Chapter 79: The Intruding Martial Artist

“What is that?”
As the battle between Link and Lebron’s group reached its climax, two cloaked figures riding fine horses spotted the rift in space and time from afar. Feeling the terrifying negative energy emanating from it, both were startled. The person on the left, whose voice revealed her to be a woman, exclaimed in alarm.

The person on the right stroked his moustache beneath his nose, his voice resonant and full: “Xiaoxi, didn’t you say your hometown, Kenco Town, was a peaceful little place? It doesn’t look like that at all right now, does it?”

“…,” the woman fell silent for a moment, then glanced toward distant Kenco Town. “Antioch, you’re just a chef—there’s no use for you here. Go to the town and take shelter. I’ll go over there and see what’s happening.”

The man addressed as Marloff shrugged. “Alright, take care of yourself. I’ll head off.” With that, he rode toward Kenco Town, while the woman ran toward the spatial rift.

Meanwhile, Link and his companions had already engaged Lebron’s group. Under the influence of the Crimson Skull King, dead Hellhounds and Star God cultists, though not as formidable as in life, now possessed immortality; even if their limbs were shattered, they could reattach them in moments and resume their attack.

Link observed this with a furrowed brow. Such deathly power could only be dispelled by forces of strong vitality or pure light—in other words, paladins were the best candidates for the task. While the Saints were powerful, their techniques were purely destructive, lacking the ability to counter evil, and thus performed poorly against these undead entities with remarkable regenerative abilities.

But the Saints were all stationed in Kenco Town and couldn't arrive in time. Even if he wanted to call for paladins, it was impossible.

Fortunately, the Nine Suns Divine Skill was a force of utmost yang, inherently capable of dispelling evil and cold. It proved effective against undead creatures, so Altair and Link’s attacks were actually more effective than the Saints’. Moreover, Link could wield fire magic—while it was less effective against undead Hellhounds, it was very potent against undead Star God cultists. Thanks to their efforts, the undead could not overcome Link and his companions for the moment.

Yet this situation brought little optimism to the group. The Crimson Skull King and Lebron had not yet taken action; merely dealing with the undead left the party stretched thin. If those two fifth-tier powerhouses joined the fray, they would surely be overwhelmed.

It was precisely because Lebron understood this that he did not launch a full assault against Link’s group. He bore a twisted, cold smile, eyes wild and bloodthirsty, staring at Link and his companions as if wanting to toy with them before making his move.

After a while, Lebron overheard Aiolos’s muttered wish for Saga’s presence. His expression suddenly twisted, his eyes flashed with murderous intent as he looked at Aiolos: “Saga? That brat who crippled my son, drove him to despair and suicide? Where is he? Tell me, you little bastard—where is he?”

At Lebron’s command, the Crimson Skull King immediately directed his undead minions to launch a fierce attack on Aiolos, greatly increasing his pressure.

Link’s gaze sharpened as he spoke in a low voice: “Aiolia, Altair, maintain a triangular formation with Aiolos. Don’t split up. Forget attacking—just defend. Phantom, come here!”

Quickly assigning tactics, Link mounted the approaching Phantom and charged toward the undead ranks, aiming to strike directly at Lebron. Saga and the others formed their defensive formation as instructed, holding their ground against the undead.

Relying on Phantom’s explosive power and speed, Link darted left and right, using the One Yang Finger as a weapon to drive back the undead surrounding him, finally breaking free of their encirclement.

Lebron’s eyes turned fierce. “Crimson Skull King, block Neil-Night for me!”

The Crimson Skull King obeyed and charged at Link and Phantom. Seeing the giant skeleton, whose scythe was massive and whose legs alone towered above Link, Link dared not confront it head-on. He directed Phantom to fight evasively, and though the Crimson Skull King was enormous, its speed was not great, so it could only pursue Link and Phantom.

Observing the Crimson Skull King’s lack of speed, Lebron’s face grew displeased. He promptly dispatched ten Hellhounds from his army to reinforce the Crimson Skull King, forming a fan-shaped encirclement around Link and Phantom.

Link frowned. “This is infuriating. The guy can control the spatial rift—his forces are endless. It’s outright cheating. I’d hoped to lead a small elite force for a decapitation strike, but he’s immortal, can control two spatial rifts and a Crimson Skull King. If this goes on, we'll be wiped out. Should I retreat?”

As he pondered, Link instructed Phantom not to take detours, but to charge straight at the Hellhounds. As the distance closed, the foremost Hellhounds opened their jaws and spat blazing hellfire. In that instant, Phantom seemed to dive into the shadows, and Link leapt from Phantom’s back into the air, dodging the hellfire, then used Wave Steps to sprint forward. Brushing past two Hellhounds, he unleashed two mighty Vajra Palms, smashing their heads into pulp, and used the momentum to vault into the air again.

