The Clown Was Me All Along

"There's actually a top-tier Transcendent being hiding nearby."

The sudden discovery disrupted all of Rein's plans.

The fact that the [Strength Totem] had landed on Uhm had been deliberately revealed beforehand, and he was certain that the guy was 100% bait.

This is a calculated scheme where both parties are willing to participate. Uhm's totem aids in cultivation, but at the same time, it carries the risk of being killed.

However, in any case, those "big shots" would never allow such a treasure, comparable to a "Divine Power Crystal," to be taken back by the Kolman or stolen by other ill-intentioned individuals.

Therefore, Uhm's appearance must be accompanied by top-tier Transcendent.

There is no doubt about that!

In that instant, Rein suddenly felt as if a hunter in the forest had a gun pointed at him, and his hair stood on end.

Although Rein is now virtually invincible at the Third Tier, and is even confident of escaping unscathed from Fourth Tier Transcendent, he has absolutely no chance of winning against those top-tier Transcendent who are lying in wait to ambush Bazel and Mafat!

After being repelled, he did not launch another attack rashly, but instead observed the cloaked Uhm with a serious expression, instinctively considering retreating.

The previous battles were nothing more than minor skirmishes in the eyes of truly top-tier Transcendent.

Whether it's the president of the "Redwood Merchant Guild" or the son of a duke, once someone dies, those big shots won't easily reveal their true intentions.

After all, in this desolate wilderness, if they were to attract the attention of a legendary powerhouse like the Great Shaman Mafat or Bazel, things would get complicated. Making a rash move would also disrupt their "fishing" plan.

Uhm, however, could not stand by and watch his mother be killed by Rein, so he was forced to expose himself.

As for their purpose in coming here, it's easy to imagine.

The Monkel Ancient City, never before explored, may hold the legacy of the "Seventy-Two Divine Generals." This is an allure that even the most Transcendent cannot resist.

They can excavate relics, but they cannot openly reveal their identities.

Therefore, they must have come in secret.

When Rein saw Uhm appear, he took in the shocked expressions on everyone's faces.

Apart from Fia, everyone was surprised by the appearance of this "mysterious expert," even the Green-haired Youth from the Duke's Mansion.

Clearly, no one knew that there was such a skilled person hidden in the team.

Rein had no intention of continuing the fight with Uhm, but now it wouldn't be easy for him to leave.

When he was at the Second Tier, his speed was almost on par with the full-agility [Ghost Shadow] Qilos. Now that he wants to leave, Uhm can't stop him.

But what Rein was worried about wasn't this guy, but the top-tier Transcendent hidden in the shadows who might make a move.

Taking hostages is pointless now; if those big shots really want to make a move, they won't care about the lives of some insignificant underlings.

For a moment, Rein felt he was in a dilemma.

But then Rein realized that he had been overthinking things.

"No! Since Uhm attacked while masked, he probably thinks I haven't guessed his identity. Besides, my true identity hasn't been exposed yet, and those hidden top-tier Transcendent certainly don't know I've seen through their trap. Before they lure Mafat or Bazel into their trap, they definitely won't easily reveal their identities for a nobody like me."

In an instant, Rein's mind raced, and he caught a glimmer of hope.

This is also a situation of information asymmetry.

If the other side knows that Rein has close ties with Mafat and Bazel, they will definitely take action.

But the truth is, nobody knows Rein's true identity and thinks he's a secret retainer of the "Redwood Merchant Guild"!

The "fishing plan" of those guys in City of Radiance is aimed at the top combat forces of Mafat. They certainly won't "use a cannon to kill a mosquito" until there's no need for it.

"Got it!"

Having figured this out, Rein had a flash of inspiration and immediately came up with a possible solution to the current crisis.

He knew very well that there was only one situation in which those "big shots" would take action.

That's when even Uhm can't beat Rein!

If Uhm can easily resolve this "trouble," those top-tier Transcendent certainly won't choose to expose themselves.

His gaze shifted. "Looks like we can't win this fight."

If Rein hadn't guessed Uhm's identity and a mysterious expert had suddenly appeared to engage him in combat, he would have unleashed his full power to kill the guy.

Although his opponent is very strong, in a one-on-one fight, Rein is very confident that he can defeat him.

