Nine-star Dou Zong Fragile as Bubbles! Protector Liu Falls to His Knees!

Hearing Protector Liu's words.

Ji Changqing answered in a low voice:

"It's me, Protector Yuan. Didn't you say you were coming alone?"

"Why did Protector Liu come too?"

Protector Liu smiled.

"I came to broaden my horizons, and to see whether I could lend a hand."

Protector Yuan looked at Ji Changqing. After several seconds of silence, he asked:

"Where is Protector Tie?"

"Hmph, how would I know?"

Imitating Protector Wu's tone, Ji Changqing said:

"Ever since that fellow came to the Jia Ma Empire, he's done whatever he pleased and has been impossible to find all day long."

"Otherwise, the mission wouldn't have made no progress after all this time."

These two remarks of Ji Changqing's closely matched the way Protector Tie had behaved after arriving in the Jia Ma Empire.

Since Protector Wu and Protector Tie were both Earth-rank Protectors, they should have been dissatisfied with each other.

What he said fit the circumstances perfectly.

"Mm, then let's wait here."

After saying that, Protector Yuan fell silent.

Protector Liu looked at Ji Changqing a hundred meters away and waved.

"Why are you standing so far away, Protector Wu?"

"We are all envoys of the Soul Hall. We should trust and help one another!"

Ji Changqing put on a hesitant expression.

He slowly swept toward Protectors Yuan and Liu.

"Please forgive me, Protector Yuan. It's better to be cautious when traveling abroad."

"Mm."

Protector Yuan nodded, his gaze fixed on a certain direction as though lost in thought.

Ji Changqing continued drawing closer.

One hundred meters...

Fifty meters...

Twenty meters...

Ten meters...

"Protector Wu, are there any interesting local customs or specialties in the Jia Ma Empire?"

Protector Liu asked with a smile.

They were now very close.

Practically face-to-face.

"There are. Once the mission is complete, I'll take you to try them."

The moment Ji Changqing finished speaking.

The hand hidden within his sleeve suddenly shot toward Protector Yuan.

During this process, the concealed aura arrays he had set upon his palm continuously dissipated.

Everything happened in a flash.

Five Wheels Great Sun rested atop Ji Changqing's fingertip.

In that instant, the dim sky lit up, and countless magical beasts scattered through the vast forest in panic.

"Hmph! I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

Almost at the same moment.

Protector Yuan, who had appeared to be gazing into the distance, suddenly turned around.

A massive blood-colored palm over ten zhang long, wrapped in countless wailing vengeful souls, furiously slammed down at Ji Changqing.

But the instant that blood-colored palm came into contact with Five Wheels Great Sun.

It was as though rain and snow had met a blazing sun.

In the blink of an eye, it melted into wisps of black vapor, and even that vapor was burned into nothingness.

"What?!"

"How is that possible?!"

Disbelief surged into Protector Yuan's scarlet eyes.

In truth, he had recognized long ago that this was a fake Protector Wu.

For that reason, he had been preparing an attack from the start.

But he had never expected...

That the Earth Tier Fighting Skill unleashed by him, a Nine-star Dou Zong, would be defeated so easily by this impostor posing as Protector Wu.

Feeling Five Wheels Great Sun nearly burn away even his soul.

Protector Yuan violently spat out a mouthful of blood, while the black mist around him transformed into blood mist.

At the same time, he slapped his Soul-Collecting Bag. Several powerful souls shattered into specks of starlight and merged into the blood mist.

His Nine-star Dou Zong aura suddenly surged by another great margin.

Vaguely, it even seemed to be on the verge of stepping into the Dou Venerate realm.

"Hmph, do you really think I, an Earth-rank Protector, have no trump cards?!"

Protector Yuan waved a hand.

The blood-colored palm swelled rapidly in the wind, reaching several dozen zhang in size in an instant. Like a small mountain, it carried a bloodstained stench that shot into the heavens.

But the next second.

That several-dozen-zhang blood-colored palm was crushed into a torrential rain of blood by Five Wheels Great Sun, and before it could even touch the ground, it was completely evaporated.

"I@#￥%*..."

Protector Yuan was utterly dumbfounded.

It was that powerful?!

In the second before Five Wheels Great Sun blasted his body apart.

He truly wanted to curse.

You're so damn strong, so why did you need to disguise yourself as Protector Wu and launch a sneak attack?!

Were all top experts nowadays this shameless?!

Ji Changqing summoned the Blazing Banner and had it draw in Protector Yuan's soul.

Meanwhile, he spread out his soul power and swiftly searched for Protector Liu's whereabouts.

Protector Liu was interesting.

The instant Ji Changqing clashed with Protector Yuan.

Protector Liu neither shouted nor screamed. He simply slipped away without a sound.

Fortunately, Ji Changqing had kept a thread of soul power on him all along. Otherwise, Protector Liu might really have escaped today.

"Found you."

Ji Changqing flashed and vanished from where he stood.

"I'm going to die! I'm going to die!"

"There's actually a traitor among the Soul Hall Protectors!"

"No, no, the original Protector Wu was killed. This fake Protector Wu is terrifying. Protector Yuan won't last long!"

"Good thing I ran fast!"

Protector Liu hid within the dense forest.

He had also cultivated a Fighting Skill that concealed one's aura, and he deliberately burrowed into areas inhabited by magical beasts.

That made him genuinely difficult to find.

But the next second, Protector Liu's body stiffened.

He slowly raised his head stiffly and saw moonlight filtering through gaps in the leaves, falling upon a black-robed figure ahead.

Moreover, the black-robed man said nothing and simply raised his palm to attack.

"B-Big brother! P-Please stop!"

Protector Liu dropped to his knees with a thud.

He raised both hands and shouted in a trembling voice:

"Big brother, even if you got the badges of four Protectors, it wouldn't be easy to impersonate all four of them!"

"I can help you deceive Venerable Qin Tian! Oh, right, right! If any new Protectors join Venerable Qin Tian's team, I can help you win them over, turn them against him, or just kill them!"

Damn!

What a talent!

Ji Changqing carefully scrutinized Protector Liu, who was kneeling on the ground.

Back in the group chat, this Protector Liu had always acted rather... dim-witted.

Now, though, the fact that he could infer so much in such a short time was truly remarkable.

A person like this should be killed.

But...

A sharp gleam flashed through Ji Changqing's eyes.

Protector Liu was right. Impersonating two Protectors was already somewhat difficult for him.

If he impersonated four at once, it would be far too difficult.

Besides, if Venerable Qin Tian summoned even one Protector back, wouldn't he be exposed?

Having a real Protector act as his wingman would indeed make things easier.

But how could he make Protector Liu obey obediently without leaving behind even the slightest hidden danger?

As Ji Changqing pondered, an idea suddenly struck him.

"Open your mouth."

Protector Liu had no idea what he intended to do.

But he still obediently opened his mouth.

Whoosh—

Ji Changqing forced out a drop of seven-colored blood from his fingertip.

The instant that drop appeared, a cloying fragrance drifted through the air, and the surrounding trees withered in an instant.

Seeing this terrifying sight, Protector Liu hurriedly tried to close his mouth.

But that drop of Seven-Colored Poison Blood had already entered his mouth...