Liu Jinglan stared at Lu Chen in shock.
He could clearly sense that Lu Chen possessed an aura sharing the same origin as his own.
This was... the aura of the Sun Sword Technique?
Had he already grasped the basics of the Sun Sword Technique so quickly?
That was far too fast!
Back when Liu Jinglan had first entered the discipline, it had taken him several months.
But he had no time to ask further. He immediately led Lu Chen and rushed into the distance.
The night stretched endlessly. Led by Liu Jinglan, the two steadily approached the village.
Calling it a village would be less accurate than calling it a stronghold.
Earthen walls surrounded it on all sides, their tops bristling with sharp stakes.
There was only one entrance and one exit.
According to Liu Jinglan, everyone in the village had long since died.
Miss Qingqing had been abducted here by a group of experts.
Whether the Four Fiends of the He Family or the West Mountain Nest of Ghosts, all of them had been hired by the other side.
At this moment.
Deep within the stronghold, bonfires blazed.
Quite a few Martial World wanderers gathered there, drinking and playing finger-guessing games.
Inside a damaged room.
Cui Qingqing huddled in a corner, tears in her eyes as she sobbed softly.
The door opened.
A towering figure, built like an iron pagoda, appeared.
His gaze was sharp, gleaming like lightning. Clad in a blood-red robe, he radiated an invisible pressure, standing at least nine feet tall.
Holding a meal in his hand, he said hoarsely, "Miss Cui, eat something. I greatly admire your father's character as well, but I once received another's favor and had no choice but to serve them. I could only rudely seize you and bring you here. Rest assured, with me, Xue Lie, here, no one in the village will harm you in the slightest."
Cui Qingqing suddenly raised her head. Her large eyes brimmed with tears and were somewhat swollen red. "Can you let me leave?"
"No!"
Blood General Xue Lie shook his head.
"Then... then what about Brother Liu?" Cui Qingqing asked.
"Perhaps he is dead."
Xue Lie replied.
Cui Qingqing lowered her head and began sobbing again.
Xue Lie said nothing more. He slowly placed the meal on the table, backed out, and closed the door.
Just as he left the courtyard.
A sudden gale swept through.
Xue Lie abruptly halted. His eyes shot upward like lightning, sweeping directly toward the darkness to one side.
At a nearby corner of the wall before him.
Two figures had appeared there at some unknown time.
They had actually bypassed the stronghold's defenses.
Especially the person in front.
He wore a black robe and had refined features, with a long saber at his waist. An invisible aura permeated his entire body.
Like a heavenly blade on the verge of leaving its sheath.
Xue Lie's pupils narrowed slightly as he instantly recognized him.
"Heartless Blade Lu Chen?"
This man had entered both the Kirin Ranking and the Black Ranking. Wanted portraits of him had spread across the land, yet he still dared to show himself?
"If you survive one slash from me, I lose."
Lu Chen offered only those cold words.
Liu Jinglan, standing at the side, was secretly alarmed.
This was Blood General Xue Lie.
A Sixth Rank cultivator!
No weaker than Yu Tianli, the Squad Leader of the Town Suppression Bureau, from before!
Did Lu Chen intend to kill him with a single slash?
"One slash?"
Xue Lie seemed stirred by Lu Chen's words. A grim curve appeared at the corner of his mouth as his hand slowly closed around the long saber on his back.
How many years had it been since he had heard words like that?
Rumor had it that Heartless Blade Lu Chen had cultivated for less than ten days.
He wanted to defeat Xue Lie after merely ten days of cultivation?
"After wearing out iron shoes in search, one finds it without the slightest effort. You brought this upon yourself."
Xue Lie's voice was icy as he fixed his eyes on Lu Chen.
Clang!
The long saber on his back left its sheath, suddenly flashing with a snow-bright gleam.
Like lightning streaking through the night.
This strike gathered the entirety of his lifetime's cultivation.
Whether saber technique or inner force, everything was driven to its limit. His aura surged throughout his body, his essence, energy, and spirit rising without end.
He would defeat Lu Chen with thunderous force and tell him that opportunities in this world did not belong to him alone. Yet as his saber was drawn, a gleam suddenly rose before his eyes as well.
Not only that, it instantly formed an invisible momentum.
Like a comet smashing into his heart, throwing his inner world into chaos. His mind shook, and an illusion abruptly appeared before his eyes.
Splurt!
Blood sprayed as a fine head flew through the air and rolled to one side.
Xue Lie's saber had not even fully left its sheath when his headless corpse collapsed to the ground, thick blood splashing across the earth.
"You lost."
Lu Chen spoke coldly and sheathed his saber.
He had not even used his saber momentum.
With merely an ordinary slash, he had already slain the Blood General.
Hiss!
Liu Jinglan sucked in a cold breath, his heart filled with shock. What saber technique!
Previously, Lu Chen had needed to draw down the lightning of the nine heavens to kill Yu Tianli, a Mid-stage Sixth Rank cultivator.
But now, he did not even need to draw down lightning to kill the Sixth Rank Blood General!
Did that not mean his strength had risen once again?
That was far too fast!
Lu Chen glanced at Liu Jinglan beside him and said calmly, "Go save her. I'll hold off the others!"
[You killed an evil Martial World rogue who kidnapped others. Merit Points +70]!
The Merit Points were not high.
That suggested the man's evil deeds might not have run too deep.
"Yes!"
Liu Jinglan took a deep breath and hurriedly rushed toward the courtyard ahead.
"Miss Qingqing..."
At this moment, the thick scent of blood drifting through the surroundings finally drew the attention of the others in the village.
The Martial World wanderers guarding the area were startled. They hurriedly seized their weapons and rushed over.
"Something's wrong. It smells like blood!"
"Go check!"
"Who goes there?"
The people originally stationed around the area quickly arrived, shocked and furious as they stared at Lu Chen outside the courtyard, whose aura resembled a heavenly blade.
Soon, their pupils contracted as they noticed the corpse on the ground, and all of them were deeply shaken.
"It's the Blood General! The Blood General has been killed!"
"He actually killed the Blood General!"
"Lu Chen! He's Lu Chen from the wanted portrait!" "It really is him!"
By then, Liu Jinglan had already led Cui Qingqing out from the courtyard behind them.
"Young Hero Lu..."
Liu Jinglan looked nervously toward Lu Chen.
"Whoever takes one step forward, dies!"
Lu Chen's tone was calm as he looked at the crowd.
"Courting death!"
"Kid, are you putting on a show for us?"
"Death your mother! Get him! Hack him to pieces!"
The crowd cursed angrily and, as if by prior agreement, nearly all pounced forward at once.
Whoever took one step forward would die?
Did he even know what sort of people they were? They were all desperadoes!
Who the hell was he trying to impress?
However!
Clang!
In an instant, saber light flashed. Like a terrifying whirlwind, it once more created a dreadful momentum that seized the soul. In that moment, everyone felt their spirits tremble, as though illusions had appeared before their eyes.
Even the weapons in their hands slipped beyond their control.
Splurt! Splurt! Splurt! Splurt!
Blood burst forth and heads flew through the air.
It was as though a tornado of saber energy had swept past.
In an instant, everyone remaining was gripped by terror. Crying out in alarm, they rapidly flew backward.
The seven or eight men who had charged forward first had all been wiped out by a single slash!
What kind of saber technique was this? It was too terrifying!
Even Liu Jinglan was shaken once more.
His heart surged with excitement, and his breathing quickened.
Lu Chen's strength had once again exceeded his expectations.
There was hope of escaping today!
Before you continue