Finally, under the constant provocation of Ah-Dai's knights, the black-clothed man could no longer hold back. His body seemed weightless as he suddenly slid forward, charging towards Ah-Dai. Ah-Dai let out a loud roar and swung his sword with all his might, unleashing a powerful slash. The surrounding air currents seemed to be sucked dry by this one sword strike, restricting the black-clothed man's movements and forcing him to face Ah-Dai head-on. Ah-Dai felt that his slash was more powerful than before, but he didn't know why. In fact, after entering the fifth realm of the Life-and-Death Duel, Ah-Dai's life energy had gradually grown stronger, allowing his abilities to advance unconsciously.
The man in black didn't panic, the short blade in his hand gleaming with a cold light. He slightly shifted his body and simultaneously slashed both blades onto the back of the Tian Ge sword. Again, two "ding" sounds rang out, Ah Dai's full-force strike was instantly deflected to one side. Two sharp streams of true energy shot up along the sword, directly attacking Ah Dai's hands holding the sword. Only now did Ah Dai understand why Miao Fei's soft sword had fallen from his hand earlier. He hastily forced the liquid-like Sheng Sheng True Energy within his body to surge towards his hands. Amidst the continuous rotation of the Sheng Sheng True Energy, he barely managed to dissolve those two streams of true energy that were like sharp needles. However, his hands had already become somewhat numb.
Although the black-clothed man successfully unloaded Ah-Dai's heavy sword, the weight of the Tian-Gang sword combined with Ah-Dai's innate Dou Qi produced a massive force that still shook him back a step. The black-clothed man didn't hesitate at all, his body retreated and advanced in an instant, the cold gleam flashed by, two short blades slashed upwards towards the throat and downwards towards the chest, attacking with lightning speed.
At this critical moment of life and death, Ah-Dai's mind was exceptionally clear, his body barely turned to one side, and with a surge of strength in both hands, he suddenly raised the Tian-Gang sword that had been stuck in the ground. The black-clothed man let out a cold hum and did not continue to fight hard with Ah-Dai. His body flashed, and he disappeared from in front of Ah-Dai. Ah-Dai's move was too old, and two sharp gusts of wind suddenly attacked him from behind. He was already unable to block them, so he had no choice but to fall forward with his whole body. When his body was about to touch the ground, his left palm heavily struck the ground, and his whole body borrowed strength to rise up and float out five meters before rolling to the ground. Although he reacted extremely quickly, there was still a burning pain in his back. The black-clothed man's short blade had already left two long scars on his back. Sharp fighting spirit continued to wreak havoc inside his body, Ah-Dai's whole body convulsed and fell to the ground, desperately using his vital energy to resist the true energy that had entered his body.
A'Dai didn't even have time to catch his breath, and the sharp wind arrived again. He knew that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't dodge the opponent's attack anymore, and the shadow of death filled his entire body. Everyone watched in horror as the black-clad man's short blade was about to pierce A'Dai's back, but due to the black-clad man's speed being too fast, no one could intervene in time.
Suddenly, Ah-Dai felt a warmth in his left hand, and a warm current spread throughout his body. With the help of this warm flow, his true energy burst forth, rapidly forcing out the sharp true energy from his body. To others' eyes, Ah-Dai's entire body suddenly emitted a brilliant white light. The black-clothed man had intended to use his short blade to force Ah-Dai into submission, but upon seeing this scene, he immediately swung his blade in a slashing motion.
The white light on Tan Jian and Ah Dui's bodies came into contact, as if cutting through leather. The white light was tough and elastic, and suddenly burst out with great radiance, sending the black-clothed man flying.
A'Dai also didn't feel good, although he didn't understand where this warm current came from, the white light it produced only managed to block most of the black-clothed man's attacks. His throat felt sweet, and with a "wa" sound, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
Yan Shi and Yan Li simultaneously rushed out to help Ah Dai up. The black-clothed man did not pursue, standing calmly there, lightly panting.
Ah-Dai used the Tian-Gang sword to prop up his body, regulating the turbulent blood and gas inside, forcing a smile: "Two big brothers, I'm fine."
The rock sighed and said, "Forget it, brother. We've done our best. The kung fu of these black-clad men is too strong, not something we can handle."
