CHAPTER 900: A SOFT TARGET EASY TO BULLY?

Even a fool could tell that the apology was insincere.

Why didn’t it infuriate him to death, or at least make him faint? Han Yan uttered a fake apology while feeling secretly disappointed.

In fact, she was a bit surprised by the slap. Initially, the palm strike was intended for the opponent’s heart meridian. However, the opponent’s strength was overwhelming, and even her Cangxuan Cloud Silk couldn’t completely neutralize that powerful palm force, causing her strike to miss its target and land on the opponent’s face instead.

Of course, the result was not entirely unfavorable. In battles between experts, life and death are decided in an instant. Embarrassing the opponent and causing him to be so angry that his mental state slips into blankness, was an unexpected opportunity from heaven for Han Yan.

Han Yan clearly felt that as the opponent’s visage changed dramatically, the intangible aura surrounding him like a dense net now had a slight flaw.

Thus, as soon as she finished speaking, Han Yan took advantage of the opponent’s daze and turned to flee.

To this moment, she didn’t know the identity of her opponent, but it didn’t matter. She knew that as a hostile intruder, falling into his hands would lead to a dire fate.

Though that slap landed on the opponent’s face, Han Yan herself experienced internal organ shock and blood surging due to the opponent’s powerful palm force. If she didn’t promptly calm her energy and smooth her meridians, it would likely leave hidden dangers. But now, life preservation was crucial, so Han Yan disregarded everything else, pushing her Qi to the limit and flew toward the distance.

In just a blink of an eye, Han Yan’s figure drifted several zhang away like a ghost. Such speed far exceeded the level of a First Rank Sword Master and even rivaled the Third and Fourth Rank Sword Masters.

"Trying to escape? It’s not that easy!" The young man merely sneered, and with a slight movement, his robust figure vanished from the original spot.

In the next moment, his cold, murderous face appeared behind Han Yan, aiming a palm strike at her back.

The earlier disgraceful slap was a lifetime humiliation for him, so he resolved that even if he didn’t kill Han Yan, he would at least gravely injure her to quench the anger in his heart.

Just as the palm was about to hit Han Yan’s back, even the man himself thought she could not escape disaster. Yet Han Yan, as if she had eyes in the back of her head, made a bizarre half-step sideways and twisted her waist to narrowly avoid the back-heart vital spot, barely escaping from under his palm.

Though Han Yan staggered under the residual palm force and coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood, she didn’t suffer severe injuries.

"How is this possible?" The young man’s eyes revealed a look of shock.

The disparity in their strength was so vast; even if Han Yan did have eyes in the back of her head, she should not have been able to dodge his supposedly guaranteed palm strike.

Not only the young man, but Han Yan herself was also incredibly bewildered.

Only at this moment did she understand how exquisite and mystical the Divine Martial Refining Soul Technique taught to her by Star Illusion Thousand Machine was. Although cultivating this heart technique didn’t significantly boost her strength, the growth of her divine sense and mental awareness was rapid.

With the powerful Six Senses far exceeding an ordinary Sword Saint by several times, her instinctive awareness of danger immensely heightened, enabling her to narrowly dodge such an aggressive palm attack.

However, unfortunately, the strength gap was still too substantial. Han Yan believed that with such formidable Six Senses, even if she had Fifth or Sixth Rank Sword Master power, she could easily escape the opponent’s palms. The strength of a First Rank Sword Master was simply too weak.

Despite coughing up blood, Han Yan’s injuries weren’t overly severe. The stifling sensation in her chest due to surging Qi and blood eased a lot, and she gathered her Qi and fled even faster.

Witnessing this scene, the young man’s expression turned serious, with a vague sense of fear in his heart.

At this time, Han Yan was only a First Rank Sword Master, yet already so troublesome. Given time, how terrifying could she become?

"No, today, even if I can’t kill her, I must eliminate her early, or she will become a major threat in the future." A glint of icy killing intent flickered in the young man’s eyes.

Resolved, he entirely abandoned his previous disdain and the anger that had clouded his mental state, treating Han Yan as one would a rival of equal rank.

"Clang!" Amidst the reverberating dragon roar, the ancient sword emerged, scattering frost everywhere.

"Do you have no shame? A dignified Sword Saint challenging a First Rank Sword Master, and you actually draw your sword! Where is your Sword Saint dignity?" Hearing the sword’s hum behind her and feeling the penetrating cold, Han Yan was infuriated, wanting to curse out loud.

But ultimately, Han Yan didn’t unleash her anger verbally.

To become a Sword Saint, the opponent’s mental fortitude must be as solid as a rock. His brief lapse in mental focus earlier was simply due to the enormous psychological shadow caused by that slap.

Now that he drew his sword, it meant he was resolute in leaving no room for her escape, regardless of life or death. Engaging in verbal sparring was meaningless, saving energy for an all-out escape was crucial.

In such critical moments, even conserving a little strength enhances the chance of survival.

Regrettably, this time the opponent gave no room for any opportunity.

Behind her, the sword whistled loudly, a cold killing aura locked onto her tightly. In an instant, Han Yan felt icy all over, her heart sinking into an ice valley.

Han Yan halted her steps, knowing that no matter how fast her speed was, it wouldn’t surpass the opponent’s intangible sword energy. If she kept fleeing, one simple sword strike could pierce her heart meridian.

The disparity in strength was evident, whether in speed or defense, she was far too lacking.

Han Yan slowly turned around. Facing a Sword Saint, leaving a back flaw was courting death; confronting him head-on, though hopeless, offered a chance for desperate resistance, even in death, at least it wouldn’t be unjust.

"What, not fleeing?" The young man’s sword pointed at Han Yan as he sneered coldly.

"Who exactly are you?" Han Yan asked calmly while channeling her energy.

"Dantai Changqing!" The young man replied proudly.

"What is your relation to Dan Tai Xuan?" Han Yan recalled the Fang Family’s attempt to seize the Sword Heart Soul Cleansing Pond, which was deterred by Ye Lanfeng, and frowned as she posed the question.

"I’m his eldest brother," Dantai Changqing replied.

"I see, now I understand," Han Yan realized suddenly.

Initially, she was puzzled about how she provoked such a powerful adversary, but then realized it was Dan Tai Xuan’s elder brother. It was understandable for an elder brother to seek revenge for his younger sibling, but what made Han Yan frustrated was that he should go after Ye Lanfeng, not her. Was it easier to bully her because she seemed like an easier target compared to Ye Lanfeng? Indeed, compared to Ye Lanfeng, she really was a relatively easy target.