Chapter 180 - 169: Perfect Coordination

Yi Hongchen gave a wry smile and said in a loud voice, "That turtle... oh, Ji Chenhai, just say it. Do you dare to fight me in single combat?"

"If you don’t dare, then just forget it. Pretend I never said a thing. You’re such a spineless turtle that everyone in your Holy Light Sect knows it. If I challenged you to a fight, you’d probably rather bury your head in your crotch than accept."

"Oh, what a shame. It’s a shame that after we’re dead, we won’t be able to hear the legends about you... I’m actually really curious to see what will happen when Yao Chengjie’s men under your command spread the word of your actions here. What will it be like when the entire Holy Light Sect, the whole of the Purple Chu Country, hears about the oh-so-famous Ji Chenhai?"

Standing outside the giant boulder, Ji Chenhai was fuming. His face shifted from green to white, a spectacular sight.

He had been made a fool by Yi Hongchen more times than he could count in the past. During previous conflicts between the Holy Light Sect and Evil Wind Valley, Yi Hongchen had been the bane of his existence, tormenting him endlessly.

The people of the Holy Light Sect all looked down on him. His junior disciples showed him deference to his face, but secretly, they didn’t respect him at all.

Though Yi Hongchen’s words were a bit exaggerated, they were rooted in fact.

Even Ji Chenhai himself knew full well that several men in his current party were loyal to Yao Chengjie.

Thus, faced with Yi Hongchen’s provocation, he didn’t know how to respond. He was simply beside himself with rage.

He wanted to use this opportunity to avenge his past humiliations, but Yi Hongchen was notoriously cunning. He was genuinely afraid it was a trap to lure him in, take him hostage, and threaten the rest of the Holy Light Sect.

Just as Ji Chenhai was fuming, Yi Hongchen’s voice rang out again. "Sigh. I always thought that my reputation as the dashing, handsome, and suave Yi Hongchen only left a deep impression on beautiful women. I never imagined you’d be this terrified of me! If I’d known sooner, I’d have been delighted. You’re this scared of me even when I’m severely wounded... I must say, I feel a real sense of accomplishment. Huh? What’s going on with your face? It’s all pale and livid. Are you thinking that after you kill us, you’ll have to silence all of your own men to keep this quiet? Hmm, not a bad idea. If it were me, I might consider it too. Otherwise, if word of this got out, it would be quite..."

The moment these words were spoken, the expressions of the surrounding Holy Light Sect members changed drastically.

Based on what the Holy Light Sect disciples knew of Ji Chenhai’s temperament, there was a very real possibility he would do just that.

Ji Chenhai was obsessed with his reputation, and it was widely rumored that he was the current Sect Leader’s illegitimate son. Yi Hongchen’s words hadn’t been an empty threat...

If he really was the Sect Leader’s illegitimate son, it probably wouldn’t take much effort for him to make this group of people disappear.

The color drained from Ji Chenhai’s already pale face, leaving it completely bloodless. He didn’t need to look to know that his men were now staring at him with peculiar expressions.

"Yi Hongchen, since you’re in such a hurry to die, I’ll grant your wish! Come out and face your death! I’m going to chop off your four limbs and your fifth leg, then I’ll make you watch as I strip Luo Fengling naked and ravage her to death!"

With a furious roar, Ji Chenhai accepted Yi Hongchen’s challenge.

While the two were trading barbs, no one noticed a black figure moving like a ghost through the jungle on the perimeter of the Holy Light Sect’s position, silently reaping their lives one by one.

A black-clad Martial Artist from the Holy Light Sect was watching the two below with rapt attention, secretly committing their entire exchange to memory.

He was one of Young Sect Leader Yao Chengjie’s men. If he could bring this information back, he was sure to receive a handsome reward.

Just then...

CRACK!

He heard a faint noise from behind him and to his right.

The Martial Artist was startled and immediately spun around, aiming his bow and arrow in that direction.

But he saw that the area behind him was empty, with no sign of anything unusual.

’Strange. A false alarm... Could it have been a small animal?’ The Martial Artist breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to turn back when he froze. ’No, wait. Those weeds... they look like they’ve been pushed aside!’

He raised his bow and arrow again, his fingers touching the bowstring, ready to draw and fire at any moment.

Unfortunately for him, it was too late.

"Are you looking for me?"

An arm snaked out from his right side and clamped down on his neck.

