Clang—!
The elevator doors had barely creaked open; before the outside scenery could even be clearly seen, a storm of bullets arrived. Dozens of laser rifles and heavy machine guns from ambushed positions spat fire simultaneously. Explosions rang out incessantly; smoke and interlacing red and blue beams of light tore the steel elevator car into a pile of scrap metal in an instant.
"Target eliminated!" a commander roared.
However, as the dust cleared, the elevator car was empty. There was no blood, no corpse, only bullet holes.
"Have you shot enough?"
A bone-chilling voice rang out right behind the group of guards. They turned in terror, but all they saw was a black shadow blurring through the smoke.
"Phantom Steps"
Thuong Sinh had somehow bypassed the hail of bullets with speed far exceeding human limits. He appeared in the middle of the enemy formation, the deep black Black Iron Sword in his hand swinging in a circle of death.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Every swing of his hand left the soldiers' steel armor shattered and their bones crushed. He was like a wolf among sheep; wherever he went, screams and fresh blood splattered. He showed no mercy; every sword strike aimed for a vital point, cold and ruthless.
Just as the slaughter reached its peak, a powerful surge of pressure suddenly descended.
"Stop right there, you arrogant brat."
Boom—!
A flaming fireball and a streak of molten steel chains lunged straight at Thuong Sinh. He calmly leaned his body, standing the Black Iron Sword upright to block in front of him.
Clang—!
Two figures landed, separating Thuong Sinh from the remaining soldiers. One was a middle-aged man with eyes of fire, holding a flaming greatsword; the other was a skinny man clad in metallic armor.
The Black Iron Sword vibrated violently under the impact of the heat and the force of the steel chains. Thuong Sinh stood still and calm, his deep eyes scanning the two newcomers.
"Who dares to intrude here?" the middle-aged Fire-ability user roared; the greatsword in his hand erupted in flames over a meter high, warping the surrounding air with heat.
"Looking at your disheveled appearance, you must be a filthy rat escaped from the Bottom Floor?"
The skinny man in metallic armor said nothing; he lightly raised his hand, and the molten steel chains around him began to float, their sharp tips pointing straight at Thuong Sinh.
Thuong Sinh did not answer; he only slowly lowered the Black Iron Sword, the tip of the blade lightly brushing against the alloy floor, creating small sparks. To him, language at this moment was redundant. Lam Thanh Moc was still locked away over there, and every passing second caused the killing intent within him to rise a bit more.
"Not speaking? Then go to hell and repent!"
The Fire-type user lunged first, the flaming greatsword hacking down like a solar cyclone. Simultaneously, the other controlled the steel chains to lunge from both flanks, locking off Thuong Sinh's retreat. A perfect coordinated strike from those who had fought many battles together, but this time, the one they met was Thuong Sinh.
"Phantom Steps"
Thuong Sinh's figure suddenly faded. He did not retreat but advanced, slipping through the narrow gap between the two steel chains by a hair's breadth. The middle-aged man's flaming blade missed, striking the floor and creating a glowing red, molten gash.
Thuong Sinh gave his opponents no chance to breathe. The moment he slipped past the coordinated strike, he appeared beside the Fire-type user's flank. His gaze was as cold as if looking at a corpse; his right hand tightened around the hilt of the Black Iron Sword.
"Blade Wind"
A deep black, toxic internal force poured from his palm, enveloping the entire sword. There was no whistling wind, but a heavy pressure that felt suffocating.
Slash—!
The sword swung, a deep black blade-force horizontal strike. The Fire-type user raised his flaming greatsword in horror to block, but under the violent power of the Blade Wind combined with the corrosive poison, his greatsword snapped like dry kindling. The blade-force did not stop; it glided across his chest, leaving a gaping wound emitting black smoke.
The middle-aged man didn't have time to scream before falling backward, his entire body quickly invaded by the black aura, rotting on the spot.
"Brother!" the skinny man screamed in agony; he frantically controlled all the steel chains around him to lunge at Thuong Sinh for revenge.
Thuong Sinh spun; he kicked hard against the floor, using the momentum to lunge at the skinny man like an arrow.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
He used the Black Iron Sword to parry all the chains blocking his path. When he was only three steps from the opponent, Thuong Sinh suddenly released one hand from the hilt, concentrating all the extreme poison into the palm of his sword-hand as he struck.
