Realizing something was wrong, Eniel quickly overcame her shyness. Glancing toward the door, she turned to Zhang Wen and asked, “It’s not Kai and Si? Then who is it?”
“It should be someone looking for me,” Zhang Wen replied with a bitter smile. “Eniel, the truth is, I’ve got just as many troubles as your Kentucky Clan. So whether I’m helping you or dragging you down by joining your clan—I really don’t know.”
“That doesn’t matter! I firmly believe you’re the one destined to lead the Kentucky Clan to a revival. No matter what trouble you face, I’ll always stand by your side!” Eniel declared resolutely.
“Oh? So in the end, you’re only with me because I’m that so-called legendary figure?” Zhang Wen said, his face falling in disappointment.
“Ah? No… that’s definitely not it… Even if you weren’t that person, I… I still would… but…” Zhang Wen’s teasing once again left Eniel flustered and tongue-tied. Finally, she suddenly threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately.
“Alright, alright, I was just joking. Don’t take it so seriously. Women who are too serious age quickly, you know!” Zhang Wen chuckled, delighted at having tricked her into a kiss. He playfully tapped her nose before standing up straight.
BOOM!
The door to Eniel’s room exploded into countless splinters, which flew into the room like a blizzard.
Zhang Wen, just standing upright, fully activated his Spring Water Technique. With a flick of the bedsheet, he waved it repeatedly, blocking the flying debris and letting it fall in front of the bed.
“Hmph!” Zhang Wen snorted, tossing aside the shredded bedsheet riddled with splinters. His eyes locked onto the gaping doorway.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Slow, deliberate applause echoed through the room as two men, one tall and one short, both cloaked in black, stepped into view.
“Hehe! Impressive, very impressive! You truly live up to your reputation as the former ruler of the Southern Border, the Ruby Serpent Andrei·Stain. Even without the Silver Dragon Krasu, you still stir up storms and command power,” the shorter man in the black cloak said casually.
“Oh? Seems like you’ve done your homework on me,” Zhang Wen’s lips curled into a smile as soon as the man finished speaking.
“That goes without saying,” the shorter man confidently replied.
“Well then, I won’t argue about whether your intelligence is correct or not. Also, since you’re obviously here to kill me, I won’t bother asking for your names or origins—you wouldn’t tell me anyway. Before we start fighting, I’ll just ask one question: Did you take Lailiya?”
“Haha! You yourself know we won’t tell you who we are. So do you really think we’d tell you about Lailiya?” The shorter man burst into laughter.
“Oh! Thank you very much! Haha!” Zhang Wen laughed along. “With that one sentence, I’m completely reassured. Lailiya must be in your hands.”
“How could you—grr!” The shorter man roared in anger but quickly realized his slip-up and clamped his mouth shut.
“Pfft!” Even Eniel behind Zhang Wen couldn’t help but giggle.
“Haha! I wonder what kind of idiotic master would send out such idiotic underlings,” Zhang Wen laughed loudly, shaking his head.
“Damn you!” The shorter man’s eyes seemed ready to spit fire.
“Stay calm!” The taller man in the black cloak finally spoke. He cast a cold, sinister glance at Zhang Wen and said to his companion, “What difference does it make if they know? They’ll be dead soon anyway.”
“Is that so? Who lives and who dies today isn’t so certain.” Zhang Wen smiled slightly and drew the nian-steel sword from his waist. In an instant, the familiar three-foot-long sword appeared in his right hand.
“Heh! You’re decisive! I like decisive people. Out of respect for that, we’ll leave you with a whole body.” The taller man sneered. In a flash, both he and his short companion each produced a broadsword glowing with bright white light.
“Don’t waste words with him. The noise from your earlier door-busting might have drawn attention. If Hassan’s men show up, it could cause unnecessary trouble,” the shorter man said as he silently shifted a few steps to the left, blocking Zhang Wen’s escape route through the window.
As the shorter man moved into position, both men’s broadswords erupted with dazzling white flames. At the same time, misty battle auras typical of Saint-level martial artists appeared around their bodies.
However, facing an assassination attempt by two Saint-level experts didn’t surprise Zhang Wen. What truly shocked him was that, as the two men unleashed their full battle energy, in addition to their battle auras, a thin mist appeared around them—like the faint vapor that rises when you open a box of ice cream on a summer day.
At the same time, the temperature in Eniel’s room plummeted.
“This… this is…” Eniel suddenly recalled something as she stared at the white mist surrounding the two men.
“Oh? I didn’t expect to find someone knowledgeable in this remote part of the Southern Border,” the shorter man sneered with satisfaction. “Oh! I almost forgot—you’re a wise one of the Kentucky Clan. No wonder you’d recognize this. Hehe! You guessed right. This is a sword forged from the special mineral of your Kentucky Planet—Tourmaline. It’s specially prepared for you.”
