Brothers

Ye Chen stared at the bloody hole in his left hand. Then he saw the scattered specks of black sludge inside the wound, scrambling to burrow into his body like maggots fighting over food.

The young man immediately endured the pain and focused his mind. He released stream after stream of Auling Power through the blood in the wound, burning the disgusting things to ash before they could invade his body.

These things wriggling in my wound are just like the substance that clung to the Alpha Ape's body back then. They're from the Abyss!

Ye Chen thought this as he looked up at the figure before him, still wailing.

The black dagger in the other man's hand hadn't been deliberately made that way. Rather, its blade was covered in thick black sludge, which gave the whole weapon its dark color.

The mysterious assassin roared for about ten seconds before calming down. His eyes bloodred, he glared at Ye Chen, flicked the blood from his dagger, and sneered with utter contempt.

"Hmph. I used to think you were unfathomable and absolutely not to be provoked, just like my elder brother did. You came from the outside world, after all."

"But after our exchange just now, I've realized you're not all that impressive, you bastard."

"Put simply, you're nothing but a liar who bluffs and puts on airs."

Ye Chen stared at the mysterious assassin in surprise.

"Who are you? Why are you carrying a weapon from the Abyss?"

He asked in a deliberately fearful tone while secretly tearing off a piece of his shirt and wrapping it around his pierced hand. At the same time, he used the newly learned General Spirit Art Self-Healing, applying Auling Power to seal the wound and stop the bleeding.

"Hmph. A filthy, despicable liar like you doesn't deserve to know who I am. But to avenge Lord Xiaowalus with good reason, I'll let you die knowing the answer."

"I am Xiaowaluwen, the beloved younger brother of Xiaowalus, Lord of Frost White City!"

"And I'm the one who will tear you limb from limb and avenge my brother!"

The instant Xiaowaluwen said this, Ye Chen abruptly raised his gun, ready to fire.

But Xiaowaluwen had been prepared. The moment Ye Chen began to move, he acted.

In that split second, Xiaowaluwen's outline blurred and warped.

Under Ye Chen's astonished gaze, he quickly blended into the cluttered surroundings of the study and vanished from view.

This man—

Ye Chen paused for an instant, then snapped back to his senses and raised his gun again, keeping watch for the slightest movement or change around him.

This Frost White Person named Xiaowaluwen—

After seeing Xiaowaluwen's figure blend into its surroundings, Ye Chen finally understood how he had evaded detection and ambushed him at such close range.

The nature of his Spirit Art was—

"Invisibility"!

And—

It was the kind of "Invisibility" that could completely conceal his presence!

Having reached his conclusion, Ye Chen scanned every corner of the study. He quickly noticed that the glass display case, previously locked in the corner, had been quietly opened while he wasn't looking.

The sniper rifle Xiaowalus had shown him was gone, too.

A dangerous instinct flared in Ye Chen's mind, and he abruptly turned toward the sound of a bullet being chambered.

At that moment, the exquisitely crafted sniper rifle was floating in midair.

Its black muzzle was trained squarely on Ye Chen's body.

"Die, trash."

A cold sneer came from the air beside the rifle, and an invisible finger pulled its trigger.

In the next instant, a blinding flash burst from the barrel. A pitch-black bullet coated in thick sludge flew the few meters between them and struck Ye Chen in the abdomen.

Bang!

The gunshot rang out. The sniper rifle's powerful impact sent Ye Chen doubling over and flying backward. He crashed through the study's door and windows, tumbled off the second-floor balcony, and slammed into the fountain courtyard below.

Though he had sent Ye Chen flying with a single shot, Xiaowaluwen's face was stricken with shock.

"He didn't even burst into pieces."

He dropped his Invisibility, hefted the heavy sniper rifle, and walked toward the study balcony, murmuring in confusion.

In Xiaowaluwen's view, the rifle's modified components, the shot from point-blank range, and the reinforcement from the Abyss Matter should have combined into such a fearsome attack that Ye Chen would have been torn to pieces on the spot.

Yet the man had only been flung out of the study as if struck by a sledgehammer. It was all rather bizarre.

Xiaowaluwen passed through the shattered doorway and windows and looked down from the balcony. But all he could see on the courtyard floor was a blurry pool of blood. Ye Chen was nowhere to be found.

Clearly, he had moved somewhere else.

"That guy came from the outside world, after all. It wouldn't be strange if he had some sort of life-saving treasure on him."

"But whatever else you can do, you won't escape today!"

"I, Xiaowaluwen, will tear you limb from limb!"

Grinding his teeth, Xiaowaluwen made his vow. Then, grief-stricken, he returned to the study and went to his elder brother, Xiaowalus, who lay sprawled across the desk, his skull shattered and his body mangled beyond recognition. He carefully laid the cold, silent body on the floor.

"Oh, Lord Xiaowalus! My kind brother! My poor brother!"

"I'm sorry. I suspected from the start that this so-called emissary of the Abyss was up to something, but I hesitated and didn't act."

"In the end, you lost your life. I'm truly sorry. I hope you can rest in peace forever in the embrace of the true Abyssal gods."

Xiaowaluwen knelt beside Xiaowalus and wept as he mourned him.

Before long, a rush of thunderous footsteps sounded outside the study. The door burst open, and Xiaowalus's Elite Guard hurried inside, appearing before Xiaowaluwen.

"Lord Xiaowalus! We heard the gunshot and rushed up from the basement! Are you—"

The Elite Guard's captain, a bandage wrapped around his chin, hurriedly called out as soon as he entered. But he had only made it halfway through his question when he saw Xiaowaluwen kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down his face, and the headless corpse beside him.

"Lord Xiaowaluwen... Is this, is this—?!"

Faced with the guards' confusion and alarm, Xiaowaluwen took a handkerchief and wiped away his tears. Then he slowly stood and delivered the grim news in a low, hoarse voice. "My elder brother is dead. He was ambushed by that liar in the cloak."

"How could this... happen?"

The Elite Guard members turned deathly pale at the news.

Though Xiaowalus was dead, they had spent more than a decade under his daily hypnotic influence. His Spirit Art had shaped them little by little, and their loyalty was rooted deep in their souls.

Now that their master was dead, sorrow and despair were etched across every face.

But when they saw the hatred and murderous intent in Xiaowaluwen's eyes, the guards' expressions quickly turned vicious, frenzied, and furious.

At that moment, words were unnecessary.

The Lord's younger brother and his Elite Guard shared but one thought: revenge!

For the Lord of Frost White City—for Lord Xiaowalus—they would capture the fugitive Ye Chen that very night and tear him limb from limb!

Otherwise, the hatred in their hearts would never fade, not even in death.