However, the bullet didn't immediately hit him.
In the instant his hair stood on end, Chen Xuan experienced an incredibly mysterious sensation. The movements of the person in front of him seemed to turn into slow motion. He could even see the flame bursting from the muzzle and the bullet exiting the chamber. To be precise, the bullet seemed more like a delicate syringe, with a clear short needle at the front and stabilizing feather wings at the rear!
This is the effect of the "Divine Eye Technique"!
Excellent, it was indeed as he expected, able to enter the state of divine sight in the instant danger is perceived!
Chen Xuan used all his might to condense the first Qi Sword, placing it directly in the bullet's path—with Spirit Sword Technique differing, Thousand Thoughts Sword doesn't need to be attached to any entity, it can form out of thin air, the entity itself is a real sword, no different from those immortal techniques Flying Sword that can take the leader's head from a hundred steps away, except it lacks intelligence.
The divine sight lasts only about half a second, but that's enough.
A light clang sound was heard, with sparks flying.
The bullet was precisely intercepted by the sword!
Joan hadn't yet realized what had just happened.
"Divine Envoy of Lord? This is..."
Chen Xuan suddenly felt a surge of confidence! He actually intercepted a bullet; how cool is that!
Though from the moment he acquired these abilities he understood how to use them, imagining in his head and practical combat are two different things. From the opponent's sudden action to successful interception, not even a second passed, yet now he could distinctly hear his intense heartbeat and the slight dizziness from the abundant adrenaline release.
The most critical thing was, he had to appear at ease on the surface; neither the Envoy of Lord nor the mysterious shopkeeper's reputation allowed him to panic at this moment.
"Did you use this to seal Joan's abilities?" Chen Xuan summoned another sword with a reverse hand, guarding with one on each side. Three swords indeed was the limit, but to achieve flexibility, two swords were currently the most suitable for him. "Too slow for me, anyway."
This wasn't boasting; it was a mental attack.
The witch's expression visibly turned serious.
She dropped the Magic Staff, pulling a revolver from her cloak.
Chen Xuan was stunned; are you seriously bringing this to the medieval era?
Though it had only four chambers, from the wrist-thick caliber, the projectile it fired was at least single grenade level!
Meanwhile, Joan grabbed the chain attached to the shackles underfoot, charging toward the witch—even though it was just an ordinary chain, with Spirit Sword Technique's enhancement, it was no less sharp than a Saber.
"Die, wicked witch!"
Two against one, the advantage is mine.
Moreover, what does it matter that the opponent is firing grenades? Chen Xuan's mind raced; the projectile speed was much lower than a bullet, and it required impact to detonate, so he could slice it during flight.
A light thud was heard as a large, round projectile flew from the muzzle.
Chen Xuan proactively entered divine sight—the large caliber bullet was indeed much slower, and it was fired slightly off, this trajectory couldn't possibly hit him. Hence, all he needed to do was simply dodge the projectile's path while controlling a Qi Sword to stab toward the opponent's chest, keeping another in reserve…
Yet the next second, the witch suddenly vanished from her spot, appearing directly in front of him! They were so close they could almost feel each other's breath!
How could this be?
Chen Xuan's mind suddenly buzzed.
Both Qi Swords were unable to protect him; he watched in horror as the opponent raised a foot, sweeping toward his neck!
His body responded almost instinctively, raising his right hand high, blocking in front of his head, then a powerful horizontal swipe crashed against his elbow, sending his entire body flying!
Chen Xuan heard a cracking sound on the spot.
It was the sound of his forearm fracturing.
He'd been kicked three to four meters away, breaking the cage bars before rolling against the side wall to a stop!
Is this human strength?
All Chen Xuan felt was turbulence boiling inside him, nearly spitting blood. For a normal person, this would lead to immediate paralysis, but with Heart Method protecting him, the Celestial Mist Skill coursing within blocked all internal bleeding and suppressed the pain from the fracture to a minimum.
He even felt a great deal of energy surrounding his broken arm, seemingly ready to force the bone back into position.
The witch evidently didn't plan to give him respite.
After delivering that kick, she raced toward his landing spot.
Chen Xuan directed the Qi Sword to change direction, piercing straight toward himself!
Now the enemy is between herself and the sword; if she doesn't dodge, even if she manages to pursue the attack, she won't avoid getting hit by a sword.
