Minglong

Chapter 266 Killing to Protect Life...

A silver moon hangs in the sky, and two figures stand silently beneath the snowy cliff.

Zhao Ling and Linghu Qingmo carefully observed from the crack in the cliff face. To prevent the coal ball from being attacked by a flying super-grade cultivator, they waved for it to come down and protect it.

Shen Jinyu stood on the mountain rock, holding a three-foot-long black sword. Facing Xie Jinhuan's provocation, having already witnessed the boy's explosive power, he did not choose to charge head-on. Instead, he flicked his wrist, and the black sword in his hand hummed softly.

hum~
The next instant, an invisible aura spread outwards, exuding a bone-chilling cold!

The once clear night sky was suddenly covered in dew, forming a thick fog that obscured the snow cliffs and Shen Jinyu's figure. Then, snowflakes fell silently from the fog.

Xie Jinhuan hovered in the air, able to sense that every snowflake exuded a chilling sharpness, like countless clones in the mist, completely obscuring Shen Jinyu's already elusive aura.

The snowflakes were not merely an illusion; as they fell from the sky and brushed against the robes, they instantly created a tear in the blood-stained white garment.

Tap tap~
Xie Jinhuan frowned, his protective aura sweeping across everything around him, instantly clearing the area within ten feet around him, and his gaze searched through the thick fog.

The possessed ghost was also sensing the changes in the surrounding energy, and finally marked the faint outline of a fat man in the mist:

"This person is extremely good at hiding, don't be careless."

Ye Hongshang's perception range is limited to a hundred feet, and the closer the distance, the clearer it becomes. However, at the upper-middle level of the Super Grade, whether it is a spell or a martial arts attack, it can exceed this distance. Therefore, it is very likely that the opponent will only be aware of the attack after it has already been made.

Xie Jinhuan never doubted the strength of the strongest assassin in Daqian. However, the farther away they were, the longer it would take him to react. Moreover, the assassin profession was a variant of martial arts, which enhanced stealth and surprise attacks. They usually did not hold back when they attacked, so the margin for error was very low.

He can barely pinpoint the location, and if he can catch the attack that breaks his stealth, he has a good chance of turning the tables and killing the opponent.

However, there was still a difference in their skill levels. In order to turn the advantage into a victory, Xie Jinhuan did not directly aim at the top of the head through the wall, so as not to let the other party realize that he could barely see his whereabouts. Instead, he held the Heavenly Gang Mace and scanned the thick fog. Whenever there was a slight movement, he would shift his gaze and make a judgment about the location.

Shen Jinyu quickly demonstrated what the movements of a top-tier assassin were like. After disappearing into the mist, she began to quietly maneuver without revealing any energy, even attempting to move towards the rock wall exit where Linghu Qingmo and the other person were, testing his reaction to see if he had caught her.

Xie Jinhuan naturally ignored this and deliberately showed some apprehension. In secret, he opened the Yao Guang and Kai Yang gates, waiting for Shen Jinyu to take the bait.

And this opportunity didn't keep either side waiting long!
Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua joined forces to fight the enemy in the distance. Because the two opponents were not weak, it was difficult to break through their defenses directly. However, they were worried about his safety, so they tried to force their way in, but the situation turned into a passive one.

Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan deliberately created an opening and turned to shout:
"leave me alone……"

Sa——

The moment the words left his mouth, a vortex swirled up in the wind, snow, and fog!
Shen Jinyu seized this fleeting opportunity. His plump figure emerged from the stone wall like a silent ghost, his speed instantly reaching its limit. However, he suppressed all sound with his unique skills. It was difficult to see the ghostly figure flashing through the fog without direct visual observation. The black blade in his hand reached the back of Xie Jinhuan's head!
Such a sudden, unexpected thrust from behind far exceeds the opponent's reaction limit; usually, by the time they realize it, the sword is already upon them.

But to his surprise, Xie Jinhuan was really strange. It seemed that he had not found his position, but when Xie Jinhuan made his move, his aura instantly rose three levels, almost on par with Xie Jinhuan's!

At that moment, the Zheng Lun sword in his left hand was drawn from its sheath, turning entirely azure blue, and then:
Boom——

A lightning bolt as thick as a bowl, like a blue lightning dragon leaping out of a sleeve, rushed straight behind!
Shen Jinyu unleashed a full-force thrust, leaving himself no room for maneuver. By the time he saw what was happening, he had already closed in, only to be struck squarely in the chest and abdomen by the lightning!
The resilience of a top-tier martial artist is second only to that of a Buddhist monk. A bolt of lightning as thick as a bowl is unlikely to inflict serious injury directly, but the shockwave will inevitably cause temporary paralysis of the qi, meridians, and soul.

