Chapter 123: Chapter 123: The Man in Black
The shadow did not use any Martial Arts but simply stretched out its hand and seized the sword.
DING! DING! DING! DING...
With a flick from the Gang Qi, the sword instantly flew out of Bing Ruolan’s hand. Bing Ruolan grunted, her figure retreating several meters across the lake as an abnormal flush appeared on her charming face.
That shadow stood under the moonlight, finally revealing its form. It was a middle-aged man in a black robe, his hair disheveled and face grimy, his complexion gloomy. His narrow eyes glinted with a malevolent, cold light; he was clearly a sinister character.
"Hehe! I encountered this Thousand Years Blood Clam producing Spirit Blood Pearls half a year ago, but it managed to escape. I’ve been waiting here for five months, just for it to emerge from the Ice Mystery Lake so I can collect the Spirit Blood Pearls! You dare to snatch them? You’re asking for death!"
The man in black repelled Bing Ruolan with a grotesque laugh. Wasting no more time, his figure flashed as he attacked Luo Feng.
This is bad! This guy is actually a master at the mid-stage of the Seventh Level of the Essence Storage Realm!
Luo Feng sensed the surging blood energy from the man in black, and his expression grew heavy.
He was already struggling with the Thousand Years Blood Clam; he simply couldn’t deal with a master at the mid-stage of the Seventh Level of the Essence Storage Realm!
"Luo Feng, focus on collecting the Spirit Blood Pearls! I’ll deal with him."
While Luo Feng was contemplating, Bing Ruolan’s soft voice suddenly sounded as she once again positioned herself before the man in black.
"Okay!"
Luo Feng had no time to consider anything else. Agreeing, he turned and launched a full-force assault on the Thousand Years Blood Clam.
CRACK!
Two whip-like shadows, accompanied by sonic booms, struck towards him.
Luo Feng gritted his teeth; undeterred, he launched a punch at one of the whip-like shadows.
Bing Ruolan had just entered the late stage of the Sixth Level of the God Bravery Realm. She was definitely no match for the man in black. They had to end this quickly!
BOOM!
His fist hit one of the whip-like shadows. The Thousand Years Blood Clam let out a piercing scream. That tentacle immediately retreated into its clamshell, obviously severely injured.
However, the other tentacle, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound as it tore through the air, slammed into Luo Feng’s left arm, instantly tearing his skin and flesh and leaving a horrifying, bloody gash!
Luo Feng was relentless. With a low roar, his thick eyebrows bristling like daggers, he did not retreat but advanced, sending another Thunderbolt punch at the remaining tentacle.
BANG! BANG! BANG!...
After disabling the Thousand Years Blood Clam’s tentacles with two punches, Luo Feng didn’t stop. Like a storm, his fists fiercely rained down on the clamshell. The opening, initially only half an inch wide, gradually grew larger.
At the same moment, the man in black and Bing Ruolan were entangled in an intense fight.
Bing Ruolan knew her cultivation level was far inferior to her opponent’s. She dared not meet him head-on, instead utilizing her Light Martial Arts and Tiger Roar Fist to engage the man in black, her only aim to delay him.
During their time training in the Misty Swamp, she and Luo Feng had often sparred.
With Luo Feng’s guidance, Bing Ruolan’s Martial Arts proficiency had improved tremendously. Now her Qinggong had reached the peak of Great Accomplishment, and her Tiger Roar Fist was perfected! She applied them with incredible skill, her techniques flowing seamlessly and adapting with but a thought.
The man in black had initially thought he could defeat Bing Ruolan in just a few moves. Unexpectedly, her Martial Arts proficiency was surprisingly high; she was nimble and versatile, always managing to turn peril into safety. He was inwardly seething with frustration.
"Little girl, you were actually able to cultivate the Tiger Roar Fist and Falling Leaves Butterfly Dance Step to such a degree; you truly are remarkable. Unfortunately, by daring to block my, Ji Wuchang’s, Heart-Picking Hand today, you’ve sealed your doom!"
As he spoke, the man in black let out a long howl, a ferocious glint in his eyes. The Gang Qi around his five fingers gradually turned black, resembling flickering black flames, exceptionally eerie.
"Black Dark Claw!"
His half-foot-long black palm, fingers curled like a bird’s talon, struck at Bing Ruolan’s right fist. The wind generated by the claw carried a strange, foul stench!
"Martial Arts from a Demon Sect of the West Desert’s Demon Realm!"
