"Alien Race? How did they get here?" Night Guard Leader Cui Jing's expression shifted. He hadn't anticipated an invasion by the Subterranean Alien Race here.
"Trash! They're all trash! Quick, attack the Alien Race members!"
Witnessing this, Cui Jing had no choice but to immediately mobilize the Night Guard's forces to resist.
The overall quality of the deathsworn in the Great Zhao Night Guard was still apparent. At a minimum, each was a Martial King, and he, Cui Jing, was a Martial Sovereignโbut that was his limit. Because they were brainwashed and transformed into deathsworn, all Great Zhao Night Guards were unable to advance further. From the moment they were transformed into deathsworn, their strength was fixed for life. Furthermore, there was an upper limit: they could only convert individuals up to the Martial Sovereign Realm, not Martial Gods.
As for why not all martial artists were converted, it was, of course, to maintain an ecological balance. If all martial artists had their Realms restricted, who would fight the Subterranean Alien Race? What would happen if the Subterranean Alien Race then rampaged across the surface and offended the nobles?
Thus, Cui Jing was the highest-ranking member of the Night Guard. However, Martial Gods were not converted because the methods of the nobles and the Night Guard were ineffective against them. Otherwise, why would the highest rank among them be merely a Martial Sovereign? They would undoubtedly use Martial Gods if they could.
"The Night Guard, the most mysterious organization of the Human Race of Da Zhao." A grating voice, as if someone were speaking with a squeezed throat, cut through the air.
The newcomer was an Alien Race member, one powerful enough to rival a Martial God.
"It's you, Wind Thunder King." As the Night Guard Leader, Cui Jing didn't typically handle matters related to the Subterranean Alien Race. However, before being brainwashed into a deathsworn, he had been a martial artist who had cultivated to the Martial Sovereign Realm. Thus, he naturally possessed some understanding of the Alien Race.
There were twelve kings within the Alien Race, equivalent to twelve powerhouses comparable to Martial Gods. Cui Jing hadn't expected to encounter one here. No, rather, he was stunned that one of the twelve Alien Kings had actually managed to reach the surface. This was highly suspicious. Considering the thirty-six Human Martial Gods were tasked with suppressing the Subterranean depths, how could they possibly allow an Alien King to escape to the surface?
This left him both shocked and furious, so his first instinct was to... call for backup. What else could he do? He couldn't defeat this opponent.
"This place is a forbidden zone for my Human Clan. Aren't you afraid you won't be able to leave once you've entered?" Cui Jing asked calmly.
The Human Clan's top martial forces outnumbered theirs by two-thirds. If just two Martial Gods arrived in time, the Wind Thunder King was unquestionably doomed.
The Wind Thunder King, however, merely chuckled. A vortex of wind and thunder swirled around him, and in an instant, he was beside Cui Jing. He reached out, grabbed Cui Jing's neck, and whispered, "What do you think?"
CRACK.
Before Cui Jing could answer, the King twisted his neck.
Of course, Cui Jing didn't die. He was a Martial Sovereign, after all; he wouldn't perish so easily. Moreover, as the Night Guard Leader, Cui Jing undoubtedly knew many secrets of the Human Clan. If the Wind Thunder King took him back to the Subterranean alive and interrogated him thoroughly, he would undoubtedly obtain a wealth of intelligence. Therefore, the Wind Thunder King merely knocked him unconscious for the time being.
"Infighting, heh." A cruel smile spread across the Wind Thunder King's face as he watched hordes of Subterranean Alien Race members flood into the Black Prison, slaughtering indiscriminately. Even the Night Guard was forced into a continuous retreat. He had never fought such a smooth battle.
However, he knew this success wasn't his own doing. Some hidden entity was secretly guiding him, allowing him to so 'coincidentally' breach the Night Guard Black Prison and capture its leader. Otherwise, with a Martial God constantly monitoring him, the slightest unusual movement would have triggered defensive measures. How could he have marched straight in?
The 'infighting' he referred to wasn't about the hundreds of thousands of martial artists imprisoned in the Black Prison; it was about how he had effortlessly accomplished something previously deemed impossible. The Alien Race members under his command had slaughtered numerous Martial Kings and Martial Emperors, most of whom were Night Guard. In contrast, he hadn't touched the martial artists imprisoned within the Black Prison. He was intelligent; he knew that if these martial artists escaped the Black Prison, they would create a significant Impact on the entire Human Clan's martial artist community. If his Luck held, he might even witness a schism among them.
If the Night Guard was eliminated or suffered heavy losses, they would lack the strength to recapture all these martial artists. Causing a division was the main point. And there was no need to worry about these Human Clan martial artists becoming useless. These martial artists still had families, friends, and even ways to make their voices heard. If they united, they would become a force impossible to ignore.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through the Wind Thunder King's mind: They arrived so quickly?
