As the glowing, deadly sphere of energy hurtled toward her, Carlet’s mind went blank. Then, a single, clear thought emerged.
I’m going to die.
As Carlet thought this, familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a smile that seemed slightly mischievous yet gentle. Unable to call out the name of the person she cherished, tears of despair and longing blurred her vision.
In her haze, Carlet seemed to see the very person from her memory standing before her. He blocked the terrifying energy sphere and embraced her.
Then, Carlet felt as though she was soaring through the clouds.
Ah! Am I dead? Dazed and confused, Carlet thought she had ascended to heaven, the realm of ancient myths. However, the teasing voice of a man brought the young angel back to reality.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen gently placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face.
“Huh? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet mumbled groggily as she opened her eyes.
“Oh! Seems like you’re alright,” Zhang Wen said with a grin.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Wait, I’m fine?!” Carlet blinked for a moment before her eyes widened in surprise, “Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Lynoa. Sorry, I encountered a bit of trouble on the way and arrived a little late. But, I made it in time, all’s well that ends well,” Zhang Wen chuckled, patting Carlet’s head.
“Okay!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, she quickly remembered something and hastily wiped away her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Lynoa, she’s…”
“You don’t need to say anything. I already know everything. Teacher Lynoa is actually Eve, the Soul Dancer of the Guild. As for Robert over there, he’s a secret agent of the Federation. Am I right?”
“How did you find out?” Robert asked suspiciously, his expression shifting.
“Haha! Robert, no need to overthink. I only learned of your true identity on my way here when I overheard your conversation.”
“Overheard our conversation? Ah! Damn it! You tampered with the badge when you handed it to me!” Lynoa exclaimed, realization dawning on her.
“Exactly! Princess of Souls, it seems you’ve become a bit slow, revealing your secret in front of an amateur. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Lynoa before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Hehe, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair. Actually, Teacher Lynoa’s acting was quite good. I didn’t discover anything suspicious until she fought against Xiao Xi,” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile. “However, during that fight, I noticed something puzzling. If her goal was truly to kill an ordinary 7th or 8th tier martial artist, as she claimed during our conversation at my apartment, why would she risk exposing the plan by specifically seeking me out? After discovering this inconsistency, I started paying closer attention to her.”
“Ah! So, when Lynoa requested to leave the camp alone, you intentionally gave her a tampered badge and secretly followed her from a distance. That way, whatever her intentions were, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped.
“Although you discovered this woman’s intentions and identity, you still don’t know the real reason why she was determined to bring you here at the risk of exposing the plan, right?”
“I can guess a little. Probably, Lynoa needed me to appear in Sandra Forest. Only if I showed up would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Krasu was still alive, thus making your diversion plan successful.”
“Haha! You’re very clever, and your guess is indeed part of her intention. However, the real reason is different. Let me tell you the real reason she wanted you here! This woman’s teacher, Anna Farla, died in the battle when you attacked the Federation’s experimental star with the Rubies. She hates you deeply and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So, her most important purpose in bringing you here was to have you die! Andy Stein of the Mithril!”
Robert laughed hysterically, his laughter sending chills down the spines of those who heard it.
Andy Stein. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet shocked once again. The person she had revered and admired had suddenly transformed into a synonym for cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change almost left Carlet reeling.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged.
“I’m going to die.”
With this thought, familiar faces flashed before Carlet’s eyes, finally settling on a mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter the name of that person, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smile from her memories appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” The disoriented Carlet thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Mr. Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like you’re fine.” Zhang Wen smiled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Huh? Fine?!” Carlet was dazed for a moment, then her eyes widened in surprise. “Mr. Zhang… Mr. Zhang, why are you here?”
“I came with Ms. Lenoa. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, safe and sound.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Yeah!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl quickly remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Mr. Zhang, Ms. Lenoa is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Ms. Lenoa is the Soul Princess Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Mr. Robert over there is a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How do you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Ha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only found out your true identity on the way here, from what you all said.”
“From what we said? Ah! Damn it! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Lenoa exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Princess, it seems you’ve indeed become slow. To reveal a flaw in front of an outsider. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Lenoa a few times before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Ms. Lenoa’s acting was quite good. I didn’t notice any flaws.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile. “However, during her fight with Xiao Xi, I noticed something puzzling. Ms. Lenoa clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was really just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, as she claimed in my apartment, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I decided to keep a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Lenoa asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped his hands.
“Although you know this woman’s intentions and identity, you’re still not entirely clear on why she would risk exposing her plan to bring you here, right?”
“I can guess a bit. Probably, Lenoa needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Clasus is still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Ha! You’re clever, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. However, the real reason is different. The true reason she wanted you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where the Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental planet. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So her main goal in bringing you here is to ensure your death! The Silver’s Andre Stan!”
Robert laughed hysterically, his laughter like a dying man’s, sending shivers down everyone’s spine.
Andre Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she admired and respected had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and ruthlessness. Such a drastic change left Carlet utterly disoriented.
However, in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Mr. Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly and, as if prepared, struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet, upon contact with Zhang Wen’s fist, quickly dissipated into a shower of sparks and vanished. Although Robert’s sneak attack had failed, he showed no sign of nervousness and instead smiled eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I originally thought you and I were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you go. Unfortunately, you chose to walk straight into hell. But since you’re here, I might as well help Lenoa fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next steps of her training easier?” Robert sneered coldly, slowly spreading his arms.
“Ha, you sure talk a lot. Are you getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up into the sky from the distant horizon. Immediately after, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the dazzling light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
At the sight of the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, showed a flicker of fear on his face.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, it seems we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, despite Lenoa’s six months of preparation, is just a puppet made from a corpse, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. How angry he’ll be, I don’t want to know. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst out of the forest, the two “ghosts” shot out the same white beams of light that the previous six ghosts had used to suppress Agate. This time, the two beams crossed into a giant “X,” bearing down on Zhang Wen with a deafening screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movements and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks fully unfolded.
“Got him!” Watching as all six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen and the two ghosts’ “Energy Seal” pressed down on Zhang Wen’s head without hindrance, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a brief moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “Energy Seal” cast by the two ghosts, there was nothing!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert quickly scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body falling made Robert hurriedly turn his gaze back. Then, to his horror, he discovered that one of his two “ghosts,” the one on the left, had somehow lost its head!
Damn it! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a secret agent of the Federation, Robert had faced countless martial artists of various kinds in his life. He knew that many speed-type martial artists liked to attack and then hide their positions, creating a sense of terror in their opponents.
Many inexperienced martial artists would quickly panic and expose their flaws when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so incompetent.
The moment he realized Zhang Wen was a speed-type martial artist, he forced himself to calm down, swiftly moving to the side of the other energy-controlled puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated the combat energy within him, using his most adept energy sensing technique to locate Zhang Wen.
However, Robert’s sensing yielded… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t sense Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or had never existed!
What on earth is going on? Robert roared in his mind, feeling a sudden cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt an uncomfortable wetness on his neck.
Robert wiped it with his hand.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the blood vessels of the energy-controlled puppet.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He turned around slowly, terrified. Sure enough, the “ghost” that had been standing back-to-back with him had lost its head without him noticing.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Two energy-controlled puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect the other’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, a thought that filled him with fear emerged in Robert’s mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen skillfully hid behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements while carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, not finishing Robert off immediately wasn’t because Zhang Wen wanted to play tricks. It was because he had expended too much energy chasing Lenoa. Moreover, when he heard Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had to use the energy-draining Ghost Steps repeatedly to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest combat energy couldn’t withstand continuous consumption. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their confrontation, Zhang Wen’s combat energy was already nearly depleted.
The remaining combat energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps, so he could only use brief bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen from the start but had instead used his two energy-controlled puppets to defend carefully, forcing Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could maximize his extraordinary senses and ghost-like speed and agility. Robert’s attempt to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He effortlessly dealt with Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Next, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to show a slight flaw to deliver a decisive blow.
The already distraught Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged.
“I’m going to die.”
Carlet thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a face with a slightly mischievous but gentle smile. Before she could utter that person’s name, the despairing girl’s vision blurred with tears of longing and reluctance.
In her haze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling face from her memories actually appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” The dazed Carlet thought she had ascended to the heavenly realm of ancient myths. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like nothing serious happened.” Zhang Wen smiled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Huh? Fine?!” Carlet was confused for a moment, then her eyes widened adorably, “Tea… Teacher Zhang, why are you here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived a bit late. But I made it just in time, no harm done.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Yeah!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl soon remembered something and frantically wiped away her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Princess Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a federal spy. Am I correct?”
“How do you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only found out your true identity on the way here after hearing you talk.”
“Heard us talk? Ah! Bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Princess, it seems you really are slow. You actually gave yourself away in front of an amateur. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora a few times before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I didn’t notice any flaws either.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile, “It was only during her fight with Xiao Xi that I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has strength beyond the tenth tier. If her goal was really just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, as she claimed in my apartment, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped after finishing his words.
“Although you know this woman’s intentions and identity, you probably still don’t fully understand why she was willing to risk exposing her plan to bring you here.”
“I can guess a bit. It’s probably because Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Realm’s overlord, Crassus, was still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re smart, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. The true reason she wanted you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental planet. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher no matter what! So her main purpose in bringing you here was to make sure you die! The Mithril’s Andre Stan!”
Robert laughed hysterically, his laughter as chilling as a death rattle.
Andre Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once again. The person she respected and admired had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and ruthlessness. Such a drastic change almost left Carlet dizzy.
However, in that very moment, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
With his plan exposed, Robert simply snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly, his right fist already prepared. The half-formed energy bullet was struck by Zhang Wen’s fist and quickly dissipated into stardust, vanishing. Although Robert’s sneak attack had failed, he showed no sign of nervousness and instead grinned eerily.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, I originally thought you and I were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you off. Unfortunately, you had to charge headfirst into hell. But since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next part of the process easier?” Robert sneered coldly, slowly spreading his arms.
“Haha, you sure talk a lot. Are you getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Immediately after, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the dazzling light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
The moment he saw the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, showed a flicker of fear on his face.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, it looks like we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Realm overlord took Linora half a year to prepare, but no matter how much she prepared, it’s still just a puppet made from a corpse, a hollow shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be when that happens. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst out of the forest, the two “ghosts” fired the same white energy beams that the previous six ghosts had used to suppress Agate. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X,” bearing down on Zhang Wen with a shrill screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s possible movements and the last two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed off all chances of Zhang Wen winning the moment this wave of attacks fully unfolded.
“Got him!” Robert roared with excitement as the six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen and the “sealing technique” of the two ghosts pressed down on Zhang Wen’s head without obstruction.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a brief moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “sealing technique” of the two ghosts, there was nothing at all!
How is this possible?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where did Zhang Wen go? The next moment, Robert quickly scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body hitting the ground made Robert hurriedly turn his gaze back. Then, to his horror, he discovered that one of his two “ghosts” had somehow lost its head!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a federal spy, Robert had faced countless martial artists of all kinds in his life. He knew that many speed-type martial artists liked to attack and hide their positions simultaneously during combat to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced martial artists would quickly panic and expose their weaknesses when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so incompetent.
The moment he realized Zhang Wen was a speed-type martial artist, he forced himself to calm down, swiftly moving to the side of the other energy-controlled puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated the combat energy within him, using his most adept energy sensing technique to locate Zhang Wen.
However, Robert’s sensing yielded… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t sense Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or never existed in the first place!
What the hell is going on? Robert roared in his mind, feeling increasingly anxious, when suddenly a cold breeze seemed to brush past his head. Then, Robert felt something wet and uncomfortable on his neck.
Robert reached up to wipe it.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the blood vessels of the energy-controlled puppet.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” that had been standing back-to-back with him had, without him noticing, lost its head.
Cold sweat instantly drenched Robert’s body. Two energy-controlled puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect the other’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, a thought that filled Robert with fear emerged in his mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen himself was cleverly hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t immediately taken Robert down, not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he realized Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had used the energy-draining Ghost Steps repeatedly to rush to their aid.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest combat energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their confrontation, Zhang Wen’s combat energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining combat energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps for long, so he had to rely on short bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but instead carefully utilized his two energy-controlled puppets to force Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Art, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his superhuman senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly defeat Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He had effortlessly dealt with Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Now, all he needed to do was adjust his state and wait for Robert to show a slight weakness to deliver the final blow.
The already disoriented Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, ghostly energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged: “I’m going to die.” Carlet thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a somewhat mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter that person’s name, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her haze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling memory appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her. Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” Dazed, Carlet thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like nothing serious.” Zhang Wen smiled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Huh? Fine?!” Carlet was confused for a moment, then her eyes widened in surprise. “Te-Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way, so I’m a bit late. But I made it just in time, safe and sound.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Mm!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, she quickly remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How do you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on my way here, from what you all said.”
“From what we said? Ah! Bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you’ve indeed become slow. To reveal a flaw in front of an amateur. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora a few times before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Haha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I didn’t notice any flaws either.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile. “It was only during her fight with Xiao Xi that I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was really just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, as she claimed in my apartment, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I decided to keep a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped his hands.
“Even though you know this woman’s intentions and identity, you still don’t fully understand why she was willing to risk exposing her plan to bring you here, do you?”
“I can guess a bit. Probably, Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Clasus is still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re smart, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. The true reason she wanted you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental planet. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So, the most important reason she brought you here is to make sure you die! Andrei Stan of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying man’s last gasp, sent shivers down everyone’s spines.
“Andrei Stan.” The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she respected and admired had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change left Carlet reeling.
However, in that very moment, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a ghostly blue energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
With his plan exposed, Robert simply snorted and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly, as if prepared, and struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet, upon contact with Zhang Wen’s fist, quickly dissipated into a shower of sparks and vanished. Although Robert’s sneak attack had failed, he showed no sign of nervousness. Instead, he grinned eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I originally thought you and I were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you off. Unfortunately, you insisted on charging into hell. But since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next steps of her training easier?” Robert sneered coldly, slowly spreading his arms.
“Haha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up into the sky from the distant horizon. Immediately after, a silver dragon-like energy spiraled around the silver pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
The moment Robert saw the two terrifying energy pillars, a flicker of fear crossed his face, which had previously seemed in control.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, looks like we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, even though Linora spent half a year preparing it, is still just a puppet made from a corpse, a hollow shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. How furious he’ll be, I don’t want to know. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing cry of “Die!”, Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like machine guns. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst out of the forest, the two “ghosts” shot out the same white energy beams they had used earlier to suppress Agate. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X” shape, bearing down on Zhang Wen with a deafening screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s possible escape routes and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks fully unfolded.
“Got him!” Watching as all six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen and the “Energy Seal” from the two ghosts bore down on him without obstruction, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a brief moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “Energy Seal” cast by the two ghosts, there was nothing!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert frantically scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body hitting the ground made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. To his horror, he discovered that one of his two “ghosts,” the one on the left, had somehow lost its head!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a secret agent of the Federation, Robert had faced countless martial artists of various types in his life. He knew that many speed-type martial artists liked to attack and then immediately hide their position during combat, creating a sense of terror in their opponents.
Many inexperienced martial artists, when faced with such opponents, would quickly panic and expose their weaknesses. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so easily rattled.
The moment he realized Zhang Wen was a speed-type martial artist, he forced himself to calm down. He swiftly moved to the side of his remaining energy-controlled puppet, standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated the energy within him, using his most adept energy technique to sense Zhang Wen’s location.
But the result of Robert’s sensing was… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or had never existed in the first place!
What the hell is going on? Robert was inwardly roaring with anxiety when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt something wet and uncomfortable on his neck.
Robert reached up to touch it.
Sticky, slightly sour-smelling liquid—the nutrient fluid that filled the veins of his energy-controlled puppets.
Robert’s eyes widened as if he had been electrocuted. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” that had been standing back-to-back with him had, without him noticing, lost its head.
Cold sweat instantly soaked Robert’s body. Two of his energy-controlled puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy technique couldn’t even sense the other’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, a thought that filled Robert with dread emerged in his mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen himself was cleverly hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t immediately finished him off, not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert’s intent to kill Carlet and the others, he had used his energy-draining Ghost Steps repeatedly to rush to their aid.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their confrontation, Zhang Wen’s energy was already mostly depleted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps for long, so he had to rely on short, explosive bursts for his attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick resolution was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but had instead carefully used his two energy-controlled puppets to defend and force Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert had made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his superhuman senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He had easily dealt with Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Now, all he needed to do was adjust his state and wait for Robert to expose a slight weakness, and he could deliver the final blow.
The already mentally shaken Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged: “I’m going to die.” Carlet thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a somewhat mischievous yet tender smile. Before she could utter the name of that person, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smile from her memories actually appear before her. He bravely blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her. Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” The disoriented Carlet thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth. “Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Mr. Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name. “Oh! Looks like you’re fine,” Zhang Wen said with a smirk. “Yeah, I’m fine… Wait, I’m fine?!” Carlet blinked in confusion for a moment, then her eyes widened in surprise. “Mr. Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I followed Professor Linora. Sorry, I ran into some trouble on the way and arrived a bit late. But I made it just in time, no harm done,” Zhang Wen said, patting Carlet’s head. “Yeah!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. But soon, she remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously, “Mr. Zhang, Professor Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Professor Linora is the Soul Princess Eve of the Assembly, right? And Professor Robert over there is a spy for the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How do you know that?” Robert’s face darkened as he questioned Zhang Wen. “Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on my way here after hearing you talk.”
“Hearing us talk? Ah! You bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth. “So that’s it! Soul Princess, it seems you’ve indeed been careless. To reveal a flaw in front of an outsider. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Professor Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws,” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile. “It was only during her fight with Xiao Xi that I noticed something puzzling. Professor Linora clearly has strength beyond the tenth level. If her goal was really just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-level martial artist, as she claimed in my apartment, why would she risk exposing her plan by involving me? After noticing this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So, when Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped his hands.
“Although you know this woman’s intentions and identity, you still don’t fully understand why she was willing to risk exposing her plan to involve you, do you?”
“I can guess a bit. It’s probably because Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Clasus was still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re clever, and your guess is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason is different. The true reason she wanted you here is to let you know! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So her main goal in bringing you here was to ensure your death! Andrew Stein of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying man’s, sent chills down everyone’s spines.
Andrew Stein. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned. The person she admired and respected had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. The drastic change nearly overwhelmed her.
But in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert was secretly gathering a dark blue energy in his left hand behind his back. “Mr. Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen simply smiled, ready as ever, and struck with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet disintegrated into stardust upon contact with his fist, vanishing. However, despite the failed sneak attack, Robert showed no sign of tension. Instead, he grinned eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was planning to let you go. But you just had to walk into hell yourself. Well, since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill her wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next steps easier?” Robert sneered, slowly spreading his arms.
“Haha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen retorted with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Immediately after, a silver dragon-like energy coiled around the silver pillar, soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, showed a flicker of fear on his face.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, it seems we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, which took Linora half a year to prepare, is just a puppet made from a corpse, a hollow shell. In the King’s hands, it won’t last more than a couple of minutes. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be when that happens. So, before the King returns, I’ll have to ask you to die!”
With a sharp, piercing cry of “Die!”, Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like machine guns. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst out of the forest, the two ghosts fired the same white energy beams they had used to suppress Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X” shape, bearing down on Zhang Wen with a deafening screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movements and the two ghosts launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed all possible paths for Zhang Wen to win in this wave of attacks.
“Got you!” Robert roared in excitement as the six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen, and the ghosts’ “Energy Seal” pressed down on him without obstruction.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he saw that beneath the ghosts’ “Energy Seal,” there was nothing!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert frantically scanned his surroundings, but all he could see was the dark forest.
Thud! The sound of a body falling made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. To his horror, he saw that one of his two ghosts had lost its head!
Damn it! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a Federation spy, Robert had faced countless martial artists in his life. He knew that many speed-based fighters liked to attack and then hide their positions to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced fighters would panic and expose their weaknesses when faced with such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so easily rattled.
Realizing Zhang Wen was a speed-based fighter, Robert forced himself to stay calm. He quickly moved to the side of his remaining energy-controlled puppet, standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert activated his energy, using his most skilled energy sensing technique to locate Zhang Wen.
But the result of Robert’s sensing was… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t sense Zhang Wen’s presence at all. It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or never existed!
What the hell is going on? Robert was inwardly raging when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt something wet and uncomfortable on his neck.
Robert reached up to touch it.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the veins of his energy-controlled puppet.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the ghost he had been leaning against had lost its head without him noticing.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Two energy-controlled puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, Robert felt a chilling thought emerge in his mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s tactics, Zhang Wen was cleverly hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t immediately finished him off, not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he realized Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had used his energy-draining Ghost Steps to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their fight, Zhang Wen’s energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps for long, so he had to rely on short bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but instead used his two energy-controlled puppets to defend carefully and force Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this dense forest filled with giant trees and bushes, with its complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his extraordinary senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly defeat Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of the battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He easily dealt with Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Now, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to make a mistake to deliver the final blow.
The already disoriented Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged.
I’m going to die.
Thinking this, Carlet saw familiar faces flash before her eyes, finally settling on a seemingly mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter the name of that person, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carlet thought she saw the owner of that smiling face from her memories appear before her. He bravely blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
Am I dead? Disoriented, Carlet thought she had ascended to the heavenly realm of ancient myths. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Huh? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like you’re fine.” Zhang Wen smiled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Wait, I’m fine?!” Carlet was dazed for a moment, then her eyes widened adorably. “Teacher Zhang… how did you get here?”
“I followed Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, safe and sound.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Yeah!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl quickly remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Princess Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a spy for the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How do you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Ha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here, from listening to your conversation.”
“Listening to us? Ah! Bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Princess, it seems you’ve indeed become slow. You actually revealed a flaw in front of an amateur. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora a few times before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile. “It was only during her fight with Xiao Xi that I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was really just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, as she claimed in my apartment, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped his hands.
“Although you know this woman’s intentions and identity, you’re still not entirely clear on why she was willing to risk exposing her plan to bring you here, are you?”
“I can guess a bit. It’s probably because Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Realm’s overlord, Crassus, was still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Ha! You’re clever, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. The true reason she wanted you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So the main reason she brought you here was to have you die! Andrew Stan of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying man’s, sent shivers down everyone’s spines.
Andrew Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she respected and admired had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change almost knocked Carlet off her feet.
However, in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert was secretly gathering a blue energy ball in his left hand behind his back. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen simply smiled, his right fist already prepared. The half-formed energy bullet disintegrated into stardust upon contact with Zhang Wen’s fist and vanished. Although Robert’s sneak attack failed, he showed no sign of tension and instead laughed eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you off. But you had to walk right into hell. Well, since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next steps easier?” Robert sneered coldly, slowly spreading his arms.
“Ha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Following it, a silver dragon-like energy coiled around the silver pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the dazzling light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, flashed a hint of fear on his face.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, looks like we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Realm overlord, which took Linora half a year to prepare, is just a corpse puppet, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it won’t last more than a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be then. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two “ghosts” shot out the same white beams of light that had previously suppressed Agate. This time, the two beams crossed into a giant “X,” bearing down on Zhang Wen with a deafening screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movements and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed all possible paths for Zhang Wen to win the moment this wave of attacks fully unfolded.