Yan Li's face turned heavy, and he sighed: "Even if we go together, it's not necessarily going to work. It seems that there are indeed people outside of people! The Spirit Clan is in trouble."
"Ah-Dai suddenly shouted: 'No, absolutely can't let them take away the elf.' He glared at the men in black and said: 'I haven't lost yet. Let's continue, two brothers, you go back.'"
Yan Shi and Yan Li looked at Ah Diao's determined gaze, feeling a bit ashamed, they lowered their heads. Just now, they had already thought of giving up. Yan Li suddenly raised his head and said: "Let's go all out! Maybe there's still a glimmer of hope if we all work together."
A'Dai shook his head and said, "No, they have a lot of people. Let's continue the trial according to the rules. I won't necessarily lose. Big brother, you guys retreat." After finishing speaking, A'Dai walked step by step towards the man in black.
The man in black looked at Ah Diao coldly, and Ah Diao stopped three meters in front of her. With one hand, he forcefully inserted the Tian Geng sword into the ground. The man in black said in a cold voice: "You are not my opponent, let someone else come."
He shook his head and said, "Not necessarily." He reached into his collar and pulled out the Dragon's Blood, clenching it in his palm. Following the incantation taught by Xuan Yue, he whispered, "Great King of the Dragon Clan! Please lend me your boundless divine power to form an impenetrable shield, defending the dignity of the dragon!" After finishing, he turned around and stretched out both hands towards Yan Shi and the others, his back facing the black-clothed man. A brilliant white light suddenly burst forth, causing the black-clothed man to take a few steps back in astonishment. He couldn't understand why this young boy had so many strange things about him.
A brilliant white light burst forth, enveloping everyone including the spirits in a protective barrier. This magic was the strongest light-based spell that Ah-Dai could cast with the power of the Dragon's Blood, and only Xuan-Yue knew its name: "Guardians of Light", a mid-level defensive spell of the light element that could dispel all evil energies and had strong defensive capabilities. It was already difficult for Ah-Dai to cast third-level magic, but with the amplification of the Dragon's Blood, he managed to force out this fifth-level spell. Only Xuan-Yue understood what Ah-Dai was trying to do, and she whispered: "Ah-Dai, you must be careful!" The white Guardians of Light not only protected everyone but also isolated their hearing and vision. Yan-Shi grew anxious, wanting to rush out of the barrier to help Ah-Dai, but Xuan-Yue stopped him, saying calmly: "Don't worry, he'll be fine." In fact, even she didn't know why she had so much faith in Ah-Dai.
When the Guardian of Light successfully protected everyone, including the black-clad thief who was attacking Ah-Dai, all the thieves were stunned. They couldn't understand why Ah-Dai would use magic to protect others instead of himself. The black-clad man said, "What do you mean by this?" He couldn't help but feel some regret in his heart, thinking that if he had attacked Ah-Dai when he was using magic earlier, Ah-Dai might have already fallen.
The silly turned around and faced the black-clothed man, a cold expression flowing across his face. "Nothing, I'm just afraid that if the attack is too strong, it will hurt my friends."
The black-clad man was taken aback. Although Ah-Dai's previous performance had not been weak, he was at most a warrior with higher strength, except for that strange white light at the end. He was far inferior to himself in terms of martial arts power. What kind of power could he have? Could it be magic? No way, at such close range, he would never give him another chance to chant spells again. Thieves had always been known as "Magic Killer", their speed was the nemesis of mages.
Just as the man in black was puzzled, Ah-Dai's right hand had already touched his own chest.
The man in black suddenly felt as if he was in the midst of a severe winter, and couldn't help but shiver. The Ah-Dai in front of him was no longer that silly little kid, his eyes gleaming with malice, a faint gray gas constantly emanating from his body, filling the surroundings with an aura of evil. Those among the men in black who were weaker in power had already begun to tremble unconsciously, and even the seven who came later couldn't help but reveal fearful glances.
The evil aura grew stronger, centered around Ah-Dai and spreading outwards. The black-clad men bowed their heads, their icy gazes making him almost unable to resist. A short blade hovered in front of his chest, his body slightly arched, about to attack under pressure. "Wait a minute," the lead black-clad man suddenly shouted. His figure flashed by, and the other six black-clad men floated in front of Ah-Dai.
