I Contracted All Ancient Divine Artifacts-Chapter 257 - 156: One Hundred Ways to Kill the Eerie Shadow

Not dead?

When Han Zhan turned his head, he indeed saw the black shadow, which had been pierced like a hedgehog by the Moonlight Longsword and curled up, after melting into a puddle of black ink, recondensed into its original form in the blink of an eye.

Not dead!

By the time Han Zhan confirmed this, the black shadow was already closing in once more like a relentless attach.

Completely different from last night?

Han Zhan got up, dodging and evading, while his mind whirred rapidly.

Just one day's time, what exactly is different, what caused such a change?

The resurrected black shadow still maintained Tier Six Peak strength. Compared to the first encounter, Han Zhan could now last longer with pure sword skill.

This time, Han Zhan did not hold back.

Seizing the gap as the black shadow crossed paths with him, he switched the Moonlight Longsword from his right to left hand, while his right hand gripped the Xuanyuan Sword now fully formed.

With one stroke, he pinned and killed the black shadow to the ground from behind.

The black shadow died completely, once again turning into black ink and writhing on the ground.

Han Zhan's gaze did not move away but retreated a few steps, pulling Nuannuan to a safer distance away from the field.

"Something's off." He said while recovering his breath, "Today's shadow is even more peculiar than before."

"If something indeed happened in between, it would only be my intervention and the fact that I killed those fifteen shadows."

"So today's shadow's strength increased to match mine, even using the same weapon."

The reason for the shadow's sudden rise in strength could be roughly guessed, but how to completely kill it and solve the problem, remains elusive.

The shadow, resurrected for the second time!

"Let's try a different method." Looking at the resurrected shadow, Han Zhan murmured.

Han Zhan's true strength isn't merely at Tier Six Peak, and he had myriad methods to kill a Tier Six Peak monster.

Raising his hand, three burning Zither Sound Air Blades shot out in a pyramid formation.

The freshly rising shadow was sent flying backwards.

Not only that, the three flame-inflicted wounds on the shadow's body continued to burn, dissolving half of it into a liquidiously dripping red mass.

Another three Zither Sound Air Blades passed by.

Severing the shadow into three pieces.

Killed cleanly and swiftly.

Initially, Nuannuan was worried for Han Zhan, but seeing him easily dispatch the black shadow three times, she sat down.

Soon after, the bizarre shadow resurrected a fourth time.

Han Zhan played the Fu Xi Zither, six thunderbolts gathered in the sky, striking the shadow into ashes with a column of Thunder Juice.

And not long after, the eerie shadow resurrected a fifth time...

Late into the night, Nuannuan began to fetch some food from the kitchen, roasting it over a charcoal fire.

Occasionally, during the intervals between the shadow's resurrections, Han Zhan would join her for a few skewers.

Nuannuan truly witnessed Han Zhan's strength, continuously slaying the eerie shadow several times, each method different from the last!

Yet no matter how many methods he tried, he couldn't permanently kill the mysterious shadow.

After the N-th resurrection of the elusive shadow, daylight broke.

At dawn, the shadow vanished completely, as if it had never appeared.

After staying awake all night, both Nuannuan and Han Zhan were slightly listless, intending to catch up on sleep, when a figure walked through the front door.

Gongyang Jin glanced at the two, dressed in disarray with big dark circles under their eyes, and felt a jolt in his heart.

"I can't eat anymore, I'm stuffed." Nuannuan said, waving her hand and staggering towards the room.

Han Zhan followed behind, one hand supporting his back, looking weary.

"While I wasn't here, you two really had a night of fun, huh? Stayed up all night?"

"You're getting more outrageous; such a thing, you let a minor consume it?!"

The chill emanating from Gongyang Jin shook Han Zhan awake from his slumbering state.

Upon seeing her tightly grasping the Wide-Blade Giant Sword, Han Zhan immediately understood.

Han Zhan swiftly leapt forward before Gongyang Jin could react, grabbing her delicate hand.

"Misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!"

"Let's discuss inside!"

Nuannuan, still drowsy, barely caught the blur of two figures swept past her, disappearing upstairs into the bedroom.

Nuannuan rubbed her sleepy eyes.

"I must be seeing things, right?"

"Yes, I had to be seeing things."

"How could the Alliance Leader have possibly let big brother hold her hand, ha-choo!"

"Time for some sleep!"

She yawned widely, and then turned towards another room.

...

"So you're saying the two of you fought a Tier Six Peak mysterious shadow all night long?"

Gongyang Jin asked skeptically, eventually caving in to Han Zhan's endless calls of "Xiao Jin."

She tentatively believed him.

"A shadow that can't be killed, that's indeed very strange."

Gongyang Jin pondered for a while but couldn't recall any related information from her memory.

"According to you, it's sword skills were extremely exquisite, and purely in terms of sword skills, you weren't its match?"

"Yes. If not for other means, in mere sword skills, I am not its opponent."

Han Zhan admitted.

There's no shame in this; every skill has its focus, and Han Zhan's sword skills were self-taught, except for Gongyang Jin's guidance, he had no other teacher.

"Show me?"

Gongyang Jin said, her interest piqued.

The mysterious shadow's sword skills were delicate and complex, but Han Zhan had clashed with it many times.

As precise as its skills were, there were only so many moves, ten or twenty at most, and even someone as dull as Han Zhan could remember them.

Gongyang Jin, as a Sword Dao prodigy, lived up to her name.

During their initial practice, she had already dismantled most of the sword techniques.

By their second meeting, she had fully unraveled them.

"Do you yield?"

Gongyang Jin used her smooth thigh to press down on Han Zhan's neck, her Wide-Blade Greatsword leaned against his face.

The cool and slippery touch felt slightly ambiguous.

"I yield, I yield!"

Han Zhan pleaded repeatedly.

"And what should you call me from now on?"

"Xiao Jin!"

"Seems you yield verbally but not in your heart; want to continue?"

The two engaged in another short "exchange," with their movements becoming increasingly vigorous.

"Stop!"

Gongyang Jin suddenly called a halt to Han Zhan.

"Your antics almost made me forget my true purpose for being here."

"What's the matter?"

Han Zhan looked at the flushed, slightly panting Gongyang Jin, unsure what could be more important than the current situation.

"You just joined the Anti-Xia Alliance yesterday, becoming a core member. According to the Alliance's rules, there's a requirement to hold a core members meeting."