Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward as the longsword in his hand erupted with dazzling silver brilliance. Following a graceful yet mysterious arc, the sword tip subtly struck at the three-quarter point of the massive light cross, using the “Xie” technique to barely deflect the cross-shaped energy upward by a few inches, nearly grazing his horizontally outstretched body.
It was an extremely close call, but he successfully avoided certain death.
“Hmph!” Galil’s remaining lone eye flared with ferocity. He had never seen anyone possess such a miraculous sword technique capable of deflecting his killing strike! This enraged him, and abandoning his previous target, he locked onto Zhang Wen, preparing a series of heavy attacks to eliminate him. At that moment, the other three who had previously confronted Zhang Wen also rushed forward.
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with dazzling silver light, tracing a graceful and mysterious arc upward. The tip of the sword cleverly lifted at the three-quarters point of the massive cross of light, using a deflection technique to barely shift the cross-shaped battle aura upward by a few inches, narrowly grazing his body as it lay flat on the ground. The situation was perilous to the extreme, but it allowed him to narrowly escape death.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining single eye flashed with ferocity. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. Just then, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered to himself with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier powerhouse, the Storm God Bakali, along with the three saint-tier fighters, surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—Zhang Wen knew this was a hopeless situation.
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade struck like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” allowing him to burst forth even faster than the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… with such strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters who had been sent to assassinate him were now permanently down, something no one had expected. The strength of the Empire’s Venom Fang had reached a point where ordinary super-tier fighters were no match, even with three saint-tier reinforcements.
Casually stepping over the four bodies on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Messiah. His face showed slight surprise, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a long-awaited battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, concealing deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in dazzling brilliance, resembling a peacock, a phoenix in flames, or an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the flower sword was like a venomous snake, a bee’s sting, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state under Messiah’s hands, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong could not gain an advantage against such a legacy.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed he could escape, even if he couldn’t win. The real problem was the Flame Demon Agat. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as the balance shifted, he found himself gradually suppressed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agat first, but each time, Messiah’s timely and bizarre sword strikes left him panicked and forced to dodge, temporarily sparing Agat.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the furious, fire-eyed Agat, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword thrust, every movement, was executed with elegance. She was like a confident and majestic lion, skillfully toying with her prey, draining his strength.
“Chief Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, his face wearing a gentle smile, as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. He walked step by step toward the three engaged in fierce combat, treating the violent bursts of battle energy as if they were nothing.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves that approached were deflected by the storm-like swirling lightning battle aura surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Messiah said coldly, her flower sword stabbing twice like a bee’s tail—one thrust upward toward Gaolong’s chin and throat, the other, using the sword’s flexibility, rebounding sharply like a rattlesnake’s tail, slashing diagonally toward Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Such venomous swordsmanship left Gaolong roaring in panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so strong at such a young age? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind through psychic energy. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty, yet she’s already at the super-tier, and at the peak of it! Could it be that inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was baffled, wanting to escape but being relentlessly pursued by both Agat and Messiah. He could only hope that the Black Viscount’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao, facing Messiah’s accusation, stroked his chin with a faint smile. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have corresponding freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time with me, why don’t you go clean up that trash,” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong, who was trying to escape, back into the fight.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned and lunged toward Zhang Wen with astonishing electric light.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With five powerhouses gathered, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their close proximity made it inconvenient to unleash overly powerful battle auras, so they concentrated their battle energy in their fists to strike at Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique, however, was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to thrive in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously “stuck” to one of their comrades, manipulating his body like a puppet on strings, turning him into Zhang Wen’s human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter’s body.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circles in the air, and the saint-tier fighter stuck to his sword spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses, roaring in pain but unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, blood rushing to his head, roared and unleashed a furious burst of battle energy, regardless of whether the target was his ally. With a swipe of his fingers, the battle aura tore the unfortunate puppet into pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a shocking deep blue lightning battle aura, he shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed the three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to charcoal by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with wisps of smoke and the pungent smell of burning. Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he brought with him now faintly approached that of the legendary King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
A sharp, fear-filled roar erupted as Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously went berserk, unleashing all their battle energy in a violent surge of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light explosion, Galil’s reverse cross-shaped deep purple battle aura and Bakali’s fully unleashed super-tier psychic energy rainstorm blasted toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the right and left hands of the Black Viscount, had unleashed their full power, only to miss their target!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into lightning, cutting through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, arcs of electricity sparking as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
In the next moment, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice from behind: “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was Galil and Bakali’s final thought.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies as Lei Miao’s battle energy, like a billion volts of high voltage, surged into them.
This was no ordinary super-tier power; this was the domain of someone half-stepping into the god-tier, infinitely close to the “King”!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under Lei Miao’s battle aura, Galil and Bakali resisted for a few seconds, their super-tier battle energy gushing out like a floodgate opened, but under Lei Miao’s higher-level absolute suppression, it shattered into countless glowing particles, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky!
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the peak super-tier special ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose everything with a single misstep if caught off guard.
He acted as if he had just done something trivial, flexing his wrist and shaking his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gaolong in the distance—both were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It’s over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always brought death to others, but today, for the first time, he tasted the approach of death himself!
Seeing all his men fall, Gaolong knew this was essentially the end. The only thing on his mind now was to escape as quickly as possible; perhaps there was still a chance to survive, otherwise, it would be certain death!
His experience of repeatedly escaping the Empire’s pursuit allowed him to make a quick decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s body erupted with a second burst of crimson battle energy, forming a dazzling, massive blood-red vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had been holding back! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would hold back a fraction of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, fooling most enemies until the very end, when Gaolong would turn the tables, escape, or even kill them while they were still in disbelief.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded as he let out a piercing shriek, and both his hands erupted with battle energy and psychic energy, forming two massive blood claws that simultaneously repelled Messiah and the Flame Demon Agat.
This was his last chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he didn’t hesitate to use this moment to sprint downhill at full speed! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Viscount’s final arrangements worked, he might even give them a surprise!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiaoxi, Luo Fulei, and the just-struggling-to-sit-up Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already deviated from the mountain path by dozens of meters due to the earlier battle and were absolutely too late to block him!
The will to survive unleashed incredible potential in Gaolong’s body. His crimson battle energy surged like a rainbow as he charged forward, the ground beneath him cracking and exploding, creating a terrifying spectacle.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s pupils. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of battle energy erupted, forming a net that blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank to the bottom. With a furious roar, he poured his battle energy into his hands, tearing through the incoming battle aura, but the delay allowed Agat, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly blocked Gaolong slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard Squad Leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Front, back, left, right—all were enemies! Even more terrifying was the group of black-clad soldiers with the Empire’s eagle emblem on their uniforms gradually emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sun!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under the Black Viscount, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Viscount, he had been hunted and ambushed by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew how terrifying they were—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
This was an immensely vast and precise war machine, and countless talents in the Empire were merely components of this machine!
Even when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution in the past, it had only sent five people, and that had left Gaolong in a sorry state. Now, blocking his path were at least twenty people—two full squads of Eagle Guard!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also announced Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale; this was the feeling of impending doom.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that behind Squad Leader Mura, the Eagle Guard was holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
As Zhang Wen spoke to himself, Galil, the other super-tier fighter—Bakari the Storm God—and the other three saint-tier fighters surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—Zhang Wen was clearly facing a certain death scenario!
…
“Crack!”
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with dazzling silver light, following a graceful and mysterious arc. The tip of the sword cleverly lifted at the three-quarter point of the massive glowing cross, using the “dispersing” technique to barely shift the cross-shaped battle energy upward by a few inches. It narrowly missed his body as he lay flat on the ground.
The situation was perilous to the extreme, but it allowed him to narrowly escape disaster.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining single eye flashed with ferocity. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike?!
This infuriated him. Abandoning his original target, he locked onto Zhang Wen, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. At that moment, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier experts, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me.”
In the midst of Zhang Wen’s bitter self-mocking, Galil and another super-tier expert—the Storm God Bakali—along with the three saint-tier experts, had already surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier experts—Zhang Wen saw no way out of this deadly situation!
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s lightning-fast hand chop descended, and the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattered the enemy’s neck bones. His super-tier ability was “lightning speed,” allowing him to burst forth even faster than the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head: “So weak… with such strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier experts sent to assassinate him had already fallen permanently, something no one had anticipated. The strength of the Empire’s Fangs had reached a level where they could disregard ordinary super-tier experts, even with three saint-tier additions.
Casually stepping over the four bodies on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze fell on the Northern Overlord, Messiah. His face showed slight surprise, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a long-awaited battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The rapier transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, concealing deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in dazzling brilliance, resembling a peacock, a phoenix in flames, or an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the rapier was like a venomous snake, a bee’s sting, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state under Messiah’s hands, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong couldn’t gain any advantage against it.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem lay with the Flame Demon Agate. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as the situation worsened, he found himself gradually suppressed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agate first, but each time Messiah’s timely, bizarre sword strikes left him flustered, forcing him to dodge and temporarily spare Agate.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the furious, fiery-eyed Agate, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword thrust, every movement, was executed with elegance. She was like a lion confident of victory, toying with her prey, draining his strength.
“Chief Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, his face wearing a gentle smile, as if gazing at a beloved. Step by step, he approached the three engaged in fierce combat, ignoring the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves near him were deflected by the storm-like swirling electric battle energy surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty.” Messiah coldly glanced at him, her rapier stabbing twice like a bee’s tail—one thrust from below aimed at Gaolong’s chin and throat, the other using the sword’s flexibility to rebound and slash diagonally toward Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous swordsmanship left Gaolong roaring in panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so strong at such a young age? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty years old, yet she’s already at the super-tier, and at its peak! Can inherited swordsmanship also pass down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was baffled, desperate to escape but relentlessly pursued by both Agate and Messiah. He could only hope that Black Baron’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao rubbed his chin at Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time with me, go clean up that trash.” Messiah spoke calmly, her sword never stopping, repeatedly forcing Gaolong back as he tried to escape.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me.” Before Lei Miao’s words faded, he turned, charging toward Zhang Wen with astonishing electric light.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier experts—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have already been overwhelmed, but that wasn’t the case.
With five experts gathered together, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their close proximity made it inconvenient to unleash overly powerful battle energy, so they focused their energy on their fists to strike Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen’s “Spring Water” swordsmanship, however, was perfectly suited for such group combat, thriving in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously “stuck” to one of their comrades, manipulating his body like a puppet and turning him into Zhang Wen’s human shield. Galil and the other super-tier expert’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier expert’s body.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced continuous arcs, and the saint-tier expert stuck to his sword spun like a top, his body twisting into exaggerated poses, roaring in pain but unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, blood rushing to his head, roared and unleashed a furious burst of battle energy, regardless of whether the target was his ally. With a swipe of his fingers, the battle energy tore the unfortunate puppet into pieces.
Just as he prepared to charge forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a terrifying deep blue electric battle energy, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, the three saint-tier experts were killed.
Amidst the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier experts were burned to charcoal by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with wisps of smoke and the acrid smell of burning. Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he brought with him was already approaching that of the legendary King!!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
A sharp, fearful roar erupted as Galil and the other super-tier expert, Bakali, simultaneously went berserk. All their battle energy exploded, creating a towering cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light explosion, Galil’s reverse-cross deep purple battle energy and Bakali’s full-powered super-tier psychic energy rain simultaneously blasted toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao disappeared!
The two super-tier experts, the right and left hands of Black Baron, had unleashed their full power, only to miss their target!
Lei Miao’s figure instantly transformed into lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, electric sparks flashing as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
The next moment, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice from behind: “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was Galil and Bakali’s final thought.
Die!
Boom!!!
Shimmering blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies as Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high voltage, surged into them.
This was no ordinary super-tier power—it was the realm of someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the “King”!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under Lei Miao’s battle energy assault, Galil and Bakali struggled for a few seconds before their super-tier energy, like a floodgate opening, poured out uncontrollably. But under Lei Miao’s higher-level suppression, it was shattered into countless glowing fragments, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky!
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier experts collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the peak super-tier special ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier experts, even someone like Galil, would lose instantly if caught off guard.
As if he had just done something trivial, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly: “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier experts are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gaolong—both were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It’s over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always brought death to others, but today he tasted the approach of death for the first time!
Seeing all his men fall, Gaolong knew the situation was essentially over. The only thing on his mind now was to escape quickly—perhaps there was still a chance to survive, otherwise, death was certain!
His experience of repeatedly escaping the Empire’s pursuit allowed him to make a quick decision!
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s blood-red battle energy erupted once more, forming a blinding crimson vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had always held back some strength! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would conserve a portion of his energy, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to escape. This tactic had proven effective time and again, fooling most enemies until Gaolong turned the tables, escaped, or even killed them, leaving them in disbelief.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded as he let out a piercing shriek. Simultaneously, both his hands erupted with battle energy and psychic energy, forming two massive blood-red claws that forced Messiah and the Flame Demon Agate back.
This was his final chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he didn’t hesitate. Seizing the moment, he sprinted downhill at full speed! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If Black Baron’s final arrangements worked, perhaps he could even turn the tables!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was empty except for the fallen Xiuluo, Xiaoxi, Luo Fulei, and the just-struggled-to-sit-up Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already deviated from the mountain path by dozens of meters during the earlier battle—they absolutely couldn’t intercept him in time!
The will to survive unleashed incredible potential within Gaolong. His blood-red battle energy surged like a rainbow as he charged forward, the ground beneath him cracking from the sheer force.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s vision. From the mountain path entrance, a wave of battle energy erupted, forming a net that blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank. With a furious roar, he channeled all his battle energy into his hands, tearing through the incoming energy net. But the delay allowed Agate, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly struck to block Gaolong slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard squad leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere—front, back, left, and right! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle insignia gradually emerging behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sunlight!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As a key figure under Black Baron, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Long before joining Black Baron, he had been hunted and ambushed by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew how terrifying they were—they were killing machines even more professional than him.
This was an immense, precision-crafted war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely components of this machine!
Even when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution in the past, just five Eagle Guards had left him in a sorry state. Today, at least twenty Eagle Guards—two full squads—stood in his way!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also announced Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale—this was the feeling of impending doom.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that behind Eagle Guard squad leader Mura, the Eagle Guards were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier experts from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light, tracing an elegant and mysterious arc upward. The tip of the sword cleverly flicked at the three-quarter point of the massive glowing cross, using a deflection technique to barely shift the cross-shaped battle energy upward by a few inches, narrowly grazing his body as it lay flat on the ground.
The situation was perilous to the extreme, but it allowed him to narrowly escape death.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with a fierce light. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike!
This enraged him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. At that moment, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier opponents, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me.”
In the midst of Zhang Wen’s bitter self-mocking laughter, Galil and another super-tier powerhouse—the Storm God Bakali—along with the three saint-tier fighters, had already surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—Zhang Wen was clearly in a hopeless situation!
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade struck like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” allowing him to burst forth even faster than the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head: “So weak… with such strength, they still dared to come and die?” The one super-tier and three saint-tier fighters who had been sent to assassinate him were now permanently down, something no one had expected. The strength of the Empire’s Venom Fang had reached a level where ordinary super-tier fighters were no longer a threat, even with three saint-tier fighters added to the mix.
Casually stepping over the bodies of the four on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Messiah. His face showed a hint of surprise, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a long-awaited battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, hiding deadly killing intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix in flames, or an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the flower sword was like a venomous snake, a bee’s stinger, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state, reduced to dodging for his life. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of swordsmanship, Messiah’s inherited techniques were hailed as the Empire’s finest, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong couldn’t gain any advantage against such techniques.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The real problem was the Flame Demon Agate. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as a result, he was gradually overwhelmed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agate first, but each time, Messiah’s sudden, bizarre sword strikes left him terrified, forcing him to dodge frantically and temporarily let Agate go.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the furious, fire-eyed Agate, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword thrust, every movement, was executed with grace. She was like a lion confident of victory, toying with her prey, draining his strength.
“Captain Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, his face wearing a gentle smile, as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. Step by step, he walked toward the three engaged in fierce combat, ignoring the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves near him were deflected by the storm-like swirling electric battle energy surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty.” Messiah coldly glanced at him, her flower sword stabbing twice like a bee’s stinger—one thrust from below aimed at Gaolong’s chin and throat, the other, using the sword’s flexibility, rebounded sharply, slashing diagonally downward toward Gaolong’s groin like a rattlesnake’s tail.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Such venomous swordsmanship left Gaolong roaring in panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so strong at such a young age? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind through psychic energy. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty, yet she’s already at the super-tier, and at the peak of it! Could it be that inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was utterly perplexed, wanting to escape but being relentlessly pursued by both Agate and Messiah. He could only hope that the Black Viscount’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao rubbed his chin at Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time talking to me, why don’t you go clean up that trash?” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong, who was trying to escape, back into the fight.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me.” Before Lei Miao’s words even finished, his figure turned, and with a burst of astonishing electric light, he lunged toward Zhang Wen’s direction.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five people surrounding Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but in reality, that wasn’t the case.
With five powerful fighters gathered together, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their close proximity made it inconvenient to unleash overly powerful battle energy, so they had to concentrate their energy in their fists to attack Zhang Wen. However, Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique was perfectly suited for such group combat, thriving in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously adhered to one of their comrades’ bodies, manipulating him like a puppet, turning him into Zhang Wen’s human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter stuck to his sword spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses, roaring in pain but unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield, but all attempts failed. Galil, his blood boiling, roared and unleashed a furious burst of battle energy, not caring if it hit his own comrade. With a slash, the battle energy at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into several pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a burst of deep blue electric battle energy, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, the three saint-tier fighters were killed.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with wisps of smoke and the pungent smell of burning flesh. Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he brought with him was already approaching that of the legendary King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
A sharp, fear-filled roar erupted as Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously went berserk. All their battle energy exploded, creating a towering cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light burst, Galil’s reverse cross-shaped deep purple battle energy and Bakali’s full-powered super-tier psychic energy rainstorm blasted toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the right-hand men of the Black Viscount, had unleashed their full power, but it had all missed!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into a streak of lightning, cutting through the air with a sharp screech. A white mist exploded behind him, electric sparks flashing as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
The next moment, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill at their lower backs, and Lei Miao’s cold voice echoed from behind them: “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was Galil and Bakali’s final thought.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies, and Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high-voltage electricity, surged into their bodies.
This was not something an ordinary super-tier fighter could withstand. This was the power of someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the realm of the “King”!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under Lei Miao’s battle energy assault, Galil and Bakali struggled for a few seconds, their super-tier battle energy gushing out like a floodgate had opened. But under the absolute suppression of Lei Miao’s higher realm, it was all shattered, turning into countless specks of light that danced like fireflies in a starry night.
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the peak super-tier special ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose everything with a single misstep if caught off guard.
As if he had just done something trivial, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly: “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gaolong in the distance—both were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It’s over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always brought death to others, but today, for the first time, he tasted the approach of death himself!
Seeing all the men he had brought fall, Gaolong knew that this mission was essentially over. The only thing he could think of now was to escape as quickly as possible; perhaps there was still a chance to survive. Otherwise, death was certain!
His experience of repeatedly escaping from the Empire’s pursuit allowed him to make a quick decision!
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s body erupted with a second burst of bloody battle energy, forming a dazzling, massive crimson vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had always held back some strength! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would reserve a portion of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to make his escape. This tactic had proven effective time and again, fooling most enemies until Gaolong turned the tables, escaping or even killing them while they were still in disbelief.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded, and he let out a piercing shriek. At the same time, the battle energy and psychic energy in his hands exploded simultaneously, forming two massive blood claws that forced Messiah and the Flame Demon Agate back.
This was his final chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he didn’t hesitate. Seizing the moment, he sprinted at full speed down the mountain! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Viscount’s final arrangements worked, he might even be able to surprise them all!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the barely sitting-up Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, they were already dozens of meters away from the mountain path due to the earlier battle and would never be able to intercept him in time!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible surge of potential within Gaolong. His bloody battle energy surged like a rainbow, and his rapid movement caused the ground to crack, creating a terrifying spectacle.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of battle energy patterns erupted! Like a giant net, it blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank to the depths. With a furious roar, he channeled all his battle energy into his hands, tearing through the incoming battle energy. But this delay allowed Agate, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly blocked Gaolong’s escape slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard Squad Leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere—front, back, left, and right! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle insignia gradually emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sunlight!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As a key figure under the Black Viscount, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Viscount, he had been hunted and ambushed by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew all too well how terrifying they were—they were killing machines even more professional than he was.
This was an enormous, incredibly precise war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely components of this machine!
Even back when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution with just five Eagle Guards, he had been left in a sorry state. Now, at least twenty Eagle Guards—two full squads—stood in his way!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also announced Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale; this was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that the Eagle Guards behind Squad Leader Mura were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the longsword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light. Following a graceful and mysterious arc, the sword tip cleverly flicked upward, striking the three-quarter point of the massive cross of light. Using the principle of deflection, he barely managed to shift the cross-shaped battle energy upward by a few inches, narrowly missing his prone body on the ground. It was an extremely close call, but it allowed him to narrowly escape death.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with fury. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. At that moment, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also closed in.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier powerhouse, Storm God Bakali, along with the three saint-tier fighters, surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—Zhang Wen knew this was a hopeless situation.
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade descended like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” allowing him to burst forth even faster than the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… With such strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters sent to assassinate him had all fallen, something no one had expected. The strength of the Empire’s fangs had reached a level where they could disregard ordinary super-tier opponents, even with three saint-tier fighters added to the mix.
Casually stepping over the four bodies on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Messiah. A hint of surprise flickered across his face, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a potential battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The rapier transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, hiding deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix in flames, or an elegant swan. Yet, the hidden blade of the rapier was like a venomous snake, a bee’s sting, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state under Messiah’s hands, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong couldn’t gain any advantage against such techniques.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem was the Flame Demon Agate. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as a result, he was gradually overwhelmed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agate first, but each time, Messiah’s timely and bizarre sword strikes sent his heart racing, forcing him to dodge frantically and temporarily spare Agate.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the furious, fire-eyed Agate, Messiah appeared remarkably composed. Every sword thrust, every movement, was executed with elegance. She was like a lion confident of victory, toying with her prey, draining his strength.
“Chief Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, a gentle smile on his face, as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. He walked step by step toward the three engaged in combat, seemingly unfazed by the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves near him were deflected by the storm-like swirling electric battle energy surrounding him.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Messiah said coldly, her rapier stabbing twice like a bee’s tail—one thrust upward toward Gaolong’s chin and throat, the other rebounding with the sword’s flexibility, slashing downward toward Gaolong’s groin like a rattlesnake’s tail.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous swordsmanship forced Gaolong to dodge frantically, his heart filled with both anger and fear.
“How can she be so strong at such a young age? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty, yet she’s already at the super-tier, and at the peak of it! Could it be that inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was baffled, but with Agate and Messiah relentlessly pursuing him, he could only hope that Black Baron’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao stroked his chin in response to Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time talking to me, why don’t you go clean up the trash?” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong back.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his figure turning in a flash as he lunged toward Zhang Wen with astonishing electric energy.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With five powerful fighters gathered together, only three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their close proximity made it inconvenient to unleash overly powerful battle energy, so they had to concentrate their energy in their fists to attack Zhang Wen. However, Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to thrive in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that, at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had somehow latched onto one of their comrades, manipulating his body like a puppet and turning him into a human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter attached to it spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses, howling in pain but unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, his blood boiling, roared and unleashed a torrent of battle energy, not caring whether the target was his ally or not. With a sweep of his hand, the battle energy at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into pieces.
Just as he prepared to press forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a surge of deep blue electric battle energy, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of lightning.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first ensnared the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed all three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were reduced to charred remains.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning flesh, and Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying—his presence now was eerily close to that of the legendary King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!”
A shrill cry of fear erupted as Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously went berserk. Their battle energy exploded in a torrential cascade of starlight, flattening everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light, Galil’s inverse purple cross battle energy and Bakali’s full-force super-tier psychic energy rained down on Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the right and left hands of Black Baron, had unleashed their full power, only to miss their target completely.
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into a streak of lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, sparks of electricity flashing as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
In the next instant, Galil and Bakali felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice behind them: “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was the last thought in Galil and Bakali’s minds.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies as Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of electricity, surged into them.
This was no ordinary super-tier power—it was the strength of someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the realm of the “King!”
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under Lei Miao’s battle energy, Galil and Bakali resisted for a few seconds before their super-tier energy, like a floodgate opening, poured out uncontrollably. But under Lei Miao’s superior control, it was shattered into countless glowing particles, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky.
“Zap!”
With a final release, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the peak super-tier ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose instantly if caught off guard.
As if he had just completed a trivial task, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze turned to Messiah and Gaolong in the distance—both were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It was over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always brought death to others, but today, for the first time, he tasted the approach of death himself!
Seeing all his men fall, Gaolong knew the situation was hopeless. The only thing on his mind now was to escape as quickly as possible—perhaps there was still a chance to survive. Otherwise, death was certain!
His experience of repeatedly escaping the Empire’s pursuit allowed him to make a split-second decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s body erupted with a second burst of crimson battle energy, forming a massive, blinding blood-red vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had been holding back! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would reserve a portion of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to escape. This tactic had proven effective time and again, fooling most enemies until the very end, when Gaolong would turn the tables and escape, sometimes even killing his pursuers while they were still in disbelief.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded, and he let out a piercing shriek. At the same time, both his hands erupted with battle energy and psychic energy, forming two massive blood-red claws that pushed Messiah and the Flame Demon Agate away.
This was his last chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he didn’t hesitate to sprint downhill at full speed. As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If Black Baron’s final arrangements worked, he might even turn the tables on them!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the just-struggling-to-sit-up Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, they had been pushed dozens of meters away from the path during the earlier battle and were too far to intercept him.
The will to survive unleashed an incredible surge of potential in Gaolong’s body. His crimson battle energy blazed like a rainbow as he charged forward, the ground cracking beneath him, creating a terrifying spectacle.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of battle energy erupted, forming a net that blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank. With a furious roar, he poured his battle energy into his hands, tearing through the incoming energy net. But the delay allowed Agate, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to close in and surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly blocked Gaolong’s escape slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard Squad Leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded—enemies on all sides. Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle insignia gradually emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sunlight!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As a key figure under Black Baron, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining Black Baron, he had been hunted and ambushed by them multiple times. He knew how terrifying they were—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
This was an enormous, meticulously crafted war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely cogs in its mechanism!
Even when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution in the past, just five Eagle Guards had been enough to put him in a dire situation. Now, at least twenty Eagle Guards—two full squads—stood before him.
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also spelled Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale—this was the feeling of impending doom.
His eye twitched, and suddenly, he noticed that behind Squad Leader Mura, the Eagle Guards were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
“Mishaya, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless strange glows, blooming like flowers, concealing deadly killing intent. The battle energy erupted brilliantly and dazzlingly, like a peacock, like a phoenix dancing in fire, like an elegant swan. Yet hidden within the shadows, the flower sword’s blade was like a venomous snake, like a bee’s stinger, like a scorpion’s tail, delivering fatal strikes to Gaolong from unexpected directions and trajectories.
Even Gaolong, the killing machine, was in a sorry state against Mishaya, reduced to dodging alone. In terms of battle energy, Mishaya was no less powerful than him; in terms of physical combat, Mishaya’s inherited sword techniques were hailed as the Empire’s premier sword art, passed down generation after generation, known as the Sword Sage. Gaolong could gain no advantage against this inherited sword art.
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light. Following a graceful and mysterious arc, the sword tip cleverly flicked upward at the three-quarter point of the massive cross of light. Using the principle of deflection, he barely managed to shift the cross-shaped battle energy upward by a few inches, narrowly missing his prone body on the ground. It was an extremely close call, but it allowed him to narrowly escape death.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with a fierce light. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. At that moment, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier opponents, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered to himself with a bitter smile. As he spoke, Galil and another super-tier powerhouse—the Storm God Bakali—along with the three saint-tier fighters, surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—Zhang Wen knew it was a hopeless situation.
