71: The first signs of an undercurrent

Ye Chen walked forward seemingly at random, but his Divine Sense was like the most precise radar, taking in every subtle movement within a hundred-zhang radius around him.

Although that trace of cold, deathly aura flashed and vanished, it was like ink dropping into clear water, leaving a distinct mark in his heart.

"Sure enough, they followed..." He sneered inwardly, his pace unchanged, even deliberately slowing down a bit, as if he had consumed too much during the previous battle with the Sword Puppet and was now regulating his breath to recover.

He did not choose to rush directly toward the direction where the aura appeared, alerting the enemy.

In this unknown Secret Realm, the enemy was hidden while he was exposed; acting rashly was by no means the best policy.

What he needed to do was create an apparently perfect opportunity for a sneak attack, luring the opponent to strike first.

He walked toward a more dense area with jagged, strange rocks not far away.

The terrain there was complex, with towering boulders and obstructed lines of sight, making it an excellent location for both ambushes and counter-ambushes.

Sure enough, when he stepped into this stone forest area, he could clearly feel that cold aura like a maggot on a rotting bone, silently trailing behind him, maintaining an excellent distance—close enough not to lose him, yet far enough to remain at a relatively safe distance.

Ye Chen stopped beside a huge stone pillar that looked as if it had been split by a sharp sword, turned his back to the path he came from, sat cross-legged, took out a Yuan-Returning Pill and swallowed it, assuming a posture of fully regulating his breath with no defenses against the outside world.

The qingfeng sword was placed casually by his side, the cracks on the blade appearing somewhat glaring in the dim light.

He closed his eyes, his breathing gradually becoming long and steady, and the fluctuations of Spiritual Qi around his body also tended to level off, as if he were truly immersed in deep recovery.

Time passed minute by minute, and in the stone forest, there was only the wailing of the wind, kicking up red dust on the ground.

The watcher in the shadows had excellent patience and still made no moves.

Ye Chen was not anxious; he knew that a hunter needed patience, and fish would always take the bait eventually.

He silently circulated the Myriad Realms Sword Canon, not truly entering a deep meditation, but using most of his concentration to perceive the surroundings, especially any energy fluctuations and changes in killing intent in the area behind him.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn had passed.

Suddenly, about thirty zhang behind Ye Chen, in the shadow of a seemingly ordinary giant rock, the space produced an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible distortion.

It's here!

Warning bells rang in Ye Chen's heart, but his body remained in the posture of regulating his breath, and even the frequency of his breathing did not change in the slightest.

The next moment, a needle as black as ink, without the slightest reflection, seemed to appear out of thin air, silently tearing through the air, and at a speed beyond visual capture, stabbed straight at the back of Ye Chen's head!

On the needle, an extremely condensed Yin-Evil Death Qi was coiled, specifically designed to break through protective Spiritual Qi and erode the Divine Soul!

This strike was ruthless, tricky, and the timing was grasped to perfection! It was precisely the moment when a person was at a critical point in regulating their breath, when their mind was most relaxed!

However, just at the moment the black needle was about to touch Ye Chen's hair—

Ye Chen moved!

He seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; his cross-legged body, as if boneless, slid violently to the side at an incredible angle!

At the same time, the qingfeng sword placed by his side let out a soft hum, as if pulled by an invisible hand, and suddenly sprang up, precisely blocking the path of the black needle!

"Ding—!"

An extremely faint, yet sharp and ear-piercing clashing sound rang out!

The black needle struck the spine of the qingfeng sword! The terrifying Yin-Evil Death Qi contained in the needle tip erupted instantly, attempting to erode the blade!

If it were an ordinary weapon, it would likely have lost its spiritual essence long ago, or even been corrupted and shattered directly.

But the qingfeng sword had followed Ye Chen for a long time, tempered by the Nirvana Sword Intent, and had borne his will to burn his life in the Battle of Qingcheng, so it was already extraordinary.

A dark golden light flashed on the blade, and the Yin-Evil Death Qi attempting to erode it was forcibly repelled and annihilated!

However, the impact force contained in the needle still traveled through the blade, causing Ye Chen's arm to go slightly numb.

Taking advantage of the recoil from this block, Ye Chen's figure drifted backward like a willow catkin, instantly opening up a distance of ten zhang and landing steadily.

His gaze was like lightning, instantly locking onto the figure that had shot out from the shadow of the rock and intended to hide again after the failed strike!

It was a blurry figure shrouded in distorted light, whose face could not be seen, and whose gender could not even be distinguished; one could only feel that cold, deathly aura like ten-thousand-year black ice, and its Spiritual Qi fluctuations had actually reached the Kaiyuan Realm Seventh Level!

"A rat hiding its head and showing its tail, finally willing to come out?" Ye Chen stood holding his sword, looking at the opponent coldly.

