Chapter 177 - 123: Nan: You Really Are the Black Cat Martial Artist!

Chapter 177: Chapter 123: Nan: You Really Are the Black Cat Martial Artist!

"Mhm."

Hearing this, the old man hurriedly closed his eyes and sat cross-legged on the ground. He muttered an incantation under his breath. Before long, a bizarre aura surged outward from his body. A moment later, the Extreme Void Necklace resting on his lap began to pulse with energy.

"Open!"

As the old man’s eyes snapped open, the necklace on his lap erupted with a blinding light!

WHOOSH!

In an instant, a hill-like pile of bundles materialized beside him. They were stacked up in towering layers. Having done all this, exhaustion showed clearly on the old man’s face.

"Hurry, Junior Brother! There’s no time to lose. Bury the Thunder Powder!"

"Alright!"

The two of them began carrying the stacks of bundles from the ground, piling them onto the adjacent grand dam.

In the night sky, a pure white silhouette streaked across the expanse. The figure was clad entirely in white, gripping a Three-foot Cyan Blade. Bizarrely, his head was covered by a black hood that revealed only his eyes.

"Meow~"

With every tap of his foot against the ground, he let out a spine-tingling sound. His speed was incredible. He skimmed over the ground, stirring up every fallen leaf in his path. Without a shred of hesitation, his lightning-fast body shot forward like a loose arrow, heading straight out of the dense forest.

"The Tracking Bamboo indicated... it’s right there!"

Through the dense foliage, Bai Ziqing could faintly make out the distance. Two figures, one tall and one short, were transporting something. He quickened his pace, rushing over at top speed.

BAM!

With a final push off his toes, his body soared toward the two like a great roc.

"Who’s there?!"

The old man snapped his head up, looking in Bai Ziqing’s direction. The child also paused, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the newcomer.

"Meow~"

After landing, Bai Ziqing stared at the two in silence. He let out that eerie sound.

Hearing this, the old man shuddered violently and blurted out, "The Black Cat Martial Artist?!"

The child was somewhat bewildered. He looked up at the old man in confusion, "What Black Cat Martial Artist?"

"You’ve been in the Holy Capital for a long time, Junior Brother, so you wouldn’t know. The Black Cat Martial Artist is a Martial Artist who suddenly rose to fame in Liangjiang Commandery last year," the old man said, taking a deep breath. "Rumor has it that he possesses a Spiritual Artifact from the Profound Array Department, and his Martial Arts Cultivation is at least at the Visualization Realm."

"Is that so?" The child beside him frowned slightly and slowly walked toward Bai Ziqing’s figure. "Senior Brother, you keep going. I’ll hold him off."

"Mhm."

Without any hesitation, the old man resumed handling the stacks of Thunder Powder explosives. Enemies met on a narrow path, each with their own objective. And the moment they struck, it would be with lethal intent!

The child’s arm suddenly swelled. His already bizarre arm instantly bulged with knotted muscles!

"The Ancestral Master decreed! The strong can shatter mountains and rivers!" Though the child was not tall, the ferocious aura he exuded was not something an ordinary person could withstand. He closed in on Bai Ziqing at breakneck speed. That tree trunk of an arm smashed down ruthlessly!

However... Was Bai Ziqing really only at the Visualization Realm?

SWISH!

It was completely impossible to see how Bai Ziqing even drew his weapon. One could only see the longsword in his hand, trailing specks of starlight. It seemed like the most radiant brilliance in the world, stirring up a glory entirely his own within the dark night.

"Gah—" The short child’s eyes abruptly widened. He stared in utter disbelief at the blade completely submerged in his throat.

THUD!

He collapsed straight to the ground. His eyes were filled with unwillingness, yet there was nothing he could do. The life force drained from his body, utterly unstoppable.

"Hurry, Junior Brother! The patrol guards will soon..."

The old man finished moving the final stack of Thunder Powder. Upon looking up, he witnessed a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life. His junior brother, with whom he had only recently reunited after a long separation, lay dead right in front of him.

"Hmph."

Bai Ziqing smoothly withdrew his longsword, letting out a disdainful cold snort from beneath that bizarre black hood. He wondered why the Eastern Sect, who were so good at fleeing into hiding, were so pathetically weak in actual combat.

