Brothers

Ye Chen stared intently at the bloody hole in his left hand, only to see a cluster of scattered, tiny black sludge within the wound, scrambling to burrow into his body like maggots fighting over food.

Seeing this, the youth immediately endured the excruciating pain and focused his mind, releasing bursts of Auling Power through the blood in the wound to burn these disgusting things to ash before they could invade his body.

These things squirming inside my wound are the same as the substance that clung to the body of the Alpha Ape—they all come from the Abyss!

Ye Chen thought to himself, then looked up at the figure before him who continued to wail.

He saw that the black dagger held in the opponent's hand was not intentionally crafted that way; rather, it was because its blade was covered in thick, pitch-black sludge that it appeared entirely black.

The mysterious assassin roared for a dozen seconds before regaining his composure. He glared at Ye Chen with blood-red eyes, shook the blood off his dagger, and mocked him with extreme disdain.

"Hmph. I originally thought, just like my brother, that a guy like you from the outside world was unfathomable and must never be provoked."

"However, after the exchange just now, I've realized that you, you bastard, are nothing special."

"When it comes down to it, you're just a fraud who bluffs and puts on airs."

Ye Chen gazed at the mysterious assassin with a look of surprise.

"Who are you? Why do you possess a weapon of the Abyss?"

While asking this with a deliberately terrified tone, he secretly tore a corner of his shirt to wrap his punctured palm, simultaneously casting the newly learned General Spirit Art, Self-Healing, using Auling Power to plug the wound and prevent further blood loss.

"Hmph, a dirty, filthy fraud like you doesn't deserve to know my identity. But in order to rightfully avenge Lord Xiaowalus, I will let you go to hell with the answer."

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

"And I am the one who will tear you to pieces to seek justice for my brother!"

The moment Xiaowaluwen finished this sentence, Ye Chen suddenly raised his muzzle, preparing to fire.

However, the opponent had long been prepared for this and began to act the very moment Ye Chen made his move.

In that instant, the outline of Xiaowaluwen's body suddenly became blurred and distorted.

Under Ye Chen's astonished gaze, he quickly merged with the cluttered environment of the study, causing himself to vanish from Ye Chen's field of vision immediately.

This person.

Ye Chen paused for a split second, regained his focus, and immediately raised his muzzle again, staying alert to every movement and change in the surroundings.

This Frost White Person named Xiaowaluwen.

After seeing the opponent merge with the surrounding environment, Ye Chen finally had a sudden realization, understanding how Xiaowaluwen had bypassed his detection and launched a sneak attack on him at such close range.

The essence of his Auling Art is...

"Invisibility"!

And...

It is the kind of "Invisibility" that can completely mask one's presence!

Having reached this conclusion, Ye Chen scanned every corner of the study, quickly discovering that the glass display cabinet previously locked in the corner of the room had been quietly opened without him noticing.

The sniper rifle that Xiaowalus had once shown Ye Chen was also gone.

A dangerous intuition erupted in Ye Chen's mind, causing him to whip around toward the sound of a bullet being chambered.

At this very moment, that exquisitely crafted sniper rifle was floating in mid-air.

The pitch-black muzzle was staring fiercely at Ye Chen's body.

"Die, scum."

A cold snort emerged from the air beside the sniper rifle, and then its trigger was pulled by invisible fingers.

The next second, a blinding flame erupted from the barrel, and a pitch-black bullet coated in thick sludge flew across the few meters of distance, striking Ye Chen directly in the abdomen.

Bang!

The gunshot rang out, and under the powerful impact of the sniper rifle, Ye Chen immediately curled into a ball and flew backward, crashing through the study's door and windows, falling hard off the second-floor balcony into the fountain courtyard below.

However, even after blasting Ye Chen away with a single shot, Xiaowaluwen's face was filled with shock.

"He didn't explode into chunks of meat on the spot."

He deactivated his Invisibility, carried the heavy sniper rifle, and muttered in confusion as he walked toward the study balcony.

In Xiaowaluwen's view, the base specs of the sniper rifle, combined with the point-blank shot and the reinforcement of the Abyss Matter, should have been enough to tear Ye Chen to pieces instantly.

Yet, the opponent had only been knocked out of the study as if hit by a giant hammer; this situation was far too bizarre.

Xiaowaluwen passed through the broken door and windows to the edge of the balcony and looked down, but he could only see a blurred pool of blood on the courtyard floor; he could not find Ye Chen's figure.

Clearly, the opponent had already changed his position.

"This guy is from the outside world after all; it's no surprise he has some life-saving treasure on him."

"But no matter what other tricks you have, you are destined to not escape today!"

"I, Xiaowaluwen, will definitely tear you to pieces!"

Xiaowaluwen swore through gritted teeth, then returned to the study with a look of grief, walking over to his older brother Xiaowalus, who was slumped over the desk with his skull shattered and body mangled, and laid his cold, silent corpse on the floor.

"Oh, Lord Xiaowalus... my kind brother... my tragic brother..."

"I'm sorry... actually, from the very beginning, I felt that this so-called Abyss Envoy was suspicious, but I hesitated and didn't strike."

"In the end, it was my fault that you lost your life. I am truly sorry. I only hope that you may find eternal rest in the embrace of the true Abyss god."

Xiaowaluwen knelt beside Xiaowalus, weeping bitterly as he bid him farewell.

Before long, a series of rapid, thunderous footsteps echoed from outside the study, and as the heavy doors were flung open, a group of Xiaowalus's personal guards suddenly appeared before Xiaowaluwen.

"Lord Xiaowalus, we heard the gunshot and rushed up from the basement! May I ask—"

The captain of the guard, his chin wrapped in bandages, shouted in a panic as he entered, but halfway through his sentence, he caught sight of Xiaowaluwen kneeling on the floor, tears streaming down his face, and the headless corpse lying beside him.

"Lord Xiaowaluwen. This, could this be—!?"

Facing the bewildered and terrified guards, Xiaowaluwen wiped the tears from his face with a handkerchief and slowly stood up, his voice low and hoarse as he delivered the tragic news: "My elder brother is dead. He was ambushed by that swindler in the cloak."

"How could this... be?"

Upon hearing the news, the faces of the guards turned deathly pale.

Even though Xiaowalus was now dead, they had been subjected to his hypnosis day and night for over a decade; their minds had been subtly influenced by his Spirit Art, and their loyalty was rooted deep within their souls.

Now that their master was dead, every one of them wore a face etched with sorrow and despair.

However, upon seeing the look of hatred and murderous intent in Xiaowaluwen's eyes, the expressions of the guards quickly shifted to ferocity, mania, and rage.

At this moment, silence spoke louder than words.

The brother of The Lord and the guards of The Lord shared but a single thought in their minds: revenge!

For the sake of the lord of Frost White City, for the sake of Lord Xiaowalus, they would surely capture the fleeing Ye Chen tonight and tear him limb from limb!

Otherwise, this hatred in their hearts would never be extinguished as long as they lived!