The Legend of the Netherworld

Chapter 202 Rebellion against Zhang Ling

As the sound of footsteps in the distance drew closer, Lin Xiao and Wang Qingzhao both stopped in their tracks, their gaze fixed on the direction of the sound. Almost simultaneously, they sensed a powerful aura approaching them. It was a steady and oppressive aura, as if it was suppressing everything around them.

"Are they other contestants?" Wang Qingzhao asked in a low voice with a serious expression.

Lin Xiao didn't answer. He just took a deep breath and silently observed the movements of the newcomer. The footsteps became clearer, but they didn't stop. It was obviously coming towards them.

Suddenly, a ghostly figure appeared before them. It was a man in a cyan robe, his face stern and his eyes gleaming with a deep light. His aura was as vast as the ocean, so powerful it was almost impossible to breathe, making the air around them feel unusually heavy.

"So it's you," the man said calmly, his voice low and magnetic. "Lin Xiao, Wang Qingzhao, what a coincidence, we meet here."

"Who are you?" Wang Qingzhao frowned. Neither she nor Lin Xiao showed much panic in their aura, but their alertness was still high, and they had already gripped the hilt of their swords tightly.

The man smiled slightly, with a hint of coldness in his eyes: "Li Hong's death was not caused by you, was it?" There was no direct hostility in his words, but rather a sense of scrutiny.

A cold light flashed in Lin Xiao's eyes: "Who are you? How dare you know about Li Hong's death?"

The man chuckled: "My name is Zhang Ling, and I'm a relatively 'low-key' person. As for Li Hong, as a big mouth, he will naturally tell a lot of things." He spoke slowly, as if he was talking about some irrelevant trivial matters.

"Zhang Ling?" Wang Qingzhao sneered. "Interesting. Sounds like a name not worth mentioning."

"Haha, it seems you don't know me." Zhang Ling's smile gradually faded, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "But it doesn't matter. After getting to know me, you will understand that behind 'immobility', there is also a strong power."

Lin Xiao frowned slightly. The man before him seemed no ordinary person. He had appeared so calmly at this moment, clearly well prepared. Judging from his aura, he should be at the eighth level of the Jiayin Realm, and even had the aura of someone close to breaking through to the ninth level.

"Since you know about Li Hong's death, aren't you afraid that I will kill you too?" Lin Xiao asked coldly.

"Haha, kill me?" Zhang Ling disagreed. "You killed Li Hong, I just found an excuse to come and take a look. After all, I have been observing your existence."

Lin Xiao's heart trembled. This man seemed to be very familiar with their actions, even able to judge their every move. Moreover, there was no trace of fear in his words, but instead he was full of confidence and calmness.

"Since you are so confident, let's try and see who is not moving." Wang Qingzhao suddenly interrupted, her sword intent quietly rising, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

Zhang Ling's eyes narrowed slightly, as if sensing Wang Qingzhao's sword intent. A meaningful smile curved his lips. "Want to try my 'immobility'? You can, go ahead and give it a try."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Ling's figure flashed and disappeared from their sight, as if he had turned into thin air. His speed was so fast that it was impossible to catch any trace of him.

"Be careful!" Lin Xiao was extremely alert. He instantly used the "Illusionary Body Skill: Imitating Phantom Moves" to summon two clones to be with him. He quickly looked around and was on high alert in all directions.

Wang Qingzhao quickly raised her sword in front of her, ready to face any possible attack. However, after a moment, the surroundings were surprisingly quiet, with no movement at all.

"Where did he go?" Wang Qingzhao asked softly, her eyes full of confusion.

Lin Xiao frowned. Through his perception, he discovered that Zhang Ling's aura had not disappeared. Instead, it was still following him like a shadow, as if some force was connecting him to himself. At this moment, he suddenly felt a strong pressure from behind. Startled, he turned around quickly.

However, all he had time to turn around was a blurry figure. Zhang Ling vanished without a trace again, and with him came an overwhelming sense of oppression, as if the sky had collapsed.

"It's not just his body that's still." Lin Xiao's heart trembled, instantly realizing the technique Zhang Ling had employed. His body might have vanished, but in reality, he had merged his consciousness into the surrounding air and space. This was an extremely advanced spatial manipulation technique, allowing one to temporarily escape the constraints of the body and enter a state of "ethereal emptiness."

"In that case, then, let's use the 'Ethereal Sword'!" Lin Xiao calmly counterattacked, a sharp gleam in his eyes, and the longsword in his hand suddenly emitted a dazzling light. He unleashed one of the most powerful sword techniques - "Sword Qi Horizontal Decision"!

