There’s another thief?!
Yin Huaichen was startled.
This unexpected intruder had probably been lurking nearby for quite some time, just like them.
Looking more closely, he discovered that the newcomer was also a martial artist.
The man possessed a tall, lean frame and the appearance of a young adult.
He wore a dark martial outfit and carried a single edged Miao saber across his back.
The stranger’s gaze collided with Yin Huaichen’s in midair.
A trace of surprise appeared in his eyes as well.
The two martial artists burst forward from different directions at the same time, both aiming straight for the sandalwood box inside the room.
The other martial artist was slightly faster than Yin Huaichen.
Seeing that the box was already within reach, he swiftly extended his hand, intending to seize it first.
How could Yin Huaichen possibly allow that to happen?
His eyes narrowed slightly.
With a flick of his wrist, his sword instantly left its scabbard.
The other man’s reaction speed was equally astonishing.
The moment Yin Huaichen drew his blade, he immediately withdrew his hand.
Twisting his waist, he pulled the Miao saber from his back in one fluid motion and stepped forward into an upward slash.
Clang!
A crisp metallic ring echoed through the courtyard.
Sword and saber collided, spraying sparks like molten metal from a furnace.
The brilliant embers flashed briefly beneath the night sky before vanishing into darkness.
Yin Huaichen and the martial artist each retreated a step.
An expert.
From that single exchange alone, Yin Huaichen immediately judged the other’s strength to be formidable.
Furthermore, judging from the trajectory and execution of that strike, it resembled the Receiving Blade techniques used in modern traditional martial combat.
The man was clearly a trained practitioner.
Without revealing his thoughts, Yin Huaichen quietly observed his opponent and casually cast an Inspection Spell.
[Player ID: Xiao Xiao Yuxie]
[Class: Martial Artist]
[Sect: Thousand Mountain Absolute Blade Fortress]
A notification immediately appeared.
The other party was also inspecting him.
“Xiao Xiao Yuxie? Why is he here too?”
Mu Yu’s voice rang out through the party channel.
“Be careful. He’s extremely strong. One of the publicly recognized top martial artists in Thousand Mechanisms City.”
“Damn it!”
The sudden appearance of two separate groups caught Beacon Samsara off guard.
Then his face twisted with rage.
“Trying to steal our loot?”
He didn’t recognize the two martial artists standing near the box.
But Mu Yu, who had just jumped down from the wall, was someone he knew very well.
“Mu Yu, are you looking for death?!”
“Bladewind Stronghold doesn’t belong to your family.”
Mu Yu shrugged.
“Whoever grabs it first gets it.”
“Isn’t that the philosophy One Sword Drifting Snow has always lived by?”
“Guild Leader, the boss is about to break free!”
Beacon Samsara still wanted to curse him out but hearing the warning from his guild member, he could no longer afford to waste time.
“Forget about them!”
“Get the item first!”
The talismans used to restrain Hu Tianlu had cost them a fortune.
If they delayed any longer, every bit of that investment would be wasted.
Following Beacon Samsara’s order, the guild members completely ignored the remaining bandit mobs.
Like a flood, they all charged toward the room.
“As if it’d be that easy.”
Mu Yu sneered.
Leading Great White Shark and the others, he moved to intercept One Sword Drifting Snow.
Although they were outnumbered, holding them back for a short time was still entirely possible.
Yin Huaichen also sensed that the boss’s control duration was almost over.
Seeing members of One Sword Drifting Snow rushing forward, he immediately stepped ahead and reached for the sandalwood box.
The moment he moved,
A sharp sound tore through the air beside him.
Naturally, Xiao Xiao Yuxie had no intention of standing by and watching him succeed.
His right hand curved into a claw.
A perfectly executed Yan Clan Grappling Technique from modern traditional martial combat shot toward Yin Huaichen’s wrist.
Yin Huaichen refused to yield.
His wrist sank slightly.
