Outside Qiao's Building, a flash of saber light mirrored across the void over the long street, illuminating every direction.
A head flew into the air and burst into pieces in an instant.
Heaven and earth fell dead silent.
Blood dripped from the corners of Yuan Shuo's mouth, drop by drop. Cold and ruthless, without the slightest hesitation, he swung the blood-red stone saber and slashed toward the dark shadow!
"Boss..."
At that moment, the dark shadow froze in disbelief.
Out of sheer habit, she blurted out that form of address.
For so many years, in the shadow's eyes, Qiao Feilong had been a genius, an extraordinary figure, an invincible man. He had climbed up step by step from Silver City, slowly accumulating strength, scheming against Yama, quietly cultivating to the Three Sols realm, and even preparing to establish his own supernatural organization to contend with the Three Great Organizations and the Night Watchers...
Yet today, everything was gone.
Qiao Feilong was dead!
A Three Sols powerhouse had been suppressed by Yuan Shuo earlier, but was by no means on the verge of collapse. Yet in a single instant, Yuan Shuo had directly broken through all his defenses while Qiao Feilong was fighting at full strength, severing his head in one slash!
"No... impossible..."
The dark shadow could not believe it!
At this moment, Qiao Peng, whom Li Hao was using as a human shield, was still alive, but despair filled his eyes.
When Qiao Feilong said he was abandoning him, he genuinely felt no resentment.
There was no need for it.
Just moments ago, perhaps saying that was the only way to give him a chance to live—to give them all a chance to survive.
Instead, the dark shadow... his mother had hesitated too much, cared too much about him, and ended up entangled by Li Hao.
She had missed the best opportunity!
Whose fault was it?
His mother wanted to save him, appearing indecisive and letting the golden opportunity slip away. In this defeat, his father's death in battle could be said to be his mother's responsibility.
Yet she had done it all to save him...
A trace of helplessness surfaced in Qiao Peng's eyes, mixed with sorrow and reluctance.
And of course, regret.
At the final moment, he had failed to advance to the supernatural realm, unable to wait for the opportunity his father had spoken of.
"Let's die together..."
Suddenly, Qiao Peng began struggling frantically in Li Hao's grasp. Li Hao subconsciously crushed his throat, and blood splattered out, but Qiao Peng did not care.
At this point, did he still want to live?
No!
Only if he died would his mother go completely berserk, abandon all illusions, and kill Li Hao... or at least drag Li Hao down to the grave with him.
Yuan Shuo was invincible!
In this moment, the pampered young master revealed a ruthless, vicious nature.
When there was hope of survival, he did not want to die.
When hope was severed, he wanted someone to accompany him in death.
"Peng'er!"
A shrill, furious roar rang out. The dark shadow had still been drowning in despair over Qiao Feilong's death, but in the next second, she saw Qiao Peng's throat crushed, blood spurting everywhere.
In an instant, the shadow snapped awake.
She knew that her hesitation and indecision had caused the defeat in this battle.
Qiao Feilong had not blamed her; he had simply died with regret.
Her son did not blame her either, resolutely choosing death. And she... she would kill Li Hao!
Yuan Shuo was coming!
A terrifying killing intent erupted from the dark shadow. She would make Yuan Shuo lose a student too—no, a closed-door disciple.
To a martial master, a closed-door disciple was closer than a son.
Even if Yuan Shuo had cheated death and reached Thousand-Battler, gaining a long lifespan, the death of his disciple would still break his heart.
"Die!"
The dark shadow shot forward like a sharp blade. It was by accident that she had become what she was today. Years ago, while exploring the ruins, she had been shattered by a strange energy, yet had survived.
Because she merged with that peculiar energy in the ruins—which happened to include healing energy—her soul, or spiritual body, had been preserved.
Yuan Shuo had been unable to detect her precisely because of this energy.
It was extremely peculiar and exceedingly difficult to sense.
Just as Yuan Shuo initially could not perceive sword energy until Li Hao extracted it, only then catching a faint whiff of it. The energy of the Eight Great Families seemed to carry a unique concealing property.
At this moment, the dark shadow cared about nothing else.
The husband she regarded as a god was dead. Her beloved son—whom she had hidden from because of her spiritual form, terrified of breaking his heart—was now beyond saving too. One could see how much she cherished Qiao Peng, yet he could not survive this moment.
She did not know why everything had collapsed so quickly... but only one thought remained in her mind: kill Li Hao!
Like a rapier, she shot straight for Li Hao's head.
Although Li Hao had forced her into a visible form with his slash, in essence, she was still a mass of special spiritual energy. In this split second, her speed was unimaginably fast. She intended to shatter Li Hao's skull.
At this moment, Li Hao's expression changed.
He did not know whether she was like the Red Shadow or whether she could hurt him, but... given the possibility, he would not gamble.
In an instant, Li Hao let out a low roar and stomped his foot down!
