Chapter 1064: Chapter 672: Identity
Upon hearing these words, Liu Hun’s brow immediately furrowed. The tone suggested that the two knew each other before, and their relationship seemed quite significant, yet for the moment, Liu Hun couldn’t recall who the person before him really was.
"If you want to take the weapon, you’ll have to ask if we agree first!" The Clan Leader no longer wasted words with the black-cloaked figure. Together with several Elders beside him, his figure moved and charged directly towards the black-cloaked figure.
Seeing this scene, a look of disdain flashed in the eyes of the figure beneath the black cloak. With a tone of slight contempt, they slowly said, "If it weren’t for this weapon, perhaps I would still fear you. But unfortunately, now you won’t be my match!"
"Whether that’s true, we’ll have to fight to find out. Besides, it’s been years since I’ve heard a young person speak to me like this!" The Clan Leader sneered, stopping before the black-cloaked figure, firmly grasping his sword with one hand.
Though the Clan Leader wished to kill this black-cloaked figure as soon as possible to seize the weapon, he understood that someone able to follow silently behind them without being discovered was not simple, especially since the opponent now held the weapon.
"Since you’re so obstinate, let me fulfill your wish, to spare you from nagging in my ears," said the black-cloaked figure. Grabbing the sword hilt backward, he lightly tapped his feet on the stone platform, and the next moment, his body descended directly to the ground.
Watching this scene, the Clan Leader slightly frowned. The opponent hadn’t attacked him directly, so for the moment, the Clan Leader didn’t act rashly, as he had no idea of the black figure’s strength.
Especially now, with the opponent possessing such a weapon, caution was indeed necessary.
As the Clan Leader and others hesitated, Liu Hun, not far behind, saw the scene, and his face dramatically changed, shouting loudly to everyone, "Be careful!"
Just as Liu Hun’s words fell, everyone instinctively circulated their internal power, but before they could react, the black-robed man’s two-handed sword had already reached the ground.
Before the man arrived, the giant sword in his hands first struck the ground. Dust mixed with a wave-like force rippled outward in all directions.
"Boom!" Anyone caught by this force was not spared, all immediately fell unconscious, covered in blood, appearing extremely terrifying.
Only Liu Huyi was unaffected by this force. His eyes scanned the people lying on the ground, and after a moment, he secretly let out a sigh of relief in his heart.
As long as everyone wasn’t dead, it was manageable. Although they were all severely injured now, as long as the black-robed person was dealt with, their lives would remain safe and sound.
Having reassured himself, Liu Hun’s expression took on a cooler demeanor, glaring at the black-robed man.
"You are indeed as I expected. The force just now was released with the Chiyou Sword. Any ordinary person encountering such a force would be seriously injured or fainted, yet you weren’t. Therefore, you must possess the Chiyou Sword’s Artifact Soul, right?" The black-robed man said this, paused, regardless of Liu Hun’s shocked expression.
Then he continued to say to Liu Hun, "It truly is a pity. If I had obtained the Artifact Soul, the Chiyou Sword could have been fully revived. Without the Artifact Soul, the Chiyou Sword’s power is less than one percent, and even your Artifact Soul cannot exert more than a fraction of a percent."
The black-robed man could clarify all these details, clearly knowing everything well. Concerning this, Liu Hun forcefully suppressed his shock, firmly glaring at the black-robed figure before him, asking, "Who exactly are you? Following us, is it merely to seize the Chiyou Sword?"
Liu Hun was most interested not in why this person fought for the Chiyou Sword, but in the opponent’s identity. However, no matter how Liu Hun pondered, he couldn’t figure out who the person before him really was.
"Seizing the Chiyou Sword is just the first step. More importantly, I want to witness your failure. After all, watching the thing you are about to acquire being taken by someone else, that’s surely an unpleasant feeling, right? But don’t worry, I won’t kill you today. Otherwise, it would be too boring. I will make you suffer, unable to die, unable to live," the black-robed man continued.
Upon hearing these words, Liu Hun’s eyes narrowed, his palm moved, and a dagger appeared in his hand, gradually transforming into a long sword.
Seeing Liu Hun’s movements with the weapon in hand, the black-robed man was a bit surprised and said, "It seems this Artifact Soul does have some use. If it can hide within the body, then even if this weapon serves no other purpose, it wasn’t a wasted trip."
