On the street, the rhythmic clatter of footsteps echoed.
Tucked away in a corner, a supernatural expert held his breath, not daring to twitch a muscle. Compressing his supernatural energy tightly inside his body, he dared not let even a sliver leak out. Silently, in the darkness, he listened as the footsteps gradually receded into the distance, only then exhaling a ragged breath.
Three Sols experts could handle those black-armored soldiers with consummate ease.
He, however, could not.
As an expert of the Lunar Nether realm at the Moon Overflow stage, he had been a formidable figure capable of calling the wind and summoning the rain in the outside world. As long as he did not provoke the Three Great Organizations or the Night Watchers, not even Sword Gate would rashly make a move against a Moon Overflow expert.
Yet here... not only were all the newcomers elites of the major organizations, but more critically, a whole batch of Solar Radiance experts had died the moment they stepped into the ancient city.
Lunar Nether truly counted for nothing.
Judging by instinct, those black-armored soldiers were likely the lowest-ranking grunts in the ancient city, yet they could still slaughter Lunar Nether and even Solar Radiance supers. Supernatural powers suffered far too many limitations in this place.
Contemplating this, the supernatural felt a pang of despair.
To be honest, he had no desire to keep exploring... but as a subordinate member of Yama, fleeing right now was equally a death sentence.
Yama had raised and trained them. Fleeing was betrayal.
Those who betrayed the great organizations never met a good end.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly bristled.
From the darkness, a sharp blade lunged out in a flash!
*Squelch!*
A head tumbled to the ground.
Three figures in black armor materialized behind him without a whisper of sound.
Real black armor always came with footsteps.
When the footsteps receded, it meant the black-armored soldiers were gone. Anyone who had observed them understood that rule.
In reality, that was indeed the case.
The real black-armored soldiers had to walk continuously on the ground.
These three, however, were impostors.
The moment footsteps faded was precisely when supers were most relaxed. After creating fake footsteps, the trio would swiftly muffle them in the darkness. At that point, with the physical capabilities of martial masters, slipping up silently on supers who had suppressed their supernatural energy was simply child's play.
Everyone also knew that mysterious energy could not be unleashed while black-armored soldiers were present.
Yet stripped of mysterious energy, supers were little more than ordinary men.
Slain with a single strike!
Li Hao did not recognize the man, but judging from the attire, he belonged to Yama.
Aside from the Night Watchers, whom they could not recklessly kill... who cared if they butchered the rest?
Moon Overflow... better than nothing.
Extracting all of the man's mysterious energy might yield around fifty cubic units—after all, he was only Lunar Nether, not Solar Radiance. Right now, however, a complete extraction was out of the question; taking a portion was good enough. A Moon Overflow cultivator could probably provide twenty or thirty cubic units.
Absorbing twenty or thirty cubic units would not take very long.
As for the corpse, it required no special disposal.
The ground here was the finest waste processor. Before long, the area would revert to its previous state, and the corpse would be swallowed whole by the pavement.
This was a city that ate people!
Killing here, as long as nobody witnessed it, was shielded by darkness that masked countless sinister, perilous deeds.
A moment later, the sound of three sets of footsteps started up again.
Let the living step aside!
Wearing black armor was the finest protective disguise.
As for the harvested mysterious energy, Li Hao absorbed it as he walked, taking in whatever he could. As for what dissipated... who cared?
Supernatural energy was everywhere here.
Inexhaustible!
Once he finished absorbing this batch, killing another target would naturally provide the next.
Li Hao had no goodwill toward the major organizations, and Liu Long felt the same. In Liu Long's eyes, anyone other than the Night Watchers was an heretic and a blight wreaking havoc across the world.
Every one killed was one fewer pestilence!
Behind them, the headless corpse was gradually swallowed by the flagstones.
...
Not far from Li Hao and the others.
Hu Po was waiting alongside two Lunar Nether subordinates.
After a long wait, they stared at the building before them with grim expressions.
Dead!
Just a moment ago, he had three Lunar Nether subordinates under his command. To scout the situation thoroughly, Hu Po had sent one of them inside a building that looked like a restaurant. The only result had been a muffled thud, followed by... total silence.
These buildings were like man-eating beasts.
Once inside, people vanished without a trace.
"Damn it!" Hu Po cursed under his breath, exasperated.
Dead, just like that!
This place was simply too perilous.
They had to avoid the constantly patrolling black-armored soldiers while investigating the situation, yet entering any building resulted in immediate disappearance.
Return now?
If he returned, how would he report?
When asked what he had discovered, was he supposed to say the buildings ate people... and nothing else?
He turned to look toward the far side of the street. Beyond the avenue, he caught faint glimpses of light. That brighter region was likely the inner city mentioned by the Night Watchers.
Should they venture over there to look?