“Got him!” Watching the six energy cannons explode around Zhang Wen and the two ghosts’ “Energy Seal” pressing down on his head without obstruction, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a brief moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “Energy Seal” cast by the two ghosts, there was nothing at all!
How is this possible?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where did Zhang Wen go? The next moment, Robert quickly scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body falling made Robert hurriedly turn his gaze back. Then, he discovered in horror that one of his two “ghosts” had lost its head at some point!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a Federation spy, Robert had faced countless martial artists in his life. He knew that many speed-type fighters liked to attack and hide their positions simultaneously to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced fighters would panic and reveal flaws when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so incompetent.
Realizing Zhang Wen was a speed-type fighter, he immediately forced himself to calm down, moving to the side of the other energy-controlled puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated his internal energy, using his most adept energy sensing technique to locate Zhang Wen.
However, Robert’s sensing yielded… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t sense Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or never existed!
What is going on? Robert was frantically roaring in his mind when he suddenly felt a cold breeze pass by his head. Then, he felt something wet and uncomfortable on his neck.
Robert reached up to touch it.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the blood vessels of the energy-controlled puppet.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” he had been leaning against had lost its head without him noticing.
Cold sweat instantly soaked Robert’s body. Two energy-controlled puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect the other’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, a thought that filled him with fear emerged in Robert’s mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen skillfully hid behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements while carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, not finishing Robert off immediately wasn’t because Zhang Wen wanted to play mind games. It was because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had to use his energy-draining Ghost Steps repeatedly to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest energy couldn’t withstand continuous consumption. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their confrontation, Zhang Wen’s energy was already nearly depleted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to maintain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps continuously, so he had to resort to brief bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a life-threatening attack on Zhang Wen but had instead carefully utilized his two energy-controlled puppets for defense, forcing Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his superhuman senses and ghostly speed and agility. Robert’s attempt to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of the battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He easily dealt with Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Next, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to reveal a slight flaw to deliver a decisive blow.
The already mentally shaken Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged: “I’m going to die.” Carlet thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a somewhat mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter that person’s name, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her haze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling memory appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her. Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds. “Am I dead?” she wondered, half-conscious, thinking she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey, are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously. “Huh? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name. “Oh, looks like you’re fine,” Zhang Wen said with a smirk. “Yeah, I’m fine… Wait, I’m fine?!” Carlet blinked in confusion, then widened her eyes in surprise. “Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I followed Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into some trouble on the way and got here a bit late. But I made it just in time, no harm done,” Zhang Wen said, patting Carlet’s head. “Mm!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. But she quickly remembered something and wiped her tears, shouting anxiously, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is—”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know. Teacher Linora is the Soul Princess Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a federal spy. Am I correct?” “How did you know?” Robert asked, his expression shifting uneasily. “Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here, from your own words.”
“From our words? Ah! You bastard! You tampered with the badge you gave me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth. “So that’s it! Soul Princess, it seems you’ve indeed been careless. To reveal a flaw in front of an outsider. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora before turning to Zhang Wen. “Well, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I didn’t notice anything amiss,” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile. “But during her fight with Xiao Xi, I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was truly as she stated in my apartment—to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist—why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So, when Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped. “Though you know this woman’s goals and identity, you’re still unclear why she risked exposing her plan to bring you here, aren’t you?”
“I can guess a bit. Probably, Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Clasus was still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.” “Haha! You’re clever, and your guess is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. Her true purpose in bringing you here is to let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the federal experimental planet. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So, her main goal in bringing you here is to have you die! The Silver’s Andrei Stan!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying man’s, sent shivers down everyone’s spine. Andrei Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she admired and respected had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change nearly overwhelmed Carlet.
But in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed. Exposed, Robert snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen simply smiled, ready as ever, and struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet, upon contact with Zhang Wen’s fist, disintegrated into a shower of sparks and vanished. Though Robert’s sneak attack failed, he showed no sign of tension. Instead, he grinned eerily. “Hehe! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you go. But you had to charge into hell yourself. Well, since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next training session easier?” Robert sneered, slowly spreading his arms.
“Haha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen retorted with a smile, crouching down, ready for battle. Boom! As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Following it, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, showed a flicker of fear. “Hehe! Zhang Wen, looks like we need to finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, though Linora spent half a year preparing it, is just a puppet made from a corpse, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be then. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen. As they burst from the woods, two white beams, like those used earlier by the six ghosts to suppress Agate, shot out from the ghosts, forming a massive “X” and hurtling down towards Zhang Wen with a deafening screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movement paths and the final two ghosts launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed all possibilities of Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks fully unfolded. “Got him!” Robert roared in excitement as the six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen, and the ghosts’ “Energy Seal” pressed down unimpeded towards Zhang Wen’s head.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the ghosts’ “Energy Seal,” there was nothing! How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert frantically scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body falling made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. Then, to his horror, he saw that one of his two “ghosts” had lost its head! Damn it! Robert gritted his teeth. As a federal spy, Robert had faced countless martial artists in his life. He knew that many speed-type fighters liked to attack and then hide their positions to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced fighters would panic and expose flaws when faced with such opponents. But Robert, a seasoned veteran, was not so easily rattled. Realizing Zhang Wen was a speed-type fighter, he forced himself to calm down, quickly moving to the side of his remaining energy-controlled puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated his combat energy, using his most adept energy sensing technique to locate Zhang Wen.
But Robert’s sensing yielded… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or never existed! What the hell is going on? Robert roared in his mind, suddenly feeling a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt a wet, uncomfortable sensation on his neck.
Robert wiped it. Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the blood vessels of the energy-controlled puppet. Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” he had been leaning against had also lost its head.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Two energy-controlled puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect the other’s presence! Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, Robert felt a sense of dread.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen cleverly hid behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing. In this battle with Robert, not finishing Robert off immediately wasn’t Zhang Wen trying to play tricks. It was because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had used the energy-draining Ghost Steps repeatedly to rush over.
Though Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest combat energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly clashed, Zhang Wen’s combat energy was nearly exhausted.
The remaining combat energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps continuously, so he had to resort to short bursts of speed for surprise attacks. In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a life-threatening assault on Zhang Wen but instead carefully used his two energy-controlled puppets to defend and force Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Art, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could maximize his extraordinary senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He effortlessly dealt with Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Next, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to reveal a slight flaw to deliver the final blow. The already distraught Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged.
“I’m going to die.”
Carlet thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a slightly mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter that person’s name, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling memory appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” The disoriented Carlet thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Mr. Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like you’re fine.” Zhang Wen smiled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Wait? Fine?!” Carlet was confused for a moment, then her eyes widened adorably. “Mr. Zhang… how did you get here?”
“I came with Professor Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, so no harm done.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Mm!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl quickly remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Mr. Zhang, Professor Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Professor Linora is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Professor Robert over there is a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How do you know that?” Robert’s face darkened as he questioned Zhang Wen.
“Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here, from listening to your conversation.”
“Listening to us? Ah! You bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you’ve indeed been careless. To let an amateur see through you. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora and then turned to Zhang Wen.
“Well, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Professor Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile. “However, during her fight with Xiao Xi, I noticed something puzzling. Professor Linora clearly has strength beyond the tenth tier. If her goal was really just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, as she claimed in my apartment, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and even clapped his hands.
“Although you know this woman’s purpose and identity, you still don’t fully understand why she was willing to risk exposing her plan to bring you here, do you?”
“I can guess some of it. Probably, Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Realm’s overlord, Crassus, was still alive, and your decoy plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re clever, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. Her true purpose in bringing you here is something I’ll tell you now! This woman, her mentor Anna Farah died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental planet. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her mentor! So her main goal in bringing you here is to see you dead! Andrew Stein of Mithril!”
Robert laughed hysterically, his maniacal laughter sending chills down everyone’s spines.
Andrew Stein. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she had admired and respected had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change left Carlet utterly disoriented.
However, in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue energy. “Mr. Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly, his right fist already prepared. The half-formed energy bullet disintegrated into stardust upon contact with his fist, vanishing into thin air. Though Robert’s sneak attack had failed, he showed no sign of panic. Instead, he grinned eerily.
“Hehe! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you go. But you just had to walk into hell yourself. Well, since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next steps of her plan easier?” Robert sneered, slowly spreading his arms.
“Haha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen retorted with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly erupted from the distant horizon. Following it, a silver dragon-like energy spiraled around the silver pillar, soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, flashed a hint of fear on his face.
“Hehe! Zhang Wen, it looks like we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Realm overlord took Linora half a year to prepare, but no matter how much she prepared, it’s still just a corpse puppet, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it won’t last more than a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how furious he’ll be when that happens. So, before the ‘King’ returns, I’ll send you to your death!”
With a sharp, piercing cry of “Die!”, Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing relentlessly at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two “ghosts” unleashed the same white energy beams they had used to suppress Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X” shape, bearing down on Zhang Wen with a deafening screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movement paths and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks began!
“Got him!” Robert roared in excitement as all six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen, and the “Sealing Technique” of the two ghosts descended unimpeded toward Zhang Wen’s head.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a brief moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “Sealing Technique” of the two ghosts, there was nothing!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert frantically scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body hitting the ground made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. To his horror, one of his two “ghosts” had somehow lost its head!
Bastard! Robert gritted his teeth.
As a secret agent of the Federation, Robert had faced countless martial artists of all kinds. He knew that many speed-type fighters liked to attack and then hide their positions, creating fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced fighters would panic and expose weaknesses when faced with such tactics. But Robert, a seasoned veteran, was not so easily rattled.
The moment he realized Zhang Wen was a speed-type fighter, he forced himself to calm down, swiftly moving to the side of his remaining energy puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated his internal energy, using his most adept energy sensing technique to locate Zhang Wen.
However, Robert’s sensing yielded nothing. Within a hundred-meter radius, he couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or never existed in the first place!
What the hell is going on? Robert roared in his mind, feeling a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt something wet and uncomfortable on his neck.
Robert reached up to touch it.
A sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the blood vessels of his energy puppet.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” he had been leaning against had also lost its head.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Two energy puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, Robert felt a wave of fear wash over him.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s tactics, Zhang Wen himself was cleverly hidden behind a bush, observing Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t immediately finished him off, not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert’s intent to kill Carlet and the others, he had used his energy-draining “Ghost Steps” to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s “Spring Water Art” energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their fight, Zhang Wen’s energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of “Ghost Steps,” so he had to rely on short bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but instead carefully used his two energy puppets to defend and force Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the “Spring Water Art,” the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s “Spring Water Art” energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this dense forest filled with giant trees and bushes, with its complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could maximize his extraordinary senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He had effortlessly dealt with Robert’s two energy puppets. Now, all he needed to do was adjust his state and wait for Robert to reveal a slight opening to deliver the final blow.
The already disoriented Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged.
“I’m going to die.”
Thinking this, familiar faces flashed before Carlet’s eyes, finally settling on a somewhat mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter the name of that person, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling face from her memories actually appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” In her hazy state, Carlet thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like nothing serious.” Zhang Wen smiled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Huh? Fine?!” Carlet was dazed for a moment, then her eyes widened adorably, “Tea… Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, safe and sound.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Yeah!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl soon remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Princess Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a spy for the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How did you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on my way here by listening to your conversations.”
“Listening to us? Ah! Bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Princess, it seems you’ve indeed been careless. To reveal a flaw in front of an amateur. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile, “However, during her battle with Xiao Xi, I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly had strength beyond the tenth tier. If her goal was truly as she claimed in my apartment, merely to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically seeking my participation? After spotting this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. No matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped.
“Although you know this woman’s motives and identity, you still don’t fully understand why she risked exposing her plan to bring you here, do you?”
“I can guess a bit. Probably, Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Realm’s overlord, Crassus, was still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re clever, and your guess is indeed part of her goal. However, the real reason isn’t that. Her true purpose for bringing you here is to let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Farah died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So her main goal in bringing you here is to have you die! Andrei Stan of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying man’s, sent shivers down everyone’s spines.
Andrei Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she admired and respected had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change nearly overwhelmed Carlet.
However, in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly, ready as ever, and struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet disintegrated into stardust upon contact with Zhang Wen’s fist, vanishing. Despite the failed sneak attack, Robert showed no tension, instead grinning eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you off. Unfortunately, you had to charge headlong into hell. But since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next phase of training easier?” Robert sneered, slowly spreading his arms.
“Ha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down, ready for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Following it, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, flashed a hint of fear on his face.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, looks like we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Realm overlord, despite Linora’s half-year preparation, is just a puppet made from a corpse, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be then. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. Before him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like machine guns. Simultaneously, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two “ghosts” shot out the same white light beams used earlier to suppress Agate. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X,” screeching as they bore down on Zhang Wen.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movement paths and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed all possibilities of Zhang Wen’s victory in this wave of attacks!
“Got him!” Watching the six energy cannons explode around Zhang Wen and the “Soul Sealing Technique” from the two ghosts bearing down on his head, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “Soul Sealing Technique” of the two ghosts, there was nothing!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert frantically scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body falling made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. Then, he discovered in horror that one of his two “ghosts” had lost its head!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a Federation spy, Robert had faced countless martial artists of various types. He knew that many speed-type martial artists liked to attack and hide their positions simultaneously to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced martial artists would panic and reveal flaws when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so incompetent.
Realizing Zhang Wen was a speed-type martial artist, Robert immediately forced himself to calm down, darting to the side of another mind-controlled puppet, standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated his combat energy, using his most adept mind technique to sense Zhang Wen’s location.
However, Robert’s sensing yielded… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if he had vanished into thin air or never existed!
What the hell is going on? Robert was frantically roaring in his mind when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, Robert felt something wet and uncomfortable on his neck.
Robert reached up to wipe it.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the mind-controlled puppet’s blood vessels.
Robert’s eyes widened as if electrocuted. He turned around slowly in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” he had been leaning against had lost its head without him noticing.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Two mind-controlled puppets had been decapitated, yet he still couldn’t figure out where his opponent was! His mind technique couldn’t sense the opponent’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, a thought that filled him with dread emerged in Robert’s mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen was cleverly hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, not finishing Robert off immediately wasn’t Zhang Wen trying to play tricks. It was because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had to use the energy-draining Ghost Steps repeatedly to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest combat energy couldn’t withstand continuous consumption. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their confrontation, Zhang Wen’s combat energy was already nearly depleted.
The remaining combat energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps continuously, so he had to resort to short bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but instead carefully utilized his two mind-controlled puppets, forcing Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Art, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with mind techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could maximize his superhuman senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He effortlessly dealt with Robert’s two mind-controlled puppets. Next, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to reveal a slight flaw to deliver a decisive blow.
The already disoriented Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged.
I’m going to die.
Carlet thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a somewhat mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter the name of that person, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling face from her memories actually appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
Ah! Am I dead? In her dazed state, Carlet thought she had ascended to the heavenly realm of ancient myths. However, the teasing voice of a man brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like nothing serious happened.” Zhang Wen smiled and pursed his lips.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Huh? I’m fine?!” Carlet remained confused for a while, then suddenly widened her eyes in an adorable manner, “Tea… Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived a bit late. But I made it just in time, no harm done.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Mhm!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl soon remembered something and frantically wiped away her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How did you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here, from what you all said.”
“From what we said? Ah! Damn it! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you’ve indeed been careless. To reveal a flaw in front of an outsider. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora a few times before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Haha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile, “However, during her fight with Xiao Xi, I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has strength beyond the tenth tier. If her goal was truly as she stated in my apartment—to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist—why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After noticing this inconsistency, I decided to keep a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora insisted on leaving your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a tampered badge and followed her from a distance. No matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped his hands.
“Although you’ve figured out this woman’s intentions and identity, you still don’t fully understand why she was willing to risk exposing her plan to bring you here, do you?”
“I can guess some of it. It’s probably because Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Crassus is still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re clever, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. However, the real reason is different. The true reason she wanted you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where the Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher no matter what! So the main reason she brought you here is to have you die! Andrew Stan of Mithril!”
Robert laughed hysterically, his laughter as chilling as a dying man’s gasp.
Andrew Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she had admired and respected had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and ruthlessness. Such a drastic change left Carlet utterly disoriented.
However, in that very moment, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
With his plan exposed, Robert simply snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly and, as if prepared, struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet disintegrated into a shower of sparks and vanished. Although Robert’s sneak attack had failed, he showed no sign of nervousness. Instead, he grinned eerily.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, I originally thought that both of us were being used by that bitch, so I felt a bit of camaraderie and was planning to let you go. Unfortunately, you insisted on charging headfirst into hell. But since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill one of her wishes. Who knows, she might even be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next phase of her training easier?” Robert sneered coldly, slowly spreading his arms.
“Haha, you sure talk a lot. Are you getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up into the sky from the distant horizon. Immediately after, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the dazzling light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
The moment Robert saw the two terrifying energy pillars, a hint of fear flashed across his face, which had previously seemed so confident.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, it looks like we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, which took Linora half a year to prepare, is just a puppet made from a corpse, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how furious he’ll be when that happens. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing cry of “Die!”, Robert suddenly widened his eyes. In front of him, a row of more than six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
The moment they emerged, the two “ghosts” fired the same white energy beams that the previous six ghosts had used to suppress Agate. This time, the two beams crossed to form a massive “X” shape, bearing down on Zhang Wen with a deafening screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s possible movements and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed off all chances of Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks fully unfolded!
“Got him!” Seeing all six energy cannons explode around Zhang Wen and the “Energy Seal” from the two ghosts bearing down on him without obstruction, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a brief moment before he suddenly realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “Energy Seal” cast by the two ghosts, there was nothing at all!
How is this possible?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where did Zhang Wen go? The next moment, Robert quickly scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body hitting the ground made Robert hurriedly turn his gaze back. Then, to his horror, he discovered that one of his two “ghosts” had somehow lost its head!
Damn it! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a secret agent of the Federation, Robert had faced countless martial artists of various kinds in his lifetime. He knew that many speed-type martial artists liked to attack and then immediately hide their positions during combat, creating a sense of terror in their opponents.
Many inexperienced martial artists would quickly panic and reveal flaws when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so easily shaken.
The moment he realized Zhang Wen was a speed-type martial artist, he forced himself to calm down. He swiftly moved to the side of the other energy-controlled puppet, standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated the combat energy within him, using his most adept energy sensing technique to locate Zhang Wen.
However, the result of Robert’s sensing was… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t sense Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or had never existed in the first place!
What on earth is going on? Robert was roaring in his mind, filled with anxiety, when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt an uncomfortable wetness on his neck.
Robert reached up to touch it.
A sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid that filled the blood vessels of the energy-controlled puppets.
Robert’s eyes widened as if he had been electrocuted. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” that had been standing back-to-back with him had, without him noticing, lost its head.
Cold sweat instantly drenched Robert’s body. Two of his energy-controlled puppets had been decapitated, yet he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing technique couldn’t detect the opponent’s presence at all!
Is this guy even human?! For the first time, a thought that filled Robert with dread emerged in his mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen himself was cleverly hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t immediately taken Robert down, not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard that Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had used the energy-draining Ghost Steps repeatedly to rush to the scene.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest combat energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their fight, Zhang Wen’s combat energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining combat energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of the Ghost Steps continuously, so he could only use short bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but had instead carefully utilized his two energy-controlled puppets to defend and force Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Art, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy allowed him to remain undetectable by Robert’s energy sensing techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his extraordinary senses and ghost-like speed and agility. For Robert to quickly defeat Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He effortlessly took down Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Next, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to reveal a slight flaw, and he could deliver a decisive blow.
The already mentally shaken Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged: “I’m going to die.” Carlet thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a seemingly mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter that person’s name, tears of despair and longing blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling face from her memories actually appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her. Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” The disoriented Carlet thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth. “Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like nothing serious.” Zhang Wen smiled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Huh? Fine?!” Carlet was confused for a moment, then her eyes widened cutely, “Te-Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linoya. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, safe and sound.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Yes!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl quickly remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linoya is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linoya is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a spy for the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How do you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here, from what you all said.”
“From what we said? Ah! Bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linoya exclaimed, finally realizing.
“So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you’ve indeed become slow. To reveal a flaw in front of an amateur. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linoya a bit, then asked Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linoya’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile, “However, during her battle with Xiao Xi, I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linoya clearly has strength above the tenth level. If her goal was truly as she said in my apartment, just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-level martial artist, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I paid extra attention to her.”
“So that’s it! When Linoya asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. No matter her goal, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped.
“Although you know this woman’s goal and identity, you’re still not entirely clear on why she risked exposing her plan to bring you here, right?”
“I can guess a bit. Probably, Linoya needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Krasus is still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re clever, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. The real reason she wanted you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Farah died in the battle where the Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So the main reason she brought you here is to have you die! Andre Stan of Mithril!”
Robert laughed maniacally, his hysterical laughter sending chills down everyone’s spine.
Andre Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned. The person she respected and admired had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change nearly overwhelmed Carlet.
However, in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed Robert secretly gathering a dark blue energy in his left hand behind his back. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly, ready as he struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet dissipated into stardust upon contact with his fist, vanishing. Although Robert’s sneak attack failed, he showed no tension, instead laughing eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you go. But you had to charge into hell yourself. Well, since you’re here, I might as well help Linoya fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next training process easier?” Robert sneered, slowly spreading his arms.
“Ha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down, ready for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Following it, a silver dragon-like energy spiraled around the silver pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, flashed a hint of fear on his face.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, looks like we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, though Linoya spent half a year preparing it, is just a corpse puppet, a hollow shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be then. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. Before him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like machine guns. Simultaneously, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two ghosts shot out the same white beams they had used to suppress Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X,” bearing down on Zhang Wen with a shrill scream.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movements and the final two ghosts launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed all possibilities of Zhang Wen’s victory in this wave of attacks!
“Got him!” Watching the six energy cannons explode around Zhang Wen and the ghosts’ “energy seal” pressing down on him without hindrance, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the ghosts’ “energy seal,” there was nothing!
How is this possible?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where did Zhang Wen go? The next moment, Robert frantically looked around. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body falling made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. Then, he discovered in horror that one of his two ghosts had lost its head!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a Federation spy, Robert had faced countless martial artists in his life. He knew that many speed-type fighters liked to attack and hide their positions simultaneously to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced fighters would panic and reveal flaws when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so incompetent.
Realizing Zhang Wen was a speed-type fighter, he immediately forced himself to calm down, moving to the side of the other energy-controlled puppet, standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert activated his internal energy, using his most adept energy sensing technique to locate Zhang Wen.
However, Robert’s sensing yielded… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t sense Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if he had vanished into thin air or never existed!
What is going on? Robert roared in his heart, feeling a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt something wet and uncomfortable on his neck.
Robert wiped it.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the energy-controlled puppet’s blood vessels.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” behind him had lost its head without him noticing.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Two energy-controlled puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect the other’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, Robert felt a thought that terrified him.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen skillfully hid behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, not finishing Robert off immediately wasn’t Zhang Wen trying to play tricks. It was because he had expended too much energy chasing Linoya. Moreover, when he heard Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had used energy-draining ghost steps to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest energy couldn’t withstand continuous consumption. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their fight, his energy was already mostly depleted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to maintain the high-speed state of ghost steps, so he had to resort to short, continuous bursts for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen from the start but instead used his two energy-controlled puppets to defend carefully, forcing Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could maximize his extraordinary senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He easily dealt with Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Next, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to reveal a flaw to deliver a decisive blow.
