The Ethereal Domains

Chapter 692: Lightning Strike

Lightning Strike . . .

Wenren Chuchu huffed in frustration and abruptly turned around, her attention shifting back to the critical situation at hand.

The thunderstruck sword light attack showed no signs of abating. It continued to intensify after severing dozens of soldiers, growing even brighter and more menacing as it sped toward Wenren Jianyin. Its sharpness and power were undeniable.

Wenren Jianyin's personal bodyguards were quick to grasp the severity of the situation. Unarmed and with no time to reach for their weapons, they shouted out in a desperate attempt to stall the impending assault. With unwavering resolve, they flung their bodies into the path of the sword attack, sacrificing themselves to slow down the lethal onslaught.

As the sword light illuminated the battlefield, the five guards met a grisly end, their bodies fragmented into countless pieces. Their selfless sacrifice, however, provided a slight reprieve. Subsequent guards had the opportunity to draw their weapons, and one, wielding a long spear, lunged forward like a dragon coiling among the crowd. The spear struck the oncoming sword light.

The assassin sneered and, with a burst of power, amplified the brilliance of the sword light to an agonizing degree. The spear was utterly outmatched, obliterated in an instant, while the guard who wielded it was left seriously injured and expelled from the fray, his fate uncertain.

An elderly man standing beside Wenren Jianyin, who had momentarily hurled his sword in pursuit of the fleeing assassins, now rushed back with the recovered weapon. Engaging the assassin, the two clashed in mid-air with explosive results.

—Bang! Bang! Bang!—

The confrontation was marked by a series of fiery collisions. It was a direct one-on-one duel where the victor would be the one whose resolve and power outshone the other.

The elderly Sky Origin Stage practitioner, although resilient, coughed up blood under the assault but refused to yield. Facing a ruthless opponent, the assassin displayed signs of injury but remained on his feet. After skirmishing with a multitude of soldiers, his energy eventually waned.

Though injured, the assassin still managed to slay several more soldiers. Spitting blood, he leaped into the air once more and unleashed a final, devastating strike. The long sword streaked through the heavens, its target Wenren Jianyin.

In a surprising turn of events, a second sword mysteriously appeared in the assassin's hand, but he did not employ it. Instead, he executed the same sword technique as the elderly Sky Origin Stage expert. The weapon flashed like a shooting star, its trajectory aimed directly at Wenren Jianyin.

Unexpectedly, he also produced another sword, this one hidden. Without initiating another strike, he turned and fled swiftly.

The complex sequence of events had transpired within mere moments, despite their apparent intricacy.

Wenren Chuchu made a dramatic entrance, utilizing her sword light shield to safeguard Wenren Jianyin. Simultaneously, she dispatched the assassins with deadly precision. In total, four assassins perished at the hands of the guards and Wenren Chuchu.

The remaining assassins, realizing their mission was a failure, fled the scene. Wenren Chuchu issued orders to her archers, but their arrows failed to eliminate all the escaping assailants. Intent on capturing the remaining fugitives herself, she launched pursuit. As she closed in on her targets, yet another hidden assassin appeared and cut down several of the escapees.

Wenren Chuchu's unparalleled prowess allowed her to continue her relentless pursuit. However, another concealed assassin emerged, claiming more lives.

Wenren Chuchu was a formidable force, but her brief halt had provided an opportunity for the hidden assassin to disrupt her pursuit and strike down the remaining fugitives. Determined to recapture the assassins, she leaped into action once more, but the most recent threat had already vanished. The speed of the fleeing assassin was a match for her own. In rapid succession, he cut through two soldiers' heads as they crossed his path, leaving destruction in his wake.

Following that, Cha Eun Xiao once again propelled himself forward, covering another two hundred meters with remarkable speed. This time, however, he chose not to land on any unfortunate victims. Instead, he transformed into a dazzling stream of multicolored sword light, streaking away at an incredible pace.

As his ethereal sword light blazed through the night, he had already traversed more than a thousand meters. Finding himself perched atop a flagpole, the imminent rain of arrows was but a hair's breadth away from reaching him. Yet, just before impact, the sword light surged once more, launching him into the heavens, where he vanished from view.

The swiftness and precision of Cha Eun Xiao's every move were nothing short of breathtaking. His execution took no longer than the blink of an eye.

In contrast, Wenren Chuchu's efforts had required approximately three breaths: raising her protective shield, drawing her sword, issuing orders, dashing out, turning back to help, landing on the ground, and taking off in pursuit. During this brief interval, the elusive assassin had managed to emerge, dispatch soldiers, break free, be halted, escape, and then vanish into thin air.

This incredible display of agility occurred in the span of a single breath.

The Sky Origin Stage practitioner, who was vigilant and swift, wielded his sword with tremendous force to deflect the rogue blade. His hand tingled with numbness from the impact, nearly losing his grip. Despite the sword's deviation, it careened into the midst of the surrounding soldiers. What ensued was an agonizing chorus of cries, as the flying sword severed over a dozen men before lodging itself into the ground, its gleaming blade tainted by their blood.

A single drop of blood trickled down the blade, and an eerie silence enveloped the spot where the sword came to rest.

This was a lightning strike, a sudden and shocking onslaught. A mere instant, and the threat vanished entirely.

Ten thousand cavalry had initiated the assault seemingly casually, leaving thousands of casualties in their wake. Over a dozen highly skilled assassins appeared to execute the attack, but they were merely part of an elaborate diversion. The ultimate assassin, hidden until that crucial moment, sought a single, lethal blow.

Had it not been for Wenren Chuchu's timely warning, Wenren Jianyin's fate would have been sealed.

This intricate scheme nested within schemes was designed to ensure the assassination of Wenren Jianyin.