After the short arrows were burned apart in the valley, three Death Soldiers lunged out at once.
They moved swiftly.
One wielded a short blade, one possessed a Shadow Martial Soul, and the last remained hidden in the rear, passing commands only through sharp, brief whistles.
Di Yao did not activate the Corona Emperor Domain.
He did not even charge forward.
He merely stepped back half a pace and used the Great Sun Golden Flame to shield Tie Wumen's side.
Tie Wumen's expression turned strange when he saw this.
"You really aren't going to kill me?"
Di Yao said, "You haven't settled the accounts yet."
Tie Wumen gritted his teeth. "You little brat, you sound like an accountant every time you open your mouth."
Watching the Short-Blade Death Soldier rush at him, Di Yao raised his hand and flung out a streak of golden flame.
The fiery line grazed the short blade.
The blade instantly burned red-hot.
The Death Soldier's wrist jerked, yet he stubbornly refused to let go.
Di Yao's gaze shifted slightly.
"Death Soldier."
Tie Wumen saw it too, his face darkening.
"These people aren't from the Black Market."
"They're harsher on themselves than they are on their enemies."
The Shadow Martial Soul Death Soldier suddenly slid along the ground, his shadow like a sheet of thin black water as it wrapped around Di Yao's ankle.
Di Yao's First Soul Ring lit up, and the Great Sun Golden Flame struck the ground.
The shadow twisted from the burning.
The Death Soldier let out a muffled groan, but instead of retreating, he used the shadow to delay Di Yao and create an opening for the Short-Blade Death Soldier to close in.
Tie Wumen cursed under his breath and raised a hand toward his waist.
Di Yao swept him a