"ARGH!"

Ye Fan’s roar, imbued with profound Inner Strength, was deafening enough to split eardrums.

At that moment, one of the Tu Guards shouted, "He’s the King of Heaven! Kill him and endless riches will be yours! For wealth and for your dreams, charge!"

Dozens of men swarmed in to surround him.

Ye Fan bellowed, "Dragon Essence Power!"

Instantly, a vortex of wind erupted from the calm desert sands, coalescing into a massive spear of Gang Yuan.

"That’s the King of Heaven’s ultimate move!"

The two Tu Guards were shaken. The moment they saw this technique, the fiery ambition in their hearts was extinguished, replaced by a boundless, visceral fear. Fearing death above all else, they immediately began to retreat.

However, Ye Fan’s Dragon Essence Power had been aimed at them from the start. When the energy descended upon them, they were paralyzed with terror. They could clearly feel death’s approach.

"AHH!"

Under the Dragon Claw Hand, they were torn to shreds.

How many could possibly withstand the wrath of the King of Heaven?

The remaining men felt their courage shatter. Was this the King of Heaven’s ultimate move? Despair washed over them, leaving them without even the will to flee. Their bodies went limp, and they collapsed to the ground. But the Dragon Essence Power was relentless; once unleashed, the killing blow would not cease until its target was utterly annihilated.

BOOM!

The great dragon roared and bellowed.

When the Dragon Essence Power finally dissipated, the men had been completely obliterated, torn apart by the great dragon. Ye Fan stood his ground, surveying the scene.

He spoke into the wind, "Sha Xiong, I have avenged you. I will reclaim all the honor of the King Hall. No one will bully the King Hall and get away with it."

He climbed into an off-road vehicle and drove immediately toward the King Hall.

Meanwhile, deep in the vast desert, two figures wore worried expressions. They were Qin Yanran and Qin Mengyao.

"Damn it! The tire’s blown out and the exhaust pipe is clogged with sand. This car is useless," Qin Mengyao lamented.

"Then we’ll walk," Qin Yanran stated.

"Are you serious? We’re still over thirty miles from the center of the African battlefield, and you want to walk?" Qin Mengyao asked in frustration. She thought her sister had gone mad.

Qin Yanran simply asked, "Are you scared?"

"Scared?" Qin Mengyao retorted defensively. "That word isn’t in my dictionary! If we walk, we walk!"

The two women began their arduous trek across the great desert. By nightfall, they were reaching their limit. Despite their considerable stamina, the combination of the day’s blistering heat and the night’s biting cold had left them exhausted. To make matters worse, immense sandstorms had risen, making it nearly impossible to press on.

Qin Mengyao finally stopped. "I can’t... I can’t go on! If I take another step, I’ll drop dead!"

"Here, take this!" Qin Yanran tossed her a thick coat.

Qin Mengyao scrambled to pick it up and put it on. Just then, in the darkness, they heard the sounds of people running. Though the howling wind muffled the noise, their keen ears caught the faint sounds of movement. The two women immediately dropped to the sand to watch.

Sure enough, a disheveled group was stumbling toward them from a distance. Like the two sisters, they looked as if they could collapse at any moment. Just then, however, a large convoy of vehicles appeared, cutting off their escape.

"Prepare for battle!"

The group of more than a hundred people hastily formed a defensive line, but their opponents numbered over two hundred. Behind the defenders were only the old, the weak, and the infirm, a group with seemingly no strength to fight at all.

"Still think you can escape?" the enemy leader jeered. "Hahaha! Everything that belongs to the King Hall is under our control now, including all of you! Escape is impossible!"

"Rashamon Army! Don’t be so arrogant!" the small group’s squad leader shot back. "If the King of Heaven returns, would you still dare speak with such arrogance?"

"Even if the King of Heaven himself were here, the King Hall would still fall! It is inevitable! Now, boy, prepare to die! Today, you will all learn the might of Luo Jin!"

