Free Web NovelChapter 1717: Single Strike
"Escorting someone?! Who?! What in the Heavens are you talking about?!"
Lin Qiang froze for a heartbeat before shouting back, "You've got the wrong man! I admit I came here alone on a mission, but it's definitely not the one you're looking for!"
"Stop playing dumb. What other mission would compel a core disciple like you to sneak into this place?" said the youth with a sneer. "When the Core Disciples from the Shenwang Realm come to the Taicang Realm, they usually cling to their formations day and night, terrified of losing their heads. Yet here you are, abandoning your formation to carry out a solo mission? Do you think we're fools? If it were a minor task, you would have sent an external cultivator."
Stung by the logic, Lin Qiang was momentarily speechless.
"Hand over the target, and we'll let you walk," the youth continued, his voice dripping with false concern. "At most, you'll be scolded for a failed mission. Who would dare punish a core disciple like you? You've worked for years to reach your current status. Don't throw it all away for a moment of stubbornness."
"You talk a good game, but I'm telling you! I didn't escort anyone to Mingwang Star! If you keep hounding me, don't blame me for dragging you to the grave with me. None of us have our formations out. It wouldn't be hard for me to take at least one of you down!" barked Lin Qiang, his face flushed with shame and rage.
"It really wouldn't be hard," whispered a voice from the shadows.
From his vantage point, Fang Chen had already fully gauged their strength. There were eight core disciples in total. The lead youth was the strongest among them, at the fifth transformation. Of the remaining seven, two were fourth transformations, and the rest were a mix of second and third transformations. As for the Kudu monks, none had surpassed the third transformation.
A fifth-transformation immortal... the Sixth Sword will suffice. The rest... are of no consequence.
In Fang Chen's eyes, a core disciple without their formation was no different from an ordinary cultivator.
***
The youth laughed coldly. "Drag us to the grave? You don't have the ability. Tell us where you hid the target. If you don't, you'll soon find that death is a luxury you can't afford."
"Target my ass! When I entered Mingwang Star, those bald donkeys at the border searched me top to bottom! I was alone and I only bought one travel pass! Ask the monks right next to you!" cursed Lin Qiang.
The youth smiled thinly. "I've already asked. They said you were chatting with everyone you met at the border. You spoke to countless cultivators. You likely hid the target on one of their boats during those conversations. We will find them eventually, but I'd prefer you tell me now and save us all the time."
"Go to hell! Catch me first!" Lin Qiang spat one last curse before accelerating his boat. ƒreewebɳovel.com
He ignored any further attempts at negotiation.
The chase intensified through the void. The lead youth's gaze turned murderous. Suddenly, he noticed a flash of light appearing directly ahead. By the time he realised what it was, he tried to halt his boat, but its momentum was too great.
In the blink of an eye, the eight core disciples—including the youth—and nearly a dozen of Kudu monks were cleaved in two. Then, a sudden, overwhelming Sword Intent erupted, reducing them to dust.
Even those with hidden trump cards found no time to use them before they perished. Twenty-odd wandering souls were left standing dazed in the void as they stared blankly at the space where their bodies had been.
In the next moment, the Yin Gourd pulled these souls inside along with eight fragmented Formation Hearts.
Having finished the deed, Fang Chen vanished back into the shadows.
Lin Qiang, who had been fleeing for his life, suddenly felt the pressure lift. He looked back and gasped. His pursuers had vanished without a trace.
Failing to see his pursuers, Lin Qiang's suspicion grew. "Are they trying to circle around and ambush me?"
He instinctively stowed his boat, dove into the thick forests below and disappeared among the mountains.
Fang Chen withdrew his gaze from Lin Qiang and began patrolling Mingwang Star aboard the Black Dragon. He hadn't originally planned to unseal the Yellow Springs Road here, as he only had one complete Formation Heart and two fragments left. He wanted to save them for a strategic location.
However, having just harvested eight fragmented Formation Hearts from the slain core disciples, he was now "rich." Furthermore, with eight core disciples dead, Mingwang Star would become the next major war zone. Opening the Yellow Springs Road here was the best way to prepare for future trouble.
Half a month later, Fang Chen located the Void Illusion Mountain of Mingwang Star.
He tossed a fragmented Formation Heart onto it. The heart transformed into Heavenly Dao Blood and began to melt the talismans on the mountain. However, the progress was slow. Realising one fragment wasn't enough, he tossed a second. As Green Heavenly Dao Blood surged, the talismans were finally dissolved.
A moment later, the Yellow Springs Road of Mingwang Star was fully restored.
Fang Chen smiled. "Two fragmented Formation Hearts to open an ordinary region seal. Not bad."
He dove back into the shadows and returned to the giant city.
Back in his private courtyard, he pulled the sleeping Mi Yu from his pocket and tossed her onto the bed. Then, a thick white mist began to swirl around him and swallowed his figure as he vanished from the room.
***
Yellow Springs Road.
Fang Chen shook the Yin Gourd and poured out nine wandering souls.
Yun Xiujie looked around in a daze. "Where is this?"
The other eight souls were equally confused, not understanding their situation.
"Wait... this aura... the Underworld?" Yun Xiujie's eyes lit up with sudden hope. "I can go back to my father! He has the means to set me on the path of a Ghost Immortal!"
But as he regained his clarity, he looked around and saw the other eight youths... and then, he saw Fang Chen.
Yun Xiujie's eyes turned bloodshot with hatred. "It's you!"
One of the eight wandering souls from the Black Sun Empire gasped in shock upon seeing Yun Xiujie. "Brother Yun?! You... were you also killed by this man?"
Yun Xiujie's expression became incredibly complex as he realised the caliber of the people who had just joined him in death.
"Are we... dead?"
"Yes... we are dead..."
The eight souls slowly came to terms with their fate and looked toward Fang Chen. They immediately recognised him as one of the "ordinary" guests they had inspected back at the inn.
The lead youth's eyes filled with disbelief. "Were you the one who... delivered that strike?"
