Chapter 102: A Handsome Reward in the Future

Chapter 102: Chapter 102: A Handsome Reward in the Future

Liu Chen slowly rose to his feet. The Snowflake Sword flew down the cliff, beheading the first person to start climbing. A Spirit Arrow then intercepted its second attack, so the next person wasn’t killed, but was grievously wounded and sent plummeting down.

A scream echoed up the cliff face. Liu Chen used his Artifact Manipulation Technique to lift a nearby boulder, one that had been placed to block the wind and sand, and hurled it straight down. He then jumped down after it.

The boulder was shattered by a Spirit Arrow in mid-air. As he fell, Liu Chen spotted two lone figures below. As expected, only one of them was capable of ranged attacks.

Another Spirit Arrow shot toward him, but the Snowflake Sword steadily deflected it. Liu Chen landed silently just as a crimson spear tore through the air.

Yu Haenze’s body was wreathed in crimson Spiritual Power, radiating an endless battle intent. ’So what if I’m only at the Meridian Passage Beginner realm? I’m a prodigy on the Peak Path! Fighting above my realm is normal for me. Besides, there’s still a Body Tempering Late Stage cultivator providing support from a distance.’

The spear struck Liu Chen squarely in the chest, but the bloody hole Yu Haenze had expected never appeared. His opponent hadn’t even seemed to defend himself. Instead, patterns resembling dragon scales materialized on his skin, completely nullifying the full force of the attack.

"A prodigy on the Peak Path? You say that like you’re the only one."

Liu Chen narrowed his eyes. Nine hundred and ninety-nine bamboo leaves silently materialized, completely enveloping the enemy before him.

With the Flying Flower Skill unleashed, Liu Chen took a step back. The Snowflake Sword was more than enough to keep the Body Tempering Late Stage cultivator occupied; Liu Chen’s Spiritual Sense and Spiritual Power could easily support a two-front battle.

Liu Chen drew the Cyan Steel Sword from his Storage Ring, preparing to properly test this prodigy of the Black Feather Dynasty.

The result, however, was unexpected. With a flash of cold light, the Snowflake Sword pinned the distant Body Tempering Late Stage cultivator to the ground. In the blink of an eye, he was dead.

Trapped within the storm of bamboo leaves, Yu Haenze struggled desperately. The blood-red spear in his hand became a blur, intercepting hundreds of leaves, but some always managed to pierce his Spiritual Power defenses and cut into his flesh.

Sensing this, Liu Chen put away his Cyan Steel Sword. With a sharp ring, the Snowflake Sword appeared in his hand, poised and ready to strike.

A few moments later, the bamboo leaves were completely swept aside, revealing a tattered Yu Haenze.

"We have no grievance or enmity with you. Why are you targeting the Black Feather Dynasty?"

Yu Haenze’s gaze fell on Liu Chen’s mask. It was the kind his guards wore, which could only mean this person had killed his two Meridian Passage Beginner guards.

’I can’t beat him. The Peak Path allows you to fight above your realm, but that only applies to cultivators who aren’t on it. Against another Peak Path prodigy, a higher realm is still an insurmountable advantage.’

"I wouldn’t say we’re without grievance. I was peacefully cultivating in seclusion when two of your idiots showed up at my cave’s entrance, chasing a prodigy from Qingxu Hall. I have no desire to get involved in your troubles."

Liu Chen narrowed his eyes. ’The man before me is the Third Prince of the Black Feather Dynasty. If I kill him, I might get marked with a tracking imprint, like the one Nangong Ye has. It would be better to capture him alive if I can.’

’While Qingxu Hall is a rival in this trial, they’re an ally against the Black Feather Dynasty. I can let Nangong Ye go, but I need to find a way to eliminate this guy without any repercussions.’

"That was my oversight, Senior. Please forgive me. I am the Third Prince of the Black Feather Dynasty. If you spare my life, I will see to it that you are richly rewarded."

Yu Haenze spoke with resignation. ’It’s one thing for those two guards to mess around,’ he thought, ’but this time they picked a fight with an unbreakable wall. And to top it all off, they dragged me into this mess.’