Raising his hand, he thrust Qiao Peng forward to block the blow. The earth trembled faintly as an extraordinary intent erupted. Not only that, but in the same breath, a surge of vitality and inner force poured out, merging with that special intent.
Blood Saber Art!
Yuan Shuo had often instructed Li Hao in recent days, but with the Blood Saber Art, he had only told Li Hao to memorize it, never permitting him to practice it.
It was a suicidal technique meant for mutual destruction.
Moreover, without intent, Li Hao could not truly use it anyway.
However, even Yuan Shuo had not anticipated that his student would grasp the rudiments of intent so quickly. Facing life and death, Li Hao no longer cared about anything else.
The Blood Saber Art erupted instantly!
Vitality, inner force, and the rudiment of intent fused into one with decisive speed, not lagging behind Yuan Shuo in the slightest.
At the brink of death, he became terrifyingly calm.
He hurled the bleeding Qiao Peng outward.
The dark shadow paused for a fraction of a second. Even at this stage, she could not bear to destroy Qiao Peng's body... It was undeniably great maternal love, but in a life-or-death battle, it was utterly fatal.
Her speed dipped for a split second, hesitating for a moment. In the next instant, an extraordinary crimson aura surged around Li Hao.
The Blood Saber Art!
He did not use it to kill, but to buy a single moment of delay, because his teacher was almost here—very fast, unimaginably fast!
Buzz!
The sonic boom was already echoing in all directions. Yuan Shuo arrived like a flying sword, tearing through the earth as he sprinted forward, raising his saber to slash!
The dark shadow shrieked, swerving around Qiao Peng to crash forward.
Boom!
The crimson barrier shattered in an instant.
Li Hao was still too weak, and his intent was not fully formed. The Blood Saber Art he unleashed could not jump realms to slay enemies like Yuan Shuo's could.
Yet as the barrier broke, Li Hao took advantage of the momentum to spit out a mouthful of blood, which landed squarely on his small sword. The small sword seemed to boil, and Li Hao felt it expand slightly.
Without overthinking, he thrust the sword forward!
Skrrrt!
A shrill sound like glass scraping rang out. The small sword struck the dark shadow, and a plume of black smoke billowed forth.
In an instant, that black smoke was devoured by the small sword.
As if stumbling upon a delectable treat or energy from the same origin, the small sword pierced the shadow and actively swallowed the peculiar energy.
Right then, Yuan Shuo finally arrived from behind.
Without a single wasted word, he slashed downward!
With a thunderous crash—unlike the sharp squeal from Li Hao's thrust—this strike cleaved the dark shadow directly in two. At the same time, the stone saber in Yuan Shuo's hand suddenly seemed to catch a scent.
The blood-red stone saber instantly unleashed a devouring pull.
It swallowed half of the dark shadow.
Yuan Shuo shuddered slightly. Before he could dwell on it, he swung his saber again, preparing to strike the remaining half.
"The ruins..."
Just then, the dark shadow let out a shrill cry laden with despair and unwillingness. She wanted to expose the secret of the ruins, to bring others down on Yuan Shuo and his student to avenge the destruction of her family.
"Roar!"
A tiger's roar echoed through the mountains and forests!
At this moment, Li Hao and Yuan Shuo acted in perfect unison, letting out tiger roars simultaneously.
The roars shook the surroundings!
They drowned out everything!
Revealing secrets at death's door was something many people did. Yuan Shuo had once said that to prevent an enemy from shifting trouble onto others before dying, the best method was to kill them outright without giving them a chance to speak.
A lesser method was to create an even louder noise to drown them out.
Of course, if one was completely fearless, one could let them say whatever they wished and slaughter whoever came...
Master and disciple clearly could not afford the third option right now. Thus, the two tiger roars instantly suppressed the shadow's scream.
Meanwhile, Li Hao channeled his fused intent and power into the small sword. The sword seemed to surge in size, and he stabbed toward the remaining half of the shadow once more.
Yuan Shuo hesitated even less, unleashing a devastating cleave!
The moment saber and sword struck, the dark shadow seemed trapped in place. In the blink of an eye, she was ripped apart by the blade and sword, both weapons devouring her like gluttonous beasts.
"Boss... Peng'er..."
Faintly, a sorrowful, bitter whisper drifted through the air.
It was the dark shadow's final sound.
With Qiao Feilong and Qiao Peng dead, the shadow did not care whether she lived or died. She was already neither human nor ghost; dying was of no consequence. She only hated that she had not died first, and hated her indecision at the critical juncture that had killed her husband and son.
Bang!
A wisp of black smoke exploded completely. Most was devoured by the weapons, while the remainder slowly dispersed.
Just as master and disciple finished off the three members of the Qiao family, a dog's bark suddenly sounded from the side of the street.
In the next moment, Li Hao and Yuan Shuo witnessed a scene.
