Chapter 79: One Against Three

The appearance of the figure in red nearly stopped their hearts.

They stared blankly at the familiar face, their eyes filled with shock and confusion… Even the usually composed Lu Xuanming seemed somewhat pale at this moment.

Chen Ling?!

The Usurper?

Wasn't he long dead?!

Question after question popped into their minds, making them feel overwhelmed… Only Pu Wen reacted first. He stared intently at Chen Ling and spoke hoarsely:

“I knew something felt off… Were you controlling all of this from behind the scenes?”

“To be honest, I’m not keen on explaining things to you,” Chen Ling paused. “After all, villains often die from talking too much.”

The three: …?

Chen Ling slowly stood up, his eyes looking down at the three below. His crimson stage robe danced wildly in the wind, like a blood demon.

A crazed smirk curved his lips.

“The three of you, come at me together.”

The three on the hill exchanged glances, their expressions grim. Jian Changsheng was the first to charge, rushing at Chen Ling like a mad dog. Lu Xuanming pulled his long blade from the ground with a backhand and followed closely.

Pu Wen remained rooted to the spot, immediately biting his finger and quickly drawing on the ground… His previously stored ‘Seal’ characters were all used up; the one he had just used to immobilize Subject 8 was written on the fly. Now, he had to act again.

Chen Ling stood atop the towering rocks, unhurriedly reaching a finger to his cheek and gently tearing.

A face mask drifted away with the wind.

At the same time, Chen Ling, who had been standing there, seemed to vanish into thin air. Jian Changsheng and Lu Xuanming both froze simultaneously as a black blur swiftly darted past them!

It was a black falcon.

“What kind of skill is that?!”

Lu Xuanming had never seen anyone transform into an animal. Even the “Opera God Path,” known for its versatility, could only change faces… Could this be a technique of those Witch God Path practitioners?

The falcon flew past the two, transforming back into Chen Ling mid-air, a crimson streak plummeting like a meteor toward the ground behind them!

Pu Wen, just a final stroke away from completing the ‘Immobilize’ character, felt something flash past him. Amidst flying gravel, his wrist was already firmly gripped!

Pu Wen stared in shock at the face so close to his, but the other person had already placed a gun barrel against his forehead and smiled faintly.

“Nice skill, but too slow to wind up.”

Bang—!

One shot, Pu Wen dead!

Chen Ling had been observing from behind the scenes for so long that he had long seen through everyone’s abilities. Pu Wen’s Scripture God Path was indeed powerful, strong in every aspect. Unfortunately, each use required him to first pull out paper, and if he had no paper, he could only write on the spot…

If it had been at the start of their entry into the ancient treasury, Chen Ling would certainly not have dared to be so overconfident and take on three opponents. But now, Pu Wen had exhausted all his rice paper, and Lu Xuanming was severely wounded, having lost the use of an arm and a leg, his combat power greatly diminished.

Killing Pu Wen first was crucial; otherwise, if he managed to release the ‘Immobilize’ character later, Chen Ling could be instantly counter-killed… This was the most important part of Chen Ling’s plan.

Watching Pu Wen being instantly killed by Chen Ling with such precision, Lu Xuanming and Jian Changsheng’s pupils constricted.

They exchanged a glance, then instinctively turned and rapidly approached Chen Ling from left and right. Jian Changsheng was the fastest, almost a crimson blur, arriving before Chen Ling in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, Chen Ling plunged a red ring into Pu Wen’s body, then slowly stood up and casually waved a hand at him.

“Knead.”

*Crack*—!

Jian Changsheng reacted incredibly fast, dodging to the side the moment space warped. Even so, one of his shoulders was crushed into a bloody mist.

He grunted, the fierce glint in his eyes intensifying. Losing an arm severely disadvantaged his balance, especially at high speed, causing his body to instinctively tilt to one side, almost making him tumble to the ground.

In that brief interval, the crimson stage robe was already clashing with the black-clad Lu Xuanming!

Dagger and long blade sparked brilliantly in the air. Lu Xuanming saw Chen Ling’s ring and spoke coldly:

“You killed Yan Xicai?!”

“So what?”

Chen Ling felt an immense force from the blade tip. He smoothly retreated to absorb the impact, his body as light as a fluttering butterfly, instantly flashing behind Lu Xuanming!

Lu Xuanming possessed the Iron Armor, making his strength and defense extremely high. Chen Ling naturally couldn’t confront him head-on; he could only rely on the agility of the Dance of Slaughter to fight him!

As long as his speed was fast enough and his attack angles were precise, Lu Xuanming wouldn’t have time to activate his Iron Armor for defense.

Lu Xuanming had already lost the use of one hand to Subject 8, and now wielding his blade with a single hand, he simply couldn’t keep up with Chen Ling’s offensive. He could only parry clumsily and retreat, waiting for Jian Changsheng to come to his aid.

Chen Ling, of course, wouldn’t give him that chance.

Chen Ling ghosted sideways, dodging Lu Xuanming’s counterattack. He then plunged his ring-adorned right hand into Lu Xuanming’s wound. A frantic devouring force emanated from it, and Lu Xuanming’s body visibly withered.

Lu Xuanming reacted swiftly, swinging his blade at Chen Ling’s wrist immediately, but it was blocked mid-air by a dagger.

After a brief struggle, Chen Ling was forced back several steps. Before Lu Xuanming could raise his blade to strike, Chen Ling flicked a finger at him:

“Knead!”

A localized spatial distortion, precisely landing on Lu Xuanming’s blade-gripping hand, instantly shattered his bones, causing him to drop his long blade. In a flash, a blur darted before him, and a cold glint pierced his chest!

Lu Xuanming grunted, his eyes wide as he stared at Chen Ling, who was mere inches away. Moments later, he fell stiffly to the ground.

At the same time, a whooshing sound came from behind Chen Ling!

He deftly dodged sideways, a short sword grazing his cheek. Jian Changsheng’s eyes gleamed fiercely. Dagger and short blade clashed more than a dozen times in mid-air at astonishing speed, neither gaining an advantage!

After an explosive exchange, both chose to create distance, two crimson figures standing on opposite sides of the battlefield, watching each other.

“Whether you’re human or ghost… you die today.” Jian Changsheng grit his teeth. He could feel Chen Ling’s immense power; even Pu Wen and Lu Xuanming had been successively killed… But he had come all this way with great difficulty, and he absolutely couldn’t die here.

His will soared, and an aura of slaughter spread around him. He let out a low growl and charged at Chen Ling like a crimson bolt of lightning.

Chen Ling expressionlessly raised his gun, aiming its muzzle at the rapidly approaching crimson figure, and slowly spoke:

“For the restart of human civilization…”

“I sentence you to death.”