The official road stretched forward in the morning light, and the fields on both sides were gradually replaced by rolling hills and sparse woodlands.
"Whoosh!"
Fang Han controlled his speed to a level that was fast enough to travel without excessively consuming his Internal Qi, and the Silver-Gray Longsword at his waist swayed gently with each step.
The wind whispers past my ears, and birdsong fills the air.
Everything seemed ordinary, but Fang Han's nerves remained slightly tense.
Two hours passed.
As the sun rises higher, the heat of early summer begins to rise between heaven and earth.
Occasionally, caravans and martial artists would pass by on the official road; they were all ordinary passersby, the strongest of whom were only at the Middle Third Grade rank.
'Um?'
Just as Fang Han reached a section of road flanked by dense pine forests, he suddenly stopped.
According to the perception of < Nether Guide >, there is an extremely faint aura lying dormant in the dense forest beside the road ahead.
The aura was so well concealed that if he hadn't remained vigilant and pushed his senses to the limit, he would have almost mistaken it for a bird or beast in the forest.
Although this aura was as "weak" as that of birds and beasts, it exuded an extreme chill and danger.
'Is he an assassin?'
Fang Han's hand quietly rested on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
He didn't shout or make any unnecessary moves; he simply continued to use his Body Movement and step forward.
His steps remained steady, his breathing even, as if he were completely unaware of anything.
However, the Dark Green Internal Qi within his body had already begun to circulate at a faster pace.
With Fang Han's speed, he was only thirty feet away from the road ahead, and in just a few breaths, he had already approached it.
The Fang Han reached the point closest to that aura—
Lin moved.
"Whoosh!"
It wasn't the wind that was moving; something was tearing apart the silence of the forest.
A gray shadow shot out from the depths of the pine forest at an astonishing speed.
The figure was shrouded in a large gray robe, with the hood covering most of the face, revealing only a pair of cold, emotionless eyes.
At the same time, a long, narrow, black-bladed sword was silently drawn from its sheath. The blade was as black as ink and did not reflect any light.
"Call out--!"
The blade, carrying a dark, abyss-like light, slashed straight at Fang Han's nape.
This strike was swift, ruthless, and precise, executed at an extremely tricky angle.
Where the blade passed, the air was silently torn apart, without even a whistling sound. Only the extremely concentrated killing intent rushed towards them as if it were a tangible force.
This strike, in terms of both timing and angle, was far more lethal than Yi Three's sword.
"Whoosh!"
The moment the attacker appeared, Fang Han had already moved.
He activated the Wind God Step at full power, his figure like a willow catkin swept up by a gale, drifting several feet to the side and forward in the blink of an eye.
They dodged the sneak attack.
at the same time.
"Whoosh--!"
A piercing Break the Wind Void Sundering, as if cloth were being ripped open.
The Silver-Gray Longsword at Fang Han's waist spun like a serpent emerging from its hole, producing a resounding clang.
The sword flashed with a cold, sharp light, heading straight for the gray figure's neck.
The gray figure paused slightly, his sneak attack had failed, but he remained calm.
With a flick of his wrist, he drew a strange arc in the air, quickly changing direction to meet Fang Han's incoming sword strike.
"Clang--!!!"
Swords clashed, producing a deafening clang of metal.
A visible shockwave spread wildly outwards from the point of impact.
The pine forests on both sides of the official road were swept by the shockwave, the branches and leaves rustling like rain, and several pine trees as thick as bowls were snapped in half, with wood chips flying everywhere.
The pebbles and dust on the ground were swirled into the air, forming a murky ripple that spread in all directions.
Fang Han stood firmly in place, the tip of his long sword pointing forward, his gaze like lightning towards the gray-robed figure.
The gray-clad figure, having hastily changed tactics, could only unleash a fraction of its fighting power and retreated in a rather disheveled manner.
She slid back more than ten steps before regaining her balance, raising her head, and her cold eyes fell on Fang Han.
He raised his hand and brushed his hood back, revealing a face that appeared to be around forty years old.
He had an ordinary appearance, with no distinctive features, but his eyes held a chilling indifference, as if it were the indifference forged from the slaughter of hundreds of lives.
He was Yi One, the newly sent assassin from Dark Abyss to kill Fang Han, and the number one ranked assassin among the "Yi" assassins.
"You should have already spotted me before I launched my sneak attack."
When Yi One spoke, his voice was hoarse and low, like two pieces of sand rubbing against each other.
"No wonder Yi Three fell into your hands. With your mastery of advanced perception techniques, you are, in a sense, the nemesis of assassins."
His gaze fell on Fang Han, a knowing glint flashing in his cold eyes.
Fang Han didn't speak, but he tightened his grip on the sword.
Dark Abyss's reaction was faster than he had anticipated; only a few days had passed since Yi Three's death to the emergence of a new assassin.
The speed at which the message was delivered and the assassin was deployed was truly astonishing.
"However, you will still die here today!"
Yi One stared at Fang Han, and the killing intent in his cold eyes suddenly surged, like a volcano erupting from beneath the ice.
Before he finished speaking, he moved.
The ground beneath his feet suddenly exploded, sending debris flying everywhere. He was like a gray lightning bolt, instantly traversing a distance of more than ten zhang (approximately 33 meters).
"Whoosh--!"
The long, black sword in his hand, shrouded in a dark, abyss-like blade light, carried a bloodthirsty, murderous aura as it aimed straight for Fang Han's head.