In the darkness, Black Panther swiped a paw out, directly shattering the head of a person faintly emerging from the ground into pieces!
Yuan Shuo frowned slightly.
Not because the dog had killed someone, but because under the ferocious shockwaves of such a battle, a supernatural had actually dared to sneak nearby. An earth-element supernatural, no less.
Ignorance bred fearlessness!
Anyone who could be swiped dead by Black Panther was either a Starlight Master or a novice who had barely stepped into Lunar Nether.
He and Li Hao had been too occupied with killing the Qiaos to pay attention... Of course, once the fight was over, that person wouldn't have escaped either. As long as the two resolved their formidable foes, that fellow couldn't hide.
"Woof, woof, woof!"
In the distance, Black Panther barked as if showing off. A moment later, its nose twitched, and it continued slinking into the darkness.
This dog had actually been clearing the perimeter just now.
Li Hao hadn't taught it that.
Li Hao glanced at his teacher. Had his teacher taught it?
Blood was still trickling from the corner of Yuan Shuo's mouth. He suddenly gave a cold sneer. "I didn't teach it. That damn dog is scared of death and probably wanted to hide. When it saw we killed our opponents, it feared we'd settle scores with it, so it barked a few times to let us know it was working too!"
"..."
Li Hao froze, then broke into a laugh.
As they laughed, both master and disciple coughed up blood simultaneously.
Both of them had used the Blood Saber Art this time.
Li Hao was relatively fine; his intent was weak, so the eruption was weak, and the backlash was correspondingly light. But Yuan Shuo was severely injured.
Li Hao hastily held out the small sword.
Yuan Shuo wasted no words, directly running the Five Animals Breathing Art to absorb a little sword energy, easing his injuries just enough to keep from collapsing on the spot before stopping.
Without saying a word, he quickly returned to the previous battle site and cut the headless corpse on the ground into dozens of pieces with a single stroke.
Next, he gathered all the corpses together.
Striding over to the silver sedan, he retrieved a box—an energy storage box.
He opened it and packed everything inside.
Having dealt with all this, Yuan Shuo grabbed the box and said in a low voice, "Clean up the blood. I'll go check outside the city!"
With that, he stepped into the air and bellowed, "Red Moon dogs, don't think you can escape!"
He shot through the sky, seemingly in hot pursuit of a formidable enemy.
Li Hao also roared loudly, "The Qiao family conspired with the evil Red Moon organization! Their crimes deserve death! Inspectorate officers, arrest everyone affiliated with the Qiao family!"
With that thunderous shout, orderly footsteps quickly approached from afar.
Before long, Mu Sen arrived.
He led a contingent of fully armed inspectors, each wearing a grave expression.
Spotting Mu Sen from a distance, Li Hao knew they would arrive quickly—the Inspectorate could not ignore a battle of this scale. He called out hurriedly, "A Three Sols powerhouse attacked my teacher! Teacher has already chased after him! Director Mu, seal off the scene!"
Mu Sen said nothing, waving his hand to have the inspectors swiftly cordon off the area.
Mu Sen hurried over, surveyed the surroundings, and felt shaken to the core.
Another Three Sols battle!
Were Red Moon's Three Sols so worthless?
One had just died, and another dared to come.
He also saw Qiao Peng's corpse and the bodies of several bodyguards. The dark shadow had already dissipated, but Qiao Feilong's corpse was nowhere to be seen, leaving only bloodstains on the ground.
Where was Qiao Feilong?
The thought flashed through his mind, but Mu Sen did not ask. He merely said with urgency, "Did the Three Sols escape? Or is Professor Yuan being pursued?"
The Three Sols aura had flashed and vanished quickly.
He had arrived relatively fast, but had only seen a sea of flames and a blood-red saber.
He knew nothing of the specifics.
The blood saber likely belonged to Yuan Shuo.
The sea of flames should have belonged to a fire-element Three Sols expert.
And now?
Li Hao was unharmed. Did that mean Yuan Shuo had the upper hand?
If so... Yuan Shuo was terrifying!
For a Thousand-Battler martial master, slaying the first Three Sols could be chalked up to surprise and luck. But holding his own against a second Three Sols was pure strength. No one would call it luck or coincidence anymore; lightning didn't strike twice.
Li Hao didn't waste time either, speaking swiftly. "Another Moon Overflow from the Qiao family went to the Inspectorate for the meeting, along with several Starlight Masters and martial masters. Eliminate them immediately!"
He paused, then added, "Director Mu, Chief Hao might not know the exact situation yet... That Moon Overflow might not know either that the Qiao family colluded with Red Moon. We should head back first. When we get there, don't say a word—kill him the moment you see him!"
"Hmm?"
Mu Sen's brow furrowed slightly as he looked at Li Hao.
