The Assassin's Strange Art, Saber Intent and Sword Heart
A second before Yannian was attacked, something strange also happened inside Chu Tianshu's tent.
The sunlight streaming in through the window cast Chu Tianshu's shadow clearly onto the ground beside him.
Everything inside the tent casts its shadow to the same side.
But as Chu Tianshu closed his eyes and silently worked hard, a shadow the size of a basketball quietly approached him from behind.
It was a true "black shadow" pressed against the ground, without any thickness or sound.
Only when it got close to Chu Tianshu's shadow did the shadow change slightly, elongating into a human shape, seemingly holding a knife, and slashing towards the back of Chu Tianshu's shadow's head.
Before anyone could react, Chu Tianshu suddenly became alert, gathered his strength in his right hand, and raised it backward.
When!!
His shadow also raised its hand at the same time, its forearm colliding with the knife in the shadow's hand, and the two bounced away.
Chu Tianshu's right sleeve suddenly ripped open, revealing his arm skin, which was filled with internal energy and glowed with a bluish light.
It was as if an invisible knife had actually slashed at his hand, tearing his sleeve but failing to pierce his skin.
"Um?!"
Chu Tianshu turned his head and found that the air behind him was not moving at all, and there was no enemy figure behind him.
I did notice the extra dark shadow on the ground.
The black blade in the shadowy figure's hand changed, and he stabbed at the back of Chu Tianshu's head again.
Collapse!!
Chu Tianshu, who was sitting cross-legged, suddenly exerted his muscles and his body shot forward more than three meters, standing up and grabbing the dangling Sanqi.
The shadow was weightless, so light and agile that it could catch up with Chu Tianshu's shadow in an instant.
Chu Tianshu swung his sword even faster than him.
In the blink of an eye, Chu Tianshu had already unleashed thirteen sword strikes.
On the ground, Chu Tianshu's shadow also unleashed thirteen sword strikes in succession.
The enemy's shadow only managed to block one sword strike before being stabbed twelve times.
These dozen or so sword strikes, without the slightest leakage of internal force, were filled with Sword Intent and their momentum was scorching and cruel.
More than a dozen Sword Intent all struck the location of the assassin's shadowy figure, but the figure only swayed slightly.
Chu Tianshu sensed that at least 99% of his Sword Intent had been wasted.
It simply dissipates into the air, seeps into the canvas, and penetrates the ground.
Only a very small fraction of these efforts truly achieved that unspeakable goal.
"Is it really a shadow?!"
Chu Tianshu originally thought that it was just a soul manifested as a black shadow.
Now it seems that's not the case at all.
His Sword Intent failed to detect the existence of the opponent's three souls Seven Souls.
All I could sense was that the target was an extremely thin, flat, yet incredibly agile thing.
Scientifically, shadows are considered to be merely an optical phenomenon. However, in metaphysics, the relationship between shadows and the human body is very subtle.
Some experts believe that shadows are a symbol of the leakage of vital energy from the human body. Ghosts have no vital energy, so they have no shadows, while Immortal have vital energy that does not dissipate, so they also have no shadows.
Some believe that shadows, on another level, record human activities in different environments.
Perhaps, the shadow can be seen as the eleventh illusory spirit, in addition to the three souls Seven Souls of the human body.
Therefore, there are many spells that can be cast against shadows.
However, whether it's a curse like stepping on an enemy's shadow, or a technique like throwing a dart into a shadow to immobilize the human body, the caster is still a physical entity.
This was the first time Chu Tianshu had encountered a situation where neither the caster's physical body nor their soul knew where they were hiding, and only their shadow was allowed to emerge and act alone.
But his mind was as quick as lightning. After being suddenly attacked, he had already swung his sword to counterattack within a second, and also noticed that there was a surprise attack outside.
Just as the dark figure on the ground was about to make a move, dozens more sword shadows pierced its body in an instant.
This time was different from before; the sword shadows landed evenly on the shadowy figure's head, torso, and limbs.
Even the slightest bit of force that managed to penetrate made the shadowy figure stiffen for a moment.
At the same time, Chu Tianshu opened his mouth and spoke out.
