Chapter Ninety-Three: The Assassin in the Darkness

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The soldiers received the notification one after another, and they were almost certain that Chu Feng had appeared, killing two of their number in succession. This left them utterly shocked and horrified.

“After him! Don’t let him escape!” The soldiers immediately alerted one another, pinpointing Chu Feng’s approximate location.

Stationed along the border, the soldiers all rushed toward the area where Chu Feng had last been seen. In truth, they had no intention of regrouping; even those who hadn’t yet split up quickly scattered, more worried that Chu Feng would break through their encirclement and escape.

But Chu Feng had no intention of leaving the battlefield he had prepared in advance. He had already memorized several distinctive landmarks to prevent himself from inadvertently straying beyond the field of battle.

Fate had decreed this would be a night of bloodshed. Once the soldiers left the border and their coordinated search fell into chaos, Chu Feng too moved through the battlefield. Before long, the Lingyang Mirror lost much of its effectiveness for the soldiers, as they could no longer discern whether the red dot belonged to Chu Feng or not.

Undoubtedly, this was a golden opportunity for Chu Feng. When some soldiers noticed two red dots converging and one vanishing, they realized a comrade had been killed and the remaining dot must be Chu Feng. But when Chu Feng slipped away from their Lingyang Mirror’s detection with astonishing speed, no one could tell which dot he was anymore—they could only chase after a general direction.

That night, Chu Feng became a killer in the dark. Each time a soldier’s anguished scream rang out, it sent chills down the spines of the others.

Of course, with every kill, Chu Feng unleashed his full power, aiming to eliminate his opponent in the shortest possible time before fleeing again.

The greatest trouble, however, lay in facing late-stage sixth-tier Earth Spirit warriors. These formidable foes, employing their spiritual arts, could already overpower Chu Feng. In close combat, encountering some of the more frenzied ones, even Chu Feng’s exquisite swordsmanship could not spare him from being shaken to his core.

Killing a sixth-tier Earth Spirit warrior was a tremendous drain, but the Recovery Pills they left behind proved invaluable.

In this particular battlefield, Chu Feng made full use of his advantages, sometimes pursuing, sometimes retreating, his sole purpose to slay as many enemies as possible before dawn.

After a little over an hour, the number of soldiers who fell to Chu Feng’s sword had exceeded thirty.

For the first time, these soldiers were truly terrified, thinking that at this rate, it was possible they’d all be wiped out.

It was a hard truth to accept. How could a mere fifth-tier Earth Spirit warrior possess such overwhelming combat ability?

Yet they had to admit they had grossly underestimated Chu Feng. They realized there was only one explanation—Chu Feng’s cultivation had advanced yet again.

After losing more than thirty comrades, the remaining soldiers began to gather, at least two joining up at a time.

Even so, during this process, Chu Feng still took the opportunity to kill another six.

Once he confirmed there were no more stragglers, Chu Feng had no choice but to confront pairs of enemies.

The battle became markedly more difficult. These soldiers were well-versed in joint attack formations. Though they couldn’t fully utilize them in these circumstances, Chu Feng could clearly sense it was even harder than facing a single late-stage sixth-tier Earth Spirit warrior.

Now, Chu Feng’s physical body had grown stronger, surpassing even a mid-grade Earth-rank spiritual weapon, though not yet equal to a top-grade one.

To eliminate his enemies, Chu Feng even resorted to taking blows with his body, exchanging injury for a deadly strike against his foe.

He did so out of necessity, knowing it was unlikely he could kill them all before dawn, but determined to slay as many as possible. If he could annihilate them, he would surely survive this ordeal.

The soldiers’ storage pouches contained many items, but Chu Feng had no time to examine them—spirit stones, war knives, and, crucially, Recovery Pills. Opening one at random, he found two bottles of the precious pills.

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In the darkness, Chu Feng fought like a madman, swallowing three or four Recovery Pills at a time. He was like a god of slaughter, his Violet Robe soaked with blood—though none of it was his own.

Two soldiers together could not withstand Chu Feng’s onslaught; even groups of three would be broken, sometimes losing one or two before Chu Feng was forced to retreat, wary of being surrounded by reinforcements.

With another twenty-plus slain, the thirty or so remaining were now truly terrified and dared not venture out, instead gathering in one place.

At this point, Chu Feng stood a mile away from their group. Both sides could detect each other with the Lingyang Mirror, but neither advanced. A standoff ensued.

Chu Feng searched for an opportunity. He knew that many who’d fought him had survived. Although he had covered his eyes with a four-inch lock of hair, it was likely that, in battle, some had noticed he fought with his eyes closed.