Li Hao's eyes were clear. "If a Moon Overflow suddenly loses control, even if Chief Hao can handle it, I worry others might get hurt. My teacher's stance is: colluding with the Three Great Organizations earns no mercy!"
By this point, that Moon Overflow might know something.
Not that it mattered. A mere Moon Overflow wouldn't dare speak recklessly when the situation was unclear anyway.
Kill him on sight!
Mu Sen felt conflicted. Kill him directly... to silence him?
Were Yuan Shuo and his student hiding a secret?
Yet he knew he couldn't ask, shouldn't ask, and shouldn't even pry.
"Understood!"
Mu Sen nodded and barked, "Seal off the perimeter! No one is allowed to enter! Anyone who forces their way in will be shot on sight!"
With that, he and Li Hao quickly walked toward the Inspectorate vehicle parked nearby.
Driving back was faster.
As they walked, Mu Sen said, "How about I contact Chief Hao by comms right now? With Chief Hao's strength, he can suppress him instantly without any mishaps..."
Li Hao replied calmly, "I heard White Moon City still cooperates with the Three Great Organizations. If Chief Hao takes action, it will be easy for them to find fault. This matter has nothing to do with Chief Hao; it is a personal grudge of our Silver City Night Watchers! It doesn't involve external disputes and remains strictly within Silver City. If Chief Hao acts, it gives them an excuse to intervene... which would ruin the Night Watchers' big plans!"
At these words, Mu Sen was left speechless.
You even prepared the excuse in advance!
Li Hao added, "So, we might as well just kill him. Once he's dead, we'll say he was from Red Moon. Red Moon tried to kill me before, and my teacher killed Severing Sky. What does it matter if we kill a few more Red Moon lackeys today?"
Li Hao said coldly, "Martial masters always settle their grudges! If Red Moon isn't satisfied, they can come fight us again!"
Mu Sen felt as though he were seeing Li Hao for the first time. Getting into the car, he drove swiftly in silence.
After driving for a while, he suddenly asked, "Who did Liu Long and the others go after?"
"Red Moon people!"
"..."
Mu Sen cursed under his breath. After a pause, he asked again, "We're all from Silver City, so I won't beat around the bush. Aside from killing this Moon Overflow, what else do you need me to do?"
He knew there had to be a secret.
The commotion Yuan Shuo made this time was too great to hide.
Coupled with the massive disturbance outside the city, various parties would dig to the bottom of this afterward. What should he do now?
Li Hao looked at Mu Sen's back and said after a moment, "Publicize the fact that the Qiao family colluded with Red Moon! Qiao's Mining was Red Moon's stronghold in Silver City, and the Qiao father and son were peripheral members of Red Moon. This battle was caused by the Qiao family colluding with Red Moon to lay an ambush and assassinate my teacher, which triggered the clash..."
"Additionally, I hope Director Mu will have someone clean up the scene immediately so that nothing leaks out. It involves some of my teacher's trump cards, which would make him vulnerable if exposed."
Mu Sen took a deep breath, tapped a black earpiece, and quickly spoke: "Wash away all bloodstains near Qiao's Mining. Incinerate all corpses on the spot to prevent mysterious energy contamination! Also, restore order quickly. Have people empty everything from the Qiao's Mining building and burn it on the spot! As for the damage to the street, call people to pour concrete and seal it directly..."
He swiftly issued the arrangements.
With his authority, the orders would be executed rapidly. As an apparatus of violence, the Inspectorate would restore everything except the damaged building before long.
Finding anything there would be exceedingly difficult.
Li Hao remained silent for a while. "If the director has any requests, feel free to raise them. My teacher should consider them."
Mu Sen said in a heavy voice, "None needed! I only have one thing to say: next time... I hope there won't be a next time, but if there is, notify me in advance! Do you have any idea that such an abrupt battle—a Three Sols-level clash—could easily cause massive casualties if anything went wrong?!"
Fortunately, it had taken place in the commercial district tonight, and a curfew had been imposed early; otherwise, who knew how many civilians would have been on the street.
This showed that Li Hao and his group had indeed prepared in advance.
Otherwise, there would have been no need for a curfew tonight.
"Understood."
Li Hao nodded without saying more.
Countless thoughts raced through Mu Sen's mind. After a while, as they neared the Inspectorate, he suddenly asked, "That Three Sols... is it possible they'll show up again?"
"Never again."
Dead!
Mu Sen felt shaken. Truly dead. Though he had guessed as much, hearing confirmation still left him thoroughly awestruck.
A second Three Sols!
Yuan Shuo was terrifying—truly terrifying.
Li Hao added, "To the outside world, the story is that the opponent fled!"
"I understand!"
Mu Sen nodded. Although publicizing it would bring Yuan Shuo greater fame, perhaps even earning him the title of the number one expert in Silver Moon Province, greater fame brought greater danger. Saying the opponent had fled was safer... provided the Three Great Organizations didn't reveal that one of their Three Sols had fallen.