Following an exquisitely precise arc, he slipped past Xiao Xiao Yuxie’s grab.
Using his left foot as a pivot, he spun in place and unleashed a high whip kick directly toward the man’s face.
The kick was both swift and ferocious.
Xiao Xiao Yuxie was forced to abandon his attack and immediately raise his guard.
His forearm crossed in front of his face.
Bang!
The impact drove him back a full step.
Yin Huaichen seized the opportunity instantly.
His sword tip flicked upward, attempting to hook the sandalwood box toward himself.
Xiao Xiao Yuxie’s gaze sharpened.
A flash of saber light erupted.
His Miao saber swept forward like lightning and struck the sword’s edge.
The force transmitted through the collision into Yin Huaichen’s arm.
His wrist trembled.
The sword tip lost stability.
The sandalwood box was knocked off course and landed on the ground a short distance away from both of them.
Yin Huaichen immediately moved to retrieve it.
But Xiao Xiao Yuxie’s saber arrived once again.
This strike was exceptionally fierce.
Its angle was ruthless.
Its force application was clean and efficient.
It was obvious that Xiao Xiao Yuxie’s combat assistance settings were also set extremely low.
This single strike alone was enough to make the vast majority of martial artists feel ashamed.
Yin Huaichen had no choice but to focus fully on dealing with it.
His gaze darkened slightly.
His left wrist suddenly trembled.
The sword tip shot out like a spirit serpent, striking the strongest point of the incoming blade and neutralizing the attack.
A flicker of surprise appeared in Xiao Xiao Yuxie’s eyes.
He halted his saber and studied Yin Huaichen carefully.
“Are you from the traditional martial arts world?”
His tone carried uncertainty.
The style of modern traditional martial combat had always been direct and efficient.
Every angle of force was calculated with precision.
Every movement sought maximum efficiency.
Yet the young swordsman before him…
There was a unique charm hidden within his swordsmanship.
Something entirely different from modern traditional martial combat.
Yin Huaichen raised an eyebrow visible beneath his mask.
“Ask fewer questions.”
The sandalwood box had fallen onto the ground ahead during their exchange.
At long last, the members of One Sword Drifting Snow arrived.
The first to reach it was a spellcaster.
Seeing the two martial artists locked in combat, he hurried forward, hoping to profit from their conflict.
However, the moment his hand touched the sandalwood box,
The two martial artists seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement.
Without warning, both switched targets simultaneously.
A saber and a sword descended like thunder and wind.
“Holy shit!”
The spellcaster nearly jumped out of his skin.
Before he could react, he was struck twice.
His health plummeted instantly.
Losing his footing, he stumbled forward.
And unfortunately for him,
The direction of his fall happened to be straight toward Xiao Xiao Yuxie.
Xiao Xiao Yuxie didn’t even glance at him.
His right hand shot out and grabbed the spellcaster by the shoulder.
Treating him like a sandbag, he hurled him directly toward Yin Huaichen.
Then he immediately dashed toward the sandalwood box.
This wasn’t the time for exchanging techniques and making friends.
After only a few brief exchanges, both men had already realized the same thing.
The other was not an easy opponent.
If they truly fought seriously, there would be no winner within ten or twenty moves.
Obtaining the treasure was the priority.
Seeing the spellcaster flying toward him like a human projectile, Yin Huaichen’s eyes sharpened.
He stepped forward.
His body advanced.
His right arm rose.
Assuming a rounded stance reminiscent of Taiji, he smoothly dispersed the incoming force.
Then, he threw the spellcaster right back.
A perfect demonstration of borrowing force to return force.
The unfortunate spellcaster slid past Yin Huaichen like a slippery fish before being launched once more as a human sandbag.
The world spun around him.
His vision blurred.
He could barely hold onto his weapon.
What the hell am I to you people?!
Humiliated beyond words, anger exploded inside the spellcaster’s chest.
