As an innate martial arts expert, the Blade Attendant had sharp senses and impressive speed. He’d always been at the front of the chase, but when Jack Young exploded with power, he was suddenly left behind. The Blade Attendant did his best to catch up, channeling his energy into his eyes to observe the enemy. But the moment that shadowy figure appeared, the Blade Attendant’s heart skipped a beat—this guy was a real master!
Although the Blade Attendant was considered a bona fide master by most people in the martial world, he was now on high alert. Sure, he could blast through a rooftop with a mix of palm force and blade energy if he pushed himself, but that shadowy figure did it effortlessly. And the speed—shooting straight into the sky—was just unreal.
If this were a TV show, it’d be one of those scenes where the action is so fast, the camera can’t keep up—the figure even looks stretched out. Trailing a blurry streak, the person shot toward the South Gate. At the same time, the Blade Attendant felt two piercing gazes stab into him, making his skin crawl.
This person was definitely stronger than him—how much stronger, he couldn’t even guess.
“Who the heck is this guy?!” The Blade Attendant was shocked, speeding up and skimming low to keep close. After spending so much time with the Phantom Sword Saint, he’d gotten pretty familiar with the styles of top martial artists. He kept a close eye on the stranger’s movement, hoping to figure out his background. But no matter how he looked, he couldn’t spot any signature moves—the guy’s technique was just pure speed, with nothing extra.
No ordinary person could pull that off. Actors always say the hardest role to play is just a regular person.
“Where did this freak come from?” The Blade Attendant was shaken, then glanced at Jack Young. “But if we’re talking freaks, there’s an even bigger one right here.”
Jack Young was right behind, refusing to let go. If the shadow in the sky was a swift swallow, then Jack Young was a cheetah sprinting on the ground. He charged forward with giant strides, chasing at top speed. The angrier he got, the colder his mood became—like a howling winter wind, complete with snow, sending chills right to your bones.
Whoosh, whoosh—amid a barrage of slicing sounds, Jack Young hurled anything he could get his hands on up into the air. It was like an anti-aircraft machine gun—roof tiles, pebbles, bricks—everything spun upwards with a shriek. And every shot was delivered with expert Mystic Gate Weapon technique; even a hundred real swallows flying by would’ve been knocked down. The person in the air had insane Lightness Skill, twisting left and right to dodge these “bullets,” but still got slowed down.
“Hmm?” The person glanced down at Jack Young, letting out a cold snort. Only now did the Blade Attendant get a good look—the guy was wearing a bizarre mask, pitch black with no bumps or patterns, not even eye holes. From a distance, it looked like a faceless monster, radiating an indescribable aura of fear.
The little house wasn’t far from the South Gate—barely a blink away. By now, the South Gate was sealed shut, with a bunch of armored guards stationed at the entrance. When these guards spotted the commotion, they bent their bows, ready to fire, but before they could aim, that masked killer leapt lightly from the rooftop, his shadow flickering by, and—whoosh—he’d already vaulted over. Forget about the city wall, the guy just shot straight to the top of the gatehouse, glanced back at the folks chasing him, then took off flying toward the city outskirts.
Honestly, bows and arrows are pretty much useless against someone like that.
The city guards had just pulled their eyes away from the gatehouse when—boom!—a thunderous crash echoed, making them all jump. Jack Young stomped the ground and shot skyward, while his Blade Attendant used Lightness Skill to leap after him. The two of them landed one after the other on the gatehouse, then sprang off in pursuit.
Well, with all these heavy hitters running around today, the city gate’s basically just for show.
"Open the gate, open the gate—hurry up!" came the shouts from far off, as a flood of martial artists surged forward like a tidal wave, scaring the city guards out of their wits. "The killer’s got the Jade Sword and is escaping!" "Quick, open the gate, don’t let that murderer get away!" With top experts leading the charge, even the bystanders weren’t afraid to join the chaos.
While the guards were still dithering about what to do, Jack Young and the Blade Attendant had already made it outside the South Gate.
