Chapter 496 - 344: Blind Man, Exceptional Swordsmanship

Chapter 496: Chapter 344: Blind Man, Exceptional Swordsmanship

He moved like a tiger pouncing on a flock of sheep. With every flash of his blade, he reaped the lives of the rebel soldiers as if mowing grass.

The video froze on the man’s back as he turned to leave. The image was blurry, but the sheer force of his domineering aura radiated through the screen, startling everyone in the room.

The video had been replayed dozens of times.

Finally, a large hand switched off the projector. The tall man who it belonged to then scanned the room.

"So, what’s our next move?"

"I never would have guessed Wu Liangchen would be on that train. That Alina is one lucky woman," someone sighed.

Despite the blurry footage, they had quickly identified the man through technical analysis.

It was inevitable, really. Wu Liangchen had been making quite a name for himself in Qing Province lately.

Practically everyone knew about this powerful outsider who had single-handedly annihilated a century-old aristocratic family.

"It seems we need to re-evaluate Wu Liangchen’s strength," another person said slowly. "After all, even though Huo Shan was only rated B-class by the military, he was fully armed and still didn’t last two seconds. That’s frankly astonishing."

"Hmph, so what?" someone nearby scoffed. "He’s just an outsider, a Martial Cultivator. Even if he’s reached the Realm of Incorruptible Divinity, what kind of trouble can he stir up with no local connections?"

"Heh. That’s what the Sun family thought, too. And how did that turn out?" someone retorted with a cold laugh.

"You..."

"Enough!" the man in charge boomed, cutting off the impending argument. He stood up, a calculating glint in his eyes.

"Speaking of the Sun family, that reminds me of something."

"Wu Liangchen was the last person to see Sun Fusheng and Qin Zhen. I suspect the Sun family’s core assets have fallen into his hands. Why else would he be in such a hurry to leave Qing Province?"

At these words, looks of greed appeared on the faces of the shadowy figures in the meeting room.

"That makes sense. What are we waiting for? Send someone to capture Wu Liangchen and bring him back."

"Exactly. He injured our men, which gives us the perfect justification to move against him."

At the prospect of personal gain, the group grew restless.

The man sneered inwardly. He nonchalantly pulled up a map and pointed to the location of the train derailment.

"From here, the nearest supply point is Black Stone Town, over a hundred li away. Wu Liangchen will have to go there. Coincidentally, that town falls within our sphere of influence. I plan to send a team ahead to set a trap. The moment Wu Liangchen arrives, we’ll capture him."

The man’s proposal met with unanimous approval.

"I can provide ten mechanical soldiers!"

"I have missiles designed specifically to take down powerful martial artists!"

Faced with this "easily obtainable" prize, everyone showed immense enthusiasm.

The leader was well aware of their selfish motives but said nothing, accepting all their offers.

In an instant, an invisible net was cast, waiting for the prize "prey," Wu Liangchen, to walk right into it.

As the first light of dawn pierced the morning mist, Wu Liangchen and Song Ling’Er finally emerged from the dense mountain forest.

Ahead, a small town built into the mountainside was faintly visible, shimmering in the early morning light.

That was Black Stone Town.

Though it was just a small town, it was quite prosperous because it produced an ore urgently needed by the Alliance. Ore trains, like long dragons, snaked in and out of the town all day long.

It was also a necessary stop on the way to Zhongjing.

Wu Liangchen led Song Ling’Er down the path toward the town.

They had not gone a third of the way when the metallic tang of blood suddenly drifted through the air.

Wu Liangchen’s brow furrowed, and he quickened his pace.

After rounding a patch of low shrubs, they came to a grove of trees. There, scattered on the ground, lay more than a dozen bodies.

Their clothing was identical to that of the group who had attacked the train yesterday. They had to be rebels.

The bodies were mangled horribly, but that wasn’t what caught Wu Liangchen’s attention.

He stared at the unnervingly clean cuts on the corpses, his expression growing grim.

Wounds like these could never have been made by common blades or firearms. This was the work of someone with consummate Swordsmanship.

Just then, a sudden premonition struck Wu Liangchen, and he snapped his head up to look into the distance.

"Stay here! Don’t move!"

With those words, Wu Liangchen vaulted forward and took off.

Startled but not panicked, Song Ling’Er immediately took cover in the nearby tall grass, drawing her pistol.

In the blink of an eye, Wu Liangchen covered several hundred meters, finally coming to a stop before an abandoned quarry.

There, amidst the gravel, a figure sat cross-legged in meditation.

He was a young man with his hair tied in a bun, dressed in coarse, faded robes. His attire was utterly out of place in this day and age.

On his back, he carried a longsword with a cloth-wrapped hilt. Its scabbard was mottled and appeared to be stained with blood.

He sat there in silence, seeming to merge with his surroundings, yet the cold, solitary aura he exuded was like the sword on his back—enough to send a chill down one’s spine.

As Wu Liangchen came to a halt, the man opened his eyes.

They were a pair of hazy gray eyes, unfocused and devoid of any light.

’He’s blind.’

Yet despite his blindness, his gaze was fixed precisely on Wu Liangchen. An intangible but immensely powerful aura emanated from him, startling even Wu Liangchen.