At the moment he spoke the last word, the two cloaked men’s battle auras flared, and they simultaneously launched their first attack on Zhang Wen from left and right!
If it were an ordinary Imperial martial artist, even one stronger than Zhang Wen, they would likely be overwhelmed facing a coordinated attack from two Saint-level martial artists.
However, Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique was precisely the martial art best suited for fighting multiple opponents! With two cloaked men attacking him together, it actually suited Zhang Wen’s preferences perfectly!
Ding!
Zhang Wen drew his sword, lightly tracing an arc, and met the taller man’s sword on the right.
While the two cloaked men were speaking, Zhang Wen had carefully observed his opponents. He noticed that the taller man on the right was slightly stronger than his shorter companion. Therefore, Zhang Wen chose him as his first target for counterattack!
Zhang Wen had practiced and used the sword techniques of the Spring Water Technique countless times, both in training and in actual combat. After his sword met the so-called Tourmaline sword in the taller man’s hand, Zhang Wen didn’t feel anything particularly different from usual. Thus, without hesitation, he performed his usual move—lifting his sword upward to disrupt the taller man’s balance.
However, at the moment Zhang Wen applied force, the broadsword in the cloaked man’s hand seemed to stick to Zhang Wen’s sword, causing a brief hesitation in Zhang Wen’s movement!
Although it was only a brief moment, this slight change was enough to affect the effectiveness of Zhang Wen’s technique. The cloaked man sneered coldly and suddenly exerted force, pulling his broadsword free from Zhang Wen’s control!
At the same time, the shorter man’s sword was already nearly touching Zhang Wen’s left rib!
Zhang Wen’s Spring Water sword technique had failed!
“Zhang Wen! Watch out!” Eniel’s anxious cry reached Zhang Wen’s ears.
Zhang Wen didn’t have time to be surprised. He gritted his teeth hard, unleashing his battle energy all at once.
Zziiii! Even with Ghost Step fully activated, Zhang Wen was still slashed by the shorter man’s sword, tearing his combat uniform. A streak of blood even appeared at the tip of the shorter man’s blade.
“Heh! Mr. Zhang, you should feel honored. Our investigation into you goes far beyond what you know! The reason you can constantly frustrate opponents far stronger than yourself, even making Saint-level experts helpless against you, is precisely because of this swordplay, isn’t it!” the taller man laughed loudly while maintaining his attack.
Meanwhile, the shorter man, who had just wounded Zhang Wen, smirked and stepped aside. While keeping an eye on Zhang Wen’s movements, he also strategically positioned himself between Eniel and Zhang Wen! Clearly, if Eniel made the slightest move to aid Zhang Wen, she would face an immediate, thunderous, and deadly strike from the shorter man!
Ding!
Zhang Wen’s sword met the taller cloaked man’s sword again. At the moment their blades clashed, the shorter man suddenly struck from another angle.
“Tsk!” Zhang Wen had no choice but to fully activate Ghost Step again to evade the shorter man’s attack. However, two consecutive bursts of full battle energy rapidly drained Zhang Wen’s reserves.
“What’s wrong? Already out of steam?” The taller man continued taunting, trying to shake Zhang Wen’s confidence. “Andrei·Stain, the only reason you dare appear within the Empire is precisely because of this speed-enhancing technique and your swordplay! Unfortunately, we’ve thoroughly researched the weaknesses of both your techniques! While your speed-enhancing technique is formidable, it consumes massive amounts of battle energy. As for your swordplay…”
Here, the taller man sneered again.
“Although we don’t know where you learned this swordplay, it’s a pity that this inferior ‘Inherited Sword Technique’ copy is completely ineffective against us! If it were the Royal Princess herself using the Inherited Sword Technique, she might catch us off guard. But with your low-quality imitation against our Tourmaline swords that allow us to unleash our ultimate strength, you only have one path—defeat and death!”
At the moment he spoke the last word, the taller cloaked man launched his strongest strike yet against Zhang Wen.
The Tourmaline sword suddenly blazed with cold brilliance, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop even further.
“Watch out! Tourmaline swords grant martial artists the ability to alter their battle energy’s nature! Their strength now is practically equivalent to near-Supreme-level fighters!” Eniel shouted anxiously, blocked from intervening by the shorter man.
Eniel clearly understood that their goal was to kill Zhang Wen first, then deal with her. Hence, the shorter man merely blocked her path to Zhang Wen without actively attacking her.
However, under the current circumstances, Eniel absolutely could not recklessly join the battle. Because if she didn’t intervene, the shorter man would still have to devote at least half his attention to monitoring her movements. Conversely, if she did join the fight, she would likely be defeated in just a few moves. At that point, she wouldn’t help Zhang Wen at all but instead become a burden that distracted him!
Therefore, Eniel could only help Zhang Wen in her own way.