"Boom!" The sword light cut through the air and instantly cut through the surrounding space. The sword energy was crisscrossed, cutting the surrounding air like rags, forming a narrow space crack, and the sword energy flew into the air.

At this moment, Zhang Ling appeared on the other side of the crack, with a flash of surprise in his eyes: "How could you find me?"

Lin Xiao's mouth curled up into a cold smile: "Is this what you call not moving?"

A trace of solemnity flashed across Zhang Ling's eyes. He had never imagined that Lin Xiao could detect his movements under such circumstances and counterattack so quickly. He instantly retreated, avoiding the sword energy, but the breath that tore through the air still made him feel a shock in his heart.

"You have great potential." Zhang Ling's voice was cold but tinged with admiration. "However, this level of reaction is not enough."

As soon as he finished speaking, he vanished into thin air again, leaving behind only a slight rustle of wind. Lin Xiao's brow furrowed as he sensed his surroundings, a feeling of unease rising within him. Zhang Ling had clearly mastered the techniques of spatial perception and concealment. His attack patterns were extremely stealthy, as if he were gliding through the air, ready to strike from any angle.

"Well-timed!" Lin Xiao shouted softly. He unleashed the "Dragon Swimming Across the Seas" technique, his body agile and swift as a dragon. A series of figures flashed in a continuous stream, dodging every wave in the air. At the same time, he grasped his sword with both hands and unleashed the "Sword Dance Spinning Spin." The sword light was like a swirling hurricane of light, sweeping around, attempting to force Zhang Ling to reveal himself.

However, Zhang Ling's speed was still extremely fast. His figure kept disappearing and reappearing around Lin Xiao, carrying a heart-pounding aura. His laughter came from all directions: "Not bad swordsmanship, it is a bit like my youth, but unfortunately, it's too slow."

A cold glint flashed in Lin Xiao's eyes, knowing that if this continued, he would have a hard time finding a chance to counterattack. Zhang Ling's strength far exceeded his expectations, and he seemed to have mastered some kind of spatial manipulation technique, making it almost impossible for him to pinpoint his opponent's true position.

"If you don't move, then I won't let you move." Lin Xiao made a secret decision in his heart. He suddenly stopped moving and suddenly turned into a state of stillness. His spiritual consciousness and spiritual power flowed into his eyes at the same time, and the ground under his feet began to vibrate slightly.

The air around him seemed to freeze, time and space seemingly standing still for a second. Lin Xiao unleashed his most powerful "Shadow Spirit Sword Stab," instantly compressing the fluctuations in the entire space to their limit. In that instant, sword energy shot out in all directions, seemingly piercing the entire barrier of space.

Zhang Ling's figure emerged from the void, his expression grave. "What kind of technique is this? It can actually freeze time for a short period of time?" He was shocked, but remained calm and reacted quickly.

However, just as he was about to dodge again, Lin Xiao had already predicted his whereabouts. His sword tip streaked across the sky like a meteor, heading straight for Zhang Ling's chest.

"Kill!" Lin Xiao shouted, and the sword energy fell like thunder. A look of disbelief flashed in Zhang Ling's eyes, and he reacted quickly. With a wave of his hands, a wind wall emerged from the air, trying to block the attack.

However, the moment Lin Xiao's sword energy made contact with the wind wall, an astonishing burst of energy erupted. The wind wall was completely torn apart, and Lin Xiao's sword energy penetrated it like a ghost, piercing straight into Zhang Ling's heart.

Zhang Ling's expression changed and he dodged instinctively, but the sword energy was too fast and he couldn't dodge it at all.

"Bang!" With a loud bang, the sword energy pierced Zhang Ling's chest, and blood gushed out like a fountain. Zhang Ling's body was blown away by the powerful sword energy and slammed heavily into the rock next to him, instantly creating a huge crack.

"Unfortunately, I'm not standing still either." Lin Xiao looked coldly at Zhang Ling who fell to the ground and said softly.

Zhang Ling struggled to get up from the ground, his face pale, obviously seriously injured. He suppressed the pain in his heart, looked up at Lin Xiao, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Do you think you can kill me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Ling suddenly erupted with a strong aura. He swallowed a black pill, and the surface of his body began to emit black flames, which looked extremely strange and terrifying. Lin Xiao's eyes focused and he immediately became alert, sensing the powerful aura released from Zhang Ling.