The strange situation appeared again.
At the instant when the Qi Sword was about to strike her, she vanished again, reappearing a dozen meters away. Yet the sword's momentum didn't diminish, instantly piercing into Chen Xuan's body.
The witch showed a hint of a triumphant smile.
But quickly, the smile disappeared.
Because she saw Chen Xuan standing up as if unharmed, with a half-shadow of the sword still in his chest.
This sword is composed of my Qi, stabbing myself just returns the Qi; do you really expect me to kill myself? Chen Xuan cursed inwardly, you're playing too deviously!
But what's with that teleportation?
The "Divine Eye Technique" can only scrutinize for half a second, but it shouldn't make my eyes incapable of capturing her movements, right?
Up to this point, Chen Xuan actually felt his whole being energized; this was far more thrilling than sitting in front of a computer playing games! His adrenaline was high, causing his hands to tremble slightly, yet his mind was clearer than ever.
He previously believed his opponent was inferior to Joan in a straight-on confrontation, but now it seems this assumption was completely wrong! Joan couldn't keep up with the witch's moves at all; in the time Joan lifted her hand to swing a chain, the witch had already completed a kick and teleported twice!
"Looks like your reaction is just that, dodging bullets but not my legs." The witch raised the revolving grenade launcher again.
So, you want to play mental attacks too?
Chen Xuan realized he had to make a choice — whether to use the half-second divine sight before she fired or wait for her to initiate a subsequent attack.
If he was even slightly late by a fraction of a second, he would have to take that grenade head-on. But then again, is what she's firing really grenades? Previously, one had been sliced open by the Qi Sword from the front, but from the scattered fragments, it seemed overly complicated.
She clearly knows the gun is ineffective against me, so why does she always fire before attacking? Or... is it merely a feint?
Chen Xuan brushed the dust off his body nonchalantly, "Actually, I let you come close to me on purpose."
"What?"
"Without giving you room to demonstrate your abilities, how could I evaluate whether your powers are worth seizing?" he said leisurely. "Even if I let you get close ten more times, you have no chance of winning. Joan, stand there and don't move, she can't hurt me."
Joan hesitated for a moment, then nodded seriously, "I understand."
The red-haired witch's face turned cold, decisively pulling the trigger!
Just now, Chen Xuan was mocking and asking Joan to watch, just to provoke the opponent into another attack! As he followed the same routine, one sword stabbed towards the witch, another hovered in midair on standby, but this time, he didn't use the Divine Eye Technique immediately but rather waited until sparks appeared to enter the divine sight state!
By the time he could see the bullet's trajectory clearly, the bullet was less than half a body length away.
At this distance, no matter how quickly he shifted, it would be impossible to dodge!
At this moment, the witch disappeared, and the stabbing Qi Sword hit nothing. Meanwhile, he sensed a faint presence on the bullet.
So that's what it is!
In Chen Xuan's mind, a flash of realization occurred! These launched objects are not just weapons; they are also a kind of special locator. The witch can interchangeably switch between them, making it seem like she suddenly vanished! She had previously flashed instantly to be in front of him; what exchanged was the first syringe shot.
Is this her ability?
This time, she will undoubtedly repeat the trick because the bullet's position is even better than last time. In her view, he likely lacks proficiency in close combat.
Which means, the bullet about to hit him would be switched for the witch!
Chen Xuan didn't need to dodge because he still had the third Qi Sword as a backup! Just summon the third Qi Sword to stand in front, and she would impale herself on the blade.
The thought arose, and the third sword was already formed!
But the bullet didn't turn into the witch; instead, it collided with the Qi Sword and exploded loudly!
No, this thing can really explode!
With a loud bang, Chen Xuan was once again blasted against the wall by the explosion's impact. Fortunately, the bullet seemed to be some kind of energy-concentrating projectile, with most energy being blocked by the Qi Sword.
She did indeed swap positions, but she switched with something other than the just-fired grenade!
"You can only clearly see things happening in an extremely short duration, right?" A cold voice came from behind him at this moment, "When I kicked you, I even left a little souvenir, but you didn't seem to notice."
The red-haired witch had somehow appeared behind Chen Xuan, clutching a dagger and decisively stabbing it into his back — this was an absolute vital point, capable of simultaneously damaging lungs and heart, potentially eliminating a target's instinct to resist.