A streak of light shot through the air, oblivious to the numerous physical obstacles that blocked its path.
We passed through this large tent, through seven or eight other tents outside, and over the crowd.
Yannian, on the water's surface, felt as if a tiny shooting star had suddenly flown by and landed between her brows.
Inner Saint, Outer King!!
Yannian Nian shuddered, and from all 84,000 pores seemed to emanate a blazing white and red light, which pierced through the gaps in the fabric fibers and shone outwards.
The wound that had cut into him from the left side of the back of his neck was suddenly blocked.
With a loud bang, sparks flew everywhere, as if an invisible blade had been deflected outwards.
"It's here..."
Yannian didn't look back, but simply lowered his gaze.
His own shadow was now cast diagonally in front of him, half on the water and half on the grassy bank.
The grass was lush and green, the shadows of the blades of grass were jagged, and among them was another dark, human-shaped figure.
It was difficult for others to notice at first, but in Yannian's eyes at this moment, it was clearly visible.
He saw the strange shadow, which was only a shadow and had no body; its left hand was empty like a claw, while its right hand gripped a long knife tightly.
It was that left hand that grabbed Xie Qi's shadow, almost breaking the child's ankle.
It was that right hand that slashed Yannian twice, both blows seemingly intended to damage Yannian's spinal nerves.
The wounds caused by this strange knife also contain a potent poison.
If there had been a slight stab wound to any part of the spine, Yannian would likely have fainted on the spot.
But now...
Yannian suddenly rose half a foot above the water, his left hand, stained with thick blood, holding a needle, and seemingly weakly offered it.
"Quiet practice, inner sagehood, tranquility of mind, and water abstinence!"
A few thoughts flashed through his mind like fleeting shadows, then dissipated like dust, revealing his clear and pure heart.
The grass, the water, and all the miscellaneous scenery and sounds in his eyes faded away.
In the center of my field of vision, only that strange black shadow remained.
The outlines were so clear, and every movement was captured in the finest detail.
Every curve of the shadowy figure's body, every fold of its clothing, became visible and tangible to Yannian.
The dark figure in the grass seemed to pause for a moment.
A sudden scream rang out.
Inside the large tent.
After Chu Tianshu exhaled the Weapon Soul, he stepped out in an arc.
In the blink of an eye, the arc formed a complete circle.
Chu Tianshu's afterimages, layer upon layer, continuously rotated along this circle, ever-changing.
He had changed his Sword Intent to saber technique, and all the saber shadows were directed towards the empty space in the center of the circle.
On the ground, the shadowy figures who came to assassinate him were also surrounded by countless blades.
Ninety-nine percent of the Saber Intent missed its mark, but wasn't there still a tiny fraction that could be realized?!
The shadowy figure also wielded a knife and kept attempting to parry.
But under Chu Tianshu's swordsmanship, the shadowy figure's swordsmanship was practically nonexistent; he stood there, completely exposed, and was slashed at will.
"Brother Shadow, your swordsmanship is terrible!"
A series of explosions echoed from inside the tent, the sounds reverberating in all directions.
"Besides being able to move shadows, you dare to attempt to assassinate me with such lousy swordsmanship?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Tianshu abruptly stopped.
The long sword pointed diagonally, its blade still humming.
The afterimages inside the room completely disappeared.
The surrounded dark figure on the ground also twisted and crumbled like a pile of ashes.
"Whoosh!!"
Chu Tianshu took a deep breath.
He just unleashed hundreds of strikes, all imbued with the Saber Intent, almost like he was holding his breath while sprinting.
As he took this breath, his spirits lifted, and the air currents surged forth, causing the curtains to sway.
Suddenly, the tent flap swung even more dramatically.
Chu Tianshu was no longer inside the tent; his steps were like fleeting shadows as he arrived at the riverbank.
"How's it going?"
They escaped!
Yannian's breathing was a little heavy. He stepped back to the shore and put the child on the ground.
When the doctor, who was in his fifties, looked up, his eyes were bright and alert, and the tip of the silver needle in his left hand seemed to have a faint red tinge.
"However, for this brief moment, I was still able to maintain my senses and discern the direction the dark figure fled in..."
(End of this chapter)