At the same time, overseeing the city from a high vantage point was a hooded figure with another mysterious mask. It was unknown who they were or what they looked like, but they stood straight like an arrow. It was like they, alone, could uphold the heavens! This solitary figure watched the commotion down below with a frighteningly piercing gaze. Although the distance was vast and Chang and Tai were mere ants in size, this person could capture everything in their sight. They saw everything! This unfathomable feat was unmatchable for Perception Realms like the Humming Swordsmen, the Blind Snake, or the Spider Seven. This was the power of a Perception Realm Master! No… It was above that too. Even a genuine master would find it difficult to do the same. In the vast world, this person might be unrivaled!
They saw Chang and Tai scurrying through the city, while the Humming Swordsmen, Blind Snake, and Spider Seven converged on them from all directions. It seemed like a big battle was imminent! The rest of the Loon Family declined to respond, seeing as so many powerful people were already on the job. It would be overkill to send everyone over, and they would earn an earful from their superiors. The hooded figure was about to move when their eyes caught sight of others, unrelated to the Loon Family, moving too. One, two… Ten, twenty… Twenty individuals from a third party were beginning to act, causing the hooded figure to ponder deeply. Despite hiding their prowess, the person could tell that the twenty were all highly skilled Perception Realms! What was happening here in Guanhuang tonight?
Down below, Chang and Tai were sprinting with dark faces. As Perception Realms, how could they not notice the tightening net around them? With their senses alone, it was impossible to identify their pursuers but judging by their exceptional movements and reaction speeds, they were clearly formidable! Chang and Tai could not let up their guard for one second, or they might die! Although they appeared to have no plan, they were skillfully weaving through the areas with the least protection. This was hours in the making to unravel all the guard rotations and find the best possible route. This, combined with the moonless night, created the perfect opportunity to try their daring plan. How lucky were they? But regardless of their 'luck', things were simply unavoidable. Their pursuers were hot on their trail!
"Damn, they're fast!" Tai was amazed.
As a master of martial arts, he had believed that he trained his body close to the peak of human potential. And that assumption was not founded off arrogance either. To have broken through to Perception Realm at his young age spoke volumes of both his prodigious talent and effort! Yet, their pursuers were simply at a level above him, which sparked his fighting spirit, but he remained steady. He might show a fiery temper and rash personality; however, he also understood when it was time to rein in his attitude and when he needed to take things seriously. He would not jeopardize their plans for his own self-interests. Chang and Tai continued to accelerate and pushed towards the edge of the city when Chang shouted.
Tai could feel it even before Chang said anything: the overwhelming aura from the two people in front of him! One was a dwarf man with a fearsome glint in his eyes and the other was a casual-looking fellow humming a particular tune. The shorter man reached down and grabbed a pair of butterfly swords from his boots and the larger one smoothly drew out the long straight sword from his waist. At the same time, their aura began explosively increasing with every humming note before finally reaching a crescendo. Perception Realm Experts! They were unmistakably the Humming Swordsmen!
Chang and Tai grew solemn and fled in another direction. They wanted to leave Guanhuang as soon as possible, and the only way to do that was by avoiding combat at all costs. And despite their seemingly ordinary name, the two people standing in their way were very strong, almost legendary! Their stories need not be said, but the main crux behind their power was their synergy and unspoken coordination. One person hummed, creating a melody that the two followed, and depending on the situation, they could alter notes or pitch, communicating in a code that no one else understood. It allowed them to perform some nigh-impossible strategies, that would make the most battle-hardened warriors sweat. When their song ended, without a doubt, their enemies would die! Even in ordinary circumstances, Chang and Tai would probably fall facing them, much less when they had no time to spare.
"Oh?" the dwarf raised an eyebrow after seeing Chang and Tai take the long way around them. "I guess that means we don't have to hold back, since we did warn them."
"We were ordered to prevent anyone from leaving or entering, and that includes the Imperial Princesses' Protectors. We can't turn a blind eye to anyone," the man shrugged languidly and began humming again.
"What can two kids do?" he sneered.
The two took off and chased down Chang and Tai with fearsome momentum. Although the Protectors were fast, the Humming Swordsmen were on another level. They caught up in a few seconds! And owing to his short stature, the dwarf was the first to strike, pouncing on Tai from behind. His butterfly swords crisscrossed in the air and seemed to split the air apart! Tai clicked his tongue and rolled forward. He slammed his palms on the rooftop to kick backwards at the dwarf. The timing, accuracy, and confidence required to execute such a maneuver was something only Tai could do! Using the underside of his shoes, he managed to kick away the butterfly swords and disrupt the dwarf's attack. Furthermore, when his feet landed, he was in the perfect position to charge forward again. The chain of movement was so smooth it was like he never stopped. This was the martial arts prodigy, Sentinel Tai Shui!
On the other side, the man with the straight sword unleashed a simple diagonal slash while humming. It was aiming to hit Chang's back! Unfortunately, Chang was less dexterous as his partner, so he could not do the same things, and drawing his sword was out of the question. He opted for the simpler approach and leapt over some refuse, and through a clever manipulation of his gait when his foot kicked back in step, he kicked the garbage back towards his attacker. The man frowned and slashed the garbage in half. How unbecoming was it, for a great swordsman and nobleman such as himself, to be throwing around garbage? But it served its purpose well and shielded him from harm. In this situation, there was no way he could display his true skills, so this was all he could do.
The Humming Swordsmen showed a slight hint of surprise. Regardless of how casual their strikes may be, it still carried near-lethal force and near-perfect technique. Anyone else would have mistimed the counterattack, panicked under pressure, or misjudged the situation! To complicate matters further, they were attacking Chang and Tai's defenseless backside. Who had eyes on the back of their heads? Obviously, no one did, so to retaliate in the way that they did, it showed an impressive mastery over Perception Realm! It would appear that the title of Imperial Princess Protector was well-deserved after all! They were a cut above the rest. But… that was relative to normal Perception Realms, and the Humming Swordsmen were anything but normal. The man continued his carefree attitude and switched to another tune, a faster and aggressive one. The tempo of the battle changed!
No matter how casual they may be, the Humming Swordsmen still had their pride. Gripping their weapons harder, their bloodlust abruptly soared. They were preparing to finish off Chang and Tai in the next exchange using a perfect, unstoppable attack! Sensing the change, the two Protectors gritted their teeth and realized they could no longer hold back, otherwise they would die! Chang's hand floated to his sword, while Tai tightened his fists. They were ready to turn around as their fighting spirit surfaced. Everything happened in the blink of an eye! Just as the four were about to clash, they simultaneously showed surprise. The Humming Swordsmen spun around and deflected two arrows headed to their blind spot. They were attacked by a third party! The arrows were perfectly timed that it disrupted the two's attacks again, and it allowed Chang and Tai to regain distance.
The Humming Swordsmen focused their senses onto this new target and felt a chill. A hooded figure was standing there from several rooftops away, holding a longbow. Their eyes were so bone-chillingly piercing that the Humming Swordsmen felt naked against the gaze. To attack them at that precise moment and render their attacks useless… To generate such a powerful and haunting oppressive aura… There was only one word that could describe it: a master! It was a Perception Realm Master! In the human world, Perception Realm Masters were few and far in between, very few people could stand on that preeminent pedestal! Even the Humming Swordsmen were only Perception Realm Experts, and they were still a fair distance from breaking through that final gap. Therefore, as soon as the attack was made, they already had an idea of who it was. There was just one person that matched that description, and it was…!