WHOOSH!

Haitian Road was in an uproar tonight. A flood of disciples poured out from the Xiaolin Escort Agency branch, each brandishing a gleaming weapon. Awakened by the commotion, many residents who had been sound asleep stepped onto their balconies or peered through their windows to see what was happening.

"What’s going on? Why is everyone carrying weapons? Has someone forced their way into Haitian Road?"

"Judging by their direction, they’re heading for the residence of Zhao Qi from the Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall’s Wind Shadow Hall. Could something have happened to him?"

"That must be it. Zhao Qi has been in the spotlight too much lately. He took four blocks all by himself and beat back the Ghost Elder’s forces time and again. He’s stepped on the Ghost Elder’s turf, earning too much jealousy. The tree that stands tallest in the forest will be destroyed by the wind..."

"I don’t know what the situation is, but Zhao Qi’s sister is so well-mannered and cultured. She brought us some pastries she baked herself just a few days ago. Sigh, I hope nothing terrible has happened."

"..."

Inside the residences, the occupants chattered amongst themselves, all guessing what could have happened.

Leading the group from the Xiaolin Escort Agency was Inner Sect Disciple Li Zhongquan, Liu Changfeng’s right-hand man. Alongside him was another Inner Sect disciple who specialized in Cross-Training and was on night duty. The party of more than twenty men, all carrying weapons, sprinted toward 22 Haitian Road and reached their destination in just a few minutes.

The first thing Li Zhongquan saw was a Martial Arts Hall disciple lying on the ground, his neck twisted at an unnatural angle. Li Zhongquan’s expression instantly grew incredibly grim.

He waved a hand to those behind him, and the group instantly poured through the courtyard gate.

"Junior Brother Qian, take ten men and follow me upstairs."

Li Zhongquan said in a low voice to the Inner Sect Cross-Training disciple beside him.

The two of them then led about a dozen disciples quickly up the stairs, approaching Zhao Xuanqi’s room.

Before he even got close, Li Zhongquan’s keen sense of smell detected the strong scent of blood, causing his expression to darken further and his heart to sink.

’What happened here? Who were the attackers?’

He didn’t dare to be the least bit careless or dismissive. After all, Zhao Xuanqi’s current status and prestige within the Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall were immense, and it was all built on his ever-growing strength.

It was prestige earned through brutal combat!

Right now, no one in the Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall would dispute Zhao Xuanqi’s strength. And anyone sent by an opponent to assassinate him, you didn’t need to be a genius to know, would be no simple character.

The group spread out at the entrance to Zhao Xuanqi’s room. Li Zhongquan and Qian Yaowen exchanged a look, preparing to break down the door.

"The door’s unlocked. Just come in. Don’t break it."

Just then, a voice suddenly came from inside the room, bringing their attempt to break down the door to an abrupt halt.

’It’s Senior Brother Zhao’s voice.’

Hearing this voice, Li Zhongquan actually let out a breath of relief. ’It seems the worst-case scenario didn’t happen. As long as that’s true, everything else is manageable.’

He stepped forward, turned the doorknob, and opened the door. Everyone instantly saw the scene inside, and each one of them couldn’t help but gasp.

A bed split in two, a shattered wardrobe, a floor covered in cracks, a dented wall—bright red blood was splattered across the room’s walls, ceiling, and floor, where three corpses lay.

One body was completely limp, as if every bone had been shattered. The second had a gaping hole where its heart should be, with crimson blood pooling on the floor. The last one’s entire abdomen had been sliced open, its intestines spilling out.

And there, Zhao Xuanqi sat on the splintered remains of his bed. He was bare-chested, his blood-soaked clothes tossed casually aside. Several gruesome wounds were visible on his body, the flesh torn open.

The worst of it was his left arm. The bone had been pierced through, and the limb was nearly sliced in half. Just looking at it was enough to make one’s scalp tingle and skin crawl.

Just by looking at the Purgatory-like scene, one could imagine how perilous the preceding battle must have been.