Saying this, the black-robed man directly used the giant sword to cut a gash in his palm, letting the crimson blood be consumed by the giant sword, just like the sarcophagus had devoured Liu Hun’s blood before.
It’s just that now the sarcophagus had transformed into a giant sword; Liu Hun never expected, in this dark place, there truly existed the Chiyou Sword!
Moreover, regardless of who the black-robed man was, he was undoubtedly an enemy. With the Chiyou Sword in the enemy’s hands, it was not good news for Liu Hun.
The Chiyou Sword swiftly consumed the black-robed man’s blood. In a short time, the entire giant sword shrunk significantly. After examining it carefully, the black-robed man couldn’t help but laugh softly, "It seems the weapon of Chiyou is indeed extraordinary, but alas, without the Artifact Soul..."
"If you want the Artifact Soul, then let’s see if you have what it takes!" Liu Hun’s eyes flickered with a cold glint as he looked at the man in the black robe and said coolly.
This time, however, the man in the black robe simply shook his head at Liu Hun, then said directly, "If I could, I wouldn’t mind killing you. But unfortunately, once an Artifact Soul acknowledges a master, it’s no longer of any use. To restore the Chiyou Sword to its peak power, you’d need to either find the Artifact Soul again or forge a new one, neither of which is easy to accomplish."
After listening to the man in the black robe, Liu Hun understood why he hadn’t made a move yet. Liu Hun could also clearly feel that if they truly started fighting, it would be uncertain who would win or lose.
"If you want to leave here with that weapon today, you must pay a price!" As Liu Hun finished speaking, his figure moved, and he charged towards the man in the black robe with his weapon.
"Clang!" The man in the black robe simply used the long sword in his hand to block Liu Hun’s attack without any showy moves.
A knife and a sword collided, and in an instant, sparks flew all over the sky.
"Clang!" Another crisp sound rang out, and after both took a few steps back, the man in the black robe looked at Liu Hun with a trace of astonishment in his eyes and muttered, "I didn’t expect your strength to increase so quickly. But since that’s the case, I’ll use some of my strength to humble you, lest you become arrogant."
After the man in the black robe spoke, his figure moved mysteriously, and in Liu Hun’s vision, the man’s body seemed to twist, making it impossible to discern which shadow was his true form.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..." Strange cries continued to ring in Liu Hun’s ears.
At this moment, Liu Hun gently closed his eyes and focused on sensing everything around him carefully.
Even though his body has some unique traits and can ignore things like the Death’s Eye or the Jungle Beast, it isn’t all-powerful.
Under this illusion-like form of attack from his opponent, Liu Hun had no choice but to close his eyes to stabilize his mind and feel with his heart.
"Clang, clang, clang!" Just as the man in the black robe approached Liu Hun’s side, wielding the long sword for an attack, Liu Hun suddenly lifted his great knife to strike back.
"Clang!" Another crisp sound, and Liu Hun, gripping his long knife with both hands, slashed fiercely towards the face of the man in the black robe.
Seeing this, the man in the black robe could only hold up his long sword to block Liu Hun’s attack. Even so, after one strike, they both retreated several steps again.
"How... how can you... how can you see through my shadow?" This time, after retreating a few steps, the man in the black robe asked Liu Hun in shock.
In response, Liu Hun sneered, "All those movement techniques are nothing but illusions. If you focus, nothing is impossible!"
"I didn’t expect you to have such insights..." The man in the black robe chuckled lightly upon hearing this.
However, before his smile could finish, it froze on his face in the next moment.
"Crack!" A faint sound rang out as the mask on the man in the black robe’s face began to crack and then fell to the ground in fragments.
As the mask shattered, Liu Hun looked at the face before him, his eyes full of disbelief.
"How... how is it possible..." Looking at that somewhat familiar and unfamiliar face, Liu Hun murmured softly.
"Nothing is impossible. I didn’t think, at that moment, you’d not only find my silhouette but also manage to break my mask. It’s been a long time, and your strength has greatly increased." The man in the black robe instinctively tried to cover his face, but after hearing Liu Hun’s words, he faced Liu Hun serenely, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, speaking coldly.
"Why?" Liu Hun asked through gritted teeth.
"Why? Liu Hun, are you really asking me why now? Doesn’t saying this embarrass you?" As Liu Hun spoke, the man in the black robe’s voice involuntarily rose.