He stared at them coldly, without a hint of fear, as his true energy flowed into the hilt of the Ming Wang sword in his right hand. The dark and eerie aura surrounding him grew thicker, and he could clearly feel that he was ready to launch an attack with the Ming Wang sword at any moment. "What? You want to gang up on me?"
The man in black at the forefront emitted a faint blue aura, resisting the evil energy in the air while saying: "Young brother, if I'm not mistaken, you should be the successor of the 'Underworld King', right?"
Ah-Dai nodded and didn't answer.
The man in black said, "I didn't expect the killer from the Workmen's Guild to become so compassionate and actually save people. Alright, today we'll let it slide for the sake of the Underworld King. However, you have to show us your skills or else we can just kill everyone here and I'm sure even the 'Underworld King' won't know who did it. Little Four, go test if his Underworld Sword is real."
A tall and thin man in black clothes stepped forward a few steps, raised the short blade in his hand, and stared at Ah Diao's right hand.
The dull and foolish one said: "When the King of Hell's sword is drawn, no one will be left alive. You should know that now is still a good time to leave."
The man in black, known as Xiao Si, sneered: "'Yin Wang' is indeed the number one killer on the mainland, but I don't know how much of his skills you've learned." After finishing speaking, his body transformed into a dark shadow and flashed towards Ah Dai like lightning. Since he knew that his opponent was the most terrifying 'Yin Wang' successor in the Killer's Guild, he didn't hold back like he did with the previous man in black. With a swift slash of his blade, he aimed for Ah Dai's throat, filled with an unstoppable momentum. These thieves were well aware that although they usually didn't interact with the Killer's Guild, it was not something they could afford to provoke. The best solution was to kill and silence him.
His eyes gleaming with an icy light, Ah-Dai loudly chanted: "Ming Wang Yi Shandian——di——dong——" He finally drew out the world's most evil sword, the Ming Wang Sword, for the first time. Even he himself hadn't seen its appearance clearly, only feeling his entire body's vitality being rapidly drained by a faint blue glow in front of him. His true energy flew away swiftly, and his body flashed towards the opponent. The air seemed to be solidified by an overwhelming evil aura, causing all the black-clad men to lose their ability to move. A faint blue light flashed by, as if it came from hell. Ah-Dai appeared behind a black-clad man, whose eyes were filled with an unbelievable expression. His eyeballs gradually turned gray, and his body was slowly withering away. With two clanging sounds, the short blade fell to the ground, and his body slumped softly onto the ground, having transformed into a desiccated corpse.
The Meng Wang sword was hidden, and the evil force still existed, but it was no longer so strong. The thin black-clothed man who had just been defeated by Ah Dai cried out "Fourth Uncle" as his body rushed forward, drifting towards the dead black-clothed man.
The man in black at the forefront shouted, "Withdraw!" His movements were much faster than those of the previous two men in black. With a flash of his dark spear, he had already scooped up the slender figure of the man in black with one hand and grabbed the dry corpse and the remaining five men in black with the other, dashing into the forest like lightning.
Those black-clothed men with low cultivation had all been invaded by the evil force and were unable to move. Although they had a certain foundation, the evil aura of the Ming Wang sword still took their souls away. Without their souls, their bodies were constantly weakening, although they wouldn't turn into dry corpses, they would absolutely not escape death. They could no longer see the sun on the second day.
Six black-clad men later did not bother with these fellow travelers and quickly disappeared from Ah Diao's line of sight.
A'Dai is also not doing well, and is currently using all his strength to resist the evil power of the Ming Wang sword. Although he only used the first move of the Ming Zi Jiu Jue - Ming Shan, it still consumed most of his life force. If those black-clothed men had launched another attack on him just now, he would have been unable to block it. Unfortunately, the reputation of 'Ming Wang' was too great, and in order to preserve their own lives, the black-clothed men chose to retreat.
After a while, Ah-Dai finally suppressed the evil power of the Ming Wang sword, restoring it to normal. The feeling of using the Ming Wang sword to devour blood just now made him extremely fearful. He was afraid that he would become a killing demon. Taking a deep breath, Ah-Dai slowly raised his head and happened to see the trembling body of the elf mage, Yuroma. Yuroma had been awakened by the evil aura when Ah-Dai activated the Ming Wang sword's power and had witnessed the strange scene. Although she was not a high-ranking magician in the elf tribe, having grown up in the lush elf forest and practicing natural magic, which has some resistance to evil powers, she did not succumb to the Ming Wang sword's power like the black-robed men. However, the scene just now, combined with the Ming Wang sword's power, still made her body hard to bear. In Yuroma's eyes, Ah-Dai seemed like the most evil creature in the world, taking away a life with just one move, as if only the god of life could do so.
