"Go, but be cautious. This kid is full of tricks. Be careful not to fall into his trap,"
the old man with the crutch said as he watched Lin Chen walk away, offering a few words of advice to Wang Qi.
Wang Qi nodded emphatically, then set off in the direction Lin Chen had left. Unknown to the old man, when he mentioned Lin Chen’s cunning and warned Wang Qi not to be deceived, Wang Qi’s eyes flashed with an icy coldness, clearly resentful of the old man’s high regard for Lin Chen.
With his Fourth Layer of Melding Earth Realm cultivation, how could he fear a waste from the Spirit Gathering Realm Seventh Layer? To him, the old man’s words weren’t a warning, but rather a sign of distrust.
After leaving the ruined temple, Lin Chen pondered for a moment and decided to first head to Cloud Sky City to find a place to stay. There, through Spiritual Bees, he continued to monitor everyone’s moves in Cloud Sky City while awaiting his master’s arrival.
However, before long, Lin Chen sensed a powerful presence approaching.
In response, his expression grew playful.
It seemed the assassins of Moon Shadow Pavilion still harbored doubts about him and didn’t trust him.
Spiritual Bees followed Lin Chen nearby, keeping every move within a four- to five-mile radius under his control.
Soon, Lin Chen spotted Wang Qi, who was following closely behind him. Although the other party had hidden his presence well, how could he escape Lin Chen’s sharp eyes?
"Come out. Are you skulking about because you intend to take my life?"
Lin Chen turned around and looked at the dense forest behind him.
Wang Qi, hidden in the forest, was extremely shocked. He had concealed his presence completely, yet Lin Chen had still detected him.
He realized he might have underestimated Lin Chen, but even with this realization, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to teach Lin Chen a lesson with his Fourth Layer of Melding Earth Realm cultivation.
But Wang Qi did not intend to merely teach Lin Chen a lesson.
He planned to kill Lin Chen right there and then, because, after all, their plan was flawless. Even without Lin Chen’s help, taking down Cloud Sky City would be a piece of cake for them.
"Hand over the treasures your boss gave you just now, and I might spare your life,"
Wang Qi said to Lin Chen, the corners of his mouth rising in a cold smile as a silver spear appeared in his hand from nowhere.
"You want to kill me? I had already agreed with your boss to form an alliance in five days to oppose Qingxuan Sect. If you kill me, how will you explain it to your boss?"
Lin Chen asked indifferently, with no hint of fear on his face.
Wang Qi had only reached the Fourth Layer of the Melding Earth Realm, which Lin Chen did not consider a threat.
Lin Chen had been able to fight Jia Shaluo, who had employed a Secret Technique, even when he was just at the Fifth Level of the Spirit-gathering Realm. Now that he had reached the Spirit Gathering Realm Seventh Layer, his combat prowess had increased even further.
"Haha, you’re too naive, kid. We assassins never question the reasons. If you’re alive, our boss will naturally form an alliance with you, but if you’re dead, our boss won’t ask an extra question,"
Wang Qi said, looking at Lin Chen, smiling coldly.
"Since you refuse to hand over the treasures, I’ll just have to kill you and take them myself,"
As Wang Qi spoke, he already made his move, thrusting the long spear towards Lin Chen’s chest.
Spiritual Power gathered on his spear, turning it into a silver dragon that roared through the mountain and forest.
Seeing the attack coming head-on, Lin Chen did not dare to be careless.
Without a word, Lin Chen conjured a long sword from thin air and parried the thrust. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ NovelHub(.)net
The collision between the spear and the sword sent out a series of resonant clangs.
When their weapons met, the Spiritual Power of the martial arts skills caused both to stagger several steps back.
Wang Qi was alarmed; he had put almost all his strength, nearly his strongest blow, into that thrust. He had thought it would be enough to take down Lin Chen, but to his surprise, Lin Chen had blocked it without a scratch.
Now he finally understood his boss’s warning when he left.
Raising his gaze, Wang Qi saw Lin Chen’s Flowing Light Sword.
"This one is actually an Earth-grade Magical Instrument, a Mid-Grade one at that!"
Wang Qi’s eyes betrayed both fervor and greed as he looked at Lin Chen’s Flowing Light Sword.
"Tough luck, kid. You’re surely going to die today, and I shall keep this treasured sword for you."
"Golden Dragon Spike!"
Wang Qi said greedily. As he swung his spear, it ignited into a golden flame that took the form of a fire dragon and thrust towards Lin Chen once more, its fiery maw wide open.
"A Spear Arts martial skill!?"
Lin Chen saw the oncoming attack and was gravely focused, not daring to take it lightly. He applied both a Strength Talisman and a Swiftness Talisman to himself, then wielding the Flowing Light Sword, his aura changed instantly.
"High Mountain Flowing Water Sword Technique, second form—Ice Through Rivers and Mountains!"
The Spiritual Power inside Lin Chen surged towards the Flowing Light Sword he held, causing the temperature around him to plummet suddenly.
With a raise and stab of his sword, a greenish cold ice spike, triggered from the tip of his blade, sprung up from the ground, forming an icy barrier that shot up towards Wang Qi.
Wang Qi’s expression changed drastically as he perceived a mighty and unparalleled strength within Lin Chen’s swordsmanship, even greater than his own.
But he refused to believe that Lin Chen could defeat him, so he pressed forward with his spear, meeting Lin Chen’s sword strike head-on.
Under Wang Qi’s disbelieving gaze, the sword strike Lin Chen executed extinguished his fire dragon in an instant. The cold ice didn’t stop there; it spread to his spear and toward his body.
The ice wrapped around the spear, turning into icy spikes, and stabbed at Wang Qi.
Wang Qi dropped his spear as several wounds, pierced by the cold ice, appeared on his body.
"If I’m not mistaken, this sword technique belongs to the Jade Cauldron Sect. How could you...?"
"You’re not from the Black Cloud Sect at all, but from the Jade Cauldron Sect."