Fierce Battle

Mu Chen drew back his right hand. The hand holding the sword shifted into a palm, then he slammed it hard against the hilt. In an instant, a yellow meteor tore through the air, shooting straight at Rob's face.

"Hmph, just a cheap trick!" Rob snorted coldly and raised his saber, accurately striking the Ink Shadow Sword Mu Chen had thrown and knocking it spinning away.

The sword blade gleamed brilliantly. Rob grinned greedily. "What a fine treasure. Kid, you delivered this to me yourself, so I'll gladly take it."

Just as Rob reached for the Ink Shadow Sword about to fall to the ground, his pupils shrank. Mu Chen had transformed into a sword-like shadow, thrusting straight at his face—or rather, at the neck exposed beyond his Dou Qi Armor.

Mu Chen knew full well that being unable to project Dou Qi was his weakness. Throwing the Ink Shadow Sword had merely been a distraction to draw Rob's attention, allowing him to close in and engage in close combat.

Chilled by the icy sword aura, goosebumps rose along Rob's neck. He snarled, "What a vicious move. You really show no mercy. If you survive today, you'll definitely become a great figure in the future.

But I, Rob, enjoy strangling geniuses like you in the cradle. Meeting me is your misfortune."

Forced back two steps by Mu Chen's sword, Rob gripped his saber with both hands and brought it crashing down. Powerful Dou Qi coiled around the blade, enhancing its might as it swore to cleave Mu Chen into the ground.

Mu Chen touched the ground with his toes and caught the Ink Shadow Sword before it fell. Then, bracing himself with the sword in his left hand and planting its tip against the ground, he pushed off and spun half a turn counterclockwise, nimbly evading Rob's overhead slash.

Still in midair and just about to land, Mu Chen's Ink Shadow Sword erupted with a dazzling burst of sword light. He swept out seven consecutive slashes at Rob, every one aimed at the vital point of his neck. The dark silver sword radiance sent a chill down Rob's spine, and he hurriedly raised his saber to block, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

The moment his feet touched solid ground, Mu Chen charged forward at top speed like a cheetah bursting into a sprint. His twin swords moved one before the other, one attacking and one defending, like venomous snakes flicking their tongues. His assault was a relentless storm, forcing sweat to bead across Rob's forehead as he fell into passive defense.

The battle stunned everyone present. One mercenary viciously slapped his companion across the face, immediately drawing an angry curse.

"Hiss, that really hurt. So I wasn't seeing things—the captain is actually at a disadvantage."

"Damn it, you hit my face!"

The fight continued. Though Mu Chen's attacks were as fierce as a gale, he was troubled. He appeared to hold the upper hand, yet Rob had not suffered the slightest injury. His opponent was indeed a veteran who had clawed his way through decades of hardship. Rob merely defended his vital points and refused to clash with Mu Chen head-on, clearly intending to exhaust Mu Chen's Dou Qi.

After fighting for over ten minutes, Mu Chen brought both swords down together. Veins bulged on his arms as his powerful strength sent Rob flying more than ten meters away, knocking over a roadside stall. Seizing the chance, Mu Chen tossed several Qi-Replenishing Pills into his mouth. With a flick of his tongue, they rolled down into his stomach.

Mu Chen's extravagant pill-consuming act made Rob's eyes widen. Those costly medicinal pills were swallowed without hesitation. Did he really have to be this rich?

Mu Chen's ferocious combat strength had far exceeded Rob's expectations. Rob's decades of surviving as a mercenary also led him to speculate about Mu Chen's identity.

"He possesses rare divine weapons and extravagant medicinal pills. He's so young, yet his combat power rivals that of a Da Dou Shi. Could this kid be a genius from one of the great noble clans of the Jia Ma Empire?

This is troublesome. The power of such great clans isn't something a mere Da Dou Shi like me can provoke."

Rob's expression flickered uncertainly. But when he looked toward Qing Lin, who had poked out her little head in the distance and was watching nervously, viciousness returned to his face.

"The buyer offered such a high price. That mixed-blood girl must be taken away.

I've already offended this kid. I absolutely cannot let him leave, or I'll be the one dying in the streets someday.

No turning back now! Kill this kid, take his treasures, then I'll flee far away, leave the Jia Ma Empire, and live freely and happily."

Having made up his mind, Rob waved his hand and pointed at Qing Lin, shouting, "Men of the Sand Mercenary Group, seize that mixed-blood girl! Don't harm her in the slightest. Whoever captures her will rise three ranks and receive fifty thousand gold coins!"

