Face-to-Face Duel to the Death? Crazy

Dense footsteps approached, and more than a hundred people climbed the mountain through the fog.

"Third Master, something is definitely wrong in these mountains. We didn't hear a thing just now, yet several brothers disappeared."

"Wrong, my mother!"

A rough roar rang out. The man called Third Master backhanded Seventh Brother across the face, sending him crashing hard to the ground.

"So many of you can't even catch one woman. What use are you lot to me?"

"And you say something's wrong? With your three-legged-cat skills, it wouldn't be strange if you were slaughtered like piglets!"

Then his voice carried into the mountains. "I don't know which friend is here, but we have no intention of offending you. As long as you hand over that woman, we'll let today's matter slide and pretend it never happened!"

"What do we do? He found us!"

Shangguan Xiyun spoke anxiously, but Li Yan's expression changed drastically. He suddenly grabbed her by the collar and pulled her against himself as he fell to the ground.

The next instant, a long spear pierced straight through that great tree. If Shangguan Xiyun had still been there, her head would already have been impaled!

"Mmph!"

Shangguan Xiyun instinctively wanted to cry out, but Li Yan clamped a hand over her mouth.

The newcomer was no weakling. A spear thrown by him could pierce a tree requiring three men to encircle it. That strength was most likely no less than Li Yan's own.

Yet as Shangguan Xiyun lay against Li Yan's chest with her mouth still covered, her little face rapidly flushed crimson, her mind nearly overheating.

Other than her father, brother, and guards, she had never been this intimate with an unfamiliar man.

Seeing Shangguan Xiyun lying motionless, Li Yan frowned and shoved her away, pushing her off him.

Little girl, there was nothing there at all. What the hell was she acting shy for?

He pulled Shangguan Xiyun beneath a large tree. Compared to the surrounding trees, this one was far denser, with part of it veiled by fog. If someone hid here, no one would be able to spot them.

He pointed upward, then grabbed Shangguan Xiyun's hand and flung her into the tree.

With the burden out of the way, Li Yan finally began to move.

"System, learn the Hundred Battles Saber Technique."

With a thought, 50 Experience Points were deducted, and all the essential moves and principles of the Hundred Battles Saber Technique flooded into Li Yan's mind.

The so-called Hundred Battles Saber was, in truth, a saber technique refined and condensed from battlefield killing arts.

Its style appeared broad and sweeping, but it had cast aside all superfluous flourishes and complications. Strength, speed, and precision were its core; every move served one purpose—killing the enemy.

Martial Arts: Hundred Battles Saber Technique—Initial Glimpse (0/150)

He had originally planned to leave the mountain with one hundred Experience Points, but after killing those men, he had gained nearly another two hundred. He still had more than two hundred Experience Points now.

Considering how many enemies there were, Li Yan immediately raised the Hundred Battles Saber Technique again.

Martial Arts: Hundred Battles Saber Technique—Minor Accomplishment (0/300)

Remaining Experience Points: 83

He lightly swung the plain saber in his hand twice. The blade that had once felt unfamiliar now carried a trace of familiarity, and the various techniques and forms of the Hundred Battles Saber Technique had become second nature to him.

Next, it was time to keep harvesting Attribute Points!

Below, Third Master had already led his men to the tree pierced by the spear. Studying the footprints on the ground, he sneered. "Heh, quick reactions. You lot, split up and search. Search inch by inch. Shout if you find anything, got it?"

"Yes!"

Quite a few people had followed Third Master up the mountain, but the forest was vast. Before long, after the group scattered, the people within sight were only vague shadows. No one noticed that another person had silently joined their ranks.

Nearly a hundred men groped their way through the fog. From time to time, dead branches and fallen leaves cracked beneath their feet, making their hearts leap into their throats.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the fog, clamping over one man's mouth. A plain saber swept across his throat in the same motion, smooth and nearly soundless.

Only after Li Yan gently laid the man on the ground did a faint scent of blood begin to spread, quickly buried beneath the rotten stench of the soil.

