That was right. The two old men had been fighting for ages, but all they were attacking was empty air.
The man in black had used his Lightness Skill again after his first attack, and was already at the entrance to the loft.
It was obvious that this fellow had used a mind-bewitching martial art without anyone noticing.
No wonder he'd succeeded so many times. He could defeat his enemies without even fighting.
Ye Kang moved too. With a shout, he drew the Demonic Saber and flew toward him, yelling, "Fan Shanyue! Stop right there!"
Ye Kang had shouted on purpose, hoping to rouse the two old men still beating the air, but it didn't seem to work.
The man in black glanced back, somewhat surprised. "You weren't affected by the Soul Severing Incense?"
Ye Kang got a clear look at the man's face. It was nothing like Fan Shanyue's appearance that day; instead, he had a handsome, pale face with a hint of wickedness.
He must have shed his disguise. This was his true appearance.
Ye Kang said nothing more and struck with his saber.
Fan Shanyue simply shoved the door open and barged into the city lord's concubine's bedroom.
A stunning woman in an extravagant gown cowered in the corner of the bed, panic-stricken. She clutched a dagger in her hand.
"D-don't... don't come any closer..."
"My beauty, as promised, I've come."
Fan Shanyue's lips curled into a brazen, wicked smile. The composure he'd shown earlier was gone, replaced by an eye full of unbridled greed.
He spun around and turned into a cloud of Black Mist, narrowly evading the saber strike from behind.
Ye Kang's attack missed again, but his heart remained undisturbed.
With a single thought, a full hundred strands of Pink Sword Qi shot from his body, filling the entire room in an instant.
At Great Perfection, the Hundred Flowers Sword Finger not only produced more Sword Qi, but greatly enhanced its power and speed as well.
As long as the Sword Qi sealed off the room, no matter how formidable someone's Lightness Skill was, they couldn't get in.
Sure enough, Fan Shanyue appeared at the doorway, a trace of venom creeping onto his face.
"Imperial Court's Dog, why are you stopping me? Aren't the pirates attacking the city more important than I am?"
Ye Kang stood in the room, holding the Demonic Saber horizontally. Its blade gleamed with a biting chill.
"The pirates have capable people to stop them. I won't steal their credit."
Fan Shanyue's expression twisted at those words.
He said "Good" three times, then snarled, "I had no intention of killing you. You brought this on yourself!"
His true qi surged. The soft whip at his waist unwound by itself, lashing at Ye Kang five times in succession.
Clearly, he'd underestimated the power of the Hundred Flowers Sword Finger.
Hundreds of strands of Sword Qi surged forth at once, turning the entire room into a pink sea. In moments, the soft whip was completely shredded.
But Fan Shanyue hadn't intended to fight head-on. Almost the instant the whip broke apart, he seized his chance, transformed into black smoke again, and forced his way through the dense Sword Qi.
Ye Kang was dumbfounded.
That definitely wasn't a Lightness Skill. Was it some kind of demonic art?
Though shocked, Ye Kang reacted at once, turning to slash at the bed.
The city lord's concubine had been so frightened she was frozen in place. But the blade fell beside her, right where a wisp of black smoke was rising.
"Ah!"
A scream rang out as the Demonic Saber came down, slicing an arm from the black smoke.
Ye Kang had no idea where Fan Shanyue would appear. He'd only made a guess.
Luckily, he hadn't underestimated the man's lust.
Even when facing a formidable enemy, Fan Shanyue hadn't forgotten to take the beauty with him.
Fan Shanyue reappeared, blood spurting from his right arm. His face was filled with resentment, and there was fear in his eyes as well.
Without his right arm, he had no chance of taking the beauty with him. So he turned into smoke again without hesitation and vanished on the spot.
Ye Kang didn't move, letting him escape.
Only then did the woman on the bed finally come to her senses. Trembling, she asked, "Y-you're not going after him...?"
"No rush. He can't get away."
Ye Kang smiled, then poured his true qi into the saber in his hand and drove its tip into the severed arm on the floor.
Under the woman's horrified gaze, the arm slowly withered. All the blood flowed backward, drawn into the blade.
The Demonic Saber turned bloodred, glowing crimson.
Ye Kang had discovered this marvelous use after obtaining the saber.
The blade thirsted for blood. Once it absorbed someone's blood, it would crave more, giving rise to a small supernatural ability.
Blood Seeking.
As expected, the blade began to tremble. Ye Kang loosened his grip slightly, and the saber suddenly pointed southeast.
"My blade can smell him. Since he's so good at running, I'll let him run to his heart's content."
Chilling Intent glinted in Ye Kang's eyes. He stepped out of the room and used Flying Swallow Ascending Cloud, bounding toward the southeast.
The city lord's concubine finally breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed limply onto the bed.
How terrifying.
Not just that Flower Thief.
The man with the saber was terrifying too...
Inside the city.
The pirates had thrown the soldiers and civilians into complete disarray.
A shadow raced over their heads, then headed straight for the city gates from another direction.
At that moment, Fan Shanyue's feelings could be summed up in two words.
Fear.
This was the worst defeat he'd suffered since making his name. He'd even lost an arm.
He could use his true qi to stop the bleeding, but regrowing a severed arm was practically impossible.
Fan Shanyue had always believed his Lightness Skill was second to none. He'd relied on it to seduce countless young women, yet he'd fallen at Ye Kang's hands.
That strange red Sword Qi and that incredibly sharp saber—each filled him with fear from the depths of his heart.
Though he had absolute confidence in his means of escape, he still carefully changed directions several times before choosing the most secluded exit and leaving Jiayang City.
Once outside the city, he didn't dare linger. Even if he exhausted his true qi, he kept using that strange Lightness Skill to make sure he left no trace, then hurried toward the hills behind the city.
An hour later, he could hold on no longer. His face deathly pale, he dropped into a dilapidated little temple.
"This place should be safe now. Damn it! I misjudged that bastard this time. He took my arm! I swear I'll never be a man again if I don't avenge myself!"
He gritted his teeth and cursed, then took a porcelain bottle from his chest. He poured out some medicinal powder, tore off a strip of bandage, and carefully wrapped his wound.
Fortunately, he was a Xiantian Martial Artist. His true qi had protected him, keeping him from bleeding to death.
Even so, heart-rending screams echoed through the ruined temple, frightening who knew how many snakes, insects, rats, and mice.
"Imperial lackey! I'll kill you! And I'll ravish every woman in your Household until you wish you were dead! Aaaah!"
After the bottle of powder was used up and the wound bandaged, the pain finally eased a little.
Only then did Fan Shanyue lean against the crumbling statue of God, panting heavily again and again.
"It's a shame. I schemed for so long and still didn't get that beauty. Once I've healed..."
A wicked smile crept onto Fan Shanyue's lips. Lewd thoughts smothered the pain.
But a moment later, his smile suddenly froze. His breathing, which had just steadied, began to grow ragged of its own accord, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
His face filled with shock.
"That's impossible!"
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