Sensing movement behind him, Xiao Xiao Yuxie showed not even a trace of hesitation.
He turned and slashed.
At the exact same moment, after throwing the spellcaster, Yin Huaichen stepped forward.
Advanced.
Drew his sword.
Sleeve Hidden Universe flowed out in one uninterrupted sequence.
The spellcaster had only just begun preparing a spell, intending to teach these two martial artists a lesson.
The next second, he was struck from both sides.
A saber carved across his chest.
A sword pierced into his back.
Massive damage numbers erupted above his head.
His body instantly transformed into a pillar of white light.
Spellcaster: “?”
With the spellcaster dead, the obstruction disappeared.
Yin Huaichen’s sword and Xiao Xiao Yuxie’s saber collided once more.
A smile appeared at the corner of Yin Huaichen’s lips.
Instantly, he changed techniques.
The sword tip transformed into three icy flashes.
Flood Dragon’s Triple Probe!
Xiao Xiao Yuxie’s heart jolted.
Almost instinctively, he adopted a defensive stance.
Yet the moment he moved,
He realized something was wrong.
Yin Huaichen had never intended to clash head on.
Flood Dragon’s Triple Probe was merely a feint.
The sword had barely traveled halfway before his internal energy reversed direction.
The blade immediately withdrew.
At the same time, he exploded forward in a swift step.
Stretching out a hand, he scooped the sandalwood box from the ground and pulled it into his arms.
Only Yin Huaichen could have accomplished such a thing.
Flood Dragon’s Triple Probe had already been fully launched.
Yet he somehow managed to retract both force and sword midway through the technique.
His control over internal energy had reached an astonishing level.
Even Xiao Xiao Yuxie had failed to anticipate such a move.
A visible look of surprise flashed across his face.
“Holy shit!”
Beacon Samsara watched helplessly as one of his guild members was tossed back and forth like a rag doll between the two martial artists.
Now the sandalwood box had ended up in someone else’s hands.
His eyes instantly turned red with rage.
“Attack!”
“Get it back!”
Watching their exchanges, Beacon Samsara felt both furious and deeply confused.
Wasn’t the martial artist class supposed to be garbage?
Since when had it become this terrifying?
Seeing the sandalwood box stolen away, the members of One Sword Drifting Snow panicked as well.
One after another, they surrounded Yin Huaichen.
Beacon Samsara suddenly pulled several marble like objects from his inventory and threw them toward him.
Before Yin Huaichen could even identify them,
The black spheres exploded.
Blinding Palm Thunder?!
A rare crafted artifact produced by the Heavenly Works Workshop.
Yin Huaichen had never expected Beacon Samsara to possess something so valuable.
Caught off guard, he was struck by the flash.
His vision vanished instantly.
Not good.
His heart sank.
The next moment, he sensed movement behind him and immediately leaned backward.
Xiao Xiao Yuxie’s saber swept past his scalp by less than an inch.
The instant Yin Huaichen obtained the sandalwood box, he became the target of everyone present.
Not only was Xiao Xiao Yuxie relentlessly pursuing him but members of One Sword Drifting Snow surrounded him on all sides.
The duration of Wandering Dragon Step had already expired.
His eyesight had been disrupted by Blinding Palm Thunder.
Before he could regain his balance, several spells combined with artillery fire from Mechanics crashed into him simultaneously.
Fortunately, Mu Yu reacted immediately from afar.
Raising his hand, he cast an emergency heal.
Otherwise, that concentrated bombardment alone would have been enough to send Yin Huaichen back to the city.
Martial artists simply weren’t built to withstand that kind of punishment.
Even so, Yin Huaichen’s health had already fallen to a critically dangerous level.
Mu Yu wanted to heal him again.
Unfortunately, members of One Sword Drifting Snow immediately threw several crowd control skills at him.
He was instantly restrained.
“Hurry up and kill him!”
Beacon Samsara shouted.
