Chapter Four: The Threat

A Flashing Blade!

A Flashing Blade is the evolved form of a charged strike, equivalent to Blueheart’s condensed-force slash. But for now, Xia Yan could not yet be said to release it instantaneously; he had merely broken free of the state that required charge-up before use.

A radiant blade of light burst forth like a rainbow, striking straight at the oncoming Aiyou.

Unfathomable!

Aiyou quickly withdrew, unwilling to clash head-on with Xia Yan. Her body was far less durable than his.

Her face twisted with fury. She had never imagined that Xia Yan would actually unravel her second ability.

That power, which made movements seem sluggish, was in truth not a mental ability at all, but something closer to an illusion that deceived the eye.

When such an ability was used, the target’s movements had not truly slowed; only a hallucination had appeared before the eyes. If one simply shut them, the effect could be broken.

And yet, even with his eyes closed, he could still withstand Aiyou’s attacks!

This drove Aiyou to the brink of madness, filling her with bitter unwillingness.

In that instant, the spectators’ frenzy turned to disbelief.

A few seconds later, that disbelief became anger.

A few seconds after that, the anger became madness.

No one could understand what was happening. No one could make sense of the reason behind it. Why was a worthless human of sixteen or seventeen, facing a former bureau chief, not being crushed outright but instead locked in a stalemate?

Impossible. Could a human of sixteen or seventeen really stand shoulder to shoulder with a bureau chief?

An illusion. It had to be an illusion.

They were utterly unhinged now, shouting one after another.

“Kill that human.”

“Powerful demon, stop holding back.”

“Finish him quickly!”

“Kill him now!”

Outside the arena, the people watching the projection on their devices were equally deranged. Some even smashed the items in their hands, but even reduced to powder, those things could not dampen their fury.

“Kill this vile human!”

“Quickly, kill him! Now!”

“Kill him, kill him, don’t let him keep standing there. He should die at once!”

Aiyou, too, was enraged. With lightning in hand, she rushed at Xia Yan again, her movements swift as thunder, gone in an instant.

“Chasing-Wind Strike!”

The first blade technique Xia Yan had created was called Chasing-Wind Strike. It was self-invented through the fusion of countless martial arts forms. This move was like a storm of thunderbolts, relentless and inescapable; once an enemy fell into it, there was no getting out.

Aiyou was instantly swallowed by that sea of blade light. She could not even break free from Xia Yan’s sword intent.

The madness on her face turned to unwillingness, but that unwillingness gave her no strength. She was suppressed.

Yes, a mighty demon like her, a former bureau chief, was actually falling behind Xia Yan, unable even to break out of his attack range for the moment.

No matter how hard Aiyou tried, she could not comprehend how Xia Yan, who one year ago had been as insignificant as an ant, had grown so far in just a single year.

Such strength—how could that be possible!

Within the arena, countless spectators were furious, unwilling, and savage. Some, in their excitement, even rose from their seats, murderous intent blazing in their eyes.

Had they not respected the powerful demon Aiyou, they would already have surged forward together. They believed Aiyou would certainly kill that human, and very easily at that.

So the thing saving Xia Yan’s life was not the so-called rules of the arena at all, but rather these people’s blind worship and reverence for Aiyou. It was, truly, a bitter irony.

Aiyou unleashed the power of her bloodline, black wings sprouting from her back. A gleam flashed in her pupils as she invoked her visual-deception ability!

Xia Yan had no choice but to close his eyes and retreat a step. This kind of interference with sight made it difficult for him to press forward smoothly.

“Xia Yan, I never thought that in just one year you would grow to this extent. It is indeed astonishing.” Aiyou hovered in the air, her gaze full of hatred and grave caution. “As expected, letting you live was a mistake. You must be killed as quickly as possible, and this human elite must be erased.”

Words alone were meaningless to Xia Yan now. He held only one conviction: kill her. No matter how terrible the consequences, what of it?

The whole arena roared with noise. Countless venomous thoughts and words converged like tangible killing intent, surging toward Xia Yan.

Yet Xia Yan feared nothing. He stood rooted on the ground, unmoving.

What did the destruction of the world have to do with him?

What if the earth itself shattered?

So what if the entire world was filled with enemies, ready to swarm him at any moment?

He would not waver. He would not be afraid. He had only one resolve: kill Aiyou, the culprit behind it all!

Xia Yan was a cautious man. In order to kill Aiyou, he had made many preparations, and he still retained three killing blows.

The first was firearms. With the suddenness of a gun, he could attempt to kill Aiyou in an instant. If her head or heart were struck, there would be no chance of survival.

The second was the fire element. Once in close range, its sustained attacks could still inflict damage on Aiyou.

The third was his demon ability. If he used it, combining gray flame, the ever-changing blade, and the speed of a charge, he could certainly deal Aiyou severe harm.

Xia Yan also understood that a formidable bureau chief like her could not possibly have failed to awaken a third ability. Even Captain Feng Qiang had developed a third ability.

He had been guarding against a sudden third-ability ambush from her all along.

“As expected,” Xia Yan snorted coldly, his long blade dancing in his hand, instantly weaving a field of brilliant sword light before him.

A nearly transparent energy projectile struck the blade net and dissolved into a faint radiance, vanishing without a trace.

That was Aiyou’s third ability.

“Oh heavens, this demon has actually awakened a third ability!”

“So strong. This is what a true ability user looks like!”

“Powerful demon, hurry and kill this humble human.”

“Stop stalling. At least cut off his arms and legs first.”

Many spectators discovered Aiyou’s third ability and erupted once more in cheers. They all knew that anyone who could awaken a third ability stood among the strongest of the strong.

With that kind of power, killing a human boy no more than an ant was surely effortless.

Kill him. Hurry and kill him.

Only by seeing this human’s blood and shattered flesh would everyone grow even more excited.

They had to savor that exquisite, intoxicating thrill to the fullest.

“This ability is an atmospheric bullet. It uses the density of the air to create something extremely troublesome,” Xia Yan said calmly, though he could feel the problem. These atmospheric bullets left no clear trail, causing him to be forced onto the back foot; they were profoundly unfavorable to him.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Several more atmospheric bullets came flying in. No trace or path could be seen; perhaps they were already behind Xia Yan.

He had no way to maneuver. In the end, he simply closed his eyes. After all, Aiyou’s visual-deception ability was interfering with him far too much. Xia Yan also had to admit that this woman was very strong, stronger than ordinary bureau chiefs. Her atmospheric bullets, combined with visual deception, were absolutely unstoppable.

At that moment, he felt the threat of death. If he could not defend against it, he would be killed.