With the child dead, Bai Ziqing shifted his gaze to the old man. At that moment, the old man suddenly felt an immense, suffocating pressure bear down on him. It made him completely unable to breathe! In the blink of an eye, the old man’s face twisted into an expression of utter savagery.

"Well played! To think the Black Cat Martial Artist is actually a High Grade Martial Artist!!" the old man sneered. "But today, let’s see if you can withstand this sea of fire!!!"

Knowing he couldn’t escape, the old man poured every last ounce of his strength into pulling a fire starter from his robes. In the darkness, the glowing ember was incredibly striking.

"Let’s die together!!!"

Without the slightest hesitation, the old man lunged toward the nearby stacks of Thunder Powder.

"Stop!!!"

Just then, the guards patrolling the Jishui Dam hurried over. They saw the fire starter in the old man’s hand. And upon catching the thick scent of sulfur in the air, their pupils violently contracted. However, it was too late! The old man was now less than a foot away from the Thunder Powder.

But...

Bai Ziqing stared ahead with cold indifference. He let out a soft sigh, a trace of pity evident in his voice.

"Ice."

He uttered only a single word. Then, the eyes visible outside his hood suddenly clouded over with white frost! Before long, that white frost had completely overtaken his pupils!

At the same time, an even more bizarre aura radiated outward from his body. In the mere blink of an eye, it had already spread over the waters of the Great River beyond the dam. The entire world seemed to fall silent for a moment.

CRACK!

If an observant person were watching, they would be horrified to discover that a whole section of the river water had frozen solid!

The temperature at the scene plummeted drastically. The old man, who was just about to ignite the explosives, stiffened abruptly. The fire starter in his hand flickered out, extinguished by the dropping temperature.

The next moment, a cold glint flared, eclipsing all other sights in the dark night!

SWISH!

Without anyone realizing when, the longsword in Bai Ziqing’s hand had already been thrust through the old man’s neck. After piercing straight through, he slowly sheathed his sword.

"This..."

Seeing the scene unfold before them, the squad of arriving patrol guards were all dumbfounded. They stared at the white-clad figure under the moonlight, looking just like a Banished Immortal, as well as the black hood on his head.

"Meow~"

Bai Ziqing looked at the group expressionlessly and let out that eerie sound.

"The Black Cat Martial Artist??!!"

The patrol guards all froze, the color violently draining from their faces!

SHING!

Trembling, they all drew the weapons from their waists, looking warily at Bai Ziqing before them.

Bai Ziqing felt that he ought to say something at this moment. He wanted to say it so badly! He just couldn’t hold it in!! He frowned, pondering for a long time. He felt there was only one line that wouldn’t expose his identity.

"Fighting across three thousand miles of land, one sword’s frost chills nineteen provinces!"

Having said that, he flicked his longsword, catching the necklace from around the old man’s neck.

CLINK.

The beads of the necklace clashing together produced a wonderfully melodic sound. The necklace fell into his hand, feeling incredibly smooth and looking quite beautiful.

The corners of Bai Ziqing’s mouth curled up slightly. "This necklace... is quite pretty. If I give it to Quan Fu, he’ll definitely be thrilled!"

The next moment, he tapped his toes lightly and his entire body vaulted into the air. Before long, he had vanished from the spot, leaving only the squad of patrol guards staring at each other in dismay.

"Captain, this..." Someone gulped and asked the leading guard.

"Transport these two corpses to the commandery and investigate their origins! With so much Thunder Powder... it’s a good thing the Black Cat Martial Artist was here! Otherwise, we all would have died!!"

The captain was no fool. He could see that today, the Black Cat Martial Artist had once again done something that would have the commoners clapping their hands in cheer!

News of this incident quickly spread.

In the capital of the Great Jiang Country.

Empress Gu Xiangnan frowned as she looked at the secret letter delivered to her hands. Her slanted, sword-like eyebrows furrowed. Her melodious voice murmured slowly, as if intoxicated, "Fighting across three thousand miles of land, one sword’s frost chills nineteen provinces..."

After a long while, she slowly raised her starlit eyes. She thought, "To be able to track down the traitors so quickly. Bei... You really are the Black Cat Martial Artist!!"

At this point, Empress Gu Xiangnan was completely convinced; there was no longer a single trace of doubt in her heart!