"Boom—" A huge explosion erupted as the combat techniques of the two fighters collided, shattering the green stone slabs on the ground into powder. The various decorations around were also torn apart by the fierce winds, leaving them in ruins. Immediately afterwards, a slightly disheveled figure burst out from a cloud of dust, retreating dozens of meters before finally halting his retreat. Despite being on solid ground, his posture was undeniably disheveled. The combatants, who had been engaged in battle until then, simultaneously ceased their fighting and turned their attention in this direction. After all, the outcome of the clash between Long Fei and Yin Tianjie at this moment could largely determine the course of the evening's events.
"Ah—" The standing figure suddenly spat out a large mouthful of fresh blood. As the faint mist around him dissipated, everyone could clearly see that the retreating figure was Yin Tianjie! His face was as pale as death, clearly indicating that he hadn't gained much advantage in the recent clash. His Qi garment also appeared tattered and on the verge of collapse, a far cry from his previous composure. With a cold laugh, he wiped the blood from his mouth, saying sternly, "Come out! I know you're not dead!"
"Hehe... It seems, Commander Yin, that you are indeed quite formidable!" A weak voice emerged from the dust, and shortly after, Long Fei, dragging his body, slowly walked out from it. Blood was smeared across his mouth, his right hand hung oddly, his face had an unusual flush, and his Qi garment had already crumbled. He was covered in bloodstains, presenting a shocking sight. No one knew the sheer power of the two mighty Qi techniques that had clashed fiercely just moments ago.
Even if the level of cultivation technique was slightly higher, a Six Crystal Fighter, after all, was no match for a peak Fighter! This reality was easily understood by everyone.
Yin Tianjie sneered coldly and declared, "The victor is clear... It seems that from tonight, the Long family will no longer exist in Wanchao City! Long Fei, today I shall be the one to end your life!"
"Whoosh—" Yin Tianjie's figure suddenly dashed forward, excitement flashing in his eyes, his palms swirling with blood-red Qi...
"Boom—" Just as Yin Tianjie's palm was about to strike, a figure swiftly moved in front of Long Fei, blocking his attack. However, the person who blocked the attack also staggered back a few steps, spewing out a mouthful of fresh blood. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Long Aotian.
"So Young Master Long is also eager to die!?" Yin Tianjie said with a sinister smile, "Well then, let me send Young Master Long off first, and as for Patriarch Long, I will reunite your father and son soon enough!"
On the other side, the remaining two elders of the Long family changed their expressions, ready to come to the rescue, but Daniel and Bai Xiutian scoffed and tightly engaged them in battle. The sound of Qi colliding continuously echoed, but no one was able to interfere with the battle at hand.
Long Aotian laughed bitterly. With only the strength of a One Crystal Fighter, he could barely compete against ordinary Warriors, but against a peak Warrior like Yin Tianjie, even if the latter had only a fraction of his power left, it was still a fight he couldn't win.
"Damn it! Who told me that Yin Tianjie was seriously injured!?" This thought emerged in Long Aotian's mind, and he faintly felt that something was terribly amiss about tonight's events. The ease with which his men had infiltrated Bloodwolf Fortress seemed too good to be true... exciting, yet upon calm reflection, it felt strangely prearranged...
Just then, a low laugh sounded: "Yin Tianjie... Is this your so-called arrangement?" A black figure suddenly appeared among the three, emitting a chilling aura from his black robe. This familiar shadow caused Long Aotian's pupils to shrink, an unbelievable thought surfacing in his mind...
Yin Tianjie gasped slightly and was visibly unsettled, but still respectfully said, "So it's you, sir... Rest assured, these are just some jumping clowns. I will clean them up quickly, ensuring not to delay your affairs in three days."
The man in black replied coldly, "No need. You must also feel that your Bloodwolf Mercenary Group's elites have been almost evenly matched with these people. Even if you manage to clean them up, you will not be a match for Fenglou in three days... Yin Tianjie... you have truly disappointed me!"
Feeling the chill in the black-clothed man's voice, Yin Tianjie involuntarily stepped back and said solemnly, "Sir, does that mean..."
The man in black chuckled and said, "I don't need the useless... I wanted to see if you had the capability to work under me. Now it seems... the useless remain useless... You understand what I mean, right?"
Yin Tianjie's pupils narrowed as he replied slowly, "Sir, are you saying all this was your arrangement...?"
"So what if it was!?" Yin Tianjie's face trembled as he coldly said, "So, just to test my abilities, you arranged this entire play?"
"You are smart," the man in black nodded, "but often, the smarter one is, the quicker they die. I thought you understood this!"