A'Diao had forgotten about Roma's existence when he chose to use the Ming Wang sword earlier. Now, seeing her trembling appearance, he was startled and hastily mobilized the little remaining true energy in his body to walk to Roma's side with difficulty. Roma looked at him with some fear and trembled as she said: "Y-you're a god of death? What are you going to do?"
A'Dai coughed up a mouthful of blood and smiled wryly, "I didn't do anything, the enemy has finally left. Are you feeling very cold now?"
Roma nodded, the icy expression on Ah-Dai's face when he killed someone earlier was still vivid in her mind. She couldn't help but wonder if this person who saved them was good or bad.
Ah-Dai crouched down, placing his right hand on Roma's trembling shoulder, and slowly fed the remaining vital energy into her body. Although the white glow was faint, it still emitted a weak sacred aura. Under the effect of the vital energy, Roma felt a warmth spreading throughout her body, and suddenly felt much more comfortable. The invading evil energy dissipated, and she returned to normal.
A'Dou breathed heavily, his body nearing its limits. He grasped Rouma's hand and said earnestly: "Spirit... sister, can you... grant me one thing?"
"What's going on?"
"Ah, Roma... sister... I hope you won't tell everyone about what just happened... it's my secret... don't worry, I have no ill intentions towards the spirit tribe or any good people... I didn't want to kill anyone either... they forced me..."
Looking at Ah-Dai's pleading gaze, Yuema's heart softened, and she knew that if it weren't for these outsiders who saved them, her fate would probably be the same as those missing sisters, becoming human slaves. It was this somewhat foolish boy in front of her who had saved herself, although the scene just now had a deep impact on her, but kind Yuema still decided to help Ah-Dai hide this secret. Thinking of this, Yuema nodded lightly.
Having received Yoma's affirmative answer, Ah-Dai's face revealed a hint of a comforting smile, and his body leaned to one side before falling unconscious in Yoma's arms.
As Ah-Dai fell into a coma, his spiritual power fell into a deep sleep, and the Light Guardian was also lifted. The anxious crowd found that the light screen in front of them had disappeared, and they rushed out suddenly.
Yagai flew over to Rofma's side, flapping his wings, and looked at Adai who was lying in his arms. He asked in surprise: "This... what happened?"
Roma hesitated for a moment before saying, "It was him, this human who chased those scoundrels away."
Ya Cong was shocked, he had seen the strength displayed by the black-clothed men earlier, Ah Dai's skills were not weak, but compared to those black-clothed men, they were far inferior. He didn't have time to ask again, Yan Shi and others had already rushed over, Yan Shi picked up Ah Dai's body and used his internal energy to examine his meridians. The crowd formed a circle, anxiously waiting for Yan Shi's judgment.
Xuan Yue, because she didn't know martial arts, was the last one to arrive. She squeezed her way to the front and anxiously asked: "Big Brother Yan Shi, Ah-Dai, how is Ah-Dai?"
"Take it easy, Ah-Dai brother is fine, just exhausted, rest for a while and he'll be okay."
Yagai looked at Rofma with profound meaning in his eyes and said, "Dear friends, thank you for saving us. On behalf of all the spirits here, I apologize to you for what happened earlier. We were indeed too rash." As he spoke, he bowed deeply to the crowd.
Yuè Hén supported him and said, "Forget it, anyway we didn't suffer any losses. Those thieves were really detestable earlier, helping you is what we should do. What about these corpses?"
"Let the body stay here for now, our people will take care of it. Let's hurry to the City of Elves, I need to report what just happened to Her Majesty the Elf Queen."
Xuan Yue looked around and said, "It seems like there are more corpses than before. I hope they weren't all killed by Ah Dai."
Ruo Ma nodded and said: "I don't know how they died either. After those black-clothed men ran away, they all fell down."
Miao Fei said in confusion: "How did Ah Dui suddenly become so powerful, and actually drove away this group of people with his own strength? Is he usually hiding his true abilities?"
