I’m Definitely Taking This Power-Fantasy Protagonist Role! Chapter 88

Lin Zhao Ren: "Then turn your gaze back and look at me."

Jiang Bai Yu's eyes darted around, "Shixiong, you're too close, I'm about to cross-eyed."

Lin Zhao Ren raised his hand and forcibly turned his head back to make him look at himself, asking again, "What were you thinking just now, Shidi?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Bai Yu couldn't help but let his gaze wander, his guilt evident to the naked eye.

Lin Zhao Ren stopped pressing for answers, but that look made Jiang Bai Yu feel his face burning.

The campfire was still burning, casting a warm orange glow that illuminated the two figures, close enough to almost merge into one. As the flames flickered, they looked quite intimate.

Suddenly, a beam of sword light shot from the horizon, precisely aimed at the spot where the two were standing, fierce and filled with murderous intent.

In an instant, the firelight extinguished, not even a wisp of smoke rising as it turned to ashes. A figure appeared along with the sword light, arriving just as the sword struck the ground. If one’s attention was solely on the sword light and they neglected the other, it would be easy to be ambushed and lose a life.

Both Jiang Bai Yu and Lin Zhao Ren reacted quickly, not allowing the newcomer to succeed.

The sky had darkened, the stars shining brightly, and the mountains were shrouded in darkness, with only the campfire providing light. Now that the flames were gone, they were immediately plunged into darkness, with the sound of the wind and the rustling of leaves filling the air.

A silent confrontation unexpectedly unfolded in the dark.

The opponent was highly skilled in swordsmanship, agile, and experienced, making them extremely difficult to deal with. No wonder they dared to chase after them alone; with such a level of swordsmanship, others would only be a burden, getting in the way. It was better to go solo and strike directly at the heart of the matter.

Luo Yu Zhu and Bai Xian Zhu had fallen into a trap, used as hostages to lure the little Shishu of Tian Ji Sect into taking risks. Clearly, they wouldn’t just let the bait be rescued for nothing.

The little Shishu decisively took away the two brothers, leaving Jiang Bai Yu and Lin Zhao Ren to guard the campfire, a silent understanding between both sides.

He led his people to retreat, while the two held the rear, blocking the pursuers.

As soon as one side left, the other side was already attacking, proving they had indeed been keeping a close watch.

Sword cultivators possessed exceptional solo combat abilities; with their swords, they could kill across realms, cut down everything in front of them, and pierce the heavens.

This pursuer, arriving under the cover of night, was clearly one of the best.

Lin Zhao Ren was a sword cultivator, but he didn’t have a suitable sword in hand; his own had long since shattered in defeat. So, he used his fingers as a sword, covering them with spiritual power, making them indestructible.

Jiang Bai Yu had been a sword cultivator in the illusion, a tough yet nostalgic time. As they fought, he increasingly felt that the pursuer seemed familiar.

He had seen this sword technique before and even learned it.

A grin gradually turned sinister as he fought harder.

Noticing Jiang Bai Yu's attacks growing fiercer, the clash with the night attacker gradually made him the main output of power between the two. Lin Zhao Ren consciously began to retreat to a supportive position, responsible for containment.

This silent battle continued in the darkness, neither side giving way.

The more they fought, the more a certain thought in Jiang Bai Yu's heart solidified.

So, he used the same trick again.

When the flying sword suddenly pierced through the night attacker's chest, the opponent indeed paused. Following that, with four sounds, the flying sword pinned his hands and feet, locking him in place.

He maintained a posture, like a specimen.

Lin Zhao Ren: "An acquaintance?"

Jiang Bai Yu: "You know him too."

The two walked up to the night attacker, who remained motionless, his breath very concealed. He was likely someone raised by the dynasty to do such dirty work, making very little noise when killing, completely unnoticed.

The way of the sword is simple; once swordsmanship reaches a certain level, all flashy moves are abandoned. One sword for one little friend, every strike deadly.

His face bore a sinister ghost mask, obscuring his features.