If the enemy realized he was using spiritual perception, the survivors would surely hunt him relentlessly in the daylight.

Now that he rivaled a sixth-tier Earth Spirit warrior in speed, he was confident that, under cover of darkness, even late-stage sixth-tier warriors would have trouble catching him.

Yet this would almost certainly prompt the Eastern King to send even greater reinforcements—if seventh-tier warriors appeared, he would be in dire peril.

During the standoff, Chu Feng continued to adjust his state. He realized his best hope lay in slaughtering every last one of the remaining enemies. Even if these soldiers suffered a rout, they would not be quick to report their defeat to the Eastern King unless he was dead.

Chu Feng weighed his options. To charge into a force of thirty was madness, but if he succeeded, the Eastern King would lose track of him for a long time, making it much easier to return to the Holy City.

It was a reckless gamble, but Chu Feng resolved to stake his life on this one battle.

On the other side, the soldiers remained on high alert. Though terrified by Chu Feng’s killing spree, their battlefield experience kept them calm.

They gathered together, analyzing every step of Chu Feng’s tactics, from marking out this special area that rendered the spirit hounds useless, to his bold strikes in the darkness.

Many of them had fought Chu Feng and could feel he had indeed grown stronger—no longer the fifth-tier warrior he’d been rumored to be.

Yet in their eyes, no matter how strong Chu Feng was, he was at best a sixth-tier Earth Spirit warrior.

How strong could he really be? After all, their ranks included many sixth-tier warriors, some even in the late stage.

Why, then, did Chu Feng choose to strike at night? In their view, it was hardly an ideal time for battle. The darkness impaired everyone’s vision and dulled their combat strength. Could it be Chu Feng had reached the seventh tier, so even weakened, he could still dominate them?

But that seemed unlikely. If Chu Feng were seventh-tier, he could have acted in daylight as well, and it was impossible for someone to leap from the fifth to the seventh tier in such a short time, not with them hunting him.

During their discussion, six soldiers reported that they had noticed Chu Feng’s eyes were closed.

If it had happened just once, it could have been a coincidence, but when multiple people noticed it, there was a problem. This meant Chu Feng must have kept his eyes closed for an extended period.

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Finally, the soldiers reached a conclusion: Chu Feng was fighting them while using his spiritual sense. Only thus could he move like a fish in water in the darkness, his combat ability undiminished.

It was a shocking realization, but the evidence was undeniable.

“So that’s it—facing such a prodigy, it’s no wonder we lost. Now that we’ve figured this out, even if the Eastern King learns of our heavy casualties, he won’t blame us. And there’s no need to fear Chu Feng anymore—daylight will be his doom.”

With that, the soldiers grew less anxious. They were certain Chu Feng must be feeling pressed for time. They believed he understood his predicament, which was why he kept his distance, neither fleeing nor attacking.

“If he really dares to come, he’ll never leave alive!”

The remaining soldiers were brimming with confidence. Even if their combat strength was diminished, if they couldn’t kill at least one Chu Feng out of thirty men, they saw no reason to keep living.

They set up defenses around their gathering place, erecting a barrier. If Chu Feng truly dared to attack, they would activate it—less to trap him than to produce a brilliant light, which would dramatically boost their fighting power.

At that moment, Chu Feng stood silently atop a massive boulder, facing the direction where the thirty soldiers had gathered, the Dominion Sword in hand and his expression grave.

Time was running short. Suddenly, Chu Feng’s eyes flashed with resolve, and he strode toward the enemy.

As he advanced, he put away the Lingyang Mirror, knowing that once he plunged into the enemy ranks, there would be no retreat, and the mirror would be of no further use.

The soldiers immediately noticed Chu Feng’s approach, their faces twisting into cold smiles filled with murderous intent.

“He really dares to come—this time, we’ll wash away our humiliation with his blood!”

As a well-trained force, they had never suffered a defeat so grievous. The shame burned in them; they longed to tear Chu Feng to pieces.

Chu Feng charged in, and the soldiers quickly encircled him.

They did not attack at once. One soldier barked, “Chu Feng, your death has come!”

Chu Feng gave a cold, mocking smile. “It’s time to settle this. If you die, you have no one to blame but yourselves.”

“Arrogant! Do you really think you’re some peerless master?” another soldier snapped.

The soldiers radiated killing intent, drawing their war blades. Chu Feng’s fighting spirit surged in response.

There was no more to be said. The battle was about to begin—a true fight to the death, from which only one side would emerge alive.