"Do you want to use drugs to forcibly increase your strength?" Lin Xiao said coldly. He was not in a hurry to launch an attack, but looked at the other party vigilantly.

"Hahaha, give me some time, and you will know how my Zhang Ling can be killed so easily." Zhang Ling laughed, and the aura around his body gradually changed, becoming more condensed and powerful.

Lin Xiao understood that if he didn't stop it soon, the current situation would probably become even more difficult.

Lin Xiao took a deep breath and gripped the sword tightly, feeling the vibrations of the blade echoing with the surging energy within him. Despite the erupting power, he remained unmoved, his gaze scanning Zhang Ling's surroundings.

Zhang Ling's appearance at this moment was truly terrifying. The black aura emanating from him was like a raging storm, rapidly distorting the surrounding space. The entire air seemed oppressive and heavy. At this moment, his aura was several times stronger than before. It was obvious that the pill he swallowed had endowed him with terrifying energy.

"Is this your strongest power?" Lin Xiao smiled coldly, his eyes flashing with fighting spirit. "However, this power may not be able to break my defense."

Zhang Ling's smile gradually faded, his eyes filled with coldness and madness. "Don't you understand? This kind of power can allow me to break through all defenses in a short period of time. You can't stop me at all."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Ling suddenly stepped forward, his entire body rushing towards Lin Xiao like a hurricane. With each step, his speed continued to increase, and the air was roaring as he hit it, like a meteor falling to the ground.

Lin Xiao knew very well that Zhang Ling's attack power had reached a very terrifying level at this moment. His eyes became calmer and he prepared to face this battle without distraction.

As Zhang Ling charged at him, Lin Xiao's entire body burst forth, unleashing his "Illusionary Body Technique: Imitating Shadow Moves." His form abruptly split into three images, each gleaming with a chilling sword aura. This was a unique skill Lin Xiao had mastered through long practice—the Illusionary Clone, capable of disorienting the enemy and preventing the attacker from accurately determining their true position.

Zhang Ling suddenly bumped into three images, but his attack was resolved by the three phantoms. The sword energy scattered and tore the air, but Lin Xiao's real body had already disappeared from the spot.

"Do you think you can escape me like this?" Zhang Ling's voice was full of anger, and his body swept around like a storm. He waved his hand violently, and the black flames condensed into a huge black wind, rushing quickly towards the direction of Lin Xiao, with an extremely strong breath.

Lin Xiao looked coldly at the approaching black wind. With an idea in his mind, he quickly performed the "Sword Dance with Wind and Spin". The sword light was like a spinning star, cutting the black wind into countless pieces in a flash.

"Your move is nothing more than this." Zhang Ling showed a cruel smile, his figure disappeared in an instant, and appeared behind Lin Xiao again, with an even more fierce attack.

However, Lin Xiao remained unfazed. His mind had already reached its peak, and his perception far surpassed that of an ordinary person. The moment Zhang Ling approached, he suddenly turned, his body nimbly dodging the fatal blow like a ghost. His two swords crossed, slicing towards Zhang Ling's waist and abdomen with lightning speed.

Panic flashed in Zhang Ling's eyes. He suddenly blocked Lin Xiao's sword with his hand, but his arm was still numb from the shock of the sword. Lin Xiao did not want to fight. Seeing the opportunity, he immediately retreated, steadied himself, and leaped towards the open space in front of him.

"You can't escape, Lin Xiao!" Zhang Ling roared and continued to chase, releasing more black flames, which turned into sharp black wind blades and shot towards Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao calmly unleashed his "Dragon Swimming Across the Seas" technique, transforming into a dragon soaring through a sea of ​​clouds, swiftly passing through the wind blade's attack range. Simultaneously, he began to strike back, his sword gleaming with dazzling brilliance as he unleashed his "Sword Qi Strike." A powerful burst of sword energy roared out, instantly severing the black wind blades and forcing Zhang Ling to retreat once more.

A hint of hesitation flashed across Zhang Ling's eyes. Clearly, Lin Xiao's swordsmanship had already intimidated him. His arrogance rose again, and a sneer crossed his lips. "Since that's the case, today I'll show you my true killer move!"

Zhang Ling let out a low cry and suddenly raised his hands. Black flames gathered around him into a massive vortex, like a huge black hole, swallowing up all the air and objects. From the vortex came bursts of tearing sounds, as if even space was collapsing.

"Die!" Zhang Ling roared angrily, and with a sudden push of his palms, a huge black energy ball flew towards Lin Xiao like a meteor, releasing an aura that shook the heaven and earth.