268: Chapter 268 Weakness, Shattered

The night wind whipped up the withered leaves on the ground, spinning them in mid-air and making a rustling sound.

The cold moonlight penetrated the sparse clouds, dappling down upon the wilderness, and the air was filled with a rich stench of blood.

Cao Yong's emaciated body stood in the arena, and the blood-colored True Qi around his body rolled like raging waves, illuminating the night air within a radius of dozens of zhang into a scarlet red.

"Die!"

Cao Yong shouted sharply, his voice piercing and harsh like the cry of a night owl, piercing the silence of the night.

His figure darted out like a ghost, so fast that it left behind a trail of afterimages in place.

His five fingers formed a claw, and his fingertips flickered with three-chi-long dark red Qi radiance, tearing through the air and making a teeth-aching screech.

The blood-colored claw shadows covered the sky like an airtight net, sealing off all of Chen Ran's retreats.

Facing this grandiose and nearly fatal strike, Chen Ran's expression was indifferent.

He stood quietly in place, his posture as upright as a pine, letting the fierce wind blow his sleeves and make a snapping sound.

Until that blood-colored claw shadow was about to touch his face.

Clang!

A clear blade-hum suddenly resounded through the night sky.

It was like a Dragon roaring in the Nine Heavens, or like tearing silk and breaking ice.

A pitch-black long blade fiercely leaped out of its sheath.

The blade light was cold, like a pool of autumn water, or like moonlight pouring down from above the Nine Heavens.

Swish!

The cold blade light collided violently with the sky-filling blood-colored claw shadows.

That seemingly indestructible blood-colored True Qi, in front of Chen Ran's blade light, quickly melted away like hot soup pouring on snow, making a sizzling sound and turning into wisps of white smoke.

Two completely different Innate True Qi clashed madly in mid-air, stirring up circles of visible ripples.

The Qi waves rolled, and sand and stones flew.

The surrounding withered trees broke inch by inch under the aftermath of the True Qi, turning into wood chips all over the sky.

The hard ground was plowed into deep gullies, and the soil flew, as if it had been turned over by an earth-dragon.

Clatter, clatter, clatter!

Cao Yong's figure shook, and he felt an irresistible and sharp Qi surge into his body through his two claws, forcing him to take three steps back in succession.

Every step back stepped out a deep footprint on the hard ground.

He steadied his figure, suddenly raised his head, and stared fixedly at the bamboo-hat man in front of him, his eyes full of incredulous shock.

"Innate Realm?!"

There was a hint of unbelievable sharpness in Cao Yong's voice, and his pale face was full of horror.

He never expected that this head-hiding and tail-revealing mysterious person was actually a Innate Realm expert as well!

How could this be?

A Innate Realm expert was treated as an honored guest throughout the entire capital. Could the opponent be a Guest Elder specially invited by some big Family?

After a brief shock, Cao Yong's expression instantly darkened, and the killing intent in his eyes grew thicker, becoming like substance.

"No wonder you dared to talk big in front of this servant, it turns out you were relying on your Breakthrough to the Innate Realm."

Cao Yong sneered repeatedly, a trace of cruel ferocity appearing on his pale face.

"However, do you think that a mere ordinary Innate can contend with this servant?"

Boom!

Before his voice fell, the True Qi in Cao Yong's body erupted again without reservation.

This time, his Aura was even more terrifying than before.

The dark red True Qi condensed behind him into a blurry blood-colored demonic shadow, several zhang tall, exuding a nauseating stench of blood and monstrous resentment.

The demonic shadow bared its fangs and brandished its claws, as if it wanted to devour this heaven and earth entirely, and the surrounding temperature plummeted, as if falling into an ice cave.

Cao Yong's eyes also completely turned scarlet red, like two burning blood flames.

"Blood Fiend Tears the Sky!"

Cao Yong roared wildly, his figure rising from the ground like a swooping goshawk, carrying that blood-colored demonic shadow, and fiercely pouncing down towards Chen Ran.

As his double claws danced, more than a dozen visible white Qi waves were torn out of the air, making a shrill sonic boom.

With this strike, he poured out all his strength, swearing to tear the person before him into a million pieces to vent the hatred in his heart.

"Die!"

Cao Yong's double claws pierced fiercely into Chen Ran's chest.

Squelch!

Blood splashed, and the warm touch came through his fingertips, extremely real.

Cao Yong's arms exerted sudden force, accompanied by a horrifying sound of flesh and bones tearing, and he actually forcibly tore that person in half from the middle!

Severed limbs and broken arms were scattered all over the ground, crimson blood dyed the ground red, and a rich smell of blood permeated the air.

"Hahaha..."

Looking at the minced meat all over the ground, Cao Yong couldn't help but look up and laugh wildly.

"What Innate Realm expert? In front of this servant, are they not as vulnerable as roaming dogs and native chickens!"

