Chapter Ninety-Five: Wind Without Blood

It was Cold Edge! The thief’s Cold Edge could plunge a person into a state of frozen sluggishness!

Ye Chen’s entire body bristled with alarm, desperately rolling to evade, intent on dodging this sharp attack just as he had escaped the ambush of the Fierce Tiger Blood Blade before. Yet, as soon as he moved, the dagger followed as if it were his shadow, anticipating his route of escape!

A dull thud, -185. He was hit! Cold Edge struck Ye Chen!

“Ding! You have been attacked by player Windless Blood. You now have 30 minutes of free counterattack time.”

“Ding! You were struck by Cold Edge. Movement speed reduced by 30%, effect lasts for 30 seconds.”

Windless Blood—the number one thief of Liemountain City! Ye Chen’s heart jolted. He had arrived so quickly! How was it possible? From the moment Ye Chen slew Spirit Fox Divine Moon to the defeat of Left-Handed Legend, it had been less than five minutes altogether. How could Windless Blood have gotten here from Liemountain City so fast? Was it mere coincidence, or...?

No time for further thought, Windless Blood’s attacks pressed in relentlessly. With his movement speed reduced by 30% and Ghost Elixir still on cooldown, Ye Chen now faced an unprecedented crisis against Liemountain City’s top thief.

He barely managed to roll away from Windless Blood’s second strike. Watching the thief’s lightning-fast attacks, Ye Chen’s face drained of color. This man was formidable, far surpassing the likes of Fierce Tiger Blood Blade. Thankfully, his weapon was only a silver-grade dagger—otherwise, that previous blow could have ended his life.

But his situation was hardly improved. With his speed reduced by 30%, how could he hope to contend against the city’s acknowledged number one thief? Thirty seconds—more than enough for a thief wielding a bronze weapon to kill him many times over.

Windless Blood, wrapped in a gray cloak and crowned with fiery red hair, charged at him expressionlessly, swift as a phantom. Ye Chen’s face darkened almost to the point of dripping water. This time, he was truly in danger. Yet waiting passively for death was not his style. If he must die, he would do so on the path of attack. With this thought, Ye Chen swung his staff, intending to chant the incantation for Black Fireball. Though he might be killed before he finished, he was determined to try.

“Calm yourself—follow my commands!”

Just then, the cold, steely voice of 2058 rang in Ye Chen’s ear, halting his movement and forcibly suppressing his urge to cast.

“Right side, seventeen o’clock, backward jump, staff sweep to the left.” 2058’s icy voice remained unchanged.

Without hesitation, Ye Chen followed 2058’s instructions, leaping lightly backward, his staff whooshing sideways like a club.

“Damn!” Windless Blood’s expression shifted. He hastily halted his step, recoiling sharply—he was nearly struck by the Abyss Staff! A bead of cold sweat slid down his brow. He knew Ye Chen’s weapon was at least silver-grade; even with halved attack, a direct hit would trouble any agility-focused thief.

Yet the next moment, his lips curled in a vicious grin, a faint blue glow emanating from his body. “Kid, you’ve managed to anger me. Let me show you the power of a second-tier—”

Whoosh!

A blazing Black Fireball erupted from Ye Chen’s staff, hurtling toward Windless Blood and forcing him to shut his mouth.

Flash!

Windless Blood immediately pulled out a shadowy afterimage, nimbly avoiding the swift Black Fireball.

Second-tier thief skill—Shadow Dance!

It was the first time Ye Chen had seen anyone dodge his Black Fireball.

With Shadow Dance activated, Windless Blood closed the distance in a heartbeat, giving Ye Chen no chance to cast another spell. The gleaming dagger thrust directly and mercilessly toward him.

Sidestep, switch positions, diagonal staff strike—Ye Chen miraculously dodged Windless Blood’s attack again, seizing a flaw to counterattack.

Windless Blood’s face changed. He had not expected his opponent to evade his attack during Shadow Dance, nearly catching him off guard. Shock gave way to anger—he, a level 31 thief, was being suppressed in close quarters by a healer! What was happening? He frantically wielded his dagger, but his normally unstoppable barrage proved ineffective; Ye Chen seemed to anticipate every angle, every movement, as if he could predict them all. For the first time, the thief of Liemountain City felt a chill run through him.

Whatever Windless Blood was thinking, whatever expression he wore, Ye Chen had no energy to care. He was wholly immersed in 2058’s rapidly shifting movement commands, operating with the precision of a machine, silently neutralizing every thief’s attack. If anyone witnessed this uncanny scene, they might think it a staged performance—the thief’s assaults always grazed the healer’s body, never inflicting real harm, while the healer’s staff occasionally struck the sweat-soaked thief.

Windless Blood was nearly mad. He had seen skilled players before, people who could dodge his attacks, but they were all renowned close-combat experts. Never had he witnessed a spellcaster with such mastery of melee techniques—indeed, it was almost perverse. Damn it, why wasn’t this crazy healer playing a melee class? Wasn’t this just cheating?

Furious, Windless Blood could endure no longer. He suddenly leapt backward, produced a repeating crossbow, and fired at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen’s face darkened. Arrows, swift as lightning—no matter how 2058 advised, he couldn’t dodge, and three arrows struck him in rapid succession.

-80, -75, -73.

A triple shot—Ye Chen’s health dropped sharply. Luckily, the crossbow was merely an elite-grade weapon; had it been bronze-grade, he would surely have died.

Windless Blood was overjoyed, hurriedly loading more arrows for another attack—when Ye Chen’s figure suddenly flickered and vanished!

Ghost Elixir’s cooldown was over; if Ye Chen did not use stealth to outplay Windless Blood, he would be letting himself down.

“Come out, Ye! If you’ve got the guts, show yourself!” Windless Blood, seeing victory within reach, raged as his opponent vanished into stealth. He shouted in frustration, but no reply came. Remembering Spirit Fox Divine Moon’s mention of dragon magic, he grew uneasy—was Ye Chen waiting for his dragon spell to cool down and kill him in one blow? With this thought, Windless Blood cursed angrily, then quietly faded into stealth himself, calling out as he left, “Hide if you want, I’m gone.”

Ye Chen watched the unmoving dot on the map and let out a cold laugh. Black Dragon Break would be ready in three minutes. Stay right there—when your stealth ends, your life is mine.