Just a short way outside the South Gate was the Eight Directions City Pier. Between here and there, all you had was a big road and a patch of woods—no towering buildings like inside the city, so not many places to leap from. The sound of the Long River rushing by filled their ears, and the wind rustled through the trees. But out here in the woods, the Blade Attendant had already lost sight of their target.
"Dang, did he already slip away?" Blade Attendant fretted. "The Long River’s right there—if he dives in and swims off, we’ll never find him again."
Jack Young didn’t say a word. He just focused, sniffing the air for any trace of the target. It was tough to track by scent before—too much time had passed, and the wind had scattered it. But now, with the chase this close, that scent couldn’t escape Jack’s dog-like nose.
But—
"That guy doesn’t have a scent at all?" Jack Young frowned. Even trees and grass have their own smell, and people are always leaving traces. But Jack couldn’t pick up anything, meaning the guy was both skilled and careful—a real pro at covering his tracks.
People like that are seriously tough to handle.
Too bad you can’t bear to ditch the Jade Sword. The scent of Floating Pagoda Water isn’t easy to hide." Jack Young locked onto the direction and shot forward, "This way!"
They dashed through the woods, trees whipping by so fast that any normal person would’ve screamed. But neither of them slowed down one bit, racing south.
No tracks, no footprints. Not a single sign anyone passed through—no trampled flowers or snapped branches. The guy’s stealth and attention to detail are insane. But that’s not all bad—if someone’s working that hard to cover their tracks, it slows them down. We can still catch up!
They tore through the forest, covering most of the distance in just a few minutes. The Long River was finally in sight—but still no sign of the killer.
Did he get away already? Blade Attendant thought, feeling annoyed.
But just then, Jack Young suddenly skidded to a stop, his feet carving a long groove in the dirt. Blade Attendant, sensing something was up, halted and went on alert. Jack Young scanned the area, eyes sharp. The woods were quiet, with only the occasional chirp of birds and cicadas breaking the silence. Blade Attendant also checked the surroundings, then asked after a moment, "See anything? I’m not picking up a thing."
Jack Young frowned and slowly shook his head. "I didn’t see anything either."
"You didn’t see anything? Then why’d you suddenly get all tense and stop?"
"But something feels off." Even though nothing looked out of place, Jack Young’s instincts screamed at him to pay attention—like a tight string in his mind suddenly vibrating with warning.
"Feeling?" Blade Attendant shot Jack Young a surprised look. As an innate expert, he usually got subtle vibes from his surroundings, but right now he felt nothing. Jack Young was the first to sound the alarm—was it real, or just nerves?
If he really sensed something, his spiritual level must be way above mine. But that can’t be—only my master has such high spirit! There’s no way anyone else does!
But while Blade Attendant was distracted, Jack Young’s vibe suddenly shifted—he struck like lightning, aiming right for Blade Attendant’s face! No internal energy, just raw power. Blade Attendant’s hair stood on end, and he twisted away at the last split second, hand already on his blade.
Then a sword stabbed right past his face—if he hadn’t twisted, his head would’ve been split in two. Jack Young’s fist shot out against the sword, both attacks crossing in front of Blade Attendant’s face—so close it made him forget to breathe.
Bang—a light sound, and after that split-second clash, they broke apart again. Blade Attendant barely saw what happened, just knew neither Jack Young nor the attacker came out ahead.
At last, he saw the killer—after all this chasing, he finally got a good look.
He was a lean, agile man, not big but tough-looking. Dressed all in black, even his shoes, with fabric wrapped tight so no skin showed. His mask looked plain at first, but up close had tiny holes—he could see out, but nobody could see in.
This black-clad figure was like a shadow made solid. Even standing just a few paces away, Blade Attendant could barely sense him.
Blade Attendant’s face turned grim, gripping his blade even tighter without thinking.
Jack Young didn’t care—he strode forward, then suddenly burst into a sprint. The other guy raised the Jade Sword and dashed in too. One was icy cold, the other shadowy and silent. In a flash, they collided, sparks flying.