Chapter 107: Yue Chengzhang vs. Sha Yufeng (Revised)

"Looking for death?"

Yue Chengzhang let out a light laugh, which rang especially clear against the clashing metal and the background roar of energy explosions, carrying a composed air of superiority.

The Supervision Bureau's intelligence gathering on the Undercurrent had continued for a long time; although they had had little contact before, they had also obtained a fair amount of information on Sha Yufeng.

Sha Yufeng and Lin Xiao were complete opposites, making it far too easy to find a leverage against him.

The problem was that Sha Yufeng's strength was not weak, and his methods were ruthless; the Supervision Bureau could never spare suitable personnel to deal with this trouble.

Since Sha Yufeng had brought himself to the door, Yue Chengzhang naturally could not let him run away.

"Did Lin Xiao send you to handle this operation because he has no one left under his command, or because he thinks... this batch of Gloomy Fluorescent Stone is utterly unimportant?"

Before the words finished, the two specially modified pistols in Sha Yufeng's hands, flashing with a dim metallic sheen, had already begun spitting out several bullets in succession.

Unlike ordinary bullets, he fired corrosive light projectiles condensed with dark red energy, moving at astonishing speed, their trajectories cunning, like two venomous snakes that chose their prey, one left and one right, sealing off Yue Chengzhang's evasion space.

"Hmph, Lin Xiao thinks too highly of you Tianmian City lackeys!"

Sha Yufeng fired while snorting coldly, his red eyes beneath blue hair full of contempt.

"Always looking ahead and behind, fearing the front and the rear, no wonder for so many years you've only been able to root yourself in this shadow!"

Facing these dense and dangerous bullets, Yue Chengzhang's gaze tightened slightly, yet showed no hint of panic.

He did not retreat; instead, he slowly raised his right hand, and as he moved, the surrounding light seemed drawn by an invisible force, swiftly converging into his palm, solidifying and taking shape.

In the blink of an eye, a long sword bathed in radiant golden light, entirely formed of pure energy, was grasped in his hand.

Within the blade's luminous brilliance, Rune subtly appeared, emitting a vast righteous aura and a chilling sword intent.

"Qiang! Qiang!"

Yue Chengzhang's wrist trembled lightly, and the long sword traced two perfect golden arcs in the air, striking with pinpoint precision the two most threatening dark red energy projectiles.

The corrosive energy projectiles were sliced cleanly in half by the sword light, turning into scattered dark red mist, which was immediately purified by the sword's inherent righteous aura, vanishing without a trace.

Sha Yufeng performed a swift sidestep, evading Yue Chengzhang's fierce thrust; his two pistols crossed before his chest, instantly gathering a stronger dark red energy that formed a cross-shaped energy shockwave hurtling toward Yue Chengzhang.

"Lin Xiao does have some skill, but in this world the bold are crushed and the timid starve! Someone who camps step by step like him, when will he ever accomplish anything?"

Though his words were full of resentment toward Lin Xiao, Yue Chengzhang keenly caught a point.

Sha Yufeng was belittling Lin Xiao's character and tactics, not his true strength or status.

"So you took it upon yourself, trying to cause a stir with this batch of Gloomy Fluorescent Stone, to prove to Lin Xiao that your 'radicalism' is the right path?"

Yue Chengzhang's single remark exposed Sha Yufeng's intent; his energy long sword suddenly flared, a slash of golden blade sweeping like a new moon, cleaving the cross-shaped shockwave in half.

"Unfortunately, you seem to have misunderstood one thing: it is Lin Xiao's caution that has kept him alive until now."

Yue Chengzhang stood sword in hand, his golden eyes calmly fixed on Sha Yufeng, his tone indifferent.

"And your arrogance will have you leave your life here today."

"Shameless brag!" Sha Yufeng snarled with fury, "I'll tear off your glittering golden skin today and see if inside you're as hypocritical and rotten as those city folk!"

His two pistols roared again, this time not in single shots but in a torrential barrage like a raging storm.

Countless dark red energy projectiles formed a devastating hail of fire, sweeping over Yue Chengzhang from all directions, almost covering every space around him.

Sha Yufeng's figure darted swiftly amid the firing, like a phantom, attempting to find gaps in Yue Chengzhang's defense from various angles.

His gun technique was ruthless and cunning, targeting joints, eyes, and other vital points, clearly showing extensive combat experience.

