Chapter 692: The Assassins' Breakout!
A series of rumbles rang across the battlefield unceasingly as the murderous auras between the high-level practitioners clashed full-force, with no one being exempted. Suddenly, a loud crash erupted out of nowhere. There was a possibility that the excessive pressure and repercussions of the ongoing onslaught were too much for the ground to bear, for, without warning, the ground split open, resulting in a dark, bottomless crack which spanned a few feet wide and a hundred feet long.
The sudden appearance of this large crack seemed too close for comfort, happening in a totally unexpected manner. The gaping hole caused the people who were in its vicinity to suddenly feel like they were stepping on nothing but air as they fell. Many were pushed and squashed by others as they staggered; in a flurry of confusing commotion, they plummeted like a bunch of dumplings thrown into a pot.
At the very next moment, however, not a single person from both sides attempted to lend a hand. Instead— they revealed their numerous concealed weapons such as hidden arrows and darts.
Although the results of the battle were pretty clear and the martial forces clearly had the odds in their favor, vanquishing one's opponent at the earliest time possible will always be the number one policy in combat. Everybody participated in this despicable act, delivering deadly blows to the fallen ones before them for good measure, despite the fact that there were men of their own - if not the enemy - among the fallen. There was even a so-called saying that encouraged the murder of the masses than to allow a single escape - as long as you are not the one that was caught in the act, why should you worry about the life and death of others? Strictly speaking, there was an indefinite possibility that one's own comrade might turn out to be a foe of the future - one less man was never a loss!
This crack was the catalyst that worsened the situation even further. The beast in the man and his darkest sides were entirely unleashed at this very moment.
With that, countless wails and curses could be heard from the distant end below.
However, they lasted only for a short while before the scene turned completely silent. After all, countless men had joined in the efforts of exchanging blows - how would there be any who were lucky enough to survive this?
In a battle like this, the life of a man truly seemed unusually small - worthless and insignificant.
The next unforeseeable event came right after that, almost immediately. A beam from a sword flashed in the surrounding enclosure suddenly as it swirled and propelled itself into the skies like a dragon twirling manically within the clouds. Followed by a sudden rumble, the beam transformed into a dazzling, colorful light-dragon a few feet thick. It turned and twisted, diving mercilessly from the skies at full speed.
There was no clear difference between comrade or foe wherever it passed. Blood and flesh splattered all the same - everything before one's eyes was painted red.
It attacked in an undiscriminating manner!
Within the crowd, someone roared in fury, "Wang Jianfei, you're insane!"
The platen-like beam had no intention of stopping. It whizzed through the throng of people in a manic dash, slaughtering at least a hundred men, killing whoever it grazed. The dazzling, lustrous beam accumulated the aura from slaughtering those hundred men in one consecutive blow, filling its reserves to the absolute maximum. This culminated in a loud bang as it plunged into the assassins' forces with a powerful crash.
"Hand over the treasure map!"
A sudden, loud boom came from the boundless beam of the sword. The power contained within was earth-shattering - it could be said that it was the strongest ever in history!
Hen Bieli bellowed, "Kill him!"
Thirty or more assassins of the Dao realm reacted immediately, directing their attention towards the dazzling beam!
These were the men who had initially prioritized their own safety; they had yet to unleash their full potential prior to this. The instant eruption of power - especially since it was released in a collective manner - was truly a sight to behold as physical light showered down like a waterfall. Akin to a downpour that seemed to flood an entire human realm, the collective, sharp beams accumulated from countless swords destroyed the incoming beam with just one overwhelming blow!
Following the united retaliation by the top assassins as they struck collectively, a blood-curdling howl could be heard from within the glow. A pair of legs propelled through the air first, followed closely by a pair of arms; a disembodied head then spun through the air, an expression of unspeakable ruthlessness still etched upon its face.
Clearly, this person did not expect to be eliminated the instant he showed his face.
Amongst the crowd, those who knew him let out a stream of endless sighs.
Wang Jianfei, The Mad Dragon Swordsman, was an incredibly skillful and reputable practitioner in the martial world. His cultivation base had reached such an otherworldly state - one much higher than the Dao realm. Throughout his life living in the martial world, rarely did he find a man that was his equal in power. His name even appeared in the previous list of Tianxuan's most controversial swordsmen, occupying the sixth place!