Was it an unidentified Three Sols?
If not, this definitely couldn't be kept quiet.
If an unknown Three Sols expert died, no one would ever know. As they spoke, the car came to a stop.
Right now, the entire Inspectorate was deathly quiet.
An aura surged upward. Hao Lianchuan had not left, remaining here to oversee the situation. Nearly a hundred supernaturals—the entire supernatural strength of Silver City—were gathered here tonight.
Liu Long and his group were absent, and Mu Sen had left. If he left too... who knew what catastrophe might occur.
Therefore, even though he was burning with anxiety, he did not move.
Mainly because no distress signal had come from Yuan Shuo's side, suggesting Yuan Shuo might be handling it.
Sensing Mu Sen and Li Hao driving back, Hao Lianchuan breathed a slight sigh of relief. Both walked with steady strides; clearly, the problem wasn't severe.
What about that Three Sols?
A fire-element Three Sols!
At this moment, Hao Lianchuan was already deducing whose Three Sols had come here.
The number of Three Sols experts was limited. Even if some hadn't revealed their full strength, they were generally known. A fire-element Three Sols... Red Moon seemed to have one, but their main forces were concentrated in the central region. Would a Three Sols come here just to kill Yuan Shuo?
Were they mad?
Yuan Shuo had killed a Three Sols before, after all, and Hao Lianchuan himself was present. Many things didn't add up.
As he pondered, the two walked through the door.
In the main hall, everyone quickly turned to look at them.
Mu Sen held a broad saber, radiating murderous intent, his face marked by gravity and anger. "Chief Hao, someone ambushed Professor Yuan! A fierce battle erupted in the street. The assailant has fled the scene, and Professor Yuan pursued him..."
Hao Lianchuan said in a deep voice, "Is he all right?"
"Unclear."
Mu Sen walked forward as if to report directly to Hao Lianchuan.
Yet Hao Lianchuan frowned slightly, eyeing him.
Although Mu Sen was a martial master and generally hard to read, as Mu Sen drew close, Hao Lianchuan felt that his inner force was in a surging, ready-to-strike state.
Treachery?
Has Mu Sen turned traitor and wants to ambush me?
How could that be!
Setting aside whether he would, even if he did, a mere Hundred-Breaker couldn't possibly kill him at this distance.
Hao Lianchuan kept his composure, cursing inwardly. What on earth was going on in Silver City?
The Night Watchers branch was disobedient, and now even the Inspectorate director was acting bizarrely.
As he wondered, his gaze shifted.
From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a middle-aged man who looked honest but now appeared rather anxious—Qiao's driver.
"Mu Sen wants to kill him?"
"Why?"
The thought flashed through his mind, and he even considered stepping in to stop him...
Just then, a figure stepped in front of him. Li Hao spoke, "Chief Hao, my teacher said..."
What his teacher said, Hao Lianchuan never heard—in fact, Li Hao didn't say anything further.
At that exact instant, killing intent flashed in Mu Sen's eyes. Gripping his saber, he slashed straight at the driver!
Simultaneously, a thunderous roar erupted from his mouth: "The Qiao family colluded with bandits to assassinate Professor Yuan! Their crimes deserve execution! Anyone who moves will be treated as an accomplice!"
Boom!
With a loud crash, the Moon Overflow expert only reacted at the last moment to Mu Sen's sneak attack.
He hastily raised his hands to defend, unleashing powerful supernatural power—also fire-element.
The moment the power surged, the long blade slashed down with a sickening squelch!
At such close range, a sneak attack from a peak Hundred-Breaker martial master was something even a Moon Overflow could not withstand.
Splat!
The man's head was smashed to pieces, along with the raised hands he had used to block, both utterly pulverized.
Hao Lianchuan frowned slightly, shooting a chilling glance at Li Hao.
These people, every single one of them, had ignored him.
They had even deliberately obstructed him!
Li Hao, Yuan Shuo, Liu Long, Mu Sen...
The entire Silver City had welded itself into an impenetrable monolith, covering for each other and refusing to trust even the Night Watchers. Yes, these people clearly had secrets they were hiding, and they didn't even trust him, Hao Lianchuan!
A surge of annoyance rose in Hao Lianchuan's heart.
Yet in the next breath, he let out a cold snort as a fire dragon erupted forth. In an instant, five or six supernaturals in the crowd who had shown signs of moving were burned to ashes!
The moment Mu Sen struck, not only were the Qiao family's supernaturals scared out of their wits, but several others with guilty consciences were terrified and tried to flee!
Did they forget who Hao Lianchuan was?
He couldn't be bothered to interrogate these small fry. He unleashed his fire dragon instantly, slaughtering all the stirring supernaturals on the spot!
"Do you take me for dead?"