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade struck like lightning, and the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattered the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” allowing him to burst forth even faster than the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… With such strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters who had been sent to assassinate him were now permanently down, something no one had expected. The strength of the Empire’s Venom Fang had reached a level where they could disregard ordinary super-tier fighters, even when accompanied by three saint-tier ones.
Casually stepping over the four bodies on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Messiah. A slight surprise appeared on his face, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a long-awaited battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The rapier transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers hiding deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix’s fiery dance, or an elegant swan. But hidden within the shadows, the rapier’s blade was like a venomous snake, a bee’s sting, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow.
Even the killing machine, Gao Long, was left in a sorry state under Messiah’s hands, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of swordsmanship, Messiah’s inherited techniques were hailed as the Empire’s best, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gao Long couldn’t gain any advantage against such techniques.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gao Long believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem lay with the Flame Demon, Agate. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gao Long to divert some of his focus, and as the battle wore on, he found himself increasingly suppressed by Messiah’s swordplay.
Gao Long tried several times to deal with Agate first, but each time, Messiah’s timely and bizarre sword strikes left him panicked, forcing him to dodge and temporarily let Agate go.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gao Long and the furious, fire-eyed Agate, Messiah appeared remarkably composed. Every sword strike she made was executed with grace and elegance. She was like a confident and majestic lion, toying with her prey, skillfully draining his strength.
“Commander Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, and a gentle smile played on his lips, as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. He walked step by step toward the three engaged in fierce combat, completely unfazed by the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves that came near him were deflected by the storm-like swirl of lightning battle energy surrounding him.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. Think about how you’ll explain this to His Majesty afterward,” Messiah said coldly, glancing at him. Her rapier, like a bee’s stinger, hissed as she thrust twice—one upward toward Gao Long’s chin and throat, and the other, using the sword’s flexibility, rebounded sharply, slashing downward toward Gao Long’s groin like a rattlesnake’s tail.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous swordsmanship forced Gao Long to roar in frustration as he frantically dodged, both angry and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so strong at such a young age? I heard that the inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty, yet she’s already at the super-tier, and at the peak of it! Could it be that the inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gao Long was utterly perplexed. He wanted to escape but was firmly pinned down by both Agate and Messiah. He could only hope that the Black Baron’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao stroked his chin in response to Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time talking to me, why don’t you go clean up that trash?” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gao Long back, preventing him from escaping.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned and lunged toward Zhang Wen with a burst of astonishing electric light.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With five powerful fighters gathered together, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their proximity made it inconvenient to unleash overly powerful battle energy, so they had to concentrate their energy in their fists to strike at Zhang Wen. However, Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to profit from the chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that, at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously adhered to one of their comrades’ bodies. Like a puppeteer manipulating a marionette, Zhang Wen used the man’s body to perform various movements, turning him into a human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier expert as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier expert stuck to it spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses as he roared in pain, unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, his blood boiling with rage, roared and unleashed a torrent of battle energy from his hands. Without caring whether the target was his ally or not, he slashed and tore, the battle energy at his fingertips shredding the unfortunate puppet into pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish off Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a burst of deep blue lightning battle energy, he shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed all three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding flash of electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning flesh, and Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying. The aura he exuded now was faintly approaching that of the legendary King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!”
A shrill cry of fear erupted as Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously went berserk. All their battle energy exploded in a torrential cascade of starlight, flattening everything within a hundred meters. In the intense flash of light, Galil’s inverted cross of deep purple battle energy and Bakali’s full-force super-tier psychic energy rain bombarded Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the right and left hands of the Black Baron, had unleashed their full power, only to miss their target!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into a streak of lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, and arcs of electricity sparked as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
In the next instant, Galil and Bakali felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice from behind. “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was Galil and Bakali’s final thought.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue arcs of electricity wrapped around their bodies as Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high-voltage electricity, surged into them.
This was no ordinary super-tier power. This was the realm of someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the “King”!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under Lei Miao’s assault, Galil and Bakali struggled for a few seconds, their super-tier battle energy pouring out like a flood from an opened dam. But under the absolute suppression of Lei Miao’s higher realm, it shattered into countless particles of light, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky.
“Zap!”
With a final release, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the peak super-tier ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would be completely defeated if caught off guard.
As if he had just completed a trivial task, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy of being my opponents.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gao Long, both of whom were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It was over!
The killing machine, Gao Long, had always been the one to bring death to others, but today, for the first time, he tasted the approach of death himself!
Seeing all his men fall, Gao Long knew that this mission was essentially over. The only thing he could think of now was to escape as quickly as possible. Perhaps there was still a chance to survive; otherwise, death was certain!
His experience of repeatedly escaping from the Empire’s pursuit allowed him to make a quick decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gao Long’s blood-red battle energy erupted once more, forming a blinding crimson vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gao Long had always held back some strength! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would reserve a portion of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to make his escape. This tactic had proven effective time and again, fooling most of his enemies until the very end, when Gao Long would turn the tables and escape, or even kill them while they were still in disbelief.
After his roar, Gao Long’s chest expanded, and he let out a piercing shriek. At the same time, both his hands erupted with battle energy and psychic energy, forming two massive blood-red claws that pushed Messiah and the Flame Demon Agate away.
This was his final chance!
With Gao Long’s keen sense of timing, he didn’t hesitate. He took advantage of the moment to sprint at full speed down the mountain! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Baron’s final arrangements worked, perhaps he could even turn the tables on them!
Gao Long’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the barely sitting-up Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already deviated from the mountain path by dozens of meters during the earlier battle and were definitely too far to intercept him!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible surge of potential within Gao Long. His blood-red battle energy blazed like a rainbow as he charged forward, the ground beneath him cracking from the sheer force. His speed at that moment was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gao Long was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gao Long’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of battle energy erupted, forming a net that blocked Gao Long’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gao Long’s heart sank. He roared madly, pouring all his battle energy into his hands to tear through the oncoming energy net. But the delay allowed Agate, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to catch up and surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly attacked to block Gao Long slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard Squad Leader—Mura.
Gao Long was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere—front, back, left, and right! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle insignia gradually emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sunlight!
Gao Long’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under the Black Baron, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Baron, he had been pursued and ambushed by them multiple times. He knew all too well how fearsome the Eagle Guard was—they were killing machines even more professional than him.
This was an enormous, precision-engineered war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely cogs in this machine!
Back when the Empire had ordered Gao Long’s execution, just five Eagle Guards had been enough to leave him in a sorry state. Now, at least twenty Eagle Guards—two full squads—stood before him.
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also spelled Gao Long’s death sentence!
Gao Long’s face was pale. This was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that behind Squad Leader Mura, the Eagle Guards were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light, tracing an elegant and mysterious arc upward. The tip of the sword cleverly lifted at the three-quarter point of the massive glowing cross, using a deflection technique to barely shift the cross-shaped battle energy upward by a few inches, narrowly grazing his body as it lay flat on the ground. The situation was perilous to the extreme, but it allowed him to narrowly escape disaster.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining single eye flashed with a fierce light. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike?! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy attacks to finish him off. At that moment, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier powerhouse—the Storm God Bakali—along with the three saint-tier fighters, surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—Zhang Wen saw no way out of this certain death scenario!
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s lightning-fast hand chop descended, and the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattered the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” which allowed him to burst forth even faster than the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… with this level of strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters who had been sent to assassinate him earlier had now permanently fallen, something no one had anticipated. The strength of the Empire’s fangs had grown to the point where they could disregard ordinary super-tier fighters, even with three saint-tier fighters added to the mix.
Casually stepping over the bodies of the four on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Messiah. His face showed a hint of surprise, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a battle he craved.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, hiding deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix’s fiery dance, and an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the flower sword was like a venomous snake, a bee’s sting, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gao Long.
Even the killing machine Gao Long was left in a sorry state under Messiah’s hands, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of swordsmanship, Messiah’s inherited techniques were hailed as the Empire’s best, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gao Long couldn’t gain any advantage against such techniques.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gao Long believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem was the Flame Demon Agat. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gao Long to divert some of his focus, and as the balance shifted, he was gradually suppressed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gao Long tried several times to deal with Agat first, but each time, Messiah’s timely and bizarre sword strikes left him flustered, forcing him to dodge and temporarily spare Agat.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gao Long and the furious, fire-eyed Agat, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword strike she made was elegant and poised. She was like a confident and majestic lion, skillfully toying with her prey, draining its strength.
“Captain Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, and his face bore a gentle smile, as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. Step by step, he walked toward the three engaged in fierce combat, seemingly unfazed by the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves that approached him were deflected by the storm-like swirling electric battle energy surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s finals without permission. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Messiah said coldly, her flower sword stabbing twice like a bee’s tail—one strike aimed upward at Gao Long’s chin and throat, and the other, using the sword’s flexibility, rebounding sharply downward like a rattlesnake’s tail, targeting Gao Long’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous swordsmanship left Gao Long roaring in panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so strong at such a young age? I heard that the inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind through psychic energy. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty, yet she’s already at the super-tier, and at the peak of it! Could it be that the inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gao Long was utterly perplexed. He wanted to escape, but Agat and Messiah had him firmly pinned down. All he could do was hope that the Black Viscount’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao rubbed his chin at Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time talking to me, why don’t you go clean up that trash?” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gao Long, who was trying to escape, back into the fray.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned and dashed toward Zhang Wen’s direction with a surge of electric energy.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With the five fighters gathered together, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their proximity made it inconvenient to unleash overly powerful battle energy, so they had to concentrate their energy in their fists to strike at Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique, however, was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to profit from the chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that, at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously adhered to one of their comrades’ bodies, manipulating him like a puppet and turning him into a human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter stuck to his sword spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses as he roared in pain, unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield, but all attempts failed. Galil, his blood boiling, roared and unleashed a torrent of battle energy with both hands, regardless of whether the target was his ally. With a swift motion, the battle energy at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into several pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish off Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a surge of deep blue electric battle energy, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first ensnared the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, the three saint-tier fighters were killed.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with a faint wisp of smoke and the acrid smell of burning. Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he brought with him now faintly approached that of the legendary King!!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously erupted in a frenzy, their battle energy exploding into a towering cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light, Galil’s reverse-cross deep purple battle energy and Bakali’s full-force super-tier psychic energy rain bombarded Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the right and left hands of the Black Viscount, had unleashed their full power, only to miss their target!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, and electric sparks flashed as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
In the next moment, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice from behind. “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was the last thought Galil and Bakali had.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies, and Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high-voltage electricity, surged into their bodies.
This was no ordinary super-tier power; it belonged to someone who had one foot in the god-tier, infinitely close to the realm of the “King”!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under Lei Miao’s battle energy assault, Galil and Bakali struggled for a few seconds before their super-tier battle energy, like a floodgate opening, poured out uncontrollably. But under Lei Miao’s higher-level suppression, it was all shattered into countless glowing particles, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky.
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the peak super-tier ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose everything in a single misstep if caught off guard.
As if he had just completed a trivial task, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gao Long, both of whom were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It was over!
The killing machine Gao Long had always brought death to others, but today, for the first time, he tasted the approach of death himself!
Seeing all the men he had brought fall, Gao Long knew that this mission was essentially over. The only thing he could think of now was to escape as quickly as possible; perhaps there was still a chance to survive. Otherwise, death was the only outcome!
His experience of repeatedly escaping from the Empire’s pursuits allowed him to make a quick decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gao Long’s crimson battle energy suddenly erupted a second time, forming a dazzling, massive blood-red vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gao Long had been holding back! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would hold back a portion of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to make his escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, as most enemies were caught off guard, only realizing too late that Gao Long had turned the tables and escaped, or even killed them, while they were still in disbelief.
After his roar, Gao Long’s chest expanded, and he let out a piercing shriek. At the same time, both his hands erupted with battle energy and psychic energy, forming two massive blood-red claws that simultaneously repelled Messiah and the Flame Demon Agat.
This was his final chance!
With Gao Long’s keen sense of seizing opportunities, he didn’t hesitate to take advantage of this moment to sprint at full speed down the mountain! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Viscount’s final arrangements worked, he might even be able to surprise them all!
Gao Long’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the recently struggling-to-rise Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already been displaced dozens of meters from the mountain path due to the earlier battle and would absolutely be too late to intercept him!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible surge of potential within Gao Long. His crimson battle energy blazed like a rainbow, and his rapid advance caused the ground to crack, creating a terrifying spectacle.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gao Long was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gao Long’s pupils. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of battle energy patterns erupted! Like a giant net, it blocked Gao Long’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gao Long’s heart sank to the depths. With a furious roar, he channeled his battle energy into his hands, tearing through the oncoming battle energy. But this delay allowed Agat, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly struck to block Gao Long slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard Squad Leader—Mura.
He was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere, front, back, left, and right! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle emblem on their chests, gradually emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sunlight!
Gao Long’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under the Black Viscount, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Viscount, he had been hunted and ambushed by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew all too well how terrifying they were—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
This was an immensely vast and precise war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely components of this machine!
Even back when the Empire had ordered Gao Long’s execution, just five Eagle Guards had left him in a sorry state. Today, at least twenty Eagle Guards, two full squads, stood in his way!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also declared Gao Long’s death sentence!
Gao Long’s face was pale; this was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that behind Squad Leader Mura, the Eagle Guards were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light, tracing an elegant and mysterious arc upward. The tip of the sword cleverly flicked at the three-quarter point of the massive cross of light, using a deflection technique to barely shift the cross-shaped battle aura upward by a few inches, narrowly grazing his body as it lay flat on the ground. The situation was perilous to the extreme, but it allowed him to narrowly escape death.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining single eye flashed with ferocity. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike?! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. At that moment, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier fighters, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered to himself with a bitter smile. As he spoke, Galil and another super-tier powerhouse—the Storm God Bakali—along with the three saint-tier fighters, surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters. To Zhang Wen, it seemed like a certain death scenario!
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade descended like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” and his instantaneous burst of speed even surpassed the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head: “So weak… with such strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters who had been sent to assassinate him earlier were now permanently down, something no one had expected. The strength of the Empire’s Venom Fang had reached a point where they could disregard ordinary super-tier fighters, and even adding three saint-tier fighters wouldn’t change the outcome.
Casually stepping over the bodies of the four on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze fell on the Northern Overlord, Messiah. A look of slight surprise crossed his face, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a battle he craved.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The rapier transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, concealing deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix’s fiery dance, or an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the rapier was like a venomous snake, a bee’s stinger, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state under Messiah’s hands, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong couldn’t gain any advantage against this inherited swordsmanship.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem was the Flame Demon Agart. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus to deal with him, and as a result, he was gradually suppressed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agart first, but each time, Messiah’s timely and bizarre sword strikes sent his heart racing, forcing him to dodge in a panic and temporarily spare Agart.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the teeth-gritting, fiery-eyed Agart, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword thrust, every movement, was executed with grace. She was like a lion confident of victory, toying with her prey with confidence and authority, draining his strength.
“Captain Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, a gentle smile on his face as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. Step by step, he approached the three engaged in fierce combat, seemingly unfazed by the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves that came close were deflected by the storm-like swirling electric battle energy surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you disregarded my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Messiah said coldly, her rapier stabbing twice like a bee’s stinger. One thrust went upward from below, aiming for Gaolong’s chin and throat, while the other, using the flexibility of the blade, rebounded sharply, slashing downward like a rattlesnake’s tail toward Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous swordsmanship forced Gaolong to roar in panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so strong at such a young age? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind through psychic energy. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty yet, and she’s already at the super-tier, the peak of the super-tier at that! Could it be that inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was utterly perplexed. He wanted to escape but was firmly pinned down by both Agart and Messiah. All he could do was hope that the Black Viscount’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao rubbed his chin at Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time talking to me, why don’t you go clean up that trash,” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong, who was trying to escape, back into the fight.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned and lunged toward Zhang Wen with a burst of astonishing electric energy.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With five powerful fighters gathered together, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their proximity made it inconvenient to unleash overly powerful battle auras, so they had to concentrate their battle energy in their fists to strike at Zhang Wen. However, Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to profit from the chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously adhered to one of their comrades’ bodies, manipulating him like a puppet and turning him into Zhang Wen’s human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier expert as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter stuck to his blade spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses as he roared in pain, unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield, but all attempts failed. Galil, blood rushing to his head, roared and unleashed a furious burst of battle energy with both hands. Regardless of whether the target was his ally or not, he slashed and tore, the battle energy at his fingertips shredding the unfortunate puppet into pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish off Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a surge of deep blue electric battle energy, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, the three saint-tier fighters were killed.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with wisps of smoke and the pungent smell of burning. Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he brought with him now faintly approached that of the legendary King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
A sharp, fear-filled roar erupted as Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously went berserk. All their battle energy exploded in a frenzy, creating a towering cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light explosion, the Tyrant Galil’s inverse cross of deep purple battle energy and the Storm God Bakali’s full-powered super-tier psychic energy rain simultaneously blasted toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the right and left hands of the Black Viscount, had unleashed their full power, but their attacks missed!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into a bolt of lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist of water vapor exploded behind him, electric sparks flashing as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
In the next instant, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice from behind: “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was Galil and Bakali’s final thought.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies, and Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high voltage, surged into their bodies.
This was no ordinary super-tier fighter’s resistance; this was the realm of someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the “King”!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under Lei Miao’s battle energy assault, Galil and Bakali barely resisted for a few seconds. The super-tier battle energy within their bodies surged out like a floodgate had opened, but under Lei Miao’s higher-level absolute suppression, it was shattered into countless specks of light, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky!
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the peak super-tier special ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose everything with a single misstep if caught off guard.
As if he had just done something trivial, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly: “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of the super-tier or those who have touched the divine realm are worthy of being my opponents.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gaolong in the distance, both of whom were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It was over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always brought death to others, but today, for the first time, he tasted the approach of death himself!
Seeing all the men he had brought down, Gaolong knew that this mission was essentially over. The only thing he could think of now was to escape as quickly as possible; perhaps there was still a chance to survive, otherwise, it would be certain death!
His experience of repeatedly escaping from the Empire’s pursuit allowed him to make a quick decision!
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s body erupted with a second burst of blood-red battle energy, forming a blindingly large crimson vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel, murderous intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had been holding back! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would hold back a portion of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to make his escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, fooling most enemies until Gaolong turned the tables, escaping or even killing them while they were still in disbelief.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded, and he let out a piercing shriek. At the same time, the battle energy and psychic energy in both his hands erupted simultaneously, forming two massive blood-red claw energies that pushed both Messiah and the Flame Demon Agart away.
This was his last chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he didn’t hesitate to take advantage of this moment to sprint at full speed down the mountain! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Viscount’s final arrangements worked, perhaps he could even give them a big surprise!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the recently struggling-to-rise Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already deviated from the mountain path by dozens of meters due to the earlier battle and were definitely too late to block him!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible potential within Gaolong’s body. The blood-red battle energy surged like a rainbow, and his rapid forward movement caused the ground to crack, creating a terrifying spectacle.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s pupils. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of battle energy erupted! Like a large net, it blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank to the bottom. With a furious roar, he poured his battle energy into his hands and tore through the incoming battle energy, but the delay allowed Agart, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly struck to block Gaolong slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard squad leader—Mura.
He was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere, front, back, left, and right! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle emblem on their chests gradually emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sunlight!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under the Black Viscount, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Viscount, he had been hunted and ambushed by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew full well how terrifying the Eagle Guard was—they were killing machines even more professional than he was.
This was an enormous, incredibly precise war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely components of this machine!
Even back when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution, it had only taken five Eagle Guard members to leave him in a sorry state. Now, at least twenty Eagle Guard members—two full squads—stood in his way!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also announced Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale; this was the feeling of impending doom.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that behind Mura, the Eagle Guard members were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gaogan and Mengnan!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with dazzling silver light, following a graceful and mysterious arc as it flicked upward. The tip of the sword cleverly struck three-quarters of the way up the massive glowing cross, using a deflection technique to barely shift the cross-shaped battle energy upward by a few inches, narrowly missing his prone body on the ground. It was an extremely close call, but it allowed him to narrowly escape disaster.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with a fierce light. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. At that moment, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also lunged forward.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier fighters, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier fighter—the Storm God Bakali—along with the three saint-tier fighters, surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—Zhang Wen was clearly in a hopeless situation!
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade descended like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” allowing him to burst forth even faster than the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… with such strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters who had been sent to assassinate him were now permanently down, something no one had anticipated. The strength of the Empire’s fangs had reached a level where ordinary super-tier fighters were no longer a threat, even with three saint-tier fighters added to the mix.
Casually stepping over the four bodies on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Messiah. His face showed a hint of surprise, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a battle he craved.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The rapier transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, hiding deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix in flames, or an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the rapier was like a venomous snake, a bee’s stinger, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in disarray by Messiah, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong could not gain an advantage against this inherited swordsmanship.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem was the Flame Demon Agat. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his attention, and as the battle wore on, he found himself increasingly suppressed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agat first, but each time, Messiah’s sudden, bizarre sword strikes left him panicked and forced to dodge, temporarily sparing Agat.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the furious, fire-eyed Agat, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword thrust, every movement, was executed with elegance. She was like a lion confident of victory, toying with her prey, draining his strength.
“Captain Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, his face wearing a gentle smile, as if he were looking at a beloved lover. He walked step by step toward the three engaged in fierce combat, ignoring the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves near him were deflected by the storm-like swirling lightning battle energy surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Messiah said coldly, her rapier stabbing twice like a bee’s stinger—one thrust upward toward Gaolong’s chin and throat, the other, using the sword’s flexibility, rebounding downward like a rattlesnake’s tail toward Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous swordsmanship left Gaolong roaring in panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so young and yet so powerful? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty, yet she’s already at the super-tier, and at the peak of it! Could it be that inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was utterly baffled, wanting to escape but being relentlessly pursued by both Agat and Messiah. He could only hope that the Black Baron’s final plan would work.
Lei Miao, in response to Messiah’s rebuke, stroked his chin with a faint smile. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have some freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time talking to me, why don’t you go clean up that trash,” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong back from trying to escape.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned and lunged toward Zhang Wen with a burst of astonishing electric energy.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With five powerful fighters gathered together, only three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time, and because they were too close to each other, they couldn’t unleash their full battle energy, instead focusing it in their fists to strike Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique was perfectly suited for such group combat, thriving in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously attached itself to one of their comrades, manipulating his body like a puppet and turning him into Zhang Wen’s human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter’s body.
Zhang Wen’s sword spun in continuous arcs, and the saint-tier fighter attached to it spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses, roaring in pain but unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, blood rushing to his head, roared and unleashed a furious burst of battle energy, not caring if the target was his own comrade. With a slash, the battle energy at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a burst of deep blue lightning battle energy, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed all three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning flesh, and Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he brought with him was already approaching that of the legendary King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
A sharp, fearful roar erupted as Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously went berserk, unleashing all their battle energy in a torrential cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light explosion, Galil’s inverse cross of deep purple battle energy and Bakali’s full-powered super-tier psychic energy rain both blasted toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao disappeared!
The two super-tier fighters, the right and left hands of the Black Baron, had unleashed their full power, only to miss their target!
Lei Miao’s figure instantly transformed into lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, arcs of electricity sparking as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
The next moment, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice from behind. “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was the last thought in Galil and Bakali’s minds.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies as Lei Miao’s battle energy, like a billion volts of high voltage, surged into them.
This was no ordinary super-tier strength—it was the power of someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the realm of the “King”!
“Zap! Crack!”
Under Lei Miao’s battle energy assault, Galil and Bakali resisted for a few seconds, their super-tier battle energy pouring out like a floodgate had been opened. But under the absolute suppression of Lei Miao’s higher realm, it was all shattered into countless specks of light, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky!
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the peak super-tier special ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose in an instant if they weren’t prepared.
As if he had just done something trivial, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze turned to Messiah and Gaolong in the distance—both were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It was over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always been the one to bring death to others, but today, for the first time, he tasted the approach of death himself!
Seeing all his men fall, Gaolong knew that this mission was essentially over. The only thing he could think of now was to escape as quickly as possible—perhaps there was still a chance to survive. Otherwise, death was certain!
His experience of repeatedly escaping from the Empire’s pursuits allowed him to make a quick decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s blood-red battle energy suddenly erupted a second time, forming a dazzling, massive crimson vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had been holding back! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would hold back a fraction of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, fooling most enemies until Gaolong turned the tables, escaped, or even killed them, leaving them in disbelief.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded as he let out a piercing shriek, and both his hands erupted with battle energy and psychic energy, forming two massive blood claws that simultaneously repelled Messiah and the Flame Demon Agat.
This was his last chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he didn’t hesitate. He took advantage of the moment to sprint at full speed down the mountain! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Baron’s final plan worked, it might even give them a surprise!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiaoxi, Luo Fulei, and the just-struggling-to-sit-up Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already been pushed dozens of meters away from the mountain path during the earlier battle—they definitely wouldn’t have time to block him!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible surge of potential in Gaolong’s body. His blood-red battle energy surged like a rainbow as he charged forward, the ground beneath him cracking and exploding, creating a terrifying spectacle.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistle sounded, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a burst of battle energy erupted, forming a net that blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank. He roared madly, pouring his battle energy into his hands to tear through the incoming energy net, but the delay allowed Agat, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly blocked Gaolong’s escape slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard squad leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere—front, back, left, and right! Even more terrifying was the group of black-clad soldiers with the Empire’s eagle emblem on their uniforms emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sunlight!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under the Black Baron, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Baron, he had been pursued and ambushed by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew how terrifying they were—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
This was an enormous, incredibly precise war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely components of this machine!
Even when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution in the past, just five Eagle Guards had been enough to leave him in disarray. Now, at least twenty Eagle Guards—two full squads—stood in his way!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also announced Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale. This was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that behind Mura, the Eagle Guards were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with dazzling silver light, following a graceful and mysterious arc. The tip of the sword cleverly lifted at three-quarters of the height of a massive cross of light, using a deflection technique to barely shift the cross’s energy upward by a few inches, narrowly missing his prone body on the ground. The situation was perilous to the extreme, but it allowed him to narrowly escape disaster.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with a fierce light. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. Just then, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier opponents, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier powerhouse—Storm God Bakali—along with three saint-tier fighters, surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—Zhang Wen saw no way out of this deadly situation.
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade descended like lightning, the dazzling electric energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” which allowed him to burst forth even faster than the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… with such strength, they dared to come and die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters sent to assassinate him had all fallen, something no one had anticipated. The strength of the Empire’s fangs had reached a point where they could disregard ordinary super-tier fighters, even with three saint-tier opponents added to the mix.
Casually stepping over the four bodies on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Messiah. His face showed a hint of surprise, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a potential battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, hiding deadly intent. The combat energy erupted in dazzling brilliance, resembling a peacock, a phoenix in flames, or an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the flower sword was like a venomous snake, a bee’s sting, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state, reduced to dodging. In terms of combat energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of swordsmanship, Messiah’s inherited techniques were hailed as the Empire’s best, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong could not gain an advantage against such techniques.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem was the Flame Demon Agart. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his attention, and as the balance shifted, he found himself gradually suppressed by Messiah’s swordplay.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agart first, but each time, Messiah’s sudden, eerie sword strikes sent his heart racing, forcing him to dodge and temporarily spare Agart.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the furious, fire-eyed Agart, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword thrust, every movement, was executed with elegance. She was like a confident and majestic lion, skillfully toying with her prey, draining its strength.
