66: Chapter 66 Killing Officer Liu

The blade light was like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. This "thrust," condensing all of Lin Tian's strength and speed, was fast to the extreme and treacherous to the extreme!

Chief Constable Liu Heng's heavy mountain-chopping blade momentum was already spent; he could not recover in time to defend. In his haste, he could only barely turn his body, attempting to withstand it head-on with minimal cost.

"Shhh-la—!"

The sound of tearing fabric was clear and piercing.

The sharp blade tip sliced open the gray cloth garment under Chief Constable Liu Heng's right rib, leaving a bloody gash about an inch long and not too deep on his solid, bronze-colored skin. Fresh blood surged out instantly, staining his lapel red.

The wound was not deep, not even reaching the tendons or bones, but the burning, stinging pain and the humiliation of being wounded by a "novice" instantly ignited all the violence and ferocity in Chief Constable Liu Heng's chest!

"Roar—! Little bastard! You are courting death!!" Chief Constable Liu Heng suddenly raised his head, his eyes blood-red, veins throbbing on his forehead as he let out a beast-like roar!

He no longer had a shred of mockery or contempt, only the most primal desire to kill!

"Kill—!"

He roared wildly, gripping the mountain-chopping blade with both hands, holding nothing back, pushing his Second Grade Middle Stage vigorous Qi and blood and brute strength to the limit!

The blade light instantly turned into a violent black whirlwind, carrying a crazed will to sever everything and crush everything, sweeping toward Lin Tian!

No longer restricted by any Move, it was a chaotic cloak-style fighting technique relying entirely on power, speed, and fierce instinct. Every strike was heavy and powerful, wishing to hack Lin Tian, along with his blade, into fragments!

Facing this wild, stormy, and crazy attack, Lin Tian's expression became even calmer.

His Wind-Chasing Footwork at the Perfection Realm was pushed to the limit. His figure turned into elusive gray afterimages within the dense and violent blade light, like a lone boat in a stormy sea, always narrowly dodging at the very instant the blade edge was about to strike.

He no longer blocked head-on, but just roamed and dodged, like the most patient hunter, consuming his opponent's stamina and patience.

Occasionally, in the tiny gaps of that violent blade momentum, the long blade in Lin Tian's hand would suddenly shoot out like a venomous snake!

It was still those seven basic Moves: hack, lift, slash, thrust, sweep, intercept, and parry.

But in his hands, these simplest actions, due to extraordinary speed, precise timing, and calm judgment of the battle situation, exerted a heart-stopping power.

He did not seek a fatal blow, only to add a new wound on Chief Constable Liu Heng that was neither too deep nor too shallow, but enough to make him bleed incessantly.

"Shhh!" "Pfft!"

The blade light flashed past; there was an extra bloodstain on the outer side of Chief Constable Liu Heng's left arm, and another gash was opened on his right thigh.

Fresh blood gushed out, quickly staining his already tattered clothes red.

None of the wounds were fatal, but the weakness brought by blood loss, the interference of pain, and the frustration and powerlessness of being unable to hit his opponent no matter how hard he tried, were gnawing at Chief Constable Liu Heng's nerves like venomous ants.

"Damn it! Damn it!" Chief Constable Liu Heng began to panic inside. Previously, while fighting the strange fish guarding the "red blood vermilion fruit" at the bottom of the pool, although he eventually won, he had sustained some internal injuries and consumed quite a lot.

At this moment, having fought for a long time without success, the wounds on his body kept increasing, his blood was flowing away, and his stamina and Qi and blood were dropping rapidly.

If this continued, let alone breaking out and escaping, he was afraid he would really be worn to death here by this slippery kid!

"I cannot keep entangled!" A trace of ruthlessness and retreat flashed in Chief Constable Liu Heng's eyes. He suddenly swept his blade with full force, forcing Lin Tian to float backward again, then without hesitation, he turned and fled desperately into the depths of the dense forest!

Forget about Face, forget about killing Lin Tian to sacrifice to his blade; nothing mattered now, saving his life was the priority!

