Chapter 132: Chapter 104: Innate, and Nothing More

While Xu Shenzhi’s strength was nowhere near Chen Sheng’s, as an Inner Sect Disciple of the Iron Sword Sect and Young Master of the Xu Family, his solid foundation and profound heritage were far beyond those of any ordinary Martial Master.

Now fully recovered from his injuries and wielding his family’s heirloom Treasure Soldier, the Cyan Furnace Sword, his first move was breathtaking.

A cyan Sword Light flared like a lightning strike, unleashing a razor-sharp Sword Qi that shot straight for Li Qianlang’s vitals.

Meanwhile, not to be outdone, Li Huai Sheng’s hands became a blur. A dense black cloud of venomous insects rained down like a sudden squall, cutting off Li Qianlang’s escape.

This sudden, lightning-fast joint assault completely caught Li Qianlang by surprise.

He never dreamed that Chen Sheng’s party wouldn’t even bother with formalities, instead going straight for the kill. Caught off guard, he had no time to prepare a defense and could only scramble to draw his saber and block.

CLANG—!

The violent clash of saber and sword produced a deafening metallic roar as sparks flew in all directions.

The piercing Sword Qi stung Li Qianlang’s face. He hastily whipped his wide sleeves, creating a gust of wind to barely sweep away the venomous insects swarming toward him.

"Hah!"

But in the precise moment his momentum was spent and before he could gather more, Yang Yi seized the opening. The Inner Strength of his Marrow Transformation Realm surged, and a peerlessly ferocious Palm Force shot toward him through the air.

BOOM!!!

Unable to dodge, Li Qianlang could only hastily gather his remaining Inner Strength to meet the blow head-on.

With the muffled thud of their palms connecting, Li Qianlang felt a colossal force surge into his body. It felt as if his organs were instantly rearranged. A sweet, coppery taste filled his throat, and he couldn’t stop himself from violently coughing up a mouthful of blood as he was sent flying backward like a kite with a severed string.

The three Martial Masters of the Marrow Transformation Realm, coordinating perfectly, had heavily wounded him with a single joint strike.

Seeing Li Qianlang flying back out of control, the killing intent in Xu Shenzhi’s eyes blazed even brighter. With a push of his foot, he gave chase like a shadow, the cold glint of his Cyan Furnace Sword flashing once more as he aimed to finish him off for good.

At this life-or-death moment, Li Qianlang was struck with terror. Casting all else aside, he used every ounce of his strength to scream:

"This Chen Sheng has no intention of negotiating! Upper Envoy, I implore you, strike him down! Kill this fiend!"

"Upper Envoy?!"

Those two words struck Yang Yi’s ears like a clap of thunder, and his expression changed in an instant.

’Just as I thought.’ He knew these water bandits wouldn’t have dared to walk into the lion’s den unless they had a powerful backer.

However, just as Yang Yi was about to cry out a warning, he saw Xu Shenzhi turn a deaf ear to Li Qianlang’s shout of "Upper Envoy." His Sword Stance didn’t slow in the slightest as he continued his ruthless strike.

’Upper Envoy or not,’ Xu Shenzhi thought, ’how strong can he really be?’

’So what if he’s an Innate?’

’Commander Chen is also Innate—and he’s someone even my own father is wary of.’

’In that case, what is there to fear?’

SCHRRK!

The blade swept past, and blood sprayed into the air.

Showing no mercy, Xu Shenzhi severed Li Qianlang’s left arm with a single slash.

The searing pain twisted Li Qianlang’s face into a ferocious mask. He desperately gathered his energy and, in a final, reckless move, threw a backhanded palm strike at Xu Shenzhi’s face, channeling all his remaining Force.

BAM!

Xu Shenzhi’s reaction was lightning-fast; he met the strike with a palm of his own.

The two currents of Force collided violently once more, sending Qi Force blasting in all directions.

Already grievously injured, how could Li Qianlang possibly withstand this concentrated blow?

His body was violently thrown back once more, sent tumbling toward the churning waters of the Qinglin River.

All the while, Chen Sheng remained as calm as a placid lake, observing from the sidelines. He already knew everything about this so-called "Upper Envoy of the Cyan Flood Dragon Alliance" thanks to his Celestial Book, Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil.

His only concern wasn’t the terrifying extent of his opponent’s power, but the fear that the man would see the situation turning sour and use his Innate Cultivation to flee immediately.

That was precisely why Chen Sheng had deliberately held back and feigned weakness. His goal was to lure the snake from its hole, ensuring a single, decisive strike that would give his enemy no chance to escape.

It all happened in a flash.

Just as Li Qianlang was about to plummet into the river, a dazzling cyan radiance suddenly erupted from the deck of the opposing bandit ship.

In a flash of light, a short figure appeared in mid-air like a phantom. He reached out with one hand, deftly catching the airborne Li Qianlang, and then simply hovered there, suspended in the wind above the river.

This sudden development left everyone on the Yang Family’s ship aghast.

All eyes were instantly riveted on the cyan figure.

The man was barely four feet tall, with the stature of a dwarf and an exceptionally ugly face: beady eyes, a flat nose, and a few sparse, yellowed, rat-like whiskers at the corners of his mouth.

He wore a slightly oversized cyan robe, and embroidered on his chest was a palm-sized, menacing-looking cyan flood dragon.

Most terrifying of all, the man emanated an incredibly tyrannical pressure that instantly made everyone’s heart pound with dread.

"An... an Innate Powerhouse?!"

Yang Yi sucked in a sharp breath, a chill running through his entire body.

At that moment, he finally understood the source of the lingering unease that had been gnawing at him.

The Cyan Wolf Stronghold was actually hiding an Innate Expert!

’But... but how is this possible?’

’What has a mere county Water Bandit Stronghold done to deserve an Innate Expert guarding it?’

But the sight before him—a man hovering in mid-air, his True Qi on full display—was an undeniable reminder that this was reality.

"Commander Chen, run! That’s an Innate Powerhouse! We can’t fight him!"

Snapping back to his senses, Yang Yi was overcome with anxiety. He cast aside all other concerns and shouted frantically at Chen Sheng.

’In his mind, no matter how strong Chen Sheng was, he was still only at the Foundation Establishment realm; he had no hope of fighting an Innate Expert.’

But to Yang Yi’s utter astonishment, he saw not a trace of fear on Chen Sheng’s face. Instead, he detected the faint, fleeting hint of a playful, almost mocking smile.