Chapter 472 - 281: Not Fast Enough

Chapter 472: Chapter 281: Not Fast Enough

After a moment, he noticed the terrified screams around him had vanished. Something felt strange. He couldn’t help but tear his gaze away from Su Xing, and that’s when he saw them: headless corpses, standing all around him.

It turned out that once Su Xing identified this man as the strongest of the group, he had finished off the rest with his Sparrow Sword. They were killed so quickly they couldn’t even put up a fight.

But Su Xing’s movements had been too fast. Combined with the man’s intense focus on Su Xing himself, he had completely missed the slaughter. A sliver of fear suddenly bloomed in his heart.

He asked himself honestly, ’If it were me, could I kill so many Tier Seven masters in such a short amount of time?’

Given enough time, perhaps he could. But it would be impossible to be as fast or as direct as Su Xing. So fast, so direct, that even he—a bystander—hadn’t noticed a thing.

"You... No wonder you dared to barge in here alone." Nie Qiu Hong narrowed his eyes, his voice heavy. "Remember my name: Nie Qiu Hong of Jile Valley."

Before the words had even faded, his body blurred, transforming into an indistinct shape that was nearly impossible to track as he charged forward. It was fast, but Su Xing was certain his opponent wasn’t using any spatial abilities. This was pure, unadulterated speed.

From this, Su Xing instantly judged his opponent’s strength. He was far stronger than a Tier Seven Peak, but whether he had actually reached Tier Eight was hard to say.

By the time his last word fell, he had already crossed the distance between them and appeared right in front of Su Xing. Even Su Xing couldn’t help but be impressed by such speed.

Seeing Su Xing’s reaction, the weight in his heart lifted. ’He’s just bluffing,’ he thought. ’Maybe he isn’t so terrifyingly strong after all.’ A contemptuous smile touched his lips as the longsword at his waist flew into his grasp, and he lunged forward with a sudden thrust.

In reality, if he had returned to Jile Valley at any point recently, he would have heard Su Xing’s name. If he had, he would have turned and fled for his life, and he might have even survived.

But with this strike, his fate was sealed. Of course, in the heat of battle, he knew none of this. His one strike blossomed into a thousand sword-shadows.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Amid the fierce clangor of metal, a terrifying onslaught, like a raging tempest, instantly enveloped Su Xing, showering his body in a cascade of sparks.

Nie Qiu Hong’s speed was astonishing. In the space of a single breath, his sword had struck Su Xing over a hundred times. Each attack came from a different angle and form, leaving a multitude of white marks across Su Xing’s body.

Clearly,

he was indeed stronger than the others.

The others’ attacks hadn’t even fazed Su Xing, but he could leave white marks on his body. It was, admittedly, an accomplishment to be proud of.

However, attacking at such a high speed made it difficult to assess the situation. He had no idea he wasn’t hurting Su Xing at all. His only thought was to pour all his strength into attacking faster, faster, and even faster.

He moved at a bizarre speed, becoming a whirlwind of motion around Su Xing. If anyone were watching, all they would see was a blurry afterimage circling a stationary figure, and a violent shower of sparks erupting from thin air.

His incredible speed came from a Martial Arts Secret Manual. When it came to close combat, a Martial Artist was undoubtedly far stronger than that previous group of Sequencers, especially one of his higher cultivation level.

But Su Xing’s physical body was simply monstrous. He just stood there, and no matter how Nie Qiu Hong attacked, he couldn’t inflict the slightest injury, only leaving behind trail after trail of white marks.

"If I had my Black Sword, I might have tested my blade against yours. A pity."

Su Xing said suddenly.

The Black Sword had taken human form and was currently attending classes at a special organization. He could use the Snake Sword, but he had always treated it as a secondary weapon, so it didn’t feel natural in his hand.

So,

he abandoned the idea of finishing this with a sword.

Hearing Su Xing suddenly speak made Nie Qiu Hong, who was in the middle of his all-out assault, freeze for a second. He had assumed Su Xing must be on his last legs, but now, hearing his resonant, powerful voice, he immediately looked up.

What Nie Qiu Hong saw was Su Xing, completely unscathed. His pupils constricted, and he cursed inwardly.

’This guy...’

’Why is his body so freakishly strong?!’

’What kind of martial arts does he practice? What Martial Dao lineage did he inherit?!’

Nie Qiu Hong’s martial arts came from a Tier Eight master from the Era of Spiritual Qi. The sword in his hand was that master’s personal blade, a treasured sword that could have been called a Divine Weapon in its time. Yet, such a weapon couldn’t even pierce his opponent’s defense. It was simply unbelievable.

He knew Martial Artists had powerful defenses, but Nie Qiu Hong had never seen a monster with such freakish Defense Power. This was a real eye-opener.

’Impossible... It’s impossible!’

’Even a Tier Eight Martial Artist couldn’t tank that many of my attacks with their body and remain completely unscathed. Could Su Xing be Tier Nine?’

’How is that possible?!’

’He must have used some kind of power-up Secret Technique!’

’With that in mind, my only option is to use my speed advantage. I’ll use hit-and-run tactics to wear him down and drain his stamina until he can no longer maintain this Secret Technique. Only then will I go for the kill.’

Nie Qiu Hong settled on his new strategy and prepared to act. His ability to console himself was truly impressive. What he failed to imagine was that while Su Xing hadn’t reached Tier Nine, he was among the absolute strongest of the Tier Eights.

Very few could even trade blows with Su Xing, let alone hope to defeat him with just Tier Eight power. Anyone who could would have to possess an unimaginable level of talent.

The reason Su Xing hadn’t acted yet wasn’t because he couldn’t kill this man; it was because he wanted to get a clear look at his opponent’s martial arts foundation before swatting him dead like a mosquito.

Then, Nie Qiu Hong suddenly saw Su Xing’s large hands reaching out. Just as he was wondering what Su Xing was doing, his eyes widened in utter disbelief at the scene unfolding before him.

He watched as,

his own sword was caught.

His martial arts were famous for their speed. His blade moved so fast that even he could barely track it. Yet this incredible velocity had been stopped, caught in his opponent’s bare hand.

This made him cry out in shock, "How the fuck is this possible?!"

Nie Qiu Hong had actually cursed out loud, proof of the terror in his heart. It was also the first time he had shown any sign of panic or nervousness.

Ever since reaching his current level, he had felt invincible. After all, most people in the world couldn’t even reach Tier Six, let alone the never-seen Tier Eights. With his strength, which was unparalleled among Tier Sevens, he could indeed be considered untouchable.

However, with that one casual catch from Su Xing, his confidence shattered completely. He was suddenly reminded of the powerful Extraordinary Beings he had encountered back when he was still weak.

A primal survival instinct from the depths of his being flooded his mind, and he scrambled to flee. But before he could take two steps, a flying sword shot out and pierced his skull.

His eyes went dull as a bloody hole appeared on his forehead. His body collapsed limply to the ground. He was as dead as could be.

"I’m curious."

"Why did you get the impression that I was slow?"

Su Xing remarked with a sigh. But it was a sentiment that Nie Qiu Hong would never hear.