The already disoriented Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet flew towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged.
“I’m going to die.”
Thinking this, familiar faces flashed before Carlet’s eyes, finally settling on a somewhat mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter that person’s name, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling face from her memories actually appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” The disoriented Carlet thought she had ascended to the heavenly realm of ancient myths. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Huh? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like you’re fine.” Zhang Wen smiled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Wait? I’m fine?!” Carlet was confused for a moment, then her eyes widened adorably. “Te-Teacher Zhang, why are you here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, safe and sound.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Mm!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl quickly remembered something and frantically wiped away her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How do you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on my way here, from your own words.”
“From our words? Ah! Bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you’ve indeed become slow. To reveal a flaw in front of an amateur. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Haha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I didn’t notice any flaws either.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile. “It was only during her fight with Xiao Xi that I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was really just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, as she claimed in my apartment, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After noticing this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. No matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped his hands.
“Although you know this woman’s intentions and identity, you probably don’t fully understand why she was willing to risk exposing her plan just to bring you here.”
“I can guess a bit. It’s probably because Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Crassus is still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re clever, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. The true reason she wanted you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Farah died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So her main goal in bringing you here was to ensure your death! Andrei Stan of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying man’s, sent shivers down everyone’s spines.
Andrei Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she admired and respected had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and ruthlessness. Such a drastic change nearly overwhelmed Carlet.
However, in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly and, as if prepared, struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet, upon contact with Zhang Wen’s fist, quickly dissipated into a shower of sparks and vanished. Although Robert’s sneak attack failed, he showed no sign of nervousness. Instead, he grinned eerily.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, I originally thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I considered letting you go. Unfortunately, you chose to walk into hell yourself. But since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next steps easier?” Robert sneered coldly, slowly spreading his arms.
“Haha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up into the sky from the distant horizon. Immediately after, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the dazzling light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, flashed a hint of fear on his face.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, it seems we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, which took Linora half a year to prepare, is just a puppet made from a corpse, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be when that happens. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst out of the forest, the two “ghosts” shot out the same white beams of light that had previously suppressed Agate. This time, the two beams crossed to form a giant “X,” descending upon Zhang Wen with a shrill screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movements and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed off all possibilities of Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks fully unfolded.
“Got him!” Watching as all six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen and the “Soul Sealing Technique” of the two ghosts descended unimpeded upon Zhang Wen’s head, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a brief moment before he realized something was amiss. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “Soul Sealing Technique” of the two ghosts, there was nothing!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert quickly scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body falling made Robert hurriedly turn his gaze back. Then, to his horror, he discovered that one of his two “ghosts,” the one on the left, had somehow lost its head!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a secret agent of the Federation, Robert had faced countless martial artists of various types in his lifetime. He knew that many speed-type martial artists liked to attack and hide their positions simultaneously to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced martial artists, when faced with such opponents, would quickly panic and reveal flaws. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so incompetent.
The moment he realized Zhang Wen was a speed-type martial artist, he forced himself to calm down, swiftly moving to the side of another psychic puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated the combat energy within him, using his most proficient psychic technique to sense Zhang Wen’s location.
However, Robert’s sensing yielded… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or never existed!
What on earth is going on? Robert was frantically roaring in his mind when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt a wet, uncomfortable sensation on his neck.
Robert reached up to wipe it.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the veins of the psychic puppet.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” that had been standing back-to-back with him had, without him noticing, lost its head.
Cold sweat instantly drenched Robert’s body. Two psychic puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His psychic technique couldn’t sense the opponent’s presence either!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, a thought that filled him with dread emerged in Robert’s mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen was cleverly hiding behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, not finishing Robert off immediately wasn’t because Zhang Wen wanted to play tricks. It was because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert’s intention to kill Carlet and the others, he had used the extremely energy-consuming Ghost Steps to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest combat energy couldn’t withstand continuous consumption. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their confrontation, Zhang Wen’s combat energy was already nearly depleted.
The remaining combat energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps for long, so he could only use brief bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but had instead carefully used his two psychic puppets to defend and forced Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Art, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with psychic techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his superhuman senses and ghostly speed and agility. Robert’s attempt to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He effortlessly dealt with Robert’s two psychic puppets. Next, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to reveal a slight flaw to deliver a decisive blow.
The already mentally shaken Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought abruptly surfaced: “I’m going to die.”
Carlet thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a seemingly mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter that person’s name, the despairing girl’s vision blurred with tears of longing and reluctance.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling face from her memories actually appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” The disoriented Carlet thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and slapped her face vigorously.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like you’re fine,” Zhang Wen said with a smirk.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Wait, I’m fine?!” Carlet was dazed for a moment, then her eyes widened adorably. “Te-Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and was a little late. But I made it just in time, safe and sound.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Yeah!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. But soon, as if remembering something, she frantically wiped her tears and shouted anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora, she’s—”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And as for Teacher Robert over there, he’s a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How do you know that?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Ha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on my way here, from listening to your conversation.”
“Listening to us? Ah! You bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you’ve indeed grown slow. To reveal a flaw in front of an outsider. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws,” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile. “It was only during her fight with Xiao Xi that I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was truly as she stated in my apartment—to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist—why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically seeking my participation? After spotting this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped his hands.
“Though you’ve uncovered this woman’s motives and identity, you still don’t fully understand why she was willing to risk exposing her plan to bring you here, do you?”
“I can guess a bit. It’s probably because Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord, Krasus, was still alive, and your decoy plan would succeed.”
“Ha! You’re clever, and what you’ve guessed is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. The true reason she wanted you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara, died in the battle where the Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental planet. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So her main purpose in bringing you here was to ensure your death! Andrew Stan of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying man’s, sent shivers down everyone’s spines.
Andrew Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she admired and respected had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and ruthlessness. Such a drastic change left Carlet utterly disoriented.
But in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly, his right fist already prepared. The half-formed energy bullet disintegrated into stardust upon contact with his fist, vanishing. Though Robert’s sneak attack had failed, he showed no sign of panic, instead grinning eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you go. But you had to charge headfirst into hell. Well, since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill her wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next phase of her training easier?” Robert sneered, slowly spreading his arms.
“Ha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot into the sky from the distant horizon. Following it, a silver dragon-like energy coiled around the silver pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of these two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, flashed a hint of fear on his face.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, looks like we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, though Linora spent half a year preparing it, is just a corpse puppet, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it won’t last more than a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how furious he’ll be then. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like machine guns. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two ghosts unleashed the same white energy beams they had used to suppress Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X,” bearing down on Zhang Wen with a shrill screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movements and the two ghosts launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks began.
“Got him!” Seeing the six energy cannons explode around Zhang Wen and the two ghosts’ “Energy Seal” pressing down on him without resistance, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “Energy Seal” cast by the two ghosts, there was nothing!
How is this possible?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where did Zhang Wen go? The next moment, Robert frantically scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was the dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body hitting the ground made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. To his horror, he found that one of his two “ghosts” had somehow lost its head!
Damn it! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a Federation secret agent, Robert had faced countless martial artists of various kinds. He knew that many speed-type fighters liked to attack and hide their positions simultaneously to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced fighters would panic and expose flaws when facing such opponents. But Robert, a seasoned veteran, was not so easily rattled.
The moment he realized Zhang Wen was a speed-type fighter, he forced himself to calm down, swiftly moving to the side of his remaining energy puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert activated his energy, using his expertise in energy sensing to locate Zhang Wen.
But the result of Robert’s sensing was… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t sense Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or never existed!
What the hell is going on? Robert was seething with anxiety when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt something wet and uncomfortable on his neck.
Robert wiped it.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the energy puppet’s veins.
Robert’s eyes widened as if electrocuted. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” that had been standing behind him had lost its head without him noticing.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Two energy puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, a thought that filled Robert with fear surfaced in his mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen was skillfully hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t immediately taken him down, not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he realized Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had used the energy-draining Ghost Steps repeatedly to rush to their aid.
Though Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their fight, Zhang Wen’s energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps, so he had to rely on short bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s call for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but instead carefully defended with his two energy puppets, forcing Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Art, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this forest filled with giant trees and bushes, with its complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his extraordinary senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly defeat Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He had effortlessly taken down Robert’s two energy puppets. Now, all he needed to do was adjust his state and wait for Robert to reveal a slight flaw, and he could deliver the decisive blow.
The already disoriented Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged.
“I’m going to die.”
Carlet thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter that person’s name, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her haze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling memory appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” Dazed, Carlet thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face firmly.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like you’re fine.” Zhang Wen smiled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Huh? Fine?!” Carlet remained confused for a while, then her eyes widened adorably. “Te… Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, no harm done.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Yeah!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl quickly remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And as for Teacher Robert over there, he’s a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How do you know that?” Robert’s face darkened as he questioned Zhang Wen.
“Ha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here, from listening to your conversations.”
“Listening to us? Ah! You bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you’ve indeed grown slow. To let an amateur catch you off guard. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert sneered at Linora before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I didn’t notice anything amiss.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile. “It was only during her fight with Xiao Xi that I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has power beyond the tenth tier. If her goal was truly as she stated in my apartment—to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist—why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora insisted on leaving your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a tampered badge and followed her from a distance. No matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and even clapped his hands.
“Though you’ve figured out this woman’s motives and identity, you still don’t fully understand why she was willing to risk exposing her plan to bring you here, do you?”
“I can guess some of it. Probably, Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Crassus was still alive, and your decoy plan would succeed.”
“Ha! You’re clever, and you’ve guessed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. Her true purpose in bringing you here is to let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where the Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental planet. She hates you to the bone and wants nothing more than to kill you to avenge her teacher! So her main goal in bringing you here was to see you dead! Andrew Stan of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying gasp, sent chills down everyone’s spines.
Andrew Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she had admired and respected had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and ruthlessness. The sheer magnitude of the change nearly overwhelmed her.
However, in that very moment, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen, however, smiled faintly and, as if prepared, struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet disintegrated into a shower of sparks upon contact with his fist, vanishing into thin air. Though Robert’s sneak attack had failed, he showed no sign of tension. Instead, he grinned eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you off. But you just had to walk right into hell. Well, since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next steps of her training a bit easier?” Robert’s sinister chuckle echoed as he slowly spread his arms.
“Ha, you sure talk a lot. Are you getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly erupted into the sky from the distant horizon. Following it, a silver dragon-like energy coiled around the pillar, soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of these two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
At the sight of the two energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, flashed a hint of fear on his face.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, looks like we should wrap this up quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord took Linora half a year to prepare, but no matter how much she prepared, it’s still just a corpse puppet, a hollow shell. In the King’s hands, it’ll last a minute or two at most. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how furious he’ll be when that happens. So, before the ‘King’ returns, let’s send you to your grave!”
With a sharp, piercing cry of “Die!”, Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two ghosts unleashed the same white energy beams they had used to suppress Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X” shape, bearing down on Zhang Wen with a deafening screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movements and the two ghosts launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks began!
“Got him!” As the six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen and the ghosts’ “Energy Seal” bore down on him without resistance, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the ghosts’ “Energy Seal,” there was nothing at all!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? In the next instant, Robert frantically scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was the dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body hitting the ground made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. To his horror, one of his two ghosts had somehow lost its head!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a Federation secret agent, Robert had faced countless fighters of all kinds in his life. He knew that many speed-based fighters liked to attack and then hide their positions to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced fighters would panic and make mistakes when faced with such opponents. But Robert, a seasoned veteran, was not so easily rattled.
The moment he realized Zhang Wen was a speed-based fighter, he forced himself to calm down, swiftly moving to the side of his remaining energy puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated his internal energy, using his most skilled energy sense to locate Zhang Wen.
But the result of Robert’s sensing was… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if he had vanished into thin air or never existed in the first place!
What the hell is going on? Robert roared inwardly, growing increasingly anxious, when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt something wet and uncomfortable on his neck.
Robert reached up and wiped it.
A sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid that filled the energy puppets’ veins.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” he had been leaning against had lost its head without him noticing.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Two energy puppets had been decapitated, and he still had no idea where his opponent was! His energy sense couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all!
Is this guy even human?! For the first time, a thought that filled Robert with dread emerged in his mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen himself was cleverly hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements while carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t immediately finished him off, not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he realized Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had used his energy-draining Ghost Steps repeatedly to rush to their aid.
Though Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their fight, Zhang Wen’s energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps for long, so he had to rely on short bursts of speed for his attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate assault on Zhang Wen but instead used his two energy puppets to defend carefully and force Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert had made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Art, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this forest filled with giant trees and bushes, with its complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his extraordinary senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to try and quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He had effortlessly dealt with Robert’s two energy puppets. Now, all he needed to do was adjust his state and wait for Robert to make a mistake, and he could deliver the final blow.
Robert, already in a state of panic, didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged.
“I’m going to die.”
Carlet thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a slightly mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter that person’s name, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling face from her memories appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” Disoriented, Carlet thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like you’re fine.” Zhang Wen smirked.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Huh? Fine?!” Carlet was dazed for a moment, then her eyes widened adorably, “Te-Teacher Zhang, why are you here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into some trouble on the way and got here a bit late. But I made it just in time, no harm done.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Mm!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. But soon, as if remembering something, she frantically wiped her tears and shouted anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora, she’s…”
“No need to explain. I already know. Teacher Linora is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a spy for the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How do you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here, from your own words.”
“From our words? Ah! Bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you’ve indeed grown dull. To let an amateur see through you. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile, “But during her fight with Xiao Xi, I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was truly as she claimed in my apartment—to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist—why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically seeking my help? After spotting this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So, when Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped.
“Though you’ve figured out this woman’s motives and identity, you still don’t fully understand why she was willing to risk exposing her plan to bring you here, do you?”
“I can guess a bit. Probably, Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Clasus was still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re clever, and you’ve guessed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. Her true purpose for bringing you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental planet. She hates you to the core and wants nothing more than to kill you to avenge her teacher! So, her main goal in bringing you here was to ensure your death! Andrei Stan of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying gasp, sent chills down everyone’s spines.
Andrei Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she admired and respected had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. The shock was almost too much for Carlet to bear.
But in that instant, Carlet noticed Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen simply smiled, calmly throwing a punch with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet disintegrated into stardust upon contact with his fist, vanishing into thin air. Though Robert’s sneak attack failed, he showed no sign of panic, instead grinning eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you off. But you just had to walk straight into hell. Well, since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill her wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next phase of her training easier?” Robert sneered, slowly spreading his arms.
“Ha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching slightly and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly erupted from the distant horizon. Following it, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver pillar, soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, flashed a hint of fear on his face.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, looks like we need to finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, though Linora spent half a year preparing it, is just a corpse puppet, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it won’t last more than a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how furious he’ll be when that happens. So, before the ‘King’ returns, I’ll send you to your grave!”
With a sharp, piercing cry of “Die!”, Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing relentlessly at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two “ghosts” unleashed the same white energy beams they had used to suppress Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X,” screeching as they bore down on Zhang Wen.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movement paths and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed all possible avenues for Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks fully unfolded.
“Got him!” Watching the six energy cannons explode around Zhang Wen and the “Energy Seal” from the two ghosts bearing down on him unimpeded, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “Energy Seal” cast by the two ghosts, there was nothing!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert frantically scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was the dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body hitting the ground made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. To his horror, one of his two “ghosts” had lost its head at some point!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a Federation spy, Robert had faced countless martial artists of all kinds in his life. He knew that many speed-based fighters liked to attack and then hide their positions, creating fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced fighters would panic and expose their weaknesses when faced with such tactics. But Robert, a seasoned veteran, was not so easily rattled.
The moment he realized Zhang Wen was a speed-based fighter, he forced himself to calm down, swiftly moving to the side of his remaining energy puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated his combat energy, using his most adept energy sensing technique to locate Zhang Wen.
But Robert’s sensing yielded… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or never existed in the first place!
What the hell is going on? Robert was inwardly raging with anxiety when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt something wet and uncomfortable on his neck.
Robert reached up and wiped it.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the blood vessels of his energy puppets.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” he had been leaning against had also lost its head without him noticing.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Two energy puppets had been decapitated, yet he still had no idea where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all!
Is this guy even human?! For the first time, a thought that filled Robert with dread surfaced in his mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s tactics, Zhang Wen himself was skillfully hidden behind a bush, observing Robert’s movements while carefully controlling his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t immediately taken him down, not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he realized Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had used his energy-draining Ghost Steps repeatedly to rush to the scene.
Though Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their fight, Zhang Wen’s energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps for long, so he had to rely on short bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but instead carefully used his two energy puppets to defend and force Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Art, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his heightened senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to try and quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He had effortlessly dealt with Robert’s two energy puppets. Now, all he needed was to adjust his state and wait for Robert to make a mistake, and he could deliver the final blow.
Robert, already mentally shaken, didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged: “I’m going to die.” Carlet thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a somewhat mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter that person’s name, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her haze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling memory appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her. Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” Dazed, Carlet thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth. “Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like you’re fine.” Zhang Wen smiled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Wait, I’m fine?!” Carlet was confused for a moment, then her eyes widened in surprise. “Tea… Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, no harm done.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Mm!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl quickly remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know. Teacher Linora is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How did you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he questioned Zhang Wen.
“Ha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only found out your true identity on the way here, from listening to your conversations.”
“Listening to us? Ah! Bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you’ve indeed been slow. You actually let an amateur see through you. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora a few times before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Haha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile. “It was only during her fight with Xiao Xi that I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was truly as she stated in my apartment—to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist—why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert finished, clapping with laughter.
“Although you know this woman’s goals and identity, you still don’t fully understand why she risked exposing her plan to bring you here, do you?”
“I can guess a bit. Probably, Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Clasus was still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re clever, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. The true reason she wanted you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So the main reason she brought you here was to have you die! Andrei Stan of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying gasp, sent shivers down everyone’s spine.
“Andrei Stan.” The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she respected and admired had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change nearly overwhelmed Carlet.
However, in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly, his right fist already prepared. The half-formed energy bullet disintegrated into stardust upon contact with his fist, vanishing. Though Robert’s sneak attack failed, he showed no tension, instead grinning eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was planning to let you go. Unfortunately, you chose to walk into hell yourself. But since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next phase of training easier?” Robert’s sinister laughter filled the air as he slowly spread his arms.
“Haha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Following it, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, showed a flicker of fear on his face.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, it seems we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, despite Linora’s half-year preparation, is just a corpse puppet, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how furious he’ll be when that happens. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. Simultaneously, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they charged out, the two ghosts unleashed white energy beams, similar to those used earlier to suppress Agate. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X,” screeching as they bore down on Zhang Wen.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movement paths and the final two ghosts launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed all possibilities of Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks unfolded.
“Got him!” Watching the six energy cannons explode around Zhang Wen and the ghosts’ “Energy Seal” descend unimpeded upon his head, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a brief moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the ghosts’ “Energy Seal,” there was nothing!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert frantically scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body hitting the ground made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. To his horror, he saw that one of his two “ghosts” had lost its head!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a Federation secret agent, Robert had faced countless martial artists in his life. He knew that many speed-type fighters liked to attack and then hide their positions to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced fighters would panic and expose weaknesses when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so easily rattled.
Realizing Zhang Wen was a speed-type fighter, Robert immediately forced himself to calm down, darting to the side of his other energy puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated his combat energy, using his expertise in energy sensing to locate Zhang Wen.
However, Robert’s sensing yielded… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if he had vanished into thin air or never existed!
What the hell is going on? Robert was frantically roaring in his mind when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt a wet, uncomfortable sensation on his neck.
Robert reached up to touch it.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the energy puppet’s blood vessels.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” he had been leaning against had also lost its head.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Two energy puppets had been decapitated, yet he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect the other’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, a thought that filled Robert with dread emerged in his mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen himself was cleverly hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, not finishing him off immediately wasn’t Zhang Wen trying to play mind games. It was because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had used his energy-draining Ghost Steps to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their fight, his energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps, so he had to rely on short bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but instead used his two energy puppets to defend carefully, forcing Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Art, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his superhuman senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He easily dealt with Robert’s two energy puppets. Now, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to show a slight weakness to deliver the final blow.
The already distraught Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought abruptly surfaced.
“I’m going to die.”
Thinking this, Carlet saw familiar faces flash before her eyes, finally settling on a somewhat mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter that person’s name, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling memory appear before her. He bravely blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” The disoriented Carlet thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like nothing serious.” Zhang Wen smiled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Huh? Fine?!” Carlet was dazed for a moment, then her eyes widened adorably, “Tea… Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, safe and sound.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Mm!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl quickly remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“No need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Princess Eve of the Assembly, right? As for Teacher Robert over there, he’s a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How did you know?” Robert’s face turned pale as he retorted.
“Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here, from what you all said.”
“From what we said? Ah! Bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Princess, it seems you were indeed slow. You revealed your flaw in front of an amateur. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora a few times before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile, “It was only during her fight with Xiao Xi that I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was truly as she said in my apartment, just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. No matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert finished, actually laughing and clapping.
“Although you know this woman’s purpose and identity, you still don’t fully understand why she risked exposing her plan to bring you here, do you?”
“I can guess a bit. Probably, Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Clasus was still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re clever, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. Her true purpose in bringing you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where the Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So her main goal in bringing you here is to have you die! The Silver’s Andre Stein!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying gasp, sent shivers down everyone’s spines.
Andre Stein. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she respected and admired had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change nearly overwhelmed Carlet.
However, in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly, his right fist already prepared. The half-formed energy bullet, struck by Zhang Wen’s fist, quickly dissipated into stardust and vanished. Though Robert’s sneak attack failed, he showed no tension, instead laughing eerily.
“Hehe! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you go. Unfortunately, you had to charge headfirst into hell. But since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next training process easier?” Robert sneered coldly, slowly spreading his arms.
“Haha, you sure talk a lot. Are you too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Immediately after, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the dazzling light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, flashed a hint of fear on his face.
“Hehe! Zhang Wen, it seems we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, though Linora spent half a year preparing it, is just a corpse puppet, a hollow shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be then. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like machine guns. Simultaneously, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two “ghosts” shot out the same white beams they had used to suppress Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X,” bearing down on Zhang Wen with a shrill screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movement paths and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had completely sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks fully unfolded.
“Got it!” Watching the six energy cannons explode around Zhang Wen and the two ghosts’ “Energy Seal” pressing down on his head without hindrance, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “Energy Seal” cast by the two ghosts, there was nothing!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert frantically looked around. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body falling made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. Then, he discovered in horror that one of his two “ghosts” had somehow lost its head!
Bastard! Robert gritted his teeth.
As a Federation secret agent, Robert had faced countless martial artists of all kinds. He knew that many speed-type martial artists liked to attack and hide their positions simultaneously to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced martial artists would panic and expose flaws when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so incompetent.
Realizing Zhang Wen was a speed-type martial artist, he immediately forced himself to calm down, darting to the side of another energy-controlled puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated the combat energy within him, using his most adept energy sensing to locate Zhang Wen.
