Chapter Ninety-Six: The Counter-Encirclement

"Ha, so Yi Yan's character really is questionable," Yan Chen said with a delighted laugh when he heard the unnamed city cultivator say that. The other man had not even considered helping him, so those words were pure nonsense.

"Never mind. I have the confidence to kill him now, because I believe I can." Chen Yi Yan brandished his battle axe and charged forward. At this point, all he wanted was to kill his opponent, because this was a turning point. If he could bring the man down, then his own strength would surely have reached the level of the next great realm.

"Good, come on then. You fellows are truly detestable. If you happen to die by my hand, then it will be because your reincarnation was flawed. Next life, pay more attention when you choose where to be born." Seeing Chen Yi Yan try to seize the initiative and strike first, the man in black immediately moved to counterattack.

Soon, Chen Yi Yan and the man's flying sword were locked in combat. For Chen Yi Yan, being able to fight the other man to a standstill was already remarkable. But now he wanted only to kill him, because if he wished to break through to the next realm tonight, then there was no path before him except to force himself onward.

"You are gambling with your life, madman. You are all a pack of madmen!" the man in black suddenly roared, because Chen Yi Yan had actually taken the initiative, even though he was one level above him. Yet that was exactly how it was: the momentum of battle truly belonged to Chen Yi Yan.

If he stabbed Chen Yi Yan, he would surely be stabbed in return. Faced with this life-for-life style of fighting, even the black-clad man, whose skills were superior to Chen Yi Yan's, was now forced to retreat. Against a lunatic like Chen Yi Yan, reason simply no longer applied.

The assassin had just been about to thrust his sword at Chen Yi Yan, but Chen Yi Yan showed no intention of dodging. Instead he returned blow for blow, fighting in a way that would leave both sides wounded. In the end, the black-clad man, who had clearly held the advantage, had no choice but to evade, and the initiative in battle was thus handed to Chen Yi Yan.

"Truly a madman, haha. Still, I like him." One of the unnamed city cultivators watching the fight between Chen Yi Yan and the black-clad man shouted aloud. He found Chen Yi Yan's brand of madness more and more appealing, because only such an utterly obsessed martial fool could produce unexpected gains.

He had seen far too many ordinary, dull exchanges. A desperate style like Chen Yi Yan's, however, was something he was seeing for the first time. The last time he himself had fought with such reckless abandon was long, long ago, so now, in Chen Yi Yan, he was seeing his former self. Back then, he and Chen Yi Yan were no different at all.

"It is not merely madness. I think he has gone insane, and horribly so," Yan Chen said, staring at Chen Yi Yan's life-or-death fighting with a heavy sigh. Especially those bloodshot eyes of his, which seemed to send a chill creeping down one's spine.

Lin Dong watched the struggle between Chen Yi Yan and the black-clad man with rapt attention, and his heart also turned cold. He was certain that if, back then, he had not listened to his father and instead chosen to fight Chen Yi Yan in Xuanwu City, the one to lose would have been himself, because Chen Yi Yan possessed a fearless, unstoppable spirit that he could never hope to match.

Though Chen Yi Yan was only at the peak of the Five Elements realm, he still dared to speak such arrogant words before a powerhouse of the next great realm, claiming he would kill his opponent right here in the Nameless City. It was truly shocking. One could say there were many arrogant people in the Nameless City, but as for arrogance reaching this extent, Chen Yi Yan was the first.

"You madman, do you not have any proper technique? This is sheer recklessness!" The black-clad man was vexed by Chen Yi Yan's disordered attacks, because he could not predict Chen Yi Yan's next move, and that forced him to split his attention even more.

To have no moves at all was to surpass all moves; that was the highest realm of martial arts. And now, Chen Yi Yan had actually grasped a faint glimpse of that principle.

"An apt pupil indeed." The more the unnamed city cultivator watched, the more he liked Chen Yi Yan. Chen Yi Yan's comprehension was excellent; he was unquestionably a promising youth, one who would find it difficult not to make a name for himself in the future. The man even felt an urge to take him as a disciple, though regrettably Chen Yi Yan would never accept any master.

The reason Chen Yi Yan's cultivation was so formidable was not because he had apprenticed himself to some teacher. Ever since leaving his clan, he had never taken a master. Everything he possessed had been comprehended by himself through battle, which was why his techniques were varied and inventive, while also being highly effective. This gave his opponent no end of trouble.

Meanwhile, many people were also watching the fight between Ye Zi Han and the black-clad man, but Ye Zi Han was not at a disadvantage either, because once his Five Elements power was fully unleashed, his opponent's advantage vanished in an instant.

"When the Dragon Lord makes his appearance, who dares contend with him?" At that moment, Lewd Dragon quickly shot out of Ye Zi Han's embrace and slapped the black-clad man.

A resounding slap rang out, and on the face of that powerhouse of the next great realm appeared a dark, ghostly handprint, clear and unmistakable. It was an utterly insidious tactic.

