Chapter 630 - 625: Yi San
Chapter 630: Chapter 625: Yi San
The next morning, the first rays of dawn broke through.
After breakfast, Fang Han hung the Cloud Splitting Sword from his waist and walked to the rear courtyard.
Chi Huo was lying on the empty ground beside the Cultivation Field. Hearing footsteps, its pair of dark gold, vertical pupils snapped open, and it trotted over, wagging its tail.
"Let’s go."
Fang Han reached out and patted its massive head before swinging himself onto its broad back.
Chi Huo let out a low roar, its four paws moving as it carried Fang Han out of the courtyard.
Qiu Lan saw him to the courtyard gate and bowed.
"Senior Brother, be careful on your journey."
Fang Han gave a slight nod. Chi Huo had already started striding along the stone path toward the sect’s main gate.
The disciples they passed along the way were first startled by the sight of the giant lion, its body as red as fire. But upon seeing Fang Han seated on its back, they hastily bowed, their eyes filled with awe.
After leaving the Qingxuan Sect’s main gate, Fang Han got his bearings. Chi Huo set off at a run, following the main road toward Liangshui City.
The morning wind rushed against his face, carrying the unique coolness of early summer.
In the fields on either side of the road, early-rising farmers were at work. Seeing the majestic, crimson giant lion, they all recoiled in alarm.
Only after the man and his lion had disappeared into the distance did they breathe a sigh of relief and begin to whisper among themselves.
HUMMM—
Riding on Chi Huo’s back, Fang Han habitually began to circulate the Netherworld Guide.
A cool wisp of air slowly circulated through his nasal passages, and an invisible Perception Power spread out around him like a spider’s web.
He didn’t push it to its full power, however. He kept his perception at a minimum, with a coverage of just a third of a mile.
This allowed him to remain vigilant without consuming too much Inner Qi.
Chi Huo’s speed was immense, yet it was surprisingly steady.
He felt almost no bumps on its broad back as the scenery on both sides flew past and the wind howled in his ears.
Fang Han closed his eyes to rest, his mind turning over the various arrangements he’d have to make after returning home—
’Discussing the many details of the marriage proposal with my parents, preparing the betrothal gifts, choosing a matchmaker, setting a date...’
These matters were tedious, but they couldn’t be handled carelessly.
「In Qingxuan City, at an ordinary inn in the eastern district.」
By the window of a second-floor room overlooking the street, Yi San held a cup of long-cold tea. His plain, unremarkable eyes suddenly flashed.
He saw a crimson figure emerge from the direction of Qingxuan Mountain and race along the main road into the distance.
The crimson figure was massive, its body covered in a mane like fire that glinted dazzlingly in the morning light. It was the exact First-Grade Lion Demon mentioned in the intelligence reports.
Although the figure in green robes sitting on the lion’s back was too far away to see clearly, Yi San was almost certain—it was Fang Han.
’He finally came out.’
Yi San set down his teacup. His utterly plain face still showed no expression, but the fingers gripping the cup tightened slightly, betraying a hint of long-suppressed killing intent.
He didn’t act immediately.
He waited until the crimson figure had run for a few miles and was about to disappear at the end of the road. Only then did he rise unhurriedly, secure the inconspicuous longsword at his waist, push open the door, and descend the stairs.
After leaving the inn, Yi San blended into the street crowd, his pace unhurried, just like any other traveling Martial Artist.
It wasn’t until he was out of the city gates and had confirmed there were no bystanders around that his speed suddenly increased.
His gray robes fluttered slightly in the wind. His toes touched the ground almost silently as his figure shot forward along the main road like a gray shadow.
At the same time, the aura around his body began to recede.
It was an extremely advanced Breath Concealment Secret Technique.
His heartbeat grew slow and deep, his skin temperature merged with the environment, his breathing became nearly inaudible, and all the pores on his body closed, leaking not a single trace of his presence.
Even the faint killing intent was locked away deep in his heart.
He was like a dead branch, a mountain stone, a shadow flitting across the ground—almost perfectly integrated with his surroundings.
A concealment method like this was considered top-level even among the Level Yi assassins of the Dark Abyss.
On the main road, Chi Huo ran forward with steady strides.
Fang Han sat on the lion’s back, his eyes half-closed, circulating the Netherworld Guide to maintain his perception in a radius of a third of a mile.
The cool wisp of air circulated between his meridians and nasal passages, pulling every living presence along the way into his perception—
farmers working in the fields, wild rabbits darting through the grass, birds chirping on branches, and even earthworms wriggling in the soil.
Everything was normal, nothing out of the ordinary.
He didn’t notice that several hundred meters behind him, a gray figure was silently tailing him.
The figure was extremely fast, yet also extremely light and steady. It used the rocks and trees along the road for cover, and every footstep was like landing on soft cotton, making not the slightest sound.
’A little farther. I’ll make my move once we’re farther from the Qingxuan Sect!’
Yi San’s plain eyes were locked onto Fang Han on Chi Huo’s back, silently calculating the distance and timing.
As the third-ranked assassin among the Dark Abyss’s Level Yi, his Cultivation had already reached the Second Stage.
Combined with his advanced Breath Concealment Secret Technique and his comprehended Sword Intent, his combat power was far beyond what a Third Breakthrough Martial Artist could match.