However, Robert’s sensing yielded… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t sense Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if he had vanished into thin air or never existed!
What the hell is going on? Robert was roaring in his mind, anxious and uneasy, when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, Robert felt something wet and uncomfortable on his neck.
Robert wiped it.
Sticky, somewhat sour-smelling liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the energy-controlled puppet’s blood vessels.
Robert’s eyes widened as if electrocuted. He turned around slowly in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” leaning against his back had already lost its head.
Cold sweat instantly soaked Robert’s body. Two energy-controlled puppets had been beheaded, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect the other’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, Robert’s mind was filled with a terrifying thought.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen was cleverly hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, not finishing Robert off immediately wasn’t because Zhang Wen wanted to play tricks. It was because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had used the extremely energy-consuming Ghost Steps to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest combat energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their confrontation, his combat energy was already mostly depleted.
The remaining combat energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to maintain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps, so he could only use brief bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t gone all out in a life-and-death struggle with Zhang Wen from the start, but instead carefully utilized his two energy-controlled puppets to force Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Art, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could maximize his superhuman senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He easily dealt with Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Next, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to show a slight flaw to deliver a decisive blow.
The already mentally shaken Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged.
I’m going to die.
Thinking this, Carlet saw familiar faces flash before her eyes, finally settling on a somewhat mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter the name of that person, the despairing girl’s vision blurred with tears of longing and reluctance.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling memory appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
Ah! Am I dead? In her hazy state, Carlet thought she had ascended to the heavenly realm of ancient myths. However, the teasing voice of a man brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like nothing serious.” Zhang Wen smiled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Huh? Fine?!” Carlet remained dazed for a while, then suddenly widened her eyes in surprise, “Tea… Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, no harm done.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Mhm!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl quickly remembered something, frantically wiping her tears and shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Princess Eve of the Assembly, right? As for Teacher Robert over there, he’s a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How do you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here, from listening to your conversation.”
“Listening to us? Ah! You bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Princess, it seems you’ve indeed been slow. You actually let an amateur see through you. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora a few times before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile, “However, during her fight with Xiao Xi, I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has strength beyond the tenth tier. If her goal was truly as she stated in my apartment—to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist—why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically seeking my participation? After spotting this inconsistency, I decided to keep a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. No matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert finished, actually clapping and laughing.
“Although you know this woman’s motives and identity, you probably still don’t fully understand why she was willing to risk exposing her plan to bring you here.”
“I can guess a bit. It’s likely that Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Clasus was still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re clever, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. However, the real reason isn’t that. Her true purpose in bringing you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where the Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental planet. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher no matter what! So her main goal in bringing you here is to ensure your death! Andrei Stan of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying man’s last gasp, sent shivers down the spines of all who heard it.
Andrei Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she respected and admired had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change nearly overwhelmed Carlet.
However, in that very moment, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly, as if prepared, and struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet, upon contact with Zhang Wen’s fist, quickly dissipated into a shower of starlight and vanished. Although Robert’s sneak attack had failed, he showed no sign of nervousness. Instead, he grinned eerily.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, I originally thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you off. Unfortunately, you chose to walk straight into hell. But since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next phase of training easier?” Robert sneered coldly, slowly spreading his arms.
“Ha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up into the sky from the distant horizon. Immediately after, a silver dragon-like combat energy, as if climbing the pillar, spiraled around the silver energy column, also soaring into the clouds. Under the dazzling light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy column belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, showed a flicker of fear on his face.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, it seems we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, though it took Linora half a year to prepare, is ultimately just a corpse puppet, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be then. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two “ghosts” shot out the same white beams of light they had used to suppress Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed to form a massive “X,” descending upon Zhang Wen with a deafening screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s possible movements and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks fully unfolded.
“Got him!” Watching as all six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen and the “Energy Seal” from the two ghosts descended unimpeded upon Zhang Wen’s head, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a brief moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “Energy Seal” cast by the two ghosts, there was nothing at all!
How is this possible?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where did Zhang Wen go? The next moment, Robert frantically scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body hitting the ground made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. Then, to his horror, he discovered that one of his two “ghosts,” the one on the left, had somehow lost its head!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a Federation secret agent, Robert had faced countless martial artists of all kinds in his lifetime. He knew that many speed-type martial artists liked to attack and then immediately hide their position, creating a sense of terror in their opponents.
Many inexperienced martial artists, when faced with such opponents, would quickly panic and expose their weaknesses. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so easily rattled.
The moment he realized Zhang Wen was a speed-type martial artist, he forced himself to calm down, swiftly moving to the side of his remaining energy-controlled puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated the combat energy within him, using his most adept energy sensing technique to locate Zhang Wen.
But the result of Robert’s sensing was… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or had never existed in the first place!
What the hell is going on? Robert was inwardly roaring with anxiety when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt something wet and uncomfortable on his neck.
Robert reached up to wipe it.
Sticky, slightly sour-smelling liquid—the nutrient fluid that filled the blood vessels of the energy-controlled puppets.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” that had been standing back-to-back with him had, without him noticing, lost its head.
Cold sweat instantly drenched Robert’s body. Two energy-controlled puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect the other’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, a thought that filled him with dread emerged in Robert’s mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen himself was skillfully hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements while carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t immediately finished him off, not because he wanted to play mind games. It was because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert’s intention to kill Carlet and the others, he had used the extremely energy-consuming Ghost Steps to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest combat energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their confrontation, Zhang Wen’s combat energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining combat energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps for long, so he had to rely on short bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s suggestion to finish the battle quickly was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a life-and-death assault on Zhang Wen but had instead carefully utilized his two energy-controlled puppets to force Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his superhuman senses and ghost-like speed and agility. Robert’s attempt to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He had effortlessly dealt with Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Now, all he needed to do was adjust his state and wait for Robert to expose a slight weakness, and he could deliver a decisive blow.
The already mentally shaken Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell upon Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged.
“I’m going to die.”
Thinking this, Carlet’s vision filled with familiar faces, finally settling on a seemingly mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter the name of that person, the despairing girl’s eyes blurred with tears of longing and reluctance.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling face from her memories actually appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” The disoriented Carlet thought she had ascended to the heavenly realm of ancient myths. However, the teasing voice of a man once again called the little angel back to the mortal world.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like you’re fine.” Zhang Wen smiled and pursed his lips.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Huh? Fine?!” Carlet remained confused for a while, then her eyes widened adorably, “Tea… Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived a bit late. But I made it just in time, safe and sound.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Yeah!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl quickly remembered something, frantically wiping away her tears and shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“No need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Princess Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How do you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Ha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here, from what you all said.”
“From what we said? Ah! Bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Princess, it seems you’ve indeed become slow. To reveal a flaw in front of an outsider. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora a few times before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile, “It was only during her fight with Xiao Xi that I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was truly as she said in my apartment, just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After discovering this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped his hands.
“Although you know this woman’s purpose and identity, you probably still don’t understand why she was willing to risk exposing her plan to bring you here.”
“I can guess a bit. It’s probably because Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Clasus is still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Ha! You’re smart, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason is different. The real reason she wanted you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where the Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher no matter what! So the most important reason she brought you here is to have you die! Andrei Stan of Mithril!”
Robert laughed maniacally, his laughter as chilling as a dying man’s, sending shivers down everyone’s spines.
Andrei Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once again. The person she respected and admired had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change almost left Carlet dizzy.
However, in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly, his right fist already prepared. The half-formed energy bullet was struck by Zhang Wen’s fist and quickly dissipated into a shower of sparks, vanishing. Although Robert’s sneak attack failed, he showed no sign of nervousness, instead grinning eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I originally thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you go. Unfortunately, you had to charge headfirst into hell. But since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next step of her training easier?” Robert sneered coldly, slowly spreading his arms.
“Ha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up into the sky from the distant horizon. Immediately after, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the dazzling light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, showed a flicker of fear on his face.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, looks like we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, even though Linora spent half a year preparing it, is still just a puppet made from a corpse, a hollow shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be when that happens. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst out of the forest, the two “ghosts” shot out the same white beams of light that the previous six ghosts had used to suppress Agate. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X,” bearing down on Zhang Wen with a shrill screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movements and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had completely sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen winning the moment this wave of attacks unfolded!
“Got him!” Watching as all six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen and the “Energy Seal” from the two ghosts pressed down on Zhang Wen’s head without obstruction, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a brief moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “Energy Seal” cast by the two ghosts, there was nothing!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert quickly scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body hitting the ground made Robert hastily turn his gaze back. Then, to his horror, he discovered that one of his two “ghosts” had somehow lost its head!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a secret agent of the Federation, Robert had faced countless martial artists of various kinds in his life. He knew that many speed-type martial artists liked to attack and hide their positions simultaneously to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced martial artists would panic and reveal flaws when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so incompetent.
The moment he realized Zhang Wen was a speed-type martial artist, he forced himself to calm down, swiftly moving to the side of the other energy-controlled puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated the combat energy within him, using his most adept energy sensing technique to locate Zhang Wen.
However, Robert’s sensing yielded… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t sense Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or never existed in the first place!
What is going on? Robert roared in his mind, feeling a sudden cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt a wet, uncomfortable sensation on his neck.
Robert wiped it with his hand.
Sticky, somewhat sour-smelling liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the blood vessels of the energy-controlled puppet.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” that had been standing back-to-back with him had lost its head without him noticing.
Cold sweat instantly soaked Robert’s body. Two energy-controlled puppets had been decapitated, yet he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect the opponent’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, a thought that filled him with dread emerged in Robert’s mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen skillfully hid behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t finished Robert off immediately, not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert’s intention to kill Carlet and the others, he had used the energy-draining Ghost Steps multiple times to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest combat energy couldn’t withstand continuous consumption. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their confrontation, Zhang Wen’s combat energy was already nearly depleted.
The remaining combat energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps continuously, so he had to resort to short bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen from the start but instead used his two energy-controlled puppets to defend carefully and force Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could maximize his extraordinary senses and ghostly speed and agility. Robert’s attempt to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of the battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He effortlessly dealt with Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Next, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to reveal a slight flaw to deliver the final blow.
The already mentally shaken Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged.
I’m going to die.
Thinking this, Carlet saw familiar faces flash before her eyes, finally settling on a seemingly mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter that person’s name, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carlet thought she saw the owner of that smiling face from her memories appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
Am I dead? In her hazy state, Carlet thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Huh? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like you’re fine.” Zhang Wen smiled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Wait? Fine?!” Carlet was dazed for a moment, then her eyes widened cutely, “Te… Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, safe and sound.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Yeah!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl quickly remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Princess Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How did you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on my way here after hearing you talk.”
“From us? Ah! Bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Princess, it seems you’ve indeed been careless. To reveal a flaw in front of an amateur. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Haha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile, “However, during her fight with Xiao Xi, I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly had the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was truly as she stated in my apartment—to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist—why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically seeking my participation? After spotting this inconsistency, I decided to keep a closer eye on her.”
“So, when Linora insisted on leaving your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert finished, actually clapping and laughing.
“Although you’ve uncovered this woman’s motives and identity, you probably still don’t fully understand why she was willing to risk exposing her plan just to bring you here.”
“I can guess a bit. It’s likely that Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Clasus was still alive, and your decoy plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re clever, and what you’ve guessed is indeed part of her goal. However, the real reason isn’t that. The true reason she wanted you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where the Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental planet. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So, her primary goal in bringing you here was to ensure your death! Andrei Stan of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying gasp, sent shivers down everyone’s spines.
Andrei Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she respected and admired had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change nearly overwhelmed Carlet.
However, in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly, as if prepared, and struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet, upon contact with Zhang Wen’s fist, quickly dissipated into a shower of starlight and vanished. Despite the failed sneak attack, Robert showed no sign of tension; instead, he grinned eerily.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you off. Unfortunately, you insisted on charging into hell. But since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next phase of training easier?” Robert sneered coldly, slowly spreading his arms.
“Haha, you sure talk a lot. Are you getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down, ready for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Immediately after, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the dazzling light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate nearby paled in comparison.
At the sight of the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, flashed a hint of fear on his face.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, it seems we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, despite Linora’s half-year preparation, is still just a corpse puppet, a hollow shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be then. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like machine guns. Simultaneously, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two “ghosts” unleashed the same white energy beams they had used to suppress Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X,” descending upon Zhang Wen with a deafening screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movements and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed all possibilities of Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks fully unfolded.
“Got him!” Watching the six energy cannons explode around Zhang Wen and the two ghosts’ “Energy Seal” pressing down on him without obstruction, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a brief moment before he realized something was amiss. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “Energy Seal” cast by the two ghosts, there was nothing!
How is this possible?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where did Zhang Wen go? The next moment, Robert frantically scanned his surroundings. Yet, all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body falling made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. Then, he discovered in horror that one of his two “ghosts” had somehow lost its head!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a Federation secret agent, Robert had faced countless martial artists of various types in his lifetime. He knew that many speed-based martial artists liked to attack and hide their positions simultaneously to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced martial artists would panic and reveal flaws when encountering such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so incompetent.
Realizing Zhang Wen was a speed-based martial artist, he immediately forced himself to calm down, swiftly moving to the side of the other energy-controlled puppet, standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated his combat energy, using his most adept energy sensing technique to locate Zhang Wen.
However, Robert’s sensing yielded… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t sense Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if he had vanished into thin air or never existed!
What’s going on? Robert was frantically roaring in his mind when he suddenly felt a cold breeze pass by his head. Then, Robert felt a wet, uncomfortable sensation around his neck.
Robert wiped it.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the blood vessels of the energy-controlled puppet.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” he had been leaning against had lost its head without him noticing.
Cold sweat instantly soaked Robert’s body. Two energy-controlled puppets had been beheaded, yet he still hadn’t figured out his opponent’s location! His energy sensing couldn’t detect the opponent’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, a thought that filled him with dread emerged in Robert’s mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s assault, Zhang Wen cleverly hid behind a bush, observing Robert’s movements while carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, not finishing Robert off immediately wasn’t Zhang Wen trying to play tricks. It was because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had to use the energy-draining Ghost Steps repeatedly to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest combat energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their confrontation, his combat energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining combat energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps continuously, so he had to resort to brief bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a life-and-death assault on Zhang Wen but instead carefully utilized his two energy-controlled puppets, forcing Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Art, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could maximize his extraordinary senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He effortlessly dealt with Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Next, he only needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to show a slight flaw to deliver a decisive blow.
The already disoriented Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carrie’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged: “I’m going to die.” Carrie thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a somewhat mischievous yet tender smile. Before she could utter the name of that person, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carrie seemed to see the owner of that smiling memory appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her. Next, Carrie felt as if she were soaring through the clouds. “Ah! Am I dead?” The disoriented Carrie thought she had ascended to the heavenly realm of ancient myths. However, the teasing voice of a man brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carrie, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carrie on the ground and patted her face vigorously. “Huh? Teacher Zhang?” Carrie groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name. “Oh! Looks like you’re fine,” Zhang Wen said with a smirk. “Yeah, I’m fine… Wait, I’m fine?!” Carrie blinked in confusion for a moment, then her eyes widened in surprise. “Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, no harm done,” Zhang Wen said, patting Carrie’s head. “Yeah!” Carrie nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. But soon, she seemed to remember something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know. Teacher Linora is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And as for Teacher Robert over there, he’s a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How did you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he questioned Zhang Wen.
“Ha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here, from what you all said.”
“From what we said? Ah! You bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you’ve indeed grown slow. To let an amateur catch you off guard. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws,” Zhang Wen said with a shrug. “However, during her fight with Xiao Xi, I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was really just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, as she claimed in my apartment, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After noticing this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a tampered badge and followed her from a distance. No matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped.
“Although you know this woman’s goals and identity, you’re still not entirely clear on why she risked exposing her plan to bring you here, are you?”
“I can guess a bit. It’s probably because Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Crassus is still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Ha! You’re clever, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. The true reason she wanted you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Farah died in the battle where the Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So the main reason she brought you here was to have you die! Andrew Stan of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying man’s gasp, sent shivers down everyone’s spines.
Andrew Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carrie utterly stunned. The person she admired and respected had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. The drastic change left Carrie dizzy.
But in that instant, Carrie suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carrie screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen smiled faintly and, as if prepared, struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet disintegrated into stardust upon contact with his fist, vanishing. However, despite the failed sneak attack, Robert showed no sign of panic. Instead, he grinned eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you go. But you just had to walk into hell yourself. Well, since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill her wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next steps easier?” Robert sneered, slowly spreading his arms.
“Ha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen retorted with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Following it, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, showed a flicker of fear.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, looks like we need to finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, despite Linora’s half-year preparation, is just a puppet made from a corpse, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it won’t last more than a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be when that happens. So, before the King returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing cry of “Die!”, Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like machine guns. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two “ghosts” unleashed the same white energy beams they had used to suppress Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X” shape, bearing down on Zhang Wen with a deafening screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movements and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed all possible paths to victory for Zhang Wen in this wave of attacks.
“Got him!” Robert roared in excitement as the six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen, and the “Energy Seal” from the two ghosts pressed down on him without obstruction.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he saw that beneath the “Energy Seal” cast by the two ghosts, there was nothing!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert frantically scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was the dark forest.
Thud! The sound of a body falling made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. To his horror, he saw that one of his two “ghosts” had lost its head!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a Federation secret agent, Robert had faced countless martial artists of all kinds. He knew that many speed-type fighters liked to attack and hide their positions simultaneously to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced fighters would panic and make mistakes when facing such opponents. But Robert, a seasoned veteran, was not so easily rattled.
Realizing Zhang Wen was a speed-type fighter, Robert immediately forced himself to calm down. He moved to the side of his remaining energy-controlled puppet, standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert activated his combat energy, using his expertise in energy sensing to locate Zhang Wen.
But Robert’s sensing yielded nothing. Within a hundred-meter radius, he couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all. It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or never existed!
What’s going on? Robert was frantically shouting in his mind when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt a wet, uncomfortable sensation on his neck.
Robert wiped it.
A sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the veins of the energy-controlled puppet.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He turned around slowly in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” he had been leaning against had lost its head without him noticing.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Two energy-controlled puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, Robert felt a terrifying thought emerge in his mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen was skillfully hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t immediately taken him down, not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert intended to kill Carrie and the others, he had used his energy-draining Ghost Steps to rush to their aid.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their fight, his energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps, so he had to resort to short, rapid bursts for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s call for a quick resolution was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but instead used his two energy-controlled puppets to defend carefully, forcing Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Art, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this forest filled with giant trees and bushes, with its complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could maximize his extraordinary senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly defeat Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He easily dealt with Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Now, all he needed was to adjust his state and wait for Robert to show a slight opening to deliver the final blow.
The already disoriented Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carrie, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged.
“I’m going to die.”
Thinking this, Carlet’s vision filled with familiar faces, finally settling on a somewhat mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter the name of that person, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her eyes.
In her dazed state, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smile from her memories actually appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” The disoriented Carlet thought she had ascended to the heavenly realm of ancient myths. However, a teasing male voice once again called the little angel back to the mortal world.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like you’re fine.” Zhang Wen smiled and pursed his lips.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Huh? Fine?!” Carlet remained confused for a while, then suddenly widened her eyes adorably, “Te… Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, safe and sound.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Mm!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl quickly remembered something and frantically wiped away her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Princess Eve of the Assembly, right? And as for Teacher Robert over there, he’s a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How do you know all this?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on my way here, from listening to your conversation.”
“Listening to our conversation? Ah! You bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Princess, it seems you’ve indeed become slow. To let an amateur spot your flaw. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora a few times before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Haha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile, “However, during her battle with Xiao Xi, I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was truly as she stated in my apartment, merely to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically seeking my participation? After discovering this inconsistency, I decided to keep a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. No matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and even clapped his hands.
“Although you’ve uncovered this woman’s motives and identity, you’re still not entirely clear on why she was willing to risk exposing her plan to bring you here, are you?”
“I can guess a bit. Probably, Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Clasus is still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re clever, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. However, the real reason is different. The true reason she wanted you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher no matter what! So, the most important reason she brought you here is to have you die! Andrew Stan of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying man’s, once again sent chills down everyone’s spines.
Andrew Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she admired and respected had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change nearly overwhelmed Carlet.
However, in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly, his right fist already prepared. The half-formed energy bullet, struck by Zhang Wen’s fist, quickly dissipated into a shower of starlight and vanished. Although Robert’s sneak attack had failed, he showed no sign of nervousness, instead grinning eerily.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, I originally thought that both of us were being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you go. Unfortunately, you insisted on charging into hell. But since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill a wish. Perhaps she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next phase of her training easier?” Robert sneered coldly, slowly spreading his arms.
“Haha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up into the sky from the far horizon. Immediately after, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the dazzling light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate nearby paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, also showed a flicker of fear on his face.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, it seems we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. Although that fake Southern Overlord took Linora half a year to prepare, no matter how much preparation, it’s still just a puppet made from a corpse, a hollow shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how furious he’ll be when that happens. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst out of the forest, the two “ghosts” shot out the same white beams of light that the previous six ghosts had used to suppress Agate. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X,” descending upon Zhang Wen with a shrill screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s possible escape routes and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had completely sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks fully unfolded.
“Got him!” Watching as all six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen and the “Energy Seal” from the two ghosts bore down on him without obstruction, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a brief moment before he realized something was amiss. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “Energy Seal” cast by the two ghosts, there was nothing!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert frantically scanned his surroundings. Yet, all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body hitting the ground made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. Then, to his horror, he discovered that one of his two “ghosts,” the one on the left, had somehow lost its head!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a secret agent of the Federation, Robert had faced countless martial artists of various kinds in his lifetime. He knew well that many speed-type martial artists liked to attack and hide their positions simultaneously to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced martial artists, when faced with such opponents, would quickly panic and expose their flaws. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so incompetent.
The moment he realized Zhang Wen was a speed-type martial artist, he forced himself to calm down, swiftly moving to the side of the other energy-controlled puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated the combat energy within him, using his most proficient energy sensing technique to locate Zhang Wen.
However, the result of Robert’s sensing was… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert could not sense Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if he had vanished into thin air or never existed in the first place!
What the hell is going on? Robert roared in his heart, feeling increasingly anxious, when suddenly a cold breeze seemed to brush past his head. Then, Robert felt an uncomfortable wetness on his neck.
Robert reached up to touch it.
Sticky, somewhat sour-smelling liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the blood vessels of the energy-controlled puppet.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” that had been standing back-to-back with him had, without him noticing, lost its head.
Cold sweat instantly soaked Robert’s body. Two energy-controlled puppets had been beheaded, yet he still had no idea where his opponent was! His energy sensing technique couldn’t detect the other’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, a thought that filled him with dread emerged in Robert’s mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen himself was skillfully hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, not finishing Robert off immediately wasn’t because Zhang Wen wanted to play mind games. It was because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert’s intent to kill Carlet and the others, he had to use the energy-draining Ghost Steps repeatedly to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest combat energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their confrontation, Zhang Wen’s combat energy was already mostly depleted.
