Chapter 42: Facing the Gale

Huo Gen's corpse collapsed, the hammer smashed most of his head, leaving only a small fragment intact; blood and brain matter splattered the room, making the scene rather gory.

Lei En wiped the few drops of blood from his face and exhaled slowly.

He raised his hand to press the area beneath his ribs, feeling a faint pain; it seemed a minor injury, but nothing serious.

A Level-2 fighter's full-force strike unleashed his internal Qi completely; even with a steel body, he wasn't unscathed.

The corpse's soul flew out, was absorbed, and the phone's battery immediately rose by three bars.

"Level-2 Transcendent, you can only give me 3% battery," Lei En shook his head; this direct soul absorption was inefficient, far worse than full integration, yet he was satisfied.

If he had to rely solely on meditation to increase soul power, those three bars would take a long time to earn.

He looked at the woman on the floor, still unconscious; from the flamboyant garments hanging by the bedside, she was either a professional prostitute or a high‑class escort, posing no threat, and her features were hidden in the darkness.

Lei En ignored her, not wanting to linger, slipped through the hole in the wall, returned to the balcony and flipped down.

The balcony was low; while he was still mid‑air, a greenish flash suddenly flashed before his eyes.

Swoosh!

In an instant, Lei En couldn't react; fortunately, his steel body auto‑activated under stress, turning his whole form as hard as iron.

The narrow greenish flash slashed his chest, as if to cut him in two.

A wave of pain surged to his brain; Lei En couldn't attend to his wound. Upon landing, he stepped back, held his war hammer horizontally before him, assuming a defensive stance.

"Hm? Still alive," a deep male voice resonated from the shadows below the balcony.

Lei En had already activated his Soul Eye, seeing the other's appearance clearly.

Just from the voice, he recognized him as the companion Hogan had spoken with in the tavern, named Wei Er Te.

At this moment, Wei Er Te wore tight black clothes, a cloth covering his face except for his eyes; he merged with the shadows, his body wavering. He wielded a curved long blade, its sword emitting a bluish glimmer. In Ai Lun E Si, there is no separate term for "blade"; it is considered a type of sword called a single‑edged sword.

The single‑edged sword was clearly an enchanted weapon, its shape resembling a bygone katana.

Lei En glanced down at his chest; his clothing was cut, a long wound spanning left to right across his torso. Fortunately it was shallow, only one or two centimeters, and blood seeped, staining the fabric.

The wound was already healing, the bleeding stopped.

He felt a sudden dread; without his steel body, he would now be two separate corpses.

"How did Wei Er Te get here?"

Lei En took a few more steps back, widening the gap with Wei Er Te while vigilantly watching his every move.

Through his Soul Eye, Wei Er Te's soul was exposed, revealing four layers; a black‑red faith fire enveloped it, a familiar aura—indeed the presence of the evil god Luo Xi.

Moreover, Wei Er Te's soul contained as many as five Elements!

Lei En didn't have time to scrutinize the Elements' details; a glance was enough to discern Wei Er Te's Transcendent profession.

"Magic Swordsman, Level‑4 Gale Magic Swordsman!"

A Magic Swordsman is an advanced class of Ranger; at Level‑4 or Level‑7, a Ranger can fuse a magic soul bearing an Affinity Element, gaining elemental affinity that blends spells with swordsmanship, enhancing sword power.

The Magic Swordsman has several branches, and the Gale Magic Swordsman is one of them.

This rare Transcendent class is famed for speed, capable of rivaling the world's fastest professions.

Compared to strength, defense, and spirit—basic physical attributes—speed is the hardest to improve,

the speed gap between many high‑level and low‑level Transcendents is small, unlike strength or spirit, which often have an insurmountable chasm.

But once speed reaches a certain realm, widening the gap with opponents becomes terrifying.

"As the saying from a past life goes: In all martial arts, only speed is unbreakable!"

Lei En's strength and defense are strong, far surpassing peers, but he lacks speed advantage; after becoming a Transcendent, his speed only improved slightly, making it his greatest weakness.

Ironically, Wei Er Te is a Gale Magic Swordsman, countering him in speed.

With that sword, he couldn't react at all.

Lei En instantly felt pressure; Wei Er Te's class level was three tiers higher and he wielded a superior weapon, making resistance difficult.

What unsettled him more was how Wei Er Te ended up here.

Lei En's mind raced, landing on a single possibility.

Yesterday Wei Er Te couldn't have noticed Lei En eavesdropping outside the tavern; he must have guessed from Hogan's words that he was being followed, then counter‑tracked Hogan. Wei Er Te kept it secret from Hogan, using him as bait, lying in wait here for the hook.

When he arrived earlier, Lei En waited carefully for a moment but didn't detect Wei Er Te's presence.

This made him even more cautious; the Voice of All Things is not omnipotent, and there are unknown methods that can evade detection.

Next time he meets such an experienced foe, he'll have to be extra careful.

"Hope there will be a next time..."

Lei En calmed down, gripping his war hammer tightly.

