SPURT!
The swordsman's sky-filling attacks transformed into a boundless net of sword shadows, as cunning and sinister as a nest of vipers.
But Chen Han was fearless. He swung his saber in a direct chop toward his opponent.
Meeting endless change with changelessness!
This simple, unadorned strike instantly brought all of the swordsman's tricky and bizarre techniques to a halt!
"Die!"
The swordsman's heart seized.
'How could I let some brat's aura intimidate me?' His heart hardened. The long sword in his hand shot out like a serpent's shadow, thrusting viciously at Chen Han's chest.
"You're the one who's going to die!"
At that moment, a cold light flashed in Chen Han's eyes. His body twisted in a bizarre posture, narrowly dodging the fatal blow. Instead of advancing, his Ruo Shui Golden Saber retreated, sinking into the swordsman assassin's throat.
SCHLICK!
Blood sprayed as the swordsman collapsed.
Chen Han had risked taking a sword strike just to land this one fatal blow at close range, giving his opponent no chance to react.
The swordsman assassin clutched his ruined throat, his eyes bulging in utter disbelief. He couldn't believe that a dignified Martial Disciple Third Layer like himself had been counter-killed from the brink of defeat!
THUD!
The swordsman assassin crashed to the ground.
Before the others could react, Chen Han instantly pulled out his saber and retreated, vanishing into the dense forest.
Now, it was one against three.
A sharp glint flashed in Chen Han's eyes.
Although he had risked his life to kill one of them, he had also been injured in the process. Fleeing at top speed, Chen Han clutched his chest and clenched his fist. 'These assassins are clearly well-trained. If I had hesitated for even a moment back there, I'd be the one on the ground right now.'
Having hovered on the brink of death several times, Chen Han's mind, contrary to expectation, grew calmer.
'There are three left. I can't face them head-on. I need to find a way to separate them and take them down one by one.'
Forcibly swallowing a mouthful of blood that threatened to erupt, the image of Wang Chong suddenly flashed through Chen Han's mind.
'In the end, it still comes down to my lack of strength. If my Cultivation was at the Martial Disciple Fourth Layer, or even higher, why would I be in such a sorry state against these few?' Hiding in the dense forest, Chen Han was once again forced to confront his own weakness. 'With absolute power, would I ever need to fear a situation like this?'
...
"He's gone!"
The assassins all stopped.
"This job isn't worth it. We thought we were just killing some ordinary piece of trash, but he ended up killing one of our brothers," the archer assassin said coldly. "When we get back, we have to make Wang Chong pay double."
"Boss, that kid's Qinggong is too strong. I'd say it must be a High Level Martial Art," another assassin said. "He actually managed to evade my tracking."
"We'll split up," the archer assassin said, narrowing his eyes. "After we catch that brat, we'll be sure to torture his Qinggong technique out of him."
...
「Three days later.」
Chen Han hid behind a cliff, his breathing slightly ragged. The last few days of being chased had drained too much of his energy.
All three assassins were far stronger than him. Although they had split up to find him, which gave him a decent chance for a one-on-one fight, an opportunity like the one he'd had to kill the Swordsman assassin unfortunately hadn't come again...
Now, he had finally been cornered by the strongest of them, the archer assassin who had reached the Martial Disciple Fourth Layer. He had been tailed for half a day.
During this time, no matter how many countermeasures Chen Han devised or how many tricks he used, he couldn't shake his pursuer.
The archer assassin was like a ghost; no matter how far he ran, the man always managed to catch up.
BANG!
A black shadow whistled through the air.
The rock wall he was hiding behind was blasted by the Arrow, leaving a large hole. Shattered stone fragments shot out in all directions with a sharp clatter.
"Chen Han, come on out," the archer assassin shouted coldly. "You should be proud you've managed to dodge so many of my attacks. This game of cat and mouse is over. I have to say, I never expected a piece of trash like you to last this long... But prey like you is all the more satisfying to slaughter!"
Chen Han clenched his fists.
These last three days had been a nightmare. He was being hunted like a stray dog, forced to flee for his life.
However, the constant threat of death had also forced him to rapidly master the Vast Sea Step. In just three short days, he had painstakingly cultivated this High Level Qinggong to the Great Success Stage. His speed had increased by about sixty percent, and now, as long as he kept his distance, he no longer had to fear the assassin's surprise arrow attacks!
"I'm a piece of trash?"
Chen Han, hidden in the shadows, let out a slow, cold laugh.
"If I'm trash, then what does that make you? A mighty Martial Disciple Fourth Layer expert has been chasing me for three whole days. Doesn't that make you even worse than trash?" Chen Han sneered. "You're nothing special. You're just relying on a powerful bow."
"Sharp-tongued, aren't you," the archer assassin chuckled sinisterly. "But it doesn't matter what you say. It's useless, because very soon, this Cloud Heaven Forest will be your grave!"
