Chapter 669: The Oriole Behind

It was not that the ambusher revealed himself—in fact, he had hidden his killing intent quite well—but that He He Lingchuan had already grown accustomed to being prepared for any contingency. Before he hunted the Beastless, he had already placed a Ghost Shadow Cicada Shell there.

He leaped in front of the captive and asked, "Who sent you?"

Upon seeing that face, he was not surprised at all, for this ambusher was none other than Hu Bin.

This fellow had just snatched the head of the Beastless in the beast nest a step ahead of him, demanding the sky-high price of forty rinsing pearls. Although his reasons sounded high-sounding, He He Lingchuan did not believe a single word of it.

He could still tell the difference between a genuine desire to sell and a fake act of posturing.

Now, Hu Bin had actually tracked him all the way to the mountainous area, which was taking a huge risk; after all, a single rinsing pearl could stifle a hero. Even his Red Yan companions were unwilling to take risks with He He Lingchuan, yet he had come.

This guy was a mercenary, and He He Lingchuan had many enemies, so it was easy to assume he was just doing a job for money.

Hu Bin had timed his strike perfectly, choosing the moment He He Lingchuan killed the Beastless and lowered his guard, but his luck was just a bit poor.

By a stroke of irony, Hu Bin was the one who ended up being outmaneuvered.

Hu Bin looked up at him and said coldly, "The person who wants your life."

"Oh? Which one?" Only after the stench of the incense pellets dissipated did He He Lingchuan dare to approach, holding his Floating Life blade to the other's neck. "Come on, give me a surprise."

Hu Bin struggled again, and a cracking sound came from his body, as if a walnut had been crushed; at the same time, he replied to He He Lingchuan, "Fine."

What was this guy doing? He He Lingchuan was suspicious and cautiously retreated two steps, but the mirror suddenly screamed, "Watch out behind you!"

Before the words "behind you" could even be shouted, He He Lingchuan felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. That was the intuition he had honed through life-and-death struggles in Panlongcheng; a powerful enemy was closing in from behind—danger! This stone crevice was narrow, with no room to maneuver; He He Lingchuan had to either run forward or jump upward.

Oh, wait, Hu Bin was still blocking the way in front.

In this instant, he had actually been forced into a dead end by his opponent.

Furthermore, the opponent had already anticipated the two directions he might escape, so one vertical slash struck forward and one horizontal slash struck upward, forming a ferocious great cross-slash.

Within seven zhang, blade energy surged! In such a small space as this stone crevice, He He Lingchuan had nowhere to hide. Even if he ran faster, he was not faster than the opponent's blade.

Attacking with full force, leaving no room for error. The determination of this person to cut He He Lingchuan down was truly terrifyingly firm.

Yet He He Lingchuan neither ran nor dodged.

At the hair-breadth moment, he actually chose to turn and crouch, manifesting a large shield right under the opponent's nose and slamming it down in front of him with a "bang!"

The rectangular shield surface was smooth and reflective, more so than a mirror, and it was over half a person's height.

This was the second form of the Soul-Sucking Mirror; after consuming the Imperial Flowing Nectar, it had evolved several times and had been polishing its new characteristics. According to He He Lingchuan, this thing was finally of some use.

As soon as he crouched down, the shield blocked him completely.

The great cross-slash struck the shield with a loud bang; it looked like one strike, but it was actually seven consecutive ones! It was just that the frequency was so fast and the intervals so short that it sounded like one long note.

Even with He He Lingchuan's current cultivation base, he felt as if a giant elephant were mercilessly charging at him from the opposite side.

The mirror screamed even louder, "Ahhh, it hurts, this kid is so strong!"

But it had blocked it after all.

The most vicious main cross-slash hit the shield and was mostly deflected, yet the remaining blade energy surged back and forth in the stone crevice like flying blades.

The stone walls on both sides were like blades, and the blade energy reflected back and forth like sound waves. Even with the shield in front, He He Lingchuan's sides and back were unprotected, and he was struck countless times in an instant.

Although it was only residual blade energy, the frequency and force were exactly that of a thousand cuts, as if the opponent wished for him to suffer this extreme torture.

Unfortunately, the faint light on the shield surface extended all the way to He He Lingchuan. The mirror shield itself possessed the attribute of a heart-protecting mirror, providing him with full-body protection, though its strength was limited.

Two popping sounds came from his body as two more protective magic artifacts shattered. Every hunter would prepare before entering the Fu Realm, and he had specifically added some gear.

Regardless, he had successfully blocked the opponent's most insidious and ferocious strike and successfully entered a counter-attack rhythm.

With the two of them in such close proximity, He He Lingchuan raised his hand and delivered a shield bash, heavy and powerful.

The opponent's center was now open, and the Floating Life blade, which had been hidden behind the shield, suddenly appeared, stabbing straight at the opponent's abdomen like a venomous snake.

He He Lingchuan had already seen clearly that the ambusher behind him was indeed Hu Bin! Twice, the opponent had ambushed him twice.

The "Hu Bin" bound by spider silk behind He He Lingchuan now slowly faded, leaving only two strands of silk fluttering in the air.

Hu Bin saw his follow-up move and did not block it head-on, instead jumping back a step to avoid the Floating Life blade.

This blade gave him a very dangerous feeling.

Furthermore, the earlier great cross-slash had been met with the shield's recoil. He knew his own strength best; even if only ten or twenty percent had been reflected back, Hu Bin himself felt his blood and qi churning, his web between thumb and forefinger in sharp pain, and his shoulder suffering a severe impact.

