Reversal

The little old man wasn't the least bit afraid, either. He was already at death's door; if he didn't fight, he'd die, so how could he possibly back down?

"Kill!!!"

The little old man charged at the Heroic Assassins with a roar. In an instant, the two sides clashed, every punch whipping up a gust of wind.

The little old man truly was a seasoned veteran who had roamed the martial world for years. Relying on his superior martial arts cultivation, he charged wildly through the crowd, claws bared and wearing a ferocious expression. Every move carried tremendous force, and he was determined to kill a man with every punch.

Before long, one of them let down his guard and was struck by a punch, sent flying. Half his chest was smashed in. He twitched twice, then went still.

Everyone was astonished at the sight, and they changed their strategy. Rather than attacking with overwhelming force, they began to kite him, avoiding direct confrontation. When the enemy advanced, they retreated; when he retreated, they advanced, relentlessly wearing down his stamina.

The tactic soon proved effective. The little old man, who seemed to have gone mad, gradually ran out of strength. His movements slowed considerably, and the power behind his punches plummeted. More and more bloody gashes appeared across his body.

The little old man wanted to catch his breath, but whenever he showed signs of stopping, the attacks grew even more vicious. With nowhere left to run, he could only grit his teeth and fight on.

Just like that, he found himself with less and less strength to draw on, while the blood covering him grew thicker and thicker.

Against eight Dark Force martial artists, he might not have been beaten so badly at the peak of his strength. But Chen Han's punch had truly dealt him a severe blow.

In the end, not quite half an hour later, he fell to his knees and raised his head to the sky, his face full of unwillingness. His pupils slowly dilated. Just like that, he was literally beaten to death by exhaustion.

Clang!

With a ringing blade, Qing Xue sliced off the little old man's head, and blood sprayed out in a burst.

"Finally... he's dead..."

"That old bastard really had some tricks. We underestimated him..."

The eight Heroic Assassins were all exhausted, too. They collapsed to the ground and gasped for breath.

Several of them had also suffered serious injuries and couldn't even stand. Chen Han couldn't help but marvel at how terrifying the little old man's desperate last stand had been.

Chen Han jumped down from the "viewing platform." Qing Xue immediately sashayed toward him, her long, smooth legs in full display. She wore a bewitching, flirtatious smile, and the sight made the Heroic Assassins deeply envious.

If a ravishing beauty like Qing Xue treated them that way, they'd be grinning so hard their faces would bloom.

"My dear nephew, you've really suffered for my sake. You went to such lengths just to save my life. How about this? I'll grant you one wish. Whatever you want, Auntie will—"

Chen Han's gaze suddenly sharpened. He stepped forward, raised his fist, the veins on his hand bulging, and slammed it straight into the center of the approaching woman's chest!

The blow landed with tremendous force. Chen Han had put in a hundred and twenty percent of his strength.

Caught completely off guard, Qing Xue took the punch and flew backward like a cannonball, crashing into the stone wall and spitting up blood in torrents.

The other seven Heroic Assassins were stunned by what they saw. They looked at one another, their eyes filled with shock.

Qing Xue could never have imagined that Chen Han would suddenly turn on her. What on earth did this boy mean? First he had secretly tipped her off, and now he had suddenly attacked her.

Could that old man have told him I put a bug in him?

No, if that were the case, why would he have risked himself to warn me and save me?

She was clever, too. Her thoughts raced, and soon her body gave a sudden shudder as she figured it out. She was utterly shocked.

That was it: both sides had been left badly wounded, while the snipe waited for the clam to tire.

From the very beginning, this boy had known that both she and the old man meant him harm. But he couldn't run, because Wu Duan might uncover his identity at any moment, just as he might discover the bug she had planted in him.

If he didn't deal with both threats as soon as possible, either could cost him his life.

So he had lain in wait, assassinated Wu Duan, and manipulated matters to make both sides suffer grievous losses, ultimately letting him reap the benefits.

And that was exactly how things had played out. Now she had taken Chen Han's punch head-on and was powerless to fight back, while the seven Heroic Assassins the Black Market had hired at great expense had lost most of their strength in their recent fierce battle with the old bastard.

At present, Chen Han—a Transformation Force martial artist in his prime—had instead become the strongest person here.

Qing Xue's deduction was right. That had indeed been Chen Han's plan from the start. It was easy to say, but incredibly difficult to pull off.

Every step had been linked to the next. If anyone had sensed something was wrong, he might already have been a corpse.

Qing Xue, the little old man, and even Wu Duan—every step had been fraught with danger.

"All right, so every one of you wants me dead? Then I'll just have to kill you all first."

Neither the little old man nor Qing Xue had meant him well. Chen Han had never intended to cooperate with either of them. From beginning to end, his goal had been to kill them all!

Chen Han's lips were pressed tightly together, his gaze icy and murderous as he slowly walked toward them. His presence carried the oppressive weight of a man who could inspire fear without even getting angry.

"Brother, we're just poor souls who take people's money to solve their problems. Besides, we never intended to harm you in the first place. This woman has nothing to do with us, either. Do as you please. We'll leave right now."

"That's right, we have no grudges between us. Let's part on good terms..."

It was obvious which mattered more: their lives or their silver.

They were all weak right now, and they were only Dark Force martial artists. Naturally, they didn't dare confront Chen Han, a Transformation Force martial artist at full strength. They could only avoid him if they could.

But just as they were about to leave, they realized that the entrance they had used was blocked by a boulder. There was no way they could move it anytime soon.

"You're all dying here today."

These Heroic Assassins from the Black Market had witnessed everything. They knew too much; Chen Han couldn't let any of them live.

Chen Han's voice wasn't loud, but to them it sounded like a demon whispering in their ears.

They didn't know what Chen Han had done, but judging by the conversation and reactions just now, it seemed he had outmaneuvered both seasoned veterans of the martial world.

Especially that punch just now. If a flirtatious beauty like Qing Xue had thrown herself into their arms, they would've been lost in her charms by now.

They could never have been like this young man, punching a beauty and sending her flying.

Though they didn't know what had really happened, this young man was clearly no ordinary person.

If he said he would kill them, he might actually be able to do it.

At that thought, their faces darkened, and they stared at Chen Han.

Qing Xue, however, showed no fear. Instead, she smiled, the corners of her lips curling as she looked at Chen Han with disdain.

"My dear nephew, you're being far too presumptuous."

As she spoke, she took out a packet of medicine, struck a match to make a small flame, and set it alight.

"Do you know there's still a bug I put inside your belly?"

A bug?

"You little bastard! You think you can kill your grandfather?"

"Kid, didn't expect this trick, did you? I'll peel your skin off in a moment."

At her words, the Heroic Assassins immediately relaxed. They sneered and hurled abuse at Chen Han, and some were already planning how they would torture the upstart who didn't know his place.

That young brat had startled them just now, and they were all simmering with anger.

It was true that Qing Xue had put a bug inside Chen Han, but he wasn't the least bit afraid now.

Smoke filled the air, spreading through the entire cavern in barely a dozen breaths.

Chen Han remained where he stood, watching them coldly, showing not the slightest sign of discomfort.

"How is this possible..."

Qing Xue's face was full of disbelief. In her imaginings, the man before her should now be writhing on the ground in agony, eventually dying in torment as the bug tore through his heart and emerged.

But why was he still so calm?

That very night, Chen Han had found Wang Yue, and that was exactly what he had asked him to resolve.

Wang Yue knew all sorts of people in the Black Market. The bug master he found wasn't skilled enough to remove the bug inside Chen Han in such a short time, but he could suppress it temporarily and put it to sleep.

That was how things had reached this point.