Chapter 54: True Strength
“What the hell—could that be… a demigod?”
Leng Jianfeng abruptly retreated several steps, his dual blades spreading apart and pointing diagonally toward the ground as he stared in disbelief at the Chen Ning before him.
Chen Ning now wore a white bone mask over the left side of his face, his left eye glowing with a sinister crimson red, radiating an intense killing intent. Yet, his right eye remained that of an ordinary person, even gazing at him with a hint of curiosity.
The aura Chen Ning exuded was eerie, as if two different individuals had been pieced together into one.
“What I am doesn’t matter,” came a voice from Chen Ning’s mouth, hoarse and distorted, like a night raven’s rasp. “What matters… is that I’m your death.”
Leng JianFeng wore a gas mask, making it impossible to see the expression on his face. However, he had clearly steadied his emotions by now and let out a cold snort.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re human or demigod—meeting me is your misfortune. If you’re human, I’ll kill humans; if you’re a god, I’ll slay gods!”
At once, his aura changed. The twin blades in his hands began to shimmer faintly, radiating a dark glow. This—this was his true strength. Until now, he had been toying with Chen Ning. But now the Level-Six War Officer was done playing.
When a weapon emits light, it is a characteristic of those approaching the rank of Battle Commander, as well as those at the Battle Commander level and even the Great General level.
When engaging high-level zombies, ordinary firearms and weapons are completely ineffective against them. Therefore, for human warriors who have reached the Battle Commander level, “light blades” are their best weapons for dealing with top-tier zombies.
“Light blade” is a general term and does not mean that all human warriors use swords. Rather, it refers to the weapons they wield that can emit dazzling light.
For example, the supreme commander of the Black Shark Corps, Major General Xiao Feng, actually uses a tachi as his weapon, a traditionally made long Japanese sword, named the Meteor Flash Blade. When he fights, his tachi emits a radiance as brilliant as shooting stars, so his blade also qualifies as a “light blade”!
Before him, Leng Jianfeng’s twin blades emitted a faint glow—a clear indication of the power of a Level-Six War Officer.
If he could advance to the Battle Commander level in the future, his weapons would radiate brilliant light. Only warriors who wielded light blades could truly be considered to have stepped into the ranks of the powerful.
However, even though Leng Jianfeng was only a Level-Six War Officer, that level of strength was more than enough for him to dominate in many places.
At that moment, he swung his crossed military sabers, instantly releasing two dark blade energies in an X-pattern as they shot straight toward Chen Ning.
Chen Ning’s figure shifted like a phantom, effortlessly evading the blade energies.
BOOM!
The energies struck the wall of the alley with a thunderous crash, leaving a large X-shaped fissure etched deeply into the surface.
Even through Crimson Tyrant’s control, Chen Ning’s consciousness reeled. So this is the true power of a Level-Six War Officer… monstrous.
But he also knew the Crimson Tyrant wasn’t at full strength. This ancient monster’s spirit was still wounded, sealed inside Chen Ning’s soul. After feeding on blood the previous night, it had recovered somewhat, but far from its peak—at best, seventh-level strength.
That meant time was not on their side.
Therefore, Chen Ning urged the Crimson Tyrant in his mind.
“Old man, Vermilion Phoenix City is filled with powerful humans and countless imperial troops. This guy is Liu LuanLin’s subordinate. A prolonged fight is a disadvantage for us. We must end this quickly.”
“Stop nagging. This sovereign is well aware.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Ning was truly furious inside.
This old bastard had been speaking to him politely recently, constantly playing the meek role.
But now, the moment Chen Ning handed over control of his body, the old man’s attitude immediately turned arrogant, even referring to himself as “this sovereign”.
Chen Ning estimated that once the battle was over, the old scoundrel would likely attempt to seize full control of his body again.
At the very moment Chen Ning and the Tyrant were mentally communicating, Leng JianFeng launched his second assault.
Like a bat, he swiftly closed in on Chen Ning, his faintly glowing twin blades slicing through the air in a series of swift, relentless strikes.
Under the Crimson Tyrant’s control, Chen Ning’s body flickered—literally flickered—each motion leaving afterimages as he twisted aside, evading blow after lethal blow.
The two crossed paths. Leng JianFeng skidded several meters, spun, and slashed backward.