A massive surge of power erupted, propelling the Black Iron Sword forward at an unbelievable speed. The man only had time to see a black blur flash before his eyes.
Puk!
The sword pierced through the metallic armor on his chest, sinking deep into his flesh. The extreme poison from the blade, like venomous snakes, lunged in to tear apart his internal organs. His eyes rolled back, black blood flowed from the corners of his mouth, and he collapsed right beside his comrade's corpse.
In just ten seconds, the two ability users of the Top Floor had become two mangled corpses.
Thuong Sinh walked over slowly, pulling the Black Iron Sword out of the corpse. He used a scrap of cloth from the opponent's clothing to wipe the black blood from the blade.
In a vast room covered by layers of reinforced glass and a dense surveillance system, the Battalion Commander of the Top Floor guard force—a man with a long scar running down his face—sat in a chair, sipping a glass of deep red wine.
Before him, Lam Thanh Moc was shackled to a metallic chair. Her slender wrists were bound by a specialized type of handcuff that could completely neutralize the flow of abilities in the body. Her face was pale, but her eyes still glared at the man.
"You, don't look at me like that." The Commander sneered, his voice full of vileness. "Your companion seems quite strong, but up here, individual strength is nothing against technology and numbers."
"He is about to die."
Lam Thanh Moc bit her lip until it bled; she rasped: "You don't know who he is... he will turn this place into hell."
"Hell? I am waiting." As soon as he finished speaking, the smile on his lips suddenly vanished.
Rumble—!
The steel door—over ten centimeters thick—was smashed into pieces by a massive force, flying violently against the opposite wall and creating a deep crater. The smoke cleared to reveal a silhouette, holding a black sword, strolling inside.
Thuong Sinh stood there, revealing the Gale Leather Armor on his body soaked in blood. His gaze scanned the room before him, then stopped on Lam Thanh Moc. When he saw the purple bruises on her wrists caused by the neutralizing shackles, the killing intent in his body exploded to the point that the electronic devices in the room began to short-circuit and spark.
"You've come..." Lam Thanh Moc whispered, a spark of hope flashing in her weary eyes.
Thuong Sinh did not look at the Commander; he only spoke one sentence neutrally: "Which of his hands touched you?"
The Commander stood up abruptly, drawing a high-tech dagger emitting blue laser light, and roared: "All guards! Kill him for me!"
From the dark corners of the room, dozens of automatic machine guns and special-ops soldiers appeared simultaneously. Thuong Sinh lightly flicked his wrist; the Black Iron Sword began to vibrate, and a jet-black extreme poison overflowed from his hand, enveloping the entire sword and creating a mist of death.
"You don't need to answer." Thuong Sinh looked at the Commander with vacant, deep black eyes. "I will cut off both of his hands."
"Phantom Steps"
He glided with speed far exceeding the sensors of the surveillance devices. The automatic machine gun barrels spun frantically but could only fire at phantom afterimages. In an instant, Thuong Sinh appeared right before the Commander. He didn't use a sword technique but simply concentrated all his strength into one swing of the Black Iron Sword.
Boom—!
The protective armor on the man's chest shattered. The weight of the sword sent him flying backward, hitting the metallic chair.
A hail of bullets fired toward Thuong Sinh's position, causing him to use his footwork to dodge then glide through the soldiers and devices, dealing with them all in less than ten seconds.
"Stop!"
A scarred arm grabbed Lam Thanh Moc's hair, dragging her up and placing the cold laser dagger right against her throat.
"Drop the sword! Immediately!"
Thuong Sinh stopped, standing motionless in the middle of the room. His black eyes stared at the man, but strangely, a chillingly cold smile briefly appeared on his lips.
The Commander looked down at Thuong Sinh's hand, and then his pupils contracted in horror.
Thuong Sinh's hand... was empty.
The deep black Black Iron Sword had disappeared at some unknown moment.
Just as he was about to speak, a cold wind came from behind him; a blurred black streak hissed through the air, winding like a black dragon hunting its prey.
"Sword Kinesis: Gale Transformation"
Puk!
The blade of the Black Iron Sword pierced straight through the back of the neck, through the Commander's throat. The deep black sword tip stopped just millimeters away from Lam Thanh Moc's skin; hot black blood from the wound splattered onto the surrounding energy glass.
