“No, no, please…”
Mu Xiuzhen sobbed, but tied to the chair she could not move at all. She could only watch helplessly as Asura’s hand reached towards her chest.
Asura wore a wicked grin. He especially loved seeing the despair in a woman’s eyes at moments like this. Even more so now, in front of Li Feng, playing with his woman filled Asura with excitement.
At that instant, Asura’s expression changed dramatically. He stamped hard on the ground and leapt backwards.
Swish!
A flash of cold light streaked past. A throwing knife embedded itself exactly where Asura had been standing.
At the same moment, Li Feng shot forward like a cannonball, his dagger tracing arcs of chilling light.
Spurt!
Spurt!
Every assassin he neared had their throat sliced open. Blood sprayed in fountains, and they crashed to the ground.
Li Feng reached Mu Xiuzhen in a flash. His dagger flicked, instantly severing the ropes binding her.
“Go.”
Without hesitation, he grabbed Mu Xiuzhen and darted to the side.
“Kill them! Kill them both!” Asura finally reacted, his face livid as he watched Li Feng escape with Mu Xiuzhen. He had never imagined Li Feng possessed such mastery of throwing knives. Caught off guard, he had nearly been killed.
“Kill…”
The Blood Sand assassins snapped out of their daze and charged at Li Feng.
“Die.”
Li Feng flicked his wrist without hesitation, sending several throwing knives flying.
Swish, swish…
The two assassins at the front were killed before they could even react. The rest paled and hesitated to advance.
Li Feng pulled Mu Xiuzhen behind a pillar and asked, “Mu Xiuzhen, are you alright?”
She shook her head, looking at Li Feng with complicated emotions. His decisive, ruthless killing had left a deep impression on her. Though he had saved her, she did not know how to face him.
“Protect yourself.”
Li Feng had no idea what was going through Mu Xiuzhen’s mind, nor was he interested in guessing. His goal today was to slaughter Asura and these Blood Sand assassins. Rescuing Mu Xiuzhen had merely been convenient. Now that she was safe, he could unleash carnage without restraint. He drew a pistol, pressed it into her hands, then shot off like a shadow.
Mu Xiuzhen stared blankly at his retreating back, somewhat dazed. She had not expected him to leave without even a word of comfort.
“Kill…”
Shouts of killing rang out. Mu Xiuzhen jolted awake and silently scolded herself. This was no time to overthink. The danger was far from over.
With that, she gripped the pistol tightly and stayed concealed behind the pillar.
Swish, swish, swish!
Using the abandoned factory’s cover, Li Feng darted from shadow to shadow. Throwing knives flew from his hands, each one claiming an assassin’s life.
“Damn it.”
Asura’s face was iron-blue. He had not expected Li Feng to carry so many throwing knives, nor that his accuracy would be so terrifying. In just a few minutes, seven or eight of his men lay dead.
“This can’t go on.”
Asura’s expression hardened. He drew a machete from his body and locked his gaze on Li Feng, murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
Li Feng had throwing knives, and his skill with them was extraordinary. If this continued, all his subordinates would be slaughtered. Forget killing Li Feng today.
For this operation, he had mobilised every assassin he could. If he still failed to kill Li Feng, not only would he never forgive himself, the higher-ups would not forgive him either.
After weighing his options, the only way to kill Li Feng was to force close-quarters combat. Besides, he was extremely confident in his own strength. No matter how strong Li Feng was, once they fought at close range, he could cut him down.
With that thought, Asura began stealthily moving towards Li Feng.
“At last.” Li Feng had been watching Asura all along. He knew Asura would not have arranged only this many men in the factory, but as long as the others stayed hidden, he was not worried. By now, Zhong Shuhui and the rest should have arrived. Those hidden assassins could be left to them. His target was Asura alone.
Asura was strong. Li Feng could sense the surging energy within him. Defeating him would not be easy. Given Asura’s reactions and speed, shooting him would be difficult.
Moreover, Li Feng wanted to fight a true expert. Only through real combat could he raise his own strength.
“Li Feng, today you die.”
In an instant, Asura’s pupils turned ink-green. Green mist billowed behind him. He looked like a demon straight from hell, utterly sinister.
Li Feng’s expression grew solemn. A broadsword appeared in his hand as he readied himself.
“Li Feng, take this!”
Asura roared. His eyes blazed with green light. Gripping the machete, he slashed downwards. A green blade of energy burst forth.
Swish!
The blade energy was as fast as lightning. The green glow carried a howling wind, like the wails of ghosts and the cries of gods, sending chills through anyone who heard it.
