The Traitor’s Heir

Han Sen thought it best to take refuge in Hidden Valley, but another thirty miles of travel was no small distance with his life in perpetual danger.

He stumbled again, and acknowledging he was going to fail the latest dodge, he summoned his Bulwark Umbrella for a defense. The umbrella clashed against the spear and repelled it, but it was not without cost. The sound it made was terrible, and the umbrella sounded as if it was on the precipice of shattering.

With the force of that strike, Han Sen and the umbrella were blasted away. But it was the perfect opportunity for Han Sen to gain even more distance on his pursuer, once again.

Although Han Sen was bleeding quite a bit, he was in a good mood right now. He had regretfully made use of the umbrella, half-expecting it to break, but it had survived. He thought maybe his Dongxuan Sutra or Black Crystal had reinforced it and made it stronger than it should have been.

With the umbrella's support, Han Sen felt a lot more confident in the prospect of remaining airborne for the rest of his flight to Hidden Valley.

Nan Litian wasn't so willing to let Han Sen go, though. He shot up into the sky, swiping, slashing, and reaching with his spear. He was completely out of control, and his thirst for Han Sen's blood was monstrous.

Han Sen used his umbrella to block an attack he wouldn't be able to evade. It was a success, but the force sent him downwards, spiraling into the rocky ground below. Cast across the coarse stones, his body was thrust between two large rocks and became wedged. A neighboring boulder was disturbed and began to roll, crushing Han Sen's hand into a bloody mess as it went.

Before Han Sen could drag himself out of the stony landslide, the man and his spear were on him again.

Han Sen was in the direst of situations, and the worst thing about it was that he had no idea who this nemesis was. He couldn't fathom a reason why Nan Litian would come after him. He had done nothing to warrant this attack.

If he was from Angel Gene's Zhao family, it might make sense, but it was unlikely. They had a thirst for fame and renown, and nobody knew who Nan Litian was. Furthermore, people of the Zhao family seemed to revel in pumping gallons of genetics-mutating serums into their veins before getting into a fight. This man had done no such thing.

It couldn't have been the man from Iron-Fist Martial Hall, either. Han Sen had just fought against Jia Shidao, and he was nowhere near as powerful as this man who hounded him.

"Stop! Are you from Blood Legion? I am a good friend of God's Retribution!" Han Sen settled on the thought he was someone from Blood Legion. With his hazy ties to them, he thought it best if he played on that association.

Hearing this name, Nan Litian suddenly stopped still, as if a switch had been flicked and he was paused.

As a torrent of relief washed over Han Sen, Nan Litian suddenly said, "Of course. Of course you traitors are good friends!"

That wave of relief suddenly rolled back. Then the man exerted even more strength and speed into the spears set to skewer Han Sen.

Getting himself free, Han Sen rolled and evaded the attack. Han Sen regretted mentioning God's Retribution, and he knew now he had made things worse. But it had at least cleared one thing up for Han Sen; it proved to him that Nan Litian probably was a member of Blood Legion.

Pang!

The umbrella blocked the next attack again, but it sent Han Sen careening into a wall. Collapsing back down to the ground, he did so with a mouthful of blood.

Han Sen was in agony, but he held it back and dodged the next strike. Then he said, "I am a friend of your vice-president, Baby Ghost! You've got the wrong guy."

Nan Litian then shouted, "Nonsense! How can you be a friend of the vice-president?"

Han Sen was incredibly angry over his mistreatment, and now, he'd had enough. He responded, "F*ck you! You keep saying I'm a motherf*cking traitor, but do you know who's heir I am?"

"You are holding the relic; you are Han Jinzhi's heir, so who else?" Nan Litian continued to attack as he spoke.

Han Sen had been firing on all cylinders, exhausting all the power his ten thousand fitness could provide. His opponent must have had a fitness level of twenty thousand.

Fortunately, he had Jadeskin. If others had suffered what Han Sen was going through, they'd have been killed many times over.

"You mean this necklace-thingy? I found it on the ground. I picked it up and thought it looked cool!" Han Sen said, as he revealed the nine-life cat pendant.

Han Sen wanted to buy himself some time, so he could successfully escape into Hidden Valley.

"You really are the traitor's heir! Just like him, you're full of sh*t," Nan Litian saw right through the con, and then he exerted even greater strength in his attacks.

"F*ck!" Han Sen was cut right across the shoulder. The blade cleaved through his armor and his flesh, leaving his arm dangling.

Hidden Valley was still some distance away, and if things continued like this, there was every chance he could die. Han Sen decided to stop dodging. In one hand, he held an umbrella, in the other, a crystal egg.

Pang!

The spear hit the umbrella, sending Han Sen flying back. Unable to maintain his grip, his fingers slipped and the umbrella was cast across a rock, out of reach.

As this happened, Han Sen threw his egg at Nan Litian. The man dodged it.

But when the egg missed his head, it ricocheted off a stone in the direction of his ear. He lifted his spear and knocked the egg away, fearing what power it may have harbored.

But the egg was still able to work its magic on the weapon that had caused Han Sen so much pain. It turned the spear to rubber, but not the man wielding it.

The egg returned to Han Sen, just as Nan Litian sought to strike him down with one final blow.

Reaching for the umbrella, Han Sen managed to grab it by the handle, bring it forward, and open it.