Yin Tianjie's expression turned icy as he sneered and gritted his teeth, "Sir, in that case... then go to hell!"
Before his words could fall, Yin Tianjie had already forcefully slapped his own chest. With this slap, he "wa" spat out another mouthful of fresh blood. But this time, the blood didn't disperse, instead forming into blood-red mist in mid-air and quickly merging into his Qi garment. The Qi garment, under the influence of this blood, slowly changed shape. Although somewhat ethereal, it became discernible as a Qi Armor – a Battle Qi Armor, a hallmark of advancing to the rank of a King!
Yin Tianjie, through some secret method, had forcibly elevated his strength to the level of a King! Despite this, his face was still pale, now exuding an eerie deathly pallor.
"A very impressive secret technique... but I suppose the consequences of using it are quite severe," commented the man in black indifferently. "However, you are quite clever. By elevating your own realm, you indeed gained the strength to barely compete with me, but only barely..."
"Why so much nonsense!?" Yin Tianjie gritted his teeth, "If you want me, Yin Tianjie, dead, then I'll take you down with me first!"
"Whoosh—" The blood-red Qi surged violently, forming a massive blood-red wall behind Yin Tianjie, as a huge blood-red wolf's head roared silently behind him, creating a hellish scene that sent shivers down the spine. Feeling the abundant Qi in his body, Yin Tianjie laughed loudly, and in the next instant, his broadsword, guided by the surging Qi, swung down!
"Thousand Wolves Devour the Corpse, Break!"
This time, the countless blood wolves didn't pounce together but quickly converged into one, forming a giant blood-red wolf that then fiercely lunged at the man in black. In the moment of surging Qi, the man in black slowly raised his head, his handsome face partially obscured by the howling wind.
"This... this is Li Yi, the boy from the Li family!?" Yin Tianjie's heart was shaken by this eerie revelation, and murderous intent flooded his mind. "Die!" Yin Tianjie merged into the giant wolf, his broadsword slashing down like lightning.
"Interesting, but meaningless..." Li Yi sighed softly, and with a flick of his finger, a blood-red thread, light as a willow branch, wound towards Yin Tianjie. Like a shooting star across the sky, with just a light flash, the blood-red thread pierced through the giant blood wolf and the Qi Armor, easily slicing across Yin Tianjie's body. Time seemed to stop in that instant; Yin Tianjie, suspended in mid-air, wore an expression of disbelief, seemingly wanting to say something, but then "pfft—" a gush of blood sprayed from his body, cleanly bisected in two, the still-struggling halves thudding heavily to the ground.
"There was no grudge between us initially, but ever since Yin Xu died at my hands, our fates were sealed in an endless feud," sighed Li Yi inwardly. He then slightly turned, his cold gaze falling upon Long Aotian and Long Fei. Long Aotian was stunned, while Long Fei's expression was incredibly bizarre. They couldn't comprehend the scene before them, and it was only when Yin Tianjie's corpse hit the ground that Long Fei let out a strange laugh, "Tha... thank you for your assistance..."
"Did I say I was here to help you?" Li Yi replied coldly.
"Then... what do you mean...?"
"Now that Yin Tianjie is dead, it's time for the two of you to follow..."
Li Yi smiled faintly, about to make his move, but then he suddenly furrowed his brows, saying, "You're lucky... it seems you've managed to save your lives!" With that, he flicked his right hand, and a surge of Qi transformed into a large hand, grabbing the scroll from Yin Tianjie's corpse. He gave Long Aotian another cold look, then vanished into thin air like a ghost.
Long Aotian and Long Fei exchanged glances and collapsed to the ground, still in disbelief that they had narrowly escaped death. As for Daniel and Bai Xiutian, realizing their defeat at Yin Tianjie's death, they had already fled the hall, and the Long family's elders, too shaken by the turn of events, made no move to pursue them. After all, to see a Fighter, perhaps a King, cleanly killed with a single move, indicated that the man in black's strength was unbelievably formidable. Though they didn't know why he had suddenly retreated, if he had harbored any further murderous intent...
After a long while, Long Fei slowly stood up, touching his chest and bitterly smiling, "Tonight... it seems we were pawns in someone else's game... Aotian, the identity of that man just now, what do you think..."
Long Aotian spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, slowly getting up. The final cold glance from that man had left him weak in the knees. He had some guesses but dared not believe them, knowing that if he voiced his suspicions, no one could save him this time. As a member of the Beidou Sect, Long Aotian had recognized the man in black's technique from earlier... Qi Silk! It was actually Qi Silk!?