Phantom then surged out from the shadows, caught Link as he landed, and allowed him to remount. Man and beast worked in perfect harmony, like veteran comrades of one body.

Witnessing this, Lebron’s expression darkened as if scorched. He was about to dispatch more Hellhounds for support when a cold voice rang out: “So, you’re the cause of this chaos? With such dense negative energy, you can’t possibly be a good person. Die!”

Lebron was startled. Turning, he saw a cloaked figure rush toward him like a gust of wind, throwing a punch. Hastily, he cast Earth Wall to defend himself, but the wall crumbled like paper before the fist, disintegrating in an instant. The blow crashed into Lebron’s chest with undiminished force.

Boom!

With a heavy thud, Lebron was sent flying more than ten meters, his chest caved in. At the same moment, a surge of energy exploded from the point of impact, whipping up a swift current that blew the attacker’s cloak aside.

Bathed in moonlight and the glow of the spatial rift, a striking figure appeared—a woman of about twenty, with an aura as commanding as any man. Her long black hair and handsome features made her stand out. Though her attire was rustic and lacked any feminine touch, her extraordinary air and a face that blended beauty and boldness gave her a heroic presence equal to any man.

Moreover, she was unlike ordinary Westerners. Not only did she have long, straight black hair unique among them, her face bore an Eastern cast along with Western advantages—a likely hybrid. Her eyes were a rare shade of violet, like beautiful amethysts.

Overall, the black-haired woman exuded a hard-to-define martial charisma, like a magnificent sword whose brilliance both attracted and intimidated.

Clearly a martial artist, she relaxed her fist and gently exhaled to finish her move. Then she raised her gaze toward the two spatial rifts, frowning: “What are these things? Tentacle monsters? Disgusting.”

“Damn woman!” At that moment, a voice filled with resentment sounded.

Hearing it, the black-haired woman looked at Lebron in surprise. “You’re not dead? Impossible! That was my Crushing Fist—you should have had your heart, chest bones, and lungs shattered!”

Lebron stood up again, like an immortal cockroach. Under her shocked gaze, he offered a furious, twisted smile. “You wretch, did you think you could kill me with your little tricks? Die! Earth Spike Spring!”

As he shouted the spell, countless earth spikes erupted from the ground, attacking the black-haired woman.

She narrowed her eyes. “Fifth-tier earth mage, is it? Interesting!”

A hint of a smile flashed across her lips, then her expression hardened. Gathering her battle energy, she shouted and punched the ground. A sound like a thousand-pound stone landing thundered out; the earth trembled. Her powerful battle energy surged from the point of impact into the soil, colliding with the incoming earth spikes. The two forces exploded, dispersing both magic and battle energy, ultimately canceling each other out.

Seeing this, Lebron’s face changed. “Impossible! You—you’re a fifth-tier martial artist?”

“Peak fifth tier. Wandering martial artist—Lin Xi,” the black-haired woman announced herself with the poise and etiquette of a master, then focused her gaze on Lebron. “You look familiar… Ah, aren’t you Lebron Anthony, the Star God cult’s archbishop, wanted by the authorities? Why are you here?”

“Peak fifth-tier wandering martial artist? Damn woman, a peak-tier power without any affiliation? Are you mocking me?” Lebron ignored her question and shouted angrily.

Lin Xi raised her brows. “What’s so strange about being a peak-tier wandering martial artist? Outside the Kingdom of Stars, powerful wanderers and unaffiliated mages are everywhere. Who says powerhouses must belong to someone? Do you think only your factions can cultivate strong people?”

Lebron narrowed his eyes. “So you’re not a local of the Kingdom of Stars? Why meddle in my affairs, then? It’s none of your concern.”

“Who says it’s none of my concern? Who says I’m not from here?” Lin Xi rolled her eyes. “I grew up in Kenco Town. At thirteen, I apprenticed under a rather irresponsible old woman and traveled for eight years. Now I’m back home, only to find you attacking my hometown. Tell me—how should we settle this?”

As she spoke, Lin Xi’s gaze turned dangerous.

Lebron’s expression grew gloomy. This was troublesome. He wasn’t afraid of Link’s group, but the interference of a peak fifth-tier martial artist was no small matter. Though he was strong, he was only at the late fifth tier, and that only thanks to drugs—his real power was mid-fifth tier. Confronted by a peak-tier martial artist, even with his bizarre immortality, his chances were slim.

(P.S. Lin Xi is portrayed by the reader Dao Yue Lin Xi)