Chen Ran's face dimmed. He coldly smiled and responded, "What a genius."
After that, Chen Ran waved his hand, and the arrows of his followers loosed upon Han Sen like rain.
Han Sen put away his Golden Growler and moved to dodge the hail - not a single arrow hurt him.
Chen Ran did not expect them to hurt Han Sen, either. Such a thing would only be possible if there were an additional one hundred archers. The numbers he had with him were too few, so the most they could do was hinder his movement.
Chen Ran gestured with his hand once more, and then a man with a sword ran towards Han Sen. He was incredibly fast and in three steps, he was already in front of him. The greatsword he wielded was swung upwards, as if to tear the skies asunder.
Chen Ran watched Han Sen intently, keen to observe the full extent of his powers. He used to have three others with him that had unlocked their gene lock, but two of them died on Sky Pillar mountain.
But the only remaining elite was, by all accounts, Chen Ran's strongest man. Even when fighting together, Xu Dongjin and his other elite could not beat him. This person was called Huang Mian.
Although he did not belong to the Chen family, he was looked upon highly enough to become a successor of Qi Gong. But because the Huang family was not as popular as the Chen family, the Qi Gong was not as effective.
When Huang Mian arrived at the Second God's Sanctuary, he was unable to locate his family. After a chance encounter, Chen Ran took care of him and eventually became one of his most trusted allies.
The Huang family's Qi Gong may not have been the best, but that did not mean it wasn't strong. The only reason their Qi Gong was not the best was because it was a lot more simplistic.
Many people knew the name "Sacrifice sword skill" in the Alliance. It was a skill that was based on the usage of swords. But because there were many mysterious and unknown components of the skill, its modification into a hyper geno art had proven too difficult.
Babies in the Huang family, upon learning how to crawl, were placed in rooms full of swords. The sword a baby touched first would be selected as the one they would carry for the remainder of their lives, and these swords were appropriately named "Lifetime Blades."
These blades, however, were not given for combat. Instead, they were provided as a signature. They defined and represented their carriers, becoming the core pillars and fundamental aspects of their existence. They were holy relics, only used in their practice of Qi Gong.
Many people believed the lifetime blade was a form of spiritual sustenance for their bearers and had no association to the practice of Qi Gong. But in the Huang family, they believed that one who treated his lifetime blade as a holy relic, cherished and cared for it throughout the years, would one day be able to complete his training of the Sacrifice sword skill. And after that, unlock his gene lock.
Huang Mian was the first member of their family to unlock a gene lock in the Second God's Sanctuary. The Sacrifice sword skill was insanely powerful, and in a swordfight, very few could beat him.
Recently, Han Sen had come to learn many sword skills. Although he had not mastered it, his progress with the Dual sword skill had come a long way. But seeing Huang Mian's attack, Han Sen quickly learnt what a true sword skill was.
That did not mean Han Sen thought the skill was powerful, however. It gave him the feeling that Huang Mian was an extension of the blade he wielded and vice versa. The sword and the person were bound together, like one. That was what was so profound.
Dong!
The ancient mascot sword effectively blocked Huang Mian's sword. Han Sen had activated his gene lock, which allowed him to sense the strength delivered in Huang Mian's attack. Quickly, he took a step back.
Huang Mian's waist turned, and the sword became a spike. It drove towards Han Sen like a drill.
Han Sen had never before seen a person use a sword skill so naturally. There was never much difference in the performance of sword skills from person to person, as a skill was just a skill. But this Huang Mian was a different beast.
Huang Mian's wielding of a sword was so dexterous, adept, and natural-looking, it really looked like the sword was a part of him. It was like a third arm connected with his flesh and bone, as wieldy and agile as his other limbs.
Han Sen's power was stronger than Huang Mian's, but when he attacked, he did so only with his sword. When Huang Mian attacked, his whole body was an extension of the metallic weapon, which gave him an edge.
Han Sen was able to evade each attack, but every time he tried to return a hit, his sword clashed with his opponent's and he was forced to fall back. Even though their sword skills were even, Han Sen was at a disadvantage.
If Han Sen hadn't turned on his gene lock, something which robbed him of all emotion, he'd undoubtedly have been in awe of his latest foe.
Dong!
Han Sen was pushed to the point that he had to summon the silver snake sword. He then used this sword to block his enemy's greatsword.
With two swords versus one, Han Sen cast Dual sword skill. But still, he was unable to gain the upper-hand and remained evenly matched with Huang Mian's abilities.
Chen Ran stood on the sidelines, watching them battle. He was shocked when observing Han Sen, as his speed and power were far exceeding his own lofty expectations. What amazed him the most were the sword skills he was employing.
He was using two swords, yet despite that, he was able to cast separate sword skills from each hand. The power to have two minds like that was almost frightening.
What was even scarier, however, was the fact that Han Sen could continuously cast sword skills with no reprieve or cooldown. It was as if he was a man powered by a high-octane, never-depleting generator.
With such profound power, he suspected he chose the right opponent for Han Sen. If it was anybody else, they would have been crushed and annihilated within seconds.
The Huang family's Sacrifice sword skill was the most oppressive, enemy-restraining sword skill in Qi Gong. Against Han Sen's barrage of attacks, he had to use Sacrifice sword skill to avoid being at a disadvantage. No one else save the Huang family could do this.
"He really is a scary guy. Still, nothing more." Chen Ran coldly laughed.
Chen Ran did not expect Huang Mian to beat Han Sen, though. He only wanted him to keep Han Sen engaged. Due to the low fitness cap on evolvers, they could not keep their gene lock open for extended periods of time. Eventually, they would become exhausted, too weary to fight.
Now, Chen Ran only had to wait for Han Sen to use up all his strength. Once this was done, he could easily capture him.
Chen Ran needed him alive, though. He had to learn all the secrets he possessed.
Only a living Han Sen would be useful to Chen Ran.
Chen Ran was not worried about him refusing to give up whatever secrets he possessed, as Chen ran had thousands of ways that would make him give them up. And besides that, he actually hoped Han Sen would remain tight-lipped to begin with, as that would just allow him more time to have fun.
Han Sen really admired Huang Mian. His power and speed may not have been on the same level as his own, and his sword skill wasn't as great as the Dual sword skill Han Sen possessed, but still, he wasn't submitting as easily as Han Sen might have initially thought he would.
"Friend, this is between me and Chen Ran. There is no need for you to sacrifice your own life on his behalf. If you are not from the Chen family, you should leave now," Han Sen said.
"I accepted Old Chen's money for his employment of my services. I have to see this through." Huang Mian kept moving his sword.
Chen Ran wore a smile of disdain. He thought Han Sen could not last much longer, and that was why he resorted to talking Huang Mian out of fighting him.