Zhang Feiyan gazed at Bai Yichen with her gentle, watery eyes, as if anticipating something.
Bai Yichen chuckled to himself, feeling the internal energy in his hand activate as he flung the opening of the brocade box toward Zhang Feiyan while simultaneously snapping his fingers to strike at the box's axis with internal energy.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
In an instant, the brocade box sprang open, triggering a mechanism. Countless thin silver needles shot out, shimmering like fine threads in the air.
The silver needles surged toward Zhang Feiyan with astonishing speed, forming a silver "rainstorm" in midair, ripping apart the surrounding air.
The sound echoed continuously, reminiscent of heavy rain hitting banana leaves.
This was the legendary "Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle," a top-tier technique in the martial world.
"Ah!"
A heart-wrenching scream pierced the air.
In a mere moment, everything was complete.
Zhang Feiyan's space was enveloped by this terrifying cold light, leaving her no way to escape or hide.
After a breath, silence returned.
Seeing this, Bai Yichen couldn't help but scoff; with such skills, she dared to plot against him.
When Zhang Feiyan had entered and removed her cloak, exhibiting her charm, Bai Yichen had already discerned that she was merely an impostor.
As she guided him step by step, trying to seduce him with her allure, then pulled out the pill box to tempt him, an ordinary person in the martial world would have long since met their end.
But for Bai Yichen, it was still lacking, especially since he had been aware of the issue beforehand.
However, the power of the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle was indeed formidable; if he had been caught off guard, he might have suffered serious injury.
Just then, Zhang Feiyan suddenly collapsed to the ground, her body covered in silver needles, resembling a porcupine.
Some needles penetrated her body with great force, while others embedded themselves into the walls and door, leaving behind tiny holes.
Her face, beneath the needles, appeared distorted, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a lifelike human skin mask, as if it had been peeled from a real face.
The face beneath the mask was already a bloody mess, but it vaguely showed signs of confusion.
This was wrong!
If this were her only trick, it would be too underestimating of him. In terms of martial prowess, the woman in black whom he had killed at the dilapidated temple was stronger than this Zhang Feiyan.
On that day, he had sensed something was amiss outside the Zhang residence, so logically, it should be more than this.
What had gone wrong?
"Pfft! Pfft!"
In an instant, a stream of purple-black smoke erupted from the brocade box, extinguishing the candlelight and plunging the surroundings into darkness.
A double mechanism.
The earlier Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle was just a prelude.
Bai Yichen had no time to think further; he quickly adjusted his breathing and activated the Dragon Elephant Diamond Strength technique.
Just as he was adjusting, a glimmer of cold light pierced through the darkness, resembling a long-hidden poisonous snake finally emerging from its hole, darting straight for his vital points in an instant.
This sword strike was indeed ruthless and precise, catching him completely off guard!
With the insights from the Sitting and Forgetting Heart Refinement method, Bai Yichen realized that this person must have mastered the Hidden Weapon Concealment technique and had taken the opportunity to enter with Zhang Feiyan.
"Creak!"
Bai Yichen's figure dropped suddenly, as if he had shrunk a head; the sword tip grazed just an inch above his head.
Taking advantage of the attacker's moment of surprise, he unleashed a powerful palm strike!
The assassin was undeterred; with a wave of his other hand, a poisonous dart split into four directions, sealing off all escape routes.
This person was not only skilled in assassination techniques but also adept at using hidden weapons; it appeared he was indeed formidable.
As they collided, a surge of energy erupted, ceramic vases shattered, and doors and windows rattled, allowing the moonlight to pour in.
Inside the room stood three figures—one with a bright palm on the left and one holding a sword on the right.
Bai Yichen examined the assassin and remarked, "The chief assassin of the Heishi organization has personally come; I'm truly honored."
"I didn't expect you to have reached the Innate stage, but Heishi never spares traitors!" The cold gaze of the assassin's black eyes was unsettling.
However, Bai Yichen, of course, met his stare without flinching.
It was clear that matters in the dark could not remain hidden forever; it seemed that Heishi had uncovered the truth.
But coming today was still a success.
"Hehe, it was merely a twist of fate; there's no need to dwell on it. One must understand that some things are unavoidable and learn to adapt."
Bai Yichen spoke in a tone reminiscent of an adult lecturing a child.
Just then, dark clouds passed overhead, and the moonlight scattered.
What he awaited was a sharp and cold glimmer from the Hai Linus.
The sharp sword suddenly unleashed a rain of strikes, coming down in a continuous, relentless wave, creating a layered web of swords that approached him.
With a single sword thrust, he slipped into the night, weaving an endless sword rain with graceful elegance.
Beneath its gentle appearance lay an endless killing intent, with each thin silver gleam dazzling the eyes. Even throughout history, few practitioners of this sword technique had managed to reach such a level.
"Good sword; you've truly grasped the essence of the Drizzling Rain Sword Technique!"
Suddenly, an explosive force surged seven times stronger!
Bai Yichen clasped his hands, and in an instant, they transformed into countless shadows of palms, like dark gold scattering through the air.
The Four Symbols began to rotate: sometimes appearing as a blue dragon reaching out its claws, sometimes as a white tiger carrying a corpse, sometimes as a vermillion bird soaring, and sometimes as a black tortoise bowing its head.
As they collided with the drizzling sword rain, the sounds of metal clashing rang out like muffled groans, as if Bai Yichen's hands were made of solid gold.
However, after just a few exchanges, Hei Lin, who wielded the fine sword, was already feeling a bit numb from the immense force.
He was greatly shocked, never expecting Bai Yichen, so young, to have achieved the Innate stage.
Not only that, but he also possessed remarkable body refinement techniques, yet he had never heard of such skills being taught at the Xuanzhen Temple before.
This must not continue; this boy cannot be allowed to live!
At this moment, Bai Yichen was secretly lamenting.
After all, the power of the Dragon Elephant Diamond Strength technique could not be sustained for long; it could only be applied for brief moments in battle, as prolonged use would strain his body.
Moreover, while this technique was simple to learn, mastering it was difficult.
The time required for the later layers increased exponentially, and even with his exceptional talent and having consumed all ten Astragalus and Earth Pills, mastering the final three layers would still require a considerable amount of time.
Thus, unlike other martial techniques, he had not broken through simply because he had reached the Innate stage.
At this moment, Bai Yichen seemed to recall something; his gaze fell on the sword he had laid down next to the couch during meditation.
With a sigh, he realized he couldn't hide it any longer.
Taking advantage of a momentary pause after their clash, Bai Yichen executed a cloud dragon leap, grasping the sword hilt and drawing it out.
Seeing this, Hei Lin couldn't help but scoff; he had already investigated the main inheritance techniques of the Xuanzhen Temple.
There were only the Three Yang Exorcising Devil Fist and the Four Symbols Opening Heaven Palm, both of which were merely hand techniques; none could rival any weapon techniques.
Surely, this disciple of the Xuanzhen Temple had not also mastered an exquisite sword technique in addition to the powerful body refinement technique he practiced in secret, right?
Besides, no matter how skilled he was, could it surpass his Drizzling Rain Sword Technique?
Could it be stronger than the power of his body refinement technique combined with the Four Symbols Opening Heaven Palm?