“Oh! Thanks.” As the taller cloaked man unleashed his full-force strike, Zhang Wen strangely smiled. He loudly replied to Eniel’s warning, turned his wrist, and met the taller cloaked man’s attack head-on with his sword.
Boom!
A small vortex exploded between the blades, but Zhang Wen’s sword maintained its momentum, swiftly meeting the opponent’s blade.
“Hmph! Arrogant fool!” The taller cloaked man wasn’t the least bit surprised by Zhang Wen’s actions; instead, he sneered coldly.
In the next moment, the Tourmaline sword in the taller cloaked man’s hand was once again enveloped in a large amount of cold air. Even at the point where the two swords met, a small patch of ice formed, freezing the two swords together!
“Tsk!” Zhang Wen frowned deeply.
Zhang Wen had encountered changes in battle energy nature before. Back in the Sandra Forest when fighting the King, the King’s battle energy carried a strong repelling force. Even after exhausting all his strength, Zhang Wen could only have a negligible effect on the King.
The battle energy nature change of the two cloaked men Zhang Wen now faced wasn’t as powerful as the King’s display, but this slight effect was already enough to prevent Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Technique from achieving its full potential.
Of course, if Zhang Wen were only facing the taller cloaked man, even with an incomplete Spring Water Technique, he was confident he could slowly wear the opponent down. However, Zhang Wen’s current enemies included not only the taller man facing him but also another.
Boom!
Taking advantage of the moment the two swords were frozen together, the taller cloaked man suddenly unleashed his battle energy and engaged Zhang Wen in a direct confrontation.
The impact of their battle energies created a vortex that sent both men flying backward. However, a shadow silently moved into Zhang Wen’s retreat path and suddenly struck.
“Watch out!” Eniel shouted and fired a念弹to slightly interfere with the shorter man’s attack.
Zhang Wen took the opportunity to activate Ghost Step again, retreating to the center of the hall. The four people in the room returned to their original positions.
“Hmm?” Suddenly, a surprised exclamation came from outside the door.
“Who?” All four people in the room turned to look and saw Gro with a surprised expression standing at the doorway.
“Are you here to cause me trouble too?” Zhang Wen, already resigned to his fate, casually asked.
“I originally intended to cause you trouble. But what’s going on here?” Gro looked at the two cloaked men’s strange appearance and smiled with interest.
“You arrived at a bad time. My life was already claimed by these two before you got here.”
“Oh? Then that’s convenient. Saves me a lot of trouble. You two continue. I’ll just leave.” Gro shrugged with a smile and took a step back.
The two cloaked men exchanged glances, their eyes flashing with coldness, but they remained silent.
“You’re just going to leave like this?” Zhang Wen lazily called out.
“I thought about it and realized leaving like this might be inappropriate.” Gro smiled and stopped walking.
“Who told you to come at such a bad time? Seeing something you shouldn’t, do you really think you can just walk away easily?” Zhang Wen smirked mischievously.
“Tsk!” Gro casually rolled his eyes.
“Gro, don’t listen to him. After all, you’re the disciple of a Supreme-level fighter. We don’t want to provoke the Thunder God Omega needlessly. As long as you pretend you saw nothing, leave here, we can pretend we saw nothing too.” The two cloaked men exchanged glances again, and the shorter one smiled and spoke in a friendly tone.
“Hehe! Sounds like a good proposal. Saves me a lot of trouble.” Gro rubbed his chin thoughtfully but suddenly changed his tone. “However, do you think I’m an idiot? Do you think I’m a three-year-old child? Do you think I’m some kind of fool who would be afraid of your sneaky, stupid underlings? Nonsense!”
“So, Mr. Gro, you’re choosing to be our enemy then?” The shorter cloaked man immediately dropped his feigned kindness after his plan to deceive Gro failed.
“Oh? Finally showing your true colors? Being our enemy—how does that sound? You came here to target this guy…” Gro coldly laughed and pointed at Zhang Wen. “That shows your goal is also to become the ultimate ruler of the Southern Border. Our goals are the same, but there’s only one seat for the Southern Border ruler. We’re naturally enemies.”
“Haha… That’s actually somewhat reasonable. Then the question now is about timing. Do you want to fight us first or cooperate with us to eliminate him first?” The shorter cloaked man pointed at Zhang Wen again.
“Heh! Although I originally planned to target him, I find you sneaky bastards even more annoying. So I think eliminating you first, then dealing with him sounds like a good plan.”
“Oh? Big talk indeed. Don’t think that having a Supreme-level teacher makes you invincible. We let you show off earlier only because we didn’t want to make too many enemies before dealing with the biggest threat.”
Every Saint-level martial artist who reaches that level almost always has a firm belief. Once they decide something, they almost never change their minds.