Even though Fang Han had displayed combat power comparable to a Third Breakthrough Martial Artist at the Martial Arts Assembly, he was confident he could successfully assassinate him.
His only concern was being too close to the Qingxuan Sect. If he alerted one of its Grandmasters, he might succeed in killing his target but fail to escape with his life.
Like a lurking viper, he silently followed Fang Han, waiting for the perfect moment to deliver the fatal strike.
An hour passed.
Two hours passed.
The sun gradually climbed higher, and the morning’s coolness was replaced by the dry heat of early summer.
The fields on either side of the main road grew sparse, giving way to rolling hills and sparse woodlands.
Chi Huo had already run for hundreds of miles, its breathing still steady, but its crimson mane blazed like a burning flame under the sun.
Fang Han sat cross-legged on the lion’s back, maintaining the Netherworld Guide at its minimum level.
Along the way, he had only encountered ordinary travelers, the strongest of whom were merely at the Middle Three Grades. There was nothing unusual.
His mind gradually began to relax.
Just then—
An extremely faint, almost nonexistent presence, like a fine needle, suddenly appeared within his perception.
The presence was so faint it was nearly undetectable.
It was like the flicker of a nearly extinguished candle flame, guttering in the wind but never quite going out.
’Hm?’
Fang Han’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
’With the keen perception of the Netherworld Guide, for someone to get this close before I noticed anything...’
What chilled him even more was that although the presence was faint, it carried an indescribable sense of danger.
It was cold and concentrated, like a viper hidden in the shadows.
’This is an expert!’
Fang Han’s hand moved imperceptibly to the hilt of the Cloud Splitting Sword at his waist.
He didn’t look back or make any unusual movements, maintaining his previous posture.
But inside his body, the ink-green Inner Qi of the Cyan Wood Antitoxic Scripture had already begun to circulate faster, and the Force Manipulation Method of the Perfection stage Wind God Step was ready to be unleashed.
’I’ve been discovered!’
Dozens of meters away, Yi San’s plain eyes narrowed slightly.
Although Fang Han appeared extremely calm, Yi San still sensed that something was wrong.
As an experienced assassin, he could tell if he’d been exposed from his target’s subtle reactions, such as their breathing rate, the tension in their shoulders, or the movement of their hands.
Just now, all of Fang Han’s reactions had been identical to before, making it seem as if he hadn’t noticed a thing.
But he had noticed a change in Fang Han’s breathing frequency, and that his hand had moved unnaturally toward the sword at his waist.
’I have to act now!’
Yi San made his decision.
He didn’t know how Fang Han had detected him, but at this point, it no longer mattered.
They were far from the Qingxuan Sect now. Since his position was compromised, it was time to launch the assassination.
SWOOSH—!
Yi San moved.
The aura he had concealed to the absolute limit erupted like a volcano!
The immense Inner Qi of a Second Stage Martial Artist poured into his legs without reservation. The ground beneath his feet suddenly exploded as he crossed several dozen meters in an instant, like a gray bolt of lightning.
Fast!
Incredibly fast!
So fast that only a blurred afterimage remained in the air!
At the same time, his right hand gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist.
KLANG—!
The longsword left its sheath with a sharp, piercing ring, like the hiss of a viper.
The blade was silver-gray, as thin as a cicada’s wing, and incomparably sharp.
In the next instant, his Fast Sword Intent erupted without reservation!
A silver-white sword light instantly condensed on the blade, like a white lightning bolt tearing through the air.
The sword thrust out.
The strike was so fast it surpassed the limits of the naked eye.
The sword light transformed into a straight, fine white line, silently streaking toward Fang Han’s throat.
Where the blade passed, it tore a clear white gash in the air that lingered for a long moment.
From his burst of speed to the sword strike, not even half a breath had passed.
This strike contained all the experience from his decade-plus career as an assassin—fast, precise, and ruthless. There were no flashy moves, only the purest, most fatal blow.
Fang Han’s pupils contracted the instant Yi San erupted.
Already on guard, his right hand, resting on his hilt, tightened abruptly as Yi San’s sword thrust toward him.
KLANG—!
The Cloud Splitting Sword sang as it left its scabbard, its dark cyan blade glinting with a cold light in the sun.
He activated the Void Wind God Sword without holding back.
The Middle Grade Mental Swordsmanship at the Entry Realm allowed his Wind Sword Intent to condense on the blade in an unprecedented way.
He swept his sword horizontally.
The Cloud Splitting Sword transformed into a streak of cyan-gold light, meeting the silver-white sword light with pinpoint accuracy.
CLANG—!!!
The two swords met, erupting in an earth-shattering clash of metal!
The sound was so violent it was like a massive hammer smashing down on an anvil.
A visible shockwave radiated madly outward from the point of impact.
The trees on either side of the road were blasted by the wave of energy. Their canopies shook violently, and countless leaves and branches rained down.
Several bowl-thick pine trees standing nearby were snapped in half by the shockwave, sending wood splinters flying.
Gravel and dust on the ground were kicked up, forming a murky ripple in mid-air that spread out in all directions.
Chi Huo let out a low roar, its massive body pushed sideways by the shockwave. Its four giant claws plowed deep gouges into the ground.