Chapter 84: Binding Rope

After Ye Xin and the others left the building, they found themselves on the long stone street, where Lin Qian and Fu Heng were currently locked in battle.

Or rather, from Ye Xin and the others' perspective, it looked more like Fu Heng was being brutally beaten one-sidedly.

Despite being the one on the offensive, swinging his fully armed blood-red sword with ferocity, Fu Heng's attacks seemed utterly futile. His crimson sword traced arcs through the air, and the scarlet sword energy shot out like a storm, all aimed at Lin Qian.

Yet, Lin Qian barely seemed to expend any effort. He merely extended one hand, gathering his soul power infused with golden lightning, forming a barrier in front of him.

The barrier of golden lightning seemed indestructible, effortlessly blocking all of Fu Heng's frenzied attacks.

Fu Heng's once-powerful assault could only create faint ripples on the golden lightning barrier.

Panting heavily, Fu Heng eventually stopped his futile efforts, despair settling in. He realized that no matter what he did, it was all in vain. Lin Qian's strength was simply too terrifying, and none of his soul techniques could harm him in the slightest.

"Hmm, where's Zhu Xiaojia?" Lin Qian asked curiously as he noticed the others emerging from the building.

"I killed her," Ye Xin replied calmly.

Lin Qian nodded silently and turned back to Fu Heng. "So, Fu Heng, do you want to die now, or later, or perhaps right now?"

As he spoke, Lin Qian gathered his golden lightning soul power, forming a sword of golden energy in his hand, and began walking slowly toward Fu Heng.

"Lin Qian, you should know that if you dare to kill me, my grandmother will never let you go. Even if your master, the Battle Emperor, isn't dead, he probably isn't far from it. Do you really think you can escape her wrath?" Fu Heng shouted in desperation, trying to threaten Lin Qian as he watched him approach.

Lin Qian snickered. "But my fiancée's master is the Sword Saint of the Divine Sword Sect. I don't think she'd stand idly by."

"Hahaha, that 'esteemed' master of hers can barely protect herself. Do you really think she has time to look after you?" Fu Heng laughed mockingly after hearing Lin Qian's words.

Lin Qian frowned and glanced at Ye Xin, noticing the sorrow in her expression.

"Moreover, my grandmother placed a secret technique on me. If I die, a curse will mark you. No matter where you run, she'll find you," Fu Heng sneered. "Not only that, but you'll be cursed, suffering the pain of being devoured by a thousand ants, and your cultivation will weaken. You've achieved twelve rounds of Nirvana—losing your cultivation would be such a waste, wouldn't it?"

"Xiao Qian, his grandmother used up a hundred years of her life to place this curse on him," Ye Xin sighed from the side. "Don't act recklessly."

"Come on, kill me! Do it!" Fu Heng taunted, laughing as he gestured for Lin Qian to come at him.

Lin Qian looked at the arrogant Fu Heng and shook his head in exasperation. The golden lightning soul power surrounding him dissipated, and the sword of energy in his hand vanished.

Seeing this, Fu Heng's confidence soared, and he called out to Ma Shaoyuan and Shi Sanmei. "You two, come here!"

It was clear that Fu Heng thought he had Lin Qian cornered.

However, Ma Shaoyuan and Shi Sanmei, who were being closely watched by Ding Zhirong and Zhao Haiming, didn't dare move. They could feel the cold, threatening aura that tightly locked onto them.

"Now that your soul power is nearly depleted, any one of my subordinates could kill you easily. There's no need for me to do it myself," Lin Qian suddenly said. As he spoke, the sound of rushing wind filled the air, and eight shadowy figures appeared around them.

These eight shadowy figures were the Swift Soldiers that Lin Qian had summoned from the Hua Xia Empire. Though they had lost some of their numbers in the cursed forest, eight of them remained.

Seeing the arrival of the Swift Soldiers, Ye Xin and the others brightened. They had almost forgotten about these skilled warriors.

If the Swift Soldiers attacked instead of Lin Qian, it would bypass any consequences of the curse, right?

"How is this possible? How could there be more people in this ancient ruin?" Fu Heng's face turned pale, and he screamed in disbelief when he saw the Swift Soldiers.

Ma Shaoyuan and Shi Sanmei also looked shocked.

These eight mysterious figures, all exuding the aura of peak Nirvana Realm cultivators, were clearly summoned by Lin Qian. They had likely been nearby the whole time.

Now, the two realized that even if Lin Qian hadn't detoxified himself, the arrival of these Swift Soldiers would have tipped the scales in his favor.

"Of course, your pathetic life isn't even worth one of my soldiers," Lin Qian scoffed.

Though the Swift Soldiers were the lowest-tier troops, mass-produced and cheaply made, Lin Qian felt it would be a waste to sacrifice even one of them for someone as insignificant as Fu Heng.

"By the way, I have several interesting soul artifacts. One of them can block the effects of curses—perhaps even reflect them. With such an artifact, killing you would have no consequences at all."

"There's also another fascinating soul artifact that can preserve the secret technique placed on you and transfer it to a disciple of the Victory Sect. By then, your grandmother will be chasing after the wrong person, and I can sit back and watch the chaos unfold."

Lin Qian's words made Fu Heng's heart sink, and he shook his head frantically. "Impossible! There's no way you have such powerful soul artifacts!"

"Xiao Qian, doing this might provoke a war between the Divine Sword Sect and the Victory Sect," Ye Xin hurriedly approached Lin Qian and whispered. "The Divine Sword Sect and my master have shown me great kindness. Let me handle him."

Lin Qian smiled and waved her off. "Don't worry. I was just bluffing. I already have a plan for dealing with Fu Heng."

As he spoke, Lin Qian flipped his hand, revealing a golden rope in his palm.

After Hua Xia Empire had crossed over, the items from Lin Qian's past life as a gamer had transformed into soul artifacts. This golden rope, called the Binding Rope, was one such item.

Although it was a low-level item, according to Lin Qian's current understanding of grades, it still qualified as a high-tier grade C soul artifact.

Given Fu Heng's current weakened state, there was no way he could break free from the Binding Rope.

Lin Qian infused his soul power into the rope and tossed it toward Fu Heng. In mid-air, the rope twisted like a golden serpent and shot toward him.

Seeing the incoming rope, Fu Heng tried to dodge, but Lin Qian smirked and stomped his foot. A shattered piece of stone flew up, and Lin Qian caught it, hurling it toward Fu Heng's knee.

"Ah!" Fu Heng screamed in pain as he dropped to his knees. The golden rope quickly coiled around him, tightening and binding him securely.