322: Hidden Card

Daoist Yun Che gazed at the sky full of lightning nets, his Adam's apple bobbing violently as he couldn't help but sigh softly: 'What kind of Divine Ability is this, to be so profound?'

'Now is not the time for praise!'

The Black Wind Demonic Wolf's roar suddenly exploded, the black wind around it swelling like boiling ink, condensing into two demonic wolf Clones indistinguishable from the original body within the raging wind. The three demonic wolves bared their fangs, their emerald-green pupils fixed intently on Chen Xuan, Evil Qi soaring to the heavens.

'If we don't kill him today, the consequences will be endless!'

'Well said!'

Mo Chenzi exclaimed in a deep voice, 'We should also bring out some trump cards of our own.'

He abruptly flipped his wrist, and a peach-colored oil-paper umbrella suddenly appeared in his palm. The umbrella's surface was painted with swirling cloud patterns, its edges adorned with tiny silver bells. As the umbrella slowly opened, a gentle yet domineering spiritual power spread in all directions.

The moment the umbrella fully opened, Chen Xuan felt the surrounding space slightly distort, and a translucent pale pink barrier enveloped the area, trapping him along with the three men and the wolf within it.

This oil-paper umbrella was named the 'Brocade Universe Umbrella,' capable of creating its own small world. Though not yet perfected, it had already taken shape, precisely to isolate the advantage of the lightning net's range.

In the sky, lightning serpents danced wildly and converged, and a bolt of lightning as thick as a bucket crashed down, striking directly at Mo Chenzi's head.

Mo Chenzi willed it, and the Brocade Universe Umbrella gently rotated, instantly stabilizing the world within. But an unexpected event occurred—the lightning bolt forcefully pierced through the pale pink barrier, still crackling with electricity as it fell, though its power had diminished by a third.

Fortunately, as the master of this small world, Mo Chenzi handled it with ease. He rotated the umbrella again, diverting the lightning bolt to the side. The ground exploded into a charred crater, sending rocks flying and dust billowing.

Under the cover of this dust, the three demonic wolves simultaneously pounced forward, the original body and its Clones moving in perfect unison, their sharp claws tearing through the air, aiming straight for Chen Xuan's vital points.

Chen Xuan's eyes narrowed. His longsword traced out a brilliant golden sword wheel, and with a sharp 'swish,' the Sword Qi was incomparably fierce, directly cleaving through the head of the central demonic wolf. Yet, the wolf's corpse did not fall to the ground; instead, it instantly disintegrated into countless black wind blades, densely covering the sky and sealing off all of Chen Xuan's escape paths.

Chen Xuan pinched his left hand, and a green Talisman burned to ashes.

Green spiritual light enveloped his body. The wind blades collided with it, producing a dense, crisp 'ding-ding-dang-dang' sound, sparks flying everywhere. This brief stalemate exactly gave Daoist Yun Che an opportunity.

'Take this move!'

Daoist Yun Che shouted softly, his hands rapidly forming seals. Spiritual power gathered frantically around him as his hands formed a strange seal.

In an instant, the seal suddenly enlarged several times, its energy so thick it was startling—clearly an Earth-rank High-grade Divine Ability. As he pushed his hands forward, the seal carried an unstoppable momentum, crashing down toward Chen Xuan like a mountain.

Already slowed by the wind blades, Chen Xuan had no way to avoid it. He could only forcibly twist his body and slash out horizontally with his longsword. The golden Sword Qi and the black seal collided violently with a 'boom,' the wild energy shockwave spreading in all directions, the air blast uprooting nearby trees.

For a moment, the two were locked in a stalemate. In that split second, a thunderous roar exploded in the sky, and a bolt of lightning as thick as an arm suddenly struck down, aiming straight for Daoist Yun Che's face.

Meanwhile, Mo Chenzi had already seized this fleeting opening. His figure moved like a ghost, instantly appearing behind Chen Xuan. No longer holding back, his green horsetail whisk struck down fiercely toward Chen Xuan's back with sharp spiritual power!

'Thud!'

A dull, heavy sound echoed as Chen Xuan's figure was smashed like a broken kite into the mountain behind him, instantly creating a deep crater. Dust billowed into the sky, completely shrouding the hole.

Daoist Yun Che, having taken a direct hit from the thunderbolt, had a face blackened with soot, his hair standing on end, and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Yet, he looked at the dust-filled crater and breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, he began to calculate in his heart: Chen Xuan must have two heaven-rank magic treasures on him. With the four of them Join forces to kill him today, how should these treasures be distributed?

His own Realm was lowly; even if he couldn't get a Magic Treasure, he should still demand some other benefits.

'This person truly has some skill. If we encountered him alone, we probably couldn't do anything to him,' Mo Chenzi said solemnly, gazing at the crater.

The Black Wind Demonic Wolf reminded, 'Press the advantage; don't give him a chance to catch his breath.'

As soon as the words fell, Mo Chenzi First charged toward the dust below, with the Black Wind Demonic Wolf close behind, clearly intending to finish him off while he was down.

But just as the man and the demon rushed into the dust—

'Boom!'

Another loud roar echoed in the sky, and another bolt of lightning as thick as an arm suddenly struck down, again aiming straight for Daoist Yun Che's face.

'A dying struggle!'

Daoist Yun Che sneered, turning sideways to dodge. But halfway through the motion, he suddenly froze in place, looking down blankly at his chest.

A longsword gleaming with cold light was piercing through his chest from behind, its tip stained with bright red blood.

'One down,' Chen Xuan's calm voice sounded from behind Daoist Yun Che.

The lightning struck down overhead, and the golden Sword Qi In coordination instantly erupted, completely shredding Daoist Yun Che's internal organs. The Nascent Soul within his body shattered in the Sword Qi, his vitality instantly dissipated, leaving not a trace of breath.

Below, Mo Chenzi and the Black Wind Demonic Wolf, witnessing this sudden change, showed expressions of horror, their pupils contracting sharply, faces filled with disbelief.

'How... how is this possible?'

Mo Chenzi cried out in shock, both astonished by Daoist Yun Che's sudden death and horrified by the unscathed Man in White Robes before him. Earlier, with that strike of the whisk, he was absolutely certain he hadn't missed—how could Chen Xuan be completely unharmed?

Chen Xuan slowly withdrew the longsword from Daoist Yun Che's body, simultaneously taking the storage ring and other spoils. A mangled corpse fell downward, and only then did he smile faintly.

Earlier, he had indeed taken Mo Chenzi's whisk strike squarely, but he had merely consumed a block card—this was another trump card he had kept hidden.

Now, he still had twenty-two block cards left, enough for him to feign weakness twenty-two more times. Even trading life for injury was acceptable, and it had to be a severe injury illusion that could lure the enemy in deep. If, like now, he could use 'near death' as bait in exchange for a lethal counterattack, that was naturally best.

Leisurely, he took out a bottle of 'drunken flowing sunset' from his storage ring, pulled out the stopper, and took a hearty swig. The wine trickled down the corner of his mouth, dampening his clothes, adding to his free and unrestrained demeanor. Putting down the wine jug, his gaze swept over the terrified Mo Chenzi and Black Wind Demonic Wolf as he spoke calmly:

'Continue.'

Killing and drinking, composed and at ease, utterly dashing!

Even True Person Cang Ling, who was currently engaged with the Fire Dragon in the distance, sensed the misfortune here. His movements paused slightly, his eyes filled with astonishment.

Intuitively, this Man in White Robes before him seemed as Unfathomable as a Divine Being, stirring an indescribable sense of apprehension in his heart.