“Commander Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, and a gentle smile played on his lips, as if he were gazing at a beloved. He walked step by step toward the three engaged in fierce combat, seemingly oblivious to the violent bursts of combat energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves near him were deflected by the swirling storm of lightning energy surrounding him.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Messiah said coldly, her flower sword stabbing twice like a bee’s tail—one thrust upward toward Gaolong’s chin and throat, the other using the sword’s flexibility to rebound and slash diagonally toward Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous swordsmanship forced Gaolong to roar in anger and dodge frantically, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“Why is she so young yet so powerful? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about combat energy? She’s not even twenty yet! And she’s already at the super-tier, the peak of the super-tier! Could it be that inherited swordsmanship also passes down combat energy?”
Gaolong was baffled, but he had no time to ponder. He wanted to escape, but Agart and Messiah had him firmly pinned. He could only hope that Black Baron’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao stroked his chin at Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have some freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time with me, why don’t you go clean up that trash?” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong back.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned and charged toward Zhang Wen with a burst of electric energy.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With five powerful opponents gathered, only three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their proximity made it inconvenient to unleash overly powerful combat energy, so they had to focus their energy on their fists to strike Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Swordplay, however, was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to thrive in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that, at the start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously latched onto one of their comrades, manipulating his body like a puppet and turning him into a human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter’s body.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter attached to it spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses, roaring in pain but unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, his blood boiling, roared and unleashed a torrent of combat energy, not caring if he hit his own ally. With a sweeping motion, the energy at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into pieces.
Just as he prepared to press forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a burst of deep blue lightning energy, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first ensnared the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier combat energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed all three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric combat energy.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning, and Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he exuded now was eerily close to that of the legendary King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
Galil and Bakali, the other super-tier fighter, simultaneously erupted in a frenzy, their combat energy exploding into a dazzling cascade of light that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light, Galil’s deep purple inverse cross combat energy and Bakali’s super-tier psychic energy rainstorm blasted toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the right and left hands of Black Baron, had unleashed their full power, only to miss their target.
Lei Miao’s figure turned into a streak of lightning, cutting through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, and electric sparks flashed as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
In the next moment, Galil and Bakali felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice from behind: “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was the last thought in Galil and Bakali’s minds.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies, and Lei Miao’s combat energy, like billions of volts of high voltage, surged into them.
This was no ordinary super-tier power; this was the realm of someone half a step into god-tier, infinitely close to the “King”!
“Zap! Crack!”
Under Lei Miao’s combat energy, Galil and Bakali resisted for a few seconds before their super-tier energy, like a floodgate opening, poured out uncontrollably. But under Lei Miao’s higher-level suppression, it shattered into countless glowing particles, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky.
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the peak super-tier ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose in an instant if caught off guard.
As if he had just completed a trivial task, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze turned to Messiah and Gaolong in the distance—both were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It’s over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always brought death to others, but today, for the first time, he tasted the approach of death himself!
Seeing all his men fall, Gaolong knew the situation was hopeless. The only thing on his mind now was to escape, perhaps there was still a chance to survive, otherwise, it was certain death!
His experience of escaping countless imperial pursuits allowed him to make a quick decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s crimson combat energy erupted once more, forming a blinding vortex of blood-red energy that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had been holding back! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would reserve a portion of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to make his escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, fooling most enemies until Gaolong turned the tables, escaping or even killing them while they were still in disbelief.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded, and he let out a piercing screech. At the same time, combat energy and psychic energy burst from his hands, forming two massive blood-red claws that forced Messiah and the Flame Demon Agart back.
This was his last chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he didn’t hesitate. He took advantage of the moment to sprint downhill at full speed! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If Black Baron’s final arrangements worked, he might even turn the tables on them!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Xiuluo, Xiaoxi, Luofulei, and the barely conscious Marian. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, they were already dozens of meters off the path due to the earlier battle and wouldn’t be able to intercept him in time.
The will to survive unleashed unimaginable potential in Gaolong. His crimson combat energy surged like a rainbow, and his body shot forward, tearing up the ground with a terrifying force.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of combat energy erupted, forming a net that blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank. He roared madly, pouring his combat energy into his hands to tear through the incoming energy, but the delay allowed Agart, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly blocked Gaolong slowly emerged.
Imperial Eagle Guard Squad Leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere! Even more terrifying, a group of black-clad soldiers with the Imperial Eagle emblem on their uniforms emerged from behind Mura.
The Imperial Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Imperial Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sun!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under Black Baron, he was no stranger to the Imperial Eagle Guard. Even before joining Black Baron, he had been hunted and ambushed by them multiple times. He knew how terrifying they were—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
This was an enormous, precision-engineered war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely cogs in its mechanism!
Even when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution in the past, just five Eagle Guards had been enough to put him in a dire situation. Now, at least twenty Eagle Guards stood before him—two full squads!
The Empire’s unprecedented attention also sealed Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale, and he felt the approach of doom.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that behind Squad Leader Mura, the Eagle Guards were holding two prisoners—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gaogan and Mengnan!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the longsword in his hand erupted with dazzling silver light, following a graceful and mysterious arc. The tip of the sword cleverly lifted at the three-quarter point of the massive cross of light, using the “dispersing” technique to barely shift the cross-shaped battle aura upward by a few inches. It narrowly missed his body as he lay flat on the ground.
The situation was perilous to the extreme, but it allowed him to narrowly escape disaster.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with ferocity. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike?!
This enraged him. Abandoning his original target, he locked onto Zhang Wen, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. At that moment, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me.”
In the midst of Zhang Wen’s bitter self-mocking mutter, Galil and another super-tier powerhouse—the Storm God Bakali—along with the three saint-tier fighters, had already surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—Zhang Wen saw no way out of this certain-death scenario!
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s lightning-fast hand chop descended, and the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattered the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “lightning speed,” a burst of speed that even surpassed the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… with such strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters who had been sent to assassinate him were now permanently down—something no one had expected. The strength of the Empire’s Venom Fang had reached a level where ordinary super-tier fighters were no longer a threat, even with the addition of three saint-tier fighters.
Casually stepping over the four bodies on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Messiah. A slight surprise flickered across his face, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a long-awaited battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The rapier transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, concealing deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix’s fiery dance, or an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the rapier was like a venomous snake, a bee’s sting, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state under Messiah’s hands, reduced to dodging for his life. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of swordsmanship, Messiah’s inherited techniques were hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong couldn’t gain any advantage against such techniques.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem lay with the Flame Demon Agate. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as the battle wore on, he was gradually suppressed by Messiah’s swordplay.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agate first, but each time, Messiah’s timely and bizarre sword strikes sent his heart racing, forcing him to dodge frantically and temporarily let Agate go.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the furious, fire-eyed Agate, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword thrust, every movement, was executed with elegance. She was like a lion confident of victory, toying with her prey, draining his strength.
“Captain Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, and a gentle smile played on his lips, as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. Step by step, he walked toward the three engaged in fierce combat, completely ignoring the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves near him were deflected by the storm-like swirling electric battle aura surrounding him.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty.” Messiah coldly glanced at him, her rapier stabbing twice like a bee’s tail—one thrust from below aimed at Gaolong’s chin and throat, the other using the sword’s flexibility to rebound and slash diagonally toward Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Such venomous swordsmanship left Gaolong roaring in panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so young and yet so powerful? I heard that the inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty, yet she’s already at the super-tier, and at the peak of it! Could it be that the inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was utterly baffled. He wanted to escape, but Agate and Messiah had him firmly pinned down. All he could do was hope that the Black Viscount’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao stroked his chin at Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time talking to me, why don’t you go clean up that trash?” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong, who was trying to escape, back into the fight.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me.” Before Lei Miao’s words even finished, his figure turned, and with a surge of astonishing electric light, he lunged toward Zhang Wen’s position.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five people surrounding Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With five powerful fighters gathered together, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, because they were too close to each other, they couldn’t unleash overly powerful battle auras and had to concentrate their battle energy in their fists to attack Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen’s “Spring Water” swordsmanship, however, was perfectly suited for such group combat, thriving in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously “stuck” to one of their comrades, manipulating his body like a puppet and turning him into Zhang Wen’s human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter stuck to his sword spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses as he roared in pain, unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, his blood boiling, roared and unleashed a torrent of battle energy with both hands, not caring whether the target was his ally or not. With a forceful slash, the battle energy at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into several pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish off Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a surge of deep blue electric battle energy, he shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of lightning.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, the three saint-tier fighters were killed.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with wisps of smoke and the acrid smell of burning flesh. Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying—the aura he brought with him now faintly approached that of the legendary King!!
That was the power of the divine tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
A sharp, fear-filled roar erupted as Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously went berserk. All their battle energy exploded, creating a towering cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light explosion, Galil’s reverse-cross deep purple battle energy and Bakali’s full-powered super-tier psychic energy rain bombarded Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the right and left hands of the Black Viscount, had unleashed their full power, only to miss their target!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, and electric sparks flashed as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
The next moment, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s icy voice from behind. “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was Galil and Bakali’s final thought.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies, and Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high-voltage electricity, surged into them.
This was no ordinary super-tier power—it belonged to someone half a step into the divine tier, infinitely close to the realm of the “King”!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under Lei Miao’s battle energy assault, Galil and Bakali resisted for a few seconds, their super-tier battle energy pouring out like a floodgate had been opened. But under Lei Miao’s higher-level suppression, it was all shattered, turning into countless specks of light that danced like fireflies in a starry night.
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the peak super-tier special ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose everything in an instant if they made a single mistake against him.
As if he had just completed a trivial task, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the divine realm are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gaolong in the distance—both were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It was over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always brought death to others, but today, for the first time, he tasted the approach of death himself!
Seeing all his men fall, Gaolong knew that this mission was essentially over. The only thing he could think of now was to escape as quickly as possible—maybe there was still a chance to survive. Otherwise, death was certain!
His experience of repeatedly escaping the Empire’s pursuit allowed him to make a quick decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s body erupted with a second burst of crimson battle energy, forming a dazzling, massive blood-red vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy bloodlust filled the air.
Gaolong had always held back some strength! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would hold back a portion of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, fooling most enemies until the very end, when Gaolong would turn the tables, escape, or even kill them while they were still in disbelief.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded, and he let out a piercing shriek. At the same time, both hands unleashed a combination of battle energy and psychic energy, forming two massive blood claws that simultaneously repelled Messiah and the Flame Demon Agate.
This was his final chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he didn’t hesitate to take this moment to sprint at full speed down the mountain! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Viscount’s final arrangements worked, he might even give them a big surprise!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead had only the fallen Asura, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the barely sitting-up Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already been pushed dozens of meters away from the mountain path during the earlier battle—they definitely wouldn’t have time to block him!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible surge of potential in Gaolong’s body. His crimson battle energy blazed like a rainbow as his body shot forward, tearing up the ground in his wake, creating a terrifying spectacle.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of battle energy erupted, forming a net that blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank to the bottom. With a furious roar, he poured his battle energy into his hands and tore through the incoming battle energy net. But this delay allowed Agate, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly blocked Gaolong’s escape gradually stepped forward.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard Squad Leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere—front, back, left, and right! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle emblem on their chests, gradually emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sunlight!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under the Black Viscount, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Viscount, he had been pursued and ambushed by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew all too well how terrifying they were—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
This was an immensely vast and precise war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely cogs in this machine!
Even back when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution, just five Eagle Guards had left him in a sorry state. Now, at least twenty Eagle Guards—two full squads—stood before him.
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also announced Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale—this was the feeling of impending doom.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that behind Squad Leader Mura, the Eagle Guards were holding two prisoners—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gaogan and Strongman!
Even a killing machine had its fears, and Mishaya was undoubtedly Gaolong’s nemesis. Such sinister sword techniques forced Gaolong to roar in anger as he hastily dodged, filled with both rage and fear toward this woman.
“Why is she so young yet this powerful? I’ve heard that inherited sword techniques use special methods to imprint the predecessor’s memories into the successor’s mind through mental energy. But what about battle energy? She can’t be more than twenty years old, yet she’s already reached the peak of the super-tier! Could it be that inherited sword techniques can also pass down battle energy through generations?”
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light, tracing an elegant and mysterious arc upward. The tip of the sword cleverly lifted at the three-quarter point of the massive cross of light, using the principle of deflection to barely shift the cross-shaped battle aura upward by a few inches, narrowly grazing his body as it lay flat on the ground. The situation was perilous to the extreme, but it allowed him to narrowly escape disaster.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with a fierce light. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. At that moment, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier opponents, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier powerhouse—the Storm God Bakali—along with the three saint-tier fighters surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents. From Zhang Wen’s perspective, it was a hopeless situation!
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s lightning-fast hand chop descended, and the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattered the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” and his instantaneous burst of speed even surpassed the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… with such strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters who had been sent to assassinate him earlier had now permanently fallen, something no one had anticipated. The strength of the Empire’s Venom Fang had reached a level where ordinary super-tier fighters were no longer a threat, even with the addition of three saint-tier fighters.
Casually stepping over the bodies of the four on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Messiah. A slight surprise appeared on his face, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a desired battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The rapier transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, concealing deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix in flames, or an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the rapier was like a venomous snake, a bee’s sting, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state under Messiah’s hands, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of swordsmanship, Messiah’s inherited techniques were hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong couldn’t gain any advantage against such techniques.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem lay with the Flame Demon Agat. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as the balance shifted, he found himself gradually suppressed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agat first, but each time, Messiah’s timely and bizarre sword strikes left him panicked, forcing him to dodge awkwardly and temporarily spare Agat.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the furious, fire-eyed Agat, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword thrust, every movement, was executed with grace. She was like a lion confident of victory, toying with her prey, draining his strength.
“Commander Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, and a gentle smile played on his lips, as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. Step by step, he walked toward the three engaged in fierce combat, completely ignoring the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves that approached were deflected by the storm-like swirling lightning battle aura surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you’ve ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final battle. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Messiah said coldly, her rapier stabbing twice like a bee’s tail—one thrust upward toward Gaolong’s chin and throat, and the other, using the sword’s flexibility, rebounding sharply downward like a rattlesnake’s tail, aiming for Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Such venomous swordsmanship left Gaolong roaring in panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so strong at such a young age? I’ve heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty yet! And she’s already at the super-tier, the peak of the super-tier! Could it be that inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was utterly baffled, but with Agat and Messiah relentlessly pursuing him, he could only hope that the Black Viscount’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao rubbed his chin at Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time talking to me, why don’t you go clean up that trash?” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong, who was trying to escape, back into the fray.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned and lunged toward Zhang Wen with a burst of astonishing electric light.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With the five powerhouses gathered together, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their proximity made it inconvenient to unleash overly powerful battle auras, so they had to concentrate their battle energy in their fists to attack Zhang Wen. However, Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique was perfectly suited for such group combat, thriving in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had somehow attached itself to one of their comrades, manipulating his body like a puppet and turning him into a human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter attached to it spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses as he roared in pain, unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, his blood boiling, roared and unleashed a furious burst of battle energy, not caring if it hit his own comrade. With a sweep of his hand, the battle aura at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into several pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a burst of deep blue lightning battle aura, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, the three saint-tier fighters were killed.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with wisps of smoke and the acrid smell of burning. Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying. The aura he exuded now was faintly approaching that of the legendary King!
That was the power of the divine tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!”
A sharp, fearful roar erupted as Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously went berserk, unleashing all their battle energy in a torrential cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light explosion, Galil’s inverted cross of deep purple battle aura and Bakali’s full-powered super-tier psychic energy rainstorm both blasted toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the right and left hands of the Black Viscount, had unleashed their full power, but their attacks had missed!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, and electric sparks flashed as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
In the next moment, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice from behind. “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was the last thought in Galil and Bakali’s minds.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies as Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high voltage, surged into them.
This was no ordinary super-tier power. This was the realm of someone half a step into the divine tier, infinitely close to the “King”!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under Lei Miao’s battle aura, Galil and Bakali resisted for a few seconds, their super-tier battle energy pouring out like a floodgate. But under Lei Miao’s higher-level suppression, it was all shattered, turning into countless specks of light, like fireflies in a dazzling night sky.
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the peak super-tier special ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose in an instant if caught off guard.
As if he had just done something trivial, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of the super-tier or those who have touched the divine realm are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze turned to Messiah and Gaolong in the distance. Both were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It was over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always brought death to others, but today, for the first time, he tasted the approach of death himself!
Seeing all the people he had brought fall, Gaolong knew that this mission was essentially over. The only thing he could think of now was to escape as quickly as possible. Perhaps there was still a chance to survive; otherwise, death was certain!
His experience of repeatedly escaping the Empire’s pursuit allowed him to make a split-second decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s blood-red battle aura suddenly erupted a second time, forming a dazzling, massive crimson vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had always held back some strength! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would reserve a portion of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to make his escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, allowing him to deceive most enemies until the very end, when he would turn the tables and escape, or even kill them, leaving them in disbelief even in their final moments.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded, and he let out a piercing shriek. At the same time, the battle aura and psychic energy in his hands erupted simultaneously, forming two massive blood-red claws that pushed Messiah and the Flame Demon Agat away.
This was his last chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he didn’t hesitate. He took advantage of the moment to sprint at full speed down the mountain! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Viscount’s final arrangements worked, he might even be able to surprise them!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Xiuluo, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the barely sitting-up Marian. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already deviated from the mountain path by dozens of meters due to the earlier battle. They would never be able to intercept him in time!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible surge of potential in Gaolong. His blood-red battle aura shone like a rainbow, and his body shot forward, tearing up the ground with a terrifying force.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a burst of battle aura erupted like a net, blocking Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank to the depths. With a furious roar, he channeled all his battle energy into his hands, tearing through the incoming battle aura. But the delay allowed Agat, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to catch up and surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly blocked Gaolong’s escape slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard Squad Leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere, front, back, left, and right! Even more terrifying, a group of black-clad soldiers with the Empire’s eagle insignia gradually emerged from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sunlight!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As a key figure under the Black Viscount, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Viscount, he had been pursued and ambushed by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew all too well how terrifying they were—they were killing machines even more professional than he was.
This was an enormous, intricate war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely cogs in this machine!
Even when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution in the past, it had only sent five Eagle Guards, and that had left him in a sorry state. Today, at least twenty Eagle Guards, two full squads, stood in his way!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also spelled Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale. This was the feeling of impending doom.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that behind Squad Leader Mura, the Eagle Guards were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gaogan and Mengnan!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light, tracing an elegant and mysterious arc upward. The tip of the sword deftly flicked at the three-quarter point of the massive glowing cross, using the principle of deflection to barely shift the cross-shaped battle aura upward by a few inches, narrowly grazing his body as it lay flat on the ground. The situation was perilous to the extreme, but it allowed him to narrowly escape death.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with ferocity. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike?! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. Just then, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier opponents, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier powerhouse—the Storm God Bakali—along with the three saint-tier fighters, surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—Zhang Wen saw no way out of this deadly situation!
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade descended like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” a burst of speed that even surpassed the speed of sound. Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… with this level of strength, they dared to come and die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters sent to assassinate him had all fallen, something no one had anticipated. The strength of the Empire’s Venom Fang had reached a point where ordinary super-tier fighters were no longer a threat, even with three saint-tier fighters added to the mix.
Casually stepping over the four bodies on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Messiah. A look of slight surprise crossed his face, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a battle to come.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The rapier transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, concealing deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix in flames, or an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the rapier was like a venomous snake, a bee’s sting, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in disarray by Messiah, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong could not gain an advantage against such a legacy.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem lay with the Flame Demon Agat. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as the balance shifted, he was gradually overwhelmed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agat first, but each time Messiah’s timely and bizarre sword strikes sent his heart racing, forcing him to dodge in panic and temporarily spare Agat.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the teeth-gritting, fiery-eyed Agat, Messiah appeared remarkably composed. Every sword thrust, every movement, was executed with grace. She was like a lion confident of victory, toying with her prey, draining his strength.
“Commander Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, a gentle smile on his face as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. Step by step, he approached the three engaged in fierce combat, seemingly unfazed by the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves near him were deflected by the storm-like swirl of lightning battle energy surrounding him.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you disregard my orders and meddle in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty.” Messiah shot him a cold glance, her rapier stabbing twice like a bee’s tail—one thrust from below aimed at Gaolong’s chin and throat, the other, using the sword’s flexibility, rebounding sharply like a rattlesnake’s tail, slashing downward toward Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Such venomous swordsmanship left Gaolong roaring in panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so young and yet so powerful? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty yet, and she’s already at the super-tier, the pinnacle of the super-tier! Could it be that inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was baffled, desperate to escape but firmly pinned down by both Agat and Messiah. He could only hope that the Black Viscount’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao stroked his chin at Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have some freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time with me, why don’t you go clean up that trash?” Messiah said coolly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong back from attempting to escape.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But you must fight me later.” Before Lei Miao’s words had even faded, his figure turned, and with a burst of astonishing electric light, he charged toward Zhang Wen.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have long since been overwhelmed, but that was not the case.
With five powerful fighters gathered together, only three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their proximity made it inconvenient to unleash overly powerful battle auras, so they concentrated their battle energy in their fists to strike at Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique, however, was perfectly suited for such group combat, thriving in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had somehow adhered to one of their comrades, manipulating his body like a puppet on strings, turning him into Zhang Wen’s human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter’s body.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circles in the air, and the saint-tier fighter stuck to his sword spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses, howling in pain but unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, blood rushing to his head, roared and unleashed a furious burst of battle energy, regardless of whether his target was an ally or not. With a sweep of his hand, the battle aura at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a burst of deep blue lightning battle energy, he shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first ensnared the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they could not resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed all three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning flesh, and Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he exuded now was eerily close to that of the legendary King!!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
A shrill roar of fear erupted as Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously went berserk, unleashing all their battle energy in a torrential cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light explosion, Galil’s inverse cross of deep purple battle energy and Bakali’s full-force super-tier psychic energy rain bombarded Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the right and left hands of the Black Viscount, had unleashed their full power, only to miss their target!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into a streak of lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, sparks of electricity flashing as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
In the next instant, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice from behind. “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was the last thought Galil and Bakali had.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies as Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high voltage, surged into them.
This was no ordinary super-tier power; this was the realm of someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the “King”!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under Lei Miao’s battle aura, Galil and Bakali struggled for a few seconds, their super-tier battle energy gushing out like a floodgate had been opened. But under the absolute suppression of Lei Miao’s higher realm, it shattered into countless glowing particles, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky!
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the unique super-tier ability of super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, could be completely defeated with a single misstep if caught off guard.
As if he had just completed a trivial task, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of the super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gaolong, both of whom were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It’s over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always brought death to others, but today he tasted the approach of death for the first time!
Seeing all his men fall, Gaolong knew this was the end. The only thing left to do was to escape, perhaps there was still a chance to survive, otherwise, death was certain!
His experience of repeatedly escaping from the Empire’s pursuit allowed him to make a quick decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s body erupted with a second burst of crimson battle energy, forming a dazzling, massive blood-red vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had always held back some strength! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would hold back a portion of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to make his escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, as most enemies were deceived until the very end, when Gaolong would turn the tables and escape, or even kill them, leaving them in disbelief.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded, and he let out a piercing shriek. At the same time, both his hands erupted with battle energy and psychic energy, forming two massive blood-red claws that simultaneously repelled Messiah and the Flame Demon Agat.
This was his last chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he wasted no time and sprinted downhill at full speed! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Viscount’s final arrangements worked, he might even turn the tables and surprise them all!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Xiuluo, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the just-struggling-to-sit-up Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already deviated from the mountain path by dozens of meters due to the earlier battle, and they would definitely not have time to block him!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible surge of potential in Gaolong’s body. His crimson battle energy arched like a rainbow, and his rapid forward movement caused the ground to crack, creating a terrifying spectacle.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s pupils. From the entrance of the mountain path, a burst of battle energy light patterns erupted! Like a giant net, it blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank to the depths. With a furious roar, he poured his battle energy into his hands and tore through the oncoming battle energy, but the delay allowed Agat, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly struck to block Gaolong slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard Squad Leader—Mura.
Completely surrounded! Front, back, left, and right—all were enemies! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle insignia gradually emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sun!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under the Black Viscount, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Viscount, he had been hunted and ambushed by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew the terror of the Eagle Guard—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
This was an enormous, incredibly precise war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely components of this machine!
Even when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution in the past, only five members of the Eagle Guard had been enough to leave him in disarray. Today, at least twenty members of the Eagle Guard stood before him, the strength of two full squads!
The Empire’s unprecedented focus also declared Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale, and he felt the approach of doom.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that behind Squad Leader Mura, the Eagle Guard held two prisoners—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
“You have time to chat with me, but not to clear away the trash.” Mishaya said coolly, her sword never ceasing as she repeatedly forced Gaolong back when he tried to escape.
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with dazzling silver light, tracing an ethereal and mysterious arc as it slashed upward. The tip of the sword cleverly struck at the three-quarter point of the massive glowing cross, using a deflection technique to barely shift the cross-shaped battle energy upward by a few inches, narrowly grazing his body as he lay flat on the ground. It was an extremely close call, but it allowed him to narrowly escape disaster.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with a fierce light. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. At that moment, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier fighters, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier powerhouse—the Storm God Bakali—along with the three saint-tier fighters, surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—Zhang Wen was clearly in a hopeless situation!
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade struck like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” allowing him to burst forth even faster than the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… with such strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters who had been sent to assassinate him were now permanently down, something no one had expected. The strength of the Empire’s fangs had reached a point where they could disregard ordinary super-tier fighters, even with three saint-tier fighters added to the mix.
Casually stepping over the four bodies on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Messiah. His face showed a hint of surprise, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a desired battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, hiding deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix’s fiery dance, or an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the flower sword was like a venomous snake, a bee’s sting, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state by Messiah, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong could not gain any advantage against this inherited swordsmanship.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The real problem was the Flame Demon Agart. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as a result, he was gradually overwhelmed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agart first, but each time, Messiah’s timely and bizarre sword strikes left him terrified, forcing him to dodge frantically and temporarily let Agart go.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the furious, fire-eyed Agart, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword strike she made was executed with grace and elegance. She was like a confident and majestic lion, skillfully toying with her prey, draining his strength.
“Chief Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, and his face carried a gentle smile, as if he were looking at his beloved. Step by step, he walked toward the three engaged in fierce combat, seemingly unfazed by the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves that came near were deflected by the storm-like swirling electric battle energy surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Messiah said coldly, her flower sword stabbing twice like a bee’s tail—one strike from below aimed at Gaolong’s chin and throat, and another using the sword’s flexibility to rebound sharply, slashing downward toward Gaolong’s groin like a rattlesnake’s tail.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous sword techniques left Gaolong roaring in panic as he dodged, filled with both anger and fear toward this woman.
“How can she be so strong at such a young age? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind through psychic energy. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty yet, and she’s already at the super-tier, the peak of the super-tier! Could it be that inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was utterly perplexed, wanting to escape but being relentlessly pursued by both Agart and Messiah. He could only hope that the Black Viscount’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao rubbed his chin at Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time talking to me, why don’t you go clean up that trash,” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong back whenever he tried to escape.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned and lunged toward Zhang Wen with astonishing electric energy.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that was not the case.
With five powerful fighters gathered together, only three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their close proximity made it inconvenient to unleash overly powerful battle energy, so they had to concentrate their energy in their fists to attack Zhang Wen. However, Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to profit from the chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously adhered to one of their comrades’ bodies, manipulating him like a puppet and using him as a human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter stuck to his sword spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses as he roared in pain but couldn’t break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, his blood boiling, roared and unleashed a torrent of battle energy from his hands, regardless of whether the target was his ally or not. With a swipe, the battle energy at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into several pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a terrifying deep blue electric battle energy, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed all three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning, and Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he brought with him was already approaching that of the legendary King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
With a sharp, fearful roar, Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously went berserk, unleashing all their battle energy in a torrential cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light explosion, Galil’s inverse cross of deep purple battle energy and Bakali’s full-powered super-tier psychic energy rain simultaneously blasted toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the right and left hands of the Black Viscount, had unleashed their full power, only to miss their target!