They had the numbers.
As long as they killed this martial artist, the sandalwood box would still belong to them.
After investing so much effort and money into this operation, there was no way Beacon Samsara would willingly allow someone else to reap the rewards.
Yin Huaichen’s vision still had not recovered.
He was dodging almost entirely on instinct.
Even so, Xiao Xiao Yuxie managed to catch him with another slash.
His health bar instantly plunged to the brink of empty.
At the same time, he became locked onto by spells from spellcasters and attacks from mechanics.
Mu Yu was still trapped under crowd control.
Seeing the situation unfold, anxiety surged in his chest.
Yin Huaichen could already hear spellcasters chanting incantations.
He knew exactly what that meant.
Once those spells locked onto him, his current condition would leave him no chance of escape.
Yet the expected magical attacks never arrived.
Just as confusion began to surface in his mind,
A deep sound like muffled thunder echoed throughout the courtyard.
Crackling noises erupted from every direction.
Then came a succession of agonized screams.
Followed by the familiar sound effects of players transforming into white light upon death.
“You people… possess quite the nerve.”
A cold voice rang through the night.
Every syllable dripped with chilling fury.
The owner of that voice was clearly enraged beyond measure.
As the words fell, an invisible pressure spread throughout the entire courtyard.
The moment Yin Huaichen felt himself locked onto by a terrifying killing intent, every hair on his body stood on end.
Instantly, he understood.
Hu Tianlu had broken free.
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
No propaganda here. Only coffee.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Remember to keep a positive moodChapter 2 · Have fun playing the gameChapter 3 · Skill completion rateChapter 4 · Strange and malevolent creatures roam outside the cityChapter 5 · 90% complete!Chapter 6 · Serving the sect is my dutyChapter 7 · First meetingChapter 8 · Fang LecangChapter 9 · A prestigious and righteous sect!Chapter 10 · Kill Chi BantuChapter 11 · Spoils of warChapter 12 · We’ve made a fortune!Chapter 13 · Thunder and fire extinguish goldChapter 14 · You found it?Chapter 15 · The so called degree of freedomChapter 16 · The secrets of life and deathChapter 17 · A minor leader of the first rank.Chapter 18 · What kind of luck do you have?Chapter 19 · Let’s Do itChapter 20 · The BOSS escapedChapter 21 · “A wound to the heart is also a wound.”Chapter 22 · Good people are always blessed.Chapter 23 · The Old Man of the Valley of BonesChapter 24 · It’s me, young master!Chapter 25 · Take it slow and steadyChapter 26 · The older they get, the stingier they becomeChapter 27 · You know this person tooChapter 28 · I saw Wei Wanzhou againChapter 29 · You’d better keep having this kind of luckChapter 30 · “Password lock” crackedChapter 31 · We’ve come to punish you!Chapter 32 · A boorish country bumpkin who knows no manners.Chapter 33 · You have crossed the lineChapter 34 · Now that we’re here, do you think we can leave?Chapter 35 · A trivial skillChapter 36 · Actually, I was just kiddingChapter 37 · Upgrade mission complete, rating: SSS!Chapter 38 · AwardChapter 39 · I have always been law-abiding and law-abidingChapter 40 · Are you coming back for dinner tonight?Chapter 41 · Purple Lightning Square Seal.Chapter 42 · A money-grubberChapter 43 · BetChapter 44 · Four Continents Chamber of CommerceChapter 45 · This was my third meeting with Wei WanzhouChapter 46 · Oh, you want to hit on me.Chapter 47 · The angry drizzle has stoppedChapter 48 · Thunder SpearChapter 49 · “Are you a devil?”Chapter 50 · The Impermanent Lord!?Chapter 51 · Loot everywhere..Chapter 52 · His identity remains a mystery.Chapter 53 · Why not show yourself?Chapter 54 · He confronted Li Mingrui.Chapter 55 · Auction