As Yin Tianjie lunged towards him, Long Aotian, as if he had anticipated this, simply smiled lightly and said, "Elders, let's proceed as planned!" "Yes!" the three elders shouted in unison. One of them charged towards Daniel, but the other two targeted Bai Xiutian. Their fighting spirit armors emerged simultaneously, clashing with splendid radiance like colorful ribbons.
"Very good! So you plan to defeat us one by one! But I think if your Young Master Long falls into my hands, your Long family will have no choice but to retreat!" Yin Tianjie, with a cold expression, stayed steady in mid-air, and with a swipe and grab of his right hand, a stream of blood-red fighting spirit surged out, forming a strange force that pulled Long Aotian towards him.
Long Aotian's expression changed slightly. Despite his Warrior-level strength, he couldn't resist Yin Tianjie's pull and was drawn towards him in a strange trajectory. "Crack—" Suddenly, a blade of ice appeared in front of Long Aotian, slicing through Yin Tianjie's strange force, while Long Fei quickly flew over, laughing, "Yin Tianjie! Picking on a junior, you must be so proud!"
"Crackle—" Yin Tianjie's figure halted abruptly in mid-air, retreating half a step with a peculiar movement. He slapped his hand, summoning a large knife, but at that moment, Long Fei had already dashed forward, his ice blade turning into a cold glint and aiming straight for Yin Tianjie's forehead.
The sudden turn of events made Yin Tianjie's face change. He knew that although Long Fei's strength was slightly inferior to his own, he was still a six or seven-tier Warrior. If he were struck, he would be severely injured or even killed. Without hesitation, Yin Tianjie awkwardly rolled backwards, narrowly avoiding Long Fei's thrust.
Long Fei, missing his target, decisively flung his hand, sending the ice blade wrapped in fighting spirit towards Yin Tianjie. "Ding—" The blade hit Yin Tianjie's fighting spirit armor, forcing him to step back a few paces and take a cold breath.
"So this is your Long family's Liuyun technique?" Yin Tianjie asked, having taken a small loss.
Long Fei coldly smiled, "Indeed, Commander Yin, but I suppose our Liuyun technique isn't much in your eyes!" He clapped his hands, and a burst of cold fighting spirit formed a long sword in his hand, which he threw towards Yin Tianjie.
This time, however, Yin Tianjie was prepared. He smacked the ice long sword away with his large knife, not getting hurt at all. "Impressive, Commander Yin! To have stood firm in Blood Wolf Town for so many years, you indeed have some skills," said Long Fei lightly. "But, if that's all you've got, I'm afraid your grand enterprise will end here today."
Yin Tianjie coldly replied, "You needn't worry about that, Long Fei. I assure you that you won't leave here alive today! With your strength, even if you've mastered a Vermilion Bird-class technique, do you really think you can beat me?"
Long Fei shook his head, clapped his hands, and this time a long spear of ice formed, pointing at Yin Tianjie from a distance. "I alone can't defeat you, but holding you off is no trouble. On the other hand, if your two subordinates die in a while, and my Long family elders join in, I doubt you'll be able to fly away with wings!"
Yin Tianjie glanced back to see Daniel holding his own against one of the Long family elders, but Bai Xiutian, under the attack of two elders, was already injured and in a precarious situation. The sounds of battle outside the hall suggested that the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group was also struggling. Unbeknownst to him, he had seemingly fallen into a disadvantageous position.
Yin Tianjie's face turned ashen. He chuckled coldly, "I didn't want to exert too much effort to deal with you, but it seems now I must show some real strength, or you'll really think the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group is a pushover!"
Meanwhile, perched atop a beam in the hall's shadows, a shadowy figure stood like a ghost, watching the scene below with an amused look. This figure was Li Yi. "What's the matter, kid? Isn't this the effect you wanted? Now that the Long family and the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group are fighting fiercely, what's your next move? Planning to take them all out while they're busy killing each other?"