SNAP!

With a slight twist, the horrifying sound of a neck being snapped echoed through the air.

The archer died instantly, his head lolling to the side as his body slowly crumpled to the grassy ground.

A Qi Martial Realm Fourth Heaven Martial Artist... killed, his neck snapped without making a single sound.

Shen Lang clenched his fingers into a fist, feeling the power in his hand once more. He nodded in satisfaction.

Before awakening the Chaos Divine Body, he had often used Thunder Power Body Forging. As a result, his physical body had already become incredibly tough, far surpassing Martial Artists of the same tier.

And now, while the Chaos Divine Body had yet to reveal its unique abilities, the power of the Celestial Demon Body had already been unleashed. Shen Lang’s physical form had now reached a terrifying new level of strength.

Killing Qi Martial Realm Martial Artists was no great challenge for him.

Shen Lang had chosen this method mainly because the Holy Light Sect members were widely dispersed, positioned at a distance from one another as they encircled the small lake.

Shen Lang didn’t want to give them even the slightest chance to send a Sound Transmission Talisman back to the Holy Light Sect.

’Best to avoid unnecessary trouble. If you’re going to do something, do it cleanly.’

Whether or not he was afraid of the Holy Light Sect was one thing, but blatantly provoking them was another. For now, the best approach was to move in quietly and make as little noise as possible.

This was Shen Lang’s line of thinking.

So he started at the gorge’s entrance, killing them one by one.

In the short time it took for Yi Hongchen to tie up Ji Chenhai with words, Shen Lang had already silently killed eight of the twenty-four Holy Light Sect Martial Artists.

The bodies of those he had killed lay prone on the mossy rocks in the jungle, completely unnoticed.

WHOOSH!

His figure blurred as he practically flew along the ground, darting toward the next closest Holy Light Sect Martial Artist.

His synergy with the Ghost King was becoming more and more seamless. He estimated that in the near future, the Ghost King’s Wings would truly feel like they were a part of him.

...

Meanwhile, down by the edge of the small lake, Ji Chenhai and Yi Hongchen were locked in a furious battle.

Ji Chenhai wielded a Silver Spear, his every move radiating a powerful and majestic aura.

Although his Cultivation was a step below Yi Hongchen’s, he hadn’t fought earlier and was still in peak condition. He possessed considerable strength in his own right.

Yi Hongchen, on the other hand, fought with his usual graceful flair, his longsword constantly deflecting the afterimages of Ji Chenhai’s spear. But his Spiritual Power was depleted, and he was a spent force. Badly injured and having lost a great deal of blood, he was barely managing to tie up Ji Chenhai to create an opening for Shen Lang, who had delivered the Antitoxic Pills.

Yi Hongchen had little strength left. Faced with Ji Chenhai’s tempestuous assault, he was clearly beginning to falter.

His face was ashen and his footwork unsteady. Not only had he failed to find an opportunity to retreat toward the small island, but he was being forced farther and farther away from it by the onslaught of Ji Chenhai’s spear!

The entire battle seemed to have fallen under Ji Chenhai’s control.

It was only a matter of time before Yi Hongchen was defeated.

On the small island, the five people who had taken Shen Lang’s Antitoxic Pills were slowly recovering. The black aura on their faces was gradually dissipating, and a bit of their Cultivation had returned. They were currently crouched behind a rock, watching the battle outside with tense expressions.

"Senior Sister, Senior Brother Yi is caught in the whirlwind of Ji Chenhai’s attacks and is completely on the defensive! They’re getting farther and farther away, giving us no chance to rush out. What should we do?" Zhao Qing said, his face etched with anxiety.

The others nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with worry.

Luo Fengling watched Yi Hongchen retreat, her heart twisting as Ji Chenhai’s Long Spear struck his shoulder and arm again and again. Blood gushed from his wounds, and she felt a frantic desperation rising within her.

"Let’s watch a little longer. Since that mysterious expert is helping us, we might not need to stick to the plan of taking Ji Chenhai hostage. I’ve noticed that Hongchen isn’t deliberately retreating in our direction. He must have realized this as well."

"All he has to do now is stall Ji Chenhai for a little while, and the expert outside might be able to eliminate all the other threats! Haven’t you noticed? Those Martial Artists off to our left... they’ve been lying on those rocks without moving a muscle ever since Hongchen’s fight began!"

"Huh? Is that true?"