Lei Miao’s figure instantly transformed into lightning, cutting through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, and electric sparks flashed as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
In the next moment, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice from behind. “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was Galil and Bakali’s final thought.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies as Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high voltage, surged into their bodies.
This was no ordinary super-tier power; this was the power of someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the realm of the “King”!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under the assault of Lei Miao’s battle energy, Galil and Bakali struggled for a few seconds, their super-tier battle energy pouring out like a flood from an open gate. But under the absolute suppression of Lei Miao’s higher realm, it was all shattered into countless glowing particles, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky.
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the peak super-tier special ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose everything with a single misstep if caught off guard.
As if he had just done something trivial, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of the super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gaolong in the distance—both were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It’s over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always brought death to others, but today he was the one who tasted the approach of death for the first time!
Seeing all the men he had brought down, Gaolong knew that this mission was essentially over. The only thing he could think of now was to escape as quickly as possible; perhaps there was still a chance to survive, otherwise, it would be certain death!
His experience of repeatedly escaping from the Empire’s pursuits allowed him to make a quick decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s blood-red battle energy suddenly erupted a second time, forming a dazzling, massive crimson vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy blood scent spread through the air.
Gaolong had always held back some strength! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would hold back a fraction of his power, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, as most enemies were deceived until the very end, when Gaolong would turn the tables and escape, or even kill them while they were still in disbelief.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded as he let out a piercing shriek, and the battle energy and psychic energy in his hands erupted simultaneously, forming two massive blood-red claws that pushed Messiah and the Flame Demon Agart away.
This was his final chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of timing, he didn’t hesitate to take advantage of this moment to sprint at full speed down the mountain! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Viscount’s final arrangements worked, perhaps he could even give them a surprise!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was empty except for the fallen Asura, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the just-struggling-to-sit-up Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already been pushed dozens of meters away from the mountain path during the earlier battle and were definitely too far to intercept him!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible potential within Gaolong. His blood-red battle energy surged like a rainbow, and his body shot forward, tearing up the ground with a terrifying momentum.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of battle energy erupted, forming a net that blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank to the bottom. With a furious roar, he poured his battle energy into his hands and tore through the incoming energy net, but the delay allowed Agart, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly attacked to block Gaolong slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard squad leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere, front, back, left, and right! Even more terrifying was the group of black-clad soldiers with the Empire’s eagle emblem on their uniforms, gradually emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sunlight!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under the Black Viscount, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Viscount, he had been hunted and ambushed by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew full well how terrifying the Eagle Guard was—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
This was an immensely vast and precise war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely components of this machine!
Even when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution in the past, just five members of the Eagle Guard had left him in a sorry state. Today, at least twenty members, two full squads of the Eagle Guard, stood in his way!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also announced Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale; this was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that behind Mura, the Eagle Guard members were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters, five in total, surrounded Zhang Wen. Theoretically, Zhang Wen should have already collapsed under the pressure, but in reality, it wasn’t the case.
When the five fighters gathered together, at any given moment no more than three could attack Zhang Wen. Moreover, due to their close proximity, they couldn’t unleash overly powerful battle energy, so they had to channel their energy into their fists for attacks. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique, however, was particularly suited for group combat, allowing him to take advantage amidst the chaos.
What further enraged Galil and the others was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s longsword had strangely adhered to one of their fighters’ bodies, manipulating him like a puppet and making him perform various movements, effectively turning him into a living shield for Zhang Wen. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using that saint-tier expert.
Zhang Wen’s longsword traced swirling arcs, and the saint-tier fighter caught by his sword spun like a top along with him, his body contorting into exaggerated positions, roaring in pain but unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the living shield but failed each time. Galil’s face flushed with rage, and with a furious roar, he unleashed a violent surge of battle energy with both hands, indifferent to whether his target was an ally or not. With a slash and a split, the battle energy from his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into several pieces.
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light, tracing an elegant and mysterious arc upward. The tip of the sword deftly caught the giant cross of light at three-quarters of its height, using a deflection technique to barely shift the cross’s energy upward by a few inches, narrowly missing his body as it lay flat on the ground. The situation was perilous to the extreme, but it allowed him to narrowly escape disaster.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with a fierce light. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. Just then, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier opponents, the same treatment as Lei Miu. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered to himself with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier powerhouse—the Storm God Bakali—along with the three saint-tier fighters, surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—Zhang Wen knew this was a situation where death seemed inevitable.
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miu’s hand blade struck like lightning, the dazzling electric energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” a burst of speed that even surpassed the speed of sound. Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miu shook his head, “So weak… with such strength, they dared to come and die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters sent to assassinate him had all fallen, something no one had anticipated. The strength of the Empire’s fangs had reached a level where ordinary super-tier fighters were no longer a threat, even with three saint-tier fighters added to the mix.
Casually stepping over the four bodies on the ground, Lei Miu’s gaze fell on the Northern Overlord, Messiah. His face showed a hint of surprise, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a potential battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, hiding deadly intent. The combat energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix in flames, or an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the flower sword was like a venomous snake, a bee’s sting, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow.
Even the killing machine, Gao Long, was left in a sorry state under Messiah’s hands, reduced to dodging. In terms of combat energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of swordsmanship, Messiah’s inherited techniques were hailed as the Empire’s finest, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gao Long found no advantage against such techniques.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gao Long believed he could escape, even if he couldn’t win. The problem was the Flame Demon Agat. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gao Long to divert some of his attention, and as a result, he was gradually overwhelmed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gao Long tried several times to deal with Agat first, but each time, Messiah’s timely and bizarre sword strikes sent his heart racing, forcing him to dodge awkwardly and temporarily spare Agat.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gao Long and the gritted-teeth, fiery-eyed Agat, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword strike she made was elegant and graceful. She was like a confident and majestic lion, skillfully toying with her prey, draining its strength.
“Chief Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miu’s eyes burned with fervor, and a gentle smile played on his lips, as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. He walked step by step toward the three combatants, seemingly unfazed by the violent bursts of combat energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves near him were deflected by the storm-like swirl of lightning energy surrounding him.
“Hmph, Lei Miu, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final battle. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Messiah said coldly, her flower sword stabbing twice like a bee’s tail—one strike aimed upward at Gao Long’s chin and throat, the other using the sword’s flexibility to rebound and slash downward toward Gao Long’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous swordsmanship forced Gao Long to roar in anger and panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so young and yet so powerful? I heard that the inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about combat energy? She’s not even twenty, yet she’s already at the super-tier, and at the peak of it! Could it be that the inherited swordsmanship also passes down combat energy through generations?”
Gao Long was baffled, but he had no time to ponder. He wanted to escape, but Agat and Messiah had him firmly pinned. He could only hope that the Black Baron’s final plan would work.
Lei Miu stroked his chin in response to Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have some freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time talking to me, go clean up that trash,” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gao Long back.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me,” Lei Miu said, his voice trailing off as he turned and lunged toward Zhang Wen with a burst of electric energy.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With five powerful fighters gathered together, only three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their proximity made it inconvenient to unleash overly powerful combat energy, so they focused their energy on their fists to strike at Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique, however, was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to thrive in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that, at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously attached itself to one of their comrades, manipulating his body like a puppet and turning him into Zhang Wen’s human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter’s body.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced continuous arcs, and the saint-tier fighter attached to it spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses as he roared in pain, unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, blood rushing to his head, roared and unleashed a torrent of combat energy with both hands, not caring if it hit his own comrade. With a swift motion, the energy at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into pieces.
Just as he prepared to charge forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miu arrived!
With a burst of deep blue lightning energy, Lei Miu shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier combat energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miu’s super speed. In an instant, he killed all three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to charcoal by the electric combat energy.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning, and Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miu was truly terrifying. The aura he exuded now was faintly approaching that of the legendary King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miu! Die!”
Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously erupted in a frenzy, unleashing all their combat energy in a dazzling cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light explosion, Galil’s deep purple reverse-cross combat energy and Bakali’s full-force super-tier psychic energy rain blasted toward Lei Miu.
Lei Miu vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the right-hand men of the Black Baron, had unleashed their full power, only to miss their target!
Lei Miu’s figure transformed into lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp screech. A white mist exploded behind him, and sparks of electricity flashed as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
In the next moment, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miu’s cold voice from behind, “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was the last thought in Galil and Bakali’s minds.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies as Lei Miu’s combat energy, like billions of volts of high voltage, surged into them.
This was no ordinary super-tier power. This was the realm of someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the “King”!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under Lei Miu’s combat energy, Galil and Bakali resisted for a few seconds, their super-tier energy pouring out like a floodgate opened. But under Lei Miu’s higher-level suppression, it was all crushed, turning into countless specks of light that danced like fireflies in the night sky.
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miu’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the peak super-tier ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose in an instant if they weren’t prepared.
Lei Miu flexed his wrist as if he had just done something trivial, shaking his head slightly, “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gao Long, both of whom were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It was over!
The killing machine, Gao Long, had always brought death to others, but today he tasted the approach of death for the first time!
Seeing all his men fall, Gao Long knew the situation was hopeless. The only thing on his mind now was to escape as quickly as possible, perhaps there was still a chance to survive. Otherwise, death was certain!
His experience of repeatedly escaping the Empire’s pursuit allowed him to make a quick decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gao Long’s body erupted with a second burst of blood-red combat energy, forming a dazzling, massive vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gao Long had always held back some strength! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would reserve a portion of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to escape. This tactic had proven effective time and again, fooling most enemies until Gao Long turned the tables, escaped, or even killed them while they were still in disbelief.
After his roar, Gao Long’s chest expanded, and he let out a piercing screech. At the same time, the combat energy and psychic energy in his hands erupted simultaneously, forming two massive blood-red claws that pushed Messiah and the Flame Demon Agat away.
This was his last chance!
With Gao Long’s keen sense of opportunity, he didn’t hesitate. He took advantage of the moment to sprint down the mountain at full speed! As long as he could evade Lei Miu, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Baron’s final plan worked, he might even surprise them all!
Gao Long’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the just-struggling-to-sit-up Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miu, the two had already deviated from the mountain path by dozens of meters during the earlier battle and were definitely too far to intercept him!
The will to survive unleashed incredible potential in Gao Long’s body. His blood-red combat energy surged like a rainbow, and his rapid movement caused the ground to crack, creating a terrifying spectacle.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gao Long was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gao Long’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a burst of combat energy erupted, forming a net that blocked Gao Long’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gao Long’s heart sank. He roared madly, pouring combat energy into his hands to tear through the incoming energy net, but the delay allowed Agat, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miu to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly blocked Gao Long’s path slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard Squad Leader—Mura.
Gao Long was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere, front, back, left, and right! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle insignia gradually emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sun!
Gao Long’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under the Black Baron, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Baron, he had been hunted and ambushed by them multiple times. He knew how terrifying the Eagle Guard was—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
This was an enormous, precision-engineered war machine, and countless talents in the Empire were merely cogs in this machine!
Even when the Empire had ordered Gao Long’s execution in the past, just five Eagle Guards had left him in a sorry state. Now, at least twenty Eagle Guards, two full squads, stood in his way!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also announced Gao Long’s death sentence!
Gao Long’s face was pale. This was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that behind Squad Leader Mura, the Eagle Guards were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light, following an ethereal and mysterious arc as it lifted upward. The tip of the sword cleverly tapped at the three-quarter point of the massive cross of light, using a technique of deflection to barely shift the cross-shaped battle aura upward by a few inches, narrowly grazing his body as it lay flat on the ground. It was an extremely close call, but it allowed him to narrowly escape disaster.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with a fierce light. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, someone who could actually deflect his certain-kill strike! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. At that moment, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier fighters, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered with a bitter smile as he was surrounded by Galil, another super-tier fighter—the Storm God Bakali—and the three saint-tier fighters. Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—it seemed like a certain death scenario for Zhang Wen.
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade descended like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” and his instantaneous burst of speed even surpassed the speed of sound. Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head, “So weak… with such strength, they still dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters who had been sent to assassinate him were now permanently down, something no one had expected. The strength of the Empire’s Venom Fang had reached a level where they could disregard ordinary super-tier fighters, and even adding three saint-tier fighters wouldn’t change the outcome.
Casually stepping over the bodies of the four on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Messiah. His face showed a hint of surprise, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a potential battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, hiding deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, like a peacock, a phoenix in flames, or an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the flower sword was like a venomous snake, a bee’s sting, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state under Messiah’s hands, reduced to dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of swordsmanship, Messiah’s inherited techniques were hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong couldn’t gain any advantage against such techniques.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem was the Flame Demon Agart. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his attention, and as a result, he was gradually suppressed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agart first, but each time, Messiah’s timely and bizarre sword strikes made his heart race, forcing him to dodge awkwardly and temporarily spare Agart.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the teeth-gritting, fire-eyed Agart, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword strike she made was executed with grace and elegance. She was like a lion confident of victory, toying with her prey, draining his strength.
“Commander Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, and his face wore a gentle smile, as if he were looking at a beloved lover. Step by step, he walked toward the three engaged in fierce combat, completely ignoring the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves that came close were deflected by the storm-like swirling electric battle energy surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Messiah coldly glanced at him, her flower sword stabbing twice like a bee’s tail—one strike from below aimed at Gaolong’s chin and throat, and another using the sword’s flexibility to rebound and slash diagonally toward Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Such venomous swordsmanship made Gaolong roar in anger and panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so strong at such a young age? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty yet, and she’s already at the super-tier, the peak of the super-tier! Could it be that inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was utterly baffled, wanting to escape but being relentlessly pursued by both Agart and Messiah. He could only hope that the Black Viscount’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao rubbed his chin at Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face, “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time talking to me, why don’t you go clean up that trash,” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong, who was trying to escape, back into the fight.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But you must fight me later,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned and lunged toward Zhang Wen with a burst of electric energy.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five people surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With the five fighters gathered together, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their close proximity made it inconvenient to unleash overly powerful battle energy, so they had to concentrate their energy in their fists to attack Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique, however, was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to profit from the chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had somehow attached itself to one of their comrades, manipulating his body like a puppet and turning him into Zhang Wen’s human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced out circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter attached to it spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses as he roared in pain, unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, his blood boiling, roared and unleashed a torrent of battle energy, not caring if it hit his own comrade. With a slash, the battle energy at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a burst of deep blue electric battle energy, he shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of lightning.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed the three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to charcoal by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning, and Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he brought with him was already approaching the legendary level of a King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
A sharp, fear-filled roar erupted as Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, both went berserk, unleashing all their battle energy in a torrential cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light explosion, Galil’s deep purple inverse cross battle energy and Bakali’s super-tier psychic energy rainstorm blasted toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao disappeared!
The two super-tier fighters, the right and left hands of the Black Viscount, had unleashed their full power, only to miss their target!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, and sparks of electricity flashed as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
In the next moment, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice from behind, “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was Galil and Bakali’s last thought.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies, and Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high voltage, surged into their bodies.
This was not something an ordinary super-tier fighter could withstand. This was the power of someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the realm of a King!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under Lei Miao’s battle energy assault, Galil and Bakali struggled for a few seconds, their super-tier battle energy gushing out like a floodgate opened, but under Lei Miao’s higher-level suppression, it was all shattered into countless particles of light, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky!
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the peak super-tier ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose everything with a single misstep if caught off guard.
As if he had just done something trivial, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly, “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of the super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gaolong in the distance, both of whom were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It was over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always brought death to others, but today, for the first time, he tasted the approach of death himself!
Seeing all the people he had brought down, Gaolong knew that this was essentially the end. The only thing he could think of now was to escape as quickly as possible; perhaps there was still a chance to survive, otherwise, it would be certain death!
His experience of repeatedly escaping from the Empire’s pursuits allowed him to make a quick decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s blood-red battle energy suddenly erupted for the second time, forming a dazzling, massive crimson vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had always held back some strength! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would hold back a fraction of his strength, only unleashing it when things turned dire to escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, as most enemies were deceived until the very end, when Gaolong would turn the tables and escape, or even kill them, leaving them in disbelief.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded, and he let out a piercing screech. At the same time, both his hands unleashed a burst of battle energy and psychic energy, forming two massive blood-red claws that pushed Messiah and the Flame Demon Agart away.
This was his last chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he didn’t hesitate to take advantage of this moment to sprint at full speed down the mountain! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Viscount’s final arrangements worked, perhaps he could even surprise them!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the just-struggling-to-sit-up Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already deviated from the mountain path by dozens of meters due to the earlier battle and were absolutely too far to intercept him!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible surge of potential in Gaolong’s body. His blood-red battle energy surged like a rainbow, and his rapid forward movement caused the ground to crack, creating a terrifying spectacle.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whistle!”
A strange, sharp whistle sounded, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s pupils. From the entrance of the mountain path, a burst of battle energy light patterns erupted! Like a giant net, it blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank to the bottom. With a furious roar, he poured his battle energy into his hands and tore through the incoming battle energy, but the delay allowed Agart, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly blocked Gaolong’s path slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard Squad Leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere, front, back, left, and right! Even more terrifying was the group of black-clad soldiers with the Empire’s eagle emblem on their uniforms, gradually emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sunlight!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under the Black Viscount, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Viscount, he had been hunted and ambushed by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew all too well how terrifying the Eagle Guard was—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
This was an immensely vast and precise war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely components of this machine!
Even when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution in the past, it had only sent five people, and that had already left Gaolong in a sorry state. Now, at least twenty people, two squads of Eagle Guard, stood in his way!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also declared Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale, and he felt the approach of doom.
His eye twitched, and suddenly, he noticed that behind Squad Leader Mura, the Eagle Guard was holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gaogan and Mengnan!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light, tracing an elegant and mysterious arc as it lifted upward. The tip of the sword cleverly caught the giant cross of light at three-quarters of its height, using a deflection technique to barely shift the cross-shaped battle energy upward by a few inches, narrowly missing his body as it lay flat on the ground. The situation was perilous to the extreme, but it allowed him to narrowly escape death.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with a fierce light. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. At that moment, the other three who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier powerhouse, the Storm God Bakali, along with three saint-tier fighters, surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—Zhang Wen knew this was a situation where death seemed inevitable.
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade fell like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” and his instantaneous burst of speed even surpassed the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… with this level of strength, they dared to come to their deaths?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters who had been sent to assassinate him earlier were now permanently down, something no one had expected. The strength of the Empire’s fangs had reached a point where they could ignore ordinary super-tier fighters, even with three saint-tier fighters added to the mix.
Casually stepping over the bodies of the four on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze fell on the Northern Overlord, Messiah. A slight surprise appeared on his face, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a battle he craved.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, hiding deadly intentions. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix’s fiery dance, and an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the flower sword was like a venomous snake, a bee’s sting, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state under Messiah’s hands, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong could not gain an advantage against such a legacy.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem lay with the Flame Demon Agat. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as the balance shifted, he found himself gradually suppressed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agat first, but each time, Messiah’s timely and bizarre sword strikes sent his heart racing, forcing him to dodge frantically and temporarily let Agat go.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the teeth-gritting, fiery-eyed Agat, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword strike she made, every movement, was executed with grace. She was like a lion confident of victory, playing with her prey, skillfully draining his strength.
“Commander Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, a gentle smile on his face as if he were looking at a beloved lover. He walked step by step toward the three engaged in fierce combat, seemingly unfazed by the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves that came near were deflected by the storm-like swirling lightning battle energy surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final battle. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Messiah said coldly, her flower sword stabbing twice like a bee’s tail—one strike aimed upward at Gaolong’s chin and throat, the other using the sword’s flexibility to rebound and slash diagonally downward toward Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous swordsmanship forced Gaolong to roar in frustration as he dodged frantically, both angry and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so young and yet so powerful? I heard that the inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about her battle energy? She’s not even twenty years old, yet she’s already at the super-tier, and at the peak of it! Could it be that the inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was baffled, but with Agat and Messiah relentlessly pursuing him, he could only hope that the Black Baron’s final arrangements would work.
Lei Miao stroked his chin in response to Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time talking to me, why don’t you go clean up that trash?” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong back.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But later, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned and charged toward Zhang Wen with astonishing electric energy.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five people surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With five powerful fighters gathered together, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, because they were too close to each other, they couldn’t unleash overly powerful battle energy, so they had to concentrate their energy in their fists to attack Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique, however, was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to profit from the chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had somehow attached itself to one of their comrades, manipulating his body like a puppet and turning him into a human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter attached to it spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses as he roared in pain, unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, his blood boiling, roared and unleashed a furious burst of battle energy, slashing and tearing at the unfortunate puppet with his fingertips’ battle energy, regardless of whether it was his comrade or not.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a shocking deep blue lightning battle energy, Lei Miao charged in like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed all three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning, and Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying. The aura he brought with him now faintly approached the legendary King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
With a sharp, fearful roar, Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously went berserk, unleashing all their battle energy in a torrential cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light explosion, Galil’s deep purple inverse cross battle energy and Bakali’s full-powered super-tier psychic energy rain simultaneously blasted toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao disappeared!
The two super-tier fighters, the right and left hands of the Black Baron, had unleashed their full power, but it had all been in vain!
Lei Miao’s figure instantly transformed into lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, and electric sparks flashed as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
The next moment, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill in their lower backs as Lei Miao’s cold voice echoed from behind them. “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was the last thought in Galil and Bakali’s minds.
Die!
Boom!!!
The dazzling blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies, and Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high voltage, surged into their bodies.
That was not something an ordinary super-tier fighter could withstand. It was the power of someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the realm of the “King”!
“Zap! Crack!”
Under Lei Miao’s battle energy assault, Galil and Bakali barely resisted for a few seconds before their super-tier battle energy, like a floodgate opening, poured out madly. But under Lei Miao’s higher-level absolute suppression, it was all shattered into countless particles of light, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky!
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the peak super-tier special ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose everything with a single misstep when caught off guard.
As if he had just done something trivial, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gaolong, both of whom were opponents he looked forward to.
It was over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always brought death to others, but today he was the one who tasted the approach of death for the first time!
Seeing all the people he had brought fall, Gaolong knew that this was essentially the end. The only thing he could think of now was to escape as quickly as possible. Perhaps there was still a chance to survive; otherwise, death was the only outcome!
His experience of repeatedly escaping the Empire’s pursuit allowed him to make a quick decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s blood-red battle energy suddenly erupted a second time, forming a dazzling, massive blood-red vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy smell of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had always held back some strength! This was his trump card for survival. Every time he faced a powerful enemy, he would hold back a portion of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, as most enemies were deceived until the very end, when Gaolong would turn the tables and escape, or even kill them, leaving them in disbelief.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded as he let out a piercing shriek, and both his hands unleashed a burst of battle energy and psychic energy, forming two massive blood-red claws that simultaneously repelled Messiah and the Flame Demon Agat.
This was his last chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he didn’t hesitate to take advantage of the moment and sprinted at full speed down the mountain! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Baron’s final arrangements worked, he might even surprise them all!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the just-struggled-to-sit-up Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already been displaced dozens of meters from the mountain path due to the earlier battle and would absolutely be too late to stop him!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible potential in Gaolong’s body. His blood-red battle energy surged like a rainbow, and his rapid forward movement caused the ground to crack, creating a terrifying spectacle.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s pupils. From the entrance of the mountain path, a burst of battle energy light patterns erupted! Like a giant net, it blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank. With a furious roar, he poured his battle energy into his hands and tore through the incoming battle energy, but the delay allowed Agat, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly struck to block Gaolong slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard Squad Leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere, front, back, left, and right! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle emblem on their chests gradually emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sunlight!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under the Black Baron, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Baron, he had been hunted and ambushed by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew full well how terrifying the Eagle Guard was—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
This was an enormous, incredibly precise war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely components of this machine!
Even when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution in the past, it had only taken five Eagle Guards to leave him in a sorry state. Now, at least twenty Eagle Guards, two full squads, stood in his way!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also announced Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale. This was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that behind Squad Leader Mura, the Eagle Guards were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were reduced to charred corpses.
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light. Following a graceful and mysterious arc, the sword tip cleverly flicked at the three-quarter point of the massive cross of light, using the principle of deflection to barely shift the cross-shaped battle aura upward by a few inches. It narrowly missed his body as he lay flat on the ground. The situation was perilous to the extreme, but it allowed him to narrowly escape disaster.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with a fierce light. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy attacks to kill him. At that moment, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier opponents, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier powerhouse—Storm God Bakali—along with the three saint-tier fighters surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—Zhang Wen knew this was a hopeless situation!
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade struck like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” and his instantaneous burst of speed even surpassed the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… with such strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters who had been sent to assassinate him were now permanently down, something no one had expected. The strength of the Empire’s Venom Fang had reached a level where they could disregard ordinary super-tier fighters, and even adding three saint-tier opponents would not change the outcome.
Casually stepping over the bodies of the four on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Messiah. His face showed a hint of surprise, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a long-awaited battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, hiding deadly intentions. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix’s fiery dance, or an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the flower sword was like a venomous snake, a bee’s sting, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state under Messiah’s hands, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong could not gain an advantage against such a legacy.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem lay with the Flame Demon Agat. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as a result, he was gradually suppressed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agat first, but each time, Messiah’s timely and bizarre sword strikes left him panicked, forcing him to dodge awkwardly and temporarily spare Agat.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the furious, fire-eyed Agat, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword thrust, every movement, was executed with grace. She was like a lion confident in her victory, toying with her prey, depleting his strength.
“Commander Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, and his face wore a gentle smile, as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. Step by step, he walked toward the three engaged in fierce combat, completely ignoring the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves that came near were deflected by the storm-like swirling electric battle aura surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Messiah said coldly, her flower sword stabbing twice like a bee’s tail—one thrust upward toward Gaolong’s chin and throat, the other using the sword’s flexibility to rebound sharply, slashing downward toward Gaolong’s groin like a rattlesnake’s tail.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous swordsmanship forced Gaolong to roar in panic as he dodged, filled with both anger and fear toward this woman.
“How can she be so strong at such a young age? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind through psychic energy. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty years old, yet she’s already at the super-tier, and at the peak of it! Could it be that inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was utterly perplexed. He wanted to escape, but Agat and Messiah had him firmly pinned down. All he could do was hope that the Black Baron’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao stroked his chin in response to Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time talking to me, why don’t you go clean up that trash,” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong, who was trying to escape, back into the fight.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned and lunged toward Zhang Wen with a burst of astonishing electric light.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that was not the case.
With the five powerhouses gathered together, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their proximity to each other made it inconvenient to unleash overly powerful battle auras, so they had to concentrate their battle energy in their fists to attack Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Swordsmanship, however, was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to profit from the chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously adhered to one of their comrades’ bodies, manipulating him like a puppet and turning him into Zhang Wen’s human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier expert as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier expert stuck to his sword spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses, roaring in pain but unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, his blood boiling, roared and unleashed a torrent of battle energy with both hands, regardless of whether the target was his ally. With a forceful slash, the battle aura at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into several pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a burst of deep blue electric battle energy, he shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they could not resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed the three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with wisps of smoke and the pungent smell of burning. Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he brought with him now faintly approached that of the legendary King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
A sharp, fear-filled roar erupted as Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously went berserk, unleashing all their battle energy in a torrential cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light explosion, Galil’s reverse cross-shaped deep purple battle aura and Bakali’s full-powered super-tier psychic energy rain of light both blasted toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the right and left hands of the Black Baron, had unleashed their full power, only to miss their target!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, and electric sparks flashed as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
The next moment, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice from behind. “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was Galil and Bakali’s final thought.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies, and Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high voltage, surged into their bodies.
This was no ordinary super-tier power. This was the realm of someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the “King”!
“Zap! Crack!”
Under the impact of Lei Miao’s battle aura, Galil and Bakali barely resisted for a few seconds. The super-tier battle energy within their bodies surged out like a floodgate had been opened, but under the absolute suppression of Lei Miao’s higher realm, it was shattered into countless specks of light, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky.
