As they fought fiercely, the sounds of battle and the collision of spiritual qi intertwined, making the surrounding air hum with vibration. Not far away, two shadowy figures stood quietly like ghosts hidden in the night, their eyes burning as they closely watched every movement on the battlefield. These two were Kumamoto Takeo and Rose from the Black Dragon Organization. Like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, they harbored malicious intentions as they waited for the optimal moment to strike.
When they keenly perceived that Baimu was gradually losing the upper hand and that the spiritual qi within his body had become as depleted as a nearly dry well, leaving him barely able to sustain the fight, the two exchanged a glance, a flash of ruthlessness and resolve passing through their eyes. In an instant, their figures flickered, and they appeared right before Baimu with astonishing speed.
"Look at this pathetic state you're in, Baimu, utterly humiliating! You can't even handle a wet-behind-the-ears punk, yet you're still struggling here—how utterly laughable!" Kumamoto Takeo looked at Baimu with complete disdain, the corners of his mouth curving up into a mocking smile. His tone was as ruthless as if he were watching a grand joke, sparing no mockery.
"What are you here for? My affairs are none of your concern!" Baimu's breathing was chaotic and his face was as pale as paper. He glared fiercely at Kumamoto Takeo and retorted sharply. His voice carried a trace of exhaustion and irritation, clearly showing how deeply dissatisfied and annoyed he was by Kumamoto Takeo's sudden appearance.
No sooner had Baimu's voice fallen than Kumamoto Takeo grinned, a wicked smile on his face, and chimed in, "Now that's no way to talk, Brother Baimu. Back at the border, you helped our Black Dragon Organization out plenty of times. Now that you're in a tight spot, how could I possibly stand by and watch? That's simply not how we do things in the Black Dragon Organization." His words were dripping with hypocrisy and craftiness, enough to turn anyone's stomach.
Nearby, Feng Wenjun had also halted his fierce offensive, his gaze shifting with vigilance toward the newly arrived pair. When his eyes landed on Rose, his heart skipped a beat, and snatches of information regarding the Black Dragon Organization flashed instantly through his mind.
So they were people from the Black Dragon Organization. From their verbal exchange, Feng Wenjun keenly perceived that an intricate and tangled connection seemed to exist between this Black Dragon Organization and Baimu. Pieces of the puzzle that had previously made no sense now gradually strung themselves together in his mind. Could the earlier border crisis also be closely tied to Baimu? At this thought, Feng Wenjun's gaze grew increasingly profound, and a clear path began to form in his mind.
"Stop spouting nonsense! I have nothing to do with you! Young Master Feng, don't let his lies trick you!" Upon hearing Kumamoto Takeo's words, Baimu's expression instantly panicked. A flash of fear and unease crossed his eyes as he hurried to explain to Feng Wenjun. He knew very well that once Feng Wenjun discovered his entanglements with the Black Dragon Organization, the consequences would be unthinkable, so he was desperate to clear his name.
Feng Wenjun was currently immersed in his own thoughts when Baimu's urgent voice suddenly interrupted him. Frowning slightly, he quickly reined in his focus. Thanks to his acute perception, he had already probed Kumamoto Takeo's cultivation realm earlier, knowing him to be a formidable expert at the Foundation Establishment 3rd Layer, while Rose was at the Qi Condensation Peak. Having fought a fierce battle with Baimu for some time now, his body was already thoroughly exhausted, and his spiritual qi had been heavily depleted.
He weighed the pros and cons in his mind: if he did not join forces with Baimu right now, he would have to face these three formidable enemies alone—without a doubt a life-or-death challenge. Therefore, the best course of action at present was to temporarily team up with Baimu to jointly eliminate Kumamoto Takeo, the greatest threat.
"Fine then. We'll take them down together first. These Japanese bastards have committed all sorts of atrocities on our soil; in the face of national righteousness, our personal grievances can wait until afterward," Feng Wenjun took a deep breath, swiftly assuming an offensive stance. He fixed a resolute gaze on Baimu, his tone carrying a trace of finality.
"Ignorant ants! Do you really think the two of you can take me down?" Hearing Feng Wenjun's words, Kumamoto Takeo was stunned for a moment before bursting into a wild, arrogant laugh that seemed capable of piercing the eardrums. "It seems Young Master Feng has refined that Immortal Artifact and raised his cultivation quite a bit! Well then, today I'll settle the score from the auction right along with it!" With that, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and his figure flickered instantly before Feng Wenjun. Extending his right hand with fingers hooked like talons and trailing a fierce gust of wind, he attempted to grab Feng Wenjun by the throat.