Yet Hu Po feared it would be even more dangerous.
"No more waiting!" he muttered in a low voice. There was no need to wait any longer; that subordinate was almost certainly dead.
If they lingered, the next wave of black-armored soldiers would arrive.
They had managed to discern a pattern: roughly every ten minutes, a ten-man squad of black armor would pass by.
Even though he had reached Solar Radiance, Hu Po did not dare provoke those soldiers.
Ten of them were more than he was confident of beating. Even if he could, exposing his supernatural energy would attract even more soldiers, and he would be doomed for sure.
Pity he had not encountered a straggler.
Truth be told, he was extremely interested in the black armor.
However, the soldiers moved in groups, never alone... In truth, there had been stragglers, but the lone sentries on the nearest three streets had already been cleared out by Li Hao's team.
There were certainly more than three streets.
Lone soldiers on other streets had either been quietly dispatched by others or had yet to be found.
Right then, footsteps sounded again.
Hu Po's ears twitched. He quickly ducked to the side with his two subordinates, reigning in their supernatural energy.
However, a strange look crossed Hu Po's eyes.
The footsteps... did not sound like many.
Indeed, they had encountered other black-armored patrols before, and one could tell from the sound that there were quite a few soldiers. This time, the noise sounded like only a few.
Gradually, they caught sight through the gloom.
There truly were very few!
"Three!" a Lunar Nether super beside him whispered. His voice was extremely quiet, but Hu Po still glared fiercely at him!
No talking!
Even so, Hu Po was astonished. Only three...
Three at Lunar Nether strength... Without overwhelming numbers, the threat posed by black-armored soldiers dropped drastically.
Furthermore, he was an earth-type super, whose abilities offered a counter against black armor. Coating the ground beneath their feet with rock and earth was well within his power. Naturally, the area he could cover was not massive, but even so, it was more than enough here.
Three black-armored soldiers!
Hu Po felt a sudden stir of temptation. With so few targets, taking them down meant securing three full sets of armor for himself.
As he recalled, even after the Wheel-Turning King and the others had sacrificed over a dozen lives, with Three Sols masters personally intervening, they had only managed to secure seventy or eighty suits. If he could bag three suits right now...
Even if he did not keep them for himself, handing them over would earn immense merit, wouldn't it?
After securing three suits, he might even be able to return directly without risking further scouting. With the merit from three suits of black armor, he might even establish direct ties with the Wheel-Turning King.
He had started out as a security captain, and originally the Qiao family had maintained considerable ties with Yama.
Not long ago, however, the Qiao family had been wiped out. Although he had advanced to Solar Radiance, he still felt something was missing without the Qiao family.
Moreover, the Qiao family had regularly supplied him with wealth in exchange for mysterious energy, and that pipeline was gone now...
With various thoughts swirling through his mind, Hu Po grew tempted.
Even so, he held back.
Observe a bit longer first!
...
In the distance.
Li Hao's trio were not genuine black-armored soldiers operating purely on instinct; they were martial masters with keen eyesight. With a single glance, they spotted the three figures hiding motionlessly beneath the eaves of a nearby roof. Unless they were blind, three living people were impossible to miss.
At that moment, beside Li Hao, Liu Long subtly nudged his arm against Liu Yan to hold her in check.
Liu Yan did not move.
Liu Long had assumed she might lose control, but she held herself back.
After entering the ancient city, Liu Yan understood just how dangerous this journey was.
As a martial master—and one who had executed countless missions—hatred drove her wild, but madness did not equal stupidity. She had known long ago that the Qiao family had ties to Yama, yet she had endured it all along.
Even when Qiao Peng repeatedly harassed her, she had borne it.
Liu Long had clearly underestimated her endurance.
Li Dahu!
Indeed, they had spotted Li Dahu, Yama's Hu Po.
He was also the person Liu Long and Liu Yan most wanted to kill on this trip.
Liu Yan maintained her steady pace, showing no fluctuations in her gait upon seeing Li Dahu. She carried on as before, which allowed Liu Long to breathe a little easier.
Acting as though they had seen nothing, the three continued walking forward.
Their paces were uniform.
Gradually, they left Li Dahu and his men behind.
Soon, however, they noticed something different—those three were actually tailing them with utmost caution from behind.
Earlier, Li Hao's group had not attacked because their quarry had three people, making a quick kill difficult.
It would easily cause a major commotion.
Thus, even upon seeing their bitter enemy, they had chosen not to make a move.
They had never expected those three to be bold enough to stalk them instead.
Evidently, while Li Hao's group had held back, those three intended to strike at them.
What... sheer audacity!
There was another ten-man patrol of black armor on this street, and Li Hao's group knew that squad would be arriving soon. Right now, the three continued walking without betraying the slightest anomaly.