"Forget ’in the future.’ Let’s do it now. Leave everything of value you have, and then you can get lost."

Liu Chen sheathed his Snowflake Sword, his eyes cold and indifferent.

Yu Haenze, however, breathed a sigh of relief. He put his spear into his Storage Ring, then erased his personal imprint from it. He placed the ring on the ground and turned to leave without a second thought.

"Follow the blood trail when you get back up top. You’ll find Nangong Ye."

Liu Chen reached out and took the Storage Ring. Watching the Third Prince’s retreating back, he couldn’t resist giving him a tip.

"Thank you, Senior."

Yu Haenze turned to thank him. He knew this was a plot to have someone else do the killing for him, but grievously injured as he was, he had no other choice. Survival came first.

’The only reason he won’t kill me himself is because of the Cyan Eagle Crying Blood, which automatically marks the killer of anyone with the Black Feather Royal Family bloodline.’

***

’He’s adaptable. Since I’ve already made an enemy of him, I can’t let him live.’

Liu Chen narrowed his eyes and began to clean up the battlefield. He cremated the bodies of all the Black Feather Dynasty cultivators. From the Qingxu Hall disciple, he only took their Storage Ring.

In the process, Liu Chen found a Body Tempering Late Stage cultivator from the Black Feather Dynasty playing dead. It was the one who had been grievously wounded and had fallen from the cliff. His fate was naturally sealed.

After taking care of everything, Liu Chen found a black robe that fit him reasonably well. Donning the robe and the mask, and revealing just enough of his cultivation, he figured he should have no problem passing himself off as a Meridian Passage Cultivator from the Black Feather Dynasty.

’The only flaw is my Snowflake Sword. But I bought it from the Black Market anyway. If I claim it as a trophy from a battle in Fire Dragon Valley, it should be a plausible enough story.’

Once his disguise was complete, Liu Chen turned his head to look at a pillar of light in the distance. It wasn’t very conspicuous, standing only about as tall as a man.

Liu Chen approached the pillar of light and took out the token he had used to enter Fire Dragon Valley. The token fell directly into the light. He looked up and saw Spirit Stones, suspended high in the sky, being drawn toward him. Under the pillar’s influence, they began to form an array pattern.

The entire process was subtle; Liu Chen didn’t need to hide.

’Good, it’s not causing a huge disturbance.’

Liu Chen narrowed his eyes, sat to the side, and began to cultivate his Body Protection Technique. The skill was on the verge of becoming Unique, a process that wouldn’t even take half an hour.

As he completed another cycle, the originally simple Spiritual Veins of the Body Protection Technique evolved further within his mind, following his unique insights until it solidified into a final, new form.

The dragon scale-like patterns that previously appeared on his skin now merged into it completely. As long as Liu Chen had Spiritual Power, the defense from his Body Protection Technique would remain active.

[Body Protection Technique: Unique]

Including this one, Liu Chen now possessed five Magic skills that he had transformed into Unique versions. His next goal was, of course, to do the same for all the Magic he had mastered. Before that, however, there were still some hidden dangers he needed to resolve.

’Calculating the time... if the Third Prince went straight for Nangong Ye, they should be encountering each other right about now.’

Liu Chen narrowed his eyes. ’Logically, the best outcome would be for them to take each other out. But neither of them is an idiot; they won’t necessarily fall into my trap.’

"Whatever. I’ll secure the spot here first."

Liu Chen glanced at the pillar of light behind him and began to sort through his spoils of war. The haul was quite substantial, totaling over four thousand Spirit Stones. But what satisfied him most wasn’t the Spirit Stones, but two Magic manuals from the Black Feather Dynasty.

The Spirit Wheel Skill and the Spirit Arrow Technique. These were the exact Magic skills the two Meridian Passage cultivators had used to hunt down Nangong Ye. According to the secret manuals, they were skills exclusive to the guards of the Black Feather Dynasty.

Liu Chen narrowed his eyes as an idea began to form.