Yes, sixth on the list, which was also Bai Yixue's current ranking - perhaps one could even say he was Bai Yixue's predecessor!
However, he was the real deal, having earned his formidable reputation from winning numerous battles with his high-level cultivation base. He was true to his name, as opposed to a certain person who made it into the ranks just because he was fortunate enough to survive a fight against Jun Moyan. To sum it up, this fellow was one hell of a ruthless character indeed!
Nevertheless, this time, with a sudden burst of resolve, he had the intention to release his strongest technique, then fight his way out after seizing the treasure. This plan of his was too obvious - anyone could see through it!
Judging by the intensity of the existing battle, this fellow was not considered overly ambitious for attempting to stand out. If the current combatants continued to unleash a similar display of skills, perhaps Wang Jianfei, the Mad Dragon Swordsman, would have gotten what he wished for.
However, the problem was that not a single man among the mob of real professionals present had unleashed their full potential, nor had anyone utilized their ultimate killing technique. Hence, the attempt at standing out from his peers was repaid with an unforgiving defeat, a fatal failure.
The fact that he died in such a simple, uncomplicated manner might seem totally out of place, but it was completely logical!
It was just as it should be, wholly appropriate!
Fate was still at play. Until this moment, amongst the throng of top assassins, Bai Yixue's cultivation base still could not join the ranks of the top assassins. However, the fact that he could still escape unscathed from the Unrivaled Swordsman was totally due to the fact that fate had smiled on him. The Mad Dragon Swordsman Wang Jianfei, on the other hand... did it matter if his cultivation base was incredibly high? He was still as dead as trash and within such a short altercation!
Nevertheless, the battle did not simmer down after Wang Jianfei's untimely demise. On the contrary, the situation intensified, growing even more extreme - the numbers of elites that unleashed their ultimate techniques amongst the masses grew more and more by the minute.
There was never a lack of hidden talents within the martial world. As the clash between the two forces escalated, one could say that the battle had reached its final point; nobody had the intention of holding back any longer. The crowd went all out in a frenzy, causing the battle to escalate once more in a wave of excitement. At any given moment, a few hundred men would collapse in defeat, leaving howls of torment in their wake.
If one had to reveal the most unexpected event in this situation, it would have to be the fact that most of the fallen men were top assassins - elite practitioners who possessed high cultivation bases!
Throughout the entire time that elapsed as the violent battle ensued between the two forces, the scene of battle remained disastrous. Still, not many top practitioners unveiled their ultimate moves, despite the fact that the final moment was right before their eyes. First came the crack that swallowed a handful of people, seemingly a prelude to this absolute massacre; it was followed by Wang Jianfei's swift demise, allowing those who were present to arrive at a sudden epiphany: although the numbers within these grounds were reducing drastically, the fallen men were mostly rare, exceptional pros of the martial world.
The eminent ones.
The outstanding ones.
Everyone seemed to finally comprehend this logic, gradually acknowledging the fact that certain people were more of a threat than the rest of the herd. Hence, when an opportunity arose, everybody cooperated - intentionally, or perhaps otherwise - to eliminate these certain people at the first possible moment.
However, the assassins' forces still remained absolutely minimal, while the ones who persisted suffered a crushing defeat as they dropped to the ground one after another, in splatters of blood. Their numbers were drastically decreasing.
In a blink of an eye, there was no more than a hundred left.
Hen Bieli's sword quivered suddenly, emitting a magnificent glow. "On your guard, everybody - breakout!" He roared.
The winds stirred and clouds scudded as his last word lingered in the air - there was a sudden wind of change!
The top-notched assassins who were fortunate to survive suddenly abandoned their original positions simultaneously. They brandished a shocking amount of power, slicing open a bloody path amongst the throng of people instantly, heading towards the direction of Hen Bieli's roar.
Almost within the same beat, Hen Bieli and Hongzhan lashed out with a saber and a sword respectively, ardently creating a painfully shrill, high-pitched whistle that shook the entire course of events.
An aura of the sword, and an aura of the saber - they whirled out in an intertwined flourish, extending far and wide towards the edges of the world.
The auras emitted from both saber and sword flowed in a smooth, united rhythm. Within moments, they wiped out the surrounding enemies and managed to clear up a momentarily safe area for their men!
Boom!
As waves of blood and chaos hit the shores, the mob of top assassins had already converged at the point, and started to charge towards a single direction!
"Kill them all!"