Therefore, the two cloaked martial artists didn’t waste more words. The taller one directly raised his sword and charged at Zhang Wen again. The other moved a few steps to position himself exactly at the center point between Zhang Wen, Eniel, and Gro. This way, whoever tried to interfere with the taller man’s attack on Zhang Wen, he could timely intervene.
“Hmph!” Gro disdainfully snorted but showed no intention of attacking the shorter man.
After all, Zhang Wen was Gro’s target. Even though Gro indeed wanted to eliminate those two annoying cloaked men first, being here to help Zhang Wen tie up one of them was already the limit of what Gro could do!
Gro had no interest in helping one enemy fight another enemy. Besides, if Zhang Wen couldn’t even handle the taller cloaked man, Gro had even less interest in helping a weakling.
“Hmph!” The taller cloaked man’s lips curled into a sneer. Before boarding the Star Moon, they had conducted detailed investigations on every threatening person aboard, including Gro naturally.
The taller cloaked man knew very well that before he and Zhang Wen determined the outcome, as long as his companion didn’t intervene, Gro’s pride would prevent him from acting. Gro’s personality was precisely the biggest weakness in this battle!
After the previous two exchanges, the taller cloaked man was fully confident that even alone, he could defeat Zhang Wen! Then, together with his partner, they would at least have a 70% chance of eliminating Gro!
As before, Zhang Wen’s sword became a streak of light, entwining with the incoming broadsword.
“Heh! You still haven’t learned your lesson!” The taller cloaked man excitedly shouted. At the point of blade contact, a large chunk of ice instantly formed, freezing the swords together.
But at that moment, Zhang Wen’s lips slowly curved into a smile.
Snap! Zhang Wen’s wrist twisted again, and the two frozen swords vibrated violently, shattering the ice connecting the blades.
Sssss! A grating metallic sound rang out. The taller cloaked man suddenly felt a powerful force from Zhang Wen’s sword that he couldn’t resist!
Boom! The taller cloaked man was suddenly thrown backward by that immense force. He flew like a toy flicked away by a finger, crashing heavily into the ceiling before falling back to the ground.
“This… this can’t be!” The sudden, shocking turn of events left the shorter cloaked man staring in disbelief.
“Oh?” Gro couldn’t help but widen his eyes with interest, looking at Zhang Wen’s sword still slightly vibrating up and down.
The taller cloaked man spat out a mouthful of blood but gritted his teeth and twisted mid-air, using his left hand to push off the ground, barely managing to maintain a standing position.
“This is impossible! Absolutely impossible! Tourmaline swords… Tourmaline is supposed to be the nemesis of Inherited Sword Techniques! Who are you? Just who are you?”
The taller cloaked man stared at Zhang Wen like he was seeing a monster, squeezing each word out from his throat.
“Who am I? Didn’t you claim to have thoroughly investigated me?” Zhang Wen smirked again, twisting his wrist. His sword let out a dragon-like screech, and the ice crystals clinging to the blade instantly fell like snowflakes.
“Damn it! How could someone still unleash the Inherited Sword Technique’s power when facing a Tourmaline sword? Even if it were the Princess herself using the Inherited Sword Technique, she couldn’t suppress the Tourmaline sword at the same level!” The taller cloaked man seemed to be both roaring at Zhang Wen and muttering to himself.
“Oh? You want to know?” Zhang Wen smiled, slowly raising the three-foot sword in his hand. “I don’t even know what this ‘Inherited Sword Technique’ you’re talking about is. I have no interest in it whatsoever. You comparing my martial art to that junk is itself your biggest mistake. I can assure you, in this world, technically speaking, I’m at least a thousand years ahead of you!”
“Heh… Inherited Sword Technique, the Royal Inherited Sword Technique… the swordplay that has dominated the Empire for two thousand years… became trash in your mouth… boasting, truly boasting! No! Are you trying to shake our confidence? Haha! Exactly! You’re a thousand years too early!” The taller cloaked man first muttered like a madman, then suddenly snarled furiously, charging at Zhang Wen like a cornered beast.
“I told you, it’s useless.” Zhang Wen softly said, flashing his right arm lightning-fast as the opponent approached.
Ding! In the blink of an eye, the taller cloaked man flew away like a spinning top again.
“Sigh! That really looked bad. Judging from this, I don’t even need to get involved, do I?” Gro folded his arms across his chest and sarcastically shook his head at the shorter cloaked man.
“Hmph!” The shorter cloaked man spat hatefully but suddenly turned his gaze toward Eniel on the other side of the room.
His companion’s fate made the shorter cloaked man realize that with their current strength, today they not only couldn’t accomplish their goal of killing Zhang Wen but also had almost no chance of even surviving.
“Hehe! Sorry, but I’m not ready to die yet!” The shorter cloaked man sneered, his sword bursting with blinding white light as he charged toward Eniel.
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