“What sinister blade work.”
Facing the green blade energy, Li Feng felt an icy aura wash over him.
The cold was not physical but struck at the soul, as if this strike could suppress the spirit itself. An ordinary person facing such a bizarre attack might die of fright alone.
“Break!”
Li Feng frowned. His broadsword slashed out fiercely. Qiankun Blade Art, first form: Blade Severing Heaven and Earth.
A blade of energy shot forward just as quickly to meet it.
Boom…
The two blades collided with a heaven-shaking explosion. Powerful shockwaves swept outwards, instantly dissipating the chilling aura.
“You actually blocked my strike?”
Asura stared at Li Feng in disbelief, his expression turning grave. He knew exactly how powerful that strike had been, yet Li Feng had stopped it.
Li Feng stood unmoved, cold light flickering in his eyes. “Asura, your strength is indeed impressive, far beyond Cai Die’s. Unfortunately, today you face me, Li Feng.”
As he spoke, his aura surged, more than doubling in intensity.
“Postnatal Eighth Layer?”
Asura’s voice was low as he stared fixedly at Li Feng. “Impossible. How can you possess Postnatal Eighth Layer strength? Last time at the hospital when you fought Cai Die, you were at most Postnatal Fourth Layer. How can you have reached the Eighth Layer now?”
Disbelief covered Asura’s face. Cai Die had submitted a detailed report on Li Feng’s strength to the organisation. It was because of her report that they had sent him to Tianhai City. Yet now Li Feng’s power was clearly worlds apart from what she had described.
Had Li Feng improved this much in such a short time?
Asura shook his head. Cultivation did not advance overnight. No matter how talented Li Feng was, leaping from the Fourth to the Eighth Layer in less than a month was impossible.
Could Cai Die have filed a false report?
He shook his head again. Though they had their conflicts, Cai Die would never deceive the organisation.
Then the only possibility was that Li Feng had possessed this strength even last time. But if he had been this strong, why had he not killed Cai Die?
Because she was a woman? Impossible. From Li Feng’s actions earlier, he clearly showed no mercy simply because the opponent was female.
Questions swirled in Asura’s mind, but he had no time to dwell on them. Right now, he had to kill Li Feng.
“No matter your strength, today you will die.”
A ferocious expression twisted Asura’s face. Green light exploded from his body. His machete trembled, emitting mournful wails.
“Asura Slash!”
With a cold snort, Asura stepped forward. Green light blazed around him. He swung the machete down fiercely at Li Feng.
Whoosh!
A two-metre-long green blade of energy cleaved through the air towards Li Feng. The piercing sonic boom sounded like ghostly weeping and demonic howls, utterly terrifying.
Li Feng’s expression hardened. He stared at the incoming blade energy, his own aura turning sharp and terrifying. The air itself seemed to be sucked dry.
“Blade Severing Heaven and Earth!”
Again the same move, yet now several times more powerful. A three-metre blade of energy erupted from his broadsword and met Asura’s green strike head-on.
Boom!
The explosion was deafening. Energy scattered in all directions. Li Feng’s blade energy was successively shattered by the green strike.
“Hah hah, Li Feng, my Asura Slash has been honed for decades. How could you possibly withstand it?”
Asura laughed arrogantly. So what if Li Feng was Postnatal Eighth Layer? His strength had indeed surprised him, but an ancient martial artist’s power did not depend solely on cultivation level. Martial technique mastery and combat experience were equally vital. Even at the same level, Asura could utterly crush Li Feng through experience alone.
“Asura, aren’t you celebrating a bit too early?”
Facing the whistling green blade energy, Li Feng gave a cold laugh and struck out with a palm.
Boom!
Massive palm imprints shot forth, slamming into the green energy with earth-shaking force. The green blade exploded and vanished into nothingness.
“Damn it. Die!”
Asura’s face turned livid. He roared, true qi surging through his body. Green light flashed on his machete as waves of sinister cold radiated outwards.
“Asura Hell!”
He slashed fiercely. Countless blades of energy poured out, each one forming a skull. Ghostly wails filled the air as though true demons from hell were charging at Li Feng.
After the strike, Asura sneered at him. “Li Feng, this is the ultimate technique of my Asura Blade. I have used it only twice in my life. You are the third person to force me to unleash Asura Hell. Dying beneath it, you can rest in peace.”
“Want me dead? It won’t be that easy.”
For the first time, gravity flashed across Li Feng’s eyes, yet his voice remained calm as ever. In that moment, his true qi circulated to its absolute limit.
The next instant.
A colossal dragon-shaped palm imprint roared forth.