The remaining combat energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to maintain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps continuously, so he had to resort to short bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick resolution was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but instead used his two energy-controlled puppets to defend carefully, forcing Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his extraordinary senses and ghost-like speed and agility. For Robert to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He effortlessly dealt with Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Next, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to expose a slight flaw to deliver a decisive blow.
The already mentally shaken Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carrie’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged: “I’m going to die.” Carrie thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a seemingly mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter the name of that person, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carrie seemed to see the owner of that smiling memory appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her. Next, Carrie felt as if she were soaring through the clouds. “Ah! Am I dead?” Carrie, still disoriented, thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carrie, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carrie on the ground and patted her face vigorously. “Huh? Teacher Zhang?” Carrie groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name. “Oh! Looks like you’re fine,” Zhang Wen said with a smirk. “Yeah, I’m fine… Wait, I’m fine?!” Carrie blinked in confusion for a moment, then her eyes widened in surprise. “Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, no harm done,” Zhang Wen said, patting Carrie’s head with a smile. “Mm!” Carrie nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, she quickly remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And as for Teacher Robert over there, he’s a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How do you know that?” Robert asked, his expression shifting uneasily.
“Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here, from listening to your conversations.”
“Listening to us? Ah! You bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you’ve indeed been careless. To reveal a flaw in front of an outsider. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora and then turned to Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws,” Zhang Wen said with a shrug. “However, during her battle with Xiao Xi, I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was truly as she stated in my apartment—to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist—why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically seeking my participation? After spotting this inconsistency, I decided to keep a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora insisted on leaving your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a tampered badge and followed her from a distance. No matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped his hands.
“Although you’ve figured out this woman’s motives and identity, you still don’t fully understand why she was willing to risk exposing her plan to bring you here, do you?”
“I can guess a bit. It’s probably because Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Clasus is still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re clever, and what you’ve guessed is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. The true reason she wanted you here is something I’ll tell you now! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara, died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So the main reason she brought you here is to ensure your death, Andrei Stan!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying gasp, sent shivers down everyone’s spine.
“Andrei Stan.” The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carrie utterly stunned. The person she had admired and respected had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. The shock was almost enough to make Carrie faint.
However, in that very moment, Carrie suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carrie screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen, however, smiled faintly and, as if prepared, struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet disintegrated into a shower of sparks and vanished. Despite the failed sneak attack, Robert showed no sign of tension and instead grinned eerily.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was planning to let you go. Unfortunately, you had to charge headfirst into hell. But since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next phase of her plan easier?” Robert sneered, slowly spreading his arms.
“Ha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen retorted with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Immediately after, a silver dragon-like energy coiled around the silver pillar, soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
At the sight of the two energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, showed a flicker of fear on his face.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, it looks like we need to finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, which took Linora half a year to prepare, is just a corpse puppet, a hollow shell. In the King’s hands, it won’t last more than a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how furious he’ll be when that happens. So, before the King returns, you’ll have to die!”
With a sharp, piercing cry of “Die!”, Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like machine guns. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the trees, the two ghosts unleashed the same white energy beams they had used to suppress Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed to form a massive “X,” bearing down on Zhang Wen with a deafening screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movements and the two ghosts launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen winning in that moment.
“Got him!” Robert roared in excitement as the six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen, and the ghosts’ “Energy Seal” bore down on him without obstruction.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a brief moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he saw that beneath the ghosts’ “Energy Seal,” there was nothing at all!
How is this possible?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where did Zhang Wen go? He quickly scanned his surroundings, but all he saw was the dark forest.
Thud! The sound of a body hitting the ground made Robert turn his gaze back. To his horror, he saw that one of his ghosts had lost its head without him noticing!
Bastard! Robert gritted his teeth.
As a Federation secret agent, Robert had faced countless martial artists in his life. He knew that many speed-based fighters liked to attack and then hide their positions to instill fear in their opponents.
Inexperienced fighters often panicked and made mistakes when facing such opponents. But Robert, a seasoned veteran, was not so easily rattled.
Realizing Zhang Wen was a speed-based fighter, Robert forced himself to stay calm. He quickly moved to the side of his remaining energy puppet, standing back-to-back with it. Then, he focused his energy, using his expertise in energy sensing to locate Zhang Wen.
But Robert’s sensing yielded nothing. Within a hundred-meter radius, he couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all. It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or never existed in the first place.
What the hell is going on? Robert was seething with frustration when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt something wet on his neck.
Robert reached up and touched it.
A sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid that filled the energy puppet’s veins.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around and saw that the ghost he had been standing back-to-back with had also lost its head.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Two energy puppets had been decapitated, and he still had no idea where his opponent was. His energy sensing couldn’t detect Zhang Wen at all.
Is this guy even human?! For the first time, a thought filled Robert with terror.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s tactics, Zhang Wen himself was cleverly hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t immediately gone for the kill, not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he realized Robert intended to kill Carrie and the others, he had used his energy-draining Ghost Steps to rush to their aid.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their fight, Zhang Wen’s energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps, so he had to rely on short bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s demand for a quick resolution was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack but instead used his two energy puppets to defend carefully and force Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence. In this dense forest filled with giant trees and bushes, with its complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his heightened senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly defeat Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He had effortlessly dealt with Robert’s two energy puppets. Now, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to make a mistake, and he could deliver the final blow.
Robert, already mentally shaken, didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carrie, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged: “I’m going to die.” Carlet thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a somewhat mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter the name of that person, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling memory appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her. Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds. “Am I dead?” she wondered, half-conscious, thinking she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously. “Huh? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name. “Oh! Looks like you’re fine,” Zhang Wen said with a smirk. “Yeah, I’m fine… Wait, I’m fine?!” Carlet was dazed for a moment, then her eyes widened in surprise. “Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I followed Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into some trouble on the way and arrived a bit late. But I made it just in time, no harm done,” Zhang Wen said, patting Carlet’s head. “Mm!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, she quickly remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is—”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know. Teacher Linora is the Soul Princess Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a federal spy. Am I correct?” “How did you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted. “Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on my way here, from what you all said.”
“From what we said? Ah! You bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth. “So that’s it! Soul Princess, it seems you’ve indeed grown slow. To reveal a flaw in front of an outsider. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert sneered at Linora before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws,” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile. “It was only during her fight with Xiao Xi that I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has strength beyond the tenth tier. If her goal was really just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, as she claimed in my apartment, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So, when Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped. “You may know her motives and identity, but you still don’t fully understand why she risked exposing her plan to bring you here, do you?”
“I can guess a bit. It’s probably because Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Crassus is still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.” “Haha! You’re clever, and you’ve guessed part of her motive. But the real reason is different. The true reason she wanted you here is to let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where the Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So, her main goal in bringing you here was to have you die! Andrew Stein of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying man’s gasp, sent shivers down everyone’s spines. The name “Andrew Stein,” roared from Robert’s mouth, left Carlet stunned once more. The person she admired and respected had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. The drastic change left Carlet disoriented.
However, in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed. Exposed, Robert simply snorted and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly and, as if prepared, struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet dissipated into a shower of sparks upon contact with his fist. However, despite the failed sneak attack, Robert showed no sign of tension. Instead, he grinned eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you go. But you just had to charge into hell yourself. Well, since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill her wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next steps easier?” Robert sneered, slowly spreading his arms.
“Ha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen retorted with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Immediately after, a silver dragon-like energy coiled around the pillar, soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of the two energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, showed a flicker of fear on his face. “Heh! Zhang Wen, it seems we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, despite Linora’s half-year preparation, is just a corpse puppet, a hollow shell. In the King’s hands, it won’t last more than a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how furious he’ll be. So, before the King returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like machine guns. Simultaneously, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen. As they charged out, the two ghosts unleashed white energy beams, the same type used earlier to suppress Agate. This time, the beams crossed into a giant “X,” bearing down on Zhang Wen with a shrill scream.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movements and the two ghosts launching a sneak attack, Robert had completely sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen’s victory in that instant. “Got him!” Robert roared in excitement as the six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen, and the ghosts’ “Energy Seal” pressed down on him without resistance.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the ghosts’ “Energy Seal,” there was nothing! How could this be? Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? He quickly scanned his surroundings but saw only the dark forest.
Thud! The sound of a body hitting the ground made Robert turn his gaze back. To his horror, one of his ghosts had lost its head! Damn it! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a federal spy, Robert had faced countless martial artists in his life. He knew that many speed-type fighters liked to attack and hide their positions to instill fear in their opponents. Inexperienced fighters often panicked and exposed flaws when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so easily rattled.
Realizing Zhang Wen was a speed-type fighter, Robert forced himself to stay calm. He quickly moved to the side of his remaining energy puppet, standing back-to-back with it. Then, he activated his energy sense, trying to locate Zhang Wen. But to his shock, he couldn’t sense Zhang Wen anywhere within a hundred-meter radius. It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air.
What the hell is going on? Robert was seething with anxiety when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt something wet and sticky on his neck. He wiped it—a viscous, slightly sour liquid: the nutrient fluid filling the energy puppet’s veins.
Robert’s eyes widened in terror. He slowly turned around and saw that the ghost behind him had also lost its head. Cold sweat drenched his body. Two energy puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sense couldn’t detect Zhang Wen at all!
Is this guy even human? For the first time, Robert felt a deep, chilling fear.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s tactics, Zhang Wen was cleverly hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t finished him off immediately, not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he realized Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had used his energy-draining Ghost Steps to rush back.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their fight, Zhang Wen’s energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps, so he had to rely on short bursts of speed for surprise attacks. In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack but instead used his two energy puppets to defend carefully and force Zhang Wen into a war of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. His Spring Water Technique energy made it impossible for Robert to sense him with energy techniques. In this dense forest filled with giant trees and bushes, with its complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his heightened senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly defeat Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even better than Zhang Wen had imagined. He had effortlessly taken out Robert’s two energy puppets. Now, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to make a mistake, then deliver the final blow.
The already distraught Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged.
“I’m going to die.”
Thinking this, Carlet’s vision filled with familiar faces, finally settling on a seemingly mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter the name of that person, the despairing girl’s eyes blurred with tears of longing and reluctance.
In her haze, Carlet thought she saw the owner of that smile from her memories actually appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” The dazed Carlet thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like you’re fine.” Zhang Wen smiled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Wait? Fine?!” Carlet was confused for a moment, then her eyes widened adorably, “Tea… Teacher Zhang, why are you here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way, so I’m a bit late. But I made it just in time, safe and sound.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Mm!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl soon remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Princess Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How do you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here from what you guys said.”
“From what we said? Ah! Bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Princess, it seems you’ve indeed been slow. You actually let an amateur see through you. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora a few times before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Haha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I didn’t notice any flaws either.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile, “It was only during her fight with Xiao Xi that I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was really just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, as she claimed in my apartment, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After noticing this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert finished, actually clapping and laughing.
“Although you know this woman’s intentions and identity, you probably still don’t fully understand why she was willing to risk exposing her plan to bring you here.”
“I can guess some of it. Probably, Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Crassus is still alive, and your decoy plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re clever, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. The real reason she wanted you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Farah died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental planet. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher no matter what! So her main goal in bringing you here was to have you die! The Mithril’s Andre Stan!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying man’s, once again sent shivers down everyone’s spine.
Andre Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she respected and admired had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change almost left Carlet dizzy.
However, in that very moment, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly, as if prepared, and struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet, touched by Zhang Wen’s fist, quickly dissipated into stardust and vanished. Although Robert’s sneak attack failed, he showed no sign of nervousness, instead laughing eerily.
“Hehe! Zhang Wen, I originally thought you and I were both being used by that bitch, so I was planning to let you off. Unfortunately, you insisted on charging into hell. But since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next training process a bit easier?” Robert sneered coldly, slowly spreading his arms.
“Haha, you sure talk a lot. Are you getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Immediately after, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the dazzling light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate nearby paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, also showed a flash of fear on his face.
“Hehe! Zhang Wen, it seems we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, despite Linora’s half-year preparation, is still just a puppet made from a corpse, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be then. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst out of the forest, the two “ghosts” shot out the same white beams of light that had suppressed Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X” symbol, bearing down on Zhang Wen with a piercing screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movement paths and the last two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had completely sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks fully unfolded.
“Got him!” Watching the six energy cannons explode around Zhang Wen and the two ghosts’ “sealing technique” press down on Zhang Wen’s head without hindrance, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a brief moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “sealing technique” of the two ghosts, there was nothing at all!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert quickly scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body falling made Robert hurriedly turn his gaze back. Then, he discovered in horror that one of his two “ghosts” had lost its head at some point!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a Federation secret agent, Robert had faced countless martial artists of various types in his life. He knew that many speed-type martial artists liked to attack and hide their positions at the same time during combat, creating a sense of terror in their opponents.
Many inexperienced martial artists would quickly panic and expose their flaws when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so incompetent.
The moment he realized Zhang Wen was a speed-type martial artist, he forced himself to calm down, swiftly moving to the side of another energy-controlled puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated his combat energy, using his most adept energy sensing technique to locate Zhang Wen.
However, Robert’s sensing result was… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t sense Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or never existed in the first place!
What the hell is going on? Robert roared in his mind, feeling a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt a wet, uncomfortable sensation on his neck.
Robert reached up to wipe it.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the blood vessels of the energy-controlled puppet.
Robert’s eyes widened as if electrocuted. He slowly turned around in horror. Sure enough, the “ghost” he had been leaning against had lost its head without him noticing.
Cold sweat instantly soaked Robert’s body. Two energy-controlled puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing technique couldn’t detect the other’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, a thought that filled him with fear emerged in Robert’s mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen cleverly hid behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements while carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, not finishing Robert off immediately wasn’t because Zhang Wen wanted to play tricks. It was because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert’s intention to kill Carlet and the others, he had to use the extremely energy-consuming Ghost Steps to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest combat energy couldn’t withstand continuous consumption. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their confrontation, Zhang Wen’s combat energy was already mostly depleted.
The remaining combat energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to maintain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps continuously, so he could only use short bursts for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t gone all out in a life-and-death attack on Zhang Wen from the start but had instead carefully used his two energy-controlled puppets to defend and forced Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could maximize his superhuman senses and ghostly speed and agility. Robert’s attempt to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He easily dealt with Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Next, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to show a slight flaw to deliver a decisive blow.
The already mentally shaken Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, glowing orb of psychic energy hurtled towards her, Carrie’s mind went blank. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged.
“I’m going to die.”
Thinking this, Carrie’s vision filled with familiar faces, finally settling on a somewhat mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter that person’s name, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her eyes.
In her daze, Carrie seemed to see the owner of that smile from her memories actually appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying psychic orb and then embraced her.
Next, Carrie felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” The disoriented Carrie thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carrie, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carrie on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Huh? Mr. Zhang?” Carrie groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like you’re fine.” Zhang Wen smiled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Wait, fine?!” Carrie was still dazed for a moment, then her eyes widened adorably, “Mr. Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Ms. Lenoa. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived a bit late. But I made it just in time, safe and sound.” Zhang Wen patted Carrie’s head with a smile.
“Yeah!” Carrie nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. But soon, as if remembering something, she quickly wiped her tears and shouted anxiously to Zhang Wen, “Mr. Zhang, Ms. Lenoa is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Ms. Lenoa is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And as for Mr. Robert over there, he’s a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How do you know that?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Ha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here, from what you all said.”
“From what we said? Ah! You bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Lenoa exclaimed, finally realizing.
“So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you’ve indeed been slow. To reveal a flaw in front of an outsider. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Lenoa a bit, then turned to Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Ms. Lenoa’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile, “However, during her fight with Xiao Xi, I noticed something puzzling. Ms. Lenoa clearly has strength above the tenth tier. If her goal was really just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, as she claimed in my apartment, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Lenoa asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. No matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped.
“Though you know this woman’s intentions and identity, you’re still not entirely clear on why she would risk exposing her plan to bring you here, right?”
“I can guess a bit. Probably, Lenoa needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Realm’s overlord, Crassus, was still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Ha! You’re smart, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. The real reason she wanted you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Farah died in the battle where the Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So her main goal in bringing you here was to have you die! The Silver’s Andrei Stan!”
Robert laughed maniacally, his laughter as chilling as a dying man’s gasp.
Andrei Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carrie utterly shocked. The person she admired and respected had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change nearly overwhelmed her.
But in that instant, Carrie suddenly noticed Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Mr. Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carrie screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted and hurled the incomplete psychic orb at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly, ready as he struck out with his right fist. The half-formed psychic orb disintegrated into stardust upon contact with his fist, vanishing. Though Robert’s sneak attack failed, he showed no tension, instead laughing eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you go. But you had to charge into hell yourself. Well, since you’re here, I might as well help Lenoa fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next part of her training easier?” Robert sneered coldly, slowly spreading his arms.
“Ha, you sure talk a lot, getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down, ready for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Following it, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, showed a flicker of fear.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, looks like we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Realm overlord, though Lenoa spent half a year preparing it, is just a corpse puppet, a hollow shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be then. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six psychic cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. Simultaneously, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two “ghosts” shot out the same white beams they had used to suppress Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X,” screeching as they bore down on Zhang Wen.
With the psychic cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movement paths and the last two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had completely sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks fully unfolded.
“Got him!” Watching the six psychic cannons explode around Zhang Wen and the two ghosts’ “Psychic Seal” pressing down on his head without hindrance, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “Psychic Seal” cast by the two ghosts, there was nothing!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert quickly scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body falling made Robert hurriedly turn his gaze back. Then, he saw with horror that one of his two “ghosts” had somehow lost its head!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a Federation secret agent, Robert had faced countless martial artists of various kinds in his life. He knew that many speed-type martial artists liked to attack and hide their positions simultaneously to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced martial artists would panic and reveal flaws when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so incompetent.
Realizing Zhang Wen was a speed-type martial artist, he immediately forced himself to calm down, moving to the side of the other psychic puppet, standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated the combat energy within him, using his most adept psychic technique to sense Zhang Wen’s location.
However, Robert’s sensing yielded… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t sense Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if he had vanished into thin air or never existed!
What the hell is going on? Robert roared in his mind, feeling a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt a wet, uncomfortable sensation on his neck.
Robert wiped it.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the psychic puppet’s blood vessels.
Robert’s eyes widened as if electrocuted. He turned around slowly in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” behind him had lost its head without him noticing.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Two psychic puppets had been beheaded, yet he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His psychic technique couldn’t sense the other’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, a thought that filled him with dread emerged in Robert’s mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen skillfully hid behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, not finishing him off immediately wasn’t Zhang Wen trying to play tricks. It was because he had expended too much energy chasing Lenoa. Moreover, when he heard Robert intended to kill Carrie and the others, he had used the energy-draining Ghost Steps repeatedly to rush over.
Though Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest combat energy couldn’t withstand continuous consumption. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their fight, his combat energy was already nearly depleted.
The remaining combat energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to maintain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps continuously, so he could only use brief bursts for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen from the start but instead used his two psychic puppets to defend carefully, forcing Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with psychic techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could maximize his extraordinary senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He easily dealt with Robert’s two psychic puppets. Next, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to reveal a slight flaw to deliver a decisive blow.
The already distraught Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carrie, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged: “I’m going to die.” Carlet thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a slightly mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter that person’s name, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling memory appear before her. He bravely blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her. Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” The disoriented Carlet thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth. “Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like you’re fine,” Zhang Wen said with a smirk.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Wait, I’m fine?!” Carlet was still dazed for a moment, then her eyes widened in surprise. “Teacher Zhang… how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, safe and sound.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Mm!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, she quickly remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously to Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know. Teacher Linora is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How do you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he questioned Zhang Wen.
“Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on my way here, from your own words.”
“From our words? Ah! You bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you’ve indeed been careless. To reveal a flaw in front of an outsider. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws,” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile. “It was only during her fight with Xiao Xi that I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has strength beyond the tenth tier. If her goal was really just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, as she claimed in my apartment, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped his hands.
“Although you know this woman’s intentions and identity, you still don’t fully understand why she was willing to risk exposing her plan to bring you here, do you?”
“I can guess a bit. Probably, Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Clasus was still alive, and your decoy plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re clever, and your guess is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. Her true purpose in bringing you here is to let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So her main goal in bringing you here is to see you dead, Andrei Stan!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying man’s, sent shivers down everyone’s spines.
“Andrei Stan.” The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she respected and admired had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. The shock of this revelation nearly overwhelmed her.
However, in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert was secretly gathering a mass of dark blue combat energy in his left hand behind his back. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly and, as if prepared, struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet disintegrated into a shower of sparks and vanished. Though Robert’s sneak attack failed, he showed no sign of tension, instead grinning eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you off. But you just had to walk into hell yourself. Well, since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill her wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next phase of training easier?” Robert sneered, slowly spreading his arms.
“Haha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Following it, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of these two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, showed a flicker of fear on his face.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, looks like we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, though it took Linora half a year to prepare, is just a puppet made from a corpse, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it won’t last more than a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be then. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing cry of “Die!”, Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like machine guns. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two “ghosts” shot out the same white energy beams they had used to suppress Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X” shape, bearing down on Zhang Wen with a deafening screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movements and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen winning the moment this wave of attacks fully unfolded.
“Got him!” Robert roared in excitement as all six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen, and the “Energy Seal” from the two ghosts pressed down on Zhang Wen’s head without resistance.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “Energy Seal” cast by the two ghosts, there was nothing!
How is this possible?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where did Zhang Wen go? The next moment, Robert frantically looked around. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body falling made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. Then, to his horror, he saw that one of his two “ghosts” had lost its head at some point!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a Federation secret agent, Robert had faced countless martial artists of all kinds. He knew that many speed-type fighters liked to attack and hide their positions simultaneously to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced fighters would panic and expose their weaknesses when facing such opponents. But Robert, a seasoned veteran, was not so easily rattled.
The moment he realized Zhang Wen was a speed-type fighter, he forced himself to calm down, darting to the side of his other energy-controlled puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated his combat energy, using his most skilled energy sensing technique to locate Zhang Wen.
However, Robert’s sensing yielded… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if he had vanished into thin air or never existed!
What is going on? Robert was inwardly raging with anxiety when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt something wet and uncomfortable on his neck.
Robert reached up and wiped it.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the veins of his energy-controlled puppet.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” he had been leaning against had lost its head without him noticing.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Two of his energy-controlled puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect the other’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, Robert’s mind was filled with a terrifying thought.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen himself was cleverly hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t immediately taken him down, not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had used his energy-draining Ghost Steps to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their confrontation, Zhang Wen’s energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps, so he had to rely on short bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but instead used his two energy-controlled puppets to defend carefully and force Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this forest filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his superhuman senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly defeat Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He easily took down Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Now, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to reveal a slight weakness to deliver the final blow.
The already disoriented Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged: “I’m going to die.” Carlet thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a seemingly mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter that person’s name, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smile from her memories actually appear before her. He bravely blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her. Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” The disoriented Carlet thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth. “Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like she’s fine,” Zhang Wen said with a smirk.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Wait, I’m fine?!” Carlet was dazed for a moment, then her eyes widened in surprise. “Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, no harm done,” Zhang Wen said, patting Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Mm!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, she quickly remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously to Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“No need to explain. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Princess Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How did you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he questioned Zhang Wen.