Yet, Zhao Xuanqi himself acted as if nothing was wrong. His expression was calm and indifferent. An emergency first-aid kit, kept in the room, was open beside him as he tended to his wounds with simple dressings.

"Senior Brother Zhao, this is..."

Li Zhongquan took a deep breath. It was the first time he had ever seen Zhao Xuanqi so heavily injured. ’Just who did this?’

"Men from the Jili Ghosts. If I’m not mistaken, they should be the Ghost Elder’s Cross Level Royal Fighters. To kill me, the Jili Ghosts really spared no expense."

Zhao Xuanqi said.

’Cross Level Royal Fighters?! Those are monsters who’ve mastered abilities that are practically Superpowers. A single one is comparable to a top-tier True Inheritance practitioner from a Martial Arts Hall, like Liu Changfeng. In a fight to the death, their abilities are even more terrifying than those of a True Inheritance master.

’Therefore, Royal Fighters of Cross Level and above are normally strictly forbidden from taking action in the Divine Land. To do so is considered a provocation against the local Warlords.

’And this time, three Cross Level fighters were dispatched. This shows the Ghost Elder’s determination to kill him. And yet, this very force, sent to surround and kill Zhao Xuanqi, not only failed but were all killed by him in return?!

’No wonder the scene is so gruesome.’

Briefly picturing the perilous scene in his mind, Li Zhongquan felt his heart tremble slightly. He strode forward and pulled off the hoods of the three men, revealing three Caucasian faces to everyone present.

"This time, the Jili Ghosts failed to kill me," Zhao Xuanqi said. "These three corpses will be enough to make them choke. Hurry and inform Master and our senior brothers. The rest is up to them to handle."

’This time, the Jili Empire not only failed to kill me, but also broke a taboo. With the connections and power behind the masters of the three great martial arts halls, it’ll be enough to make the Jili Empire’s forces in Celestial Sea Prefecture bleed profusely.’

"I sent someone to urgently notify Master and our senior brothers the moment we got the news. Senior Brother Zhao, your injuries are severe. You should get to a clinic to have them treated immediately."

Li Zhongquan said with a nod.

Meanwhile, news of Zhao Xuanqi’s attack quickly reached the ears of Weng Xiaolin and Liu Changfeng, leaving both men shocked.

The two of them immediately led their disciples toward Haitian Road, while also sending messengers to inform the other two major Martial Arts Halls.

For the Martial Arts Realm of Celestial Sea Prefecture, this was destined to be a sleepless night.

...

...

「Meanwhile.」

At the Jili Empire’s commercial director’s residence in Celestial Sea Prefecture, the director’s office was brightly lit.

Gulade sat on a soft leather sofa, a cigar in his mouth, leisurely flipping through a popular fashion magazine imported from the Jili Empire. His expression was one of pure contentment.

Pete, on the other hand, also had a cigar, but he was pacing back and forth in the spacious office, looking rather agitated.

"Mr. Pete, please, calm down. The Cross Level Royal Fighters are the elite, one in ten thousand. Not a single one of them can be compared to some True Inheritance practitioner from a small place like Celestial Sea Prefecture. With three of them working together, I can’t imagine any reason why the target would survive. If it weren’t to ensure absolute certainty and leave no traces, I wouldn’t have sent so many at once. It’s an insult to our warriors."

Gulade, finding Director Pete’s constant pacing before him distracting, set down his fashion magazine and frowned at Pete.

"Sir, you may not understand. This person... he’s special..."

Director Pete said in a grave voice, his mind involuntarily flashing back to the scene at the Three Halls Tournament.

’He had thought it was a sure thing, but in the end, that kid had created a miracle with his scrawny body.

’This time, even though the advantage was absolute, he couldn’t shake a feeling of unease in his heart.’

Hearing this, Gulade let out a cold laugh. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the office and a small smile appeared on his face.

"Mr. Pete, it seems our good news has arrived."