discover that although he had personally killed his father and committed an unforgivable crime, he was experiencing a sense of accomplishment in defeating a powerful enemy. His soul felt as if it had been elevated, and he couldn't help but laugh.