“Ha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here, from listening to your conversations.”
“Listening to us? Ah! You bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Princess, it seems you were indeed a bit slow. You let your guard down in front of an amateur. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Well, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I didn’t notice anything suspicious,” Zhang Wen said with a shrug. “It was only during her fight with Xiao Xi that I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was really just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, as she claimed in my apartment, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I decided to keep a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped his hands.
“Even though you know this woman’s intentions and identity, you still don’t fully understand why she was willing to risk exposing her plan just to bring you here, do you?”
“I can guess a bit. Probably because Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Crassus was still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Ha! You’re clever, and your guess is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. The true reason she wanted you here is something I’ll tell you now! This woman, her teacher Anna Farah died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental planet. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So the main reason she brought you here was to ensure your death, Andrei Stan of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying man’s gasp, sent chills down everyone’s spines.
Andrei Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she respected and admired had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change nearly overwhelmed Carlet.
However, in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert was secretly gathering a dark blue combat energy in his left hand behind his back. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly and, as if prepared, struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet disintegrated into a shower of sparks and vanished. Although Robert’s sneak attack had failed, he showed no sign of nervousness. Instead, he grinned eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was planning to let you go. Unfortunately, you decided to walk straight into hell. But since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill her wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next phase of training easier?” Robert sneered, slowly spreading his arms.
“Ha, you sure talk a lot. Are you getting too excited?” Zhang Wen retorted with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up into the sky from the distant horizon. Immediately after, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
At the sight of the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, flashed a hint of fear on his face.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, it looks like we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord took Linora half a year to prepare, but no matter how much she prepared, it’s still just a puppet made from a corpse, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be when that happens. So, before the ‘King’ returns, I’ll have to ask you to die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst out of the forest, the two “ghosts” shot out the same white energy beams that had previously suppressed Agate. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X,” bearing down on Zhang Wen with a deafening screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s possible escape routes and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks fully unfolded.
“Got him!” Robert roared with excitement as the six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen, and the “Sealing Technique” from the two ghosts descended unimpeded onto Zhang Wen’s head.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a brief moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “Sealing Technique” cast by the two ghosts, there was nothing at all!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert frantically scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body hitting the ground made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. To his horror, he discovered that one of his two “ghosts” had somehow lost its head!
Bastard! Robert gritted his teeth.
As a secret agent of the Federation, Robert had faced countless martial artists of various types in his life. He knew that many speed-based martial artists liked to attack and then immediately hide their positions to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced martial artists would panic and expose their weaknesses when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so easily rattled.
The moment he realized Zhang Wen was a speed-based martial artist, he forced himself to calm down. He quickly moved to the side of the other energy-controlled puppet, standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated the combat energy within him, using his most proficient energy technique to sense Zhang Wen’s location.
But the result of Robert’s sensing was… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or never existed in the first place!
What the hell is going on? Robert was frantically roaring in his mind when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt an uncomfortable wetness on his neck.
Robert reached up to wipe it.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid that filled the veins of the energy-controlled puppets.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” that had been standing back-to-back with him had also lost its head without him noticing.
Cold sweat instantly drenched Robert’s body. Two energy-controlled puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy technique couldn’t even sense the other’s presence!
Is this guy even human?! For the first time, a thought that filled Robert with dread emerged in his mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s tactics, Zhang Wen was skillfully hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements while carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t immediately taken Robert down not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert’s intent to kill Carlet and the others, he had used the extremely energy-consuming Ghost Steps to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest combat energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their confrontation, Zhang Wen’s combat energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining combat energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps for long, so he had to rely on short bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but instead used his two energy-controlled puppets to carefully defend and force Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his superhuman senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly defeat Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He had effortlessly taken down Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Now, all he needed to do was adjust his state and wait for Robert to show a slight opening, and he could deliver the final blow.
The already disoriented Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged.
“I’m going to die.”
With this thought, familiar faces flashed before Carlet’s eyes, finally settling on a mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter the name of that person, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smile from her memories actually appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” In her disoriented state, Carlet thought she had ascended to the heavenly realm of ancient myths. However, a teasing male voice quickly brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face firmly.
“Huh? Mr. Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like you’re fine,” Zhang Wen said with a smirk.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Wait, I’m fine?!” Carlet remained dazed for a moment before her eyes widened in surprise. “Mr. Zhang… how did you get here?”
“I came with Ms. Lenoa. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, so no harm done,” Zhang Wen said, patting Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Yeah!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, she quickly remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Mr. Zhang, Ms. Lenoa is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Ms. Lenoa is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Mr. Robert over there is a spy for the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How did you know?” Robert’s expression shifted uneasily as he questioned Zhang Wen.
“Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on my way here, from listening to your conversations.”
“Listening to us? Ah! You bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Lenoa exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you’ve indeed been careless. To reveal a flaw in front of an outsider. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert sneered at Lenoa before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Well, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Ms. Lenoa’s acting was quite good. I didn’t notice any flaws,” Zhang Wen said with a shrug. “However, during her fight with Xiao Xi, I noticed something puzzling. Ms. Lenoa clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was truly as she stated in my apartment—to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist—why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically seeking my help? After spotting this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Lenoa insisted on leaving your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and even clapped his hands.
“Although you’ve uncovered this woman’s motives and identity, you still don’t fully understand why she was willing to risk exposing her plan to bring you here, do you?”
“I can guess a bit. Probably because Lenoa needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Realm’s overlord, Crassus, was still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re clever, and you’ve guessed part of her motive. But the real reason is different. Let me tell you the true reason she wanted you here! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental planet. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So her primary goal in bringing you here was to ensure your death, Andrei Stan of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying gasp, sent shivers down the spines of everyone who heard it.
“Andrei Stan.” The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she had admired and respected had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. The drastic shift left Carlet utterly disoriented.
However, in that very moment, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Mr. Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen, however, smiled faintly and, as if prepared, struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet disintegrated into a shower of sparks upon contact with his fist and vanished. Despite the failure of his sneak attack, Robert showed no sign of tension. Instead, he grinned eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I initially thought we were both being used by that wretched woman, so I considered letting you go. Unfortunately, you chose to walk straight into hell. But since you’re here, I might as well help Lenoa fulfill her wish. Perhaps she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next phase of her training easier?” Robert’s sinister laughter echoed as he slowly spread his arms.
“Haha, you sure talk a lot. Are you getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly erupted into the sky from the distant horizon. Following it, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
At the sight of the two energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, momentarily showed a flicker of fear.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, it seems we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Realm overlord, despite Lenoa’s half-year preparation, is just a corpse puppet, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it won’t last more than a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how furious he’ll be when that happens. So, before the ‘King’ returns, I’ll send you to your death!”
With a sharp, piercing cry of “Die!”, Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. Simultaneously, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two ghosts unleashed the same white energy beams they had used to suppress Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed to form a massive “X,” bearing down on Zhang Wen with a deafening screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s possible movements and the final two ghosts launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks was unleashed!
“Got him!” As the six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen and the ghosts’ “Energy Seal” descended unimpeded upon his head, Robert let out a triumphant roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a brief moment before he realized something was amiss. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the ghosts’ “Energy Seal,” there was nothing at all!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert frantically scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was the dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body hitting the ground made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. To his horror, he discovered that one of his two ghosts had somehow lost its head!
Damn it! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a Federation spy, Robert had faced countless martial artists of various types in his lifetime. He knew that many speed-based fighters liked to attack and then immediately conceal their positions to instill fear in their opponents.
Inexperienced fighters often panicked and made mistakes when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so easily rattled.
The moment he realized Zhang Wen was a speed-based fighter, he forced himself to stay calm, swiftly moving to the side of his remaining energy-controlled puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated the combat energy within him, using his most adept energy-sensing technique to locate Zhang Wen.
But Robert’s sensing yielded… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or never existed in the first place!
What the hell is going on? Robert roared inwardly, his anxiety mounting, when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt an uncomfortable wetness around his neck.
Robert reached up to touch it.
A sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid that filled the veins of his energy-controlled puppets.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” that had been standing behind him had, without his noticing, lost its head.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Two of his energy-controlled puppets had been decapitated, yet he still had no idea where his opponent was! His energy-sensing couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all!
Is this guy even human?! For the first time, a thought that filled Robert with dread surfaced in his mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s tactics, Zhang Wen himself was skillfully hidden behind a bush, observing Robert’s movements while carefully regulating his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t immediately taken him down not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Lenoa. Moreover, when he realized Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had used his energy-draining Ghost Steps repeatedly to rush to the scene.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest combat energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their fight, Zhang Wen’s energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps, so he had to resort to short, rapid bursts for his attacks.
In fact, Robert’s suggestion to end the battle quickly was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate assault on Zhang Wen but instead used his two energy-controlled puppets to defend carefully and force Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique allowed him to evade Robert’s energy-sensing entirely. In this terrain filled with towering trees and dense bushes, with its complex layout and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could maximize his superhuman senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly defeat Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He had effortlessly taken out Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Now, all he needed to do was adjust his state and wait for Robert to make a mistake, and he could deliver the final blow.
Robert, already mentally shaken, didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged.
I’m going to die.
Thinking this, Carlet saw familiar faces flash before her eyes, finally settling on a seemingly mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter that person’s name, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling memory appear before her. He bravely blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
Am I dead? In her confused state, Carlet thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Huh? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like nothing serious.” Zhang Wen smiled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Wait? I’m fine?!” Carlet was dazed for a moment, then her eyes widened cutely, “Te… Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way, so I’m a bit late. But I made it just in time, safe and sound.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Mm!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl soon remembered something and frantically wiped away her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a spy for the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How do you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Ha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on my way here by listening to your conversation.”
“Listening to us? Ah! Bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing.
“So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you are indeed slow. You actually revealed a flaw in front of an amateur. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora and then asked Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile, “However, during her fight with Xiao Xi, I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has strength above the tenth level. If her goal was really just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-level martial artist, as she claimed in my apartment, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After noticing this inconsistency, I paid extra attention to her.”
“So, when Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. This way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped.
“Although you know this woman’s goal and identity, you probably still don’t fully understand why she risked exposing her plan to bring you here.”
“I can guess a bit. It’s likely that Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Clasus is still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Ha! You’re smart, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. However, the real reason is different. Her true purpose in bringing you here is to let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So her main goal in bringing you here is to have you die! Andrei Stan of Mithril!”
Robert laughed hysterically, his gasping laughter sending chills down everyone’s spine.
Andrei Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she respected and admired had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change almost left Carlet dizzy.
However, in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly and, as if prepared, struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet, touched by Zhang Wen’s fist, quickly dissipated into stardust and vanished. Although Robert’s sneak attack failed, he showed no tension and instead grinned eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I originally thought you and I were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you go. Unfortunately, you insisted on charging into hell. But since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next training process easier?” Robert sneered coldly, slowly spreading his arms.
“Ha, you sure talk a lot. Are you too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Immediately after, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the dazzling light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate nearby paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, showed a flash of fear on his face.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, it seems we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, though Linora spent half a year preparing it, is still just a puppet made from a corpse, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be then. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two “ghosts” shot out the same white beams used earlier by the six ghosts to suppress Agate. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X,” descending with a piercing screech towards Zhang Wen.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movement paths and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had completely sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks fully unfolded.
“Got it!” Watching the six energy cannons explode around Zhang Wen and the “sealing technique” of the two ghosts pressing down on Zhang Wen’s head without obstruction, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a brief moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “sealing technique” of the two ghosts, there was nothing!
How is this possible?! Robert widened his eyes in disbelief. Where did Zhang Wen go? The next moment, Robert quickly scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body falling made Robert hurriedly turn his gaze back. Then, to his horror, he found that one of his two “ghosts” had lost its head at some point!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a Federation spy, Robert had faced countless martial artists of various types in his life. He knew that many speed-type martial artists liked to attack and hide their positions simultaneously to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced martial artists would quickly panic and expose flaws when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so incompetent.
Realizing Zhang Wen was a speed-type martial artist, he immediately forced himself to calm down, moving to the side of the other mind-controlled puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated his combat energy, using his most adept mind technique to sense Zhang Wen’s location.
However, Robert’s sensing result was… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t sense Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or never existed!
What is going on? Robert was anxiously roaring in his mind when he suddenly felt a cold breeze pass by his head. Then, Robert felt something wet and uncomfortable on his neck.
Robert wiped it.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the blood vessels of the mind-controlled puppet.
Robert’s eyes widened as if electrocuted. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” he had been leaning against had lost its head without him noticing.
Cold sweat instantly soaked Robert’s body. Two mind-controlled puppets had been decapitated, yet he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His mind technique couldn’t even sense the opponent’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, Robert’s mind was filled with a terrifying thought.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen cleverly hid behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, not finishing Robert off immediately wasn’t because Zhang Wen wanted to play tricks. It was because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he realized Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had used the energy-draining Ghost Steps to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest combat energy couldn’t withstand continuous consumption. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their confrontation, Zhang Wen’s combat energy was already nearly depleted.
The remaining combat energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to maintain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps, so he had to use short bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but instead used his two mind-controlled puppets to carefully defend and force Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with mind techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his superhuman senses and ghostly speed and agility. Robert’s attempt to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He easily dealt with Robert’s two mind-controlled puppets. Next, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to reveal a slight flaw to deliver a decisive blow.
The already mentally shaken Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After being paranoid for a moment, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged: “I’m going to die.” Carlet thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a somewhat mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter the name of that person, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling face from her memories actually appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her. Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” The disoriented Carlet thought she had ascended to the heavenly realm of ancient myths. However, the teasing voice of a man once again called the little angel back to the mortal world.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like nothing serious happened.” Zhang Wen smiled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Huh? I’m fine?!” Carlet remained confused for a while, then suddenly widened her eyes in surprise. “Tea… Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linoya. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived a bit late. But I made it just in time, safe and sound.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Mm!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl soon remembered something and frantically wiped away her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linoya is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linoya is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How did you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here, from listening to your conversation.”
“Listening to us? Ah! Damn it! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linoya exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you’ve indeed become slow. To reveal a flaw in front of an outsider. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linoya a few times before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linoya’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile. “However, during her fight with Xiao Xi, I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linoya clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was truly as she stated in my apartment—to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist—why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After noticing this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linoya asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. No matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped his hands.
“Although you know this woman’s intentions and identity, you probably still don’t fully understand why she was willing to risk exposing her plan to bring you here.”
“I can guess a bit. It’s likely that Linoya needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Realm’s overlord, Crassus, was still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re clever, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. The true reason she wanted you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Farah died in the battle where the Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So the main reason she brought you here was to ensure your death! Andrei Stan of Mithril!”
Robert laughed maniacally, his hysterical laughter sending chills down everyone’s spine.
“Andrei Stan.” The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she had respected and admired had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and ruthlessness. The drastic change nearly overwhelmed her.
However, in that very moment, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly, his right fist already prepared. The half-formed energy bullet disintegrated into a shower of sparks upon contact with his fist, vanishing into thin air. Though Robert’s sneak attack had failed, he showed no sign of panic, instead grinning eerily.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, I originally thought you and I were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you off. Unfortunately, you insisted on charging headfirst into hell. But since you’re here, I might as well help Linoya fulfill one of her wishes. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next stage of her training easier?” Robert sneered coldly, slowly spreading his arms.
“Haha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up into the sky from the distant horizon. Immediately after, a silver dragon-like energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
At the sight of the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, showed a flicker of fear on his face.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, it seems we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Realm overlord, despite Linoya’s half-year preparation, is still just a puppet made from a corpse, a hollow shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how furious he’ll be when that happens. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing cry of “Die!”, Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like machine guns. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two “ghosts” fired the same white energy beams they had used to suppress Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed to form a massive “X,” descending upon Zhang Wen with a deafening screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s possible movements and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen’s victory the moment this wave of attacks began.
“Got him!” Seeing all six energy cannons explode around Zhang Wen and the “Energy Seal” from the two ghosts pressing down on his head without obstruction, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a brief moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “Energy Seal” cast by the two ghosts, there was nothing at all!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert frantically scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was the dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body hitting the ground made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. To his horror, he found that one of his two “ghosts” had somehow lost its head!
Damn it! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a Federation secret agent, Robert had faced countless martial artists of various types in his life. He knew that many speed-based martial artists liked to attack and then hide their positions to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced martial artists would panic and reveal flaws when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so easily rattled.
The moment he realized Zhang Wen was a speed-based martial artist, he forced himself to calm down, swiftly moving to the side of his other energy-controlled puppet, standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated the energy within him, using his most proficient energy sensing technique to locate Zhang Wen.
However, Robert’s sensing yielded… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t sense Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or had never existed!
What the hell is going on? Robert was seething with anxiety when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt a wet, uncomfortable sensation on his neck.
Robert wiped it with his hand.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the veins of the energy-controlled puppet.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” that had been standing behind him had lost its head without him noticing.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Two energy-controlled puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect the other’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, a thought that filled him with dread emerged in Robert’s mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen himself was cleverly hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements while carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t immediately finished him off, not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Linoya. Moreover, when he heard Robert’s intent to kill Carlet and the others, he had used his energy-draining Ghost Steps to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their confrontation, Zhang Wen’s energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps, so he had to resort to short, rapid bursts for his attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but had instead carefully utilized his two energy-controlled puppets, forcing Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could maximize his extraordinary senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He effortlessly dealt with Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Now, all he needed was to adjust his state and wait for Robert to reveal a slight flaw to deliver a decisive blow.
The already disoriented Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged: “I’m going to die.” Carlet thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter that person’s name, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her haze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling memory appear before her. He bravely blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her. Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” Dazed, Carlet thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like you’re fine.” Zhang Wen smiled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Wait, I’m fine?!” Carlet was confused for a moment, then her eyes widened adorably. “Te-Teacher Zhang, why are you here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, no harm done.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Yeah!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, she quickly remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Princess Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How do you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he questioned Zhang Wen.
“Ha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here, from what you all said.”
“From what we said? Ah! Bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Princess, it seems you were indeed slow. You let your guard down in front of an amateur. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora and then turned to Zhang Wen.
“Heh, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I didn’t notice anything amiss.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile. “It was only during her fight with Xiao Xi that I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was really just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, as she claimed in my apartment, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So, when Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert finished, clapping with laughter.
“Although you know this woman’s intentions and identity, you’re still not entirely clear on why she was willing to risk exposing her plan to bring you here, right?”
“I can guess a bit. It’s probably because Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Crassus is still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Ha! You’re clever, and you’ve guessed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. Her true purpose in bringing you here is to let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Farah died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So her main goal in bringing you here is to see you dead, Andrei Stan of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying man’s, sent shivers down everyone’s spines.
“Andrei Stan.” The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she respected and admired had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change nearly overwhelmed Carlet.
However, in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert was secretly gathering a dark blue combat energy in his left hand behind his back. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly, as if prepared, and struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet disintegrated into stardust upon contact with his fist, vanishing. Although Robert’s sneak attack failed, he showed no sign of tension. Instead, he smiled eerily.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you go. Unfortunately, you insisted on charging into hell. But since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next training session easier?” Robert sneered, slowly spreading his arms.
“Ha, you sure talk a lot. Are you getting too excited?” Zhang Wen retorted with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Immediately after, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, showed a flicker of fear on his face.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, it seems we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, which took Linora half a year to prepare, is just a puppet made from a corpse, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be when that happens. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two “ghosts” fired the same white energy beams they had used to suppress Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X,” screeching as they bore down on Zhang Wen.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movement paths and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had completely sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen winning in that instant.
“Got him!” Seeing the six energy cannons explode around Zhang Wen and the “Energy Seal” from the two ghosts bearing down on him without obstruction, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that the “Energy Seal” from the two ghosts was pressing down on empty air!
How is this possible?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where did Zhang Wen go? The next moment, Robert frantically looked around. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body falling made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. Then, he discovered in horror that one of his two “ghosts” had lost its head!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a Federation secret agent, Robert had faced countless martial artists of all kinds. He knew that many speed-type fighters liked to attack and then hide their positions to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced fighters would panic and expose their weaknesses when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so easily rattled.
Realizing Zhang Wen was a speed-type fighter, he immediately forced himself to calm down, moving to the side of his other energy-controlled puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated his combat energy, using his expertise in energy sensing to locate Zhang Wen.
But Robert’s sensing yielded nothing. Within a hundred-meter radius, he couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or never existed!
What is going on? Robert was frantically roaring in his mind when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt something wet and uncomfortable on his neck.
Robert reached up to touch it.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the blood vessels of his energy-controlled puppet.
Robert’s eyes widened as if electrocuted. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” he had been leaning against had also lost its head.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Two energy-controlled puppets had been beheaded, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, Robert felt a terrifying thought emerge in his mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen was cleverly hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t immediately finished him off, not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert’s intent to kill Carlet and the others, he had used the energy-draining Ghost Steps to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their fight, Zhang Wen’s energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps, so he had to rely on short bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but instead used his two energy-controlled puppets to defend carefully, forcing Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Art, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this forest filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his heightened senses and ghostly speed and agility. Robert’s attempt to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He had easily dealt with Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Now, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to show a slight opening to deliver the final blow.
The already distraught Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged: “I’m going to die.” Carlet thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a somewhat mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter that person’s name, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling memory appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her. Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds. “Am I dead?” she wondered hazily, thinking she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously. “Huh? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name. “Oh! Looks like you’re fine,” Zhang Wen said with a smirk. “Yeah, I’m fine… Wait, I’m fine?!” Carlet blinked in confusion for a moment, then her eyes widened in surprise. “Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, no harm done,” Zhang Wen said, patting Carlet’s head. “Mm!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, she quickly remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is—”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know. Teacher Linora is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a spy for the Federation. Am I correct?” “How did you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he questioned Zhang Wen. “Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here, from your own conversations.”
“From our conversations? Ah! You bastard! You tampered with the badge you gave me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth. “So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you’ve indeed been careless. To reveal a flaw in front of an outsider. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora before turning to Zhang Wen. “Well, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I didn’t notice any flaws,” Zhang Wen said with a shrug. “It was only during her fight with Xiao Xi that I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was really just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, as she claimed in my apartment, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So, when Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert said, laughing and clapping. “You may know this woman’s motives and identity, but you’re still unclear about why she risked exposing her plan to bring you here, aren’t you?”
“I can guess a bit. It’s probably because Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Clasus was still alive, and your decoy plan would succeed.” “Haha! You’re clever, and you’ve guessed part of her motive. But the real reason is different. The true reason she wanted you here is that her teacher, Anna Fara, died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental planet. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So, her main goal in bringing you here was to ensure your death! Andrei Stan of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying gasp, sent shivers down everyone’s spines. The name “Andrei Stan,” roared by Robert, left Carlet stunned once more. The person she had admired and respected had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and ruthlessness. The drastic change left Carlet reeling.
However, in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed. Exposed, Robert simply snorted and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly and, as if prepared, struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet disintegrated into a shower of sparks and vanished. Though Robert’s sneak attack had failed, he showed no sign of nervousness and instead grinned eerily. “Heh! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you go. But you just had to walk into hell yourself. Well, since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill her wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next steps easier?” Robert sneered, slowly spreading his arms.