Hao Lianchuan's voice was freezing. It seemed directed at the terrified crowd, but was in truth aimed at Mu Sen and Li Hao.
Do you take me for dead?
Killing people right in front of me, silencing witnesses right before my eyes—what on earth are you trying to do?
He was thoroughly vexed!
White Moon City had just reached an agreement with the Three Great Organizations and others, and now such a mess had erupted here.
Damn it!
To think I believed Silver City would be peaceful lately.
Li Hao lowered his voice: "Chief Hao, everything is fine. It was merely a local enterprise colluding with some evil supernaturals to assassinate my teacher... It's over now."
Hao Lianchuan turned his head to look at him, his gaze chilling.
After a long silence, he regained his composure. "Tomorrow, have Liu Long give me a detailed case analysis!"
With that, he ignored Li Hao and turned to Mu Sen, frowning. "Have someone clean up the corpses. Blood everywhere—this is the Inspectorate, not a slaughterhouse!"
Turning back to the trembling crowd in the hall, he said coldly, "No need to panic, everyone. As long as you have a clear conscience and don't disrupt social order or commit crimes, the Night Watchers are your protectors, not butchers! Tonight, I must trouble everyone to stay here a little longer. Once the bandits in Silver City are slain, we will feast together. On the very first day of the Silver City Night Watchers branch's establishment, we cracked down on crime and executed outlaws—a worthy occasion to celebrate! I hope everyone takes this as a lesson: do not commit crimes simply because you possess extraordinary power!"
"We wouldn't dare!"
The crowd echoed in succession, their faces pale.
This time, everyone was genuinely terrified.
The might of a Three Sols was horrifying to the extreme.
Hao Lianchuan had casually summoned a few fire dragons and incinerated seven or eight supernaturals. Granted, they were only Ten-Slayer martial masters and Starlight Masters, but how many Lunar Nether or Hundred-Breaker experts were present?
The strongest had likely been the one Mu Sen had just slain.
Lingering fear filled their hearts. They knew Mu Sen was not weak; last time, he had cleaved down a Lunar Nether Feitian supernatural. But today, even if it was an ambush, he had slain a Lunar Nether expert in a single blow—and one who felt exceptionally powerful, perhaps at the very peak of Lunar Nether... This proved the fat man had likely reached the peak Hundred-Breaker level.
After killing his target, Mu Sen regained his smile. Glancing at Li Hao, he waited for Hao Lianchuan to finish before smiling warmly. "No need to fear, everyone. Those still breathing are law-abiding citizens. As long as you register, the Inspectorate and Night Watchers will not only leave you in peace, but also offer assistance within our power..."
He continued, "When Chief Liu and the others return, we'll have a few drinks to calm your nerves. After tonight, Silver City will be at peace! Furthermore, once you return, please pass along the words of the Inspectorate and Night Watchers: have some people forgotten to register, or have they been in seclusion too long to be disturbed? Once they emerge, they had better come register!"
At these words, several faces shifted slightly.
Were there unregistered supernaturals in the city?
Undoubtedly!
After tonight, would they dare remain unregistered?
Probably not.
Unless they truly had something to hide. Otherwise, with the Night Watchers flexing their might and killing to establish authority, anyone caught would die without knowing how.
For a time, the entire hall remained eerily silent.
Li Hao and the others stood motionless, looking toward the entrance.
Li Hao wondered: had something gone wrong on the captain's side?
Three Solar Radiances!
The mine was quite a distance from the urban district. Even if Yuan Shuo hurried over, the battle might already be over.
As for victory or defeat... it was hard to say.
Still, with a prepared ambush against the unprepared, and the captain being a Thousand-Battler, they should be able to resolve it, right?
Moreover, some complications had been left behind here. For instance, Hao Lianchuan probably didn't have a good impression of him right now.
In fact, he wouldn't have a good impression of all of Silver City.
Deceiving their superiors!
To put it severely, the Silver City Night Watchers and Inspectorate simply hadn't treated Hao Lianchuan with any respect. If Hao Lianchuan was petty, holding a grudge over this would be only natural.
Then there was Mu Sen. This time, Li Hao had gained a deeper understanding of the man.
A ruthless character!
He hadn't asked too much. Even though he guessed some things, he asked nothing and simply killed to silence the witness. The decisiveness of a martial master was fully demonstrated in Mu Sen.
And then there was the small sword...
Li Hao was also thinking about the Starry Sky Sword.
The Starry Sky Sword had actually absorbed some of the dark shadow, seemingly replenishing its sword energy... Not only the sword, but the Zhang family's stone saber had done the same. When he and his teacher attacked earlier, both weapons had acted as if discovering fine food, devouring the shadow.
What was so special about the dark shadow?
Neither weapon had devoured the Red Shadow before.
Was it related to the ruins?
Perhaps the ruins controlled by the Qiao family contained something that could recharge the small sword's energy.
At that thought, Li Hao's heart burned with anticipation.