"Want to leave?" Lin Tian's eyes turned cold. How could he let him escape? He tapped his feet, unfurling his Wind-Chasing Footwork at the Perfection Realm, chasing closely like a bone-sticking maggot. The long blade in his hand thrust out from time to time, forcing Chief Constable Liu Heng to turn around and parry, greatly affecting his speed.

"Little brat! You motherf*cker, are you never going to finish?!" Chief Constable Liu Heng was enraged by the entanglement. Seeing he couldn't shake him off, the baleful energy in his chest completely exploded. He suddenly stopped, turned around, and stared fixedly at the pursuing Lin Tian with blood-red eyes, his expression hideous like a demon, "You won't let me leave? Fine! I will fight you to the death today! Let's see who dies first!"

He stopped running, pouring all his remaining Qi and blood and ferocity into his arms. The mountain-chopping blade in his hand emitted a low hum, and he roared again, pouncing toward Lin Tian!

This time, his blade technique was even more chaotic, but his Aura was fiercer. It was a completely suicidal fighting style, disregarding consequences, seeking only to kill Lin Tian with the most violent power in the shortest time!

Facing this crazy counterattack of a trapped beast, Lin Tian's figure was elusive, still focusing on dodging and maneuvering, but seemingly intimidated by the opponent's desperate fighting spirit, his dodging space was compressed step by step.

Finally, under a series of violent hacks and slashes from Chief Constable Liu Heng, Lin Tian was forced into a dead end against a steep rock wall. Behind him was hard mountain stone, and both sides were sealed off by Chief Constable Liu Heng's wild blade wind. It seemed there was nowhere left to retreat!

"Die for me—!" A hideous grin mixed with ecstasy and cruelty appeared on Chief Constable Liu Heng's Face. Spotting this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he raised the mountain-chopping blade with both hands, condensing all remaining strength into this unadorned, mountain-splitting strike, hacking straight down toward Lin Tian, who seemed to have nowhere to dodge!

The blade wind was shrill, its momentum like a thunderbolt!

"Clang—!!!"

The ear-piercing sound of metal clashing exploded again! Sparks flew everywhere!

Lin Tian seemed to have no choice but to block horizontally; the long blade and the mountain-chopping blade collided fiercely!

The immense force made his arms sink. The bluestone ground beneath his feet actually cracked slightly, and his figure lowered by half a point. His arm holding the blade trembled slightly, seemingly reaching its limit, falling into a distinct disadvantage.

"Haha! Little bastard! Let's see where you can hide now!" Chief Constable Liu Heng laughed wildly, the muscles in his arms bulging, pressing his entire weight and remaining strength onto it. The mountain-chopping blade pressed tightly against Lin Tian's long blade, the edge pressing down bit by bit, about to touch Lin Tian's scalp!

However, at this very instant when the outcome was about to be decided and life or death determined, Lin Tian, who had been suppressed and seemed to have no way to turn the tide, suddenly flashed a trace of extremely cold sharpness beneath his lowered eyelids!

His left hand, which had been hanging at his side and seemingly trembling slightly due to blocking the immense force, suddenly tightened its five fingers, clenching into a fist!

On the fist, pale gold, cyan-green, and water-blue radiance spiraled and intertwined at a speed invisible to the naked eye, instantly merging into one, turning into a strange, chaotic, and restrained luster. A terrifying force, far exceeding any previous punch, was crazily brewing and compressing within it!

Gold, Wood, Water—Three Element Combination Attack!

"Now!"

A barely audible soft shout spilled from Lin Tian's throat.

His right arm still held the blade to block, containing most of the opponent's strength and attention, while his left fist, like a venomous Dragon that had been dormant for a long time, blasted out with incredible angle and speed from the narrow gap where their weapons crossed!

The fist wind was restrained, silent, yet carried a spiral penetrating power that could tear everything apart, striking with absolute precision at the heart of Chief Constable Liu Heng's chest, which was wide open due to his full-force downward pressure!

The hideous grin on Chief Constable Liu Heng's Face instantly froze.

All his attention was on the blade pressing down on Lin Tian; how could he have expected that in such a desperate situation, the opponent could still erupt with such a bizarre and terrifying strike?