His actions had been extremely covert. However, the Human Martial Gods were no slouches. The moment they sensed him leaving the Subterranean, they immediately picked up his trail.
"My lads, it's time to leave!" Wind Thunder King called out.
Following the Wind Thunder King's command, all the Alien Race members retreated like a receding tide. Compared to Human Clan martial artists, the hierarchy within the Alien Race was far stricter; subordinates wouldn't dare defy their superiors.
"Thinking of leaving? Did you ask for my permission?!!" A furious voice roared.
"Ahahaha! No need to see me off! I'll be sure to pay another visit next time!" The Wind Thunder King, manipulating gale-force winds and lightning, forcefully blocked the Martial God's wrathful strike.
This Martial God knew he had failed in his duty and would surely face repercussions. However, as a Martial God, the punishment wouldn't be overly severe. Seeing the Alien Race members hauling away numerous Night Guard corpses into the Subterranean depths, the Martial God's face alternated between ashen pale and livid purple. The Wind Thunder King was indeed one of the twelve Alien Kings. In their exchange just now, the Martial God found himself at a disadvantage. If a true fight broke out, he knew he couldn't hold the Wind Thunder King; instead, he himself would be tied down by the Alien King.
"Damn it, leave him here!"
If he didn't act, the Wind Thunder King would escape. And this Human Martial God was stunned when he saw the Wind Thunder King was also taking Night Guard Leader Cui Jing. The sight made his scalp prickle. This was clearly a deliberate provocation by the Alien King. If the enemy had kept Cui Jing hidden, he might not have noticed. He naturally understood the dire consequences of Cui Jing falling into Alien Race hands, so he attacked without hesitation, hoping to retrieve him.
However, the Wind Thunder King's brazen provocation indicated he had full confidence in his escape. Before the Human Martial God could make a move, the Wind Thunder King had already taken a step into the Subterranean passage. He even taunted, "Many thanks for your assistance. Without it, I couldn't have eliminated this grave threat, the Night Guard. When I visit next time, I shall repay you generously."
With that, the Wind Thunder King vanished into the Subterranean, leaving the Human Martial God grasping at empty air.
"Damn it!" This Human Martial God was incandescent with rage; his usual composure and shrewdness completely abandoned him. The insult was no less than if the Wind Thunder King had defecated on his head and then asked him for paper.
There must be an inside collaborator! the Human Martial God fumed. Otherwise, how could the Wind Thunder King have penetrated so easily into our heartland? He glanced at the martial artists escaping from the Black Prison, his anger intensifying.
These Human Martial Gods were, of course, aware of the Night Guard's activities. However, they all turned a blind eye and avoided discussing the matter. Hundreds of thousands of martial artists was indeed a considerable number, but the Night Guard had done its job well. Few leaks had occurred, so the Impact on the Human Clan's internal affairs had been minimal. Besides, with the nobles' backing, the Martial Gods hadn't cared much. He also understood the Wind Thunder King's intentions, but he, after all, wasn't one of the brainwashed Night Guard deathsworn and couldn't bring himself to slaughter everyone, even though he knew this would cause a major disturbance.
"Quick, run! There's a Martial God nearby!"
No one knew who had shouted, but it threw the already chaotic scene into even greater turmoil. This Human Martial God immediately unleashed his powerful aura, trying to apprehend the one who had stirred the pot. This person, he surmised, must be connected to the faction that had allowed the Wind Thunder King in. However, he overlooked one crucial thing: his actions were merely adding fuel to the fire.
The hundreds of thousands of martial artists were acutely aware of the Martial Gods' tacit complicity in their plight. Now that a Martial God had appeared, wasn't he here to recapture them? The Martial Gods had done nothing while they were being persecuted, yet one showed up the moment they escaped. This was no longer tacit complicity; it was actively siding with the so-called nobles and the Night Guard.
"Run! He's here to silence us! If we escape, the truth about the nobles and the Night Guard will be exposed!" Another voice cried out from somewhere in the crowd.
"Bastard! How dare you slander a Martial God!!!" The Martial God raged, unhesitatingly blasting a Martial Arts attack towards the source of the voice. The Martial Arts attack landed several miles away, instantly turning the ground into a field of blood.
That truly sealed it; he had now completely shouldered the blame. Unfortunately, his furious attack missed the instigator.
"Excellent, excellent! You don't display such skill when fighting the Alien Race, but when it comes to harming your own kin for the Night Guard, your Martial Arts are truly exquisite!"
"If you have any real power, go stop the Alien Race! You're just dogs serving the nobles!"
"Some Martial God you are..."
Each word was like a needle pricking the Martial God's nerves. Just as he was about to unleash a massacre, a hand stopped him.
Another Martial God arrived just in time and laid a hand on his arm. "Calm down. This is exactly what they want," he said, placating the first Martial God's emotions.