Yet, out of sight of their pursuers, Liu Long made a subtle hand gesture.
*Kill or not?*
Those three had actually followed them.
Supernatural ranks were easy to distinguish, and with Li Hao present, a single glance was enough: one Solar Radiance, two Lunar Nether Full Moons.
In terms of rank, their strengths were essentially matched.
One Thousand-Battler and two Hundred-Breakers.
However, Li Hao's group were currently disguised in black armor, while the enemy dared not release too much mysterious energy. Caught off guard, Li Hao's side held the decisive advantage. The only worry was that if they failed to take down the enemy swiftly and the patrolling black armor arrived from behind... that would be true trouble.
Once entangled, escaping would become nearly impossible.
At this moment, Li Hao deeply regretted not knowing how to transmit his voice.
His teacher knew how!
He was aware of that, but when he had asked, his teacher said one needed exquisite control over momentum, or a supernatural cultivation at Three Sols, to pull it off.
Otherwise, one had to speak aloud.
If only he could, they could discuss a countermeasure right now.
Even Liu Long, a Thousand-Battler, did not know how to transmit sound through secret force.
His momentum had only been mastered recently, far from refined control. However, as a Thousand-Battler, he would soon master this seemingly minor yet exceedingly practical skill.
When Liu Long signaled whether to kill, Liu Yan, who yearned for vengeance most of all, made a minute gesture... *No.*
She did not want everyone to make an impulsive move on her account, which would expose them.
The ten-man patrol of black armor would be here shortly.
If it were a single opponent, they had confidence in a swift kill.
With three, the slightest mistake could allow someone to flee or generate massive noise, plunging all three of them into grave danger.
Li Hao remained silent, turning things over in his mind.
After a moment of thought, he pointed subtly toward his feet.
Speaking was out of the question, and hand gestures were not omnipotent.
Now came the test of their mutual understanding.
If the two could not read his intent... they would have to give up this opportunity.
Beneath his helmet, Liu Long saw him point toward the ground. At first, he thought Li Hao meant the ground was vibrating... assuming Li Hao wanted to employ momentum.
Soon, however, he realized that was not it.
Pondering carefully, his wits as captain allowed him to quickly grasp Li Hao's train of thought.
*When supers fight black armor, their first thought is to sever the connection to the ground. Li Dahu, as an earth-type, will definitely use earth abilities to isolate the armor... Without the earth's power supporting it, the armor loses its kinetic energy... Launch a surprise attack when they think the armor has been deactivated?*
He rapidly thought it through.
Liu Long was no fool. As the captain of the Demon Hunting Squad, it was precisely his vigilance, boldness, and meticulous nature that had allowed him to keep the squad alive all this time.
Of course, in Yuan Shuo's eyes, he was still an idiot.
Yet right now, he understood Li Hao's meaning!
Seize the chance to ambush Li Dahu!
Deactivated black armor would lower the enemy's guard, and martial masters were the best at concealing themselves. Unlike supers, who found it difficult even to play dead—since any nearby expert could detect the vitality of mysterious energy—martial masters could hide their presence entirely.
Liu Long thought through the plan and felt it had great potential.
However... like Li Hao, he worried Liu Yan would not catch on.
If Liu Yan chose to keep attacking after the enemy seized control of the ground, the entire plan would not only be derailed, but would also alert the enemy, potentially igniting an open brawl and inviting subsequent disasters.
At this moment, the gazes behind two black visors locked onto Liu Yan.
Liu Long seemed to have understood him. Li Hao knew his squad leader had real capability and ought to understand his scheme.
The crucial variable was Liu Yan...
It was not that women lacked intellect or were all looks and no brains, but... Liu Yan held a blood feud against Li Dahu. The fear was that in the heat of the moment, she might lose her clarity. If anger supplanted reason once the enemy closed in, disaster would ensue.
Seeing Liu Yan offer no response, Liu Long had no choice but to make another gesture.
*Play dead!*
Hand gestures could only convey brief instructions.
Play dead, ground, earth...
Piecing these key concepts together, Liu Yan had an epiphany. She tapped out a gesture in return: *Understood!*
Yet Li Hao and Liu Long could not help but share a sliver of worry... *Don't misunderstand!*
Sensing that neither of them fully trusted her... Liu Yan felt utterly helpless.
Did being a woman mean she was doomed to be looked down on?
She truly understood.
Never mind Liu Long, but Li Hao, a rookie, actually dared doubt an Inspecting Commissioner of many years' standing. What a jerk.
Wasn't it just Li Dahu using earth energy to lock down the ground, while they played dead, pretending to lose kinetic energy?
Did they really take her for an idiot?
Then they would seize the moment to counterattack and slaughter the three. Who wouldn't understand such simple reasoning?
