Chapter 65: Soul-Snatching, Shi He

Yu Liancheng picked up the Duoqing Sword and blew on it lightly; fresh blood dripped from the blade in a continuous stream.

The movement was very elegant, very bloody, and also carried an indescribable sense of loneliness.

He seemed to have understood the feelings of Ximen Chuixue.

The Soul-Snatching Messenger suddenly said, "You killed Laoshi Heshang?"

Yu Liancheng said, "This matter should not require much elaboration."

Gou Hun said coldly, "But you killed him too quickly."

Yu Liancheng said indifferently, "His martial arts might be passable, but compared to me, he is lacking quite a bit. Furthermore, he was not only physically exhausted but also mentally exhausted, and his fear of me was already carved into his very bones."

Gou Hun said, "If you really wanted to kill him, he would have died long ago, yet you chose to kill him at this very moment."

Yu Liancheng nodded and said without any concealment, "Correct, I did indeed come for your Ghost Villa; he was merely a chess piece to lead the way."

Gou Hun said coldly, "You also know of Ghost Villa?"

Yu Liancheng said, "When geese pass, they leave traces; when wind passes, it leaves a sound. Even if you are invisible people, you will still leave behind traces and clues, not to mention that you are a group of ghosts."

Cold light flickered in Gou Hun's eyes as he said, "Although you know of the existence of Ghost Villa, what you know is very limited, which is why you orchestrated this assassination."

Yu Liancheng said, "In truth, aside from the specific location of Ghost Villa, I know many secrets regarding your Ghost Villa."

This statement was indeed not false at all.

He did indeed know many secrets of Ghost Villa.

For example, the Soul-Snatching Messenger before him, whose real name was Shi He.

Shi He was a disciple of Mu Daoren and was of the same generation as the current Wudang sect leader, Shi Yan.

Twenty years ago, Shi He's reputation was even above that of Master Shi Yan, and he was the most promising candidate to inherit the Wudang orthodoxy; unfortunately, after a certain incident, he had to disfigure his own face, fake his death, and retire into seclusion.

"Soul-Snatching Messenger" Shi He sneered, "Knowing too much is not necessarily a good thing; it can also lead to a quick death."

Once he finished speaking, with a "Clang!" a long, resonant sound rang out, and a sword light like a streak of silk pierced out, as fast as a startled swan or a flash of lightning, impossibly quick. In the blink of an eye, the chilling Sword Qi was already pressing against Yu Liancheng's eyebrows and eyelashes.

Without a doubt, Shi He was a top-tier swordsman.

Although this sword strike could not compare to Ximen Chuixue or Ye Gucheng, it was enough for him to traverse the Edo, dominate the masses, and enjoy the joys and honors of the human world.

Yet such an expert had to disfigure his own face and live on in a state that was neither human nor ghost; how tragic.

Yu Liancheng let out a cold snort, his wrist lifted slightly, and his sword light moved like a dragon, his sword momentum like a mountain, meeting the attack with an unstoppable posture.

Clang!

Sword Qi surged across the sky, and the clouds and mist were shaken, spilling in all directions.

Shi He had already retreated two steps, the web between his thumb and index finger aching, his arm trembling uncontrollably.

He had long heard of Yu Liancheng's heavy sword, but upon making contact, he still felt shocked and astonished.

Immediately, Shi He probed with his wrist, lightning flashing wildly, shooting toward Yu Liancheng from all directions.

What was shooting out was, of course, not lightning, but sword light.

The sword light was actually even more terrifying than lightning.

Any one of these strikes could take the life of a high-level sword expert.

But Yu Liancheng did not move a single step; he simply swung the Duoqing Sword with effortless ease, and amidst a series of "Clang-Clang" sounds of weapons clashing, he had already neutralized all of Shi He's attacks.

Swish!!

Yu Liancheng thrust his sword out, turning defense into offense; the sword was filled with true power, and the sword momentum was majestic and steady. Gou Hun was forced to retreat repeatedly by this strike, almost reaching the edge of the ravine.

But just at this moment, the sword light folded, and the Duoqing Sword was sheathed.

"Your sword technique is truly very high," Yu Liancheng praised.

The Soul-Snatching Messenger let out a cold snort; he had been forced to the brink of jumping off the cliff by Yu Liancheng, yet the other party praised his sword technique as high—this was undoubtedly a mockery, and for a swordsman, it was an even greater insult.

Yu Liancheng smiled again and said, "The reason you were defeated so quickly is that you dared not use your most proficient sword technique. Because once you used it, I would be able to see through your background and origins within ten moves."

The Soul-Snatching Messenger had already closed his mouth, only gripping the sword hilt tightly, the veins on his arm bulging.

Yu Liancheng said, "You would rather die, you would rather cut off your own face, than let others recognize you; you must have many secrets."

The Soul-Snatching Messenger was silent for a long while before finally saying, "What exactly do you want to do?"

Yu Liancheng smiled and said, "If I said I was just bored and wanted to go to Ghost Villa for a stroll and meet Old Knife Handle, would you believe me?"

The Soul-Snatching Messenger glared at him fiercely, then suddenly sneered, "Since you want to stroll, then come ahead."

After speaking, his figure suddenly darted out, as fast as a ghost.

This person's lightness skill was not only fast but also strange—very strange.

Just as strange as his face.

If one had not seen it with their own eyes, no one would believe such a lightness skill could exist.

He seemed like a zombie, his feet three feet off the ground, drifting and gliding out; when his momentum faded, he would tap lightly and drift out again.

But undoubtedly, this was a very terrifying lightness skill; there were not many people in the Edo who could keep up with him.

Fortunately, Yu Liancheng was one of them.

He tapped his toes, and his person darted out like an Exiled Immortal, elegant and agile. The "Ethereal Immortal-Ascending Step" he cultivated was not inferior to any lightness skill in the world.

Both of them had stepped onto the iron chains, flying toward the other side at lightning speed.

If anyone else saw this scene, they might be scared out of their wits.

The ravine was ten thousand fathoms deep, and the iron chain was not only thin but also very slippery, and the mountain wind was very strong; one careless move and one could fall down.

And once one fell, no matter how heaven-defying their lightness skill was, they would be smashed into meat paste.

Just right.

That was exactly the plan Shi He had.

When he was four or five zhang away from the other side, he suddenly twisted his body and thrust a sword backward.

His strike did not look unusual, and the move had no changes, but it was truly too fast—fast to the point of being unimaginable.

This sword strike seemed to catch Yu Liancheng by surprise as well; he could only retreat, retreating backward.

As soon as he retreated, Shi He drifted toward the other side of the cliff.

With his lightness skill, this distance of four or five zhang was not too far, and he reached it in a single glide. Just as he was about to arrive, his long sword thrust once more toward the cliff wall where the Iron chain was hung.

Only a "click" sound was heard; the tip of the sword seemed to have triggered some mechanism, and this side of the Iron chain suddenly snapped, sliding toward the bottomless chasm.

"The swordsmanship of the Jade-Faced Divine Sword is indeed formidable, it is only a pity that today..." Shi He sighed softly, yet within his terrifying eyes, there was already a smile, the smile of a conspiracy fulfilled.

"What about today?" A clear and bright voice rang out.

Shi He's eyes suddenly widened, and as he turned his head, he saw Yu Liancheng standing to the side, looking at him with confusion.