Xikang Yongsheng was furious upon hearing this.
He was, after all, the foremost swordsman of the Eastern Isles, yet he was being so utterly disregarded.
*Clang!*
Xikang Yongsheng drew his blade, the tip pointed at the man in black.
"Enough nonsense," Xikang Yongsheng declared. "I want to see just how sharp your sword truly is. Are you afraid you're not my match?"
The man in black shook his head. "I told you, you are not my match."
Xikang Yongsheng raged, "Take that ridiculous expression off your face. Do you really think I'm not your opponent? I will kill you!"
As the words fell.
Xikang Yongsheng, blade in hand, charged at the man in black.
The man in black remained motionless, standing his ground to meet Xikang Yongsheng's assault.
Ling Nan, Chen Jinzhao, and the others' pupils constricted to pinprick size. They stared at the two, not daring to blink, fearing they might miss even a single moment.
Xikang Yongsheng's sword sliced through the night air with extreme speed, instantly appearing before the man in black.
The man in black raised his long sword to meet the attack. As Xikang Yongsheng closed in, he lightly swung his sword, causing Xikang Yongsheng to suddenly halt.
No one knew what had happened.
"Why did he stop?" Nan Kang frowned, hesitant.
Burke Ross shook his head. "I can't see clearly. It seems like nothing happened, but something must have."
Blood Wolf said with a sigh, "That's as good as saying nothing."
Chen Jinzhao's eyelids twitched wildly.
Ling Nan also retreated half a step, clearly startled by the scene.
*Clink!*
A crisp sound rang out.
Everyone clearly saw Xikang Yongsheng's long sword being instantly cleaved in two. The break was perfectly clean, with no jagged edges.
It was worth noting.
Xikang Yongsheng's long sword was crafted from top-grade alloy, something that absolutely would not break easily.
One could imagine how terrifying that single sword strike was.
"Xikang Yongsheng, how do you feel now?" Su Xiao asked.
Xikang Yongsheng did not reply.
Poison Hedgehog then realized something was wrong. "Xikang Yongsheng, say something!"
"No need to shout. He's already dead," Ling Nan said.
Everyone was shocked.
Ling Nan pointed to the snowy ground beneath him. "Look at his feet."
Heeding Ling Nan's words, the crowd then looked towards Xikang Yongsheng's feet. As their eyes took in the scene, they couldn't help but gasp.
Even Li Xiaoning, not far away, murmured, "It's all blood..."
Blood flowed from Xikang Yongsheng.
The onlookers' gazes gradually shifted upwards. They then saw a sword wound on Xikang Yongsheng's chest.
Following that.
The wound suddenly began to bleed profusely. His upper body then spectacularly broke apart and fell to the ground.
Thus, Xikang Yongsheng was split in two and met his end.
The man in black sheathed his sword and said calmly, "I told you, you are not my match. I wish to take Chen Jinzhao with me. Do you agree?"
Ling Nan and the others understood.
The man in black was merely asking politely; none dared to object.
Objection would be futile and only earn the man in black's hostility.
To oppose such a terrifying existence was clearly courting death.
The man in black looked at Chen Jinzhao. "Come here and stand by my side."
Chen Jinzhao only hesitated for a moment before walking to the man in black's side. Even if the man in black had ulterior motives, it was still far better than dying at the hands of Ling Nan and his ilk. The man in black said no more, cast a glance at Ling Nan and the others, then turned to leave, saying to Chen Jinzhao, "Come with me."
After walking a few steps, the man in black noticed Chen Jinzhao had not moved. He stopped and looked back.
Chen Jinzhao glanced back at the massive meteorite crater, seemingly reluctant, but ultimately chose to follow the man in black.
"I'd like to bring Li Xiaoning along, if that's possible?" Chen Jinzhao asked.
The man in black grunted in assent.
Upon hearing this, Li Xiaoning immediately followed, a great weight finally lifted from her heart.
Ling Nan clenched his fists in secret but was forced to relax them.
Su Xiao frowned. "Lord Ling, are we just going to let him leave like this? Won't our plan be ruined?"
"Chen Jinzhao was an unexpected bonus. We should focus on securing the meteorite. If we can obtain it, it will be a great achievement."
"Most importantly, this place is strange."
"Stop dawdling, everyone. Enter the meteorite crater and excavate the meteorite immediately, lest it fall into someone else's hands."
As the words were spoken.
More mysterious figures emerged from the surrounding woods. They were powerful individuals from various factions. These people had remained hidden previously to avoid trouble, but now they revealed themselves as the time was ripe, forcing them to contend for ownership of the meteorite.
"Sir, should we kill them all first?" Poison Hedgehog whispered.
Su Xiao raised a hand to stop Poison Hedgehog.
He shook his head. "Forget it. We are already severely weakened. We cannot resort to violence lightly."
To engage in further conflict now would surely make them a target for everyone.
The subsequent powerful figures began to search the meteorite crater for the meteorite. Ling Nan, of course, could not stand by idly and immediately ordered the members of the Black Blood Group to enter the crater to search for traces of the meteorite.
On the other side.
The man in black had already taken Chen Jinzhao far away.
The group stopped on a mountain peak about five hundred meters from the meteorite crater. From the mountaintop, they could observe the activity within.
Chen Jinzhao and Li Xiaoning saw many people searching the crater with lights. After shifting their gaze, Chen Jinzhao said to the man in black beside him, "Thank you, brother, for your intervention. May I ask your name?"
"Ding Ling," the man in black replied.
"Thank you, Brother Ding. Who sent you to save me?" Chen Jinzhao inquired.
Ding Ling said calmly, "You don't need to concern yourself with that. Just know that someone wants you alive. You two wait here."
"Someone will come to pick you up."
Having said this.
Ding Ling leaped down, heading once again towards the meteorite crater.
Li Xiaoning asked, "What exactly does Ding Ling want to do?"
Chen Jinzhao frowned, his expression grave. "It looks like he's going to slaughter everyone in the meteorite crater, or perhaps he intends to contend for the meteorite himself."
"Ah?"
Li Xiaoning was surprised.
"Then, should we go too?"
Chen Jinzhao shook his head. "We are no longer qualified to contend for the meteorite, nor are we capable of helping Ding Ling. We can only stand here and watch."
Li Xiaoning nodded in agreement.
It was at this moment that Chen Jinzhao's gaze suddenly fell upon another area. These people were dressed identically to Ding Ling, numbering around twenty to thirty individuals.
These people, led by Ding Ling, charged into the meteorite crater. Ding Ling then successively challenged Ling Nan and other major powerhouses, but he did not kill them.
This battle ended with a roar of anger from Ling Nan.
"What is Ding Ling doing? Why didn't he kill Ling Nan and the others, but instead captured them?" Li Xiaoning was bewildered by Ding Ling's actions. Even Chen Jinzhao was confused. After Ding Ling took them away, there were still hundreds of people from various factions within the meteorite crater.
It was then.
A deafening boom echoed from the distant sky.
Chen Jinzhao and Li Xiaoning looked up. They clearly saw three missiles, trailing long fiery tails, flying in their direction.
"What is that?!" Li Xiaoning cried out in shock.
"Are we going to die?"