Annoyed as she was, she also knew there was no room for carelessness right now, so she made another gesture: *You, shorty!*
A gesture aimed at Li Hao.
Li Hao understood!
Liu Yan truly did understand. She was telling him to handle the shortest among the three later. The tallest was Li Dahu, who naturally required Liu Long to strike.
The shortest would be handled by Li Hao.
The remaining one was naturally Liu Yan's target.
With targets established, a plan in place, and a surprise strike prepared, there would be no misunderstandings or snags that might allow anyone to escape.
Seeing her make that gesture, both Li Hao and Liu Long finally relaxed.
Liu Long dealing with Li Dahu should not be an issue.
As long as Liu Long unleashed the Nine Refinements Force in time, a surprise strike ought to kill an early Solar Radiance super with a single blow... If he couldn't, Liu Long would be utterly useless. After all, Yuan Shuo, as a Thousand-Battler martial master, could kill Three Sols.
If Liu Long, launching a sneak attack, still couldn't kill an early Solar Radiance... Li Hao would lose all respect for him.
Even in a frontal clash, Li Hao's group had nothing to fear.
Yet now was not the time for a frontal clash.
Earth energy... Li Hao still needed it badly.
A single Solar Radiance expert could yield two to three hundred cubic units of earth energy.
Behind them, the three stalkers continued following stealthily.
They were certainly daring. Hanging back a bit, Hu Po waited until the footsteps grew faint, then lowered his voice: "Three black armors, all at Lunar Nether level! As long as I can instantly coat the ground beneath their feet and cut off their energy supply, it won't be a problem. The most crucial part is speed! Based on my observations, another squad will arrive very soon. We must take down these three suits before they get here... Once we have them, we can retreat and regroup with the main force, drastically increasing our safety!"
The two Lunar Nether supers were equally thrilled.
Being here truly felt terrifyingly precarious.
Yet Lunar Nether supers held no say whatsoever in this operation.
"We follow your lead, Lord Hu Po!"
The two quickly made up their minds. As long as Hu Po could restrain the three suits of black armor and sever their power source, they were confident they could swiftly finish them off.
After about a minute, the suits would completely lose their combat capability.
Then, dragging them along, they could rejoin the main force.
At this moment, Hu Po hesitated slightly. He wondered whether he should dispatch one person to keep watch... lest black-armored soldiers arrive unnoticed. But recalling the distinct footsteps of the armor, he felt it was unnecessary.
Instead, they needed to guard against rival supers swooping in to steal the kill.
However, supernatural fluctuations were obvious... unless martial masters from Sword Gate launched a sneak attack...
Yet on Sword Gate's side, the strongest martial master was Hong Yitang's daughter, and Hong Yitang had not permitted women to scout ahead at all. The other martial masters were early or mid Hundred-Breakers at best. Even if they attempted an ambush... would an earth-type Solar Radiance super fear an ambush from early- or mid-stage Hundred-Breakers?
Thinking this over, he chuckled to himself.
Being overly cautious was no good either!
It was all because this eerie environment had spooked him.
"In a moment, the two of you must quickly pin them down. Do not let any of the black armors tumble outside my area of effect, or things will get troublesome..."
He instructed them once more: "Also, keep them suppressed for one full minute, all within my area of effect. Do not let them escape it!"
Previous battles had taught them that one full minute was required for the black armor to lose its fighting capacity. Otherwise, retaliation remained possible.
"Additionally, suppress your supernatural fluctuations to the minimum. Do not produce bright light or loud noise..."
He looked at one of them: "You are a fire-type super. In combat, light is the most conspicuous thing. Your main job will be watching the surroundings!"
"Yes, my lord!"
The two dared not argue. Fire-types truly dared not act recklessly in this environment unless the main force attacked head-on.
In a sneak attack, fire was far too blindingly obvious.
The other subordinate, however, was a wind-type super, who would draw much less attention in this skirmish.
Having settled on a plan, the three quickly gave chase.
Black-armored soldiers did not move quickly during routine patrols, though their movements were blindingly fast in combat. Although lagging behind slightly, the three swiftly caught up.
Seeing the three suits of black armor still marching foolishly ahead, slight smirks appeared on their faces.
...
Ahead, smiles also formed on the faces hidden beneath the helmets.
When the three had stopped following earlier, Li Hao's group had thought the quarry had abandoned the ambush. To think they had caught up after all—excellent, their tactical planning had not gone to waste.
Whether super or martial master, once a decision was made, actions were decisive.
Li Hao's trio continued walking.
Suddenly, a faint supernatural fluctuation rippled through the air.
All three reached for the black swords at their waists simultaneously...
In an instant, their feet seemed to sink into a quagmire. Layers of earth energy surged forward, densely blanketing the ground beneath them in a layer of sludge-like mud.
As to whether it was effective, or whether it severed the energy supply... Li Hao and the others had no idea.