Chen Han narrowed his eyes.
The next moment, he pushed off his toes, and his entire body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, hurtling toward the archer assassin.
"You're courting death!"
The archer assassin sneered, nocking an arrow to his bowstring.
Although his opponent's Qinggong was quite advanced, it was still far from a match for his Archery. Before, Chen Han had only managed to escape repeatedly because the dense forest debris obstructed his line of sight. Now that the brat actually dared to counter-attack, the archer assassin was not alarmed, but pleasantly surprised.
TWANG!
The bowstring hummed, and two arrows shot forth.
WHOOSH...
Just as they were about to strike his face, Chen Han's figure suddenly accelerated by about twenty percent, allowing him to brush past the deadly arrows.
"How is this possible?" the archer assassin cried out in horror.
"Why would I show myself without absolute confidence?" Using the Vast Sea Step, Chen Han had already reached the assassin in the brief moment he was stunned. With a fierce swing of his Ruo Shui Golden Saber, he chopped off the archer assassin's right arm.
"Aaaargh!"
Along with the agonized scream, the severed arm flew high into the air, trailing blood.
The archer assassin clutched his wound and staggered backward.
"Trying to run? Not a chance!" Chen Han roared and gave chase. Over the past three days, although he had expended an immense amount of energy, he had also discovered the wondrous effects of the Ancient Divine Technique. Because he had an extra Dantian in his body, his injuries healed more than twice as fast as usual. Now that he had cultivated the Vast Sea Step to the Great Success stage and his speed had greatly increased, he was naturally confident he could fight the archer assassin head-on.
SLISH!
The Ruo Shui Golden Saber swung fiercely, sending a high spray of blood into the air.
The archer assassin's head promptly fell to the ground.
His head rolled away like a gourd, his eyes bulging as if he still couldn't believe that the piece of trash he had hunted for three days had actually managed to kill him.
"This bow isn't bad."
Chen Han knew its value. He kicked the corpse aside and took the Treasure Bow the assassin had used. He also found five thousand taels worth of silver notes on the body—this was likely the payment from Wang Chong. But after all that, it had ended up in Chen Han's hands.
After dealing with the archer assassin, Chen Han didn't linger. He quickly headed toward the outer edge of the Cloud Heaven Forest.
There were still two assassins in the forest. He absolutely could not let them live!
'Don't you two disappoint me...' A smile touched Chen Han's lips. Only now did he truly understand the importance of Martial Arts. If he hadn't raised his mastery of the Vast Sea Step by another level at the most critical moment, he would likely be the one lying dead here today.
The thought of the other two assassins made Chen Han grip his Ruo Shui Golden Saber tighter.
In the distance, he heard some movement and immediately hid.
Parting the dense foliage, he saw the two assassins slowly making their way toward his location.
"Pah! That kid is as slippery as a loach. We just can't seem to catch him," the saber-wielding assassin said.
"No matter how slippery he is, he's still running like a stray dog from us brothers. No one escapes a hunt by our group," the other assassin, who used a dagger, said. "By the way, there was definitely the sound of a fight here just now. How come no one's around? Don't tell me that kid got away again?"
The saber assassin looked around and couldn't help but frown. "Third Brother, I have a bad feeling about this. This assassination isn't going to fail, is it?"
"Fourth Brother, has that kid scared you witless? We're both at the Martial Disciple Third Layer, and he's only a Martial Disciple Second Layer. Dealing with him should be a complete curb stomp, right?" The dagger assassin shook his head with a cold smile. "Just wait until I get my hands on that brat. I'll grind his bones to dust!"
"Is that so?"
Just as the two were talking, a cold voice suddenly came from above.
Wielding the Ruo Shui Golden Saber, Chen Han dropped down from the sky.
"You're the ones who are going to be ground to dust..."
Chen Han roared, concentrating the Powerful Qi in his body into his arms. He brought the Ruo Shui Golden Saber down in a vicious chop toward the dagger assassin.
These men never would have imagined that Chen Han, the one they had been chasing all over the place just a few days ago, had, in the blink of an eye, reversed their roles of hunter and hunted. Caught completely off guard, the dagger assassin was struck by the saber. Half his skull flew high into the air, and he died on the spot.
In an instant, of the four-man assassin team, only the final saber-wielding assassin remained.
"Now, it's your turn," Chen Han said, his words slow and deliberate as he stared at the trembling saber assassin.
The saber assassin looked at Chen Han, and for some reason, a sliver of fear suddenly rose in his heart.
Before this young man, he felt like a small boat in a great storm, about to capsize at any moment.
He began to feel regret.
He regretted having so easily agreed to assassinate Chen Han.
But now, it was too late for regrets.
Because he had provoked someone he absolutely could not afford to offend.