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the unique super-tier ability of super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose everything with a single misstep if caught off guard.
As if he had just completed a trivial task, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of the super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy of being my opponents.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gaolong in the distance—both were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It was over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always brought death to others, but today he tasted the approach of death for the first time!
Seeing all the men he had brought fall, Gaolong knew that this mission was essentially over. The only thing on his mind now was to escape as quickly as possible; perhaps there was still a chance to survive. Otherwise, death was certain!
His experience of repeatedly escaping the Empire’s pursuit allowed him to make a quick decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s blood-red battle aura suddenly erupted a second time, forming a blinding crimson vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had been holding back! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would hold back a portion of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, as most enemies were deceived until the very end, when Gaolong would turn the tables, escape, or even kill them, leaving them in disbelief.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded, and he let out a piercing shriek. At the same time, the battle energy and psychic energy in his hands erupted simultaneously, forming two massive blood-red claws that pushed Messiah and the Flame Demon Agat away.
This was his final chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he wasted no time and sprinted down the mountain at full speed. As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Baron’s final arrangements worked, perhaps he could even turn the tables and surprise them all!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the recently risen Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already deviated from the mountain path by dozens of meters during the earlier battle and were absolutely too far to intercept him!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible surge of potential within Gaolong. His blood-red battle aura shone like a rainbow, and his rapid advance caused the ground to crack, creating a terrifying spectacle.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistle sounded, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of battle aura erupted, forming a net that blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank. He roared madly, pouring his battle energy into his hands to tear through the oncoming battle aura, but the delay allowed Agat, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly blocked Gaolong’s path slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard squad leader—Mula.
He was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere! Even more terrifying was the group of black-clad soldiers with the Empire’s eagle insignia slowly emerging from behind Mula.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in the open, and they were all here!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under the Black Baron, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Baron, he had been hunted and ambushed by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew how terrifying they were—they were killing machines even more professional than he was.
This was an enormous, incredibly precise war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely components of this machine!
Even when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution in the past, just five Eagle Guard members had been enough to leave him in a sorry state. Today, at least twenty members, two full squads of the Eagle Guard, stood in his way!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also announced Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale. This was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that the Eagle Guard members behind squad leader Mula were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
That was the power of a god-tier being!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with dazzling silver light, tracing an elegant and mysterious arc as it slashed upward. The tip of the sword cleverly struck at the three-quarter point of the massive glowing cross, using a deflection technique to barely shift the cross-shaped battle aura upward by a few inches, narrowly grazing his body as it lay flat on the ground.
The situation was perilous to the extreme, but it allowed him to narrowly escape disaster.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with a fierce light. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike?!
This enraged him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. At that moment, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier opponents, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me.”
In the midst of Zhang Wen’s bitter self-mocking mutter, Galil and another super-tier powerhouse—the Storm God Bakali—along with the three saint-tier fighters, had already surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—Zhang Wen was clearly facing a hopeless situation!
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade descended like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bones. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” allowing him to burst forth even faster than the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head: “So weak… with this level of strength, they still dared to come and die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters who had been sent to assassinate him earlier were now permanently down, something no one had expected. The strength of the Empire’s fangs had reached a point where ordinary super-tier fighters were no longer a threat, even with three saint-tier fighters added to the mix.
Casually stepping over the bodies of the four on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze fell on the Northern Overlord, Messiah. A look of slight surprise crossed his face, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a battle he craved.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, hiding deadly intent within. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix in flames, or an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the flower sword was like a venomous snake, a bee’s stinger, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state under Messiah’s hands, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong could not gain an advantage against such a legacy.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem lay with the Flame Demon Agart. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as the situation worsened, he found himself gradually suppressed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agart first, but each time, Messiah’s timely and bizarre sword strikes left him panicked, forcing him to dodge awkwardly and temporarily spare Agart.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the咬牙切齿, fire-eyed Agart, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword thrust, every movement, was executed with grace. She was like a lion confident of victory, toying with her prey, draining its strength.
“Commander Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, a gentle smile on his face, as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. Step by step, he approached the three locked in combat, seemingly indifferent to the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves near him were deflected by the storm-like swirling electric battle aura surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty.” Messiah coldly glanced at him, her flower sword stabbing twice like a bee’s stinger—one thrust from below aimed at Gaolong’s chin and throat, the other using the sword’s flexibility to rebound sharply, like a rattlesnake’s tail slashing diagonally toward Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Such a venomous swordsmanship left Gaolong roaring in panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so young and yet so powerful? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind through psychic energy. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty years old, yet she’s already at the super-tier, and at the peak of it! Could it be that inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was utterly baffled, wanting to escape but being relentlessly pursued by both Agart and Messiah. He could only hope that the Black Viscount’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao stroked his chin in response to Messiah’s rebuke, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time talking to me, why don’t you go clean up that trash?” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong, who was trying to escape, back into the fray.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But later, you must fight me.” Before Lei Miao’s words had even finished, his figure turned, and with a burst of astonishing electric light, he lunged toward Zhang Wen’s direction.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five people surrounding Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but in reality, that wasn’t the case.
With five powerhouses gathered together, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, because they were too close to each other, they couldn’t unleash overly powerful battle auras and had to focus their battle energy into their fists to attack Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique, however, was perfectly suited for such group combat, thriving in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s long sword had mysteriously adhered to one of their comrades’ bodies, manipulating him like a puppet and turning him into Zhang Wen’s human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier expert as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter stuck to his sword spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses, roaring in pain but unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, his blood boiling, roared and unleashed a furious burst of battle energy with both hands, not caring whether his target was an ally or not. With a slash and a pull, the battle aura at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into several pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish off Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a burst of deep blue electric battle energy, he shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed all three saint-tier fighters.
Amidst the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with wisps of smoke and the acrid smell of burning flesh. Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he brought with him now faintly approached that of the legendary King!!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
A sharp, fear-filled roar erupted as Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously went berserk, unleashing all their battle energy in a violent explosion that formed a towering cascade of starlight, flattening everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light explosion, Galil’s deep purple inverse cross battle aura and Bakali’s full-powered super-tier psychic energy rainstorm blasted toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao disappeared!
The two super-tier powerhouses, the right and left hands of the Black Viscount, had unleashed their full strength—and missed!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, electric sparks flashing as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
The next moment, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice from behind: “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was Galil and Bakali’s final thought.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies as Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high voltage, surged into them.
This was no ordinary super-tier power—it was the realm of someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the “King”!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under the assault of Lei Miao’s battle aura, Galil and Bakali barely resisted for a few seconds before the super-tier battle energy within them surged out like a floodgate opening, only to be crushed one by one under Lei Miao’s higher-level suppression, turning into countless specks of light that danced like fireflies in the night sky.
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the unique super-tier ability of super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose everything with a single misstep if caught off guard.
As if he had just done something trivial, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly: “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy of being my opponents.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gaolong in the distance—both were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It’s over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always been the one to bring death to others, but today, for the first time, he tasted the approach of death himself!
Seeing all the men he had brought with him fall, Gaolong knew that this mission was essentially over. The only thing on his mind now was to escape as quickly as possible—perhaps there was still a chance to survive. Otherwise, death was the only outcome!
His experience of repeatedly escaping from the Empire’s pursuit allowed him to make a decision in an instant.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s body erupted with a second burst of crimson battle energy, forming a dazzling, massive blood-red vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had always held back some strength! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would reserve a portion of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to make his escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, fooling most of his enemies until the very end, when Gaolong would turn the tables, escape, or even kill them while they were still in disbelief.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded as he let out a piercing shriek, and the battle energy and psychic energy in both hands erupted simultaneously, forming two massive blood-red claws that blasted Messiah and the Flame Demon Agart away.
This was his final chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he didn’t hesitate to take advantage of this moment to sprint at full speed down the mountain! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was still a chance to survive! If the Black Viscount’s final arrangements came into play, he might even be able to surprise them all!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the barely sitting-up Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already strayed dozens of meters from the mountain path during the earlier battle and were absolutely too far to intercept him!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible surge of potential within Gaolong. His crimson battle energy blazed like a rainbow as his body shot forward, tearing up the ground in his wake, the spectacle terrifying.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a burst of battle energy erupted, forming a net-like pattern that blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank into an abyss. With a furious roar, he channeled his battle energy into both hands, tearing through the oncoming battle aura, but the delay allowed Agart, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly attacked to block Gaolong slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard squad leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere—front, back, left, and right! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle emblem on their chests, gradually emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in the open, and they were all here!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As a key figure under the Black Viscount, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Long before joining the Black Viscount, he had been hunted and ambushed by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew all too well how fearsome they were—they were killing machines even more professional than he was.
This was an enormous, intricately precise war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely components of this machine!
Even back when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution, just five members of the Eagle Guard had left him in a sorry state. Today, at least twenty members—two full squads—stood in his way!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also announced Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale; this was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that behind Mura, the Eagle Guard members were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light, following a graceful and mysterious arc. The tip of the sword cleverly lifted at the three-quarters point of the massive cross of light, using the technique of deflection to barely shift the cross-shaped battle energy upward by a few inches, narrowly grazing his body as it lay flat on the ground. It was an extremely close call, but it allowed him to narrowly escape death.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with a fierce light. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy attacks to finish him off. At that moment, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier fighters, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier fighter—Storm God Bakhali—along with the three saint-tier fighters surrounded him. Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—Zhang Wen saw no way out of this certain-death situation.
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade descended like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” which allowed him to burst forth even faster than the speed of sound. Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… with such strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters who had been sent to assassinate him were now permanently down, something no one had expected. The strength of the Empire’s Venom Fang had reached a level where they could disregard ordinary super-tier fighters, even with three saint-tier fighters added to the mix.
Casually stepping over the bodies of the four on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze fell on the Northern Overlord, Messiah. His face showed a hint of surprise, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a desired battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, hiding deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix’s fiery dance, or an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the flower sword was like a venomous snake, a bee’s sting, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state under Messiah’s hands, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong couldn’t gain any advantage against it.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem was the Flame Demon Agart. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as a result, he was gradually suppressed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agart first, but each time Messiah’s bizarre sword strikes made him panic, forcing him to dodge and temporarily let Agart go.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the furious, fire-eyed Agart, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword strike she made was executed with grace and elegance. She was like a confident and majestic lion, skillfully toying with her prey, draining his strength.
“Captain Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, his face wearing a gentle smile, as if he were looking at his beloved. He walked step by step toward the three engaged in fierce combat, seemingly unfazed by the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves that approached were deflected by the storm-like swirling electric battle energy surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. Think about how you’ll explain this to His Majesty afterward,” Messiah coldly glanced at him, her flower sword stabbing twice like a bee’s tail—one strike aimed upward at Gaolong’s chin and throat, the other using the sword’s flexibility to rebound and slash diagonally downward toward Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous swordsmanship made Gaolong roar in panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“Why is she so young yet so powerful? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty, yet she’s already at the super-tier, and at the peak of it! Could it be that inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was utterly perplexed, wanting to escape but being relentlessly pursued by both Agart and Messiah. He could only hope that the Black Viscount’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao stroked his chin in response to Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time talking to me, why don’t you go clean up that trash,” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong, who was trying to escape, back into the fight.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But later, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned and dashed toward Zhang Wen’s location with astonishing electric energy.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With the five fighters gathered together, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, because they were too close to each other, they couldn’t unleash overly powerful battle energy, instead focusing it on their fists to attack Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique, however, was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to thrive in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously “stuck” to one of their bodies, manipulating him like a puppet and using him as a human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter stuck to his sword spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses, roaring in pain but unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, his blood boiling, roared and unleashed a torrent of battle energy, not caring if it hit his own ally. With a swipe of his hand, the battle energy at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into several pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a shocking deep blue electric battle energy, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of lightning.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed all three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to charcoal by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with a faint wisp of smoke and the pungent smell of burning. Galil and Bakhali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he brought with him now was faintly approaching that of the legendary King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
A sharp, fear-filled roar erupted as Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakhali, simultaneously went berserk, unleashing all their battle energy in a torrential cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light explosion, Galil’s deep purple inverse cross battle energy and Bakhali’s super-tier psychic energy rainstorm blasted toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the right and left hands of the Black Viscount, had unleashed their full power, only to miss their target!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, and sparks of electricity flashed as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
In the next moment, Galil and Bakhali both felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice from behind. “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was Galil and Bakhali’s final thought.
Die!
Boom!!!
Shimmering blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies as Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high voltage, surged into them.
This was not something an ordinary super-tier fighter could withstand. This was the power of someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the realm of the “King!”
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under Lei Miao’s battle energy assault, Galil and Bakhali barely resisted for a few seconds before the super-tier battle energy within them surged out like a floodgate opening, only to be crushed one by one under Lei Miao’s higher-level suppression, turning into countless specks of light that danced like fireflies in the night sky.
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the peak super-tier special ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose everything with a single misstep if caught off guard.
As if he had just done something trivial, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy of being my opponents.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gaolong over there—both were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It’s over!
Gaolong, the killing machine, had always brought death to others, but today he was the one who tasted the approach of death for the first time!
Seeing all the people he had brought down, Gaolong knew that this was essentially the end. The only thing he could think of now was to escape as quickly as possible; perhaps there was still a chance to survive, otherwise, it would be certain death!
His experience of repeatedly escaping from the Empire’s pursuit allowed him to make a split-second decision.
Run!
“Roar!” In a deafening roar, Gaolong’s body erupted with a second burst of blood-red battle energy, forming a blindingly large crimson vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had been holding back! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would hold back a fraction of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, fooling most enemies until Gaolong turned the tables, escaped, or even killed them, leaving them in disbelief even in their final moments.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded as he let out a piercing shriek, and both his hands erupted with battle energy and psychic energy, forming two massive blood claws that simultaneously repelled Messiah and the Flame Demon Agart.
This was his final chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of seizing opportunities, he didn’t hesitate. He took advantage of this moment to sprint at full speed down the mountain! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Viscount’s final arrangements worked, perhaps he could even give them a surprise!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead had only the fallen Asura and Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the just-struggling-to-sit-up Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already deviated from the mountain path by dozens of meters due to the earlier battle and were absolutely too late to block him!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible surge of potential within Gaolong. His blood-red battle energy surged like a rainbow as his body shot forward, tearing up the ground in a terrifying display.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s pupils. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of battle energy erupted! Like a giant net, it blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank to the bottom. He roared madly, pouring all his battle energy into his hands to tear through the incoming battle energy, but the delay allowed Agart, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly blocked Gaolong slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard squad leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere—front, back, left, and right! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle emblem on their chests gradually emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sun!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under the Black Viscount, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Long before he joined the Black Viscount, he had been pursued and sniped by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew all too well how terrifying they were—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
This was an immensely vast and precise war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely components of this machine!
Even back when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution, just five Eagle Guards had left him in a sorry state. Today, at least twenty Eagle Guards stood in his way—two full squads!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also pronounced Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale; this was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that behind the Eagle Guard squad leader Mura, the Eagle Guards were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light, tracing an elegant and mysterious arc upward. The tip of the sword cleverly caught the giant cross of light at three-quarters of its height, using a deflection technique to barely shift the cross-shaped battle energy upward by a few inches, narrowly grazing his body as it lay flat on the ground. The situation was perilous to the extreme, but it allowed him to narrowly escape death.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with a fierce light. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. At that moment, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier fighters, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier fighter—Storm God Bakali—along with the three saint-tier fighters surrounded him. Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—Zhang Wen saw no way out of this certain death scenario.
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade descended like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” a burst of speed that even surpassed the speed of sound. Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head, “So weak… with such strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters sent to assassinate him had all fallen, something no one had anticipated. The strength of the Empire’s Venom Fang had reached a level where ordinary super-tier fighters were no match, even with three saint-tier fighters added to the mix.
Casually stepping over the bodies of the four on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Messiah. A look of slight surprise crossed his face, his eyes gleaming with the excitement of a desired battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, concealing deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix’s fiery dance, or an elegant swan. But hidden within the shadows, the blade of the flower sword was like a venomous snake, a bee’s stinger, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow.
Even the killing machine, Gao Long, was in a sorry state under Messiah’s hands, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations, known as the Sword Sect. Gao Long could not gain any advantage against such swordsmanship.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gao Long believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem lay with the Flame Demon, Agate. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gao Long to divert some of his focus, and as a result, he was gradually suppressed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gao Long tried several times to deal with Agate first, but each time, Messiah’s timely and bizarre sword strikes sent his heart racing, forcing him to dodge in a panic and temporarily spare Agate.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gao Long and the furious, fire-eyed Agate, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword strike she made was executed with grace and elegance. She was like a confident and majestic lion, skillfully toying with her prey, draining its strength.
“Captain Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, a gentle smile on his face, as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. He walked step by step toward the three in the midst of their fierce battle, seemingly indifferent to the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves that came near were deflected by the storm-like swirling electric battle energy surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match without permission. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Messiah coldly glanced at him, her flower sword stabbing twice like a bee’s stinger—one strike aimed upward at Gao Long’s chin and throat, the other, using the sword’s flexibility, rebounded sharply, slashing downward toward Gao Long’s groin like a rattlesnake’s tail.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Such venomous swordsmanship made Gao Long roar in panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so young and yet so powerful? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind through psychic energy. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty years old, yet she’s already at the super-tier, and at the peak of it! Could it be that inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gao Long was utterly perplexed, wanting to escape but being relentlessly pursued by both Agate and Messiah. He could only hope that the Black Viscount’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao stroked his chin in response to Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face, “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time with me, why don’t you go clean up that trash,” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gao Long, who was trying to escape, back into the fray.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But later, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned, a surge of electric energy propelling him toward Zhang Wen’s direction.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but in reality, that wasn’t the case.
With five powerful fighters gathered together, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, because they were too close to each other, it was inconvenient to unleash overly powerful battle energy, so they had to concentrate their energy in their fists to attack Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Swordsmanship, however, was perfectly suited for such group combat, thriving in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously attached itself to one of their comrades, manipulating his body like a puppet, turning him into Zhang Wen’s human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter attached to it spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses, roaring in pain but unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield, but all attempts failed. Galil, his blood boiling, roared as he unleashed a torrent of battle energy, not caring whether the target was his own comrade, and with a swipe of his hand, the battle energy at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into several pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish off Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a surge of deep blue electric battle energy, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed the three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning flesh, and Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying. The aura he exuded now was faintly approaching that of the legendary King!
That was the power of the divine tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
A sharp, fear-filled roar erupted as Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously went berserk, unleashing all their battle energy in a torrential cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light explosion, Galil’s reverse cross of deep purple battle energy and Bakali’s full-powered super-tier psychic energy rainstorm blasted toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the right-hand men of the Black Viscount, had unleashed their full power, only to miss their target!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into a streak of lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp screech. A white mist exploded behind him, arcs of electricity sparking as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
In the next moment, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill at their lower backs, hearing Lei Miao’s cold voice from behind, “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was Galil and Bakali’s final thought.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies as Lei Miao’s battle energy, like a billion volts of high voltage, surged into their bodies.
This was no ordinary super-tier power. This was the power of someone half a step into the divine tier, infinitely close to the realm of the “King”!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under the assault of Lei Miao’s battle energy, Galil and Bakali barely held on for a few seconds. The super-tier battle energy within their bodies poured out like a floodgate had opened, but under the absolute suppression of Lei Miao’s higher realm, it shattered into countless particles of light, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky!
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own realm was strong enough, and he possessed the peak super-tier special ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose everything with a single misstep if caught off guard.
As if he had just done something trivial, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly, “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the divine realm are worthy of being my opponents.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gao Long in the distance, both of whom were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It was over!
The killing machine, Gao Long, had always brought death to others, but today, for the first time, he tasted the approach of death himself!
Seeing all the people he had brought fall, Gao Long knew that this was essentially the end. The only thing he could think of now was to escape as quickly as possible. Perhaps there was still a chance to survive, otherwise, it would be certain death!
His experience of repeatedly escaping from the Empire’s pursuits allowed him to make a quick decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gao Long’s body erupted with a second burst of crimson battle energy, forming a dazzling, massive blood-red vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gao Long had been holding back! This was his trump card for survival. Every time he faced a powerful enemy, he would hold back a fraction of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, as most enemies were deceived until the very end, when Gao Long would turn the tables, escape, or even kill them, leaving them in disbelief even in their final moments.
After his roar, Gao Long’s chest expanded as he let out a piercing shriek, and the battle energy and psychic energy in his hands erupted simultaneously, forming two massive blood-red claws that pushed both Messiah and the Flame Demon Agate away.
This was his final chance!
With Gao Long’s keen sense of seizing opportunities, he didn’t hesitate. He took advantage of this moment to sprint at full speed down the mountain! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Viscount’s final arrangements worked, perhaps he could even give them a surprise!
Gao Long’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the just-struggling-to-rise Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already been drawn dozens of meters away from the mountain path during the earlier battle, and they would definitely be too late to intercept him!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible potential within Gao Long’s body. His crimson battle energy surged like a rainbow as his body shot forward, the ground beneath him cracking and exploding, creating a terrifying spectacle.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gao Long was about to escape, suddenly—
“Screech!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gao Long’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of battle energy erupted, forming a net that blocked Gao Long’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gao Long’s heart sank to the depths. With a furious roar, he channeled all his battle energy into his hands, tearing through the incoming battle energy net. But this delay allowed Agate, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly attacked to block Gao Long slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard Squad Leader—Mura.
He was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere—front, back, left, and right! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle emblem on their chests, gradually emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in the open, and they were all here!
Gao Long’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under the Black Viscount, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Viscount, he had been hunted and ambushed by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew full well how terrifying the Eagle Guard was—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
This was an immensely vast and precise war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely cogs in this machine!
Even back when the Empire had ordered Gao Long’s execution, just five Eagle Guards had been enough to put him in a sorry state. Now, at least twenty Eagle Guards—two full squads—stood before him!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also declared Gao Long’s death sentence!
Gao Long’s face was pale. This was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and suddenly, he noticed that behind Squad Leader Mura, the Eagle Guards were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
The two super-tier fighters, the pillars of Lord Heizi’s forces, had unleashed their full power, but it was all for naught!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the longsword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light, tracing an ethereal and mysterious arc as it slashed upward. The tip of the sword cleverly struck at the three-quarter point of the massive glowing cross, using a deflection technique to barely shift the cross-shaped battle energy upward by a few inches. It narrowly missed his body as he lay flat on the ground.
The situation was perilous to the extreme, but it allowed him to narrowly escape death.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with a fierce light. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike?!
This infuriated him. Abandoning his original target, he locked onto Zhang Wen, preparing a series of heavy blows to kill him. At that moment, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me.”
In the midst of Zhang Wen’s bitter self-mocking smile, Galil and another super-tier powerhouse—the Storm God Bakali—along with the three saint-tier fighters, had already surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—Zhang Wen saw no way out of this deadly situation!
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade descended like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” a burst of speed that even surpassed the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… with such strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters sent to assassinate him had all fallen, something no one had expected. The strength of the Empire’s fangs had reached a point where ordinary super-tier fighters were no match, even with three saint-tier fighters added to the mix.
Casually stepping over the bodies of the four on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze fell on the Northern Overlord, Messiah. A slight surprise appeared on his face, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a long-awaited battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The rapier transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, concealing deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix in flames, or an elegant swan. But hidden within the rapier’s blade was a venomous snake, a bee’s stinger, a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state by Messiah, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong could not gain any advantage against it.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem lay with the Flame Demon Agart. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as a result, he was gradually suppressed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agart first, but each time, Messiah’s bizarre sword strikes sent his heart racing, forcing him to dodge in a panic and temporarily spare Agart.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the teeth-gritting, fiery-eyed Agart, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword thrust was executed with grace and elegance. She was like a lion confident of victory, toying with her prey, draining his strength.
“Captain Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, a gentle smile on his face, as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. Step by step, he approached the three engaged in fierce combat, seemingly unfazed by the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves near him were deflected by the storm-like swirling electric battle energy surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty.” Messiah coldly glanced at him, her rapier hissing like a bee’s stinger as she thrust twice in quick succession—one upward toward Gaolong’s chin and throat, the other using the sword’s flexibility to rebound and slash downward toward Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous swordsmanship forced Gaolong to roar in anger and dodge in panic, filled with both rage and fear toward this woman.
“Why is she so young yet so powerful? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind through psychic energy. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty years old, yet she’s already at the super-tier, and at its peak! Could it be that inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was utterly perplexed. He wanted to escape but was tightly pinned down by both Agart and Messiah. He could only hope that the Black Viscount’s final plan would come into play.
Lei Miao stroked his chin in response to Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time with me, why don’t you go clean up the trash?” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong, who was trying to escape, back into the fray.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me.” Before Lei Miao’s words had fully left his mouth, his figure turned, and he lunged toward Zhang Wen with astonishing electric energy.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that was not the case.
With five powerful fighters gathered together, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their close proximity made it inconvenient to unleash overly powerful battle energy, so they had to concentrate their energy in their fists to attack Zhang Wen. However, Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique was perfectly suited for such group combat, thriving in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s longsword had mysteriously adhered to one of their comrades’ bodies, manipulating him like a puppet and turning him into Zhang Wen’s human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s longsword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter stuck to it spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses, roaring in pain but unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, his blood boiling, roared and unleashed a torrent of violent battle energy, not caring whether the target was his ally. With a sweep of his hand, the battle energy at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into several pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish off Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a shocking deep blue electric battle energy trailing behind him like a comet’s tail, Lei Miao charged in with incredible speed.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they could not resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, the three saint-tier fighters were killed.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with wisps of smoke and the pungent smell of burning flesh. Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he brought with him was already approaching that of the legendary King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
A sharp, fear-filled roar erupted as Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously went berserk. All their battle energy exploded, creating a towering cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light explosion, Galil’s reverse-cross deep purple battle energy and Bakali’s full-force super-tier psychic energy rain bombarded Lei Miao.
Lei Miao disappeared!
The two super-tier fighters, the right and left hands of the Black Viscount, had unleashed their full power, but it had all been in vain!
Lei Miao’s figure instantly transformed into lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, and electric sparks flashed. His speed had momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
In the next moment, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill at their lower backs as Lei Miao’s cold voice sounded from behind them. “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was the last thought in Galil and Bakali’s minds.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies as Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high voltage, surged into them.
This was not something an ordinary super-tier fighter could withstand. This was the power of someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the realm of the “King”!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under Lei Miao’s battle energy, Galil and Bakali resisted for a few seconds before the super-tier energy within them burst out like a flood from an open gate. But under the absolute suppression of Lei Miao’s higher realm, it was shattered into countless specks of light, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky!
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the peak super-tier special ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, could lose everything with a single misstep if caught off guard.
As if he had just completed a trivial task, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy of being my opponents.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gaolong in the distance—both were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It’s over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always brought death to others, but today, for the first time, he tasted the approach of death himself!
Seeing all the men he had brought fall, Gaolong knew that this mission was essentially over. The only thing he could think of now was to escape as quickly as possible; perhaps there was still a chance to survive, otherwise, death was certain!
His experience of repeatedly escaping from the Empire’s pursuit allowed him to make a quick decision!
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s body erupted with a second burst of bloody battle energy, forming a dazzling, massive crimson vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had always held back some strength! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with powerful enemies, he would hold back a fraction of his power, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to make his escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, fooling most of his enemies until the very end, when Gaolong would turn the tables and escape, or even kill them, leaving them in disbelief even in their final moments.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded as he let out a piercing shriek. Simultaneously, both battle energy and psychic energy erupted from his hands, forming two massive blood-red claws that forcefully pushed Messiah and the Flame Demon Agart away.