After all, they are both melee fighters, and the difference in martial arts skills and cultivation can be completely made up for by using battle qi and medical abilities. Even in a war of attrition, he can wear his opponent down to death.

But now, Rein cannot win!

If he kills Uhm, or shows any signs of threatening Uhm's life, those hidden top-tier Transcendent will step in to stop him!

After all, the powerful figures behind Uhm certainly wouldn't just stand by and watch him kill the "bait" and let him take the [Strength Totem].

Therefore, if he wants to resolve tonight's crisis, he can only "show weakness to the enemy"!

While Rein was pondering this, Uhm, who thought he was hiding well, was not idle.

"Smack!"

He stomped his foot with a loud bang and charged at Rein again. Judging by his aggressive stance, he seemed intent on killing Rein on the spot!

With a muffled thud, Rein was kicked again.

Even though I managed to block it, I still felt like all my fighting spirit was about to be scattered.

"Such speed! The power is completely integrated into the martial arts technique."

Rein secretly praised him, then retreated several meters before coming to a stop.

This time, he was defeated not because he deliberately concealed his abilities, but because his opponent's martial arts skills were indeed very high.

That guy's punches and kicks carried the ferocity of a fiery lion, suppressing Rein's domineering tiger-like aura to the point that he couldn't gain any advantage. Clearly, his "momentum" had reached its peak, and he was about to unleash his full fist intent.

Uhm now has his own understanding of martial arts, and his punches are gradually gaining a soul.

Rein, however, is still at the level of simply imitating and copying others.

This is a suppression of realm.

It's like the difference between a handmade original and a machine-made high-quality replica. Although they may look similar, in the eyes of a true expert, they are worlds apart.

The moment Rein was repelled, Uhm attacked again, not intending to give Rein a chance to catch his breath.

He leaped into the air and Spring Leg a powerful kick, a leg technique known as "Storm Slash."

The kick, imbued with fire-based fighting spirit, struck Rein's parrying right arm with tremendous force, like a red-hot steel whip.

The leg bone collided with the solid muscles of his arm, producing a dull thud, and at the same time, a wave of scorching heat rushed into Rein's body with the force.

Battle aura is like a blade; this is the close-range [Storm Slash] that Martial Artist excel at!

Not only was there physical damage, but the fire-type battle aura surged violently into his meridians, causing Rein's arm to feel as if it had been scorched by flames for a moment, a burning pain.

"So this is how you can use [Storm Cutter]."

Rein looked very serious, yet he seemed to have gained some insight.

I have to admit that I'm still quite a bit behind this guy in martial arts. If he were to unleash that kick, he definitely wouldn't be able to achieve that smooth and fluid execution.

However, having a gap in skill does not mean that you can't beat them.

Even if an ordinary Third Tier Extraordinary being managed to block that kick, they would likely be seriously injured.

However, this kind of injury would normally be painless and unaffected by Rein's extraordinary healing abilities, no matter how many times he was kicked.

If he were to counterattack and engage in a grappling fight now, he would definitely inflict serious damage on his opponent.

But now, he has no choice but to show weakness.

Moreover, he cannot let those hiding in the shadows see too much of his trump card.

The wound on his waist from the assassin's stab had reopened, but he ignored it; the "Gang Line" (a type of internal energy line) only maintained the wounds on his internal organs.

Having previously unleashed a series of powerful attacks, each one a high-energy consumption and extremely taxing on his body, he couldn't completely maintain his "unlimited power" demeanor. He was now showing a slight hint of fatigue, typical of a normal person.

As for the rest, there's no need for pretense.

Because Uhm was already very powerful, and every move he made was a killing blow, it was already difficult for Rein to deal with him.

The two sides exchanged blows and became entangled in a fierce battle.

Under Rein's deliberate guidance, every time he was repelled, he would move towards the outside of the encirclement, making no attempt to hide his intention to escape while fighting.

As he expected, because Uhm clearly had the upper hand, those top-tier Transcendent hiding in the shadows did not show themselves.

The sudden arrival of a master warrior on the battlefield finally gave the knights of the Duke's Mansion, who were in complete disarray, a chance to catch their breath.

A small number of people went after Catherine and her companions who had escaped, but the vast majority of the experts began to form a formation, intending to surround and kill Rein on the spot.