Li Yi smiled inwardly, replying in his mind, "No need for such trouble. They're fighting so joyfully; I couldn't possibly spoil their fun. But... it seems the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group is a bit overrated. Maybe I should lend them a hand, so they don't lose both Warriors and leave Yin Tianjie alone to face everything..."
"Troublesome kid!" "If they don't both suffer losses, how can I live up to their expectations? Old Coot, I'll leave that person to you!" Li Yi said, pointing casually at the evenly matched fighters. The Serpent Venerable, though seemingly reluctant to play the supporting role, had no reason to refuse. At the moment, Li Yi's body was still under the control of the Serpent Venerable.
Li Yi raised his hand and flicked slightly, sending a thread-like sharp line towards the head of a Dragon Family elder who was fighting evenly with Daniel. With a barely audible "ting," the elder felt a chill all over his body as his Douqi (martial energy) garment inexplicably turned into powder. Daniel, not caring why the elder's Douqi garment collapsed, roared and swung his long sword fiercely, striking the elder's chest and sending him flying askew against the wall, spewing blood. As he tried to stand again, he found himself utterly drained of strength.
This scene caused a slight commotion in the hall. Daniel initially wanted to finish off the Dragon Family elder, but seeing Bai Xiutian in a precarious situation, he quickly rushed to his aid. Bai Xiutian, originally an extraordinary Yuanqi Fighter, was under constant threat from two Dragon Family elders but had not suffered severe injuries. With Daniel's arrival, he immediately drew the attention of one elder, and the four began to fight fiercely.
"It seems your plan to defeat them one by one has failed!" Yin Tianjie noticed the change in the situation and, with a smile that was not quite a smile, looked at Long Fei. "These idiots! They only know how to drink and play with women, and they fall apart at the crucial moment!" Long Fei cursed inwardly, but his expression barely changed. He took a deep breath, and his Douqi seemed to grow denser, even his transparent Douqi garment shimmering slightly.
"Enough talk! Let's see the truth in action!" "I don't believe that you alone can be a match for me, Yin Tianjie, the peak of the Warrior level!" Yin Tianjie stomped his foot and shot forward, swinging his broadsword towards Long Fei.
Long Fei, not daring to be careless, dodged to the side, and his Ice Ling spear struck towards Yin Tianjie's wrist like a venomous snake. Yin Tianjie was prepared; he slightly turned his broadsword to meet the Ice Ling spear. The clash of metal rang out, sending sparks and snowflakes flying everywhere. The water and blood-colored Douqi collided fiercely and separated upon contact.
Long Fei retreated a few steps from the fierce Douqi on his spear, neutralizing the killing intent. However, Yin Tianjie appeared more composed, taking only a half step back, his figure stabilizing quickly. "The Flowing Cloud Technique is indeed renowned, able to withstand my Blood Wolf Douqi!" Yin Tianjie expressed surprise but was more determined to get the Wanmu Decree he desired. Deciding to first retreat and cultivate his Douqi, he eyed Long Fei: "But if this is all you've got, you're certainly no match for me! You've been living too comfortably, Long Fei, unlike me, who's been fighting for survival every day!"
"So, prepare to die!" Yin Tianjie's next stomp seemed to crack the ground, enhancing his speed as he swung his broadsword with formidable force.
"You don't think that's all I have, do you?" Long Fei sneered. His Ice Ling spear transformed into a sword shape, emitting a wintry aura. "Qingyun Ice Wind Sword!" With a roar, the moisture in the air seemed to freeze into ice shards, swirling with Long Fei's sword dance, creating a massive vortex of icy Douqi.
"A Phoenix-level martial technique!" Yin Tianjie was momentarily surprised but then scoffed, "Do you really think you're the only one with a lifesaving trick, the only one with Phoenix-level techniques?" As he roared, his blood-red Douqi burst forth, covering him in a sea of red, forming countless viscous wolf heads silently roaring in the blood mist.
"Thousand Wolves Devouring Corpses!" With a swing of his broadsword, the wolf heads in the blood-red Douqi lunged forward, colliding fiercely with the Ice Wind. The meeting of ice and blood caused a sound like frying beans, followed by a violent tremor that shook the ground.