Gulp!

Dozens of mercenaries immediately turned their green-eyed gazes toward the startled Qing Lin. The enormous reward consumed them with greed, and one by one, they transformed into savage wolves charging toward her.

"Courting death!"

Seeing this, Mu Chen stomped hard and shot forward at terrifying speed. He plunged into the mass of mercenaries like a tiger entering a flock of sheep. His two Ink Shadow Swords trailed a chain of sword shadows, spilling streams of crimson as cries of agony and death rang out one after another.

Though the bloody slaughter made some mercenaries hesitate in fear, the sight of blood drove others mad. Several of the faster mercenaries even bypassed Mu Chen and charged toward the isolated, helpless Qing Lin.

"Get lost!"

Mu Chen rapidly poured Dou Qi into his sword, then hurled it out. It arced through the air before landing in the street ahead of those mercenaries.

A powerful blast of air erupted, shaking several mercenaries until they coughed up blood and stumbled backward. Then a flash of sword light arrived, cutting them all in half at the waist. Their bloody organs spilled across the ground, revealing Mu Chen behind the corpses, his face filled with killing intent.

Awakened by Mu Chen's murderous aura, the remaining twenty-odd mercenaries looked at the bleeding corpses strewn across the ground and felt their scalps go numb with cold. They fled in panic, terrified that if they ran too slowly, Mu Chen would split them in half like watermelons.

"High-Level Yellow Tier Dou Technique, Mountain-Cleaving Slash!

Kid, take my saber!"

A shadow rushed in from the side alongside an angry roar. It was Rob, his face twisted with ferocity.

He was a ruthless man as well, using his subordinates' lives to create this opportunity for a sneak attack. The saber in his hand was only one or two meters from Mu Chen's body. He was confident in his timing and certain Mu Chen would be unable to evade.

"Kid, you're quite impressive, but unfortunately, it all ends now."

A crazed grin spread uncontrollably across Rob's face. Mu Chen's repeated suppression had already cost him all his dignity, but as long as he killed Mu Chen and captured that mixed-blood girl, he could cast aside every loss of reputation.

"Ends? Not necessarily!"

As danger descended, Mu Chen did not turn around. Instead, he leaned forward, thrusting both Ink Shadow Swords backward beneath his arms. The swords crossed into an X, forcibly blocking Rob's descending saber for a single second.

However, Rob's strike had activated a Dou Technique, numbing Mu Chen's wrists and knocking both Ink Shadow Swords to the ground. Still, Mu Chen used that one second of resistance to evade Rob's fatal blow.

The saber that missed cleaved into the ground, instantly carving a terrifying crack. If such formidable power had struck a human body, it would undoubtedly have split it in two.

"Hehe." Rob gave a sinister laugh. Though he had failed to kill Mu Chen, Mu Chen no longer had his swords, and relief appeared on Rob's face. Just as he was about to pursue, his vision went dark as a huge foot rapidly enlarged before his eyes.

Mu Chen flipped through the air several times, gritted his teeth, and stomped heavily onto Rob's face with a flying kick. The forceful blow drove Rob to his knees, though pain also flickered across Mu Chen's face. Even the foot he had planted on Rob's face had gone numb.

"Damn it, a Da Dou Shi really is different. Your face is so damn thick!" Mu Chen pointed at Rob and cursed loudly.

"Pfft!" Rob spat out two broken, bloodied teeth. His nose had been stomped crooked, and a black footprint was branded across his face, leaving him in an utterly miserable state.

"Ahhh! Kid, I'm going to kill you!" With his front teeth gone, Rob's roar leaked air, making his fury boil even hotter. His forehead seemed ready to smoke, and his face flushed purple-red.

"Yellow Sand Slash!"

Gripped by rage, Rob seized his saber and unleashed a powerful Low-Level Profound Tier Dou Technique, slashing out an enormous crescent-shaped saber aura.

Mu Chen drew a deep breath. Flame patterns crawled over his arms, and two crystalline fire seals immediately appeared in his palms. Xuan Huang Flame poured into them, causing the seals to blaze fiercely.

"Blazing Prairie Hundredfold Slashes!"

With a low shout, Mu Chen thrust both hands forward. Two fire pythons burst from the fire seals, raised their heads, and silently hissed at Rob before charging toward him at high speed.