But soon, his laughter gradually subsided, his brow slightly furrowed, and a trace of annoyance flashed in his eyes.

"Damn it, I was too heavy-handed."

Cao Yong looked at the remains on the ground and muttered somewhat regretfully.

"I should have left him with a breath, severed his tendons in his hands and feet, brought him back to the Imperial Prison to torture him well, and forced out the mastermind behind the scenes. Now that the person is dead, the clues are broken."

"Forget it, at worst I'll just spend a bit more effort going back and purge all the factions in this capital, rather killing a thousand by mistake than letting a single one go! As long as I kill enough, I'll always find clues."

Cao Yong snorted coldly, shook off the blood on his hands, and turned to leave.

However, the moment he turned around.

A cold and calm voice, yet carrying a hint of banter, suddenly sounded in his ear.

"But Eunuch Cao, has anyone ever told you... you are really weak."

This voice was extremely soft, but it exploded in Cao Yong's mind like a bolt of thunder.

Cao Yong stiffened all over, his pupils suddenly shrank, and a chill shot straight from his tailbone to his crown.

This voice... belongs to that bamboo-hat man!

He didn't die?!

How could this be possible, he clearly tore him in half with his own hands!

Before Cao Yong could react, the surrounding scenery suddenly began to violently twist and rotate.

All the images rippled like water waves.

His vision began to retreat crazily backwards.

The blood, severed limbs, and minced meat all over the ground quickly dissipated like a reversed painting.

That sky-full of blood-colored True Qi and that ferocious blood-colored demonic shadow also melted away instantly like residual snow under the scorching sun.

The perspective suddenly switched.

Cao Yong snapped back to his senses, only to find that he was still standing in place, maintaining the posture of pouncing forward.

And that man wearing a bamboo hat was also still quietly standing in front of him, not even a corner of his clothes being disordered by half a fraction.

The cold moonlight still spilled over the opponent's shoulders, as if everything that had just happened, that earth-shattering fight, was just an absurd dream.

"This... What is going on?!"

Cao Yong's heart was shaken with terror, and an unprecedented sense of fear instantly enveloped his entire body.

Illusion!

He suddenly realized.

He had unknowingly fallen into the opponent's illusion!

"You..."

Cao Yong opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

But the next moment, a heartbreaking pain suddenly came from his chest.

He lowered his head with difficulty.

Only to see a pitch-black blade tip had pierced through his chest at some unknown time.

"When..."

Cao Yong's eyes were full of disbelief and despair.

He didn't even see clearly how the opponent drew his blade.

"You... exactly who are you..."

Cao Yong stared fixedly at the bamboo-hat man in front of him, dark red blood continuously welling up from his mouth.

He was unwilling.

As a dignified cabinet Innate Realm expert, he was actually defeated so aggrievedly and so inexplicably.

Without even seeing the opponent's true face, he lost his life in a daze.

Chen Ran did not answer.

He just looked coldly at Cao Yong, his gaze indifferent, as if looking at a cold corpse.

For dead people, he had never had the habit of explaining.

Cao Yong still wanted to struggle, the blood-colored True Qi within his body surging wildly, trying to make a final counterattack.

Even if he died, he would drag the person in front of him down with him.

However, Chen Ran did not give him any chance.

The Nether Soul Heart Sutra suddenly circulated,

and the next moment a dark and profound terrifying suction force, as if capable of devouring everything, violently erupted along the long blade.

Hum!

Cao Yong only felt that the True Qi, blood vitality, and even life force within his body were rushing wildly toward that long blade like a breached flood.

"No! What evil art is this? Stop! Stop quickly!"

Cao Yong screamed in panic, his voice filled with despair and fear.

He could clearly feel that his life was rapidly slipping away.

Cao Yong struggled desperately, but to no avail.

Faint purple flames emerged on the man opposite him, and a circle of ripples surged across his body.

Crack.

In just a few breaths of time.

Cao Yong's originally emaciated body shriveled up at a speed visible to the naked eye.

His skin lost its luster, the light in his eyes gradually dimmed, and finally turned completely into dead ashes.

Thud.

Chen Ran casually pulled out the long blade.

Cao Yong's corpse collapsed limply to the ground like a dilapidated sack, turning into a shriveled skeleton.

[Nether Soul Devouring, your Divine Soul has been enhanced]

The night wind blew by, raising a gust of dust.

Chen Ran stood quietly in place, feeling the power inside his body that had become more abundant and surging due to devouring the Innate Realm True Qi.

The Blood Transformation Great Art operated, rapidly refining and purifying that heterogeneous blood-colored True Qi, and finally turning it into pure True Essence, converging into the Dantian.

The thick fog around gradually dispersed, revealing the corpses and mess all over the ground.

Chen Ran didn't look at the corpse on the ground again, turned and stepped forward, his figure gradually merging into the deep night.

Leaving only a ground of cold moonlight and that lingering, austere killing intent.