He needed sword energy, and so did his teacher. His teacher had used the Blood Saber Art earlier and suffered severe injuries. Though he had absorbed a tiny bit of sword energy, it was far from enough—even absorbing all of it might not suffice.
They didn't know how much trouble awaited them ahead; his teacher's injuries had to be healed as quickly as possible.
...
While Li Hao pondered these matters...
At Qiao's Mine.
Artillery shells carpeted the ground, causing a hilltop to collapse and exposing faint ancient ruins beneath.
At this moment, Liu Long cleaved a freshly emerged Solar Radiance expert to death with a single axe strike.
Of the remaining two Solar Radiances, one was locked in combat with Liu Long, while the other charged toward a different small hill. He wanted to kill the snipers taking potshots at them—not because he didn't want to team up against Liu Long,
but because while fighting, sniper fire kept harassing them from afar.
This made it far too easy to reveal openings.
Those annoying pests had to be killed first. A Solar Radiance had strong defenses, but taking sniper fire while fighting a Thousand-Battler was an easy way to get killed.
Bang!
An artillery shell exploded beside the charging Solar Radiance, but he dodged it swiftly.
Chen Jian shouldered a rocket launcher, aimed at him, and fired again.
The man dodged it once more.
The terrifying strength of a Solar Radiance was plain to see.
Liu Yan gripped her twin sabers, her eyes blazing with fervor. A Solar Radiance... was indeed powerful, far beyond her match. But what he faced was not just the few of them, but also three supernaturals inside the vehicle.
Over there, Liu Long fought alone, his fists crashing like breaking waves, beating the other Solar Radiance back until he could barely hold his ground, firmly holding the upper hand.
As long as they stalled this one for a while, victory was assured.
"Kill!"
With a low shout, Liu Yan charged forward on her own initiative.
Early Hundred-Breaker against early Solar Radiance... a full realm apart.
Yet in this moment, they knew no fear.
"Courting death!"
The charging fire-element supernatural looked fairly young, his face twisted in rage. He had no desire to tangle with them; he needed to kill them quickly, then turn around and team up to kill Liu Long.
Something had gone wrong here—had disaster struck their leader as well?
With no time to dwell on it, his fire energy erupted. In the hands of Liu Yan and her companions, however, small shields of crystal suddenly appeared.
Ice crystal shields!
However, these things were extremely fragile.
The moment the small shields contacted the fire energy, the flames were suppressed by more than half, but the remaining impact instantly shattered the shields. That was the flaw of ice crystal chambers and shields; otherwise, against supernaturals, they would be godly armaments.
The fire supernatural didn't care. The ice crystal shields broke easily, suppressing him for only an instant.
These people would die all the same.
Right at that moment, an explosive blast rang out, followed by a slash of golden light from behind.
Wang Ming, a Full Moon-level metal-element supernatural!
Simultaneously, Li Meng's third eye had already snapped open. Unlike last time, with prior preparation, the group was far more organized.
Peculiar mysterious energy flooded from Li Meng's third eye.
In the blink of an eye, the fire supernatural felt as if he had plunged into a black hole... In a split second, he let out a furious roar, unleashing his fire energy to shatter the black hole, but that brief instant proved fatal.
The golden sword had vanished without a trace.
He subconsciously erupted with fire energy to break the sword, only to feel his scalp prickle. Above him, Hu Hao had carried Wang Ming into the sky without him noticing, dropping down right above his head!
To the side, Liu Yan bellowed and thrust her twin sabers forward.
Wu Chao and Chen Jian stayed at a distance, opening fire with a barrage of bullets.
Firearms, cold steel, and supernatural powers formed a lethal cordon around the fire supernatural in that single instant.
In the rear, Yun Yao unleashed her water energy, not to attack, but to cloak everyone in a protective water barrier to prevent them from being incinerated by the ferocious flames.
Four Lunar Nethers, one Hundred-Breaker, and two near-Hundred-Breakers—seven Night Watchers attacked in unison, instantly creating a fatal trap for a Solar Radiance.
"Die!"
The man roared again, his fire energy erupting maniacally, threatening to scorch the world.
The water barrier shattered instantly.
Li Meng's third eye closed once more, bleeding.
The moment Liu Yan's twin sabers pierced his body, they were incinerated, melting away as flames spread up the blades toward her arms, intending to burn them and consume her entire body in ash.
At that moment, the fire supernatural tilted his head to dodge the golden sword, cold disdain in his eyes.
A Solar Radiance was not so easily slain.
Of those before him, the greatest threat was Wang Ming, but that fellow seemed lacking in combat experience, only knowing how to thrust and stab... completely devoid of adaptability.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, Wang Ming grinned with wild joy in midair.
The moment the man tilted his head to dodge the golden sword, Wang Ming became ecstatic.
The golden sword did not plunge down directly.