Strength +0.4

Speed +0.2

Constitution +0.4

Experience Points +21

As the Attribute Points were taken, Li Yan slowly retreated into the fog with a cold smile on his face.

The hunt had officially begun!

"Zhang Mazi!"

A startled cry shattered the silent deadness. A bandit stared at Zhang Mazi's corpse, his face filled with terror.

The next instant, Third Master had arrived at his side. Looking at Zhang Mazi, who had long since drawn his last breath, his expression gradually twisted.

"Damn it, damn it!"

"You dare touch men of the Fierce Wind Bandits? Whoever you are, you're dead for sure!"

Third Master's furious roar echoed through the mountain forest for a long time.

Yet before the sound could fade, a shrill, miserable wail rose from nearby.

The instant he heard it, Third Master whirled around and charged over. But when he landed, all he saw was a subordinate with a bloody hole blasted through his chest.

"Uwaaah!"

"Ah!"

"Ahhh... Third Master, save me!"

Screams rang out intermittently from all around. Invisible panic, like the great fog itself, gradually devoured the defenses in these men's hearts.

"Th-Third Master, the enemy is too vicious. How about we..."

Slap!

Third Master sent the subordinate who had spoken flying with a vicious slap.

"If I leave today, how will I ever hold my ground among the Fierce Wind Bandits again?"

As he spoke, Third Master's tiger-like eyes gradually reddened. He tightened his grip on the spear in his hand and focused on listening for every sound around him.

Just then, not far ahead of him, an extremely faint crackle of dead leaves sounded.

"Die!"

With an enraged roar, the silver spear in his hand shot out viciously, determined to pierce the heart of this skulking bastard who dared provoke the Fierce Wind Bandits.

Li Yan, who had been preparing to continue harvesting, felt alarm bells explode in his heart at that instant. A life-threatening sense of danger surged over him.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Yan retreated while throwing himself to the ground.

At that very moment, a silver spear tore through the dense fog. Its tip gleamed with cold light as it grazed past his chest.

What followed was Third Master of the Fierce Wind Bandits!

They saw each other face-to-face for only a flash, yet both had already reached the same conclusion.

This man could not be allowed to live!

Without the slightest hesitation, Third Master swung his silver spear. With a roar, the spear changed from a thrust into a smashing blow in an instant, crashing viciously toward Li Yan.

This strike could shatter stone. If it landed solidly, the damage would certainly be considerable.

At the critical moment, Li Yan slashed out with his saber, but he struck the ground to one side instead. Using the recoil to slide away, he vanished into the fog once more.

"Damn it, don't think you can run!"

With an angry roar, Third Master immediately gave chase, but Li Yan's figure had already vanished amid the thick fog.

"Bastard, who are you? How dare you play tricks here?! If you have the guts, come out and face me, Xu Sanqiang, in a duel to the death!"

"Hehehe, Xu Sanqiang? Then practice your three shots properly first. Once I kill all your subordinates, I'll come deal with you last~"

From that single spear strike, Li Yan had determined that Xu Sanqiang's strength was above the Body Tempering Seventh Layer.

If only attributes were counted, his strength and constitution were surely not much different from the other man's. But even within the Body Tempering Realm, there were gaps between every level.

Moreover, the man had transformed a thrust into a smashing blow in the instant they passed each other. Clearly, he had no shallow attainment in spear techniques either.

Choosing to fight head-on at a time like this was unwise and offered him no benefit.

Besides, there were still quite a few of the enemy's men nearby. If they surrounded him, he would truly be in trouble.

However, after the slaughter just now, there was no need to mention the slight increase in Attribute Points. His Experience Points had risen to 278.

With one or two more lives thrown into the tally, he would have 300 Experience Points.

Then, if the Hundred Battles Saber Technique rose another level, killing someone at the Body Tempering Seventh Layer would be as easy as taking something from his hand.

A face-to-face duel to the death?

Crazy~