"The rock said somewhat impatiently: 'Don't worry about that for now. Spirit brothers, trouble you to lead the way, Ah-Dai needs to find a quiet place to rest properly.'"
At this moment, a large group of spirits flew over here, with more than 100 people. The three leading spirits emitted strong momentum, and Akatsuki was delighted to say: "Our people have arrived." He flapped his wings to welcome them and kept talking to the spirits who came later in the spirit language.
The spirits descended, and the three leading spirits approached the crowd. The middle-aged male spirit said, "Thank you for saving our fellow spirits. The Spirit Tribe's Spirit Envoy Tianying has expressed his gratitude." He looked to be around thirty years old, with a stern expression, carrying a short bow on his back, and a solemn face.
Yan Shi's expression changed slightly as he held Ah Dai and walked forward, saying: "Tian Ying uncle, do you still recognize me?"
Tian Ying looked at the rock in surprise, sizing him up and down a few times, and said with some doubt: "You're from the Pu Rock Clan, haven't we met before?"
"Uncle Tianying, thirteen years ago, my father Yan Fei brought me here to see you! I am Yan Shi!"
Tian Ying exclaimed in surprise, "You, you're Rocky! It's been over a decade since we last met, and your appearance has changed quite a bit!"
Yanli hurried over, pointing at his own nose and said: "Tianying Uncle, I'm Yanli!"
Tianying burst out laughing and said, "So it was you, that mischievous imp! I recall how you used to chop down trees in my family's courtyard with an axe. And who could forget the pitiful look on your face when Yan Fei and his brothers beat you up?"
Yan Li awkwardly said: "Uncle, let's just forget about that embarrassing thing from before."
Yan Shi Dao: "Tian Ying Uncle, my friend has exhausted himself and needs to rest. Can you take us to a place where we can settle down for now?"
Tianying patted his own chest and said, "No problem, Yagai has already told me about what happened earlier. Let's go now. These thieves are getting too arrogant. They've been ambushing our lone tribe members more than once. It seems that if we don't teach them a lesson, they'll think the Elf tribe is easy to bully." As he spoke, a cold glint flashed in Tianying's eyes.
Yan Shi nodded and said: "Tian Ying uncle, let's get going. Once we arrive at your village, I'll tell you why I ended up here."
Tianying nodded and beckoned to the spirits following him, surrounding everyone as they flew deeper into the Spirit Forest.
…………
Outside the Spirit Forest.
Six men in black stopped moving and came to a halt. Although they had been running at full speed for some time, not one of them was even slightly out of breath.
The man in black let out a long sigh and said, "It should be safe now. I didn't expect the disciple of the King of Hell to appear here."
The thin black-clad man who had previously fought with Ah Diao looked at the desiccated corpse in the lead black-clad man's hand and let out a loud wail. "Fourth Uncle, Fourth Uncle, you died so miserably!" His voice was no longer hoarse and low, but clear and sharp, speaking in standard Holy See language.
Several men in black clothes all showed a sorrowful expression on their faces. The leader of the men in black let out a sigh and said, "Qī Yā Tóu (Seventh Young Mistress), stop crying too. It's not anyone's fault but our own bad luck that we encountered a disciple of the King of Hell."
The slender black-clad figure pulled down the veil on his face, revealing a delicate and moving face. It was actually a pretty girl, looking around 17 or 18 years old, with tears constantly flowing in her big eyes. "Fourth Uncle, Fourth Uncle died for me! Originally, it should have been me who went up against the King of the Underworld's sword!"
The man in black at the front sighed and said, "Kid, stop crying. Protecting you is what we should do. Fourth Brother gave his life for you, it's a worthy death."
Qī yā tóu měng de tái qǐ tóu, yǎn zhōng lěng liáng lián shǎn, "Dà shū, nín zhè shì shuō de shén me huà, méi yǒu shuí shì yīng gāi sǐ de. Nín xī wàng wǒ miè fēng shì tán shēng pà sǐ zhī bèi ma? Rú guǒ shì de huà, wǒ yòu hé kǔ xí shí jǐ nián gōng fu, nán dào wǒ nà huò qǔ zhě de shí lì, quán dōu shì zài nǐ men de bì hù xià dá dào de ma? Gāng cái nà shǎo nián wèi bì néng zài yòng chū míng wáng jiàn, wǒmen wèi shén me yào pǎo, zài gōng jī xià què rùn, yě xǔ wǒmen jiù chéng gōng le a!"