This was his final chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he wasted no time and sprinted down the mountain at full speed! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Viscount’s final plan worked, perhaps he could even turn the tables and shock them all!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear—only the fallen Xiuluo, Xiaoxi, Luo Fulei, and the recently risen Marian were there. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, their earlier battle had already taken them dozens of meters away from the mountain path, making it impossible for them to intercept him in time!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible surge of potential within Gaolong. His bloody battle energy surged like a rainbow, and his rapid movement caused the ground to crack and explode, creating a terrifying spectacle.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of battle energy erupted, forming a net that blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank. With a furious roar, he channeled all his battle energy into his hands, tearing through the incoming energy net. But this delay allowed Agart, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly attacked to block Gaolong slowly emerged.
It was the Empire’s Eagle Guard squad leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere—front, back, left, and right! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle emblem on their chests gradually emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in the open, and they were all here!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As a key figure under the Black Viscount, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Viscount, he had been hunted and ambushed by them multiple times. He knew all too well the terror of the Eagle Guard—they were killing machines even more professional than he was.
This was an enormous and incredibly precise war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely cogs in this machine!
Even back when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution, just five members of the Eagle Guard had left him in a sorry state. Today, at least twenty members—two full squads—stood in his way!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also spelled Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale; this was the feeling of impending doom.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that the Eagle Guard behind squad leader Mura were holding two prisoners—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light. Following a graceful and mysterious arc, the sword tip deftly flicked upward, striking precisely at the three-quarter point of the massive glowing cross. Using the principle of deflection, he barely managed to shift the cross-shaped battle energy upward by a few inches, allowing it to skim past his body as he lay flat on the ground. The situation was perilous to the extreme, but it allowed him to narrowly escape death.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with a fierce light. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. At that moment, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also lunged forward.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier powerhouse, the Storm God Bakali, along with the three saint-tier fighters, surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—Zhang Wen knew this was a hopeless situation.
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade descended like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bones. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” and his instantaneous burst of speed even surpassed the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… With this level of strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters who had been sent to assassinate him were now permanently down. No one had expected this. The strength of the Empire’s Venom Fang had reached a level where they could disregard ordinary super-tier fighters, and even adding three saint-tier fighters didn’t change the outcome.
Casually stepping over the bodies of the four on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Messiah. His face showed a hint of surprise, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a battle he craved.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The rapier transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, concealing deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix’s fiery dance, or an elegant swan. Yet, hidden within the rapier’s blade was a venomous snake, a bee’s stinger, a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state by Messiah, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of swordsmanship, Messiah’s inherited techniques were hailed as the Empire’s finest, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong could gain no advantage against such techniques.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem was the Flame Demon Agart. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as a result, he was gradually overwhelmed by Messiah’s swordplay.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agart first, but each time, Messiah’s sudden, bizarre sword strikes left him panicked and forced to dodge, temporarily sparing Agart.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the furious, fire-eyed Agart, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword thrust, every movement, was executed with elegance. She was like a lion confident of victory, toying with her prey, draining his strength.
“Captain Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, and a gentle smile played on his lips, as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. He walked step by step toward the three engaged in fierce combat, completely ignoring the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves that approached him were deflected by the storm-like swirling electric battle energy surrounding him.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match without permission. After this, think carefully about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Messiah said coldly, her rapier hissing like a bee’s stinger as she thrust twice—one upward toward Gaolong’s chin and throat, and the other, using the sword’s flexibility, rebounding sharply downward like a rattlesnake’s tail, aiming for Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Such venomous swordsmanship left Gaolong roaring in panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so strong at such a young age? I heard that the inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty, yet she’s already at the super-tier, and at the peak of it! Could it be that the inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was utterly baffled, but with Agart and Messiah relentlessly pursuing him, he could only hope that the Black Viscount’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao, in response to Messiah’s rebuke, stroked his chin with a faint smile. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time with me, go clean up that trash,” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong, who was trying to escape, back into the fray.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned and lunged toward Zhang Wen with a burst of astonishing electric energy.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With the five powerhouses gathered together, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their close proximity made it inconvenient to unleash overly powerful battle energy, so they had to focus their energy on their fists to strike Zhang Wen. However, Zhang Wen’s “Spring Water Swordplay” was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to thrive in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously “stuck” to one of their comrades, manipulating his body like a puppet and turning him into a human shield. Several of Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter’s body.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter stuck to his sword spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses, roaring in pain but unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield, but all attempts failed. Galil, his blood boiling, roared and unleashed a torrent of battle energy, regardless of whether the target was his ally or not. With a sweep of his hand, the battle energy at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into several pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish off Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a burst of deep blue electric battle energy, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of lightning.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed the three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning flesh, and Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he exuded now was eerily close to that of the legendary King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
With a sharp, fear-filled roar, Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously erupted, their full battle energy exploding into a towering cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light, Galil’s inverted cross of deep purple battle energy and Bakali’s super-tier psychic energy rainstorm blasted toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the right and left hands of the Black Viscount, had unleashed their full power, but their attacks missed!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into a streak of lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, and sparks of electricity flashed as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
In the next moment, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice from behind. “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was the last thought in Galil and Bakali’s minds.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies, and Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high-voltage electricity, surged into them.
This was no ordinary super-tier power. This was the realm of someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the “King”!
“Zap! Crack!”
Under Lei Miao’s battle energy assault, Galil and Bakali managed to resist for a few seconds, their super-tier battle energy pouring out like a floodgate had been opened. But under the absolute suppression of Lei Miao’s higher realm, it was all shattered into countless glowing particles, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky.
“Zap!”
With a final release, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao, with his superior strength and the peak super-tier ability of super speed, had made short work of ordinary super-tier fighters. Even someone like Galil, caught off guard, had no chance.
Lei Miao stretched his wrists as if he had just completed a trivial task and shook his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze turned to Messiah and Gaolong in the distance—both were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It was over!
The killing machine Gaolong, who had always brought death to others, now tasted the approach of death himself for the first time!
Seeing all his men fall, Gaolong knew the situation was hopeless. The only thing on his mind now was to escape as quickly as possible. If he could get away, there might still be a chance to survive; otherwise, death was certain!
His experience of repeatedly escaping the Empire’s pursuit allowed him to make a quick decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s body erupted with a second burst of crimson battle energy, forming a dazzling, massive blood-red vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had been holding back! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would hold back a fraction of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to make his escape. This tactic had proven effective time and again, fooling most enemies until the very end, when Gaolong would turn the tables and escape, or even kill them, leaving them in disbelief.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded, and he let out a piercing shriek. At the same time, both his hands erupted with battle energy and psychic energy, forming two massive blood-red claws that simultaneously repelled Messiah and the Flame Demon Agart.
This was his final chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of timing, he didn’t hesitate. He took advantage of the moment to sprint downhill at full speed! If he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Viscount’s final arrangements worked, they might even be in for a surprise!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the recently risen Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already been drawn dozens of meters away from the path during the earlier battle and were too far to intercept him!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible surge of potential in Gaolong. His crimson battle energy blazed like a rainbow as he charged forward, the ground beneath him cracking from the sheer force. His speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of battle energy erupted, forming a net that blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank. With a furious roar, he channeled his battle energy into his hands and tore through the incoming energy net, but the delay allowed Agart, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly attacked to block Gaolong slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard Squad Leader—Mula.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle emblem on their chests emerging from behind Mula.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sun!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As a key figure under the Black Viscount, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Long before he joined the Black Viscount, he had been hunted and ambushed by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew how terrifying they were—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
This was an enormous, meticulously crafted war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely cogs in this machine!
Even when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution in the past, just five Eagle Guards had been enough to leave him in a sorry state. Now, at least twenty Eagle Guards—two full squads—stood in his way!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also spelled Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale. This was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and he suddenly noticed that behind Squad Leader Mula, the Eagle Guards were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
Ready for what?
That was the final thought of Galil and Bakari.
To die!
Boom!!!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the longsword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light, tracing an elegant and mysterious arc upward. The tip of the sword deftly caught the three-quarter point of the massive cross of light, using a technique of deflection to barely shift the cross-shaped battle energy upward by a few inches, narrowly grazing his prone body on the ground. It was an extremely close call, but it allowed him to narrowly escape death.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with fury. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy attacks to finish him off. At that moment, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier expert—Storm God Bakali—along with the three saint-tier fighters surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—Zhang Wen saw no way out of this certain-death situation.
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade struck like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” allowing him to burst forth faster than the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… with this level of strength, they dared to come and die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters sent to assassinate him had all fallen, something no one had anticipated. The strength of the Empire’s Venom Fang had reached a point where ordinary super-tier fighters were no match, even with three saint-tier allies.
Casually stepping over the four bodies on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Messiah. A look of slight surprise crossed his face, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a long-awaited battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers hiding deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in dazzling brilliance, resembling a peacock, a phoenix in flames, or an elegant swan. But hidden within the sword’s blade was a venomous snake, a bee’s sting, a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow.
Even the killing machine, Gao Long, was left in a sorry state under Messiah’s hands, reduced to dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s best, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gao Long could gain no advantage against it.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gao Long believed he could escape, even if he couldn’t win. The problem was the Flame Demon, Agat. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gao Long to divert some of his focus, and as a result, he was gradually overwhelmed by Messiah’s swordplay.
Gao Long tried several times to deal with Agat first, but each time, Messiah’s sudden, bizarre sword strikes left him panicked and forced to dodge, temporarily sparing Agat.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gao Long and the furious, fire-eyed Agat, Messiah appeared remarkably composed. Every sword thrust was executed with grace and elegance. She was like a confident and majestic lion, toying with her prey, draining his strength.
“Captain Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, a gentle smile on his face as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. He walked step by step toward the three combatants, seemingly unfazed by the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves near him were deflected by the swirling storm of lightning battle energy surrounding him.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Messiah said coldly, her flower sword stabbing twice like a bee’s tail—one thrust upward toward Gao Long’s chin and throat, the other, using the sword’s flexibility, rebounding sharply downward like a rattlesnake’s tail toward Gao Long’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous swordsmanship left Gao Long roaring in panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so strong at such a young age? I heard the inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty, yet she’s already at the super-tier, and at its peak! Could the inherited swordsmanship also pass down battle energy through generations?”
Gao Long was baffled, desperate to escape but firmly pinned down by Agat and Messiah. He could only hope that the Black Baron’s final plan would work.
Lei Miao rubbed his chin at Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have some freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time with me, go clean up the trash,” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gao Long back.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned and lunged toward Zhang Wen with a burst of electric energy.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With five powerful fighters gathered together, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their close proximity made it inconvenient to unleash large-scale battle energy, so they focused their energy on their fists to strike Zhang Wen. However, Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to thrive in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that, at the start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had somehow attached itself to one of their comrades, manipulating his body like a puppet and turning him into a human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced continuous arcs, and the saint-tier fighter attached to it spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses, roaring in pain but unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, blood rushing to his head, roared and unleashed a furious burst of battle energy, slashing and tearing apart the unfortunate puppet with his fingertips’ battle energy, regardless of whether it was his ally.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a burst of deep blue lightning battle energy, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed the three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to charcoal by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning flesh, and Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he exuded now was approaching that of the legendary King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!”
Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously erupted in a frenzy, their full battle energy exploding into a towering cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light burst, Galil’s inverse purple cross battle energy and Bakali’s super-tier psychic energy rain poured toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the Black Baron’s right-hand men, had unleashed their full power but missed their target!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into a streak of lightning, cutting through the air with a sharp screech. A white mist exploded behind him, and electric sparks flashed as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
In the next moment, Galil and Bakali felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice behind them. “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was Galil and Bakali’s final thought.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies as Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high voltage, surged into them.
This was no ordinary super-tier power—it was the strength of someone half-stepping into the god-tier, infinitely close to the realm of the King!
“Zap! Crack!”
Under Lei Miao’s battle energy, Galil and Bakali struggled for a few seconds before their super-tier energy, like a floodgate opening, poured out wildly. But under Lei Miao’s higher-level suppression, it shattered into countless glowing particles, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky.
“Zap!”
With a final release, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao, with his superior strength and peak super-tier ability—super speed—was unmatched. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, could be defeated in an instant if caught off guard.
Lei Miao stretched his wrists as if he had just completed a trivial task, shaking his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze turned to Messiah and Gao Long, both of whom he looked forward to facing.
It’s over!
The killing machine, Gao Long, had always brought death to others, but today he tasted the approach of death for the first time!
Seeing all his men fall, Gao Long knew this was the end. The only thing on his mind now was to escape, perhaps to survive, or else face certain death!
His experience of escaping countless imperial hunts allowed him to make a quick decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gao Long’s crimson battle energy erupted again, forming a massive, blinding blood-red vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gao Long had always held back some strength! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would conserve a bit of energy, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire. This tactic had proven effective time and again, fooling most enemies until Gao Long turned the tables, escaping or even killing them while they were still in disbelief.
After his roar, Gao Long’s chest expanded, and he let out a piercing screech. Simultaneously, both his hands unleashed battle energy and psychic energy, forming two massive blood claws that pushed Messiah and the Flame Demon Agat away.
This was his last chance!
With Gao Long’s keen sense of timing, he didn’t hesitate. He took advantage of the moment to sprint downhill at full speed! If he could evade Lei Miao, he might survive! If the Black Baron’s final plan worked, he might even turn the tables!
Gao Long’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the just-risen Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, they had been drawn dozens of meters away from the path during the earlier fight and were too far to intercept him.
The will to survive unleashed incredible potential in Gao Long. His crimson battle energy surged like a rainbow, and his rapid movement tore up the ground, creating a terrifying spectacle.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gao Long was about to escape, suddenly—
“Screech!”
A strange, sharp whistle sounded, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gao Long’s vision. From the mountain path entrance, a burst of battle energy erupted like a net, blocking his only escape route!
Despair!
Gao Long’s heart sank. He roared madly, channeling his battle energy into his hands to tear through the oncoming energy net, but the delay allowed Agat, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly blocked Gao Long’s escape slowly emerged.
Imperial Eagle Guard Squad Leader—Mura.
Gao Long was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere! Even worse, from behind Mura, a group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Imperial Eagle emblem on their chests began to appear.
The Imperial Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Imperial Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sun!
Gao Long’s face turned ashen. As a key figure under the Black Baron, he was no stranger to the Imperial Eagle Guard. Before joining the Black Baron, he had been hunted and ambushed by them multiple times. He knew how terrifying they were—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
This was an enormous, precise war machine, and countless talents in the Empire were merely cogs in this machine!
Even when the Empire had ordered Gao Long’s execution with just five Eagle Guards, he had been left in a sorry state. Now, at least twenty Eagle Guards—two full squads—stood before him.
The Empire’s unprecedented focus on this battle also spelled Gao Long’s death sentence!
Gao Long’s face was pale. This was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and he suddenly noticed that behind Squad Leader Mura, the Eagle Guards were holding two prisoners—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
This was absolutely not something ordinary super-tier fighters could resist; it was the power of someone who had one foot in the god-tier realm, infinitely close to the domain of the “King”!
“Zzzt! Pfft!”
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light. Following a graceful and mysterious arc, the sword tip cleverly lifted at the three-quarter point of the massive glowing cross. Using the “displacement” technique, he barely managed to shift the cross-shaped battle energy upward by a few inches, narrowly grazing his body as it passed over him lying flat on the ground. It was an extremely close call, but it allowed him to narrowly escape death.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with a fierce light. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy attacks to finish him off. Just then, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier fighters, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier powerhouse—Storm God Bakhali—along with the three saint-tier fighters surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—Zhang Wen saw no way out of this certain-death situation!
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade struck like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “lightning speed,” a burst of speed that even surpassed the speed of sound. Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head, “So weak… with such strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters sent to assassinate him had all fallen, something no one had expected. The strength of the Empire’s Venom Fang had reached a level where they could disregard ordinary super-tier fighters, even with three saint-tier fighters added to the mix.
Casually stepping over the four bodies on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze fell on the Northern Overlord, Messiah. His face showed a hint of surprise, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a battle he craved.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, hiding deadly killing intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix’s fiery dance, or an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the flower sword was like a venomous snake, a bee’s stinger, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state under Messiah’s hands, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong couldn’t gain any advantage against such swordsmanship.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem was Agate, the Flame Demon. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as a result, he was gradually suppressed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agate first, but each time, Messiah’s timely and bizarre sword strikes left him panicked, forcing him to dodge awkwardly and temporarily spare Agate.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the furious, fire-eyed Agate, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword strike she made was executed with grace and elegance. She was like a confident and majestic lion, skillfully toying with her prey, draining its strength.
“Captain Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, a gentle smile on his face as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. Step by step, he walked toward the three engaged in fierce combat, seemingly unfazed by the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves near him were deflected by the storm-like swirling electric battle energy surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Messiah coldly glanced at him, her flower sword hissing like a bee’s stinger as she thrust twice in quick succession. One strike aimed upward at Gaolong’s chin and throat, while the other, using the sword’s flexibility, rebounded sharply, slashing downward like a rattlesnake’s tail toward Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous swordsmanship left Gaolong roaring in panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so young and yet so powerful? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty years old, yet she’s already at the super-tier, and at the peak of it! Could it be that inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was utterly perplexed, but with Agate and Messiah relentlessly pursuing him, he could only hope that the Black Baron’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao stroked his chin in response to Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time talking to me, why don’t you go clean up the trash?” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong, who was trying to escape, back into the fray.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned and lunged toward Zhang Wen with a burst of astonishing electric energy.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With the five powerhouses gathered together, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their proximity made it inconvenient to unleash overly powerful battle energy, so they focused their energy on their fists to strike at Zhang Wen. However, Zhang Wen’s “Spring Water” swordsmanship was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to thrive in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that, at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously adhered to one of their comrades’ bodies. Like a puppeteer manipulating a marionette, Zhang Wen used the man’s body to perform various movements, turning him into a living shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter stuck to his sword spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses, roaring in pain but unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, his blood boiling, roared and unleashed a torrent of battle energy with both hands, regardless of whether the target was his ally or not. With a forceful slash, the battle energy at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into several pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a burst of deep blue electric battle energy, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed the three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with a faint wisp of smoke and the pungent smell of burning. Galil and Bakhali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he exuded now was faintly approaching that of the legendary King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
A sharp, fearful roar erupted as Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakhali, simultaneously went berserk. All their battle energy exploded in a torrential cascade of starlight, flattening everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light explosion, Galil’s inverse cross of deep purple battle energy and Bakhali’s full-powered super-tier psychic energy rainstorm blasted toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the right and left hands of the Black Baron, had unleashed their full power, but their attacks missed!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into a streak of lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, and electric sparks flashed as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
The next moment, Galil and Bakhali both felt a chill at their lower backs as Lei Miao’s cold voice echoed from behind, “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was Galil and Bakhali’s final thought.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies as Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high voltage, surged into them.
This was no ordinary super-tier power; it belonged to someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the realm of the “King”!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under the onslaught of Lei Miao’s battle energy, Galil and Bakhali barely resisted for a few seconds. The super-tier battle energy within their bodies poured out like a floodgate had opened, but under the absolute suppression of Lei Miao’s higher realm, it shattered into countless specks of light, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky!
“Zap!”
With a final release, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the peak super-tier ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, could lose everything with a single misstep if caught off guard.
As if he had just completed a trivial task, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly, “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze shifted to Messiah and Gaolong in the distance, both of whom were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It was over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always brought death to others, but today, for the first time, he tasted the approach of death himself!
Seeing all his men fall, Gaolong knew that this mission was essentially over. The only thing he could think of now was to escape as quickly as possible; perhaps there was still a chance to survive. Otherwise, death was certain!
His experience of repeatedly escaping from the Empire’s pursuits allowed him to make a split-second decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s body erupted with a second burst of crimson battle energy, forming a blindingly bright, massive blood-red vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had been holding back! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would hold back a portion of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, as most enemies were caught off guard, only realizing too late that Gaolong had turned the tables, escaping or even killing them while they were still in disbelief.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded, and he let out a piercing shriek. Simultaneously, both his hands erupted with battle energy and psychic energy, forming two massive blood-red claws that forcefully pushed Messiah and the Flame Demon Agate away.
This was his final chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of seizing opportunities, he didn’t hesitate. He took advantage of this moment to sprint at full speed down the mountain! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Baron’s final arrangements worked, perhaps he could even turn the tables and surprise them all!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the recently struggling-to-rise Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already deviated from the mountain path by dozens of meters during the earlier battle and were definitely too far to intercept him!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible surge of potential within Gaolong. His crimson battle energy blazed like a rainbow as his body shot forward, tearing up the ground with a terrifying momentum.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a burst of battle energy erupted, forming a net-like pattern that blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank into the abyss. With a furious roar, he channeled all his battle energy into his hands, tearing through the incoming energy net. However, this delay allowed Agate, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly attacked to block Gaolong slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard squad leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere, front, back, left, and right! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle emblem on their chests gradually emerging behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in the open, and they were all here!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As a key figure under the Black Baron, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Baron, he had been pursued and ambushed by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew all too well how terrifying the Eagle Guard was—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
This was an immensely vast and precise war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely components of this machine!
Even back when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution, just five members of the Eagle Guard had left him in a sorry state. Now, at least twenty members—two full squads—stood before him.
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also sealed Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale; this was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that behind Mura, the Eagle Guard members were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
“Zzzt!”
With a loosening of their grips, the two super-tier fighters collapsed lifelessly.
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light, tracing an elegant and mysterious arc upward. The tip of the sword cleverly lifted at three-quarters of the height of a massive cross of light, using a deflection technique to barely shift the cross-shaped battle energy upward by a few inches, narrowly grazing his body as it lay flat on the ground. It was an extremely close call, but it allowed him to narrowly escape disaster.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with a fierce light. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. At that moment, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier powerhouse, the Storm God Bakali, along with three saint-tier fighters, surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—Zhang Wen knew this was a hopeless situation.
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade descended like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” a burst of speed that even surpassed the speed of sound. Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… with such strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters who had been sent to assassinate him were now permanently down, something no one had expected. The strength of the Empire’s fangs had reached a point where they could ignore ordinary super-tier fighters, even with three saint-tier opponents added to the mix.
Casually stepping over the four bodies on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Messiah. His face showed a hint of surprise, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a long-awaited battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers hiding deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix in flames, or an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the flower sword was like a venomous snake, a bee’s stinger, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state under Messiah’s hands, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong could gain no advantage against such a legacy.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could at least escape. The problem was the Flame Demon Agart. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as a result, he was gradually overwhelmed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agart first, but each time, Messiah’s timely and bizarre sword strikes left him panicked, forcing him to dodge and temporarily spare Agart.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the furious, fire-eyed Agart, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword strike she made was executed with grace and elegance. She was like a lion confident in her victory, toying with her prey, wearing him down.
“Captain Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, a gentle smile on his face as if he were looking at a beloved lover. He walked step by step toward the three engaged in fierce combat, ignoring the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves near him were deflected by the storm-like swirling electric battle energy surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Messiah said coldly, her flower sword stabbing twice like a bee’s stinger—one strike upward toward Gaolong’s chin and throat, the other using the sword’s flexibility to rebound and slash downward toward Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous swordsmanship left Gaolong roaring in panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so strong at such a young age? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty yet! And she’s already at the super-tier, the peak of the super-tier! Could it be that inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was baffled, but with Agart and Messiah relentlessly pursuing him, he could only hope that Black Baron’s final plan would work.
Lei Miao rubbed his chin at Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have some freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time with me, go clean up the trash,” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong back.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned and charged toward Zhang Wen with a burst of electric energy.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With five powerful opponents gathered together, only three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their proximity made it inconvenient to unleash overly powerful battle energy, so they focused their energy on their fists to strike at Zhang Wen. However, Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to thrive in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously “stuck” to one of their comrades, manipulating his body like a puppet and turning him into a human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circles in the air, and the saint-tier fighter stuck to it spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses as he roared in pain, unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, his blood boiling, roared and unleashed a torrent of battle energy, not caring if it hit his own comrade. With a slash, the battle energy at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a burst of deep blue electric battle energy, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of lightning.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed all three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to charcoal.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning flesh, and Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying—the aura he brought with him now faintly approached that of the legendary King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!”
Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously erupted in rage, unleashing all their battle energy in a torrent of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light, Galil’s inverted purple cross battle energy and Bakali’s full-powered super-tier psychic energy rain simultaneously blasted toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao disappeared!
The two super-tier fighters, the right-hand men of Black Baron, had unleashed their full power, but they had missed!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into lightning, cutting through the air with a sharp whistle. A burst of white mist exploded behind him, and sparks of electricity flashed as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
The next moment, Galil and Bakali felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice behind them. “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was Galil and Bakali’s final thought.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies as Lei Miao’s battle energy, like a billion volts of electricity, surged into them.
This was no ordinary super-tier power—it was the strength of someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the realm of the King!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under Lei Miao’s battle energy, Galil and Bakali resisted for a few seconds before their super-tier energy, like a floodgate opening, poured out uncontrollably. But under Lei Miao’s higher-level suppression, it shattered into countless glowing particles, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky.
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the super-tier peak ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose in an instant if caught off guard.
Lei Miao flexed his wrist as if he had just done something trivial and shook his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the super-tier peak or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy of being my opponents.” His gaze turned to Messiah and Gaolong—both were opponents he looked forward to.
It’s over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always brought death to others, but today he tasted the approach of death for the first time!
Seeing all his men fall, Gaolong knew this was the end. The only thing on his mind now was to escape—perhaps there was still a chance to survive, otherwise, it would be certain death!
His experience of escaping from the Empire’s pursuit time and time again allowed him to make a quick decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s body erupted with a second burst of crimson battle energy, forming a massive, blinding blood-red vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy bloodlust filled the air.
Gaolong had been holding back! This was his trump card for survival—he always kept a fraction of his strength in reserve during battles with powerful enemies, only unleashing it when things turned dire. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, allowing him to escape or even turn the tables on his enemies when they least expected it.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded as he let out a piercing shriek, and both his hands erupted with battle energy and psychic energy, forming two massive blood claws that simultaneously repelled Messiah and the Flame Demon Agart.
This was his last chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he didn’t hesitate to sprint downhill at full speed. As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If Black Baron’s final plan worked, he might even turn the tables on them!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the recently risen Marian. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, they were dozens of meters away from the path due to the earlier battle—they wouldn’t have time to intercept him!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible surge of potential in Gaolong. His crimson battle energy blazed like a rainbow as his body shot forward, tearing up the ground with terrifying force.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Shriek!”
A strange, piercing whistle sounded, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of battle energy erupted, forming a net that blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank. He roared madly, pouring all his battle energy into his hands to tear through the incoming energy net, but the delay allowed Agart, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly blocked Gaolong’s escape slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard squad leader—Mula.
Gaolong was completely surrounded—enemies on all sides! Even more terrifying was the group of black-clad soldiers with the Empire’s eagle insignia gradually emerging from behind Mula.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sunlight!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under Black Baron, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining Black Baron, he had been pursued and ambushed by them multiple times. He knew how terrifying they were—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
This was an enormous, incredibly precise war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely cogs in this machine!
Even when the Empire had ordered his execution in the past, just five Eagle Guards had left him in a sorry state. Today, at least twenty Eagle Guards—two full squads—stood in his way.
The Empire’s unprecedented attention also announced Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen—this was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and he suddenly noticed that behind Eagle Guard squad leader Mula, the Eagle Guards were holding two prisoners—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light. Following an elegant and mysterious arc, the sword tip deftly flicked upward, precisely striking the three-quarter point of the massive cross of light. Using the principle of deflection, he barely managed to shift the cross-shaped battle energy upward by a few inches, allowing it to graze past his prone body on the ground. It was an extremely close call, but it saved him from certain death.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with fury. He had never seen such miraculous swordsmanship before—someone who could deflect his certain-kill strike?! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy attacks to finish him off. Just then, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier experts, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier expert—Storm God Bakali—along with the three saint-tier experts surrounded him. Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—Zhang Wen knew this was a hopeless situation.
