Chapter 220: Chapter 220: Reinforcements Arrive
CRACKLE!
Sparks of electricity surged. Under the immense impact, the Profound Power shield behind Sha Jiu was covered in cracks. A bolt of the Power of thunder and lightning coursed into his body, paralyzing him completely. He opened his mouth and spat out a spray of blood.
SQUEAK SQUEAK!
The lightning receded and transformed into the Little Purple Mink. It bared its teeth at Sha Jiu, as if mocking him for his incompetence.
Sha Jiu was fuming. Before he could even act, an intense sense of crisis flooded his mind. At the same time, his leader Zhang Kui’s alarmed and angry warning reached his ears, "Watch out for hidden weapons!"
But the warning came a little too late. PFFT! PFFT! PFFT! Three streams of light shot out from an unknown location. From strange and cunning angles, they sank into Sha Jiu’s body. One of them pierced straight through his head.
"Ah! Die!"
The leader of the men in black, Zhang Kui, hadn’t expected Sha Jiu to die at Ye Xuan’s hands even with him intervening. Enraged, he threw a punch straight at Ye Xuan’s head.
Facing Zhang Kui’s terrifying blow, Ye Xuan didn’t dodge or evade. He abruptly raised his right hand, which traced out a hint of a profound aura. Profound Qi surged from his palm, strangely forming into a series of glowing Profound Runes that met Zhang Kui’s palm with a bang.
BOOM!
Like a thunderclap, an incredibly powerful shockwave erupted between their palms. The ground beneath Ye Xuan’s feet shattered instantly. The Profound Runes on his palm popped like soap bubbles. Under the powerful impact of the Profound Power, his robes exploded into fragments, and he was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Under everyone’s horrified gaze, Ye Xuan’s feet carved two long trenches in the ground as he was dragged back dozens of meters before he finally managed to stabilize himself. He was a complete mess; his clothes were almost entirely shredded, revealing the silvery inner armor he wore underneath in some places.
This inner armor was the Tier Four silver-thread inner armor His Majesty had just bestowed upon him not long ago. Now, it was covered in cracks, completely ruined.
"Even a Tier Five Martial Sect practitioner can make me cough up blood. Looks like this body really is no good." Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Ye Xuan shook his head speechlessly, a look of annoyance on his face, as if being injured by a Tier Five Martial Sect practitioner was something utterly intolerable to him.
Everyone present was completely dumbfounded.
Their eyes were wide, and their mouths were agape as if they could fit an apple inside.
"You... you’re not dead? That’s impossible..." The most shocked of all was the leader of the men in black, Zhang Kui. He stared at his own palm, seemingly unable to believe what was right in front of him.
A mere Tier Three Earth Martial Artist had survived a full-force blow from him, a Tier Five Martial Sect practitioner. If it hadn’t happened right before his very eyes, he would have dismissed it as an impossible fairy tale.
Ye Xuan’s gaze turned cold. "It seems you’re still not satisfied. Hmph. If I were actually killed by you, *that* would be truly impossible. To tell you the truth, back in the day, I could have crushed hundreds or even thousands of ants like you with a single finger."
"Brat, don’t think you’re so great just because you blocked one of my attacks! You only managed it because of that defensive Profound Soldier you’re wearing. Let’s see you take another punch if you dare!"
Ye Xuan’s words sent the leader of the men in black into a rage. Forgetting his shock, he lunged toward Ye Xuan once more.
"Stop! Who dares cause trouble in my Royal City? You’re courting death!"
A furious roar suddenly echoed between heaven and earth. Following it was a dream-like, lightning-fast figure, streaking from the direction of the royal palace at extreme speed. Before the figure even arrived, a terrifying aura had already swept over, suppressing everything.
"It’s King Chu."
"Lord Chu Yunfei has arrived."
"We’re saved!"
Sima Xuanyu and the others revealed looks of pleasant surprise.
"Not good! He’s an Ao Tian Martial Sect practitioner!"
The expression of Zhang Kui, the leader of the men in black, changed drastically. A savage glint flashed in his eyes as his cold gaze locked onto Ye Xuan not far away.
’Damn it. With Chu Yunfei here, this mission is a failure. Even if we can’t kill the Eighth Prince, Zhao Wei, this Ye Xuan must die.’
As he snarled internally, a vicious glint flashed in Zhang Kui’s eyes. Streaks of black light continuously condensed around his body. Above his head, the ethereal, ghost-faced Martial Soul actually revealed a wicked, smiling face, striking terror into the hearts of all who saw it.
"Shadow Ghost Demonic Art—One Smile Destroys the Ten Directions!"
The unique power of his Martial Soul gathered in the right hand of the leader of the men in black. On the surface of his fist, a brilliant light shone, condensing into a smiling, ghost-like face—savage and bizarre—as it shot toward Ye Xuan.
Before the blow even arrived, the sound of ghosts wailing and gods howling echoed in Ye Xuan’s mind. The black, ghost-like face before him wore a terrifying smile that made him feel nauseous.
’It’s a Profound Power attack combined with a Martial Soul attack... a soul path Secret Technique!’
Ye Xuan was shocked. He knew he absolutely could not take this punch. With a thought, a fist-sized iron-like stone suddenly appeared in front of him.
It was the Zhenyuan Stone.
He had only refined a small portion of the Restrictions within this Zhenyuan Stone and couldn’t yet control it to attack. However, simply moving it was no problem.
’What the hell is this thing?’
The leader of the men in black, Zhang Kui, sneered coldly. Without adjusting his attack, he slammed his fist directly into the Zhenyuan Stone.