The man in black, known as Big Uncle, furrowed his brow and said, "Seven, calm down. I know you're close to Fourth Brother, but what's done is done. We can't change it. You think we're not heartbroken? The six of us have been together for decades, and besides the Guild Leader, only we six are qualified to receive the Guild's benefits. You've only reached this level in recent years. Fourth Brother's death... we're more heartbroken than you, but Seven, you need to understand that as a top-notch thief, you can't let your emotions affect your mindset. If we hadn't left on time, maybe the next target of the Underworld Sword would be you or me, or one of us. You're right, that young man isn't very old, and his powers aren't deep. Maybe he really can't use the Underworld Sword again. Even if he does, he won't be able to kill all of us. We'll definitely have a chance to take him down. But think about it... if I let you do this, someone else might die by his sword. Do you want to see that result? The Underworld Sword is not something we can withstand. No one can escape with their life when the Underworld flashes once. If we suffer any more losses, the Guild's strength will be greatly reduced. How would I explain it to your father? Moreover, don't forget... our enemy wasn't just that young man back then. In the Spirit Forest, if I'm not mistaken, a large number of spirit reinforcements are on their way. Ordinary spirits aren't a problem, but those who have reached the level of Spirit Messenger... we're not confident in dealing with them either. Kid, as a thief, the most important thing is to stay calm and always discern the situation in front of you."
Meng Feng clenched her fists tightly, her eyes revealing a crazy hatred, and nodded slightly: "Uncle, I understand, but the grudge of Fourth Uncle, I must avenge. If at the beginning I had killed that young man with all my might, he wouldn't have had the chance to use the Ming Wang sword. It's all my fault, everything is my fault." Two lines of tears flowed down, her beautiful big eyes turning bright red.
The man in black patted Meng's shoulder and said softly, "Qī Niángzǐ, everything you've done is clear to everyone. Your diligence makes us feel ashamed. Since the establishment of the Thieves' Guild, you are the only one who has reached the power of a getter before the age of 20. You have a bright future ahead of you, don't let hatred blind your eyes. You should know that our guild's most severe rule is to never harm human life in action. Do you want to become an assassin?"
Meng Feng lowered her head, looking at the desiccated corpse of Fourth Uncle, who had watched her grow up and taught her his ultimate skills without reservation. Her heart was in so much pain that she could hardly breathe. Biting her lip, she said hatefully: "Even if I never become a thief again, I must avenge Fourth Uncle's death. Uncle, don't try to persuade me anymore."
The man in black let out a sigh and said, "Alright, let's head back for now. This is the territory of the Tianyuan clan, we must leave quickly. Everything can be discussed once we return to the guild. I believe that the Guild Master will definitely seek justice from the Killer's Guild. For hundreds of years, our two guilds have coexisted as part of the dark forces without interfering with each other, but this time they've disrupted our most important operation. No matter what, they must give us an explanation." After finishing speaking, he observed his surroundings and, pulling along the still unwilling to leave Mie Feng, used his movement technique to head towards the Ya Xian clan's territory.
A group of people, surrounded by a crowd of elves, quickly entered the depths of the elven forest. As they walked deeper, the trees around them grew taller and more majestic, their intertwined branches forming a canopy that filtered the air. The refreshing atmosphere filled everyone's lungs. Xuan Yue, who didn't know any martial arts, was specially accompanied by Tian Ying, who found a few female elves with great strength to fly with her. For the first time experiencing the feeling of floating in mid-air, Xuan Yue had already forgotten what had just happened. She couldn't help but think that if she could also fly, it would be wonderful!
The sound of flowing water suddenly came, and Yue Hen Dao exclaimed beside Rock: "Ah! We're almost at the Spirit Lake. That's where the spirits live, and it's also the headquarters of the spirit tribe."
The moonlight was dim, and Dao asked, "Is there still a lake in the Spirit Forest?"
Akane smiled beside them: "Of course, our spirits' home is on the Spirit Lake! Wait a bit and you'll see."
Hearing Ah Yan's words, everyone continued on with a puzzled mood, they all wanted to see what the lake in the forest would look like.