Although the impact was negligible, in close combat between peak martial artists, life and death hang by a thread. The paralysis, though brief, eliminated Shen Jinyu's last chance to react. Then:

boom--

Shen Jinyu's limbs were instantly paralyzed, but his body, still imbued with boundless energy, continued its momentum as it thrust towards Xie Jinhuan's head. Xie Jinhuan seized the fleeting opportunity, spinning back so that his scalp almost grazed the sword's edge, his Heavenly Gang Mace sweeping like a raging dragon's tail, striking at the ghostly figure attacking from behind.

bang——

Shen Jinyu's sword was less than half a finger's width from Xie Jinhuan's head, and the sword energy even cut through the flesh of his temples. However, his limbs were slowed by the lightning strike, and even with all his strength, he was unable to change the thrust into a horizontal slash in time.

The Heavenly Mace, carrying the force to shake mountains, struck his side without reservation. In an instant, his robes ripped apart and blood mist flew everywhere. He was almost cut in half at the waist by the blunt weapon and was shot towards the snow cliff to the side by the irresistible penetrating force.

Boom——

The cliff face trembled, rocks crumbled, and several spiderweb-like cracks, each over a foot wide, appeared. At the center of the cracks was a circular pit nearly ten feet in diameter!
As Shen Jinyu's sluggish limbs disappeared, he was struck by a violent shock to his lungs and internal organs. Two beads of blood even spurted from his nostrils. He was slammed several feet into the cliff face, but he still did not lose his fighting ability and tried to fight back despite the pain.

But Xie Jinhuan gave his opponent no chance to recover. After severely injuring his vitals, the Heavenly Mace transformed into a flying wheel wreathed in flames, attacking the pit in the cliff face. The heavy mace tore open a long rift in the sky, even the scattered rocks and white mist!
Faced with the deadly attack covered in blazing true fire, Shen Jinyu had no way to withstand it head-on. He could only use his inner energy to protect himself and raise his sword to slash.

As a result, when the two blades clashed, the Black Edge Sword, which had been with him for many years, was actually cracked by the seemingly ordinary iron mace. He was also knocked back by the python dragon once again and smashed into the rocks. The snow cliff rocks were instantly burned red by the flames that were enough to melt immortal artifacts. At the same time!
hiss~
Sa——

Xie Jinhuan ran his fingers across the Zheng Lun Sword, instantly compressing his energy to the limit his body could withstand. Then, he moved with the sword, carrying with him countless flying stones and fire. From a distance, it looked as if a demonic dragon had descended from the snow-capped peak and crashed into the huge gap in the cliff.

Faced with such a powerful and interconnected offensive, Shen Jinyu, who was at a disadvantage from the start, didn't even have a chance to steady his breath before being pressed down in front of him by a thunderous sword. He raised his sword to block, but only managed to slightly deflect the Zheng Lun sword. The blade still pierced his chest cavity, passing directly through his heart.

Rumbling--

The two charged so forcefully that the mountain, originally formed of rock, turned into butter.

Xie Jinhuan plunged into the mountain like a rolling knife, forcefully pressing down on Shen Jinyu's sword edge, and crashed more than ten feet into the mountain before his energy reached its limit.

Even with his superhuman physique, Shen Jinyu's heart meridians were shattered by the impact. Without the support of demonic cultivation techniques, he could not recover on the spot. Seeing that he was on the verge of life and death, he could only use his last strength to stab his sword into his opponent's throat.

Unfortunately, Xie Jinhuan grabbed the already shattered black sword blade with his bare hands. Then, boundless blood energy emerged from the Zheng Lun Sword, surging like a torrent towards his blood-stained right hand holding the sword.

"what--!"

Despite her strong will, Shen Jinyu still let out a scream in the face of the excruciating pain of having her blood and marrow drained. But now that she was so badly injured, she could no longer break free and could only hold on tightly to the surging blood and qi of the Zheng Lun Sword.

Xie Jinhuan gripped the hilt of his sword, looking down at Shen Jinyu, who was embedded in the rocks. His blood was surging, but his words were calm:

"Killing is for the sake of protecting life, cutting off karma is not killing people. The blood and energy you contribute today are the knives that will later cut down the heads of demons. It can be considered that you have made some contribution to the righteous path before you die."

"Ho..."

Shen Jinyu had no idea that Xie Jinhuan had grown to this extent in such a short time, and that his demeanor was like that of a wicked god of death. He opened and closed his lips, trying to stall for time with words.

However, his blood and qi were almost boiling, and even his soul felt as if it were being torn apart by a thousand knives. He couldn't utter a complete sentence. His face turned deathly pale, then withered and sunken, and in the blink of an eye, he became a lifeless, dehydrated corpse.

Xie Jinhuan's aura rose steadily, a bloodthirsty fervor flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly suppressed. Only after his opponent was completely dead did he draw the Zheng Lun Sword and turn to look beyond the mountain...

(End of this chapter)