Hearing the name Luo Jin, the defenders’ faces tightened. Luo Jin was the strongest subordinate of the Rashamon King. They never imagined he himself would hunt down a disposable group like theirs.

The squad leader wasted no more words, roaring, "Charge!"

Instantly, the two forces clashed. The squad leader faced Luo Jin directly, but unfortunately, he was hopelessly outmatched. Within five exchanges, Luo Jin was holding the man’s severed head aloft.

"This is the fate of the King Hall!" he declared boastfully. "Slaughter them all!"

A one-sided massacre began, filled with agonizing screams.

"Damn it!"

Qin Mengyao charged forward. Qin Yanran, lacking any strength, could only watch, hating her own powerlessness. She wished desperately that she could help these people escape their sea of suffering, but she could do nothing. She swore to herself that as soon as she returned, she would dedicate herself to practicing martial arts and become someone who could actually help. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Qin Mengyao threw herself into the fray, but she tragically caught Luo Jin’s eye. He struck her with a single punch, sending her flying backward to crash hard upon the sand.

"Sister!" Qin Yanran cried, running to her side without a thought for her own safety and helping her up.

"Well, well, look what we have here. A couple of beauties!" Luo Jin laughed. "Brothers, whoever kills the most people gets these two women!"

At his words, his men fell into a frenzy, redoubling their murderous efforts.

"Stop it, you devils!" Qin Yanran sobbed.

"Hahaha! This feeling of utter annihilation is what I live for!" Luo Jin reveled in the chaos. "Now, it’s your turn."

He started toward Qin Yanran and Qin Mengyao, and the two sisters fell into despair.

Suddenly, a long spear shot through the air, forcing Luo Jin to dodge aside hastily.

"Who’s there?" he bellowed.

From the other side of the dunes, a large army was surging toward them.

"The Heavenly King Hall has arrived!" Di Que roared.

"What the hell is a Heavenly King Hall?" Luo Jin scoffed. "I don’t care if you’re the King Hall or the Heavenly King Hall! Today, you will all die by my hand!" he bellowed furiously, then commanded his men, "Go!"

The two armies collided.

At that moment, Black Fog, now loyal to Ye Fan, saw his chance and struck. In the darkness, his combat power was magnified. He moved to intercept Luo Jin, pitting his own bizarre arts against Luo Jin’s in a deadly dance. Both possessed Innate strength; it was a battle of pure agility and speed.

As Black Fog’s dagger descended, Luo Jin met it with his iron-like claws.

CLANG!

Two of Luo Jin’s fingers were instantly severed. In his shock and horror, Black Fog’s other hand shot out, another dagger aimed straight for his throat. Terrified, Luo Jin twisted away. After a flash of light, the two separated, standing less than twenty meters apart.

DRIP... DRIP...

Blood trickled from Luo Jin’s body. Though he had avoided a fatal blow to the throat, Black Fog had left a deep wound on his shoulder.

Such an eerie movement technique! Luo Jin was stunned. His own speed and movements were already considered bizarre, but Black Fog’s were on another level entirely. This man was a truly formidable enemy.

He shouted aloud, "With such terrifying speed and movement technique... you’re Black Fog?"

Black Fog had been famous long before joining the Heavenly King Hall, so Luo Jin recognized him—the man rumored to have the potential to become a King.

"That’s right, it’s me," Black Fog confirmed.

"I never imagined that even the great Black Fog would become the King of Heaven’s lapdog. Where is your pride? Joining a power on the brink of collapse... Black Fog, that wasn’t a very wise choice!" Luo Jin taunted.

But Black Fog’s voice was cold. "What power I choose to join is my own business. No outsider can influence me, much less pass judgment."

In truth, he was privately exasperated. He’d only joined the Heavenly King Hall because Ye Fan had practically forced him into it. It was his own damn fault for being foolish enough to make a bet with the King of Heaven, the foremost of all Kings.

Black Fog was, without a doubt, a top-tier expert with his own pride. But since he had made a promise, he would fulfill it. For now, at least, he remained loyal to Ye Fan.