「Money Shop」
"What? Chen Han not only defeated Chen Liang, but he also beat Chen Yu, a Martial Disciple of the Fourth Layer?" Upon hearing the report, Wang Chong slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet. "Is this information reliable?"
"It's reliable. At least a hundred people at the Martial Arts Arena witnessed it."
Wang Chong's eyes narrowed.
For the past three years, believing Chen Han had become a good-for-nothing, he had gone to great lengths to exploit the Chen Family.
'Now that Chen Han's power has returned, I'll be the first person he comes after for revenge.'
"Kill Chen Han, whatever it takes. We absolutely cannot give him another chance to grow stronger."
Wang Chong's voice turned bone-chillingly cold.
...
After defeating Chen Yu, Chen Han returned to the Cloud Heaven Forest.
He had come to deeply understand just how precious real combat experience was.
'Having been forged in blood and fire, my combat reflexes are several times faster than those Chen Family disciples who only train in the Martial Arts Arena.'
Here, he could hunt beasts, earn silver taels, and gain more combat experience—killing three birds with one stone.
A figure flitted rapidly through the dense Cloud Heaven Forest.
After several leaps, he reached the depths of the forest.
RUSTLE!
A faint sound echoed through the woods.
'An Iron-armed Ape!'
The beast stood a full two meters tall. Its body was covered in red fur, but its arms were sheathed in a metallic hide that resembled sheet iron. Its strength was roughly equivalent to a Martial Disciple of the Third Layer; it possessed immense Power, but was somewhat slow.
After a moment of consideration, Chen Han nodded to himself. 'This beast has thick skin and tough flesh. It's perfect for practicing the Vast Sea Step.'
The thought had barely crossed his mind when Chen Han let out a long cry and shot toward the Iron-armed Ape like an arrow loosed from its string.
"ROAR!"
The Iron-armed Ape roared in fury, its iron-clad arms swinging wide as it smashed a fist down toward Chen Han.
CLANG!
The saber collided with the ape's arm. The supposedly indestructible Ruo Shui Golden Saber struck a shower of brilliant sparks from the Iron-armed Ape's limb.
'Such a tough defense!'
Instead of alarm, Chen Han felt a surge of delight. With a light push of his toes, he used the speed of the Vast Sea Step to escape the Iron-armed Ape's attack range, instantly appearing behind it. The Ruo Shui Golden Saber in his hand slashed out from an awkward angle.
THUD!
The Iron-armed Ape's body froze for an instant as a spray of blood erupted from its muscular back.
"Die!"
Pressing his advantage, Chen Han swung the Ruo Shui Golden Saber with even greater ferocity, the blade speeding toward the nape of the Iron-armed Ape's neck.
His time training in the Cloud Heaven Forest had given Chen Han immense combat experience; he knew the fastest way to finish an opponent. If this strike landed true, it would decapitate the Iron-armed Ape.
However, at that very moment, a sense of immense danger suddenly washed over him.
THWIP!
A black shadow, accompanied by a rushing wind, shot through the dim forest.
In an instant, it pierced through the Iron-armed Ape's chest...
'A sneak attack! An arrow!'
A chill shot through Chen Han's heart, and he stumbled backward.
He saw that the arrow had blasted a huge, bloody hole through the Iron-armed Ape's chest. If he had hesitated for even a moment, that arrow would have killed him instead.
"Who's there?" Chen Han whirled to face the direction the arrow had come from.
About thirty feet away stood four masked men dressed in black. He had no idea when they had appeared.
One of them, his eyes cold and sharp, was holding an Iron Embryo Bow. 'The arrow from just now... it must have been him!'
"Heh heh, this kid's not that strong, but he still managed to dodge that shot."
"Hmph, that's nothing special. The only reason he could even contend with that Iron-armed Ape is because he has some decent Qinggong."
"Before we kill the kid, maybe we should torture him and find out what kind of Qinggong he's learned."
The four men conversed with cold chuckles, acting as if Chen Han wasn't even there.
'Assassins!'
Chen Han's expression faltered as the realization hit him.
'These four men are basically all at the Martial Disciple Third Layer, and that Archer has even reached the Martial Disciple Fourth Layer.'
'Who on earth would send such powerful assassins after me?'
"Who are you people? What do you want?" Chen Han asked, keeping his voice calm.
'Even if I can't escape today,' Chen Han thought, 'I have to do my best to figure out who these people are. If I get a chance to escape, I'll come back for revenge later.'
Unfortunately, the four men didn't seem inclined to talk.
One of the assassins, who was holding a Long Sword, gave a low cry and flicked his wrist. The blade flashed with a brilliant light as he leapt down, charging at Chen Han.
The sword strike was incredibly fast.