The green-haired youth laughed wildly with excitement when he saw a mysterious expert suddenly appear and stop Rein, forcing him to retreat.

"Hahaha"

Finally, the sense of impending death disappeared, and the pent-up frustration in my heart was released.

Although he didn't recognize the masked man's identity, no matter how you looked at it, this mysterious expert was "one of their own."

At that moment, someone recognized him.

Hop, the "Iron Tower" who had finally recovered from the blow to the heart, guessed the man's identity from the way he used his fists and feet.

But a strange look flashed across his face, and he didn't say anything more.

Help?

No, he knew very well his junior brother's pride and would never allow anyone to interfere in his duel.

But the green-haired Young City Lord was unaware of this "taboo".

At this moment, wanting to kill this madman who had almost scared him to death as soon as possible, he gave the order, "Knights, surround and kill that guy!"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing the order, the already assembled legion quickly surrounded the two combatants.

Looking at this scene, Rein also felt a sense of unease.

He originally planned to move the battlefield further away so that he could withdraw without interference from others.

Unexpectedly, the knight legion had already surrounded them.

Just as he was hesitating whether to unleash his power on the spot and escape before being completely surrounded, he suddenly heard a thunderous shout.

"Roll!"

To Rein's shock, the one who shouted that was none other than Uhm, the one he had fought.

The shout of "Get out!" was as loud as a bell, and its violent momentum suppressed the entire scene.

Not only Rein, but all the knights who were about to gather around were stunned and stopped in their tracks. Everyone understood the warning in that "Get out": dare to disobey, and you will die!

"You"

Young Master George's face turned ashen, as if he had just eaten a dead rat, after being shouted at.

I am a high-ranking nobleman, how dare you say that to me?

Don't I have any pride?!

"Give me."

George was furious and about to say something to save face when the cloaked man suddenly turned his head and glared at him.

That murderous glare made the words that were on the tip of Young Master George's tongue get stuck in his throat, and he swallowed them down with a "gulp".

He knew that look all too well.

I was almost scared to death by the glare from Rein before, and now he's doing this again?

He had no doubt that if he were to say something, that guy would kill him without hesitation!

He shuddered and hid behind the guards, not daring to show his face again.

The hundred-man legion that was besieging them saw that the young lord had stopped speaking and felt a little scared. They tacitly obeyed the order to stay put and did not continue to advance.

Rein was momentarily stunned by the taunting shout from Uhm's group, who seemed to be both allies and enemies. "Such a domineering aura."

Such an enemy will become a major problem if left unchecked; the best option is to eliminate him.

However, not now.

Uhm's shout stopped all the people who were besieging them, and no one dared to come to their aid, which left a huge gap in the encirclement.

This can be considered a divine assist.

Rein had originally planned to find an opportunity to evacuate, but unexpectedly, he found a perfect opportunity.

Just as Uhm turned to glare at that Young Master George, he seized the opportunity, disregarded the fight, and suddenly pushed off the ground, running towards the edge of the encirclement.

After the whooshing sound of wind breaking through the air, the person had already run quite a distance.

Seeing his opponent escape, Uhm revealed a cold smile that he had expected, "Hmph, naive!"

He also flashed away and gave chase.

With the blessing of the [Strength Totem], Uhm was very confident in his speed. His current [Secret Technique: Divine Speed] could produce six afterimages in succession, which meant that his muscle endurance and battle aura were sufficient to support him to use the dash six times in a row.

With six dashes and displacements, the distance of a kilometer can be closed in the blink of an eye. How could the enemy be allowed to escape right under our noses?

Uhm thought to himself that although the guy in the Crow Mask in front of him was also very strong and skilled in using the [Swiftness] dash, he was still very powerful.

But he was very confident; Third Tier Extraordinary, no one was more proficient in [Divine Speed] than him.

According to his speculation, although Rein is powerful, he can only use [Divine Speed] to move three or four times in a row at most before his muscles and fighting spirit can no longer withstand such a huge load.

So he confidently chased after him.

"Slap," "Slap," "Slap."

With three consecutive loud bangs, the two figures darted out of the encirclement.

Just as Uhm had predicted, the man wearing the Crow Mask was "exhausted" and switched to a normal running pace to continue his escape.