Having finally regained a bit of the initiative, how could He He Lingchuan let it go easily? This was a dangerous mountain path, and judging by the terrain, Hu Bin was below and he was above, so his offensive unfolded like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, violent and peerless.

Attacking from above, whether in reality or psychology, held the advantage.

Unlike the opponent's sweeping and hacking attacks, He He Lingchuan's shield bash was exceptionally fierce, following a path of wide-open strikes, while his right-hand Floating Life blade was elusive, attacking vital points without any regard for martial etiquette.

Two weapons, two diametrically opposed styles, left the enemy at a loss.

This was one of the combat tactics he had learned in the Great Wind Army, called "Clam Sting." In the salt lakes north of Panlongcheng lived a type of small clam, only as long as a little finger, but skilled at catching fish. Its axe-foot bore a venomous sting that could suddenly pop out under the cover of the shell to pierce nearby small fish.

The Great Wind Army adapted this method for battle, emphasizing the combination of solidity and trickery to disrupt the enemy's rhythm.

Whenever there was an opportunity, he would press forward, step by step.

Both were veterans of a hundred battles, both were steady and determined; the sparks from the clashing blades illuminated the dim mountain wilderness and reflected the equally fierce gazes of the two men.

When two brave men meet on a narrow path, the one who is more courageous wins; neither of them had a way out! From the very beginning, this battle was a fight to the death.

Fan Sheng and Meng Shan were simply not in the same league as Hu Bin, yet He He Lingchuan found himself fighting more and more smoothly, more comfortably, and more excitedly.

From the moment he obtained the Meridian Formula in Panlongcheng, he had been diligent and never dared to slack off for a single day.

From the moment he consumed his first drop of Imperial Flowing Nectar, his progress had never ceased.

From the first time his blood stained the yellow sand, he knew his only path was to advance with courage.

But after entering Between Beijia, he had strictly kept his secrets, kept a low profile, and had always been cautious and navigated through various parties.

Even though he was a rational person, the long-accumulated repression, anger, and unwillingness would surely find a breakthrough to surge out.

Like now, like under these grueling gravity conditions.

Hu Bin became more and more alarmed as they fought.

He could keenly sense that the opponent was becoming more and more fluid; both his blade technique and his fighting spirit were gradually climbing to their peak.

Like a rising tide of a crouching dragon, unstoppable.

In terms of hand-to-hand combat and close-quarters grappling, it had been a long time since anyone could fight him to a standstill. Yet this youth was actually using him as a whetstone for his blade, breaking through in the middle of a real battle.

He had only just begun to make a name for himself a few months ago, barely able to withstand a single exchange from him.

Such progress was truly absurd!

His premonition had been correct; he should have cut him down then and there to avoid today's trouble.

The two had fought from the stone crevice back into the stone hollow; the surrounding environment suddenly opened up, and their combat tactics were bound to change accordingly.

The opponent was becoming more and more spirited, but Hu Bin was not worried. Although He He Lingchuan's momentum was strong, his consumption of true qi was like a floodgate opening; one had to know that the Fu Realm had nearly four times the gravity, and every full-force attack had a price.

By the time this kid realized it, his dantian would likely be bottoming out. In this situation, by waiting for him to tire, he would always find an opportunity to turn defense into offense.

Hu Bin had spent many years on the battlefield and had defeated countless strong enemies; he knew that victory was not about the moment, but the final result.

He still had a backup plan, still had his trump card; once He He Lingchuan's strength faltered, that would be the moment for his revenge!

As long as he waited for—

Suddenly, with a loud bang, a stone two zhang away from them was stepped on and exploded.

At least on the surface, it looked like a stone.

This was a marker He He Lingchuan had previously buried around the stone hollow; it looked and felt like a stone, but it was actually hollow inside, hiding a muffled thunder and buried fire talismans. Once the talisman was under pressure, it would ignite, triggering the muffled thunder explosion.

The blast wave arrived, and no one could escape it.

The shockwave from the explosion sent both of them flying, their bodies shimmering with light as their protective magic artifacts were automatically triggered.

Fortunately, they were both highly skilled, and they performed a somersault in mid-air, landing steadily on the ground.

Hu Bin cursed silently; no wonder He He Lingchuan had forced him back to the stone hollow—he had wanted to use the muffled thunder on the ground to blow him to pieces.

He had almost fallen for this kid's trap.

But he felt no joy at all, because the muffled thunder would not have gone off if it hadn't been stepped on.

An uninvited guest had arrived in the stone hollow and had silently crept up to their side, less than two zhang away.

Now that it had been blown up, it stopped pretending and revealed its true form.

Two zhang tall, a mouth like a saltwater crocodile, powerful muscles, sharp claws...

The Beastless leader had appeared!

It had been caught off guard by the muffled thunder and crashed into a large rock nearby, making a loud "thud."

The rock rolled down to the bottom of the cliff.

But the Beastless leader immediately climbed up and shook its body. The muffled thunder hadn't injured its body, but it had brought out its temper.

He He Lingchuan hissed; Li Li Qingge had clearly promised him that although this type of muffled thunder had a small range, its power was particularly concentrated and could blow a thousand-catty Danube beast directly into two pieces.

If even the thick-skinned Danube beast was like that, what chance did Hu Bin have if he stepped on it? He hadn't expected the Beastless leader to accidentally trigger it before Hu Bin could be treated to it, and he hadn't expected that this powerful muffled thunder would cause it no harm at all.

It was too tough; no wonder it dared to go head-to-head with lord-level creatures like the Thunder-Sustaining Giant Beast.

Even if this guy wasn't lord-level, it was only one step away, right?

(End of chapter)