Bing Ruolan’s expression changed slightly. She lightly tapped a foot on a lily pad, retreating like a butterfly as light as a feather. Her movement seemed slow but was extremely swift; the tip of her foot drew a white line on a sheet of floating ice as she instantly put several meters between them.
"You actually know about the Black Dark Claw?"
Ji Wuchang’s gaze suddenly turned sharp as he coldly looked at Bing Ruolan.
Bing Ruolan, intending to stall for time, coldly replied, "The Black Dark Claw originates from the Heaven Demon Sect, one of the six major Demon Sects of the Western Desert’s Demon Realm. This claw technique is incredibly vicious; the Gang Qi it forms is highly toxic. Anyone struck by it will turn completely black and die within three days. However, to cultivate this claw technique, one must personally sever all seven emotions. Your Black Dark Claw has already reached Small Success; I fear your wife, children, and clansmen have all been killed by your hand. You’ve utterly lost your conscience!"
Ji Wuchang’s eyes filled with astonishment, which quickly twisted into a malevolent grin, his killing intent flaring. "Truly, I never thought a mere student from the Purple Sun School would know so much about the Demon Sects of the Western Region. It seems I underestimated you! However, no matter who you are, today you will die here!"
With a cold snort, the black Gang Qi on Ji Wuchang’s right claw suddenly flared by another half-foot. His figure flashed, lunging towards Bing Ruolan like a human-shaped greatsword!
Bing Ruolan’s azure pupils contracted slightly, her gaze incomparably grave.
She understood the Black Dark Claw and knew its terrifying viciousness. The slightest touch, if there was no antidote, would be fatal!
SCREECH!!
Just as the battle was about to erupt, a sharp cry suddenly pierced the air from above.
Bing Ruolan and Ji Wuchang simultaneously looked up into the air.
In mid-air, Luo Feng held the Thousand Years Blood Clam. Its clamshell was now fully open, and a dense, blood-red light pulsed within like a living flame.
"My Spirit Blood Pearl!"
Ji Wuchang didn’t expect Luo Feng to open the Thousand Years Blood Clam so quickly. Caught off guard, he disregarded Bing Ruolan and lunged directly towards Luo Feng.
"Luo Feng, be careful! He’s using the Demon Sect’s Martial Art, the Black Dark Claw! Its Gang Qi is extremely poisonous! Don’t meet it head-on!" Bing Ruolan warned urgently.
Luo Feng saw Bing Ruolan’s face, as pale as paper, with a trace of crimson at the corner of her mouth. His eyes turned cold, a furious, storm-like aura roiling unceasingly within his pitch-black pupils!
"You want the Spirit Blood Pearl? Take it then!"
With a cold glance at Ji Wuchang, Luo Feng retrieved the Spirit Blood Pearl from the Thousand Years Blood Clam, snapped the clamshell shut, then, with a punch, sent the massive clam hurtling towards Ji Wuchang.
WHOOSH!
The clam shot forth like a meteor, whistling through the air as it sped towards Ji Wuchang.
Ji Wuchang hadn’t seen Luo Feng retrieve the Spirit Blood Pearl and was caught off guard. He hurriedly reached out his hands to catch the Blood Clam.
BAM!
The force of Luo Feng’s full-strength punch exceeded tens of thousands of pounds; its power was immense! Although Ji Wuchang was a master at the mid-stage of the Seventh Level of the Essence Storage Realm, caught completely unprepared, he was knocked off balance and nearly stumbled into the lake.
At that instant, a sinister black saber gleam flashed before Ji Wuchang’s eyes. The piercing killing intent contained within it made his scalp tingle and every hair on his body stand on end!
The moment Luo Feng punched the Blood Clam away, he had already drawn his Tiger Soul Saber and executed the Sky Slayer Saber Technique.
The Saber Gang practically skimmed along the surface of the Blood Clam as it flew.
SWOOSH!
The black gleam flashed, and blood sprayed. A horrifying scream tore across the surface of the Ice Mystery Lake.
Four fingers on Ji Wuchang’s right hand were severed at their base, blood gushing out relentlessly. The Blood Clam, knocked into the lake, sank with a trail of bubbles, spinning rapidly as it descended to the lakebed.
"Damn you, brat! You dared to ambush me!"
Ji Wuchang gazed at his bleeding hand, his fury erupting. Disregarding the Spirit Blood Pearl, he roared, his entire aura surging violently, making his clothes whip about. Black Gang Qi, over half a foot long, erupted from the fingers of his left hand as he lunged at Luo Feng.