A black line shimmered through the air, razor-thin and silent. Chen Ning ducked, and the black energy sheared clean through both walls of the alley.
Crash!
Half the street collapsed in dust and debris.
“Enough of your fancy tricks. Die!”
A low roar from the Crimson Tyrant erupted from Chen Ning’s mouth.
Then, he suddenly shot upward, leaping three meters into the air like a striking eagle, and dove down with a powerful punch from above.
His fist, wreathed in swirling black energy, transformed into the shape of a skull shrouded in dark mist, charging toward Leng JianFeng with overwhelming force.
In that instant, Leng JianFeng felt as though a mountain was collapsing before him.
He struggled to breathe, overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness to block the attack—like a mantis trying to stop a charging tank.
He braced, blades crossed before his chest.
BOOM!
The impact was like an explosion. Both swords shattered, shards of meteoric steel spinning away in a glittering spray. Chen Ning’s black-clad fist continued through, smashing square into Leng JianFeng’s chest.
CRACK!
As he was thrown backward, Chen Ning closed in like a shadow, swiftly catching up.
His right hand shot out and clamped around Leng JianFeng’s throat.
Like a rooster with its neck seized, Leng JianFeng had no time for a final struggle before Chen Ning’s hand crunched down, shattering his windpipe to pieces.
Chen Ning’s hand remained tightly clenched around Leng JianFeng’s neck, functioning like a massive straw. The blood flowing from Leng JianFeng’s mouth and the wounds on his neck were all drained away by Chen Ning using the Devouring Art.
In the end, when Chen Ning released his grip, all that remained of Leng JianFeng’s once robust body was a shriveled, desiccated corpse, which dropped to the ground with a dull thud.
“What the hell, old man!” Chen Ning’s consciousness roared inside. “Why did you drain him dry? How am I supposed to explain this later?”
“A Level-Six War Officer’s blood is priceless,” Crimson Tyrant replied smugly. “You expect this sovereign to waste it?”
“Cut the crap and give me back my body!”
“Tsk, tsk… so eager to burn bridges once we’ve crossed the river, are we?”
Chen Ning’s fury flared. He’s doing it again! This old freak’s going to try and take over his body.
The Crimson Tyrant was indeed a schemer with ambitions, and he certainly had desired Chen Ning’s body.
However, he knew that Chen Ning’s mental willpower was formidable.
Although his own vitality had recovered to some extent, he wasn’t sure he could overpower Chen Ning in a contest of wills.
Thus, he hesitated, weighing whether to engage in another battle of determination with Chen Ning.
Just as the Crimson Tyrant was caught in indecision, air raid sirens blared in the distance—a signal for the city to impose a lockdown.
Typically, such an alarm indicated a major incident within the city. Ordinary residents were advised to take shelter in their homes, as imperial soldiers would be swarming the streets.
Anyone found wandering outside risked being shot on sight by the imperial forces.
The Tyrant sensed several powerful forces approaching in their direction.
It was clear that the military of Vermilion Phoenix City had detected his presence, which radiated a strong zombie aura, and they were rapidly closing in.
Chen Ning’s speculation was not far off.
Currently, with the Crimson Tyrant controlling Chen Ning’s body, his strength was only at about the level of a Level-Seven Battle Commander.
This level of power was far from sufficient for the Crimson Tyrant to wreak havoc in Vermilion Phoenix City.
If his identity and whereabouts were exposed, the outcome would undoubtedly be certain death.
For a moment, silence fell inside Chen Ning’s mind. Then the Crimson Tyrant’s tone changed, sly and ingratiating.
“Ahaha… my dear little brother, I was only teasing! I’d never steal your body. Here, take it back quickly! We can’t let them sense us, or we’re both dead meat.”
The white bone mask on Chen Ning’s face melted away like snow under sunlight, his scarlet eye fading back to its normal hue.
Breathing hard, Chen Ning cursed inwardly. If not for those sirens, he’d never have surrendered so easily. I’ll have to stay on guard—use him only as a last resort.
He glanced at Leng JianFeng’s shriveled corpse, then hurried to the unconscious Liew Ruyan, gently shaking her shoulder.
“Miss Liew, wake up… we have to go…”
Her eyelids fluttered just as the rhythmic tramp of boots thundered closer from both ends of the alley, an officer barking orders:
“Surround the area! No one gets out—no matter who they are!”
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