Assassination

This was also why the lizard had been able to react so quickly. It must have detected Yan Chihuo's attack with the Wind Sensing Art. Otherwise, caught off guard, it would never have had time to react.

The lizard was also at the Body Tempering Middle Stage, and Yan Chihuo didn't dare underestimate it in the slightest. He used the Earth Shrinking Step again, instantly shifting more than ten zhang away. To his surprise, the lizard leaped into the air, a breeze swirling beneath its feet, and caught up in an instant. This was the low-level wind-attribute spell, Wind Riding Art!

Among Body Tempering Stage cultivators, wind- and earth-attribute movement arts were the best. Wind cultivators were naturally swift, while earth cultivators drew on the boundless support of the ground beneath their feet. Next came water and lightning. Lightning-attribute movement arts could rival wind over short distances, but consumed too much magical power, so over long distances they ultimately fell behind wind and earth.

After those came fire, wood, and ice, while metal was the worst. The reason water- and fire-attribute movement arts were inferior to earth was that cultivators usually moved about on land. In water, naturally, water-attribute movement arts were the strongest; in fire, fire-attribute movement arts were.

Yan Chihuo had been prepared. He swept his long sword, and countless boulders rained down from the sky. The lizard hadn't expected him to react so quickly. It struck out repeatedly with all four claws as it retreated.

The boulders impeded it, slowing its Wind Control Art. At that moment, Yan Chihuo abruptly came within ten zhang of it and swung his sword. A fierce wave of Sword Qi howled toward it.

The lizard spat out another whirlwind, canceling the Sword Qi, but Yan Chihuo had already closed in. The lizard swung both foreclaws, and Yan Chihuo felt his body tighten, as if an invisible rope had bound him, sword and all. This was the wind-attribute spell Wind Catching Shadow!

The lizard's two foreclaws, capable of piercing metal and stone, raked toward Yan Chihuo's head. It was in midair, so Yan Chihuo's Imprisoning Earth was useless. And the two were so close that he couldn't use Falling Rock Art either. After all, Yan Chihuo was only at the Body Tempering Middle Stage. Even with his powerful Talisman Artifact, he couldn't wield Falling Rock Art as effortlessly as Zhong Yun.

The lizard knew this, which was why it had used Wind Catching Shadow against Yan Chihuo. This spell was extremely difficult for wind-attribute cultivators and demons to master. Under normal circumstances, even cultivators or demons at the Body Forging Late Stage would struggle to learn it. Yet this lizard had somehow mastered it.

Just as Yan Chihuo was about to be struck by the lizard's foreclaws, he flipped his right hand and shot out five beams of light. With a bang, they struck the lizard's foreclaws.

The lizard let out a strange cry, pain coloring its voice, and flipped backward in midair. Yan Chihuo flicked his long sword, breaking Wind Catching Shadow, then leaped into the air and brought his sword down. Another shower of boulders fell from above.

Yan Chihuo's Soul-Snatching Claw had just injured the lizard's foreclaws. Now, seeing the sword and boulders bearing down on it, it stirred up several breezes beneath its feet and hurriedly dodged. Though it was fast, a boulder still struck its hind leg.

The lizard was now suffering one injury on top of another, and its speed slowed further. Yan Chihuo turned and struck with several more sword strokes, each sending a wave of Sword Qi slashing toward it. The lizard could do nothing but defend, utterly unable to counterattack.

Bang! Another boulder smashed into the lizard's waist. It let out a pitiful cry, and Yan Chihuo slashed his sword straight across its abdomen, opening a wound from which blood gushed.

Badly wounded, the lizard crashed heavily to the ground. Yan Chihuo's long sword swept down from above. With a crunch, he chopped off its head.

He let out a breath. The lizard had been no easy opponent. If he hadn't possessed the Soul-Snatching Claw taught to him by Ping Qi, and had known only earth-attribute techniques, he would have been the one lying dead on the ground.

At that moment, about thirty zhang from Yan Chihuo, a shadow lay soundlessly hidden in the grass.

That battle hadn't lasted very long, but he'd used spells more than ten times in a row. Even if he still had some strength left, he must have expended quite a lot. And though he knew the Earth Shrinking Step, his cultivation limited him; his speed was about on par with mine. The distant shadow silently calculated.

Yan Chihuo had just emerged from a fierce battle, and his guard had slackened a little. The shadow didn't move either, so Yan Chihuo noticed nothing. He slid his long sword behind his back, walked over to the lizard, and examined it for anything useful.

Suddenly, a sense of dread welled up in Yan Chihuo. The sensation was all too familiar. It always came whenever he was on the verge of death.

He had no time to think. He used the Earth Shrinking Step and darted backward, turning his head at the same time. A shadow was charging straight at him with a long saber raised, and this person was even faster than Yan Chihuo.

Yan Chihuo's heart jolted. This was also the Earth Shrinking Step, and the attacker was faster than he was. That wasn't because the other person had higher cultivation or a sharper Talisman Artifact, but because the attacker had planned this for a long time while Yan Chihuo was forced to respond in haste. Even so, the person's cultivation was no lower than his.

"What speed!" Yan Chihuo retreated, but the shadow clung to him like a burr. The long saber was already at his eyes. With no time to draw his sword, Yan Chihuo opened his right hand, sending five beams of light flying out.

With a clang, the attacker's saber smashed into the five beams. A rapid succession of sharp impacts rang out, and the five beams were shattered.

This was a semi-Dharma Tool—in other words, a Talisman Artifact inscribed with twenty-four layers of Restrictions! Otherwise, it couldn't have been this powerful!

The long saber finally reached Yan Chihuo. He grabbed it with his right hand, relying on the Talisman Artifact Ping Qi had given him to try to stop the saber by sheer force. But the blade kept inching forward. The two of them had already raced dozens of zhang across the ground, and the saber had pierced beneath Yan Chihuo's ribs. Blood spilled out.

"Die!" the shadow growled under his breath.

At that moment, an expression of utter terror suddenly appeared in his eyes. A thin layer of black mist seeped through the long saber and spread over him, instantly covering both his hands.

Bang! The saber shattered into countless pieces, and pus seeped from the shadow's hands. He had clearly been poisoned.

Yan Chihuo drew his long sword and, with a crunch, chopped off the attacker's head. At the same time, he reached out with his right hand and snatched the bundle from the man's back, then darted more than ten zhang away. With a thud, the headless body collapsed to the ground. Before long, it melted into a pool of pus.