Fortunately, Feng Wenjun had been on guard. With lightning-fast reflexes, the moment Kumamoto Takeo's hand was about to touch his throat, he shifted slightly to the side and nimbly dodged the attack. A trace of vigilance and calmness showed in his eyes, as he knew the battles ahead would be extraordinarily difficult.
"Baimu, that woman is yours! I'll deal with Kumamoto myself!" Feng Wenjun shouted instructions as he dodged Kumamoto Takeo's attacks, turning his gaze toward Baimu.
"Punk, you've got quite an attitude! Let's see how I deal with you!" Hearing Feng Wenjun's words, the smile vanished instantly from Kumamoto Takeo's face, replaced by unbridled arrogance and haughtiness. He roared defiantly. With that, he abruptly drew the katana from his back, gripped the hilt tightly with both hands, and poured his spiritual qi endlessly into the blade.
In an instant, the katana blazed with brilliant light, its razor-sharp edge flashing with a bone-chilling glare that seemed capable of severing everything in the world. Even a gently falling leaf would be instantly reduced to ashes upon touching the blade—a testament to its terrifying power.
Gripping the katana with both hands, Kumamoto Takeo raised it high and slashed fiercely toward Feng Wenjun. The blade-light cut through the sky like lightning, causing the surrounding air to violently vibrate and hum with a deep rumble, far more powerful than the sword qi Baimu had unleashed earlier.
Feng Wenjun moved with athletic grace, like a nimble shadow, and skillfully evaded the strike. A look of solemnity crossed his eyes, as he knew Kumamoto Takeo's strength was not to be underestimated. Without missing a beat, he rapidly circulated the spiritual qi within his body and formed hand seals at lightning speed. In the blink of an eye, over a dozen swords condensed from spiritual qi materialized around him. These swords emitted a faint glow and hummed softly, as if awaiting their master's command. With a cold gleam in his eye, Feng Wenjun pointed a finger toward Kumamoto Takeo and let out a low bark: "Go!" The dozen-plus swords shot forward like a gale toward Kumamoto Takeo with an unstoppable momentum.
"Kid, is that all the skill you've got?" Seeing the attack, Kumamoto Takeo showed not a shred of fear; instead, he remained utterly calm. With a cold snort, he gripped his katana with both hands and swept it horizontally with full force. In an instant, a powerful wave of blade qi surged from the edge, clashing head-on with the dozen spiritual qi swords. Following several loud explosions, spiritual qi splattered everywhere, and the surrounding air seemed torn apart by the immense force. When everything finally grew quiet again, Kumamoto Takeo had effortlessly blocked the strike. His strength was indeed formidable, enough to strike fear into anyone's heart.
And so, after several rounds of exchange, Feng Wenjun's attacks had vanished like stones sinking into the sea, failing to inflict even the slightest injury on Kumamoto Takeo. Meanwhile, Kumamoto Takeo grew increasingly fierce with every attack, his blade-light sharper each time, carrying a fatal threat that plunged Feng Wenjun into unprecedented peril.
As for Baimu's side, the situation was equally grim. Already wounded by Feng Wenjun, physically weak, and drained of spiritual qi, he was barely holding on in his fight against Rose. Although Rose was only at the Qi Condensation Peak cultivation level, the arts she deployed were utterly bizarre and immensely powerful.
She formed hand seals rapidly, purple vapor swirling around her as a mysterious rune-inscribed pattern suddenly materialized in the air. Immediately following, a massive python enveloped in purple mist burst forth from the pattern. The colossal serpent was thirty to forty meters long, its entire body covered in hard scales, its fangs horrifyingly fierce, and disgusting slime constantly dripping from its jaws—a sight that was both spine-chilling and terrifying.
With its blood-red maw wide open, the giant python lunged at Baimu like a cannonball leaving a barrel. Baimu's spiritual qi was now practically exhausted, his hands trembling so violently that even holding his weapon required immense effort.
Though he tried his utmost to form seals and hurl a giant sword in an attempt to block the python's assault, the moment the giant sword collided with the python, a colossal surge of energy erupted, sweeping outward like a raging tide in all directions.
Baimu had thought the giant python would be shattered by this immense force, but to his horror, it smashed right through the shockwave of the explosion and rapidly closed in on him. With his spiritual qi depleted and his body utterly exhausted, Baimu had no way to dodge. With a deafening boom, Baimu's body was instantly torn to shreds by the giant python, turning into a cloud of bloody mist that drifted away in the air—a tragically gruesome end.