Chapter 004: You’re Not Him

Before Du Fan could respond, Francis already showed signs of impatience. He quickly said, “Du Fan, don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you… Just tell me how you learned these techniques, and I’ll admit defeat and leave right away… Even if… even if you want to support Prince Fisher to become emperor, fine! How about I help you kill the Crown Prince? With me here, no one on the Crown Prince’s side can stop us. Even if… even if you want to become emperor, I’ll support you. I’ll just kill everyone here who opposes you!”
Fortunately, both of them were standing in the center of the training ground. Although his words weren’t whispered, they could be faintly heard, but no one caught them clearly. Otherwise, if anyone had heard Francis’s words, not to mention ordinary nobles, even the Crown Prince would have died of anger on the spot…
These words made Du Fan’s heart pound. Looking into Francis’s eyes, the Silver Sheath Sword Saint’s eyes seemed to glow with intensity as he stared at Du Fan, as if he would agree to any condition as long as Du Fan spoke a word.
Could it be… could it be that Francis had just taken a strike from him and was stunned?
But he didn’t seem stunned at all. Instead, he seemed obsessed with wealth…
Should he trick him into killing the Crown Prince first?
But if he was tricked and discovered later, he’d be finished… Being chased by an enraged saint-level warrior wasn’t fun at all…
With these thoughts, Du Fan couldn’t help but sigh and say, “Of all the things you mentioned, aside from a few techniques I know, I’ve never heard of the rest… As for where I learned these techniques, I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that!”
Hearing Du Fan’s words, Francis showed slight surprise. “How is that possible… If you know these three techniques, how could you not know the others?”
At this point, Francis felt something was off and tried again, “Du Fan, aren’t you trying to deceive me? Have you received some warning? That those who know that secret can’t speak of it? Don’t worry, I’ve also learned that secret… If you don’t believe me, watch closely. This technique is mine—Moonlight Slash.”

With that, Francis waved his hand casually in the air, and soon a massive blade of light shot forth, emitting bright moonlight. Though it was just a casual gesture, the killing intent emanating from it was terrifying. The tiny people around saw Francis suddenly go over to talk to Du Fan, then wave his hand again to release another huge blade of light, leaving them all puzzled. Those with vivid imaginations began to speculate… Could it be that Francis had really been stunned by Du Fan’s move?

After using that move, Francis carefully looked at Du Fan and said, “See? I know that secret too, so what you tell me is safe!”

Du Fan frowned even more. He vaguely guessed that these three moves he knew might be connected to something else—something that even such a supreme warrior was tempted by. After thinking for a moment, Du Fan was convinced that no matter what secret Francis was talking about, he must stay away from it, or else trouble might arise in the future!

“I really haven’t heard of those things you mentioned,” Du Fan shook his head in denial. “As for these, the Three Secret Techniques of the Barbarians… I also obtained them accidentally when I was in the barbarian tribe. What? Could these three moves have some other significance?”

Seeing Du Fan’s expression, Francis was almost certain he wasn’t lying. With a cold sneer, he said, “I see. You call them the Three Secret Techniques of the Barbarians? It seems those barbarians really have thick skins, daring to claim such things for themselves… But, kid… you’re quite lucky to have learned these three moves…”

Then, the fear on Francis’s face vanished, replaced by a murderous aura. He stared at Du Fan and said slowly, “In that case, Du Fan, give me those things… and I’ll spare your life! Otherwise… hmm… I’m sure you understand—these things are definitely not meant for someone like you to learn!”

With that, Francis released his grip on Du Fan and stared at him coldly. Du Fan was shocked and couldn’t help stepping back a few steps. While keeping a wary eye on Francis, he quickly asked, “What do you want?”

