Master of Kaidan
Chapter 119: The Deadly 13... Stick?

Chapter 119: Chapter 119: The Deadly 13... Stick?

The garbage mountain in South District differs from regular landfills. After years of landfilling, it has formed a substantial mountainous terrain.

Because of an internal "melting furnace," collapses in the central area were often more severe than on the periphery, creating valleys of various shapes in the center while the edge was characterized by steep, peculiar mountains.

If one didn’t mind that the ground underfoot was compacted from various types of trash, the environment here was not much different from the ordinary, vegetation-scarce wilderness.

There were rolling hills, deep valleys formed by land subsidence, winding mountain paths, and caves whose origins, whether man-made or natural, were unknown.

Some cave entrances would be artificially reinforced and supported, resembling mine shafts, which in actuality were much the same because trash from the Four Major Landfills, often a chaotic mix, would typically be buried together. As time passed and layers piled up, they’d be compressed beneath the mountains, and sometimes, due to accidental causes like sinkholes, this trash would be discovered, leading relevant personnel to begin mining.

In the end, this wasn’t much different from natural mineral vein deposits—the only difference being that the outside world mined natural ore, while here, garbage from various worlds was collected...

...

"Another empty pit, huh..." Feng Xue shook his head in resignation as he looked at the end of the tunnel that was clogged with garbage, then turned to retrace his steps.

Such mine tunnels, often intricate and interconnected, would become havens for omens or newcomers unwilling to become slaves after abandonment.

Feng Xue’s aim in exploring these tunnels was to find monsters to fight, but whether it was his luck or because the spot was close to the airfield, he only found empty pits.

"It looks like I’ll have to try going deeper," muttered Feng Xue as he headed back the way he had come.

"Rookie, you can’t find anything good in places like this! But that outfit of yours looks pretty nice. Hand it over obediently, and big brother will take you to a good spot!"

A slightly affected voice, accompanied by several shadows, emerged in the mine tunnel, but Feng Xue’s lips curved upward. He was obviously not naive enough to believe that real omens could be left in these abandoned peripheral pits, but he knew that as long as he delved into these mines, someone would surely take him for a newbie.

And the mine itself was an excellent place to set an ambush.

Looking at the five or six individuals who were securely blocking the entrance, Feng Xue narrowed his eyes, and various pieces of information emerged from their figures.

"Oh? Even tagged as warriors and possessing Fine Level phantasms?" Feng Xue’s lips curled higher, and once he confirmed the enemies’ combat power was within his manageable range, he let go of his cloak immediately. Without waiting for them to say anything else, he stepped forward and charged.

First Sword!

The Short Blade that sprung from his wrist had even less reach than a dagger, but in that moment, Feng Xue’s entire arm became an extension of the blade. A straightforward thrust without any flourish followed, yet it didn’t result in the splattering of blood as before.

"Attack!" The leader, blocking with a machete, shouted, and the four underlings at his side immediately swung their weapons toward Feng Xue. Despite the situation, Feng Xue didn’t show any sign of panic.

The Life-taking Thirteen Swords were derived from killing, where the first strike was the most efficient assassination move concluded after countless practices, and the second stroke was a transformation to cope with various issues when the first strike failed to work.

Watching the weapons aimed at his different body parts, Feng Xue’s body twisted slightly. The "assassin" provided him with the "sharpness" element that allowed him to accurately judge the most deadly attack. As his arm twisted, the blade of the Suffocation Blade sliced across two wrists, and at the same time, pierced into the kidney of the thug closest to him.

Then, it was...

The Third Sword!

Another transformation after the second sword had already deviated from the original secret manual.

After all, aside from the first strike being an actual sword move, the subsequent strokes each described the adaptations to make when the previous strike failed to kill the enemy.

Each stroke complemented the last, and when this set of swordsmanship exhausted all transformations, it was the moment for it to come to fruition.

Theoretically, everyone’s fifteenth sword would be different, but these countless differences all pointed towards the same future—

How to kill the enemy more efficiently.

Feng Xue changed his moves thrice, and had already killed two underlings. Among the remaining two, one, with a pierced wrist, had dropped his weapon. But Feng Xue had no intention of stopping. Dodging the leader’s Powerful Slash, the sword’s edge, like a venomous snake, traced a weird arc, grazing his throat.

Blood spurted, but the opponent didn’t immediately fall. Though a bit surprised, Feng Xue did not hesitate. Using his momentum to kill another, his short stature thrust the fifth sword.

He could clearly feel that while the techniques of swordsmanship were secondary, the main point lay in the increasing killing intent after each strike. The more difficult it was to kill the enemy, the stronger the killing intent and malicious aura became. Under the nourishment of this killing intent and malicious aura, even more terrifying killing moves were born.

It wasn’t just skills that were being exhausted, but also the determination to kill the enemy!

At this point, any warrior would realize they’d picked the wrong fight, yet the one wounded by the Suffocation Blade was unable even to let out a roar of anger.

Watching that strike aiming straight for his heart, the element of "Life towards Death" within the "warrior" label suddenly activated. His eyes filled with blood, his muscles swelled visibly, and he gripped the machete with both hands. His tremendous power was like a warhammer smashing down on Feng Xue.

However, Feng Xue did not slow his pace. Instead, his True Qi moved downward, from the Rushing Door acupoint to the Hidden White acupoint. The strength in his legs was activated, adding to Feng Xue’s speed. The seemingly fragile blade of the Suffocation Blade actually overpowered the large machete. Using the "Washing Sword" technique, he diverted the power of the strike, and a flick of the sword tip immediately severed three fingers from the handle.

The warrior showed remarkable resilience. Despite losing three fingers, he didn’t utter a single scream. Instead, he clenched his fists, and the blood from the severed part sprayed, clouding Feng Xue’s face.

"How do you like my move, ’Blood Blinding Eyes’?"

Immediately, the warrior’s machete swung upward, and Feng Xue, with eyes now blood red, suddenly pulled in his ring finger. The Suffocation Blade sprang from his wrist, pinning firmly into the warrior’s wrist. At the same time, an indescribable stick slipped out of his sleeve. The sound of bones breaking echoed as the sharp end of the red-headed pry bar stabbed into the warrior’s mouth and protruded from the back of his skull.

"As expected, using the Sleeve Sword to execute assassination sword moves, the attack range is still a bit too short. Even if I’ve realized the seventh sword, the distance is not enough... But the Life-taking Thirteen Strokes is too weird. I’ll try using Disassembling Holy Mother. Otherwise, I’ll look for an opportunity to craft a proper sword?"