Chapter 22: Desperate Strike

Shen Chen circled Lin Hai quickly, but the iron sword in his hand remained unsheathed, hidden like a venomous snake's fangs, waiting for the best moment to strike and deliver a fatal blow!

Lin Hai stood still, a faint smile on his face. The tip of his precious sword pointed downward to the ground, and he didn't even glance at Shen Chen, showing no regard for him at all.

Lin Hai's famous "Thirteen Thunder Swords" had not yet been unleashed, but Shen Chen was already injured. This made Lin Hai fully realize the gap between himself and Shen Chen.

In Lin Hai's eyes, he was like an elephant, while Shen Chen was merely an ant, incapable of posing any threat to him. What Lin Hai intended to do next was to humiliate Shen Chen in front of all the inner disciples, making everyone clearly see the consequences of offending him.

Moreover, in recent times, the morale among the inner disciples had been unstable. Many disciples who originally followed Lin Hai chose to leave his command and align themselves with other top five inner disciples after learning that Liu Yong had been severely beaten and had his Body Tempering Pill taken away.

This time, Lin Hai took the risk of bullying a junior to challenge Shen Chen, aiming to harshly teach him a lesson and make all the inner disciples understand that opposing Lin Hai would have no good outcome. He also wanted to warn those who had switched allegiances, not to mistake his restraint for weakness, thinking he was an easy target!

"Swish..." Lin Hai didn't move, but with a slight flick of his wrist, a sword light flashed, instantly piercing through the sword barrier Shen Chen was wielding.

"Rip..." A sword stroke left another wound on Shen Chen's body, the tip of the sword narrowly missing his left rib, almost piercing his heart.

"Lightning Flash? This is the first move of Lin Hai's Thirteen Thunder Swords! The speed is so fast, and the angle is so precise! Even I couldn't dodge it!"

"Brother Lin Hai is on a completely different level from this new inner disciple! He's clearly toying with him like a cat with a mouse!"

"Brother Lin Hai's strength is indeed formidable!"

...

The inner disciples watching had mixed feelings—admiration, amazement, and secret fear.

However, almost everyone, including Wang Yue, was convinced that Shen Chen would surely lose. After all, Lin Hai's Blood Fusion Realm Sixth Stage was evident, and as a personal disciple of an inner elder, he must have other powerful techniques similar to the Thirteen Thunder Swords. Shen Chen, on the other hand, was only at the Blood Fusion Realm Third Stage. How could he possibly win?

"Boss! Should we just admit defeat? It's better to preserve our strength for another day!" Wang Yue thought anxiously, his face full of worry.

Shen Chen didn't even frown, not even glancing at his wounds. He continued to wield his iron sword, circling Lin Hai and occasionally thrusting it out.

Netherworld Ghost Slash!

However, Netherworld Ghost Slash was only the first and simplest move of the mid-tier human-level technique "Nine Cuts of the Netherworld." Due to the short time, Shen Chen hadn't fully mastered it. Therefore, he was always at a disadvantage against Lin Hai, struggling to defend himself without any chance to counterattack.

"Rip! Rip! Rip..."

Lin Hai still wore a faint smile, as if he were patiently guiding Shen Chen, but his sword showed no mercy, each strike aiming for Shen Chen's vital points.

"Brother Shen Chen, your sword speed is still too slow, and your angle is too direct. It's easy for your opponent to dodge. Look at my move, Lightning Shadow Split. I can easily bypass your attack and counter with a strike!" Lin Hai said with a smile, his long sword flashing and leaving another three-inch-long gash on Shen Chen's body.

Others thought Lin Hai was guiding Shen Chen, admiring his magnanimity, but in reality, Lin Hai was repeatedly humiliating Shen Chen, trying to crush his dignity and confidence.

"How long can you hold on? The deep helplessness and despair of facing a much stronger opponent will drive you to madness and ruin! This is the consequence of opposing me!" A cold, lethal intent flashed in Lin Hai's eyes, but he quickly concealed it, maintaining his faint smile.

"No! If this continues, the blood loss alone will make me lose my ability to resist." Shen Chen thought, suppressing his frustration and despair, slowly swinging his iron sword as if feeling out a rhythm.

One strike, another strike, and another.

As Shen Chen gradually calmed down, a serene aura slowly spread with each swing, and Netherworld Ghost Slash became increasingly complete.

"Hmm? This kid hasn't completely given up and has instead entered a state of enlightenment? No! This kid must die, or he might become a threat to me in the future." Lin Hai's face darkened, and he stopped pretending, directly wielding his precious sword and lunging at Shen Chen.

Thunderous Impact!

Lin Hai suddenly leaped into the air, his figure like a large bird, swinging his precious sword at Shen Chen from above!

Sword lights, like countless lightning bolts, pierced toward Shen Chen, each one no less powerful than the strongest attack of Lang Zheng, one of the former Four Tigers of the Inner Sect!

It was as if dozens of Lang Zheng were attacking Shen Chen at once!

"Clang! Clang! Clang..." Shen Chen hurriedly swung his iron sword, desperately defending against Lin Hai's attacks and protecting his vital points. But Lin Hai's sword technique was too bizarre and fast, and Shen Chen's body was once again riddled with wounds.

Shen Chen's silver robe, exclusive to inner disciples, was already torn into strips, and his body was covered with dozens of ghastly wounds, like the mouths of infants.

The heavy blood loss quickly drained Shen Chen's strength, his face pale as paper, as if he might faint at any moment.

"Die!" Lin Hai coldly snorted, a blue light flashing on his precious sword. Lin Hai and his sword seemed to merge into one, transforming into a bolt of lightning and charging at Shen Chen.

"Lightning Annihilation!"

The strongest move of the Thirteen Thunder Swords!

Shen Chen also saw Lin Hai's intention—to kill him in one strike. Even if the inner elder investigated later, Lin Hai could claim it was an accident during a sparring session, facing at most a punishment of solitary confinement.

"Ghost Slash!" Shen Chen's eyes widened in anger, and he bit his tongue hard, forcing himself to stay alert, which also wildly stimulated the blood energy in his body.

"Hum..." At that moment, the mysterious mirror in Shen Chen's mind suddenly emitted a white light, a warm current quickly rushing into his brain and spreading to his limbs.

Shen Chen instantly felt refreshed, his wounds no longer hurting as much and slowly healing. He felt as if he had been injected with a stimulant, his body full of strength.

Moreover, Shen Chen had already gradually grasped the essence of "Ghost Slash." Now, combining it with the surging blood energy in his body, he suddenly unleashed it!

"Go all out!" Shen Chen roared.

"Swish..."

"Rip!"

Lin Hai and Shen Chen crossed swords, stopping in place.

The sound of the swords clashing and the sound of the blade piercing flesh and cutting through blood followed.