Gack... gack...
The Commander's eyes were wide with disbelief. He didn't understand how that black sword could fly as if it had a soul of its own.
Thuong Sinh walked over, ignoring the corpse collapsing onto the floor. He reached out with a hand carrying toxic internal force yet touching the neutralizing shackles on Lam Thanh Moc's wrists with extreme gentleness.
Crack!
The specialized metal—originally extremely durable—was now crushed into fragments by his internal force. He supported Lam Thanh Moc as she was freed.
"Are you... okay?" His voice was still cold, but his eyes had lost some of their ferocity.
Lam Thanh Moc leaned against his shoulder. She looked down at her wrists, which were marked red by the iron rings, and shook her head slightly: "I'm fine... Luckily you came in time."
Despite saying so, Thuong Sinh still noticed her shoulders trembling slightly from the aftermath. He said nothing; a sense of self-reproach rose within him.
Right then, from the Top Floor tower's public address system, a hoarse and authoritative voice rang out, drowning out the alarms:
"You piece of trash from the bottom... You think killing a battalion commander allows you to run wild here?" "The entire Top Floor has been sealed. You and that girl will be the new test subjects for my nuclear reactor!"
As soon as the words ended, the reinforced glass around the room was suddenly replaced by heavy steel shields. From the ceiling, nozzles began to spray a deep purple gas—a high-concentration anesthetic combined with a neurotoxin.
"Hold your breath!" Thuong Sinh said lowly.
He quickly circulated the "Marsh Blood Corrupting Heart Manual". A black aura escaped from his pores, enveloping both him and Lam Thanh Moc in a pitch-black cocoon. The toxic gases of the tower, upon touching this cocoon, were immediately "swallowed" and assimilated by Thuong Sinh's own poison.
"Thuong Sinh, the only exit is behind that curtain!" Lam Thanh Moc pointed toward the wall behind the dead commander's chair. "I can sense water vapor and wind from that direction; there must be a passage to the technical balcony area!"
Thuong Sinh nodded. He flicked his hand, and the Black Iron Sword stuck in the corpse flew back into his palm.
"Hold onto me tightly."
He held Lam Thanh Moc around the waist, concentrating all his internal force into his legs.
"Phantom Steps"
A black shadow lunged with the speed of tearing wind, slamming straight into the steel wall. At the moment of impact, he unleashed a slash carrying the full power of "Blade Wind".
Boom—!
The steel wall was split open; the biting cold air from hundreds of meters up rushed into the room. Thuong Sinh lunged out, his feet stepping on the rusted steel beams outside the tower, wind howling in his ears.
"Hold on tight!"
Thuong Sinh reminded her in a deep voice. Lam Thanh Moc did not hesitate; her two arms tightened around his neck, burying her head into his chest to avoid the wind that hissed as if it wanted to tear flesh.
From nearby guard stations, dozens of combat drones lunged like a disturbed hornet's nest. Blue laser beams began to sweep back and forth across the rafters, locating the target.
He spoke, then suddenly jumped from the steel beam. The two fell freely through the air. Wind roared in their ears; the scenery of Iron City flashed by like lightning. Lam Thanh Moc clung tightly to him.
"Sword Kinesis: Gale Transformation"
Just as they were about to hit a lower floor, the deep black Black Iron Sword automatically unsheathed itself, flying beneath his feet. A surge of pitch-black toxic internal force poured from his palm, concentrating entirely into the sword body. The sword vibrated violently; it was not designed to carry a load for such "flight," and the forced application also caused Thuong Sinh's internal force to deplete at a terrifying speed.
But he had no other choice.
Under his control, the sword waited for the two to drastically reduce their fall speed. Instead of crashing into the ground, they glided through the air like a leaf.
Thuong Sinh landed on a narrow steel corridor at the middle floor, where a massive steam pipe passed through. His palm trembled slightly, sensing the emptiness in his dantian as the internal force was drained too quickly.
"We... we've escaped..." Lam Thanh Moc sighed, her eyes wide as she watched the combat drones gliding overhead, completely unaware that their target had changed positions.
Thuong Sinh said nothing; he placed the sword back at his hip, only now feeling a wave of exhaustion hit him, but he tried to suppress it.