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade descended like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bones. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” allowing him to burst forth even faster than the speed of sound. Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… with such strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier experts sent to assassinate him had all fallen, something no one had expected. The strength of the Empire’s fangs had grown to the point where they could disregard ordinary super-tier experts, even with three saint-tier reinforcements.
Casually stepping over the four bodies on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Messiah. A faint look of surprise crossed his face, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a long-awaited battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, concealing deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix in flames, or an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the flower sword was like a venomous snake, a bee’s sting, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state, reduced to dodging for his life. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was no weaker than him, and in terms of martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s finest, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong couldn’t gain any advantage against such techniques.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed he could escape, even if he couldn’t win. The problem was the Flame Demon Agate. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as the battle wore on, he found himself increasingly suppressed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agate first, but each time, Messiah’s sudden, bizarre sword strikes sent his heart racing, forcing him to dodge frantically and temporarily spare Agate.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the furious, fire-eyed Agate, Messiah appeared remarkably composed. Every sword strike she made was executed with grace and elegance. She was like a lion confident in her victory, toying with her prey, draining his strength.
“Commander Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, and a gentle smile played on his lips, as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. Step by step, he approached the trio locked in combat, seemingly unfazed by the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves near him were deflected by the storm-like swirl of lightning battle energy surrounding him.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. Think about how you’ll explain this to His Majesty afterward,” Messiah said coldly, her flower sword darting out like a bee’s stinger, delivering two rapid strikes—one aimed upward at Gaolong’s chin and throat, the other using the sword’s flexibility to rebound and slash downward toward Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had fears, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous sword techniques forced Gaolong to roar in frustration as he desperately dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so strong at such a young age? I heard the inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty, yet she’s already at the peak of the super-tier! Could it be that the inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy?”
Gaolong was baffled, but with Agate and Messiah relentlessly pursuing him, he could only hope that Black Baron’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao rubbed his chin at Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time with me, why don’t you go clean up the trash?” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong back.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned and shot toward Zhang Wen with a burst of electric energy.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier experts had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With five experts gathered around him, only three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their close proximity made it inconvenient to unleash large-scale battle energy, so they focused their power into their fists to strike at Zhang Wen. However, Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to thrive in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that, at the start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously latched onto one of their comrades, manipulating his body like a puppet and turning him into a human shield. Galil and the other super-tier expert’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier expert as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier expert attached to it spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses as he roared in pain, unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield, but to no avail. Galil, his blood boiling with rage, roared and unleashed a torrent of battle energy, not caring if it hit his own comrade. With a swift motion, the battle energy at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into pieces.
Just as he prepared to charge forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a burst of deep blue lightning battle energy, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first ensnared the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed all three saint-tier experts.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier experts were reduced to charred remains.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning flesh, and Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he exuded now was approaching that of a legendary King!
That was the power of a divine-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
With a shrill scream of fear, Galil and the other super-tier expert, Bakali, simultaneously unleashed their full power, creating a towering cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense explosion, Galil’s deep purple reverse-cross battle energy and Bakali’s full-powered super-tier psychic energy rained down on Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier experts, the right-hand men of Black Baron, had unleashed their full power, only to miss their target!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into a streak of lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, and arcs of electricity sparked as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
In the next moment, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice behind them. “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was the last thought in Galil and Bakali’s minds.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies as Lei Miao’s battle energy, like a billion volts of electricity, surged into them.
This was no ordinary super-tier power; this was the strength of someone half-stepping into the divine-tier, infinitely close to the realm of a “King!”
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under Lei Miao’s onslaught, Galil and Bakali struggled for a few seconds, their super-tier battle energy pouring out like a floodgate had been opened. But under Lei Miao’s superior power, it was all crushed, turning into countless specks of light that danced like fireflies in the night sky.
“Zap!”
With a final release, the two super-tier experts collapsed.
Lei Miao, with his superior strength and the peak super-tier ability of super speed, had made short work of ordinary super-tier experts. Even someone like Galil, caught off guard, had no chance.
As if he had just completed a trivial task, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier experts are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the divine realm are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze turned to Messiah and Gaolong in the distance—both were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It was over!
Gaolong, the killing machine who had always brought death to others, now tasted the approach of death himself for the first time!
Seeing all his men fall, Gaolong knew the mission was essentially over. The only thing left to do was escape, perhaps even survive. Otherwise, death was certain!
His experience of repeatedly escaping from the Empire’s pursuit allowed him to make a quick decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s blood-red battle energy erupted once more, forming a blinding crimson vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had been holding back! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would hold back a fraction of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, allowing him to escape or even turn the tables on his enemies, who often couldn’t believe what had happened even as they died.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded, and he let out a piercing shriek. At the same time, he unleashed both battle energy and psychic energy from his hands, forming two massive blood-red claws that pushed Messiah and Flame Demon Agate away.
This was his last chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of timing, he didn’t hesitate to sprint downhill at full speed. As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If Black Baron’s final arrangements worked, he might even turn the tables on them!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiaoxi, Luo Fulei, and the barely conscious Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, they were dozens of meters away from the path due to the earlier battle and couldn’t possibly intercept him in time.
The will to survive unleashed an incredible surge of energy within Gaolong. His blood-red battle energy surged like a rainbow, and his body shot forward, tearing up the ground in his wake, creating a terrifying spectacle.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of battle energy erupted, forming a net that blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank. With a furious roar, he poured his battle energy into his hands, tearing through the incoming energy net. But the delay allowed Agate, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to catch up and surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had just blocked Gaolong’s escape slowly emerged.
Imperial Eagle Guard Squad Leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Imperial Eagle emblem on their chests emerging from behind Mura.
The Imperial Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Imperial Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sun!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under Black Baron, he was no stranger to the Imperial Eagle Guard. Even before joining Black Baron, he had been hunted and ambushed by them multiple times. He knew how terrifying they were—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
The Imperial Eagle Guard was an enormous, precise war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely cogs in this machine!
Even when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution with just five members, it had been enough to leave him in a sorry state. Now, facing at least twenty members—two full squads of Eagle Guards—the Empire’s unprecedented focus on him spelled his doom.
Gaolong’s face was pale. This was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that the Eagle Guards behind Squad Leader Mura were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier experts from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
Finished!
Gaolong, the killing machine, had always been the one bringing death to others, but today he tasted the approach of death for the first time!
Seeing all his men fall, Gaolong knew the situation was already lost. The only thing left to consider was a quick escape, perhaps still having a chance to save his life, otherwise he would meet his end!
Drawing on his experience of escaping countless imperial pursuits, he made an instant decision!
Run!
“Roar!” With an earth-shaking roar, Gaolong’s crimson battle energy erupted once again, forming a blinding massive red vortex expanding outward. At the same time, a cold, ruthless killing intent and a pungent, icy blood scent spread.
Gaolong had always held back some power! This was his life-saving ultimate move. Every time he fought a powerful enemy, he would reserve a bit of strength, only unleashing it in the final moments of crisis to escape. History proved this move was indeed effective; most enemies were deceived by him, only to be defeated and escape by Gaolong in the end, sometimes even turning the tables and killing their opponents while they were still in disbelief.
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the longsword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light. Following an elegant and mysterious arc, the sword tip deftly flicked upward, striking the three-quarter point of the massive glowing cross. Using the “dispersing” technique, he barely managed to shift the cross-shaped battle energy upward by a few inches, allowing it to graze past his prone body on the ground. It was an extremely close call, but it saved him from certain death.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with fury. He had never seen such miraculous swordsmanship before—someone actually managing to deflect his sure-kill strike?! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy attacks to finish him off. Just then, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also closed in.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier powerhouse, the Storm God Bakali, along with three saint-tier fighters, surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—Zhang Wen knew this was a death sentence!
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade struck like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” allowing him to burst forth even faster than the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… With this level of strength, they dared to come and die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters sent to assassinate him had all fallen, something no one had anticipated. The strength of the Empire’s fangs had reached a point where ordinary super-tier fighters were no match, even with three saint-tier reinforcements.
Casually stepping over the four bodies on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Misaya. A slight surprise flickered across his face, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a potential battle.
“Misaya, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers hiding deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in dazzling brilliance, resembling a peacock, a phoenix’s fiery dance, or an elegant swan. Yet, hidden within the beauty were the sword’s deadly edges—like a venomous snake, a bee’s sting, or a scorpion’s tail—striking from unexpected angles and trajectories, delivering fatal blows to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in disarray, reduced to dodging for his life. In terms of battle energy, Misaya was on par with him, and in terms of martial arts, Misaya’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and revered as the pinnacle of sword arts. Gaolong couldn’t gain any advantage against it.
Of course, if it were just Misaya alone, Gaolong believed he could escape, even if he couldn’t win. The real problem was the Flame Demon Agat. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as the battle wore on, he found himself increasingly suppressed by Misaya’s swordplay.
Gaolong tried several times to eliminate Agat first, but each time Misaya’s uncanny sword strikes sent shivers down his spine, forcing him to dodge frantically and temporarily spare Agat.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the furious, fire-eyed Agat, Misaya appeared remarkably composed. Every sword strike she made was executed with grace and elegance. She was like a confident and majestic lion, toying with her prey, draining its strength.
“Captain Misaya, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, a gentle smile on his face as if he were gazing at a beloved. He walked step by step toward the three engaged in combat, completely ignoring the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves near him were deflected by the swirling storm of lightning battle energy surrounding him.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and interfered in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think carefully about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Misaya said coldly, her flower sword stabbing twice like a bee’s tail—one strike aimed upward at Gaolong’s chin and throat, the other, using the sword’s flexibility, rebounding downward like a rattlesnake’s tail, targeting Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had fearsome opponents, and Misaya was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous swordsmanship forced Gaolong to roar in frustration as he dodged desperately, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so strong at such a young age? I heard the inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty, yet she’s reached the super-tier, and the peak of it at that! Could it be that the inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy?”
Gaolong was baffled, but with Agat and Misaya relentlessly pursuing him, he could only hope that Black Baron’s final plan would come into play.
Lei Miao, facing Misaya’s accusation, stroked his chin with a faint smile. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time talking to me, why don’t you go clean up the trash?” Misaya said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong back.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned and shot toward Zhang Wen with a burst of electric energy.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With five powerful opponents clustered together, only three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, their close proximity made it inconvenient to unleash large-scale battle energy, so they had to focus their energy on their fists to strike Zhang Wen. However, Zhang Wen’s “Spring Water” swordsmanship was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to thrive in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that, at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously “stuck” to one of their comrades, manipulating his body like a puppet and turning him into a human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter’s body.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter stuck to his sword spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses as he roared in pain, unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield, but all attempts failed. Galil, his blood boiling, roared and unleashed a torrent of battle energy, not caring if it hit his own comrade. With a swift slash, the battle energy at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a burst of deep blue lightning battle energy, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first ensnared the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed all three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning flesh, and Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying—his presence now seemed to approach the legendary level of a “King”!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
With a shrill roar of fear, Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously erupted, unleashing all their battle energy in a dazzling cascade of light that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense explosion, Galil’s inverse cross of deep purple battle energy and Bakali’s full-powered super-tier psychic energy rained down on Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the right-hand men of the Black Baron, had unleashed their full power, but it had all missed!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into a streak of lightning, cutting through the air with a sharp screech. A white mist exploded behind him, and sparks of electricity flashed as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
In the next moment, Galil and Bakali felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice behind them: “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was Galil and Bakali’s final thought.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies, and Lei Miao’s battle energy, like a billion volts of electricity, surged into them.
This was no ordinary super-tier power—it was the strength of someone half-stepping into the god-tier, infinitely close to the realm of a “King”!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under Lei Miao’s onslaught, Galil and Bakali resisted for a few seconds, their super-tier battle energy pouring out like a flood from a broken dam. But under Lei Miao’s superior power, it was all shattered into countless glowing particles, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky.
“Zap!”
With a final release, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s strength was unparalleled, and his peak super-tier ability—super speed—made him nearly invincible. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, could be defeated in an instant if they weren’t prepared.
Lei Miao, as if he had just completed a trivial task, flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the realm of gods are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze turned to Misaya and Gaolong in the distance—both were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It was over!
The killing machine Gaolong, who had always brought death to others, now tasted the approach of death himself for the first time!
Seeing all his men fall, Gaolong knew the mission was essentially over. The only thing on his mind now was to escape—perhaps there was still a chance to survive, otherwise, death was certain!
His experience of repeatedly escaping the Empire’s pursuit allowed him to make a quick decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s body erupted with a second burst of crimson battle energy, forming a massive, blinding vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, bloody stench filled the air.
Gaolong had been holding back! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would reserve a portion of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to make his escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, as most enemies were caught off guard, allowing Gaolong to turn the tables and escape, or even kill them in their confusion.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded, and he let out a piercing shriek. At the same time, both his hands erupted with battle energy and psychic energy, forming two massive blood-red claws that simultaneously repelled Misaya and the Flame Demon Agat.
This was his final chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he didn’t hesitate. He took advantage of the moment to sprint downhill at full speed! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If Black Baron’s final plan worked, he might even turn the tables on them!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear—only the fallen Xiuluo, Xiaoxi, Luofulei, and the barely conscious Marianne were there. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, they were already dozens of meters away from the path due to the earlier battle and wouldn’t be able to intercept him in time!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible surge of potential in Gaolong. His crimson battle energy blazed like a rainbow as he charged forward, the ground cracking beneath his feet in a terrifying display.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of battle energy erupted, forming a net that blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank. With a furious roar, he channeled all his battle energy into his hands, tearing through the incoming energy net. But the delay allowed Agat, Misaya, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to close in on him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly attacked and blocked Gaolong slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard squad leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Enemies were on all sides! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle insignia emerging behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sun!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As a key figure under the Black Baron, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Baron, he had been hunted and ambushed by them multiple times. He knew all too well how terrifying they were—they were killing machines even more professional than him.
This was an enormous, meticulously crafted war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely cogs in its machinery!
Even when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution in the past, just five Eagle Guards had been enough to leave him in disarray. Now, at least twenty Eagle Guards—two full squads—stood before him.
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also signaled Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale. This was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and he suddenly noticed that behind Squad Leader Mura, the Eagle Guards were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
This was his final chance!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the longsword in his hand erupted with dazzling silver light, tracing an ethereal and mysterious arc upward. The tip of the sword deftly struck at the three-quarter point of the massive cross of light, using a deflection technique to barely shift the radiant cross upward by a few inches, narrowly grazing his body as it lay flat on the ground. The situation was perilous to the extreme, but it allowed him to narrowly escape disaster.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with ferocity. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. Just then, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier opponents, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered to himself with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier powerhouse—Storm God Bakali—along with the three saint-tier fighters, surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—Zhang Wen was undoubtedly facing a hopeless situation!
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade descended like lightning, the dazzling electric combat energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” allowing him to burst forth even faster than the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… with this level of strength, they dare come to their deaths?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters who had been sent to assassinate him were now permanently down, something no one had anticipated. The strength of the Empire’s fangs had reached a point where ordinary super-tier fighters were no longer a threat, even with three saint-tier fighters added to the mix.
Casually stepping over the four bodies on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze turned to the Northern Overlord, Messiah. His face showed a hint of surprise, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a battle he craved.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The rapier transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers hiding deadly intent. The combat energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix’s fiery dance, or an elegant swan. But hidden within the shadows, the rapier’s blade was like a venomous snake, a bee’s stinger, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state by Messiah, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of combat energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong couldn’t gain any advantage against such a legacy.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem was the Flame Demon Agart. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as the balance shifted, he found himself gradually suppressed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agart first, but each time, Messiah’s bizarre sword strikes sent shivers down his spine, forcing him to dodge frantically and temporarily let Agart go.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the gritting, fiery-eyed Agart, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword thrust, every movement, was executed with elegance. She was like a lion confident of victory, toying with her prey, sapping his strength.
“Chief Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, a gentle smile on his face as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. Step by step, he walked toward the three engaged in fierce combat, ignoring the violent bursts of combat energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves near him were deflected by the storm-like swirling lightning combat energy surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Messiah said coldly, her rapier stabbing twice like a bee’s stinger—one thrust upward toward Gaolong’s chin and throat, the other, using the sword’s flexibility, rebounding sharply like a rattlesnake’s tail, slashing downward toward Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous swordsmanship forced Gaolong to roar in frustration as he dodged frantically, both angry and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so young and yet so powerful? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about combat energy? She’s not even twenty years old! And she’s already at the super-tier, the peak of the super-tier at that! Could it be that inherited swordsmanship also passes down combat energy through generations?”
Gaolong was baffled, wanting to escape but being relentlessly pursued by both Agart and Messiah. He could only hope that the Black Baron’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao stroked his chin at Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time talking to me, why don’t you go clean up that trash,” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong back.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But later, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, his voice trailing off as he turned and lunged toward Zhang Wen with a burst of astonishing electric light.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that wasn’t the case.
With the five fighters clustered together, only three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time, and because they were too close to each other, they couldn’t unleash overly powerful combat energy, instead focusing it in their fists to strike at Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to thrive in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously adhered to one of their comrades, manipulating his body like a puppet and turning him into Zhang Wen’s human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter’s body.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter stuck to his sword spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses, roaring in pain but unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, his blood boiling, roared and unleashed a torrent of combat energy, not caring if it hit his own comrade, slicing the unfortunate puppet into several pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a burst of deep blue lightning combat energy, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first ensnared the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier combat energy was something they couldn’t resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed all three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric combat energy.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning, and Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he brought with him now was faintly approaching that of the legendary King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
With a shrill roar of fear, Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously went berserk, unleashing all their combat energy in a torrential cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light, Galil’s inverted purple cross combat energy and Bakali’s full-powered super-tier psychic energy rainstorm blasted toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the Black Baron’s right-hand men, had unleashed their full power, only to miss their target!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle, a burst of white mist exploding behind him as electric sparks flashed. His speed momentarily surpassed even the speed of sound.
In the next moment, Galil and Bakali both felt a chill at their lower backs as Lei Miao’s cold voice echoed from behind them. “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was Galil and Bakali’s final thought.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies as Lei Miao’s combat energy, like a billion volts of electricity, surged into them.
This was no ordinary super-tier power; this was the realm of someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the “King”!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under Lei Miao’s combat energy assault, Galil and Bakali resisted for a few seconds, their super-tier combat energy gushing out like a floodgate opening, but under the absolute suppression of Lei Miao’s higher realm, it shattered into countless glowing particles, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky!
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the super-tier peak’s unique ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose everything with a single misstep when caught off guard.
As if he had just completed a trivial task, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of the super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy opponents for me.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gaolong, both of whom were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It was over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always brought death to others, but today, for the first time, he tasted the approach of death himself!
Seeing all his men fall, Gaolong knew this was the end. The only thing on his mind now was to escape as quickly as possible, perhaps there was still a chance to survive, otherwise, it was certain death!
His experience of escaping from the Empire’s relentless pursuit allowed him to make a split-second decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s body erupted with a second burst of crimson combat energy, forming a blindingly large blood-red vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had been holding back! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would hold back a fraction of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, fooling most enemies until the very end when Gaolong would turn the tables, escape, or even kill them while they were still in disbelief.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded as he let out a piercing shriek, and both his hands erupted with combat energy and psychic energy, forming two massive blood claws that simultaneously repelled Messiah and the Flame Demon Agart.
This was his last chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he didn’t hesitate to sprint at full speed down the mountain! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Baron’s final arrangements worked, perhaps he could even turn the tables on them!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the just-struggling-to-sit-up Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already been pushed dozens of meters away from the mountain path during the earlier battle and were in no position to block him!
The will to survive unleashed incredible potential in Gaolong’s body. His crimson combat energy surged like a rainbow as he charged forward, the ground beneath him cracking from the sheer force.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whoosh!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of combat energy erupted, forming a net that blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank. With a furious roar, he poured all his combat energy into his hands, tearing through the incoming combat energy, but the delay allowed Agart, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly blocked Gaolong slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard Squad Leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle emblem on their chests slowly emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sun!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As a key figure under the Black Baron, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Long before he joined the Black Baron, he had been repeatedly hunted and ambushed by the Eagle Guard. He knew how terrifying they were—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
This was an enormous, precision-engineered war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely cogs in this machine!
Even when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution in the past, just five Eagle Guards had been enough to leave him in a sorry state. Today, at least twenty Eagle Guards, two full squads, stood in his way!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also spelled Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale; this was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that behind Squad Leader Mura, the Eagle Guards were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the long sword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light. Following an ethereal and mysterious arc, the sword tip deftly lifted at three-quarters of the massive cross of light, using a deflection technique to barely shift the cross-shaped battle aura upward by a few inches. It almost grazed his body as he lay flat on the ground. The situation was perilous to the extreme, but it allowed him to narrowly escape disaster.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with a fierce light. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike! This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target to focus on Zhang Wen, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. Just then, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also lunged forward.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier fighters, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me,” Zhang Wen muttered with a bitter smile as Galil and another super-tier fighter, the Storm God Bakhali, along with the three saint-tier fighters, surrounded him. Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—Zhang Wen saw no way out of this deadly situation.
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade descended like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bone. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” and his instantaneous burst of speed even surpassed the speed of sound. Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head. “So weak… with such strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters sent to assassinate him had all fallen, something no one had anticipated. The strength of the Empire’s Venom Fang had reached a level where they could disregard ordinary super-tier fighters, even with three saint-tier fighters added to the mix.
Casually stepping over the four bodies on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze fell on the Northern Overlord, Messiah. His face showed a hint of surprise, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a desired battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, concealing deadly intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix’s fiery dance, and an elegant swan. Yet, hidden within the flower sword’s blade was a venomous snake, a bee’s stinger, a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in disarray under Messiah’s hands, reduced to mere dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong could not gain an advantage against such a legacy.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed he could escape, even if he couldn’t win. The problem was the Flame Demon Agat. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as a result, he was gradually overwhelmed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agat first, but each time, Messiah’s timely and bizarre sword strikes sent his heart racing, forcing him to dodge and temporarily spare Agat.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the furious, fire-eyed Agat, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword thrust was executed with grace and elegance. She was like a lion confident of victory, toying with her prey, draining his strength.
“Captain Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, and a gentle smile played on his lips, as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. He walked step by step toward the three engaged in fierce combat, seemingly unfazed by the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves near him were deflected by the storm-like swirling electric battle energy surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty,” Messiah said coldly, her flower sword stabbing twice like a bee’s stinger—one thrust upward toward Gaolong’s chin and throat, the other, using the sword’s flexibility, rebounded sharply, slashing downward toward Gaolong’s groin like a rattlesnake’s tail.
Even the killing machine had fearsome opponents, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Her venomous swordsmanship forced Gaolong to roar in panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so young and yet so powerful? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty, yet she’s already at the super-tier, and at the peak of it! Could it be that inherited swordsmanship also passes down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was baffled, but with Agat and Messiah relentlessly pursuing him, he could only hope that the Black Viscount’s final plan would work.
Lei Miao stroked his chin in response to Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have a certain degree of freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time with me, go clean up the trash,” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong, who was trying to escape, back into the fray.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But later, you must fight me,” Lei Miao said, and before his words faded, he turned and lunged toward Zhang Wen with astonishing electric energy.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five in total—had surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have been overwhelmed long ago, but that was not the case.
With five strong fighters gathered together, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, because they were too close to each other, they couldn’t unleash overly powerful battle auras and had to concentrate their battle energy in their fists to attack Zhang Wen. Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique was perfectly suited for such group combat, allowing him to profit from the chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s long sword had mysteriously adhered to one of their comrades’ bodies, manipulating him like a puppet and turning him into Zhang Wen’s human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter stuck to his sword spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses, roaring in pain but unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, blood rushing to his head, roared and unleashed a torrent of battle energy, not caring if it hit his own comrade. With a sweep of his hand, the battle energy at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into several pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a terrifying deep blue electric battle aura, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they could not resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, he killed the three saint-tier fighters.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning, and Galil and Bakhali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying; the aura he brought with him now faintly approached that of the legendary King!
That was the power of a god-tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
With a sharp, fear-filled roar, Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakhali, simultaneously erupted, unleashing all their battle energy in a dazzling cascade of starlight that flattened everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light explosion, Galil’s deep purple inverse cross battle aura and Bakhali’s super-tier psychic energy rain of light blasted toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao vanished!
The two super-tier fighters, the right-hand men of the Black Viscount, had unleashed their full power, but it had all missed!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into lightning, cutting through the air with a sharp whistle. A white mist exploded behind him, and electric sparks flashed as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
In the next moment, Galil and Bakhali both felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice from behind. “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was Galil and Bakhali’s final thought.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies, and Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high voltage, surged into their bodies.
This was not something an ordinary super-tier fighter could withstand. This was the power of someone half a step into the god-tier, infinitely close to the realm of the “King!”
“Zap! Crack!”
Under Lei Miao’s battle aura, Galil and Bakhali barely resisted for a few seconds before the super-tier battle energy within them surged out like a floodgate opening, only to be crushed one by one under Lei Miao’s higher-level suppression, turning into countless specks of light that danced like fireflies in a starry night.
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own strength was formidable, and he possessed the peak super-tier special ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose everything with a single misstep if caught off guard.
As if he had just done something trivial, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly. “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of super-tier or those who have touched the realm of the gods are worthy of being my opponents.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gaolong, both of whom were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It’s over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always brought death to others, but today, for the first time, he tasted the approach of death himself!
Seeing all the people he had brought fall, Gaolong knew that this mission was essentially over. The only thing he could think of now was to escape as quickly as possible; perhaps there was still a chance to survive. Otherwise, death was the only outcome!
His experience of repeatedly escaping the Empire’s pursuit allowed him to make a quick decision.
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s body erupted with a second burst of bloody battle energy, forming a dazzling crimson vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel murderous intent and a pungent, icy stench of blood filled the air.
Gaolong had been holding back! This was his trump card for survival. In every battle with a powerful enemy, he would hold back a fraction of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, as most enemies were deceived until Gaolong turned the tables, escaped, or even killed them, leaving them in disbelief even in their final moments.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded, and he let out a piercing shriek. At the same time, both his hands erupted with battle energy and psychic energy, forming two massive blood claws that simultaneously repelled Messiah and the Flame Demon Agat.
This was his last chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he wasted no time and sprinted down the mountain at full speed. As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Viscount’s final plan worked, it might even give them a surprise!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Xiuluo, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and the just-struggling-to-sit-up Marianne. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already deviated from the mountain path by dozens of meters due to the earlier battle and would absolutely not have time to block him!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible potential within Gaolong. His bloody battle energy surged like a rainbow, and his body shot forward, tearing up the ground with a terrifying momentum.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whistle!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s pupils. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of battle energy erupted like a net, blocking Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank to the bottom. With a furious roar, he channeled all his battle energy into his hands and tore through the incoming battle energy, but the delay allowed Agat, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly blocked Gaolong slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard squad leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle emblem on their chests gradually emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in full force under the sun!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under the Black Viscount, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Viscount, he had been hunted and ambushed by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew all too well the terror of the Eagle Guard—they were even more professional killing machines than he was.
This was an enormous, precision war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely components of this machine!
Even when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution in the past, it had only taken five Eagle Guards to leave him in disarray. Today, at least twenty Eagle Guards from two squads stood in his way!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also announced Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale; this was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that behind Mura, the Eagle Guards were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
Driven by the will to survive, Gaolong’s body erupted with incredible potential. His crimson battle energy blazed like a rainbow, his body surging forward, tearing up the ground with a terrifying display.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring, speeding locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Whooosh!”
A strange and sharp whistling sound rang out, a blinding point of brilliance rapidly enlarging in Gaolong’s pupils. From the entrance of the mountain path, a sudden burst of battle energy patterns erupted! Like a net, it blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Zhang Wen’s body fell straight backward, while the longsword in his hand erupted with a dazzling silver light, following a graceful and mysterious arc as it flicked upward. The tip of the sword cleverly caught the giant cross of light at three-quarters of its height, using a deflection technique to barely shift the cross-shaped battle aura upward by a few inches, narrowly grazing his body as it lay flat on the ground.