However, they had witnessed how genuine black armor reacted under such circumstances.
The three struggled to walk through the mire, drawing the black swords at their hips and swinging them frantically.
At that moment, Li Dahu and his two subordinates charged out from the darkness.
Streams of mysterious energy leaked from Hu Po as he barked in a low voice, "Quick, attack them! Drain their remaining energy!"
The wind-type expert swiftly unleashed a flurry of wind blades.
The commotion was kept to a minimum!
Black-armored soldiers made little sound to begin with, and Hu Po and his men were terrified of causing a ruckus that would draw attention, so they instinctively kept everything muffled.
Li Hao's trio struggled violently!
Yet the strength of their struggles gradually diminished.
Liu Long looked down and realized he was almost about to step completely out of the swamp... Regret hit him. *Why did I struggle so hard?*
*If I walk right out, how are we supposed to play dead?*
While he was regretting his excess, Hu Po was thoroughly alarmed. *Don't!* He noticed these three suits struggled with far greater ferocity than those encountered previously. He had dealt with black armor before, and they had never displayed such brute strength.
He had nearly slipped up!
Hu Po had no choice but to ramp up his earth energy, swiftly locking down and suppressing the largest of the three!
*Could it be that the bigger the armor, the stronger the soldier?*
*He almost got away!*
Hu Po broke out in a cold sweat. Feeling the surge of restraining force, Liu Long secretly breathed a sigh of relief. *Scared the hell out of me. If I actually walked out, things would have gotten out of hand.*
*And if I didn't step out... but just stood frozen at the very edge, Li Dahu isn't an idiot...*
*Thank goodness!*
It was their first time doing this, so they lacked experience. Next time, they would know just how hard to struggle.
Both sides lingered in lingering dread!
Meanwhile, the struggles of Liu Long's trio grew weaker and weaker.
Under the relentless battering of wind blades, the three staggered and teetered, gradually collapsing to the ground, where they were instantly enveloped in a shell of earth energy!
Hu Po and his men waited a brief moment. Seeing the armor lay completely motionless, all three were ecstatic!
Success!
Hardly any commotion!
Hu Po grabbed the cage formed of earth energy and quickly darted to the side to hide. The other two did the same, while Li Hao's trio lay completely still.
For good reason—footsteps were approaching.
At this moment, everyone was praying that the passing patrol would leave quickly.
Hu Po prayed they would depart swiftly without noticing anything amiss.
Li Hao and the others were also praying they would leave quickly; otherwise, it would be difficult to strike, and if more people arrived, it would mean disaster.
*Clack, clack, clack!*
The orderly footsteps drew nearer.
A squad of black armor marched in lockstep, brushing past them before their footsteps gradually faded into the distance. Hu Po's group scarcely dared breathe, terrified of being discovered by these soldiers and having their captures recognized as comrades.
Only after the footsteps had faded did Hu Po exhale a gentle breath, an irrepressible grin spreading across his face.
Done!
Three suits of black armor...
A massive windfall!
Even if he had to surrender them later, it would earn significant merit. One virtue of large organizations was that they generally did not embezzle your credit; otherwise, nobody would risk their lives. What was yours was yours; under normal circumstances, no one would wipe it away.
Unless the contribution was so monumental... that even the organization could not afford the reward... which was impossible here.
At this exact moment, the three "captured" martial masters—without discussion, without a word—struck simultaneously!
Liu Long pushed the Nine Refinements Force straight to its absolute limit, the booming roar of ocean waves welling up.
Against a Solar Radiance expert like Hu Po, even right in front of him, even in an ambush... he had to go all out to prevent any mishaps.
Li Hao directly wielded the Starry Sky Sword, thrusting it straight toward the short wind-type super, even channeling his sword momentum into the strike!
As for Liu Yan, holding a short blade, she slashed directly toward the throat of the fire-type expert!
The two sides were practically pressed against each other. Just moments ago, to avoid having his supernatural fluctuations detected, Hu Po had even retracted his earth-energy bindings... because he knew that even if black armor touched the ground at this stage, it would not regain its previous vitality, but remain inert.
This had been proven by past experience.
Yet he was dead wrong.
When Liu Long's fist hammered forward, Hu Po—having once been a martial master himself, even if only at the Ten-Slayer realm—possessed reflexes superior to ordinary Solar Radiance supers. In a split second, an earthen shield materialized before him!
*What is going on?*
That was his first thought. Initially, he thought the armor had revived, but soon realized something was amiss. The moment an immense momentum enveloped him, he knew... an ambush!
A martial master!
A martial master who possessed momentum.
Who?
A Thousand-Battler?
Yuan Shuo?
Impossible! Would Yuan Shuo need to ambush him to kill him?
Then who was it?