“Haha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen retorted with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Following it, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver pillar, also soaring into the sky. Under the blinding light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, showed a flicker of fear. “Heh! Zhang Wen, looks like we need to finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, which took Linora half a year to prepare, is just a puppet made from a corpse, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it won’t last more than a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be when that happens. So, before the King returns, you’ll have to die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen. As they burst out, the two ghosts fired the same white energy beams they had used to suppress Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X,” screeching as they bore down on Zhang Wen.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movement paths and the final two ghosts launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed off all possibilities for Zhang Wen to win the moment this wave of attacks fully unfolded.
“Got him!” Robert roared in excitement as the six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen and the ghosts’ “Energy Seal” pressed down on him without resistance.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he saw that the area beneath the ghosts’ “Energy Seal” was completely empty!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert frantically scanned his surroundings, but all he could see was the dark forest.
Thud! The sound of a body hitting the ground made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. To his horror, he saw that one of his two “ghosts” had lost its head without him noticing!
Damn it! Robert gritted his teeth.
As a Federation spy, Robert had faced countless martial artists in his life. He knew that many speed-type fighters liked to attack and then hide their positions to instill fear in their opponents. Inexperienced fighters often panicked and made mistakes when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so easily rattled.
Realizing Zhang Wen was a speed-type fighter, Robert immediately forced himself to calm down. He swiftly moved to the side of his remaining energy-controlled puppet, standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated his combat energy, using his most skilled energy sensing technique to locate Zhang Wen.
But Robert’s sensing yielded nothing. Within a hundred-meter radius, he couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all. It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or never existed!
What the hell is going on? Robert was inwardly raging with anxiety when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt something wet and uncomfortable on his neck.
Robert reached up to touch it.
A sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the blood vessels of his energy-controlled puppet.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” he had been leaning against had also lost its head without him noticing.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Both of his energy-controlled puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence!
Is this guy even human?! For the first time, a thought that filled Robert with dread emerged in his mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen was skillfully hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t immediately finished him off, not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert’s intent to kill Carlet and the others, he had used his energy-draining Ghost Steps to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their confrontation, Zhang Wen’s energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps, so he had to resort to short bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but had instead carefully used his two energy-controlled puppets to defend and force Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Art, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his superhuman senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He had easily dealt with Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Now, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to make a mistake to deliver the final blow.
The already disoriented Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, glowing energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carrie’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged: “I’m going to die.” Carrie thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a slightly mischievous yet tender smile. Before she could utter the name of that person, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her haze, Carrie seemed to see the owner of that smile from her memories actually appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her. Next, Carrie felt as if she were soaring through the clouds. “Am I dead?” she wondered, half-conscious, thinking she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carrie, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carrie on the ground and patted her face vigorously. “Huh? Mr. Zhang?” Carrie groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name. “Oh! Looks like you’re fine,” Zhang Wen said with a smirk. “Yeah, I’m fine… Wait, I’m fine?!” Carrie blinked in confusion for a moment, then her eyes widened in surprise. “Mr. Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I followed Ms. Lenora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, no harm done,” Zhang Wen said, patting Carrie’s head with a smile. “Yeah!” Carrie nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, she quickly remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Mr. Zhang, Ms. Lenora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Ms. Lenora is the Soul Princess Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Mr. Robert over there is a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How did you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he questioned Zhang Wen. “Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on my way here, from listening to your conversation.”
“Listening to us? Ah! You bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Lenora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth. “So that’s it! Soul Princess, it seems you’ve indeed become slow. You actually let an amateur catch you off guard. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert sneered at Lenora before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Well, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Ms. Lenora’s acting was quite good. I didn’t notice anything suspicious either,” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile. “It was only during her fight with Xiao Xi that I noticed something puzzling. Ms. Lenora clearly has strength beyond the tenth level. If her goal was truly as she claimed in my apartment—to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-level martial artist—why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I decided to keep a closer eye on her.”
“So, when Lenora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a tampered badge and followed her from a distance. That way, no matter what her intentions were, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped his hands.
“Although you know this woman’s purpose and identity, you still don’t fully understand why she was willing to risk exposing her plan to bring you here, do you?”
“I can guess a bit. Probably because Lenora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Clasus was still alive, and your decoy plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re smart, and you’ve guessed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. The true reason she wanted you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Farah died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So, the main reason she brought you here was to ensure your death, Andrei Stan of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying gasp, sent chills down everyone’s spines. The name “Andrei Stan,” roared by Robert, left Carrie stunned. The person she had admired and respected had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and ruthlessness. The shock was almost too much for her to bear.
However, in that instant, Carrie suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue energy. “Mr. Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carrie screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen smiled faintly and, as if prepared, struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet disintegrated into a shower of sparks and vanished. Despite the failed sneak attack, Robert showed no sign of panic and instead grinned eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I originally thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you go. But you just had to walk into hell yourself. Well, since you’re here, I might as well help Lenora fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next phase of her training easier?” Robert sneered, slowly spreading his arms.
“Haha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen retorted with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up into the sky from the distant horizon. Following it, a silver dragon-like energy spiraled around the silver pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, showed a flicker of fear on his face.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, it seems we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, though it took Lenora half a year to prepare, is just a corpse puppet, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it won’t last more than a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be when that happens. So, before the King returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst out of the forest, the two ghosts fired the same white energy beams they had used to suppress Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X,” screeching as they bore down on Zhang Wen.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movements and the two ghosts launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed off any chance of Zhang Wen winning in that moment.
“Got you!” Robert roared in excitement as the six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen, and the ghosts’ “Energy Seal” pressed down on him without resistance.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he saw that the area under the ghosts’ “Energy Seal” was completely empty!
How is this possible?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where did Zhang Wen go? He quickly scanned his surroundings, but all he could see was the dark forest.
Thud! The sound of a body hitting the ground made Robert turn his gaze back. To his horror, one of his ghosts had lost its head without him noticing!
Damn it! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a Federation secret agent, Robert had faced countless martial artists in his life. He knew that many speed-type fighters liked to attack and then hide their positions to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced fighters would panic and make mistakes when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so easily rattled.
Realizing Zhang Wen was a speed-type fighter, Robert forced himself to stay calm. He quickly moved to the side of his remaining energy puppet, standing back-to-back with it. Then, he activated his energy senses, using his expertise in energy manipulation to locate Zhang Wen.
But Robert’s senses found nothing. Within a hundred-meter radius, he couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all. It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or never existed!
What the hell is going on? Robert was seething with anxiety when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt something wet and sticky on his neck.
Robert wiped it.
The sticky, slightly sour liquid—nutrient fluid from the energy puppet’s veins.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around and saw that the ghost behind him had also lost its head.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Both energy puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy senses couldn’t detect Zhang Wen at all!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, Robert felt a deep, chilling fear.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s tactics, Zhang Wen was cleverly hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t immediately taken him down not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Lenora. Moreover, when he realized Robert intended to kill Carrie and the others, he had used his energy-draining Ghost Steps to rush to their aid.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly engaged in combat, Zhang Wen’s energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps, so he had to rely on brief bursts of speed for his attacks.
In fact, Robert’s call for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but instead used his two energy puppets to defend carefully and force Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy manipulation. In this dense forest filled with giant trees and bushes, with its complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his heightened senses and ghostly speed and agility. Robert’s attempt to quickly defeat Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He effortlessly took down Robert’s two energy puppets. Now, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to make a mistake to deliver the final blow.
The already disoriented Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carrie, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carrie’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged.
“I’m going to die.”
Thinking this, Carrie’s vision filled with familiar faces, finally settling on a somewhat mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter the name of that person, the despairing girl’s eyes blurred with tears of longing and reluctance.
In her daze, Carrie seemed to see the owner of that smiling memory appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carrie felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” The disoriented Carrie thought she had ascended to the heavenly realm of ancient myths. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carrie, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carrie on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carrie groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like nothing serious.” Zhang Wen smiled and pursed his lips.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Huh? Fine?!” Carrie remained confused for a while, then widened her eyes adorably, “Tea… Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived a bit late. But I made it just in time, safe and sound.” Zhang Wen patted Carrie’s head with a smile.
“Mm!” Carrie nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl soon remembered something, frantically wiping away her tears and shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“No need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a secret agent of the Federation. Am I correct?”
“How did you know?” Robert’s face fluctuated as he retorted at Zhang Wen.
“Haha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned about your true identity on the way here, from what you all said.”
“From what we said? Ah! Bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you’ve indeed been slow. To reveal a flaw in front of an outsider. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora a few times before asking Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile, “However, during her battle with Xiao Xi, I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was truly as she stated in my apartment, just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. No matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert finished, actually laughing and clapping.
“Although you know this woman’s intentions and identity, you’re still not entirely clear on why she risked exposing her plan to bring you here, right?”
“I can guess a bit. Probably, Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Crassus is still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Haha! You’re clever, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. However, the real reason isn’t that. The true reason she wanted you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where the Ruby attacked the Federation’s experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher no matter what! So her main goal in bringing you here was to have you die! The Silver’s Andre Stein!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying gasp, once again sent chills down the spines of all who heard it.
Andre Stein. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carrie stunned once more. The person she respected and admired had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change nearly overwhelmed Carrie.
However, in that instant, Carrie suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carrie screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly, as if prepared, and struck out with his right fist. The half-formed energy bullet, touched by Zhang Wen’s fist, quickly dissipated into a shower of sparks and vanished. Although Robert’s sneak attack failed, he showed no sign of nervousness, instead grinning eerily.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, I originally thought you and I were both being used by that bitch, so I was planning to let you go. Unfortunately, you insisted on charging into hell. But since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill a wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next training process a bit easier?” Robert sneered coldly, slowly spreading his arms.
“Ha, you sure talk a lot, getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down and preparing for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Immediately after, a silver dragon-like combat energy, as if climbing the pillar, spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the dazzling light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate nearby paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, showed a flicker of fear on his face.
“Heh heh! Zhang Wen, looks like we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, though Linora spent half a year preparing it, is still just a puppet made from a corpse, a hollow shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. How furious he’ll be, I don’t want to know. So, before the ‘King’ returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert suddenly widened his eyes. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. At the same time, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two “ghosts” shot out the same white beams used earlier by the six ghosts to suppress Agate. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X,” descending upon Zhang Wen with a shrill scream.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movement paths and the final two “ghosts” launching a sneak attack, Robert had completely sealed off any possibility of Zhang Wen’s victory in this wave of attacks!
“Got him!” Watching as all six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen and the two ghosts’ “energy seal” pressed down unimpeded on Zhang Wen’s head, Robert let out an excited roar.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a brief moment before he realized something was amiss. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the “energy seal” cast by the two ghosts, there was nothing!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert quickly scanned his surroundings. But all he could see was a dark, dense forest.
Thud! The sound of a body falling made Robert hurriedly turn his gaze back. Then, to his horror, he discovered that one of his two “ghosts,” the one on the left, had somehow lost its head!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a secret agent of the Federation, Robert had faced countless martial artists of various types in his life. He knew that many speed-type martial artists liked to attack and hide their positions simultaneously, creating terror in their opponents.
Many inexperienced martial artists, encountering such opponents, would quickly panic and expose flaws. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so incompetent.
The moment he realized Zhang Wen was a speed-type martial artist, he forced himself to calm down, swiftly moving to the side of the other energy-controlled puppet, standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated the combat energy within him, using his most adept energy sensing technique to locate Zhang Wen.
However, Robert’s sensing result was… nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius around him, Robert could not sense Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air, or perhaps had never existed!
What on earth is going on? Robert was frantically roaring in his mind when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, Robert felt an uncomfortable wetness on his neck.
Robert wiped it with his hand.
Sticky, somewhat sour-smelling liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the blood vessels of the energy-controlled puppet.
Robert’s eyes widened as if electrocuted. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the “ghost” that had been standing back-to-back with him had, without him noticing, lost its head.
Cold sweat instantly soaked Robert’s body. Two energy-controlled puppets had been beheaded, yet he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect the opponent’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, a thought that filled him with dread emerged in Robert’s mind.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen skillfully hid behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements while carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, not finishing Robert off immediately wasn’t because Zhang Wen wanted to play tricks. It was because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert intended to kill Carrie and the others, he had to use the energy-draining Ghost Steps continuously to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest combat energy couldn’t withstand continuous consumption. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their confrontation, Zhang Wen’s combat energy was already nearly depleted.
The remaining combat energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps continuously, so he could only use brief bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a life-threatening attack on Zhang Wen but instead used his two energy-controlled puppets to defend carefully, forcing Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique combat energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could maximize his extraordinary senses and ghostly speed and agility. For Robert to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of the battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He effortlessly dealt with Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Next, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to show a slight flaw to deliver a decisive blow.
The already mentally shaken Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carrie, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, shimmering energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged: “I’m going to die.”
Thinking this, Carlet’s vision filled with familiar faces, finally settling on a seemingly mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter that person’s name, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her eyes.
In her daze, Carlet thought she saw the owner of that smiling memory appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her.
Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” The disoriented Carlet thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Teacher Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like you’re fine.” Zhang Wen smiled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Huh? Fine?!” Carlet remained confused for a while, then her eyes widened in surprise, “Tea… Teacher Zhang, how did you get here?”
“I came with Teacher Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived late. But I made it just in time, safe and sound.” Zhang Wen patted Carlet’s head with a smile.
“Mm!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl soon remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Teacher Zhang, Teacher Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Teacher Linora is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Teacher Robert over there is a federal spy. Am I correct?”
“How did you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Ha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here, from what you all said.”
“From what we said? Ah! You bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing the truth.
“So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you’ve indeed been slow. You let an amateur see through you. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora before turning to Zhang Wen.
“Well, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Teacher Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws.” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile, “However, during her fight with Xiao Xi, I noticed something puzzling. Teacher Linora clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was really just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist, as she claimed in my apartment, why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. No matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped.
“Although you know this woman’s intentions and identity, you’re still unclear why she risked exposing her plan to bring you here, right?”
“I can guess a bit. Probably, Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Clasus was still alive, and your decoy plan would succeed.”
“Ha! You’re clever, and you’ve guessed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. Her true purpose in bringing you here is to let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where your Ruby attacked the federal experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So her main goal in bringing you here is to make sure you die! Andrei Stan of Mithril!”
Robert’s hysterical laughter, like a dying man’s, sent shivers down everyone’s spines.
Andrei Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned once more. The person she respected and admired had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change nearly overwhelmed Carlet.
However, in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Teacher Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert simply snorted and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly, his right fist already prepared. The half-formed energy bullet dissipated into stardust upon contact with his fist. However, despite the failed sneak attack, Robert showed no sign of tension, instead grinning eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was going to let you go. Unfortunately, you chose to walk into hell yourself. But since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill her wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next training process easier?” Robert sneered, slowly spreading his arms.
“Ha, you sure talk a lot. Are you too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down, ready for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Following it, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver energy pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, flashed a hint of fear on his face.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, it seems we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, despite Linora’s half-year preparation, is just a corpse puppet, an empty shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be then. So, before the King returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing continuously at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. Simultaneously, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two ghosts fired the same white energy beams they had used to suppress Agate earlier. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X,” bearing down on Zhang Wen with a deafening screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movements and the final two ghosts launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed all possible paths for Zhang Wen’s victory in this wave of assault.
“Got him!” Robert roared in excitement as the six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen, and the ghosts’ “Energy Seal” pressed down on his head without hindrance.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the ghosts’ “Energy Seal,” there was nothing!
How could this be?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where had Zhang Wen gone? The next moment, Robert frantically scanned his surroundings, but all he saw was the dark forest.
Thud! The sound of a body falling made Robert quickly turn his gaze back. To his horror, he found that one of his two ghosts had lost its head!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a federal spy, Robert had faced countless martial artists in his life. He knew that many speed-type fighters liked to attack and hide their positions simultaneously to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced fighters would panic and expose their weaknesses when facing such opponents. However, the battle-hardened Robert was not so easily shaken.
Realizing Zhang Wen was a speed-type fighter, Robert immediately forced himself to calm down, darting to the side of his remaining energy puppet and standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert once again activated his combat energy, using his most adept energy sensing to locate Zhang Wen.
However, Robert’s sensing yielded nothing! Within a hundred-meter radius, Robert couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all! It was as if he had vanished into thin air or never existed!
What the hell is going on? Robert was frantically roaring in his mind when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt something wet and uncomfortable on his neck.
Robert wiped it.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the energy puppet’s blood vessels.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around in terror. Sure enough, the ghost behind him had also lost its head.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Two energy puppets had been decapitated, yet he still couldn’t figure out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect the other’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, Robert’s mind was filled with a terrifying thought.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s tactics, Zhang Wen himself was cleverly hidden behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, Zhang Wen hadn’t immediately finished him off, not because he wanted to play mind games, but because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. Moreover, when he heard Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had used his energy-draining Ghost Steps to rush over.
Although Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Combat Energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly began their confrontation, Zhang Wen’s energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps, so he had to resort to brief bursts of speed for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but instead carefully used his two energy puppets to defend and force Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Technique, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Combat Energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy detection. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his extraordinary senses and ghostly speed and agility. Robert’s attempt to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He effortlessly dealt with Robert’s two energy puppets. Next, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to reveal a slight weakness to deliver a decisive blow.
The already distraught Robert didn’t keep Zhang Wen waiting long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who was not far from him.
As the deadly, glowing energy bullet hurtled towards her, Carlet’s mind went blank in an instant. Then, a clear thought suddenly emerged: “I’m going to die.” Carlet thought this, and familiar faces flashed before her eyes, finally settling on a somewhat mischievous yet gentle smile. Before she could utter the name of that person, tears of despair, longing, and reluctance blurred her vision.
In her daze, Carlet seemed to see the owner of that smiling memory actually appear before her. He valiantly blocked the terrifying energy bullet and then embraced her. Next, Carlet felt as if she were soaring through the clouds.
“Ah! Am I dead?” Carlet, still disoriented, thought she had ascended to the mythical heavens. However, a teasing male voice brought the little angel back to earth.
“Carlet, wake up! Hey! Are you okay?” Zhang Wen placed Carlet on the ground and patted her face vigorously.
“Ah? Mr. Zhang?” Carlet groggily opened her eyes and mumbled his name.
“Oh! Looks like nothing serious happened,” Zhang Wen said with a smirk.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Wait, I’m fine?!” Carlet was dazed for a moment, then her eyes widened cutely, “Mr. Zhang… how did you get here?”
“I followed Ms. Linora. Sorry, I ran into a bit of trouble on the way and arrived a bit late. But I made it just in time, no harm done,” Zhang Wen said, patting Carlet’s head.
“Mm!” Carlet nodded vigorously, tears of joy streaming down her face. However, the girl quickly remembered something and frantically wiped her tears, shouting anxiously at Zhang Wen, “Mr. Zhang, Ms. Linora is…”
“You don’t need to say it. I already know everything. Ms. Linora is the Soul Maiden Eve of the Assembly, right? And that Mr. Robert over there is a federal spy. Am I correct?”
“How did you know?” Robert’s face darkened as he retorted.
“Ha! Robert, no need to overthink it. I only learned your true identity on the way here, from listening to your conversations.”
“Listening to us? Ah! Bastard! You tampered with the badge when you gave it to me!” Linora exclaimed, finally realizing.
“So that’s it! Soul Maiden, it seems you’ve indeed become slow. To reveal a flaw in front of an outsider. When did you start suspecting her?” Robert mocked Linora and then turned to Zhang Wen.
“Ha, Robert, you’re being a bit unfair to her. Actually, Ms. Linora’s acting was quite good. I never noticed any flaws,” Zhang Wen shrugged with a smile, “But during her fight with Xiao Xi, I noticed something puzzling. Ms. Linora clearly has the strength of a tenth-tier or higher. If her goal was truly as she said in my apartment—just to kill an ordinary seventh or eighth-tier martial artist—why would she risk exposing her plan by specifically asking me to join? After spotting this inconsistency, I kept a closer eye on her.”
“So that’s it! When Linora asked to leave your camp alone, you deliberately gave her a pre-tampered badge and followed her from a distance. No matter her intentions, she couldn’t escape your notice. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Robert laughed and clapped.
“Although you know this woman’s goals and identity, you still don’t fully understand why she risked exposing her plan to bring you here, do you?”
“I can guess a bit. Probably, Linora needed me to appear in the Sandra Forest. Only with my presence would the King truly believe that the Southern Overlord Clasus was still alive, and your diversion plan would succeed.”
“Ha! You’re smart, and what you guessed is indeed part of her goal. But the real reason isn’t that. The true reason she wanted you here, let me tell you! This woman, her teacher Anna Fara died in the battle where the Ruby attacked the federal experimental star. She hates you to the bone and wants to kill you to avenge her teacher! So the main reason she brought you here was to have you die! Andrei Stan of Mithril!”
Robert laughed maniacally, his hysterical laughter sending chills down everyone’s spine.
Andrei Stan. The name roared from Robert’s mouth left Carlet stunned. The person she admired and respected had suddenly become synonymous with cruelty and coldness. Such a drastic change left Carlet reeling.
However, in that instant, Carlet suddenly noticed that Robert’s left hand, hidden behind his back, was rapidly gathering a dark blue combat energy. “Mr. Zhang, watch out!” Without thinking, Carlet screamed.
Exposed, Robert snorted coldly and hurled the incomplete energy bullet at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen simply smiled, his right fist already prepared. The half-formed energy bullet dissipated into stardust upon contact with his fist, vanishing. Though Robert’s sneak attack failed, he showed no sign of tension, instead laughing eerily.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, I thought we were both being used by that bitch, so I was planning to let you go. But you had to walk right into hell. Well, since you’re here, I might as well help Linora fulfill her wish. Maybe she’ll be grateful for my help in avenging her, making the next steps easier?” Robert sneered, slowly spreading his arms.
“Ha, you sure talk a lot. Getting too excited?” Zhang Wen countered with a smile, crouching down, ready for battle.
Boom!
As Robert and Zhang Wen faced off, a terrifying golden energy pillar suddenly shot up from the distant horizon. Following it, a silver dragon-like combat energy spiraled around the silver pillar, also soaring into the clouds. Under the blinding light of the two terrifying energy pillars, the red energy pillar belonging to Agate paled in comparison.
Seeing the two terrifying energy pillars, Robert, who had seemed in control, showed a flicker of fear.
“Heh! Zhang Wen, looks like we should finish this quickly. See that battle over there? The ‘King’ has finally made his move. That fake Southern Overlord, though Linora spent half a year preparing it, is just a puppet made from a corpse, a hollow shell. In the King’s hands, it can last at most a minute or two. The King will soon realize he’s been deceived. I don’t want to know how angry he’ll be then. So, before the King returns, please die!”
With a sharp, piercing “die,” Robert’s eyes widened. In front of him, a row of over six energy cannons appeared, firing at Zhang Wen like a machine gun. Simultaneously, two “ghosts” emerged from the dense forest behind Zhang Wen.
As they burst from the forest, the two ghosts unleashed white energy beams, the same type used earlier to suppress Agate. This time, the two beams crossed into a massive “X,” bearing down on Zhang Wen with a shrill screech.
