Chapter 623: The Underlying Apprehension
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
An enemy on his left had just shrugged, but Yun Yang could judge instantly that this person would come first and his form of attack would be the hack of a saber from the top to bottom diagonally, aimed at his waist. This would then create the chance to force him into the trap on his right.
In truth, what truly threatened his life would be the person behind the aforementioned enemy, although that person had not yet moved.
Yun Yang's saber gleamed, deflecting the strike at the right side of his waist before flicking out swiftly.
The person's blow had just struck downwards but he looked on with horror as Yun Yang's saber came in an odd angle towards his arm. Nay, instead of saying Yun Yang's saber had come in for the blow, it was more apt to say that he had sent his arm forward for him to chop it off.
The man shrieked in terror and drew back his saber hastily, retreating in a drifting motion. However, the to and fro motion had already begun; he could not have withdrawn himself unscathed, thus a foot-long gash appeared on his right arm as blood spurted out instantly.
The other person, who was standing behind the man, was used to acting in concert with him. He was waiting for his partner to strike and force their target to respond before he was to react automatically with a follow-up attack. This was the unspoken understanding between them, a tactic that had always worked for a long time.
His partner had dealt a blow, as usual, so he would naturally follow up in the prescribed manner. This time, however, his partner's strike had failed and was forced to withdraw! The latter's coordinated strike that was supposed to complement the initial attack flawlessly became a fault. It was useless against Yun Yang's precise and poised saber, completely hindered by the assertive counter.
It was not just his sword and arm, the assassin's retreat had been sealed off as well! What was happening?
'There wasn't any hidden threat here earlier, but why did the situation become fatal once I launched my attack?' – this were the thoughts that ran through the assassin's mind. However, these thoughts were his last, as his arm, along with his sword, fell to the ground, followed by a wash of blood and an agonized cry.
Shangguan Lingxiu, who was watching from the sidelines, observed the entire scene in disbelief. It was bizarre and outrageous to her.
From her point of view, the process had begun with Yun Yang launching the attack by first raising his saber; for some reason, the enemy had sent his own arm right into the path of Yun Yang's blade. Then, the enemy had cried out before he withdrew. As Yun Yang pulled back his saber, he raised it again casually and flicked it out. It did not have even the momentum from the previous attack, but this casual wave of his blade saw another killer sending his arm under it hastily. Yun Yang did not seem to require any undue effort to lop off the assassin's right arm!
After that, a simple tilt of the blade was sufficient to defend against the attacks from other directions and ensure his safety. Shangguan Lingxiu took in everything clearly, but she was utterly bewildered.
What was going on? The two victims looked like they had agreed to put on a show, leaping right into the saber's path, but why would their arms be severed for real if it were a show? In addition, so many people were watching. Could they be any more obvious?
The black masked leader's pupils contracted, his gaze sharp, as he hollered, "Everyone, retreat!"
The seven to eight assassins took three steps back each without faltering, not at all affected by the fact that their combat strength had been severely depleted.
The black masked man said slowly, "Don't use any further fancy techniques. Proceed with brute force; one powerful strike can triumph over ten skilled ones. Finish him quickly!"
Yun Yang commented faintly, looking at the masked man in black after he heard his commands, "Good eyes."
The masked man snorted, trying not to roll his eyes. 'Anyone with eyes and experience can guess that you've just realized that skill of yours. Otherwise, you wouldn't have refrained from using it in the first battle. How could we possibly give you a chance to familiarize yourself with it? That would be utterly stupid!'
It was obvious that they would try to kill him with brute force.
The masked leader's arm stretched out, bringing to bear large steel staffs and an assortment of weapons; saber, spear, sword, ax, hammer, and several other menacing implements. It was a full array of heavy weapons. There were two more huge hammers that he wielded in anticipation, looking grand and mighty.
'This fellow has prepared the spatial ring and stored plenty of heavy weapons in it!'
Yun Yang immediately became cautious and wary. Indeed, the following battle would be perilous once again for him.
When one side was fighting without any technique, the other side could finish the fight easily with an assortment of skills. Even if the former side had a better cultivation base and skill, the outcome was predictable – even when there were two to three people involved. However, when there was a group of people… no matter how skillful one was, the crude force that came from large numbers would still outdo the sole person.
Facing the assassins who were lashing out, one after another, violently, Yun Yang was helpless. No matter how quick-witted and astute he was, there was no hope. He had a group of men as his opponent! The fight that came could only be described as barbaric.
Shangguan Lingxiu saw and understood the situation clearly – Yun Yang was contained. His stealthy technique that could predict the enemy's movement was futile now while the opponent's constant and aggressive attacks were not fatal to them, despite them getting injured ceaselessly.
If Yun Yang wanted to actually kill one of them, he had to expend his energy and repeat the trick before the feat was possible. Once he did that, his opponent's life-risking attacks would garner the same effect – they would use the life of a person or two in exchange for Yun Yang's complete disadvantage to end him right there and then!
To the masked leader in black, such an exchange was well worth it.
As long as they could kill Yun Yang as soon as possible, it was worth it, even if half of the assassins here were sacrificed. In order to achieve their goal, in order for one to achieve greatness, anything could be done; casualties were merely annoyances!
"Boom!"
Yun Yang blocked a staff and flicked away a hammer, his thoughts a mess.
Where had these people come from? They did not belong to The Merciless Tower or the Hall of Crimson Blade and it was impossible for them to have come from the Concourse of the Underworld. If that were the case, these people could only come from one of two places.
One was the Residence of Crown Prince while the other was the Four Seasons Tower. Yet, how could the crown prince's residence possess such combat power?
If the crown prince were to have this ability, he would not have been caught in the state he was in now. It was not even difficult to force a change of dynasties if one were to leverage on these forces right here.
These were a group of skilled men, from ace heaven realm practitioners to Dao realm cultivators…
Then, the only possibility left was the Four Seasons Tower.
This still seemed wrong, however. He had probed Snow, Frost, and Sword carefully and had never heard of the existence of these people. Were these people someone's personal combat forces?
Come to think of it, he had just exited the Residence of Crown Prince and these people had probably tailed him.
'Could these people be from Sir Bi?' The more Yun Yang thought of it, the more probable it seemed, but the interaction he had from playing Go with Sir Bi earlier was harmonious.
Yun Yang suddenly had a startling thought.