[Divine Speed] is like a musket firing a bullet; it needs a cooling barrel. Repeated use puts increasing strain on the muscles, and forcing it will only break them.

Seeing this, Uhm sneered: You're exhausted, but I'm not.

He stomped his foot out again, using his fourth Divine Speed.

Then, he instantly closed the distance and was running alongside Rein.

At this moment, the relative speed between the two was almost zero.

At this distance, they could even clearly see the expressions on each other's faces.

Uhm had the opportunity to force Rein to stop, but he didn't. Instead, he chased Rein like a cat chasing a mouse.

Uhm was very confident that the [Strength Totem] would allow his fighting spirit to recover extremely quickly, and also gave him super strong muscle endurance, enabling him to chase and kill his enemies.

He enjoys the chase, the fear in the prey's eyes when it's cornered.

But suddenly, he realized that things didn't seem to be going as he expected.

Huh? This guy still hasn't given up?

Upon closer inspection, Uhm realized that Rein's gaze wasn't even on him.

At that moment, he was puzzled.

"."

Looking at Uhm's self-deluded expression, Rein naturally guessed what the guy was thinking.

During the sprint, he pursed his lips and gave the other person a universally insulting gesture: the middle finger!

He really didn't take this guy seriously at all.

Rein kept glancing back, but he wasn't looking at Uhm; he was trying to see if anyone else was catching up besides Um.

Then, sure enough, a ghostly figure followed.

He knew he was in trouble and dared not conceal his strength any longer, unleashing his full power!

You're asking for it!

Uhm was thoroughly enraged by Rein's insulting middle finger and contemptuous look.

He couldn't wait to stop this guy immediately and kill him!

Just then, he suddenly saw the guy in the Crow Mask suddenly increase his speed, clearly having used [Swiftness] again.

"Hmph, trying to escape by force? Don't even think about it!"

Uhm sneered inwardly, thinking he had correctly judged the other party's intentions. He also moved with lightning speed, instantly increasing his speed.

However, in the next instant, this arrogant and confident fighting genius suddenly discovered a fact that made his worldview crumble.

Not all [Divine Speed] displacement distances are the same; this is directly related to muscle bursts and battle aura.

Uhm's maximum range for a single dash is about one hundred meters.

Previously, Rein's performance was only around 80 meters.

He used this to determine that his opponent was far inferior to him in terms of both fighting spirit and muscle power.

That's why I'm so confident.

Logically speaking, this time, the outcome should be decided!

But now, with the same sudden advance, Uhm finds that the distance between the two has not been shortened, but rather has grown further apart.

At first, he thought it was his imagination.

However, a series of loud "pop," "pop," "pop" sounds were heard.

He was even more convinced that he was hallucinating.

But the facts told him he hadn't misheard.

The intense burning sensation in his leg muscles meant that fatigue had reached its limit, and he had exhausted the number of uses of [Swift Movement]. This forced the once-unrivaled genius to stop, leaving him stunned on the spot.

But upon closer inspection, the guy with the Crow Mask had vanished without a trace, not even his taillights were visible!

What did I see?

That guy used the explosive and rapid-fire "Divine Speed" martial art as a regular means of escaping?

Uhm fell into self-doubt.

A moment later, reality dawned on me.

He watched as Lei disappeared into the darkness, his pride shattered like a broken glass mirror.

He roared inwardly, "How is this possible! Even if he expended so much battle energy, how could his body muscles withstand such a heavy load?!"

He then realized that the other party had been hiding their strength all along.

From beginning to end, I felt like a clown being made a fool of.

Thinking of this, Uhm felt both ashamed and angry, but there was nothing she could do.

At the edge of his vision, the figure disappeared into the darkness, moving so fast that he couldn't catch up at all.

Just then, a figure in black robes suddenly appeared beside him.

Uhm paused for a moment, then respectfully called out, "Teacher."

This man in black robes is none other than Rocky Lefar, Omar's only Martial Grandmaster!

The old man glanced into the darkness and snorted coldly, "Hmph, good lad. He even fooled me just now. Although I don't know how he did it, that kid must have known I was there all along. You go back first, I'll go after him."

Before he finished speaking, his figure had already disappeared.