"Die!"
Luo Feng spat out the word coldly. His Tiger Soul Saber danced, unleashing several Saber Gangs, each over half a meter tall, that skimmed across the lake surface towards Ji Wuchang.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!...
Ji Wuchang, having seen Luo Feng break open the Blood Clam with his fists in such a short time, had assumed he specialized in fist techniques. Caught completely unprepared by the saber attack, he suffered another bloody gash.
"Ah! Saber Gang! You’re merely at the peak of the Sixth Level of the God Bravery Realm; how can you possibly project Gang Qi externally?! Could this be the Demon Sect’s Sky Slayer Fatal Saber? Impossible! You’re a student of the Purple Sun School! Why would you use Demon Sect Martial Arts? Moreover, this Saber Technique cultivates one’s demonic nature; why haven’t you gone berserk?"
Ji Wuchang’s eyes fixated on Luo Feng, as if he’d seen something unbelievable.
Sky Slayer Fatal Saber? What’s that?
Luo Feng frowned slightly, his intuition telling him that what Ji Wuchang was referring to might be related to the Sky Slayer Saber Technique.
At that moment, Ji Wuchang suddenly let out a fierce roar. Channeling power into his fingers, he abruptly slammed his palm towards the lake surface.
SPLASH!
The calm lake surface erupted, sending two to three-meter-high waves crashing towards Luo Feng.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
The Tiger Soul Saber flashed repeatedly, cleaving the massive waves into sections that dissipated into nothing. When Luo Feng looked up, Ji Wuchang had already sprinted to the opposite shore and was fleeing into the distance with incredible speed.
"Luo Feng, don’t let him escape! He uses Demon Sect Martial Arts, so he might be connected to them. If we let him go, it could lead to endless trouble in the future!" Bing Ruolan reminded.
"He dared to harm you. Even if I have to chase him to the ends of the earth, I’ll tear him limb from limb!" Luo Feng snorted coldly, stepping to Bing Ruolan’s side.
For some reason, hearing his words stirred an inexplicable emotion in Bing Ruolan’s heart. She stared at Luo Feng, her beautiful eyes wide and unblinking.
"Ruolan, are you alright?" Luo Feng couldn’t help but frown when he saw Bing Ruolan’s pale face.
Bing Ruolan snapped back to her senses, an alluring crimson flush appearing on the tips of her ears. She chuckled lightly and shook her head. "I’m fine. His Gang Qi just disrupted my vital energy and blood flow a bit; I’ll be alright after some rest."
Luo Feng breathed a sigh of relief and handed two pills to Bing Ruolan. "These are Blood Reviving Pills. Take them. He’s severely injured; he can’t have gotten far."
Bing Ruolan accepted the pills, then asked, "Did you get the Spirit Blood Pearls?"
Luo Feng simply smiled without speaking, swept a finger over his storage ring, and opened his palm.
In his palm lay four thumb-sized pearls, quietly emitting a hazy, blood-red glow.
Upon closer inspection, these four spirit pearls were even pulsing faintly, as if alive.
"Four Spirit Blood Pearls!"
Bing Ruolan stared at the blood-colored spirit pearls in Luo Feng’s hand, her beautiful eyes widening as she drew in a sharp breath.
"Luo Feng, you really have amazing luck!"
"Really?"
Bing Ruolan tapped her smooth, snow-white chin and said with a soft exhale, "Ordinarily, a Thousand Years Blood Clam will only condense two Spirit Blood Pearls. Three is already very rare. I’ve never even heard of a Blood Clam condensing four Spirit Blood Pearls at once."
Luo Feng smiled faintly. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have let that Blood Clam go. It might have been a treasure too. He placed two of the Spirit Blood Pearls into Bing Ruolan’s hand.
Seeing that Bing Ruolan wanted to refuse, Luo Feng stopped her. "Two Spirit Blood Pearls are enough for my breakthrough. If it weren’t for you stopping Ji Wuchang, I wouldn’t have been able to get the Spirit Blood Pearls smoothly. You deserve this."
Bing Ruolan wasn’t one for false modesty. Besides, she also wanted to achieve something significant at the upcoming New Talents Assembly. After a moment’s thought, she accepted the spirit pearls.
"Alright, let’s go after him." Luo Feng’s gaze turned towards the opposite shore, gradually growing colder.