He was inwardly solemn; the opponent's cultivation was two levels higher than his, and they were proficient in the art of concealment and assassination, making them extremely difficult to deal with in this Secret Realm where Sword Intent was suppressed.

The blurry figure let out a hoarse, low laugh like metal rubbing against metal, did not answer, flickered, and merged back into the shadows of the surrounding strange rocks, as if it had never appeared.

Ye Chen swept his Divine Sense with full force, but could only capture a trace of an afterimage that was quickly dissipating; the opponent's movement technique was extremely bizarre, actually able to use the chaotic Sword Intent field and environment here to hide itself!

"Want to play hide and seek?" Ye Chen's eyes were cold; he knew he could not give the opponent a chance for continuous sneak attacks.

With a thought, he stopped passive defense and instead actively spread his own suppressed "Nirvana Devouring" Sword Intent at a unique frequency.

This Sword Intent no longer sought attack or defense, but instead, like mercury pouring onto the ground, silently permeated the surrounding stone forest, the ground, and even the chaotic Sword Intent field.

He was "listening".

Listening for all the "discordant" sounds in this area that were incompatible with that cold, deathly aura.

Nirvana Sword Intent perceived the essence that all things would eventually return to the Void, while the Devouring characteristic was extremely sensitive to foreign energy. The combination of the two allowed Ye Chen's perception of energy fluctuations to reach an extremely subtle level.

Fifteen zhang to the left, behind a huge rock, the shadows were normal, with only chaotic Sword Intent flowing...

Twenty zhang to the front right, a crack in the ground, dead and silent, with no abnormalities...

Directly behind...

Just as his Divine Sense swept over an area directly behind that seemed empty, the spreading Nirvana Devouring Sword Intent keenly captured a trace of an extremely faint, cold fluctuation that was attempting to assimilate with the surrounding environment but ultimately could not be completely concealed!

Found you!

Ye Chen did not hesitate in the slightest; almost by instinct, he stabbed his sword back toward that Void Realm!

"Nirvana—Spirit Devouring!"

This sword strike did not seek extreme speed and penetration, but concentrated the Sword Intent at one point, triggering the annihilation and... devouring of the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi!

Where the sword tip pointed, the space seemed to collapse inward slightly, and the chaotic Sword Intent in that area was forcibly pushed away, forming a tiny vacuum zone!

"Hum!"

The blurry figure was forced to reveal its form; it clearly had not expected Ye Chen to be able to find its hiding place so accurately, and even less did it expect that this sword strike could trigger such an anomaly in the surrounding environment.

In its haste, it swung a pitch-black dagger to block.

"Clang!"

The dagger and the qingfeng sword clashed, erupting with dazzling sparks. This time, Ye Chen clearly felt that although the power coming from the opponent's dagger was still strong, it carried a hint of sluggishness after being weakened by the surrounding annihilation power!

What surprised him even more was that the "Devouring" characteristic in his Sword Intent had actually played an unexpected role at this moment! Although it could not directly devour the opponent's power, it acted like an invisible vortex, interfering with and pulling at the operation of the opponent's Spiritual Qi, preventing it from unleashing its power perfectly!

With one side weakening and the other strengthening, Ye Chen had actually fought this Kaiyuan Realm Seventh Level assassin to a draw!

The two touched and separated, each retreating several steps.

The blurry figure steadied its form, and the gaze under its hood seemed to reveal a look of uncertainty for the first time. It stared fixedly at the crack-filled qingfeng sword in Ye Chen's hand, and the peculiar dark golden-red Sword Intent circulating on the blade.

"Your Sword Intent... is strange!" The hoarse voice finally sounded again, carrying a hint of solemnity.

Ye Chen stood holding his sword, his breath slightly short, but his eyes were becoming brighter. Through the exchange just now, he was even more convinced of the power and uniqueness of his transformed Sword Intent. Even if his Realm was not as high as the opponent's, even if the environment was unfavorable, he still had the power to fight!

"Did the Dark Hall send someone like you to die?" Ye Chen deliberately spoke to provoke, attempting to extract more information.

The blurry figure snorted coldly and did not fall for it; its form became illusory again, clearly preparing to hide once more to look for the next opportunity.

"Want to leave? Leave something behind!"

How could Ye Chen let it get its wish? The Grand Void Roaming Dragon Steps were instantly activated; although suppressed, the speed was still astonishing, sticking to it like a shadow, and the qingfeng sword turned into threads of dark gold, weaving into a net, covering the opponent's vital points!

He had to try to severely injure him or force out his trump card before the opponent was completely hidden!

In the stone forest, the two figures fought fiercely again, sword light and dagger shadows intertwined, dark golden and pitch-black energy constantly colliding and annihilating, cutting the surrounding jagged rocks to pieces!

The undercurrent had already turned into surging waves on the surface!