The moment he felt that razor-sharp sword momentum beside him... a single person came to mind: Li Hao, Yuan Shuo's student! During the battle against Sun Moxian that day, Li Hao had used a sword.
Li Hao... Silver City...
Liu Long!
In that split second, he realized who was throwing a fist at him—Liu Long.
Impossible!
Utterly impossible! Liu Long and the others were with the Night Watchers, and the Night Watchers were behind them. How could they have gotten ahead?
*Boom!*
A deafening roar erupted. Liu Long and the others could no longer care about keeping quiet; failing to slaughter them instantly would invite even greater trouble.
As for Li Hao, his job was far easier.
His target was merely a Lunar Nether super. With sword momentum unleashed, at point-blank range, and armed with the Starry Sky Sword... a single thrust pierced right through the man!
The slender blade sliced across, cleaving half the man's torso away in an instant!
On the other side, Liu Yan's blade slashed the throat of her quarry. Before he could expire, his fire energy erupted, illuminating a small circle of ground... Liu Yan's second blade appeared, driving forcefully right into the man's temple!
Two slashes, and her foe was dead.
Yet the area had been illuminated for a brief second.
Supernatural energy had flared!
And there had been sound... Without doubt, the patrol that had just departed would be returning shortly.
Meanwhile, Liu Long had yet to finish his opponent.
His punch had landed, the Nine Refinements Force devastating enough to smash right through the earthen shield. Li Hao and the others clearly heard the crack of shattering ribs.
Yet Li Dahu was a ruthless man. The moment his shield shattered, instead of dodging, he thrust his chest forward to absorb the crushing blow. The colossal impact seemed to rupture his internal organs, but he did not care; he needed Liu Long's immense kinetic force to propel him farther away!
Fleeing on his own might be too late!
This was the decisive instinct of a former martial master!
He knew these people wanted him dead; they were his enemies, especially the black-armored figure beside him... who was ninety-nine percent likely to be Liu Yan.
At this moment, he chose to take grievous injuries and endure the blow, for that was his only chance of survival.
Even with ruptured organs... he wouldn't necessarily die.
If they pinned him down, death was certain.
With one blow, though he smashed the man's sternum and nearly punched clear through him, Liu Long instinctively realized—*bad!* The bastard was too ruthless. When Liu Long struck, he had intended to stick to his opponent and follow up with a second strike.
Yet Li Dahu was using the impact to fling himself away!
Liu Long's strike was extraordinarily heavy, but the force was also enough to send the man hurtling a great distance at high speed.
Perhaps Li Dahu, heavily wounded, would be finished off by the returning black armor...
Yet what if he survived?
Filled with burning regret, Liu Long could only watch helplessly as his second fist missed its mark. His quarry flew backward... about to soar clear out of attack range.
Liu Long was so frustrated he could spit blood!
Just then, the ground trembled slightly. A burst of earth momentum erupted. As Li Dahu was hurtling backward, he suddenly felt as though a solid wall had materialized behind him.
*Bang!*
He slammed violently against that invisible wall!
Impossible!
He had scouted the area while hiding; there was nothing behind him, no wall at all...
By then, Li Hao was also drenched in sweat, though his helmet hid it. In that moment of desperation, his earth momentum had erupted, vibrating the ground and sending out a shockwave that congealed into an air wall.
The next instant, Liu Long's second fist slammed down, pulverizing the man's head.
Li Hao lunged forward with his sword, skewering the man's heart.
Liu Yan's twin blades followed swiftly, slashing repeatedly across his throat with sickening squelches.
Li Dahu's eyes bulged wide. Even with his face smashed to a bloody pulp by Liu Long's fist, unrecognizable as human, he stared fixedly at the trio, consumed by defiance!
He was a Solar Radiance expert!
He had never placed those weaklings from Silver City in his eyes. Be it Liu Yan or Liu Long, in his view, they were all trash—so what if they were Hundred-Breakers?
After joining Yama, he had reached Lunar Nether within a few years, and two years later, he had vaulted straight into Solar Radiance—an offensive heavy-earth Solar Radiance at that.
Yet here, before he could even display his true capabilities... he was brutally beaten to death in an obscure, forgotten street.
He was no Solar Radiance from some petty faction; he was an elite of Yama, one of the Three Great Organizations.
He had even defeated the Night Watchers' veteran Solar Radiance, the Wind Fiend Huang Yun.
He had possessed a brilliant future!
And the only reason he was being killed was because he had murdered a mere engineer years ago...
His eyes bulged as he stared. Before dying, he wanted to see their faces clearly...
Yet the group had no intention of granting his dying wish.
Liu Long threw another punch, blasting his eyeballs to pulp, muttering with a mix of frustration and guilt, "My apologies!"
