Who is Farel?
Perhaps the black-clad disciples of the Heavenly Demon Clan from the East, South, and North Courtyards do not know, but in the West Courtyard, there are few disciples unfamiliar with Farel.
Maybe a small number of them truly have not heard of him, but they have definitely heard of Leo's trusted followers—the Nine Ghostly Fiends.
Ghostly fiends usually refer to demons and spirits of the mountains, but Leo's nine ghostly fiends were, of course, not demons or spirits.
They were humans, but they lived like monsters and ghosts.
Even though they were human, each of them was exceptionally cruel and treacherous, some even eating human hearts and using human blood to enhance their Sorcery arts.
In the demonic Clans, cannibalism might exist, but it was exceedingly rare. Those with such tastes were almost always utterly vicious and savage individuals.
Farel was the last-ranked member of Leo's Nine Ghostly Fiends—the Heart-Digging Ghostly Fiend.
The sharp, bright steel sword that he always sharpened before killing someone was his tool for gouging out hearts.
Now, Farel's target was Aizen.
Aizen watched as Farel walked toward him at a slow, strange pace. His steps resembled the cautious movements of a leopard, probing forward gently, his large shoulder blades shifting with each step.
Farel's sword moved with his shoulder blades, rising and falling, as if at any moment it would pierce Aizen's body like lightning and carve out his heart.
The other black-clad disciples behind them had retreated to a distance; they didn't want to get caught up in any misunderstandings.
The atmosphere seemed to solidify, and the mountain wind blew with a slight chill.
Aizen stood still, holding the comical tree branch, not moving an inch. His posture was equally ridiculous, as if he had been scared stiff.
But he wasn't scared—he was excited.
Not just excited about the upcoming battle, but excited at the prospect of spilling blood. Most thrilling of all, though, was the fact that he had triggered another system mission.
"System Notification: Mission triggered—Roadside Bully. Mission Objective: Kill the bully Farel within ten minutes. Mission Reward: 500 Wisdom points. Mission Penalty: One Sorcery arts skill will be randomly erased from memory."
The mission reward was substantial—500 Wisdom points. This meant that Farel was far more dangerous than Huang Da and Li Youliang, whom Aizen had encountered earlier.
The mission penalty was severe as well. While it didn't involve immediate death like before, losing a random Sorcery skill could be disastrous. If the Star-Absorbing Technique were erased, Aizen's strength would be weakened by as much as 80%.
In this fight, Aizen had no choice but to kill his opponent. There was no other option!
Buzz!
While Aizen's emotions surged, Farel's meticulously sharpened sword had already been unleashed!
His timing was impeccable, and his combat experience was indeed vast.
As the sword came at Aizen, Farel moved like a leopard that had been poised to pounce, taking a sudden step forward and thrusting his sword.
It was a simple strike—just a thrust from basic sword techniques.
But this simple thrust had been honed by Farel through endless practice until it became an instinctive move, one that would undoubtedly draw blood.
Aizen still stood there, seemingly frozen in place.
A glint of savagery flashed in Farel's eyes, confident that his sudden thrust would pierce Aizen's heart, and with a light flick, he would extract it.
The thought of devouring a fresh, still-beating heart excited him—such a heart would be a delicious, invigorating treat.
But Farel had miscalculated.
The black-clad disciples watching from a distance had miscalculated as well.
Aizen was no fool. He wasn't standing still out of fear; he was waiting.
Waiting for Farel to make the first move.
In the moment Farel struck, when his sharp sword was less than five inches from Aizen's body, Aizen made his move.
With a flick of his wrist, pure internal Aura surged into the tree branch he was holding.
With the infusion of internal Aura , even an ordinary branch became as hard as steel.
Aizen didn't hesitate. He executed the sword technique killing move he had just barely practiced—Neck Coil Style!
His wooden "sword" moved with the agility of a horned antelope, dodging Farel's thrust and landing precisely on Farel's sword blade.
The moment the two weapons connected, it felt as if an electric current had passed between them. Aizen's sword style shifted, and with an explosive surge of internal Aura , the force was terrifying.
Farel's sure-kill thrust veered off course.
A hint of surprise appeared on Farel's hairless, eyebrowless face.
He had sensed the terrifying power in that simple contact with Aizen's tree branch, which trembled violently under the force of Aizen's internal Aura .
It was a massive amount of internal Aura that made Farel's wrist tingle, even causing slight pain in his palm.
For a brief moment, Farel's grip on his sword faltered, and the sword nearly slipped from his hand.
In that split second, Aizen's sword pressed downward.
The moment Farel's thrust was diverted, Aizen's downward pressure forced Farel's sword off to the right.
Aizen stepped forward, subtly shifting his body, and effortlessly neutralized the sharp attack.
The surrounding black-clad disciples gasped in astonishment, their gazes toward Aizen now filled with awe, as though he were a demon or a monster.
The sword move appeared simple but contained hidden depth, and none of them had ever seen such a technique before.
Farel, too, was shocked. His entire sword-wielding arm had gone numb under Aizen's pressure, and his steel sword vibrated fiercely.
"Such powerful internal Aura !"
Farel realized that Leo and everyone else had underestimated Aizen.
This man was a deeply hidden, terrifying figure.
A strong urge to retreat surged within Farel. He had to report this to Leo, even if it meant facing severe punishment. He had to retreat.
If he didn't, he would surely die!
He decided to retreat and had already abandoned his sword.
The sword was useless now. A few more strikes from Aizen, and it would slip from his grasp anyway.
As Farel threw away his sword, he swiftly retreated. He had trained in basic movement techniques, and his retreat covered a distance of eight feet.
But as Farel retreated, Aizen advanced!
One retreated, and the other pressed forward!
Yet, despite not mastering the basic movement techniques, Aizen was faster.
Because Aizen's body surged forward, while Farel's body was moving backward.
Aizen's internal Aura exploded, rapidly increasing his speed, while Farel, though skilled, was no match for Aizen in terms of power.
The tree branch in Aizen's hand—the comical branch—had now become a deadly weapon!
It had already transformed into a direct thrust!
Rather than completing the second half of the Neck Coil Style, which involved a reverse slash to the throat, Aizen adapted his move for flexibility.
This was combat, not rigid practice. Aizen had integrated the Head-Cutting Sword Technique into real combat with fluidity.
Changing his move mid-fight allowed him to resolve the battle faster and more efficiently, without sticking to the original, incomplete sword form.
This thrust finally pierced Farel's chest. For his first kill with a sword, using something that wasn't even a real sword, Aizen's accuracy wasn't perfect.
Farel's eyes widened in fury, and he roared, launching a desperate counterattack.
Aizen exhaled sharply, his palm striking out, internal Aura gathered within it, and when it made contact with Farel's heart, it exploded.
Boom!
A gust of force swept out in all directions.
Farel's heart and lungs were shattered. The Nine Ghostly Fiends were now reduced by one!
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More Golden Tickets = Mass Release
More Power Stones = Mass Release
More Comments = Mass Release
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