With the energy cannons suppressing all of Zhang Wen’s movement paths and the two ghosts launching a sneak attack, Robert had effectively sealed all possibilities of Zhang Wen’s victory in this wave of attacks.
“Got him!” Robert roared in excitement as the six energy cannons exploded around Zhang Wen, and the ghosts’ “Energy Seal” pressed down on him without hindrance.
However, Robert’s excitement lasted only a moment before he realized something was wrong. As the dust settled, he found that beneath the ghosts’ “Energy Seal,” there was nothing!
How is this possible?! Robert’s eyes widened in disbelief. Where did Zhang Wen go? He quickly scanned the surroundings, but all he saw was a dark forest.
Thud! The sound of a body falling made Robert turn his gaze back. To his horror, one of his two ghosts had lost its head!
Bastard! Robert clenched his teeth.
As a federal spy, Robert had faced countless martial artists in his life. He knew that many speed-type fighters liked to attack and hide their positions to instill fear in their opponents.
Many inexperienced fighters would panic and reveal flaws when facing such opponents. But Robert, a seasoned veteran, wouldn’t be so easily rattled.
Realizing Zhang Wen was a speed-type fighter, he forced himself to stay calm, moving to the side of the other energy-controlled puppet, standing back-to-back with it. Then, Robert activated his combat energy, using his expertise in energy sensing to locate Zhang Wen.
But Robert’s sensing yielded nothing. Within a hundred-meter radius, he couldn’t detect Zhang Wen’s presence at all. It was as if Zhang Wen had vanished into thin air or never existed!
What’s going on? Robert was seething with anxiety when he suddenly felt a cold breeze brush past his head. Then, he felt something wet and uncomfortable on his neck.
Robert wiped it.
Sticky, slightly sour liquid—the nutrient fluid filling the energy-controlled puppet’s blood vessels.
Robert’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around. Sure enough, the ghost behind him had lost its head.
Cold sweat drenched Robert’s body. Two energy-controlled puppets had been decapitated, and he still hadn’t figured out where his opponent was! His energy sensing couldn’t detect the other’s presence!
Is this guy human or a ghost?! For the first time, Robert felt a deep, chilling fear.
While Robert was being driven to paranoia by Zhang Wen’s attacks, Zhang Wen cleverly hid behind a bush, watching Robert’s movements and carefully adjusting his breathing.
In this battle with Robert, not finishing him off immediately wasn’t Zhang Wen trying to play tricks. It was because he had expended too much energy chasing Linora. And when he heard Robert intended to kill Carlet and the others, he had to use his energy-draining Ghost Steps to rush over.
Though Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy had been greatly enhanced by the Primordial Stone, even the strongest energy couldn’t withstand continuous depletion. By the time Zhang Wen and Robert truly clashed, his energy was already nearly exhausted.
The remaining energy in Zhang Wen’s body wasn’t enough to sustain the high-speed state of Ghost Steps, so he had to rely on short bursts for surprise attacks.
In fact, Robert’s request for a quick battle was exactly what Zhang Wen wanted!
If Robert hadn’t immediately launched a desperate attack on Zhang Wen but instead used his two energy-controlled puppets to defend carefully, forcing Zhang Wen into a battle of attrition, Zhang Wen might not have been able to defeat him. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the “King,” Robert made the wrong choice.
For Zhang Wen, who practiced the Spring Water Art, the Sandra Forest was like a battlefield tailor-made for him. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Art combat energy made it impossible for Robert to sense his presence with energy techniques. In this land filled with giant trees and bushes, with its extremely complex terrain and abundant cover, Zhang Wen could fully utilize his superhuman senses and ghostly speed and agility. Robert’s attempt to quickly finish Zhang Wen here was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The outcome of their battle was even more perfect than Zhang Wen had imagined. He easily dealt with Robert’s two energy-controlled puppets. Now, he just needed to adjust his state and wait for Robert to show a slight flaw to deliver the final blow.
The already distraught Robert didn’t make Zhang Wen wait long. After a moment of paranoia, Robert’s gaze fell on Carlet, who wasn’t far from him.
“Heh heh!” Robert sneered again with a sinister laugh. Suddenly turning his body, he charged fiercely toward Garret. Obviously, he intended to take Garret hostage to threaten Zhang Wen.
However, the moment Robert turned to attack Garret, his unguarded back was completely exposed to Zhang Wen. Naturally, Zhang Wen wouldn’t miss this perfect opportunity.
The Spring Water Combat Energy once again surged throughout his body. Like a ghost, Zhang Wen drifted from behind the bushes, silently pushing off the ground, and instantly appeared behind Robert.
Zhang Wen raised his right hand, channeling a faint amount of combat energy into the Mind Steel tightly gripped in his palm. The next moment, the Mind Steel emitted a faint red glow, rapidly elongating into a slender short-handled longsword. Without hesitation, Zhang Wen swung forward, and the sword silently lunged straight at Robert’s back.
However, just as Zhang Wen thrust his decisive strike toward Robert, Robert suddenly revealed a strange smile. He abruptly turned his head, and a barrier of Mind Energy instantly formed in front of him, perfectly blocking the sword Zhang Wen had thrust forward.
It turned out that Robert’s charge toward Garret had merely been bait he deliberately offered! In reality, Robert’s target had always been only one person—Zhang Wen hiding in the shadows.
Robert was well aware that Zhang Wen must be watching him from somewhere nearby that he couldn’t see. Given Zhang Wen’s ghostlike speed, there was absolutely no way he could capture a hostage in front of Zhang Wen. While pretending to lunge at Garret, Robert didn’t even glance at Garret once. He kept his full attention focused on the possibility of Zhang Wen appearing behind him at any moment!
It must be admitted—Robert truly deserved his reputation as an elite among federal secret agents. Even in a state of panic, he could still make the correct judgment.
Robert’s counterattack caught Zhang Wen off guard. However, with the Spring Water Combat Energy pushed to its limit, Zhang Wen couldn’t possibly retract the thrusting sword in time. In the brief moment before the sword touched the barrier—so short that even thinking was impossible—Zhang Wen’s combat instincts made a decision.
Although it seemed as if Zhang Wen had fallen into Robert’s trap, how much better off was Robert himself? His tactics were nothing more than desperate measures! Robert, exposed in the open, couldn’t predict from which direction Zhang Wen would attack. The Mind Barrier he erected was hastily formed and certainly wouldn’t possess much strength!
With this thought, Zhang Wen coldly snorted, channeling all his combat energy like a tide into the sword he had swung. Since the surprise attack had failed, he might as well launch a direct assault!
“Hehe!” Robert let out another sinister chuckle, his figure suddenly turning as he charged fiercely towards Calit. Clearly, he intended to take Calit hostage to use as leverage against Zhang Wen.
However, the moment Robert turned to pounce on Calit, his unguarded back was completely exposed to Zhang Wen. Of course, Zhang Wen wouldn’t miss such a golden opportunity.
The Spring Water Technique’s combat energy once again surged through his body, and Zhang Wen, like a ghost, floated out from behind the bushes. With a silent tap on the ground, he appeared behind Robert.
Zhang Wen raised his right hand, channeling a faint combat energy into the Nian Steel tightly gripped in his palm. In the next moment, the Nian Steel emitted a faint red light, rapidly elongating into a slender, short-handled sword. Without pause, Zhang Wen swung his hand forward, and the sword silently pierced towards Robert’s back.
But just as Zhang Wen thrust the fatal sword towards Robert, a strange smile suddenly appeared on Robert’s face. He abruptly turned around, and a barrier of psychic energy instantly formed in front of him, just in time to block Zhang Wen’s thrusting sword.
It turned out that Robert’s charge towards Calit was merely a deliberate decoy! In fact, Robert’s target had always been Zhang Wen, who was hiding in the shadows.
Robert was well aware that Zhang Wen must be watching him from somewhere nearby, unseen. And with Zhang Wen’s elusive speed, it was impossible for him to capture a hostage in front of Zhang Wen. While pretending to lunge at Calit, Robert didn’t even glance at Calit. He kept all his attention on Zhang Wen, who could appear behind him at any moment!
It must be admitted that Robert was indeed one of the top agents of the Federation. Even in a state of panic, he was still able to make the most accurate judgment.
Robert’s counterattack caught Zhang Wen off guard. However, with the Spring Water Technique’s combat energy at its peak, Zhang Wen had no time to retract the thrusting sword. In the brief moment before the sword hit the barrier, Zhang Wen’s combat instincts also made a judgment.
Although it seemed on the surface that Zhang Wen had fallen into Robert’s trap, how much better off was Robert? His scheme was merely a last resort! Being in the open, Robert couldn’t predict from which direction Zhang Wen would attack, and the psychic barrier he hastily erected wouldn’t be very strong!
With this thought, Zhang Wen snorted coldly, and all his combat energy surged like a tide into the sword he had swung. Since the sneak attack had failed, he might as well go for a full-on assault!
In the next instant, the sword in Zhang Wen’s hand flashed with a blinding white light, fiercely striking the dark blue psychic barrier in front of Robert.
Boom! After a muffled sound like a sledgehammer hitting a wall, Robert’s psychic barrier was pierced and shattered by Zhang Wen’s sword. Yet, the thrusting sword had not yet exhausted its force.
Seeing the sword, flashing with a dazzling white light, thrusting towards his heart, Robert’s face finally showed a panicked expression. He had completely underestimated Zhang Wen’s strength! Whether it was the quality of his combat energy or his instantaneous reaction in battle, everything Zhang Wen displayed far exceeded Robert’s expectations!
The situation had completely slipped out of Robert’s control at this moment. He realized that his plan for the night had failed. As a Federation secret agent, Robert was well aware that for a professional killer like him, the only outcome of failure was “death.”
The sword pierced Robert’s body as expected. However, due to the psychic barrier Robert had created, Zhang Wen didn’t hit his opponent’s heart as he had hoped.
Just as Zhang Wen was about to let the combat energy he had poured into the sword explode, delivering the final blow to Robert, a bone-chilling cold suddenly surged from behind.
After practicing the Spring Water Technique, this wasn’t the first time Zhang Wen had felt this coldness that signaled impending danger. He reflexively suppressed the combat energy within the sword, then swiftly retracted it and slashed fiercely behind him.
Thud! A dark blue psychic bullet was split in two by the sharp blade, exploding on the ground on either side of Zhang Wen. Robert, with his body pierced by Zhang Wen, tumbled and landed several meters away, finally lying motionless on the ground, covered in blood.
“What? Got your strength back, Lenora, or should I say, Princess Soul?” Zhang Wen slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Lenora not far away.
Lenora had somehow stood up and was now beside Calit, who she had knocked unconscious, lying motionless on the ground.
“Yes! X-14 is, after all, a secret drug I developed myself. I have dozens of ways to deal with it. But I still have to thank you. If you hadn’t bought me time, it would have been hard to say whether I could have handled that lunatic.” Lenora stretched lazily, a charming smile reappearing on her pretty face.
“Oh? So, is this how you treat your savior?”
“Haha! Teacher Zhang Wen, how do you think I should treat you?”
“I think, since your plan is already ruined, wouldn’t it be nice for us to part ways amicably? Even if your teacher died at the hands of Ruby, she wasn’t killed by me. Saving your life should be enough compensation, right? Besides, the Ruby organization is finished now. Why do you still have to keep an eye on me?” Zhang Wen shrugged helplessly, smiling. The “connection” between Andrestein and Lenora was indeed unexpected.
“Haha! I’d also like to part ways amicably with Teacher Zhang Wen, but I’m afraid that’s not possible. Even if I no longer hold a grudge about my teacher, you’ve seen my face and know my identity. It’s not good for me to let you continue living.”
“So, even if I swear not to reveal your identity, you wouldn’t believe me, right?”
“Exactly. Besides, since I can easily kill you now, why would I take the risk of believing you?” Lenora laughed lightly, brushing off the dust from her body as she walked towards Zhang Wen.
“You’re quite confident!” Zhang Wen smiled, locking eyes with Lenora.
“Of course, because I know you inside out!” Lenora extended a finger, seductively tracing it through the air towards Zhang Wen. “You followed me all the way from the camp to here, and just fought with Robert. You shouldn’t have much strength left now, should you?”
“What do you think?” Zhang Wen, completely exposed by Lenora, was inwardly startled but maintained a calm smile on his face.
“Giggle! Teacher Zhang Wen, no need to play mysterious anymore! Your performance at the Kemal Arena left a deep impression on me! That dazzling combat style, I’ve never seen anything like it before. Honestly, it took me a long time to figure out how to deal with an opponent who can continuously change direction and move so fast that the eyes can’t keep up.”
“Looks like you’ve studied me thoroughly.”
“Indeed. There’s a saying in the Empire, isn’t there? The one who knows you best is your enemy. Zhang Wen, you’re the first man I’ve ever taken the time to understand. Honestly, I think I might really like you.” Lenora smiled softly, a complex glint in her eyes.
“Is that so?” Hearing Lenora’s almost confessional words, Zhang Wen could only smile wryly while remaining vigilant. A woman like Lenora wouldn’t say such things unless she was determined to kill.
Boom! After a dull sound like a hammer striking a wall, Robert’s Mind Barrier was pierced and shattered into pieces by Zhang Wen’s sword. Yet, the sword still hadn’t exhausted its force.
Looking at the sword flashing with blinding white light heading straight for his heart, Robert finally showed a panicked expression on his face. He had never expected that Zhang Wen could possess such strength! Whether it was the quality of combat energy or the instantaneous reaction in battle, everything Zhang Wen displayed exceeded Robert’s expectations beyond the limit!
At this moment, the situation completely slipped out of Robert’s control. He realized his plan for tonight had already failed. As a federal secret agent, Robert naturally understood very well that for a professional assassin like him, there was only one outcome for failure—”death.”
The sword pierced into Robert’s body as expected. However, due to the obstruction from Robert’s Mind Barrier, Zhang Wen failed to hit his opponent’s heart as he had hoped.
Just as Zhang Wen prepared to unleash the combat energy stored within the sword for the final blow, a chilling coldness suddenly surged from behind him.
After cultivating the Spring Water Technique, this wasn’t the first time Zhang Wen had felt this kind of icy premonition signaling imminent danger. Instinctively, he suppressed the combat energy within the sword, rapidly pulling it back and fiercely chopping downward behind him.
“Hehe!” Robert let out another sinister chuckle, his figure suddenly twisting as he charged fiercely towards Jalit. Clearly, he intended to take Jalit hostage to threaten Zhang Wen.
However, the moment Robert turned to pounce on Jalit, his unguarded back was fully exposed to Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen, of course, would not miss this golden opportunity.
The Spring Water Technique’s combat energy once again surged through his body, and Zhang Wen, like a ghost, floated out from behind the bushes. With a silent tap on the ground, he appeared behind Robert.
Zhang Wen raised his right hand, channeling a faint combat energy into the Nian Steel tightly gripped in his palm. In the next moment, the Nian Steel emitted a faint red light, rapidly extending into a slender, short-handled sword. Without pause, Zhang Wen swung his hand forward, and the sword silently thrust towards Robert’s back.
But just as Zhang Wen was about to deliver the fatal strike, a strange smile suddenly appeared on Robert’s face. He turned his head sharply, and a psychic barrier instantly formed in front of him, just in time to block Zhang Wen’s thrust.
It turned out that Robert’s charge towards Jalit was merely a deliberate bait! In fact, Robert’s target had always been Zhang Wen, who was hiding in the shadows.
Robert was well aware that Zhang Wen must be watching him from somewhere nearby, unseen. And with Zhang Wen’s elusive speed, he had no chance of taking a hostage in front of him. When he pretended to pounce on Jalit, Robert didn’t even glance at Jalit. He kept all his attention on Zhang Wen, who could appear behind him at any moment!
It must be admitted that Robert was indeed a top-notch federal spy. Even in a state of panic, he was able to make the most accurate judgment.
Robert’s counterattack caught Zhang Wen off guard. However, with the Spring Water Technique’s combat energy at its peak, Zhang Wen had no time to retract his thrust. In the brief moment before the sword hit the barrier, Zhang Wen’s combat instincts made a judgment.
Although it seemed on the surface that Zhang Wen had fallen into Robert’s trap, how much better off was Robert? His scheme was born out of desperation! Being in the open, Robert couldn’t predict from which direction Zhang Wen would attack, and the psychic barrier he conjured was hastily made, lacking in strength!
With this thought, Zhang Wen snorted coldly, and all his combat energy surged like a tide into the sword he wielded. Since the sneak attack had failed, he would resort to a full-on assault!
In the next instant, the sword in Zhang Wen’s hand flashed with a blinding white light, striking fiercely at the dark blue psychic barrier before Robert.
Boom! After a dull thud like a hammer hitting a wall, Robert’s psychic barrier was pierced and shattered by Zhang Wen’s sword. Yet, the thrust of Zhang Wen’s sword was not yet spent.
Seeing the sword, now a blinding white light, thrusting towards his heart, Robert’s face finally showed a panicked expression. He had never expected Zhang Wen to possess such strength! Whether it was the quality of his combat energy or his instantaneous reaction in battle, everything Zhang Wen displayed exceeded Robert’s expectations!
The situation had completely slipped out of Robert’s control at this moment. He realized that his plan for the night had failed. As a federal spy, Robert was well aware that for a professional killer like him, failure meant only one outcome: death.
The sword pierced Robert’s body as expected. However, due to the psychic barrier Robert had created, Zhang Wen did not hit his opponent’s heart as he had hoped.
Just as Zhang Wen was about to unleash the combat energy within the sword to deliver the final blow, a bone-chilling cold suddenly surged from behind.
After practicing the Spring Water Technique, this was not the first time Zhang Wen had felt this coldness that signaled impending danger. He reflexively suppressed the combat energy within the sword, then swiftly retracted it and slashed fiercely behind him.
Thud! A dark blue psychic bullet was split in two by the sharp blade, exploding on the ground on either side of Zhang Wen. Robert, with his body pierced, rolled several meters away and lay motionless on the ground, covered in blood.
“What? Got your strength back, Linoya, or should I say, Princess Soul?” Zhang Wen slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Linoya not far away.
Linoya had somehow stood up and was now beside Jalit, who had been knocked unconscious and lay motionless on the ground.
“Yes! X-14 is, after all, a secret drug I developed myself. I have dozens of ways to deal with it. But I still have to thank you. If you hadn’t bought me time, it’s hard to say whether I could have dealt with that madman.” Linoya stretched lazily, a charming smile reappearing on her face.
“Oh? So this is how you treat your savior?”
“Haha! Teacher Zhang Wen, how do you think I should treat you?”
“I think, since your plan is already ruined, wouldn’t it be nice for us to part ways amicably? Even if your teacher was killed by Ruby, she wasn’t killed by me. Saving your life should be enough compensation, right? Besides, the Ruby organization is finished now. Why are you still fixated on me?” Zhang Wen shrugged helplessly, smiling. The “connection” between Anderstan and Linoya was indeed unexpected.
“Haha! I’d also like to part ways with Teacher Zhang Wen amicably, but I’m afraid that’s not possible. Even if I no longer hold a grudge over my teacher, you’ve seen my face and know my identity. I can’t let you continue to live.”
“So, even if I swear not to reveal your identity, you wouldn’t believe me, right?”
“Exactly. Besides, since I can easily kill you now, why should I take the risk of trusting you?” Linoya chuckled lightly, brushing off the dust from her body as she walked towards Zhang Wen.
“You’re quite confident!” Zhang Wen smiled, locking eyes with Linoya.
“Of course, because I know you inside out!” Linoya extended a finger, making a coquettish gesture in the air towards Zhang Wen. “You followed me all the way from the camp to here, just fought with Robert, and now you probably don’t have much strength left, do you?”
“What do you think?” Zhang Wen, completely exposed by Linoya, was inwardly startled but maintained a calm smile.
“Teehee! Teacher Zhang Wen, no need to play mysterious anymore! Your performance at the Kemel Arena left a deep impression on me! That dazzling combat style, I’ve never seen anything like it before. Honestly, it took me a long time to figure out how to deal with an opponent who can continuously change direction and move so fast that the eyes can’t keep up.”
“Looks like you’ve studied me thoroughly.”
“Indeed. What’s that imperial proverb? Your greatest enemy knows you best. Zhang Wen, you’re the first man I’ve ever taken the time to understand. Honestly, I think I might really like you.” Linoya smiled softly, a complex glint in her eyes.
“Is that so?” Hearing Linoya’s almost confession, Zhang Wen could only smile wryly while remaining vigilant. A woman like Linoya wouldn’t say such things unless she was determined to kill.
“What? Your strength has recovered already, Linoar, or should I say, Princess Hunji?” Zhang Wen slowly turned around, directing his gaze toward Linoar nearby.
Linoar had somehow already risen to her feet and approached Garret. Garret, struck unconscious by her, lay motionless on the ground.
“That’s right! X-14 was, after all, a secret drug I developed myself. I have at least dozens of ways to counteract it. Still, I should thank you. Without you buying me time, whether I could have dealt with that madman is really hard to say.” Linoar stretched lazily, her pretty face once again displaying a charming smile.
“Oh? So this is how you treat your savior?”
“Hehe! Teacher Zhang Wen, how do you think I should treat you?”
“I think your plan has already failed. Wouldn’t it be great if we could just part ways peacefully? Even though your mentor was killed by the Rubies, it wasn’t me who killed her. Saving your life should more or less compensate for that, right? Besides, the Ruby organization is already finished. Why keep chasing me?”
Zhang Wen shrugged helplessly with a smile. The unexpected “connection” between Andrei Stein and Linoar truly caught him off guard.
“Hehe! I’d really like to part peacefully with Teacher Zhang Wen, but I’m afraid that’s impossible. Even if I no longer hold a grudge over my mentor’s death, since you’ve seen my appearance and learned my identity, I can’t really let you continue living either.”
“So even if I swear never to reveal your identity, you still won’t believe me?”
“Exactly. Besides, since I can easily kill you now, why take the risk of trusting you?”
Linoar laughed lightly with confidence, brushing dust from her clothes as she walked toward Zhang Wen.
“You’re quite confident!”
“Of course,” Zhang Wen smiled, meeting her gaze.
“That’s for sure, because I understand you completely!” Linoar extended a finger, seductively tracing it through the air toward Zhang Wen. “From the camp all the way here, you’ve been following me. Then you fought Robert just now, so you probably don’t have much strength left, right?”
“You tell me,” Zhang Wen replied, his heart secretly startled at being completely seen through by Linoar, though his face remained calmly smiling.
“Hehe! Teacher Zhang Wen, there’s no need to act mysterious anymore! Back at the Kemer Arena, your performance left a deep impression on me! Such a magnificent fighting style—I’d never even seen anything like it before. Honestly, it took me quite a while to figure out how to deal with an opponent who could change direction repeatedly while moving so fast that the eye couldn’t follow.”
“It seems you’ve studied me thoroughly.”
“Of course. There’s an old imperial saying—’The one who knows you best is your enemy.’ Zhang Wen, you’re the first man I’ve ever put effort into understanding. Honestly, I think I really have fallen for you.”
Linoar smiled faintly, her eyes revealing a complex expression.
“Is that so?” Hearing Linoar’s words that sounded like a confession, Zhang Wen could only smile bitterly while remaining alert inside. A woman like Linoar wouldn’t say such words unless she had already resolved to kill him.
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