Failing to kill the man in one strike and nearly letting him escape... As captain of the Demon Hunting Squad, this was the first time he had committed such an egregious error. Had Li Hao's earth momentum not erupted at the crucial moment, if the bastard had truly flown away, he might still have died, but what if?
In all things, one had to prepare for the worst!
At this moment, Liu Long realized he had overestimated his Nine Refinements Force and underestimated his opponent. Li Dahu was far harder to kill than ordinary Solar Radiance experts!
He had killed a Solar Radiance before and mistakenly used that as a baseline.
Li Dahu's defenses surpassed even some mid Solar Radiance cultivators.
That was a fatal mistake!
"Quick!" Li Hao had no time for his brooding. He swung his short sword, rapidly butchering Li Dahu's corpse!
Liu Yan wielded her twin blades, carving away in rapid strokes.
Liu Long regained his composure. Now was not the time to dwell on mistakes. They had to immediately carve off pieces of the corpse to carry away the mysterious energy and flee... Footsteps could already be heard.
Evidently, the black armor had detected the anomaly here!
Liu Yan felt no exhilarating thrill of revenge, nor did she let out a loud roar of catharsis... At a time like this, whoever yelled was an idiot.
Having killed Li Dahu, she did not even have time to utter a single harsh word.
Carve, and stuff into the energy storage box.
In the blink of an eye, the three discarded the remaining flesh and fled.
Within moments, they vanished from the spot.
Barely after they disappeared, the black-armored patrol arrived. The squad detected the scent of blood and the lingering supernatural fluctuations... yet for a moment, they appeared bewildered.
Dead!
Lingering on the spot for a brief second, the squad resumed their march, footsteps echoing once more.
After another while, several supers approached.
The corpses on the ground had nearly vanished.
Even the bloodstains had been swallowed.
However, shreds of clothing remained.
Seeing the garments, someone frowned slightly. Among the arrivals was a member of Yama, whose expression shifted dramatically!
Yama maintained strict hierarchy.
One of the garments was clearly something only a Solar Radiance expert could wear. A Solar Radiance had died?
Who was it?
It was hard to determine precisely who, but a Solar Radiance had definitely perished here, along with several Lunar Nether experts.
Only a handful of Solar Radiance experts had entered to scout.
Going back and checking would easily reveal who was missing.
"Killed by black armor?"
Aside from black armor, nobody else seemed plausible. Yet... some of them had sensed the disturbance from afar, and it didn't feel like the style of combat associated with black armor.
Furthermore, the black armor was somewhat dull.
As long as one didn't cause a major commotion, generate light, or flare supernatural energy, they wouldn't notice.
Had the people from Yama gone mad?
Could they have actively attacked that ten-man patrol of black-armored soldiers?
By now, several supers had arrived one after another. Someone crouched down to examine the scene closely, whispering after a moment, "Strange. The clothing has irregular tears. The black armor all wield swords... Could it not be black armor?"
That was Li Dahu's clothing. Liu Long's punch had caved in his chest, leaving a distinct crater. Although the fabric had also been chopped to shreds, making it resemble sword cuts, some traces remained.
Li Hao and his group had retreated in too much haste to take the clothes or manufacture a more convincing crime scene.
At these words, several supers in the vicinity melted away into the darkness.
Whether the claim was true or false, it signaled that this place was becoming increasingly dangerous.
If false, it was of little consequence.
If true... did it mean internal strife had already broken out among the supers?
How these Yama experts had died was hard to say.
Perhaps members of other organizations had deliberately lured the black armor over?
Or perhaps an internal clash had drawn the black armor, which slaughtered everyone!
The Yama expert who had inspected the scene said nothing more. Grabbing a scrap of cloth, he swiftly vanished as well. He had to find Yaocheng immediately and report that their people had died—and that it might not have been the black armor's doing!
In truth, he had faintly detected lingering momentum!
It might have been done by martial masters!
Naturally, he couldn't voice such thoughts casually. Once spoken... Sword Gate would become the prime suspect. Yet Sword Gate had always maintained an aloof, non-interfering posture; rashly starting a war with them was not wise.
Moreover, on the surface, Sword Gate had no martial masters who had grasped momentum. Hong Yitang had once grasped it, but he was already a supernatural expert now.
The street gradually returned to silence.
...
Back in the alleyway.
Li Hao's group panted heavily, hearts pounding.
Liu Long brought up the previous matter again: "I made a mistake, a grave one. First, none of the spoils belong to me. Second, for the next lure, I will act alone while you two stay hidden!"
Li Hao said nothing. These were the squad's rules... or rather, rules Liu Long had set for himself. Since he insisted on upholding them, Li Hao had no objection.
Liu Yan also panted, murmuring in a low voice, "I got my revenge! I don't need any of the spoils either. Li Hao, they're all yours this time!"