The situation was perilous to the extreme, but it allowed him to narrowly escape death.
“Huh!” Galil’s remaining eye flashed with ferocity. He had never seen anyone with such miraculous swordsmanship, capable of deflecting his certain-kill strike?!
This infuriated him, and he abandoned his original target, locking onto Zhang Wen instead, preparing a series of heavy blows to finish him off. Just then, the three others who had been dealing with Zhang Wen also pounced.
“One super-tier and three saint-tier opponents, the same treatment as Lei Miao. They really think highly of me.”
In the midst of Zhang Wen’s bitter self-mocking mutter, Galil and another super-tier powerhouse—the Storm God Bakali—along with the three saint-tier fighters, had already surrounded him.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier opponents—Zhang Wen was undoubtedly facing a hopeless situation!
…
“Crack!”
Lei Miao’s hand blade struck like lightning, the dazzling electric battle energy instantly shattering the enemy’s neck bones. His super-tier ability was “Lightning Speed,” allowing him to burst forth even faster than the speed of sound.
Watching the last opponent fall, Lei Miao shook his head: “So weak… with such strength, they dared to come here to die?” The super-tier and three saint-tier fighters who had been sent to assassinate him earlier had now permanently fallen, something no one had anticipated. The strength of the Empire’s fangs had reached a point where they could disregard ordinary super-tier fighters, even with three saint-tier fighters added to the mix.
Casually stepping over the four bodies on the ground, Lei Miao’s gaze fell on the Northern Overlord, Messiah. A slight surprise appeared on his face, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a long-awaited battle.
“Messiah, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
The flower sword transformed into countless eerie lights, like blooming flowers, concealing deadly killing intent. The battle energy erupted in a dazzling display, resembling a peacock, a phoenix dancing in flames, or an elegant swan. But the hidden blade of the flower sword was like a venomous snake, a bee’s stinger, or a scorpion’s tail, striking from unexpected angles and trajectories to deliver a fatal blow to Gaolong.
Even the killing machine Gaolong was left in a sorry state, reduced to dodging. In terms of battle energy, Messiah was not inferior to him, and in terms of martial arts, Messiah’s inherited swordsmanship was hailed as the Empire’s number one, passed down through generations and known as the Sword Sect. Gaolong could not gain any advantage against it.
Of course, if it were just Messiah alone, Gaolong believed that while he couldn’t win, he could still escape. The problem was the Flame Demon Agate. His relentless, life-risking attacks forced Gaolong to divert some of his focus, and as the situation shifted, he was gradually suppressed by Messiah’s sword techniques.
Gaolong tried several times to deal with Agate first, but each time, Messiah’s bizarre sword strikes left him panicked and forced to dodge, temporarily sparing Agate.
Compared to the sweat-drenched Gaolong and the furious, fire-eyed Agate, Messiah appeared quite relaxed. Every sword strike she made was executed with elegance and grace. She was like a confident and majestic lion, skillfully toying with her prey, draining its strength.
“Captain Messiah, your opponent should be me!” Lei Miao’s eyes burned with fervor, and a gentle smile appeared on his face, as if he were gazing at a beloved lover. Step by step, he walked toward the three engaged in fierce combat, completely disregarding the violent bursts of battle energy around him.
In reality, all the explosive shockwaves that approached were deflected by the storm-like swirling electric battle energy surrounding Lei Miao.
“Hmph, Lei Miao, you ignored my orders and intervened in the Southern Overlord’s final match. After this, think about how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty.” Messiah coldly glanced at him, her flower sword stabbing twice like a bee’s stinger—one thrust upward toward Gaolong’s chin and throat, and the other, using the sword’s flexibility, rebounded sharply, slashing downward like a rattlesnake’s tail toward Gaolong’s groin.
Even the killing machine had opponents he feared, and Messiah was undoubtedly his nemesis. Such venomous swordsmanship left Gaolong roaring in panic as he dodged, both furious and terrified of this woman.
“How can she be so strong at such a young age? I heard that inherited swordsmanship uses a special method to imprint the memories of the previous generation into the successor’s mind. But what about battle energy? She’s not even twenty yet, and she’s already at the super-tier, the pinnacle of the super-tier! Can inherited swordsmanship also pass down battle energy through generations?”
Gaolong was utterly perplexed, wanting to escape but being relentlessly pursued by both Agate and Messiah. He could only hope that the Black Viscount’s final arrangements would come into play.
Lei Miao rubbed his chin at Messiah’s accusation, a faint smile on his face. “Before joining the Eagle Guard, it was agreed that I would have some freedom…”
“Instead of wasting time talking to me, why don’t you go clean up that trash?” Messiah said calmly, her sword never stopping as she repeatedly forced Gaolong, who was trying to escape, back into the fight.
“No problem, cleaning up trash is easy. But afterward, you must fight me.” Before Lei Miao’s words even finished, his figure turned, and he lunged toward Zhang Wen with astonishing electric energy.
Two super-tier and three saint-tier fighters—five people surrounded Zhang Wen. In theory, Zhang Wen should have already been overwhelmed, but that was not the case.
With five powerful fighters gathered together, no more than three could attack Zhang Wen at any given time. Moreover, because they were too close to each other, it was inconvenient to unleash overly powerful battle energy, so they could only focus their energy on their fists to attack Zhang Wen. However, Zhang Wen’s Spring Water Sword Technique was perfectly suited for such group combat, thriving in chaos.
What infuriated Galil and the others even more was that at the very start of the battle, Zhang Wen’s sword had mysteriously attached itself to one of their comrades’ bodies, manipulating him like a puppet and using him as a human shield. Galil and the other super-tier fighter’s attacks were repeatedly blocked by Zhang Wen using the saint-tier fighter as a shield.
Zhang Wen’s sword traced out circular arcs, and the saint-tier fighter attached to it spun like a top, his body contorting into exaggerated poses as he roared in pain, unable to break free.
The others tried several times to bypass the human shield but failed each time. Galil, his blood boiling, roared and unleashed a furious burst of battle energy, not caring whether his ally was in the way. With a swipe of his hand, the battle energy at his fingertips tore the unfortunate puppet into several pieces.
Just as he was about to press forward and finish off Zhang Wen, Lei Miao arrived!
With a terrifying deep blue electric battle energy, Lei Miao shot forward like a comet trailing a long tail of electric light.
“Boom!!” Two dazzling white electric snakes first entangled the three saint-tier enemies. The peak super-tier battle energy was something they could not resist. Even more terrifying was Lei Miao’s super speed. In an instant, the three saint-tier fighters were killed.
In the blinding electric sparks, the three saint-tier fighters were burned to a crisp by the electric battle energy.
The air was filled with wisps of smoke and the pungent smell of burning flesh. Galil and Bakali’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Lei Miao was truly terrifying—the aura he exuded now was faintly approaching that of the legendary King!!
That was the power of the divine tier!
“Damn you, Lei Miao! Die!!”
A sharp, fear-filled roar erupted as Galil and the other super-tier fighter, Bakali, simultaneously went berserk. All their battle energy exploded in a dazzling cascade of starlight, flattening everything within a hundred meters. In the intense light, the Tyrant Galil’s inverted purple cross battle energy and the Storm God Bakali’s full-powered super-tier psychic energy rain poured toward Lei Miao.
Lei Miao disappeared!
The two super-tier fighters, the right-hand men of the Black Viscount, had unleashed their full power, but it had all been in vain!
Lei Miao’s figure transformed into a bolt of lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp screech. A white mist exploded behind him, and electric sparks flashed as his speed momentarily surpassed the speed of sound.
The next moment, Galil and Bakali felt a chill at their lower backs and heard Lei Miao’s cold voice from behind: “Are you ready?”
Ready for what?
That was Galil and Bakali’s final thought.
Die!
Boom!!!
Brilliant blue electric arcs wrapped around their bodies, and Lei Miao’s battle energy, like billions of volts of high-voltage electricity, surged into them.
This was not something an ordinary super-tier fighter could withstand. This was the power of someone half a step into the divine tier, infinitely close to the realm of the “King”!
“Zap! Crackle!”
Under the assault of Lei Miao’s battle energy, Galil and Bakali resisted for a few seconds, their super-tier battle energy pouring out like a floodgate had been opened. But under the absolute suppression of Lei Miao’s higher realm, it was all shattered, turning into countless specks of light that danced in the air, resembling a dazzling swarm of fireflies in the night sky!
“Zap!”
With a release of his hands, the two super-tier fighters collapsed.
Lei Miao’s own realm was strong enough, and he possessed the unique super-tier ability—super speed. Ordinary super-tier fighters, even someone like Galil, would lose everything with a single misstep if caught off guard.
As if he had just done something trivial, Lei Miao flexed his wrist and shook his head slightly: “Super-tier? Ordinary super-tier fighters are really weak. Only those at the peak of the super-tier or those who have touched the divine realm are worthy of being my opponents.” His gaze turned toward Messiah and Gaolong in the distance—both were opponents he looked forward to facing.
It’s over!
The killing machine Gaolong had always brought death to others, but today, for the first time, he tasted the approach of death himself!
Seeing all the people he had brought fall, Gaolong knew that this mission was essentially over. The only thing he could think of now was to escape as quickly as possible—perhaps there was still a chance to survive. Otherwise, death was certain!
His experience of repeatedly escaping from the Empire’s pursuits allowed him to make a quick decision!
Run!
“Roar!” With a deafening roar, Gaolong’s blood-red battle energy suddenly erupted for the second time, forming a dazzling, massive crimson vortex that expanded outward. At the same time, a cold, cruel killing intent and a pungent, icy bloodlust spread through the air.
Gaolong had always held back some strength! This was his life-saving trump card. Whenever he faced a powerful enemy, he would hold back a portion of his strength, only unleashing it when the situation turned dire to escape. This tactic had proven effective time and time again, as most enemies were deceived until the very end, when Gaolong would turn the tables, escape, or even kill them while they were still in disbelief.
After his roar, Gaolong’s chest expanded as he let out a piercing shriek. At the same time, both his hands erupted with battle energy and psychic energy, forming two massive blood-red claws that simultaneously repelled Messiah and the Flame Demon Agate.
This was his final chance!
With Gaolong’s keen sense of opportunity, he wasted no time and sprinted down the mountain at full speed! As long as he could evade Lei Miao, there was a chance to survive! If the Black Viscount’s final arrangements worked, he might even be able to surprise them all!
Gaolong’s mind raced. The mountain path ahead was clear except for the fallen Asura, Xiao Xi, Luo Fulei, and Marian, who had just struggled to sit up. None of them could stop him! As for Zhang Wen and Lei Miao, the two had already deviated from the mountain path by dozens of meters due to the earlier battle—they would never be able to intercept him in time!
The will to survive unleashed an incredible potential within Gaolong. His blood-red battle energy surged like a rainbow, and his rapid movement caused the ground to crack, creating a terrifying spectacle.
At this moment, his speed was like a roaring locomotive!
Just as Gaolong was about to escape, suddenly—
“Screech!”
A strange, sharp whistling sound rang out, and a blinding point of light rapidly expanded in Gaolong’s vision. From the entrance of the mountain path, a wave of battle energy erupted, forming a net that blocked Gaolong’s only escape route!
Despair!
Gaolong’s heart sank to the depths. With a furious roar, he poured his battle energy into his hands and tore through the incoming energy net, but the delay allowed Agate, Messiah, Zhang Wen, and Lei Miao to surround him.
From the front of the mountain path, the person who had suddenly attacked to block Gaolong slowly emerged.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard squad leader—Mura.
Gaolong was completely surrounded! Enemies were everywhere—front, back, left, and right! Even more terrifying was the group of black-uniformed soldiers with the Empire’s eagle insignia slowly emerging from behind Mura.
The Empire’s Eagle Guard! For the first time, the Empire’s Eagle Guard had appeared in the open, and they were all here!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under the Black Viscount, he was no stranger to the Empire’s Eagle Guard. Even before joining the Black Viscount, he had been hunted and ambushed by the Eagle Guard multiple times. He knew all too well how terrifying they were—they were killing machines even more professional than he was.
This was an enormous, incredibly precise war machine, and countless talents within the Empire were merely cogs in this machine!
Even when the Empire had ordered Gaolong’s execution in the past, it had only sent five people, and that had been enough to leave him in a sorry state. Now, at least twenty people—two full squads of Eagle Guard—stood before him!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention also announced Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale—this was what the end felt like.
His eye twitched, and suddenly he noticed that behind the Eagle Guard squad leader Mura, the Eagle Guards were holding two people—one fat and one thin.
The saint-tier fighters from the Infinite Arena—Gao Gan and Meng Nan!
Blocking his path from the front, the person who had suddenly intervened to stop Gaolong gradually emerged.
Deputy Captain of the Imperial Eagle Guard—Mula.
He was completely surrounded! Enemies on all sides! Even more terrifying, from behind Mula gradually emerged a group of black-clad, military-uniformed warriors bearing the Imperial Eagle insignia.
The Imperial Eagle Guard! For the first time appearing in daylight, the entire force of the Imperial Eagle Guard had gathered here!
Gaolong’s face turned ashen. As an important figure under Lord Heizi, he was naturally familiar with the Imperial Eagle Guard. Before defecting to Lord Heizi, he had been hunted and ambushed by the Eagle Guard more than once. He deeply understood the terrifying nature of the Imperial Eagle Guard—they were even more professional killing machines.
This was an enormous and incredibly precise war machine, with countless talents in the Empire merely serving as components within this machine!
Even back when the Empire had ordered his elimination with just five people, Gaolong had been in a sorry state. Now, standing before him were at least twenty people—two full squads of Eagle Guards!
The Empire’s unprecedented level of attention signaled Gaolong’s death sentence!
Gaolong’s face was pale, the feeling of the end of the world upon him.
His eyes twitched slightly, and suddenly he noticed behind Deputy Captain Mula, the Eagle Guards holding two figures—one fat and one thin.
The Infinite Arena Saint-tier fighters, Gaogan and the muscle-bound brute!
Gao Long’s face contorted hideously, his eyes tightly shut. Yet his trembling hands betrayed his inner turmoil.
Complete failure!
The final arrangement, the last hope of Viscount Hei Zi was to bribe people inside the Infinite Arena, but it turned out they had all been discovered by the Empire’s Hawks!
“Fine, Imperial Hawks… I, Gao Long, have been battling against you my entire life. I never thought I’d lose here today!” Gao Long said slowly, his eyes, filled with bloodshot rage, sweeping across the figures surrounding him—Mirsaya, the Northern Territories’ Overlord, Agate the Flame Demon, Lei Miu the Empire’s Dagger, Zhang Wen, and Murra ahead.
“But do you really think you can capture me?” The two hideous scars on his face twitched as a deranged smile spread across his lips, revealing his gleaming white teeth.
Everyone’s attention was fixed on this killing machine, and no one noticed how Lofray’s eyes flickered slightly among the injured figures of Asura and Marien, who were half-sitting on the ground by the roadside. Then, suddenly, she sprang into action like a ghost.
Seven golden cards shot out from her left hand, whistling sharply as they flew toward Zhang Wen, Lei Miu, and others. At the same time, with a flick of her right hand, another sixteen golden cards, radiating dazzling battle aura and shrieking, whirled toward the Hawks on the mountain path.
No one had expected an enemy among their own ranks, and everyone was caught completely off guard, scrambling in confusion.
At the same moment, Gao Long roared with laughter and unleashed his battle aura, charging straight toward Zhang Wen, the weakest among the encircling group.
No one could have guessed that Black Viscount had long planted a mole near Zhang Wen. Originally meant for assassination, it now seemed divinely inspired—the key to turning the tide of this desperate situation.
Since the “mole” is helping me break through, then Zhang Wen, your life is mine to claim!
“Boom!!” A thick, blood-like battle aura and mental energy erupted simultaneously. Gao Long, a dual cultivator of body and mind, was truly giving it his all, and even a realm overlord would feel apprehensive. Mirsaya, the Northern Overlord, had just knocked away two of the ambush cards when she could only hastily retreat to regroup.
Agate the Flame Demon, who had been watching Gao Long the entire time, reacted surprisingly quickly. With both hands burning with raging flame energy, he charged forward to meet the surging crimson battle aura.
“Boom!!” Gao Long’s full-force strike sent Agate sliding backward uncontrollably. The rebounding flame energy scattered like sparks, tearing countless small wounds across Agate’s body, a horrifying sight. However, the most severe injury came from the ambush card. He hadn’t even looked at it, letting it pierce his back, exploding into a bloody mess.
Among everyone, only Lei Miu remained calm. He elegantly swung his slender right hand in front of him, and blue battle aura surged like a swirling nebula, instantly shattering two cards. At the same time, it clashed and canceled out Gao Long’s blood-red battle energy, emitting a “zzzt” sound. The point of collision erupted with terrifying light capable of blinding anyone’s eyes!
Murra, whose strength was somewhat inferior to Lei Miu and Mirsaya, also hastily deployed his battle aura to deflect the ambush cards while retreating to avoid Gao Long’s desperate strike. He knew that many members of the Hawks had been killed by Gao Long’s counterattacks even in seemingly advantageous situations.
If even these people couldn’t stop Gao Long’s desperate counterattack, how could Zhang Wen, the weakest among them, stand a chance?!
Zhang Wen’s battle aura was the weakest of all present, not even matching Murra’s strength.
Moreover, Gao Long had nearly succeeded in assassinating Zhang Wen last time. Naturally, he would target the weakest point, choosing the “weakest” as his breakthrough.
Gao Long was confident that at such close range, with the initiative in his hands, his berserk strike could potentially kill Zhang Wen instantly, certainly not allowing him to block his escape route!
“All of you, die!!”
With a mad and arrogant growl, Gao Long’s body, radiating a dazzling crimson light, charged straight toward Zhang Wen like a galloping horse!
Anyone or anything in his path would be torn to shreds!
Just like back on that ill-fated asteroid. Back then, the planetary defense force had organized a hundred-man team attempting to stop him, but Gao Long had charged through them in one strike. The entire hundred-man planetary defense team was instantly annihilated, severed limbs and blood mist spraying into the air, causing even the Imperial soldiers sent for the site investigation afterward to vomit at the sight.
“Zhang Wen! I’ll take your life!”
Gao Long’s face twisted horrifically as he tightly shut his eyes. However, his trembling hands betrayed his inner turmoil.
Complete failure!
The final arrangement and last resort of Lord Black Baron was to bribe someone within the Infinite Arena. Who would have thought that the Eagle Guards would discover it all!
“Fine, Imperial Eagle Guards… I, Gao Long, have been competing with you all my life, but I never expected to lose here today!” Gao Long spoke slowly, his bloodshot eyes filled with violent killing intent sweeping across the surroundings. He glanced at the Northern Realm Overlord Messiah, the Flame Demon Agath, the Imperial Venom Fang Remiu, Zhang Wen, and Mura in front of him.
“But do you really think you can catch me?” The two hideous scars on his face twitched as a manic smile spread across his lips, revealing his stark white teeth.
Everyone’s attention was focused on this killing machine. No one noticed that among the injured Shura and Marianne, who were half-sitting on the ground by the mountain path, Luo Fulei’s eyes flickered, and her figure leapt up like a ghost.
Seven golden cards were flung from her left hand, whistling sharply as they shot toward Zhang Wen, Remiu, and others. Simultaneously, her right hand flicked, sending another sixteen golden cards spinning toward the Eagle Guards on the mountain path, dazzling with combat energy and piercing screams.
No one expected an enemy among their own ranks. Caught off guard, chaos ensued.
At the same moment, Gao Long burst into maniacal laughter, unleashing his combat energy as he charged toward Zhang Wen, the weakest in the encirclement.
Who could have guessed that Lord Black Baron had long planted a pawn beside Zhang Wen, originally intended for assassination? Now, it seemed like a stroke of genius—the key to breaking the deadlock.
Since the “pawn” has helped me turn the tide, Zhang Wen, your life is mine to take!
“Boom!!” Blood-like, viscous combat energy and psychic power erupted simultaneously. Gao Long, a master of both physical and psychic combat, was truly going all out, enough to make even a realm overlord wary. The Northern Realm Overlord Messiah, having just deflected two sneak-attack cards, had no choice but to temporarily retreat and gather her strength.
The Flame Demon Agath, who had kept his full attention on Gao Long, reacted swiftly. His hands burned with blazing flame energy as he met the surging crimson combat energy head-on.
“Boom!!” Gao Long’s desperate, full-force strike sent Agath sliding uncontrollably backward. The rebounding flame energy scattered like sparks, tearing countless small wounds across Agath’s body, a gruesome sight. Yet, the worst injury came from the card that had sneaked up on him. He hadn’t even glanced at it, allowing it to pierce his back and explode into a bloody mess.
Among everyone, Remiu was the most composed. He raised his elegant, slender right hand and waved it before him. Blue combat energy swirled like a nebula, instantly shattering two cards. At the same time, it clashed with Gao Long’s crimson energy, producing a sizzling sound. The point where the two energies met erupted with a blinding light that could sear one’s eyes!
Mura, whose strength fell short of Remiu and Messiah, also opened his combat energy to deflect the sneak-attack cards while hastily retreating to avoid Gao Long’s desperate strike. He knew that many Eagle Guards in the past had been killed by Gao Long’s counterattacks, even in favorable situations.
If these people couldn’t withstand Gao Long’s desperate counterattack, how could Zhang Wen, who was at the forefront?!
Zhang Wen’s combat energy was the weakest among everyone, even inferior to Mura’s.
Moreover, Gao Long’s last assassination attempt had nearly succeeded in eliminating Zhang Wen. Naturally, he chose the “weakest” as his breakthrough point.
Gao Long believed that at such close range, with the initiative in his hands, his berserk strike could potentially kill Zhang Wen instantly, leaving no chance for him to block his escape!
“Die, all of you!”
In Gao Long’s mad and arrogant roar, his body, wrapped in a dazzling crimson light, charged straight toward Zhang Wen like a galloping warhorse!
Anyone or anything in his path would be torn to shreds!
Just like on that unfortunate asteroid years ago. The planetary defense force had organized a hundred-man team in an attempt to stop him, only to be obliterated by Gao Long’s charge. The entire hundred-man team was annihilated in an instant, severed limbs and blood mist spraying into the air, leaving the Imperial soldiers who later surveyed the scene vomiting on the spot.
“Zhang Wen! Your life is mine to take!”
Amidst Gao Long’s sinister laughter, he clasped his hands together, and the crimson combat energy lunged like a venomous snake toward Zhang Wen’s heart.
…
“Whoosh!!” The spinning golden cards, blazing with scorching golden combat energy, sliced toward the dense crowd of Eagle Guards. At the same time, “Luo Fulei” took advantage of the momentary chaos, rushing at lightning speed to the side of the Eagle Guards guarding Gao Gan and Meng Nan. Her body twisted eerily as two golden cards slipped between her fingers, smoothly gliding across the necks of the guards.
“Hiss!” The sound of carotid artery blood spraying was like the whistle of wind. Until the moment they fell, the two Eagle Guards couldn’t believe it. Their skills weren’t necessarily inferior to the enemy’s, but the enemy was too cunning, striking from angles and timing they could never have anticipated. Blocked by the two prisoners, by the time they realized what was happening, it was too late.
Life and death hung in the balance.
“Let’s go!”
“Luo Fulei” slapped Gao Gan and Meng Nan’s wrists, trying to break the psychic locks suppressing their abilities. But to her surprise, the locks were unexpectedly resilient, and her combat energy proved futile.
At the same moment, the sixteen cards aimed at the Eagle Guards were also blocked. Seven Eagle Guards stepped forward, their eyes burning with a spirit—known as “self-sacrifice”!
Choosing to stand and block the deadly attack meant facing death. But these Eagle Guards didn’t hesitate for a moment, rushing out first, each unleashing their combat energy to form a shield, buying time for their comrades at the cost of their own lives.
“Whoosh!! Whoosh!!”
Sixteen golden arcs sliced through the combat energy shield, piercing their bodies. As the seven Eagle Guards fell, the remaining dozen silently charged forward.
No one spared a glance for their fallen comrades. Every Eagle Guard had long been prepared for this outcome. Death wasn’t frightening; dying with honor, taking the enemy with them—that was the Eagle Guards’ destiny.
“Is this the Eagle Guards? Ruthless, even to themselves!”
“Luo Fulei” felt a chill rise in her heart. She no longer had time to break the restraints on Gao Gan and Meng Nan. Grabbing their shoulders, she dragged them away, trying to escape like lightning.
But she had barely taken them twenty meters before she stopped.
Ahead stood Gero. Saint-tier Gero, disciple of Thunder God Omega. Earlier, everyone had overlooked Thunder God Omega and Gero, as it was no secret that Thunder God Omega had been severely injured and lost his combat energy.
What gave Gero the audacity to wade into this mess?
Who lent him the courage?
The chill in her heart grew stronger. A sense of impending crisis flashed through her, and she turned sharply.
Unbeknownst to her, Thunder God Omega had appeared behind her, his purple pupils faintly flickering with electricity.
“Thunder God?! Weren’t you already…”
The rest of her words were cut off as Omega raised his hand and gripped her throat.
…
“Shoo!!” The spinning golden cards, radiating scorching and blinding golden battle aura, sliced through the densely packed Hawks. At the same time, “Lofray” seized the momentary chaos, rushing swiftly to the side of the Hawks guarding Gao Gan and Mighty Man. Her body twisted strangely, and two golden cards were deftly pinched between her fingers, smoothly gliding across the guards’ necks.
“Shhh!” The sound of blood spurting from the carotid arteries was like the wind blowing. Until they hit the ground, the two Hawks still couldn’t believe it. Their martial skills weren’t necessarily worse than the enemy’s, but the enemy was too cunning. The timing and angle of the attack were unexpected blind spots. Blocked from view by the two prisoners, by the time they realized what was happening, it was already too late.
The moment between life and death was fleeting.
“Quickly, escape!”
“Lofray” slapped her hands on Gao Gan and Mighty Man’s wrists, intending to shatter the mental energy lock that suppressed their abilities. However, one strike revealed it to be unexpectedly resilient, her emitted battle energy proving ineffective.
At the same time, the sixteen cards aimed at the Hawks were intercepted by seven of them. In their eyes burned a kind of spirit—called “self-sacrifice”!
Choosing to step forward and block the fatal attack meant facing death head-on. But these Hawks didn’t hesitate for a moment, rushing out at the first opportunity, each deploying their battle aura to form a luminous barrier, sacrificing themselves to buy time for their comrades.
“Shoo! Shoo-shoo!!”
Sixteen golden arcs sliced through the battle aura barrier, piercing their bodies. As the seven Hawks fell, the remaining dozen or so silently charged forward.
No one spared a second glance at their fallen comrades. Every warrior who joined the Hawks was well aware of this outcome beforehand. Death was not terrifying; dying with honor, taking the enemy with you—that was the destiny of the Hawks.
“This is the Hawk? Cold-blooded and merciless, even to themselves?!”
“Lofray” felt a chill rise in her heart. With no time to remove the restrictions on Gao Gan and Mighty Man, she grabbed their shoulders and dragged them away with lightning speed, dodging the Hawks trying to stop her.
But she had barely fled twenty meters with the two when she came to a sudden stop.
Standing ahead was Ge Luo, a Saint-tier disciple of Thunder God Omega. Previously, everyone had overlooked Thunder God Omega and Ge Luo because Omega’s serious injuries and loss of battle energy were no longer secrets to those present.
What gave Ge Luo the audacity to get involved in this mess?
Who gave him the guts?
The chill in her heart grew stronger. A sense of impending crisis flashed through her mind, and she abruptly turned around.
At some point, Thunder God Omega had already appeared behind her, his purple pupils faintly crackling with lightning.
“Thunder God?! But you’re supposed to have already…”
She never got to finish the sentence, as Omega raised his hand and gripped her throat.
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