Chapter 224: Mysterious Expert
The martial arts aura of Zi Yin Yang and the Poison Spider Young Master was truly too powerful. The spiritual energy in the air was completely absorbed by them. It was as if two martial arts myths stood at opposite ends of the street.
On the twenty-zhang-wide street, not a single pedestrian could be seen. The doors of the shops on both sides were all tightly shut. Only Zhang Ruochen, carrying Chang Qiqi, remained standing alone in the middle of the street.
"Zhang... Zhang... Junior Brother... you... you don't need to worry about me. Put me down... go first... otherwise... you... you won't be able to escape..." Chang Qiqi, lying on Zhang Ruochen's back, said weakly and painfully.
"If we go, we go together. If we stay, we stay together."
Zhang Ruochen's brows were tightly knit together, his gaze firmer than ever before. He had no intention of escaping alone.
They were now very close to the Royal Palace. Once a battle erupted, the experts within the palace could arrive in the first moment.
Therefore, they were not entirely without a chance to survive.
Zhang Ruochen placed Chang Qiqi on the ground, took out a healing pill, and fed it into Chang Qiqi's mouth. "Senior Brother Chang, heal your injuries first. I will definitely bring you out of here alive."
Chang Qiqi sat on the ground, his face bloodless, lacking even the strength to speak. He just gently shook his head at Zhang Ruochen.
If Zhang Ruochen abandoned him, perhaps there might be a slight chance to escape.
But if Zhang Ruochen stayed here, it would be certain death.
Zhang Ruochen straightened his body again, staring at Zi Yin Yang above. "Are you the Young Master of the Underworld Gate?"
"That's right." Zi Yin Yang said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "With your cultivation level, you could easily kill me, yet I have managed to escape from you repeatedly. Do you know the reason?"
"If you are trying to stall for time, waiting for someone to rescue you, then you are gravely mistaken. The Chief of the Moon Worship Demon Sect has already rushed to the Royal Palace to personally deal with the Yunwu Commandery Prince. The Yunwu Commandery Prince is currently unable to protect himself." Zi Yin Yang said.
Zhang Ruochen remained very calm. "Since you don't want to know the reason, then forget it. Pretend I never said anything."
Zi Yin Yang's eyes narrowed. After a moment, he said, "Fine! This Young Master will give you one last chance to speak!"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Whether it's your saber technique or your sword technique, both have major flaws."
"What flaws?" Zi Yin Yang asked.
Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly but showed no intention of revealing them.
The Poison Spider Young Master said coldly, "Brother Zi, don't waste words with him. He is trying to disturb your mind, thereby weakening your combat power. The so-called flaws are just his trick to deceive you."
"I almost fell for your scheme. In my opinion, it's best to shut you up for good." Zi Yin Yang said.
Admittedly, Zi Yin Yang's heart had indeed been slightly unsettled just now. He thought there might really be flaws in his techniques. After all, with his cultivation level, it was indeed too abnormal that killing a martial artist who had just broken through to the Earth Extreme Realm required so much effort.
After thinking it over carefully, he realized that there was no such thing as a completely flawless technique in the world. Just as there could never be an absolutely perfect person.
"Swoosh!"
Zi Yin Yang flew down from the top of that ancient building, slashing out three sword beams in succession.
Two of the sword beams flew towards Zhang Ruochen, while the other flew towards Chang Qiqi.
Zhang Ruochen grabbed Chang Qiqi's battle saber, charged forward a step, and slashed out, dispersing the sword beam heading towards Chang Qiqi.
"Pfft!"
However, Zhang Ruochen himself was struck by a sword beam. Fortunately, it was blocked by the Ice Fire Kirin Armor. He only took two steps back to neutralize the force of the sword beam.
"Zi Yin Yang, you are also considered a top expert among the younger generation of the Black Market. If you have the guts, come at me. Why use an injured person to restrain me?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Zi Yin Yang said, "For an assassin, as long as the target can be killed, any method is permissible."
Zi Yin Yang struck again, attacking Chang Qiqi.
Zhang Ruochen immediately blocked in front of Chang Qiqi, gripping the saber hilt with both hands and slashing down.
"Courting death!" Zi Yin Yang snorted coldly.
"Pfft!"
The Fish Intestine Sword pierced through Zhang Ruochen's left shoulder. At the same time, the battle saber in Zhang Ruochen's hand slashed towards Zi Yin Yang's neck.
Zi Yin Yang frowned slightly. Just as he was about to withdraw the Fish Intestine Sword, he found that the muscles in Zhang Ruochen's shoulder had clamped down on the sword, making it impossible to pull back.
Clearly, Zhang Ruochen had deliberately exposed a flaw, allowing his sword to pierce his left shoulder.
"Madman!" Zi Yin Yang said coldly.
Zhang Ruochen was prepared to fight to the death, but Zi Yin Yang had no intention of perishing together with him.
In this situation, Zi Yin Yang could only abandon the Fish Intestine Sword, quickly sidestepping two paces to dodge Zhang Ruochen's saber slash aimed at his neck.
Zi Yin Yang was extremely frustrated. Zhang Ruochen was the first person to injure him and also the first to force him to abandon his sword. Most crucially, Zhang Ruochen's martial arts cultivation was far inferior to his own.
As one of the seven great experts of the younger generation in the Black Market, being pushed to such an extent by a teenager in his teens was a huge loss of face for Zi Yin Yang.
Zhang Ruochen was not in a good state either, having been severely injured.
The Fish Intestine Sword had pierced his left shoulder, bringing sword qi into Zhang Ruochen's body. Centered on the wound, a large area of meridians and blood vessels were shattered, completely numb and devoid of sensation.