Instead, it burst apart like countless feathers in an instant.
Boom!
The metal energy detonated, shooting out countless golden feathers. The fire supernatural had assumed the sword could only thrust, never expecting it to explode, and was struck by countless feathers in an instant.
Countless bloody holes appeared on his head.
Wang Ming was overjoyed. "As expected, a rookie... He doesn't even know supernatural techniques exist!"
Rookies only knew how to blast raw energy at each other.
Yet after twenty years of supernatural evolution, how could people rely solely on raw clashes? Within the Night Watchers, supernaturals could learn supernatural techniques—such as his "Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers"... a name he had coined himself.
This was never a sword meant for direct stabbing, but a supernatural technique designed to explode instantly like scattered petals.
The moment the foe dodged, Wang Ming knew he had landed the hit!
Chief Liu was right: the opponent was a rookie who had never even seen supernatural techniques. A veteran from the Three Great Organizations would never fall for such a trick so easily.
This move was also extremely risky.
Had the opponent been prepared, he would never have dodged like that.
Having landed the blow, Wang Ming turned the man's head into a hornets' nest. In the next moment, Hu Hao, descending from the sky, unleashed his power and kicked out with a thunderous crash, shattering the man's head completely.
Her face pale, Yun Yao shouted softly, unleashing her water power. A water dragon enveloped Liu Yan's hands, extinguishing the flames, though leaving charred burns behind.
Liu Yan frowned slightly, saying nothing. Despite the pain, she remained ruthless, thrusting her charred hands straight into the foe's chest and tearing it open.
In an instant, the battle ended.
In the distance, the last Solar Radiance's face twisted in terror, and he suddenly turned to flee.
The first Solar Radiance had been ambushed and slain by Liu Long, and the second had actually died at the hands of a pack of Hundred-Breakers and Lunar Nethers. Knowing the battle was lost, how could he dare linger?
"Kill!"
At that moment, a sound like a surging tidal wave echoed through the mountains, and rain began to fall from the sky.
It was as if an actual wave had exploded!
Yes, exploded.
Countless water droplets and raindrops burst apart. Liu Long's arms turned blood-red as the Nine Refinements Force erupted with full power.
Gripping short axes in both hands, he brought one down in a savage strike!
Boom!
With a colossal roar, the fleeing Solar Radiance was cleaved in two by the axe, his body blowing apart.
The blood vessels in Liu Long's arms ruptured, spraying blood.
In the distance, Wang Ming and the others stared in horror.
"Thousand-Battler!"
Another Thousand-Battler!
At this moment, Wang Ming and the other supernaturals were utterly dumbfounded.
The second Thousand-Battler of Silver City!
When Liu Long killed the first Solar Radiance earlier, they had harbored suspicions, but the fight had been too intense, and Liu Long hadn't fought as violently as he did just now, so it remained a mere suspicion they couldn't dwell on.
Yet now, having eliminated their own opponent, they turned toward the noise and witnessed this savage spectacle.
A single axe strike had hacked a Solar Radiance to death.
This was Liu Long!
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Blood seeped from the corner of Liu Long's mouth, but a grin broke across his face as he turned to Wang Ming and the rest.
"It's done!"
Tonight, he had personally slain two Solar Radiances. Though he had seized an advantage against the first, the second had been slain through sheer, overwhelming strength!
He, Liu Long, had failed to become a supernatural, yet he had still slaughtered Solar Radiances!
Thousand-Battler!
In this instant, everyone's hearts surged with emotion!
Wang Ming and the others stood in a daze. Silver City... this place was cursed. Two Thousand-Battlers had appeared in a row, both terrifyingly ruthless.
They had thought Liu Long would team up with them to kill one Solar Radiance...
Good grief, there were three of them!
Fortunately, all were dead.
"Three Solar Radiances, dead..." Wang Ming muttered. Since when were Solar Radiances so cheap? Three dead at once, and one had died by his own hands—it was unbelievable.
Yet what Liu Long said next shocked him even more.
"Old Yuan arrived fast... Is that Three Sols dead?"
Three Sols!
Wang Ming and the others nearly popped their eyes out. Yuan Shuo hadn't shown up, and they had assumed he hadn't made it in time. It turned out... he had gone to kill a Three Sols?
Liu Long didn't hide it because, having braved life and death together, he saw no reason to conceal the truth from them.
Yuan Shuo, who had just landed, frowned slightly.
Yet he said nothing, merely nodding. "Killed."
Such calm words stirred monstrous waves once again.
Li Meng murmured, "A Thousand-Battler slaying Three Sols, a Thousand-Battler slaying Solar Radiances... Have martial masters... truly declined?"
In this moment, her faith in supernaturals was thoroughly shaken.
Why was it that in this place, Thousand-Battlers slaughtered Three Sols and Solar Radiances as though it were the easiest thing in the world?
Chapter 63