The Leather Whip and Povidone-Iodine

That night, the Feng Family members who had been searching for other Heavenly Demons in Luyang City returned one by one, empty-handed.

This was within Du Ge's expectations.

The world inside the Simulation Field was called Dagan, occupying the most fertile Central Plains, with several small countries around it.

The total population of these countries was over eighty million.

Now, only a little over six hundred contestants remained in the Simulation Field.

Scattering six hundred people among a population of over eighty million was like raindrops falling into the ocean—not even a splash could rise.

Even if the contestants focused on sects or large cities, Luyang City alone had hundreds of thousands of people, and the Feng Family had sent out no more than five or six.

Five or six people searching a city as vast as Luyang for hidden contestants who, after Soul Possession, looked exactly like the locals and possessed the memories of natives—it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Running into a Wang San was already their stroke of dumb luck.

Having found no other Heavenly Demons, Feng Shiyi said a few words of comfort and sent them off to rest.

Du Ge and the others also went to rest.

Their rooms were next to each other. Feng Yunjie was at the end, with Du Ge beside him, Wang San next to Du Ge, and Feng Shiyi next to Wang San.

Wang San was a new addition. Feng Shiyi didn't trust him and, afraid of alienating him, didn't dare to seal his acupoints like before. He could only rely on surveillance to prevent him from escaping.

The few direct disciples who had been searching for Heavenly Demons slept in the rooms across the way, with two left on guard duty.

With such tight watch, Wang San, who had no Martial Arts, had almost no chance of escape.

Du Ge was calculating his own plans, and the Feng Family was calculating theirs, but nothing in the world goes smoothly according to plan.

The unexpected happened that very night.

In the middle of the night, Du Ge, who had been traveling and training and was sleeping groggily, was suddenly jolted awake by two short, muffled grunts. Then he heard faint but chaotic footsteps and breathing from outside and on the roof.

His eyes snapped wide open. He rolled over and sat up. What was going on?

A classic scene from a martial arts drama—a night raid?

Aimed at them?

This came way too fast?

Where had things gone wrong?

In an instant, a string of questions flashed through Du Ge's mind. He quickly pulled on his clothes and grabbed the sword and knife pouch from beside the bed. "Second Chief, enemy attack!"

Shouting a warning, Du Ge abruptly held his breath.

The night was pitch black, but with his enhanced senses, his ability to see in the dark far exceeded ordinary people's. He could faintly make out a blowpipe poking through the window paper, sliding inside.

A night raid with knockout smoke—damn, it really was the standard package!

Du Ge's sudden shout startled the other party. The blowpipe jerked back, but it was too late. Du Ge flicked his wrist and threw a flying knife.

He hadn't specifically trained in hidden weapons, but Du Ge didn't need to hit throats every time like Li Xunhuan.

At a distance of three to five meters, it was enough that the flying knife could hit a person. With Du Ge's current strength, as long as it struck, it would punch a hole in the body—its killing power wasn't much worse than a pistol.

Ah!

A scream rang out, blood staining the window lattice.

At the same time.

Their cover blown, chaos erupted outside.

The sound of windows smashing came from next door. Du Ge rushed into the hallway, ignored Feng Yunjie, and kicked open Wang San's door, charging inside.

Wang San wasn't as alert as Du Ge. He had been knocked unconscious by the knockout smoke and was now being carried on the shoulder of a black-clad man, who was rushing toward the window.

Du Ge raised his hand and threw another flying knife.

The black-clad man had Wang San on his shoulder and his back to Du Ge. He never expected anyone to throw a hidden weapon in the dark. By the time he heard the wind, it was too late to dodge. The flying knife struck him square in the back. With a scream, he collapsed to the ground.

Du Ge was about to go check on Wang San's condition.

Suddenly, his personal profile flickered.

He tapped it open.

Nothing else had changed, but under Advanced Skill, a new entry had appeared:

Backstab: When you attack someone from behind, you gain a speed bonus. The higher your attributes, the greater the bonus ratio.

What the hell?

Advanced Skills weren't just one—they could be continuously developed?

New skills would be born when conditions were met?

Du Ge froze, then burst into wild joy. If he'd known this earlier, he would have been stabbing people from behind with flying knives all along.

