Lord Xiaowalus

After leaving the tavern, Ye Chen crossed the bustling streets and strode into the wealthy district of Frost White City.

A sprawling estate stood in this neighborhood, and the imposing mansion at its center was the home of Lord Xiaowalus.

When Ye Chen reached the estate gates, two well-armed guards carrying muskets stopped him. They fixed their eyes on the suspicious figure whose face was completely concealed, then bluntly demanded to know what he wanted.

"I have business to discuss with the Lord. I'd like to see him." Faced with the wary guards, Ye Chen sounded perfectly relaxed, as if their hostility meant nothing to him.

"You have business with Lord Xiaowalus? That's possible, but first you'll have to take off your mask." One of the guards glared at Ye Chen fiercely, then warned him.

"Sorry, I have scars on my face, so I don't want anyone but the Lord to see it. I hope you can make an exception." Ye Chen chuckled as he offered the guards a gold coin.

To his surprise, they wouldn't be bribed. One of them simply slapped the coin out of his hand.

"What do you take the Lord's Personal Guard for? Take off your mask, now!" The two guards shouted angrily. They seemed nothing like the lazy, corrupt city gate guards; they were utterly loyal to Lord Xiaowalus.

"No." Ye Chen shrugged and refused outright.

"Do you know what you're saying? We're Lord Xiaowalus's personal guards. In Frost White City, you do whatever we tell you to! Now take that damned mask off—!"

The other guard barked furiously, reaching out to roughly yank off Ye Chen's mask.

Ye Chen merely turned his body to evade the man's arm, then reached out and grabbed the guard by the throat.

A faint trace of Auling Power spread from Ye Chen's fingertips, crushing the guard's carotid artery. Before he could fight back, he lost the ability to resist, his face twisting in pain.

The other guard paled in alarm and immediately raised his musket, preparing to shoot Ye Chen.

But Ye Chen was faster. His left hand drew his revolver and pulled the trigger before the guard could fire. A bronze-colored bullet struck the musket in his hands with pinpoint accuracy, shattering it on the spot.

"Huh!?"

The guard stared blankly at the ruined gun in his hands. Still gripping the first guard by the throat, Ye Chen coldly looked toward the one who remained.

At that moment, Ye Chen could easily have killed both guards in an instant. He didn't need a blade or a bullet; his bare hands were more than enough to snap their necks.

But if he killed the Lord's men right off the bat, it might provoke unnecessary displeasure, disgust, or wariness from the Lord, lowering the chances of his plan succeeding.

That was why Ye Chen was holding back, instead of giving these ignorant fools a taste of their own medicine.

Otherwise, the two of them would already be lying dead on the ground.

"Go tell the Lord at once that the Messenger of the Abyss has come to pay him a visit. If you don't, I'll kill this rude fool!"

Ye Chen ordered the remaining guard in a frigid voice.

"Ugh..."

The guard realized he was helpless against the mysterious man before him. Panicking, he opened and shut the estate's iron gate, then sprinted toward the mansion.

Ye Chen tossed the unconscious guard aside, channeled Auling Power into his feet, and leaped effortlessly over the towering iron gate, landing on the estate's marble pavement.

With a calm expression, the young man headed toward the mansion. Along the way, he passed many servants at work, who cast curious and puzzled looks his way. He ignored them, focusing only on the location of his target.

He crossed the estate's broad, level stone-paved avenue and finally reached the entrance to the fountain courtyard in front of the mansion.

Waiting for Ye Chen in the courtyard was a full line of the Lord's Personal Guard, more than twenty men in all, each carrying a single-shot rifle and ready to fire. It seemed they had been summoned after the guard who fled had raised the alarm.

"Raise your hands! Or we'll shoot!" A tall Frost White Person serving as the guard captain pointed his gun at Ye Chen and shouted furiously.

"I have business with the Lord. If you don't want to get hurt, stand aside." Ye Chen remained where he was, coolly threatening them in return, as if they were beneath his notice.

"You're asking for it!"

The captain flew into a rage and opened fire on Ye Chen without hesitation.

Ye Chen drew his cloak over his face and burst forward at full speed, Auling Power surging through him. Thanks to the shock-absorbing properties of his Gold-Patterned Black Cloak, he deflected the musket balls head-on and charged straight at the captain.

The rest of the guards were stunned and hurriedly fired together, but Ye Chen either dodged their bullets or let his cloak deflect them.

Even the few bullets that grazed his cheek failed to leave a single bloody mark on his skin.

His terrifying speed and formidable defense made it easy for Ye Chen to break through the hail of bullets and reach the guard captain.

The captain was utterly horrified. He tried to drop his gun and draw his sword, but Ye Chen beat him to it, landing a perfect uppercut on his chin.

Thud.

With a muffled sound, the captain flew five meters through the air, knocked unconscious on the spot. Everyone stared in stunned disbelief.

"All right. If you don't want to end up like him, move aside."

Ye Chen lifted the unconscious captain and gave the remaining guards one last warning.

Unexpectedly, even after seeing what had happened to their captain, the men showed no sign of backing down. They held their ranks and retreated with their guns raised, seemingly determined to defend the mansion's entrance to the death.

"..."

Looking at them, Ye Chen's first thought was that the guards were truly loyal to the Lord.

But after a closer look, he suddenly noticed that every guard gripping a musket wore the same expressionless face.

They had just cried out in shock at the sight of Ye Chen knocking their captain flying, yet in the blink of an eye, they were all calm again. The change in their expressions was far too unnatural.

It seemed that the Lord's Spirit Art really was...

At that moment, the mansion door was suddenly flung open by someone, and a voice full of authority rang out, breaking the standoff between Ye Chen and the guards.

"Lower your guns! You will not show disrespect to our honored guest!"

Ye Chen looked toward the voice and saw a pale, gaunt, middle-aged Frost White Person standing in the doorway, dressed in lavish robes.

At the sound of his voice, the guards immediately bowed their heads to Ye Chen in apology, then marched in unison to either side of the entrance, forming a welcoming line.

The slender middle-aged Frost White Person slowly emerged from among the guards and smiled as he nodded to Ye Chen in greeting.

Sensing the noble air that surrounded him and hearing the distinctive quality of his voice, Ye Chen immediately realized that this man had to be the Lord of Frost White City, the king of the Frost White People, and the target of the final trial—the one he had been sent to hunt: Xiaowalus.