It reached Chen Han almost the instant it was launched. The Chen Han of a few days ago would have died instantly, but he was no longer that same good-for-nothing. Facing the killing blow, Chen Han remained calm and swung his Ruo Shui Golden Saber out to meet it.
He successfully blocked the attack. CLANG! The two blades met, bending backward from the force of the impact.
WHOOSH—
Using the recoil as the blade snapped back into shape, Chen Han quickly retreated.
'They have superior numbers and are stronger than me,' he realized. 'A direct confrontation is a bad idea. I'd be better off taking this chance to escape... '
"The kid's running away!"
A sharp cry echoed through the dense forest.
"Don't let him get away!"
"Wang Chong paid good money. We have to take his life."
...
'Wang Chong!'
Hearing their conversation, Chen Han clenched his fists, rage flaring in his chest. 'That despicable bastard. He actually dared to hire people to assassinate me. If I make it back alive, I'll slaughter your entire family!'
But for now, the most pressing problem was how to escape their grasp.
THWIP—
Suddenly, from within the forest, a surge of Power shot out of thin air without any warning.
'The Archer!'
This Arrow was even faster, even more sudden. Chen Han was stunned; he tried to dodge, but it was too late.
Like a meteor, the Arrow slammed into Chen Han's back.
BANG!
With a dull thud, the sharp arrowhead, carrying the fully charged strike of a Martial Disciple of the Fourth Layer, instantly pierced Chen Han's left shoulder. The force sent his body flying more than a dozen meters, and he crashed heavily against a rock wall.
"BLEGH..."
A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed from his lips.
Though knocked to the ground, Chen Han forced back the searing pain, rolled over, and scrambled back into the dense forest.
His mind raced as he fled.
'There are four of them,' Chen Han thought, his mind racing. 'Aside from the Archer, the rest are all melee fighters. If they attack me at the same time, I'm no match for them. But one-on-one, I might be able to use my superior Qinggong to take them out. If you want to kill me, you'll have to pay the price. Even if I die, I'm taking you with me!'
Chen Han didn't dare lower his guard. As he ran, he listened intently for any sounds from behind.
Carried on the wind, the voices of the four men reached him.
"There's something strange about this kid."
"Yeah, his Weapon is supposedly the Ruo Shui Golden Saber, something only a Martial Disciple of the Twelfth Layer should have... After we kill him, that Golden Saber is mine."
"Boss... I heard this kid was a good-for-nothing just a few days ago. Now he's dodging our attacks again and again. He must have had some kind of lucky break."
"No wonder Wang Chong is so wary of this kid. But once we kill him, it'll all be over!"
Chen Han narrowed his eyes, killing intent surging within him.
'Wang Chong's actions have crossed a line. A shameless, treacherous bastard like him can't be allowed to live freely.'
'But right now, my enemies are hidden while I'm out in the open.'
'If all four of them had ganged up on me from the start, I'd already be a corpse. If anything, I have their overcautiousness to thank,' Chen Han thought. 'Ultimately, I'm just too weak. If I were at the Martial Disciple Fourth Layer, or even stronger, I wouldn't need to be running for my life!'
Just then, a violent WHOOSH cut through the air behind him without any warning.
BOOM!
The Arrow blasted straight through a massive tree—one so thick it would take three men to encircle it. With a deafening CRACK, the ancient wood snapped in two.
'They found me?' Chen Han thought, slightly alarmed.
If he hadn't sensed it coming and instantly executed the Vast Sea Step, that arrow would have killed him.
BAM!
Another Arrow.
The sheer power of the Arrow carried it through three more large trees. As fate would have it, all three toppled directly forward, kicking up a cloud of dust and blocking Chen Han's path.
"Chen Han, you can't escape!" The demonic roars of the four assassins echoed from behind him.
Chen Han skidded to a halt.
He knew that if he kept running, he would only exhaust his stamina. It was better to turn and fight. With that thought, he stopped and turned to face his enemies.
"Heh heh, time to die, kid! Take this!"
With a sharp cry, the assassin with the Long Sword eagerly charged forward. In an instant, he had closed the ten-meter distance to Chen Han.
WHOOSH!
Another Arrow shot toward him, humming with lethal intent.
Chen Han felt a wave of frustration.
'That Archer, that Martial Disciple of the Fourth Layer... his timing is too perfect. Every shot is aimed to kill.'
However, in the brief moment it took to dodge the Arrow, the Swordsman was already upon him.
'What do I do?'
Chen Han had no room to retreat and no time to think. In that split second, a bold, even reckless, idea flashed through his mind.
Facing the Swordsman's fatal blow, Chen Han didn't retreat. Instead, he advanced, swinging out with his Ruo Shui Golden Saber!