“Hah? You still want to play dumb with me?” Francis sneered. “Since you know these three moves, you must have some kind of scripture or something, right? If you hand it over, I’ll let you live. Otherwise, even if you know these so-called three barbarian secrets… do I fear you?”
Du Fan raised the Holy Radiance Staff in his hand and sneered repeatedly, “Lord Francis, is this coercion and temptation?”
“Not necessarily temptation, but coercion is definitely there…” Francis’s face was filled with murderous intent. “You won’t understand. How could someone like you be qualified to learn these three moves? Haha… This is simply ridiculous… It took me years to master just one move, yet you know three? Hahaha… But this is also heaven’s favor to me. Since you know these three moves, I definitely won’t let you go… Kid, if you don’t hand it over, don’t blame me for being ruthless. Although I can’t use memory-reading magic, I can still twist off your head and give it to some necromancer for study! Choose carefully! Hand over what you have and live, or die a miserable death!”
With that, Francis flicked his hand, releasing several streams of combat energy that instantly formed a cage of combat energy around Du Fan. With Du Fan’s strength, it was absolutely impossible for him to escape this cage.
At this moment, Francis’s face was filled with murderous intent, completely different from before. Earlier, when he fought Du Fan, he still showed some dignity as a master, but now Francis seemed faintly insane.
Du Fan’s heart tightened, and he quickly raised the Holy Radiance Staff, saying, “Then let’s see who’s stronger!”
“Haha! Do you still want to use Space Tear Slash again?” Francis sneered. “Do you really think you’re that strong? I don’t know how you managed to use that level of Space Tear Slash, but do you still think you can use it now? As for Word of Power, it’s useful, but at your current level, it’s completely useless against me at the Holy rank… And True Sight? Haha, inside my combat energy cage, even if you reach the highest level, what’s the use? So just hand it over! You can’t resist me!”

Du Fan’s heart skipped a beat. He never expected Francis to know so much about these three moves. By now, Du Fan had used almost all his backup strategies, with only a few magic scrolls left in his possession. But given the distance between them, even if Du Fan threw those scrolls, they probably wouldn’t cause much harm to Francis before Du Fan himself was severely injured by the magic’s effects… Thinking of this, Du Fan couldn’t help but want to smile bitterly… If he had a choice, he really wanted to throw out the copy of the three barbarian secrets from his storage ring… But Du Fan was acutely aware that if he really did that, it would only speed up his own death… After all, something that even Francis was tempted by… how could he possibly let Du Fan leave alive with such a huge secret? The only option now was to buy time as much as possible, waiting for Chenchen to notice his crisis and come to save him… As for the consequences of Chenchen’s appearance, there was no time to worry about that right now! But before Du Fan could finish thinking this, Francis seemed to sense something. Suddenly, he smiled coldly and said, “Kid, you’re not trying to buy time and wait for someone to save you, are you? It’s useless… But from the way you look, you’re not going to surrender easily either. Well, I guess I’ll have to choose a path for you!” With that, Francis pointed at Du Fan and gave a gentle pull. Instantly, Du Fan’s entire energy was locked, preventing him from moving at all. Then, as Francis pulled, Du Fan was flung in the direction Francis was standing. At this moment, Du Fan couldn’t even struggle, let alone scream. Seeing this, Francis sneered and grabbed Du Fan by the neck. With another sneer, he said, “Kid, don’t blame me… As compensation, after twisting off your head, I’ll let your father go! But…” As he spoke, suddenly, a pure beam of holy light burst out from Du Fan’s body. Francis’s right hand, which was holding Du Fan’s neck, felt intense heat. He let out a pained cry, quickly pulled back his hand, released Du Fan, and stepped back a few steps, his face filled with shock and confusion. “This… what on earth is this…?” Suddenly, as if remembering something, Francis suddenly pointed at Du Fan, his body trembling violently. “You! You! You! This… this is… a god… a god… Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

Then, as if suddenly possessed by evil spirits, he stepped back dozens of steps before glancing again at Du Fan’s glowing figure. He spoke intermittently, “Three… moves… and still… the gods…!”
At that point, Francis swallowed hard, his face contorted in horror. “This! This is… it’s impossible! You’re not him!!! You’re not him!!! He’s already dead!!!”
After saying that, this peerless warrior, the Sword Saint Francis, dared not look in Du Fan’s direction again. With a scream, he even ignored the direction of the crown prince and rushed frantically toward a corner of the training ground. His speed was still unmatched in this era…