Where the blade flashed, a series of ear-piercing sonic booms echoed through the air, and a deep, scorched furrow, several feet deep, was carved into the ground of the official road.
The surrounding pine forest was intimidated by the force of the Blade Intent; the treetops shook violently, and countless pine needles fell in a flurry.
"Whoosh--!"
Fang Han's pupils contracted slightly, and the Dark Green Internal Qi of the < Greenwood Poison-Avoidance Scripture > within his body erupted without reservation.
The immense Internal Qi of the Early First Grade and the physical strength of 300,000 jin were simultaneously poured into the Silver-Gray Longsword.
Beginner stage- level < Great Void Wind God Sword > is fully activated, the Wind Sword Intent solidifies on the sword body as if it were a tangible substance.
The sword hummed as it met the attack head-on.
The azure sword rainbow and the dark Saber Aura collided fiercely in mid-air.
"BOOM--!!!"
A deafening roar erupted, and the pine forests on both sides of the official road seemed to be swept away by an invisible giant hammer.
The sturdy pine trees broke and fell one after another, sending twigs and debris flying everywhere.
The hard ground was blasted open, creating a huge crater tens of feet in diameter and several feet deep, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading wildly.
Fang Han grunted and slid back several feet, his feet carving two deep tracks in the ground.
He steadied himself, his right arm gripping the sword feeling slightly numb.
The power of this strike far surpasses that of Yi Three.
"Whoosh!"
Yi One also took two steps back, a hint of surprise flashing in his cold eyes, but more so, an increasingly intense killing intent.
He steadied himself, continued moving, and lunged forward again.
The jet-black longsword transformed into layers upon layers of jet-black blade shadows, pouring down on Fang Han like a storm.
Each strike was astonishingly fast, each strike ruthless and deadly, each strike aimed precisely at Fang Han Han's vital points.
The Swift Blade Intent was pushed to its limit, the Blade Intent as dense as a net, completely sealing off all of Fang Han's space to dodge.
"Whoosh!"
Despite the danger, Fang Han remained calm and unleashed the Wind God Step, his figure moving like a gentle breeze, flitting and weaving through the gaps in the sky filled with sword shadows.
At the same time, the Silver-Gray Longsword transformed into streaks of Dark Green, and the moves of the < Great Void Wind God Sword > were used with ease, attacking against attack.
"Clang clang clang clang--!"
The clanging of metal against metal was like a rapid explosion of popping beans, with sparks flying everywhere.
The two figures darted rapidly between the official road and the pine forest, their Dark Green sword light and dark Saber Aura colliding, intertwining, and annihilating each other.
Each collision produced a deafening roar, and shockwaves spread outwards wave after wave.
The official road was riddled with holes from being plowed, the pine forest was leveled, and all the trees within a radius of a hundred feet were cut off by Sword Qi Saber Aura, leaving smooth, mirror-like cuts.
The ground was sheared away layer by layer, revealing the bare rock beneath.
The rock is covered with cracks as dense as a spider web.
"Call out--!"
Fang Han pushed the < Great Void Wind God Sword > to its limit, and the Wind Sword Intent solidified on the sword.
Where the sword's edge passed, the air silently cracked open with jet-black lines, its power terrifying.
However, Yi One's strength is far superior to Yi Three's.
His swordsmanship was extremely exquisite. The Swift Blade Intent, combined with the Medium-grade Dharma Weapon black sword in his hand, left a dark and persistent sword mark in the air with every swing.
In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged two hundred blows.
Fang Han's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, indicating that his internal Internal Qi had been significantly depleted.
Yi One's breathing became slightly rapid, and the initial certainty in his cold eyes had disappeared, replaced by an increasingly deep solemnity.
Both of them realized how troublesome the other was!
Fang Han seized a subtle opening in Yi One's Blade Intent stance, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
His internal Internal Qi surged and circulated at an unprecedented speed, pouring entirely into the Silver-Gray Longsword.
He pushed the Wind Sword Intent to its limit, unleashing the < Great Void Wind God Sword > without reservation.
"Buzz--"
The Silver-Gray Longsword emitted a sharp whistle like tearing silk, and its blade shone with a burst of Dark Green light as it thrust out.
This sword strike was incredibly fast and extremely cunning, finding an opening in the densest part of the blade's light and aiming straight for Yi One's left rib.
Yi One's expression changed drastically, and he desperately parried with his knife, but he was ultimately a fraction too slow.
"Laugh!"
The sword tip grazed Yi One's left rib, tearing his gray robe.
Despite being a martial artist who Break Three Passes and possessed an extremely strong physical body, Yi One was still injured by a sword strike whose power far exceeded that of a martial artist who Break Three Passes.
A trickle of blood seeped out, soaking through his robes.
Yi One muffled groan and staggered back several feet, glancing down at the wound on his left side.
The wound wasn't deep, just a superficial injury, but the seeping blood only made his eyes grow colder.
I underestimated you.
He raised his head, his cold eyes looking at Fang Han, his voice hoarse and low.
Fang Han stood with his sword in hand, his gaze calm as still water, yet a slight chill ran through him.
That sword strike was the best opportunity he could seize at the moment, yet it only left a shallow cut on Yi One's skin.
This person's strength far surpasses that of Yi Three. As expected, the assassins newly sent by the Dark Abyss are clearly stronger.
Fortunately, the opponent's strength was still within his control.