"You are despicable, to resort to such sneaking attacks!" The black-clad man, having been viciously struck by Dark Ghost, immediately saw his face swell red and purple. If this had not been a public place, he would truly have cursed aloud, especially if he could have dragged Dark Ghost's ancestors through eighteen generations through the mud. Only then would he have been able to vent his rage.

"We are despicable? And you are not? Listen here, so long as I can kill scum like you, this Dragon Lord is more than willing to sacrifice dignity and be despicable once in a while. Hahaha." Dark Ghost laughed merrily, because even if that slap did not kill the black-clad man, it would certainly leave him with plenty of internal injuries, and that was reason enough for him to be delighted.

Ye Zi Han smiled and said, "You assassins have tried to kill us again and again. Are you not the shameless ones?" After speaking, he continued feeding moves to the assassin. For Ye Zi Han, he had long since grown sick of these hypocrites.

The black-clad man smiled and said, "Assassination is the duty of an assassin." Though he said that, he still understood something of the deeper implications.

Ye Zi Han smiled as well, then continued to strike at the black-clad man. By now, he had no retreat left, so all he hoped for was to kill the other man now, because it was always better to have one less enemy.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

Very quickly, Ye Zi Han and the black-clad man clashed at high speed, blazing like a fireball and shining brilliantly in the night sky.

"With a level like yours, you think you can kill me? You are still too green. Let me send you to hell." The black-clad man locked in combat with Ye Zi Han immediately pressed his attack, yet the two of them were still so evenly matched that neither could gain the upper hand.

Ye Zi Han smiled and said, "If that is what you think, then you are utterly mistaken. And your words are backward as well. It should be me telling you that I will send you back to hell to be remade, hahaha." Ye Zi Han remained very optimistic. Especially now that his opponent's advantage was gradually being eaten away by him, the initiative in battle was now firmly in Ye Zi Han's hands.

"Big brother, let this Dragon Lord go and meet them." Dark Ghost now wanted to help Ye Zi Han kill the black-clad man before him, but without Ye Zi Han's permission, he would no longer act so rashly.

Ye Zi Han smiled and said, "No need for you to intervene. I already have the confidence to deal with him. Just watch." Indeed, he was now confident that he could kill the black-clad man before him, especially as the Phantasm God Art within him had begun to operate. That was the source of his confidence in the face of his opponent.

Dark Ghost looked at Ye Zi Han and said, "I know Big Brother's cultivation may not be higher than his, but I believe Big Brother can defeat that fellow." Dark Ghost now had complete confidence in Ye Zi Han. Especially now, Ye Zi Han seemed like a death god come to life, his entire body radiating strands of cold, murderous aura, the aura of the Phantasm God Art.

Soon, Ye Zi Han was again locked in fierce combat with the enemy. For him, his confidence in himself was growing stronger and stronger, because he could feel that he was already not far from the next great realm. Especially when the Phantasm God Art was in motion, that sensation became even more intense.

"You are dead!" On the other battlefield, Chen Yi Yan roared and continued his frenzied assault. He intended to kill the black-clad man before him, especially since these black-clad assassins had tried again and again to murder his group. It was truly infuriating.

"Ridiculous. By now you have no idea how many grandiose words you have spoken, but in truth, what can you do to me?" The black-clad man fighting Chen Yi Yan began to look down on him, because Chen Yi Yan had indeed made such boastful claims more than once, yet in the end he still had no way to kill him.

"Ridiculous, is it? Fine. Then I will show you who will be the last one standing." After saying that, Chen Yi Yan struck again at once. He could no longer wait, because his opponent's mind was now in complete disarray, making this the perfect moment to catch him off guard.

"Thud."

In that tense instant, no one knew how Chen Yi Yan had struck, but his battle axe somehow cleaved off the black-clad man's head in a single blow. The scene was gruesome beyond words.

"Thud, thud."

Very quickly, the black-clad man's corpse crashed to the ground, and Chen Yi Yan had already withdrawn his weapon. Most shocking of all was that Chen Yi Yan had succeeded, and yet none of the people around him could tell how he had done it. To slay that black-clad man while fighting above his own level was truly the stuff of legend.

"Good. As expected, he is a fine brother of mine, Ye Zi Han said with heartfelt admiration at that moment, because Chen Yi Yan was indeed somewhat mad, and had actually slain his opponent. It was simply too astounding.

Chen Yi Yan smiled and said, "Brother Ye Zi Han, do you still need me to take care of this one for you? If you do, just say the word, and I will help you chop off his head and bring it to you." With that, he quickly charged toward Ye Zi Han.

Seeing Chen Yi Yan rushing toward him, Ye Zi Han was also taken aback. He could only laugh and say, "I appreciate the kindness, but I am certainly capable of killing this black-clad man myself, hahaha." After speaking, Ye Zi Han burst into laughter. For him, the stronger his opponent, the more beneficial it was to his own cultivation.