Enduring the pain, Zhang Ruochen pulled out the Fish Intestine Sword embedded in his left shoulder. His body remained standing straight, staring intently at Zi Yin Yang. "Guess which is better—my saber technique or my sword technique?"
"Even if your sword technique is superior, it cannot change the fact that you will die today."
Zi Yin Yang's five fingers curled into a claw shape, executing a mysterious footwork. Like a gust of wind, he rushed in front of Zhang Ruochen.
His hand claws were sharper than refined iron. His five fingers were completely wrapped in freezing true qi, forming five sharp ice spikes.
Influenced by Zi Yin Yang's true qi, snowflakes began to condense in the air. The snowflakes grew larger, the range expanded, and the temperature grew colder.
Zi Yin Yang's physique could also attract celestial phenomena.
"Shua! Shua!"
Zhang Ruochen fully unleashed the Sword Heart Illumination realm of swordsmanship. In an instant, he executed twelve sword techniques, forcing Zi Yin Yang to be completely unable to get close.
"Stop!" A delicate shout rang out.
From afar, a slender figure rushed out of a small alley.
She was dressed in a green robe, wearing a veil. Her figure was petite and exquisite. Wisps of white true qi swirled around her delicate body, forming a hazy, beautiful shadow. Her true appearance was impossible to discern.
Seeing this woman appear, Zi Yin Yang immediately stopped and retreated to a distance. He said coldly, "Who are you? How dare you obstruct this Young Master from killing someone?"
The veiled woman let out a delicate laugh, carrying a hint of disdain. "Don't say it's you. Even if the Gate Master of the Underworld Gate wanted to kill someone, I would dare to tell him to stop. And he would have to stop."
"Such big talk."
Zi Yin Yang's eyes narrowed. He exploded with a speed of one hundred and eighty meters per second, vanishing instantly from the spot. He clawed at the veiled woman.
"Shua!"
Zi Yin Yang's vision blurred. Suddenly, the woman disappeared.
Not good.
Zi Yin Yang immediately turned around, striking out with both palms towards the right.
"Boom!"
On the right, the woman struck out with a palm, sending Zi Yin Yang flying dozens of meters away.
And she remained standing in place, completely unmoving.
"How is this possible?" Zi Yin Yang only felt the blood and qi churning inside him. His arms felt as if they were broken. Even moving a finger caused excruciating pain in both arms.
Among the younger generation, Zi Yin Yang considered himself outstanding and had never tasted defeat.
Who was this woman?
How could a casual palm strike shatter his proud cultivation?
Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, the Poison Spider Young Master immediately rushed over and stood to the left of the woman, forming a pincer formation with Zi Yin Yang.
"Miss, interfering in the affairs of the Black Market is by no means a wise move. I advise you to stop while you can." The Poison Spider Young Master said coldly, playing with his bronze curved blade.
Only the Poison Spider Young Master knew that Zhang Ruochen could control spatial power, so naturally, he could not allow an outsider to rescue Zhang Ruochen.
"What if I don't stop?" The woman's voice was soft and charming, yet it gave a very ethereal feeling, making it impossible to discern her true age.
The Poison Spider Young Master and Zi Yin Yang quickly exchanged a glance, then attacked simultaneously.
This time, neither of them held back, unleashing their full power.
Nourished by true qi, Zi Yin Yang's injured arms had already recovered. His strength had not only weakened but had become even stronger.
Clearly, when he had fought Zhang Ruochen earlier, he had not used his full strength.
"Bang! Bang!"
In an instant, Zi Yin Yang and the Poison Spider Young Master spat out blood, both flying backward and crashing to the ground.
They scrambled up from the ground, looking utterly disheveled and extremely shocked, staring at the woman standing in the center of the street.
"You... you are a Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artist?" The Poison Spider Young Master said.
The woman laughed. "Ignorant! To deal with you, why would I need a Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artist? A martial artist on the Earth List could also accomplish it."
Zi Yin Yang clutched his chest, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He shook his head. "Among the younger generation of the thirty-six commanderies in the Demon Ridge, only two women have entered the Earth List. You absolutely cannot be one of them."
"Yet, I am that third one." The veiled woman said.
Zi Yin Yang said, "With your strength, you must be ranked highly on the Earth List."
The Poison Spider Young Master said, "Truly, there is always a sky beyond the sky, and people beyond the people. We admit defeat today. Losing to you, miss, we are convinced. I wonder if you could leave your name, so we know who we lost to?"
"Hehe! You can't even withstand a single move from me, and you still want to know my name? Not killing you is already giving face to the Black Market." The woman said coldly with a laugh.
"Once I break through to the Great Perfection of the Earth Extreme Realm, I will definitely seek another duel with you, miss." The Poison Spider Young Master said very unwillingly, leaving behind a harsh word before leading the evil martial artists of the Poison Spider Merchant Guild away in disgrace.
As long as that veiled woman was there, even if all the evil martial artists of the Poison Spider Merchant Guild were mobilized, they could not capture Zhang Ruochen. They might even be completely annihilated by her.
The strength of that veiled woman was too terrifying, utterly unfathomable. The Poison Spider Young Master felt that even if his cultivation broke through to the Great Perfection of the Earth Extreme Realm, he probably could not withstand ten of her moves.
Zi Yin Yang glanced in Zhang Ruochen's direction, staring at the sword in Zhang Ruochen's hand. "Within three months, I will personally retrieve the Fish Intestine Sword."
With that, Zi Yin Yang also turned and left.
The entire street was left with only Zhang Ruochen, the veiled woman, and Chang Qiqi, who had already fainted and was lying on the ground.
Their eyes met, but neither spoke.