Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 878: The Mysterious Masked Person

Chapter 878: Chapter 878: The Mysterious Masked Person

The door was split open by a sword, and Jian Shen strode into the room, with the Seven Monsters, now turned ash-gray, following behind him. Perhaps the Seven Monsters were formidable, and few people in the Martial Arts world could match them, but they were unlucky to have encountered a Jian Shen.

Jian Shen saw a person lying in a corner of the room and went over to see that it was indeed Master Jin. Jian Shen immediately checked on him, "Brother Jin, how are you?"

"Is that you, Jian Shen?" Master Jin, both shocked and delighted, clutched Jian Shen’s hand tightly, as if he still couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

"Brother Jin, I’m going to take you out of here now," Jian Shen said and then proceeded to help Master Jin up.

However, Master Jin shook his head, signaling that there was no need for Jian Shen to go to any trouble. Seeing Master Jin’s demeanor as if his heart had already died, Jian Shen was very worried.

"Jian Shen, I appreciate your attempt to save me, and I am thankful for having you as a friend. I am glad that I did not choose wrongly, but it’s already too late," Master Jin said with a bitter smile, his expression one of complete resignation to his fate.

Jian Shen seemed to guess what had happened and urgently asked, "Brother Jin, what exactly did they do to you?"

"They forced me to drink their blood, and then I would become a monster like them. I don’t want to turn into that, do you understand?" Master Jin’s eyes were filled with indignation and unwillingness, along with a readiness to face death, "Jian Shen, if you can kill the Seven Monsters, then you can kill me too. Please grant me this last request."

"This..." Jian Shen found himself in a dilemma, even though Master Jin had made up his mind and was prepared to sacrifice himself for righteousness, Jian Shen couldn’t bring himself to strike down an old friend.

Master Jin became anxious, "Jian Shen, we’ve been close friends for many years, and you know me best. I, of the Jin Yuedao lineage, a representative of the orthodoxy of Martial Arts, how can I fall to become something of the pseudo region? I will not allow our family’s reputation to be ruined by my hand. I cannot become the stain on my family’s name."

Jian Shen still couldn’t make up his mind, but Master Jin continued to persuade him: "My Jin Yuedao lineage has always taken it upon ourselves to eradicate evil, and we have long been prepared to lay down our lives for righteousness. You do not need to feel guilty or blame yourself; only, my son is still young, please take care of him and ensure that there is someone to carry on the Jin Yuedao lineage."

"Brother Jin, rest assured, I’ve already found Jin Yi, and he is safe," Jian Shen said, and those words brought a joyful expression to Master Jin’s face. He nodded, then closed his eyes peacefully.

With a sigh, Jian Shen slowly raised his hand. Looking at the smile on his old friend’s face, free of regrets, he hesitated repeatedly, but in the end, Jian Shen drove a wooden stake into Master Jin’s heart.

"Thank you, Jian Shen," said Master Jin, showing a relieved expression as he turned ash-gray and then collapsed to one side.

With feelings of helplessness and deep sorrow, Jian Shen went to the woods beside the villa, dug a simple pit, and buried Master Jin properly so he could rest in peace.

After Jian Shen finished, he felt that something was amiss as he could hear faint breathing right behind him.

"Who’s there?" Jian Shen turned around with alarm and saw a man in black robes and a mask, with a hood covering his head and his hands behind his back. His face was hidden, but his cold, merciless eyes were visible.

Jian Shen was somewhat nervous; a person who could arrive behind him without making a sound must be extraordinary.

The mysterious figure in the mask spoke indifferently, "Why being nervous? It’s ironic that even a grand Jian Shen can feel fear."

"This voice?" Jian Shen had never heard this kind of unnatural, low voice before, as if someone was deliberately altering it with some special method.

"I don’t care who you are, today I’m not in a good mood, so don’t provoke me," Jian Shen declared solemnly, ready for battle.

The mysterious masked person let out a cold laugh, "Do you think I came looking for you considering how you’re feeling?"

"What do you want then?" Jian Shen had barely finished speaking when he saw the other party charging directly at him, a fierce punch hurtling towards him.

Since the other party had launched an attack, Jian Shen didn’t hesitate. He immediately thrust out his sword, aiming straight for the opponent’s heart. He couldn’t believe that the other wouldn’t dodge.

However, to Jian Shen’s surprise, the mysterious masked person didn’t dodge or avoid the attack, pressing forward with an indomitable momentum to continue his assault on Jian Shen.

In an instant, Jian Shen thought that the other might also be a vampire, unafraid of injury, but he himself had a normal flesh and blood body. In the end, Jian Shen improvised, catching the punch with one palm and lunging his sword straight towards the other’s heart.

There was a muffled sound as Jian Shen’s palm successfully caught the punch, feeling that the power behind it was comparable to that of a peerless expert.

Immediately afterward, Jian Shen’s sword stroke hit the mysterious masked person’s heart. The thrust did make contact, but it didn’t penetrate; it felt as though there was a layer of solid armor on the outside of the other’s body.

"How can this be?" Jian Shen furrowed his brow, then quickly retreated to take a closer look at the mysterious masked person’s heart area. He noticed the clothes had been pierced, and the skin was visible, which meant the other had trained in some kind of impervious body technique.

With arms crossed, the mysterious masked person stood composed, "How about it, Jian Shen? You take pride in your swordsmanship, but it can’t hurt me in the slightest. You’re no match for me. I’ll give you a chance, kneel before me, and I may consider sparing your life."

"Are you joking with me?" Jian Shen snorted coldly. Never in his career had he been so belittled.

"That’s right, if I don’t dampen your spirit, you certainly won’t realize this." After saying that, the mysterious masked person charged over, throwing punches and kicks, attacking fiercely with all his might, completely disregarding defense.

Jian Shen too wielded his precious sword vigorously, releasing Jian Qi to sharply slice through his surroundings, but in terms of momentum, he was already at a disadvantage.

With every stroke of his sword that landed on the mysterious masked person’s body, on his arms, the fierce swordsmanship didn’t even leave a mark. The mysterious masked person was impenetrable, growing stronger as the battle wore on, and his power surged to even greater heights with a solid punch landing on Jian Shen’s body.

"How is this possible, his power exceeds mine." Jian Shen was sent flying, blood spurting wildly, seriously injured.

The mysterious masked person didn’t pursue, uttering a disdainful voice, "The current Martial Arts is degenerating with each generation. Your Wentianjianlu is poorly executed, and yet you dare call yourself Jian Shen. You are far inferior to your master, Ye Qingcheng. Moreover, you should thank a bunch of worthless people for propping up a mediocrity like you."

"You know my master?" Jian Shen was astonished; the other’s voice sounded about the same age as his own.

The mysterious masked person indifferently said, "Not only do I know your master, but what I use is not some hard body technique, it is the Immortal Body, and I have trained it to the highest level."

Hearing the four words ’Immortal Body,’ Jian Shen was astounded. He had heard the legend; in the past, there were many peerless experts, one of whom, from the same era as his master Ye Qingcheng, was known as Ying Tianruo. He practiced the Immortal Body, which was known as the strongest defensive Martial Art in the world.

(By the way, Ying Tianruo is the male protagonist of "Prequel: Wulin Conquest.")