Beiye Wangchuan stared at his chest in disbelief, at the sword piercing through it. He couldn't fathom how, when Ling Tian was still so far away, the sword had reached him!
Even worse, the scorching flame power emanating from the heated sword had cauterized his wound, stopping the flow of blood, yet he could still feel his life ebbing away.
He was filled with an immense sense of unwillingness, but what good was that? If the King of Hell decreed his death at the third watch, who could keep him until the fifth?
Seeing this, Ling Tian's thoughts flashed. The Ice Soul Giant Bear beneath him suddenly vanished, recalled by Ling Tian into his spiritual realm. Ling Tian stood steadily on the ground.
He extended his hand, and the Crimson Flame Sword, still embedded in Beiye Wangchuan's chest, circled in mid-air before flying back to him!
Ling Tian held the sword in his hand, feeling satisfied. However, a sudden sense of alarm surged within him!
The next moment, from the shadows behind Ling Tian, a figure clad in shadow-garb suddenly appeared. This individual held a jet-black katana and viciously thrust it towards Ling Tian's back!
In a flash, Ling Tian lunged forward over a meter, dodging the insidious sneak attack. He then swung the Crimson Flame Sword in his hand, cleaving behind him!
This strike was powerful, with flames trailing from the blade. However, Ling Tian's sword met only empty air!
The attacker behind him, having missed, suddenly vanished back into the shadows!
This peculiar method of attack surprised Ling Tian. Immediately, he unleashed his Heavenly Eye divine ability to survey his surroundings.
To his astonishment, Ling Tian found no one around him. However, a faint energy fluctuation remained on the ground a few meters behind where he had been.
Suddenly, Ling Tian felt another energy fluctuation behind him. A moment later, a figure materialized behind Ling Tian, the katana in his hand slashing viciously towards the back of Ling Tian's head!
Ling Tian dodged forward again and retaliated with a sword strike, but this time, the figure behind him disappeared once more!
Before Ling Tian could comprehend what was happening, that sole figure reappeared in a shadow in a corner over ten meters away, to Ling Tian's rear flank. The figure raised a hand, and three shurikens flew directly towards Ling Tian.
Ling Tian snorted twice, his mental energy locking onto the three shurikens. In the next instant, the three shurikens appeared within Ling Tian's spiritual realm and then dropped to the ground!
The attacker, Tony Fengchun, was stunned. He couldn't understand how the shurikens had vanished into thin air.
This man, named Tony Fengchun, was a ninja nurtured by the Ise Grand Shrine, one of the few remaining elite ninjas in Wōguó.
He was most skilled in stealth and assassination techniques, but that wasn't his greatest strength; he was also a formidable esper.
Tony Fengchun's esper abilities were discovered shortly after his birth, and his skill was Shadow Meld!
He could conceal his body within shadows, and anywhere with a sufficiently large shadow, he could merge into it.
Furthermore, during combat, as long as there was a shadow, he could teleport within a ten-meter radius from one shadowed area to another.
It could be said that this heaven-defying ability was a divine skill for a ninja specializing in assassination and stealth!
It was precisely this skill that ultimately led Tony Fengchun to become an elite ninja, holding a significant position among Wōguó's elite ninjas!
The reason other factions and underground powers in Wōguó hadn't retaliated against the Ise Grand Shrine for their major blunders was also due to their deep apprehension, and this elite ninja, who could appear and disappear without a trace, killing unseen, was a crucial reason for their fear.
After all, one could guard against a thief, but not against a constant threat. Even with numerous bodyguards, one couldn't guarantee they wouldn't have a moment of lapse or carelessness. Just one glimpse of a shadow was enough for him to finish the job.
Tony Fengchun had also been attending a high-level meeting of the Ise Grand Shrine, and he had even received a mission to eliminate several individuals who were not friendly towards the Ise Grand Shrine.
This was a normal logical approach for them: if you can't solve the problem, solve the person creating it. Once that person is dealt with, the problem naturally resolves itself.
Just then, something happened in the inner palace. Tony Fengchun rushed over at his fastest speed. He witnessed Ling Tian's devastating rampage from the side, and thus, this individual launched a surprise attack on Ling Tian.
He used shadows to approach Ling Tian and launched his assault. After missing his first strike, he immediately used Shadow Meld, teleporting to another location to attack again. However, after exhausting his initial three moves, Ling Tian remained unharmed, which greatly surprised Tony Fengchun.
Tony Fengchun couldn't believe anyone could escape his series of attacks. This time, he found himself in a difficult situation, as teleporting using Shadow Meld consumed a significant amount of his esper energy. After his previous few moves, his internal energy was already largely depleted!
But the situation had reached this point, and Tony Fengchun knew he couldn't retreat. Tonight might very well be the night that decided the fate of the Ise Grand Shrine!
Thus, Tony Fengchun once again used Shadow Meld. He didn't use the teleportation within shadows this time, as it consumed too much energy. Instead, he simply concealed himself within the shadows. This time, Ling Tian's Heavenly Eye divine ability locked onto him.
Combining Tony Fengchun's previous actions, Ling Tian figured it out: this guy's abilities all stemmed from shadows! This was because every place he appeared from was within a shadow.
"Shadow skill? Quite interesting!" A cold smile flickered across Ling Tian's lips. He raised his hand, and a talisman flew out, directly towards the shadow where Tony was hidden!
"Pop!"
Before Tony could dodge, the talisman suddenly exploded in mid-air, emitting a blinding white light. Those nearby felt as if they were looking at the sun, their eyes unable to open for an instant.
The power of this item was akin to detonating a flashbang in the dead of night!
This talisman was Ling Tian's own creation, which he named the Flash Talisman.
In truth, it was a failed byproduct from his talisman-making process.
Once activated, this item would immediately detonate, emitting a massive flash of light, capable of blinding anyone.
Ling Tian found it rather interesting and began researching it, achieving some notable results. He altered some of the array formations within this failed talisman, enhancing the flash upon detonation, thus creating this flashbang-like equipment!