Yet Yue Chengzhang's response could be called art.

The energy long sword in his hand seemed an extension of his arm; his footwork was not swift, yet he always managed to dodge the densest parts of the hail at just the right moments.

That energy long sword, in his grasp, at times served as the toughest shield, at others transformed into the sharpest spear; seizing the brief moments when Sha Yufeng reloaded or moved, a fierce sword qi would streak out like golden lightning, forcing Sha Yufeng to scramble to evade or brace fully.

"You only know how to hide in your shell like a turtle?!"

Sha Yufeng's prolonged assault failed, and his inner agitation grew even stronger.

A flash of ferocity crossed his red eyes; his two pistols crossed before his chest, dark red energy wildly converging toward the muzzles, "Taste this!"

Two massive phantom serpents, composed of highly compressed dark red energy, roared out from the muzzles; they did not attack in straight lines but, as if alive, traced bizarre arcs in the air, coiling from the left and right toward Yue Chengzhang.

The serpents opened their energy-formed jaws, emitting a nauseating stench and a powerful corrosive force.

This strike, far more powerful than the previous hail, nearly blocked every escape route.

Yue Chengzhang's gaze hardened; he finally ceased pure defense, having already bought enough time with his verbal sparring.

He inhaled deeply, the massive golden energy within his body surging into the blade like a raging river.

The energy long sword instantly flared with brilliance, its blade humming as if it had come alive in that instant.

He gripped the sword with both hands, advancing instead of retreating, meeting the two strangling energy serpents with a horizontal slash.

There were no flamboyant moves, only a golden sword aura that seemed capable of cleaving all darkness and impurity, spreading forward in a perfect crescent.

"Sss—la—!"

The shrill sound, like fabric being torn, echoed through the warehouse.

The two snarling dark red serpent phantoms, at the instant they met the golden sword aura, were as if encountering a nemesis, and were cut cleanly in half by a single sword.

The dark red energy forming the serpents melted like ice, emitting a sizzling wail, rapidly collapsing and dissipating.

The sword aura, undiminished, surged straight toward Sha Yufeng's face.

Sha Yufeng's complexion changed dramatically; in haste he crossed his pistols to block before him, channeling all dark red energy into a massive energy shield.

"Boom!!"

The sword aura struck the shield fiercely, unleashing a powerful energy shock.

Sha Yufeng was shaken back repeatedly, his arms numb, his pistols nearly slipping from his hands, and the dark red shield riddled with cracks, nearly shattering.

He forced his posture to steady, his internal qi and blood churning, and in his gaze at Yue Chengzhang, the prior arrogance and disdain were finally replaced by a trace of incredulous terror.

"Your dual pistols are handled well, but they're all flash and no substance."

Yue Chengzhang did not press the advantage, but stood sword in hand, his tone still calm, yet each word cut like a blade, scraping Sha Yufeng's eardrums.

"Aberrant Arts are decent, but the moves connect stiffly, relying solely on raw ferocity for support."

"Lin Xiao, didn't he tell you that true strength lies in calmly assessing the battlefield? Or... he taught it, but you simply aren't qualified to learn the essence?"

"Shut up!"

"Sha Yufeng instantly glared at him angrily; he indeed scoffed at Lin Xiao's 'plan before acting' style, deeming it overly conservative and missing many opportunities to expand their influence."

"But deep down, he had to admit that Lin Xiao's strength and methods were indeed superior to his."

"This made the two characters 'Lin Xiao' his greatest reverse scale for a long time."

"Yue Chengzhang's words now were no different from repeatedly trampling on his most painful wound."

"Yet his face showed a furious grin, his red eyes blazing with anger; unexpectedly, he did not completely lose reason and lunge forward, but instead took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging qi and blood and anger, and gave a cold smile."

"Yue Chengzhang, all you've got left is a sharp tongue! Lin Xiao's turtle‑shell tactics—I can't learn them, and I disdain to try!"

"As his words fell, Sha Yufeng's aura shifted abruptly."

"He no longer rushed to attack, instead letting his twin spears hang naturally at his sides, while the dark red energy around him began to flow in a more eerie manner, like the calm before a storm."

"The frenzy on his face subsided considerably, as if he finally realized he had just fallen into Yue Chengzhang's scheme, replaced by a shark‑like coldness locked onto prey."