Jiang Bai Yu flicked his finger, and spiritual light struck the mask, which clattered to the ground, revealing the true face of the night attacker.

It was indeed a familiar face—the master of Fei Xing Island.

Seeing who it was, Lin Zhao Ren's expression quickly turned cold, his gaze sharp enough to peel the skin off a person.

Among the sects that had besieged Yu Heng Sect back then was Fei Xing Island. This remote sect had traveled a long way to participate in this matter, only to disappear without a trace in the end. No one knew when they had vanished; they only knew that the cultivation world vaguely remembered such a sect that suddenly disappeared one day.

He hadn’t initially paid attention to this sect because they were too low-key, located overseas and far from bustling places.

If it weren’t for the experience in the illusion, he would never have connected Fei Xing Island with the extermination of Yu Heng Sect.

Chang Hua Yuan Jun hailed from Tian Xiang Palace, but she hadn’t participated in this matter. As a direct disciple of the palace master, she wasn’t an insignificant character. When Yu Heng Sect was exterminated, she hadn’t yet joined Tian Xiang Palace, so Lin Zhao Ren wouldn’t vent his anger on just anyone.

But the master of Fei Xing Island was different; not only was he a participant, but he was also one of the masterminds.

In the illusion, had it not been for Jiang Bai Yu severely injuring him and the envoy from the celestial court inciting hatred, this island master would definitely be one of Lin Zhao Ren's most hated enemies, to be dealt with personally.

Suddenly encountering him in this wilderness, Lin Zhao Ren's killing intent surged, instantly locking onto the opponent.

Jiang Bai Yu exclaimed, raising his hand to signal Lin Zhao Ren to calm down.

Even a thousand years ago, he was no simple character, yet now he had fallen to the role of a henchman for the dynasty, specializing in dirty work, killing and silencing people. It was hard not to sigh at the unpredictability of life.

However, with previous combat experience as a foundation, Jiang Bai Yu felt something was off.

The swordsmanship was sharp, and the mastery was profound, but the performance during the fight was rather ordinary. It matched the level of the master of Fei Xing Island, but it was too stable, lacking any waves.

He was like a programmed robot, executing actions according to a set routine, neither out of line nor outstanding.

After calming down, Lin Zhao Ren quickly realized something was wrong. It was quiet, too quiet. Even though he was immobilized, almost a captive, the opponent's emotions showed no signs of fluctuation, his gaze flat and devoid of waves.

Jiang Bai Yu remarked, "His combat power should be stronger."

The master of Fei Xing Island in his prime was definitely not this weak.

Lin Zhao Ren pondered for a moment, "Let him go; I’ll fight him alone."

Jiang Bai Yu nodded, retracting the flying sword that pinned the island master’s hands and feet.

As soon as he regained his freedom, the island master immediately swung his sword to attack without hesitation, like an emotionless battle puppet.

Confirming that the opponent was indeed abnormal, Lin Zhao Ren's gaze darkened. He no longer entangled with the opponent, decisively severing the tendons in his hands and feet, forcing him to stop.

The flying sword that had fallen to the ground automatically landed in his hand, with the words "Fei Xing" inscribed on it.

"Nice sword," Lin Zhao Ren commented.

He infused spiritual power into the sword and suddenly swung it in a direction, sending out a wave of sword energy.

He unleashed several waves of sword energy before putting away the Fei Xing sword.

Lin Zhao Ren: "We need to go; we can't stay here any longer."

Jiang Bai Yu didn’t hesitate, decisively taking the now incapacitated island master and transforming into spiritual light to leave the place.

With Lin Zhao Ren's few waves of sword energy, no one would come here for a while.

To completely shake off any potential pursuers behind them, the two flew for a long time before finding another place to land.

Lin Zhao Ren examined the island master, and indeed found a puppet needle deeply embedded in his head.

Without mercy, he directly grasped the slightly exposed end of the puppet needle and pulled it out. The island master, who had been quiet and lifeless, instantly reacted, letting out a painful sound. His tendons had been severed, and he was locked in place, only able to move his head, unable to struggle, reduced to screaming in agony to express his feelings.