At that moment Wei Er Te spoke; his face hidden by cloth, his expression unreadable, yet his voice brimmed with surprise. He stepped out from beneath the balcony and said, "A Iron Guard can catch my 'Flash Sword Slash' and survive—no wonder he could kill those Te Li Fu wasteful ones."

Lei En hummed and gave no reply.

Obviously, Wei Er Te treated him as an Iron Guard.

The 'Flash Sword Slash' he mentioned is one of the Elements in the soul, condensing wind Element power onto the blade, instantly unleashing astonishing speed and force toward the target.

Wei Er Te stood casually, seemingly confident, and continued in a low voice, "Your strength is impressive; you killed Hogan so quickly that I didn't even have time to save him."

"If you hadn't desecrated the deity, I'd gladly let you join the Shadow Blade and replace Hogan's position."

"Now, meet your death!"

Before the words finished, Wei Er Te swung his sword forward; a cyan curved energy blade erupted from the edge, like sword qi, carving a deep trench in the ground that instantly reached Lei En.

Lei En felt a sharp thrust; he didn't dodge, instead fully activating his steel body, deciding to brace the attack.

The energy blade sliced his body, emitting a resonant clang.

Lei En felt nothing, his gaze locked on Wei Er Te; after releasing the energy blade, the opponent's body flickered and vanished, moving at extreme speed.

From the corner of his eye he caught a silhouette, stepping with a pace beyond naked eye, circling to his back.

"Gale Step!"

Lei En had long anticipated that Wei Erte would use this move; it is one of the Element in his soul, and also the signature skill of the Windstorm Demon Swordsman.

A streak of blue light surged from behind, flashing away in an instant.

Wei Erte again executed a Flash Sword Slash.

Lei En swung his war hammer, and the hard hammerhead struck the sword's blade with pinpoint precision.

A sudden clang rang as the war hammer met the sword, splashing a spray of sparks; Wei Erte's figure emerged, seeming a bit taken aback, his Flash Sword Slash unexpectedly being blocked.

Before Lei En could continue his attack, Wei Erte activated Windstorm Step and vanished with a swish.

Just a few steps to his side, a Sword Wind Blade rushed in.

Lei En turned around, seeing only the blade but not Wei Erte's figure. He ignored the blade, letting it strike his body, tearing his clothes into fragments, while he focused on tracking Wei Erte.

Seconds later, a blue flash came from the left, almost invisible under the cover of night.

Lei En tried to block it with his war hammer, but this time he was half a step too slow, and the hammer struck empty air.

With a puff, another wound appeared across his chest and abdomen.

However, this time Lei En was prepared; before being cut, he raised his Iron Body to its limit, so the wound was shallower than before, barely scratching the surface.

Wei Erte appeared on the balcony, looking down at Lei En with a hint of disbelief.

"What defensive Element is this?"

His swordsmanship is flawless; the sharp enchanted longsword combined with the Flash Sword Slash can cut through steel rods as thick as a thumb.

If it were anyone else, even a transcendent two or three levels higher, a single sword would cause severe injury, perhaps even cleave them in two, yet on this person it merely grazed a layer of skin.

When the blade made contact, a massive resistance surged through the sword, as if it truly struck iron.

"Iron Body!"

Wei Erte instantly deduced the truth, his eyes bulging round. Apart from this renowned supreme Element, he couldn't think of any other Element that could provide such astonishing defense.

"You actually possess a supreme Element!"

Wei Erte's low voice grew hoarse, perhaps out of jealousy or shock, as he stared intently at Lei En, trying to confirm the matter.

Lei En naturally gave no reply to Wei Erte; watching the enemy on the balcony, he was also at a loss.

His own speed was too slow; he couldn't even touch the opponent.

Without the Iron Body, even nine lives wouldn't keep him alive.

"Can't hit, can't chase, must retreat for now."

Lei En felt the urge to withdraw; fortunately he had disguised himself before leaving, covering his face, lest Wei Erte see his appearance and cause trouble.

He knows Wei Erte, but Wei Erte doesn't know who he is; there will be a chance to strike later.

Lei En turned and left without hesitation.

As long as he leaves the house's shelter and is exposed to the Wu Shi Ta's Spirit Demon Eye's sight, Wei Erte wouldn't dare make a move.

"You want to run?"

Wei Erte's figure flickered briefly, yet he remained stationary.

He seemed stunned by the Iron Body Element, realizing he couldn't break Lei En's defense quickly enough to threaten him, so he simply stayed on the balcony, letting Lei En retreat.

Lei En stepped backward toward the wall, about to break free.

A petite figure emerged from the shadow at the corner, only a step from Lei En, moving like lightning, brandishing a dagger toward Lei En's back.

At the critical moment, Lei En suddenly turned, catching the opponent in a bear hug.

He seemed to have anticipated it, spreading his arms to embrace the figure, feeling the slender curves as if two lovers deeply entwined, holding tightly and forcefully.

The Iron Body surged at full power, his two arms like immovable iron rings, mercilessly contracting inward.

The petite figure in his arms barely had time to struggle, emitting a few bone‑cracking sounds that made one's teeth ache, then fell silent.

Lei En released his arms; the person in his embrace fell limp, a soul drifting out from the head.