"This is the middle floor... the nearest exit is to the east."
He knew that utilizing Sword Kinesis to fly was an extremely forced feat with his current cultivation, and would be paid for by the consumption of a massive amount of internal force. However, his gaze remained cold and alert.
"We must go back to the forge," Lam Thanh Moc said, her voice full of determination. "Your old sword is still there."
Thuong Sinh nodded; he took Lam Thanh Moc's wrist, helping her cross the tangled metallic corridors.
The Middle Floor of Iron City was a true labyrinth, where steam from the pressure furnaces billowed out, mixing with the yellow neon lights to create a thick and suffocating atmosphere.
Despite being in a weakened state, Thuong Sinh maintained his sharp instincts. He led her through narrow alleys, staying away from the main thoroughfares where the military police were searching frantically.
"Stop."
Thuong Sinh suddenly pulled Lam Thanh Moc into the shadow of a massive fuel tank. Ahead of them, a group of mercenaries was holding biometric scanning devices, sweeping through every corner.
"They have blockaded the exits to the lower floors," Lam Thanh Moc whispered, her hand unconsciously tightening on the hem of his coat.
Thuong Sinh stared at the group of soldiers, his hand resting on the sword hilt. He knew that if a fight broke out now, he would not have enough internal force to end it quickly and cleanly.
"Use your ability," Thuong Sinh turned to her, his voice low. "Create a layer of illusions or bushes to blind those people; I need a few minutes to recover."
Lam Thanh Moc nodded; she knelt, placing her pale hands on the cold steel floor. A few small green sprouts wound through the cracks in the metal, quickly growing into vines that merged with the color of rust and piping, completely concealing their hiding spot.
Thuong Sinh immediately sat cross-legged, circulating the "Marsh Blood Corrupting Heart Manual". The black shell around his heart began to vibrate, frantically swallowing the toxic impurities in the surrounding air to transform them into internal force to compensate for what was lost. The black veins on his neck rose and fell, his pale face gradually regaining some color.
Ten minutes later, Thuong Sinh opened his eyes; a flash of purple light flickered then vanished. Though not fully recovered, he had regained fifty percent of his power.
"Go."
He stood up, and they continued their journey back to the forge. As they approached Forge District No. 7, Thuong Sinh suddenly smelled a strange scent in the air.
He pushed the door open. The smithy was in ruins, the steel anvil overturned, and the coal furnace had gone cold. The lame blacksmith was sitting flat on the ground, leaning his back against the wall, his breath ragged. On his chest was a deep wound, blood having soaked his leather apron.
He was dead.
Beside him, the teenager lay gasping amidst a pool of blood, his chest heaving weakly. Seeing a silhouette, he tried to open his eyes, his hand trembling as it pointed toward a secret compartment beneath the ruins, his voice barely a whisper: "Master... before he went... said... the sword is finished... He waited for you... but..."
The teenager did not finish his sentence before losing consciousness from too much blood loss. Thuong Sinh said not a word; his face was terrifyingly somber. He approached the overturned anvil, using pure muscular strength to toss the heavy stone slab aside. Beneath the layer of ash was a long wooden box bound with cold steel.
He opened the lid.
A pungent surge of purple-black aura rose; his old sword had now completely transformed. The blade was slender and long, pitch black like the night; along the sword body were blood-vessel grooves flickering with a faint purple light. The feeling of holding the hilt was no longer like holding a dead object, but like touching a part of a bloodthirsty body.
The Marsh-Blood Sword.
He wrapped the sword in cloth and wore it at his hip, then opened the system to buy a "Primordial Recovery Pill" for thirty points, stepped to the boy's side, and placed the pill into his mouth for him to swallow.
The moment the pill entered his mouth, a warm surge of life force immediately spread through the teenager's withered body. The wounds on his body began to close, and his breathing gradually became more stable.
Thuong Sinh stood up, not looking back another time. He knew this one had kept his life. His gaze moved to the corpse of the old blacksmith, then slowly shifted toward the shop door; from the moment he stepped inside, he had sensed the auras outside had already surrounded the shop.
"Thanh Moc, watch over him."
Thuong Sinh spoke softly then stepped out the door. His hands rested on the cloth-wrapped sword hilt; although not yet drawn, a surge of killing intent began to overflow around him.