CRACK!
In that instant, he felt as if he had punched a mountain. A sharp pain shot through his knuckles. Amidst the cracking sound of breaking bones, several of his finger bones fractured. In contrast, the fist-sized black stone hadn’t moved an inch. Shock and rage, mixed with fear, instantly filled his heart. He didn’t dare to linger any longer and turned to flee.
"Retreat!"
With a sharp roar, he transformed into a black streak of light and instantly retreated.
Ye Xuan retrieved the Zhenyuan Stone, his eyes sharp. With a wave of his hand, three streams of light shot out in pursuit. ’Thinking of leaving just like that? You’ll have to leave something behind.’
The leader of the men in black was shocked and furious. He slapped away Ye Xuan’s incoming Xuan-Annihilating Flying Daggers. But this brief delay was all the time Chu Yunfei needed to arrive.
"Flowing Water Sword Intent—Heroes of Ages Past!"
The Flowing Water Sword at Chu Yunfei’s waist shot into the sky. He slashed out once. Like a great river flowing east, a brilliant sword rainbow streaked across the sky, carrying an aura of flowing water and heroic sorrow as it chased its target.
"AH!" The sword light flickered and died. The leader of the men in black let out a wretched scream, scattering a spray of blood. His body flickered twice between the rooftops and then disappeared from sight.
Chu Yunfei didn’t immediately give chase. Instead, he struck out repeatedly, sending several sword slashes toward the remaining black-clothed assassins.
These men were only Tier Four Celestial Martial Artists. How could they possibly withstand Chu Yunfei’s attack? With a flash of sword light, their hands and feet were all severed at the root. They collapsed to the ground, howling in agony.
SWISH!
Chu Yunfei’s body moved like flowing water as he gave chase in the direction where Zhang Kui, the leader of the men in black, had disappeared.
The thundering of hooves echoed. Before long, a large contingent of the City Guard arrived, along with a succession of other powerful experts.
"This subordinate, Fan Hao, greets Your Highness, the Eighth Prince, and Master Ye Xuan."
Ever since the last incident, Commander Xuu of the City Guard’s public security office had been beheaded, and Fan Hao had been appointed as the new commander. Upon receiving the news, he had rushed over immediately. He looked at the two of them nervously, and only breathed a sigh of relief after seeing they were not seriously harmed.
"Brother Ye, are you okay? Thank you. If it weren’t for you this time, I’m afraid I would have been in grave danger." Zhao Wei looked as if he still had lingering fear. He performed several Hand Skills that flew into the Array Disc before him. Immediately, streams of light began to flow, and the Array underfoot gradually vanished. The ancient Array Disc also returned to a state of calm.
He picked up the Array Disc and saw its dim luster. A flash of heartache crossed his eyes, but at the same time, he was filled with relief.
The Five Elements Earth Formation’s energy had been depleted to less than a fifth of its capacity under the enemy’s repeated attacks. If Ye Xuan hadn’t later drawn the attention of the assassins’ leader, he would probably be dead right now.
"At this rate, it seems I owe you two lives, Brother Ye."
Zhao Wei was filled with emotion. He looked at Ye Xuan in awe. The strength Ye Xuan had displayed this time had left him breathless, and his heart was still racing.
He recalled how, just one year ago, Ye Xuan had been a new student who had just joined the academy. Now, he had broken through to the Earth Martial Artist realm and was even strong enough to survive an encounter with a Tier Five Martial Sect practitioner. Looking back at himself, Zhao Wei couldn’t help but feel a profound sense of defeat.
SWOOSH!
Just then, with a flash of light, Chu Yunfei appeared before them.
"The assassins from the Shadow Killing Sect have an uncanny ability to conceal their aura. I was only delayed for a few breaths, and he still managed to escape. How infuriating." Chu Yunfei gritted his teeth, his expression grim. Then he asked with concern, "Master Ye Xuan, Your Highness, are you two alright?"
"We’re fine, but the Imperial Guard members who were protecting me..." Zhao Wei shook his head. "This time, we really have Brother Ye to thank. If it weren’t for him, I’m afraid none of us would have survived."
"His Highness the Eighth Prince is right." Sima Xuanyu, covered in blood, and the captain of the Imperial Guard also walked up and briefly recounted what had happened.
After hearing their account, everyone stared at Ye Xuan in shock, their faces filled with disbelief.
Only Chu Yunfei had a faint smile, as if he already knew.
"By the way, what about the remaining assassins?" Chu Yunfei asked.
"Reporting to King Chu, they are all dead."
Everyone turned to look. The few men in black whose limbs Chu Yunfei had severed, intentionally leaving them alive for questioning, now showed no signs of life. Black blood, reeking horribly, trickled from their mouths.
Chu Yunfei shook his head, clearly unsurprised by this outcome. "These assassins from the Shadow Killing Sect have many ways to commit suicide. Even if you capture them alive, they can kill themselves without anyone noticing. It’s impossible to get any useful information out of them."
"However, for them to dare assassinate a Prince and a Master of our Liuyun Kingdom in broad daylight is utterly lawless! Fan Hao, dispatch all City Guard units at once and lock down the Royal City. We absolutely cannot let the perpetrator escape so easily."
"Everyone else, secure the scene for me! Don’t miss a single piece of information."
Under Chu Yunfei’s command, the scene was immediately locked down, and everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
After arranging everything, a look of gloom appeared on his face. "The Shadow Killing Sect runs rampant in my kingdom, yet I, the commander of the Imperial Guard, am unable to root them out. I am truly incompetent."