Backstab—though it limited the attack direction, unlike the previous two purely support skills, it at least added attack power.

This skill is good!

Outside the window, someone heard the commotion inside and poked their head in to look. Du Ge raised a hand and flung a flying knife at them. The person ducked, dodging it—clearly more skilled than those in the room.

By now.

Chaos had erupted outside.

Feng Shiyi's panicked voice rang out: "Iron Sand Palm? You're from the Iron Palm Sect? The Feng Family has no grievance with you—why attack Xingyu Tower at night?"

"Finish it quickly. Leave none alive except the Heavenly Demon." Another unfamiliar voice followed, and then torches blazed outside the window, lighting up the night.

Iron Palm Sect?

Heavenly Demon?

So they were the target after all. The Feng Family was small, usually overlooked. Even if exposed, it shouldn't have happened this fast.

There's a traitor!

Du Ge understood in an instant. He hurried forward, scooped up Wang San from the floor, yanked the flying knife from the black-clad man's back, and quickly retreated from the room.

Even if outside was more dangerous, the room was filled with knockout smoke—he couldn't stay long. His senses were heightened, but he still had to breathe, and holding it this long was already impressive.

In the inn's hallway.

Feng Shiyi, his nephew, and three direct disciples of the Feng Family were locked in a desperate struggle with over a dozen black-clad men. All were wounded, and the two disciples on night patrol had long since fallen in pools of blood.

The enemy outnumbered them and outmatched them in martial arts. Aside from Feng Shiyi, the other Feng Family members were barely holding their own.

The moment Du Ge emerged, another Feng disciple screamed and collapsed dead in the corridor.

The hallway was narrow, with everyone packed together. Throwing knives risked hitting his own people. Du Ge decisively dropped Wang San to the ground, drew his longsword, and aimed at the back of a black-clad man attacking Feng Yunjie, thrusting forward.

The black-clad men were well-trained and coordinated. One of them spotted Du Ge drawing his sword, stepped out of the fight, and moved to intercept him.

But the thrust from behind was too fast. The moment he shifted, Du Ge was already pressed against his comrade like a ghost, running him through with the sword.

The man's eyes bulged. "Hall Master, there's an expert here."

Hearing this, the others attacking the Feng Family immediately split off several men to surround Du Ge, intending to take him out first.

Du Ge cursed his bad luck, yanked the sword free, and eyed the closing black-clad men, speaking quickly: "You can't kill me. I'm the Heavenly Demon. You need me alive."

The black-clad men across from him seemed stunned by his lack of spine, freezing for a moment.

One of them looked at Du Ge and said, "If you're the Heavenly Demon, drop the sword, and we'll spare your life."

Du Ge suddenly stared past him, his face lighting up with surprise.

The man spun around—empty behind him. Realizing the trick, he tried to lunge forward, but it was too late.

A sharp pain pierced his heart. The gleaming sword tip burst through his chest. He only managed to choke out "Bastard" before collapsing limply to the ground, dead with his eyes wide open.

Backstab successful. A warm current flooded Du Ge's body, his attributes rising bit by bit.

Seeing their comrade killed right before their eyes, the remaining men burned with fury and raised their blades to chop at Du Ge in unison.

Du Ge parried with his sword as he spoke: "I'm the Heavenly Demon. You can't kill me."

"The one I'm killing is the Heavenly Demon," one of them growled, eyes red.

"Don't be rash. Kill me, and your men died for nothing," Du Ge said. "Think your Sect Leader will let you off?"

Their assault faltered. The weapons aimed at his vitals shifted toward his arms and legs—non-lethal spots—and the force behind them clearly lessened.

They couldn't kill him, but wounding him was fine. They weren't about to let Du Ge talk them into stopping entirely.

Still, fighting like this was awkward and frustrating, each of them chafing at the restraint.

Du Ge had eyes in the back of his head, making being surrounded easy for him. Now, with the pressure greatly reduced, he casually blocked the blades coming at him, scanning the group. "That's more like it. Killing and capturing are two different things. Don't let impulse ruin the Iron Palm Sect's big plan. If you fail the mission and get yourselves caught too, how worthless would that be? The dead are gone; the living still have to go on. Look on the bright side. You on the left—shorten your swing. Hurting me is one thing, but don't hit your own people..."