Don’t be fooled by the simplicity and brutality of pulling out the needle; it was because it was Lin Zhao Ren doing it.

Jiang Bai Yu instinctively kept a lookout for any unexpected disturbances.

The time spent pulling the needle was particularly slow. When the first puppet needle was removed, Lin Zhao Ren began to sweat, and the island master’s body twitched violently, his eyes rolling back.

Jiang Bai Yu leaned closer to look at the puppet needle, which had a slender body with intricate patterns glowing faintly.

Lin Zhao Ren breathed slightly heavier, holding the puppet needle as he explained, "The inscription on it is a puppet curse. Once the needle is inserted into the head, it can seal the sea of consciousness, completely trapping the spirit within the sea of consciousness, isolating it from the outside world."

He looked at the limp island master, sneering, "A dignified sect master, a master of swordsmanship, and yet he has fallen to this level."

Jiang Bai Yu: "Even if the sea of consciousness is sealed, relying on his body's instinctive reactions, he is still formidable enough. With the powerful combat strength of a sword cultivator, dealing with ordinary cultivators is more than enough. The pursuit of the little Shishu from Tian Ji Sect only sent such a person; those behind him must have great confidence in his strength. He must have done this kind of thing many times over the years, making him quite formidable."

However, having witnessed the island master's true strength, this level of ability was truly insufficient.

Lin Zhao Ren snorted coldly, full of sarcasm.

After resting for a while, he continued to pull out the second puppet needle.

This needle was very long, deeply embedded in the head, requiring exceptional skill to completely seal off the consciousness of such a sword cultivator.

Although his combat power was much weaker compared to his true self, he was still a useful and handy tool.

Jiang Bai Yu remained vigilant, preventing any unexpected occurrences.

The time and effort spent pulling the needle were still considerable; the second one was no easier. Lin Zhao Ren's forehead bulged with veins as he finally managed to extract the puppet needle.

Jiang Bai Yu wiped the sweat from his brow.

The third puppet needle took an exceptionally long time, embedded particularly deep. As it slowly left the island master's skull, Jiang Bai Yu instinctively held his breath.

Then nothing happened.

Three long and slender puppet needles were casually tossed aside, their surfaces glowing faintly. Lin Zhao Ren's gaze towards the island master was extremely cold, subtly filled with killing intent; it wouldn’t be surprising if he directly grabbed his neck and killed him in the next second.

Jiang Bai Yu leaned against Lin Zhao Ren, both staring at the island master.

The person lying on the ground looked as if he were dead, completely unresponsive.

They stared for an unknown amount of time, and Jiang Bai Yu began to feel sleepy.

"Why isn't he waking up yet?"

Lin Zhao Ren didn’t answer, his eyes fixed on the island master, seemingly planning to keep watching until he woke up.

After a while, Jiang Bai Yu felt even sleepier, his head unconsciously resting on Lin Zhao Ren's shoulder.

Lin Zhao Ren still said nothing, raising his hand to gently stroke his head, as if to say that if he was tired, he should just sleep.

Jiang Bai Yu fell asleep.

He even dreamed of sandwich cookies.

When he woke up, his gaze was dazed, his spirit suffering an unprecedented blow, unable to regain his senses for a long time.

"Woken up?"

"……"

Lin Zhao Ren turned his head, finding Jiang Bai Yu still unresponsive, his eyes wide open as if his soul had flown away.

"Shidi?"

"……"

Lin Zhao Ren frowned, just as he was about to check what was going on.

A voice sounded from the ground, "Young man, your temper is really hot early in the morning."

The man who had been a puppet yesterday had now regained his senses, opening his eyes clear and sharp.

His recovery ability was truly formidable; having just pulled out the puppet needle, he woke up so quickly.

He let out a merciless sneer, "Little brat, did you wet your pants?"

Jiang Bai Yu: "…………………………"

Jiang Bai Yu's face twisted, gradually turning sinister, letting out a heart-wrenching scream: "Cui Zui, smash his fruit for me!"