In his haste, he only had time to tense the muscles of his chest and abdomen, with Qi and blood instinctively surging toward his chest for defense, while a trace of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes—willing to take this punch head-on just to hack the blade down, perishing together!

However, when that Chaos fist Aura reached his body, Chief Constable Liu Heng's expression changed drastically!

"Not good! This power—!"

That was not the fist power a typical Second Grade Early Stage Martial Artist should have!

Its condensation, its penetration, its inherent spiral strangling power far exceeded his estimation!

It felt not like one punch, but three forces of different natures yet perfectly integrated, spiraling and drilling in!

The protective Qi and blood he had hastily gathered were torn apart like paper, and a heart-piercing, intense pain instantly swept through his entire body!

"Boom—!"

A dull sound of impact rang out, not the crisp sound of bones breaking, but a muffled sound of internal organs being blasted and churned by immense force.

Chief Constable Liu Heng's burly body was struck as if by lightning, his violent downward blade momentum suddenly collapsed, and his whole body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, slamming heavily into the trunk of an ancient tree several feet away, shaking down falling leaves with a rustle.

"Pfft—!"

Before he landed, he was already spraying blood wildly, mixed with tiny pieces of internal organs.

The clothes on his chest were shattered, revealing a clear, slightly sunken fist print, and the surrounding skin presented a strange color of intertwined blue and purple.

He struggled to stand up, but his bones and tendons were limp, his Qi and blood were scattered, and his internal organs felt as if they had shifted. Intense pain and powerlessness surged like a tide. He could only barely support himself with his blade, kneeling on one knee, looking with extreme horror at Lin Tian, who was slowly retracting his fist, his breath only slightly disordered.

Lin Tian sheathed his blade, walked up to a few feet in front of Chief Constable Liu Heng, and stopped, looking down at him from above. His eyes were calm and waveless, only the corners of his mouth curled into a very faint, mocking arc:

"Do you really think that with your crude blade technique and brute strength, you could force me into a dead end?"

Chief Constable Liu Heng trembled all over, staring fixedly at Lin Tian, a final trace of realization and extreme resentment suddenly erupting in his unfocused eyes.

So... that embarrassment that seemed like a desperate situation, that trembling while barely blocking, that illusion of falling into a disadvantage... it was all a scheme!

It was all a perfect opportunity created for this fatal punch! From beginning to end, he had been like a stupid beast, played in the palm of the opponent's hand!

"You... you..." He wanted to say something, but in his throat, he could only make a wheezing, leaking sound, and another mouthful of stagnant blood mixed with organ fragments sprayed out.

His neck tilted, the last glimmer of light in his eyes completely faded, his breath ceased, and he collapsed slowly to the ground, still staring with eyes wide open in unwillingness and horror.

Confirming that Chief Constable Liu Heng was dead, Lin Tian slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air with a bloody smell, and slightly moved his somewhat sore and numb right arm.

Although the Three Element Combination Attack was powerful, the burden on himself was not small. Fortunately, his Foundation was solid, and his Qi and blood were vigorous, so he was only slightly uncomfortable.

He did not delay, quickly stepped forward, first kicked away the heavy mountain-chopping blade by Chief Constable Liu Heng's side, then crouched down and searched him carefully.

A few ingots of scattered silver, a small leather pouch containing ordinary golden sore medicine and Qi recovery pills; Lin Tian just glanced at these and set them aside.

Soon, he fished out a neatly folded piece of animal skin that felt flexible to the touch from a hidden pocket in Chief Constable Liu Heng's inner garment.

Opening it to look, it was outlined with some kind of mineral pigment depicting a simple mountain and river terrain, and one of the locations was deliberately marked with a striking dot in dark red.

The lines were ancient and simple; it was clearly quite old.

"A treasure map?" Lin Tian's heart stirred. "Is this the thing he stole from the county government office? To be able to make a county chief constable risk such great danger, what is marked on this map is probably no small matter."

He carefully put away the animal skin map, and his eyes fell again on an inconspicuous gray coarse cloth bundle at Chief Constable Liu Heng's waist.

Untying the bundle, inside was an ordinary wooden box about a foot long. He wondered what was inside?

Lin Tian picked up the wooden box.