As she spoke, she seemed torn between joy and bewilderment. "I killed Li Dahu... I..."
"Revenge, my foot!" Li Hao hissed under his breath. "Yama is the real enemy. Yama shielded the Qiao family and Li Dahu. You think killing a single Li Dahu counts as revenge? Naive!"
At these words, her newfound joy of vengeance vanished instantly.
Yama... weighed on their hearts like a towering mountain.
The feeling of relief dissipated without a trace.
Indeed, Yama was the true culprit.
Still... Li Hao was utterly infuriating!
Saying such a thing at a time like this was simply too demoralizing.
Liu Yan was left speechless and said no more. The thrill of having killed Li Dahu evaporated in an instant. *Fine, act like I said nothing.*
Li Hao added, "Keep watch for me. I'm going to absorb some more mysterious energy... This time we got earth, wind, and fire energy... Unfortunately, still no water energy!"
It was agonizing; his kidneys were severely depleted!
Among his five internal organs, the heart and spleen had absorbed the most fire and earth energy, while metal and wood energy were scarce, and water energy... he hadn't absorbed a single drop this time.
If this continued, his kidneys would fall horribly out of balance!
The next instant, a figure crossed his mind—a mid Three Sols expert. If he absorbed her, what imbalance? Nonsense, his kidneys would become the strongest of all!
A mid Three Sols expert could easily provide fifteen hundred cubic units of water energy.
Of course, the thought flitted away as quickly as it came. That woman... would not be easy to handle.
A mid Three Sols expert, even if she played dumb until she truly seemed like an idiot, possessed instantaneous reflexes and defensive capabilities that a Hundred-Breaker might not be able to breach. At Thousand-Battler, it might be feasible—with the Starry Sky Sword and sword momentum, a Thousand-Battler might be able to puncture her defenses in an instant!
Contemplating this, Li Hao felt a surge of urgency.
When would he be able to fuse his two momentums? Once fused, he could advance.
As for fusing five momentums, he would leave that ambition to his teacher; fusing two was enough for him.
As for later, it wasn't as though a Thousand-Battler couldn't comprehend more momentums; it was simply harder. Who cared? He would reach Thousand-Battler first and worry about the rest later.
In this environment, surviving without reaching Thousand-Battler was going to be an uphill battle.
He began furiously absorbing the mysterious energy. The sword energy stored in his jade pendant was dwindling, and Li Hao worried that there wouldn't be enough left to support his breakthrough to Thousand-Battler... and he had no idea how to replenish it right now!
Streams of supernatural energy flowed into him, and aside from his kidneys, his other internal organs grew considerably stronger.
In particular, his heart and spleen, having absorbed plenty of fire and earth energy, were visibly reinforced by a massive degree.
...
At the same time.
Yaocheng of Yama wore an unsightly expression. Holding a torn scrap of fabric in his hand, his brow was tightly furrowed. "Hu Po is dead!"
Hu Po had advanced to Solar Radiance from the ranks of martial masters. His combat prowess was formidable, and he had been a core expert nurtured by Yama in the Silver Moon region.
Yet now, he was dead!
Earth energy was extremely effective against the black armor. Losing an earth-type super right now was more regrettable than losing two or three fire-types, whose abilities were heavily suppressed in this place.
Precisely because earth energy was so useful, Yaocheng had sent Hu Po to lead a scouting team, thinking that even if they ran into black armor, the danger would be manageable.
Yet... Hu Po had still died!
Yaocheng's expression darkened. Was Hu Po's death truly caused by black armor?
Why did it feel off?
Hu Po was no fool. Would he dare provoke a ten-man patrol?
Or had someone refused to let an earth-type like Hu Po live, knowing his survival meant Yama had a greater chance of capturing black armor?
"How many have died?" he asked.
Someone whispered, "Unclear. Aside from confirming that Hu Po and his team are dead... our standard uniforms were spotted in several other locations. At least five Lunar Nether supers and one Solar Radiance have perished!"
At those words, Yaocheng's face turned grim.
How long had it been?
In the blink of an eye, six people were dead!
And that was merely the confirmed minimum. Other supers were still scattered across the area, their fates unknown.
If this continued, by the time they finished scouting the surrounding streets, wouldn't everyone they brought inside be wiped out?
He had only brought seven or eight people in initially, with a few more trickling in later—barely over a dozen in total. Yama had never possessed large numbers to begin with, so if this many died all at once, how was he supposed to account to the Wheel-Turning King?
With a darkened expression, he said grimly, "I will head back first to report to the Wheel-Turning King... Be careful. Furthermore, we cannot be the only ones scouting. The danger exceeds all expectations. We may need to join forces with the other factions!"
They could not continue like this!
His subordinates raised no objections, and shortly thereafter, Yaocheng vanished into the shadows.
Chapter 90