Assassination Arrives

Five days later, everything outside remained calm.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth. There had been no further moves, not even the slightest rumor.

Yet Zhang Fei could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. The calm before the storm was often the most frightening.

Still, he could not hide forever. What would be the point of living like that?

On the sixth day, Zhang Fei returned to the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena.

Everything fell back into that familiar rhythm.

Registering, taking the stage, defeating opponents, collecting points.

More than ten days later, Zhang Fei finally advanced to a Golden Soul badge.

The gleaming golden badge shone brilliantly beneath the lights. It was an honor countless soul masters in the Great Soul Arena dreamed of, yet he had earned it before even turning nine.

The danger he had expected still had not come. Pleased with himself, Zhang Fei's tightly wound heart gradually relaxed.

In high spirits after advancing to Golden Soul, Zhang Fei prepared to head back and show off in front of his grandfather.

He left the Great Soul Arena and headed toward the Crown Prince's Residence along the street he had walked countless times.

The setting sun slanted across the flagstone road, stretching his shadow long behind him.

He passed a corner and entered a relatively secluded alley. This was a shortcut back to the Crown Prince's Residence, one he had taken no fewer than a hundred times.

Suddenly, his steps faltered.

His golden vertical pupils constricted sharply in that instant.

Three killing intents silently locked onto him from the air.

"Not good!"

Every hair on Zhang Fei's body stood on end, and his martial soul instinctively tried to emerge. But it was already too late.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Three black figures sprang out at once from the alley's shadows, the rooftops, and behind a wall, forming a triangular formation that sealed off every route of escape.

All three wore tight black nightclothes, their faces concealed behind masks that exposed only pairs of icy eyes.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black!

Six soul rings rose beneath the three men simultaneously, and the pressure of Soul Emperors crashed down upon Zhang Fei!

Their martial souls appeared behind them: a pitch-black panther, a broad-winged falcon, and a dagger glinting with a cold, dark-blue light.

They were clearly professional assassins hired by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

"Three Soul Emperors... just to kill one Soul Grandmaster like me?!"

Zhang Fei's face changed drastically, his heart turning cold.

He had been careless! He had gotten far too full of himself!

"Kill!"

The panther soul master at the front gave a low shout, and all three moved at once.

They did not waste a single word, nor did they underestimate him in the slightest. From the very start, they attacked with all their strength, clearly intending to kill Zhang Fei in the shortest possible time without leaving him any room to escape.

The panther soul master turned into a bolt of black lightning and lunged straight for Zhang Fei's face.

With a beat of his wings, the falcon soul master soared into the air, his sharp talons descending from above to seal off Zhang Fei's escape.

The dagger soul master drove his poison-coated dagger toward Zhang Fei's lower back.

A three-pronged assault—a certain kill!

In that instant, Zhang Fei's golden vertical pupils flared with blazing light.

With nowhere to retreat, he would fight!

"Golden Armor Body! Dark Gold Dragon Claw Hand!"

His first and second soul rings erupted beneath his feet at the same time. Golden dragon scales instantly covered his entire body, and his hands transformed into sharp dragon claws.

He stomped down hard with his right foot. Rather than retreating, he charged fiercely at the dagger soul master on the far left!

Compared to beast soul masters, tool soul masters were physically weaker. Among the three directions of attack, this was the weakest and the only possible opening!

"Clang!"

The dagger struck the dragon scales with a piercing clash of metal, scattering sparks everywhere.

The tremendous impact halted Zhang Fei for a moment, but the dragon scales forcibly blocked the strike.

Zhang Fei flipped his right palm, and dark-gold claws shot out from his fingertips—Heaven-Rending Claw!

"Riiip!"

Five dark-gold streaks of claw light swept backward, tearing through the air as they shot for the dagger soul master's throat.

The dagger soul master's pupils shrank. He hurriedly leaned back, and the claw lights skimmed past his mask, leaving five deep gashes.

But that brief delay allowed the other two Soul Emperors to reach him.

"Bang!"

The falcon soul master's talons raked hard across Zhang Fei's shoulder and back. Dragon scales shattered, and blood sprayed out.

Zhang Fei gave a muffled groan. Before he could turn around, the panther soul master's palm had already slammed into his back.

"Pfft!"

Zhang Fei staggered forward, blood surging into his throat.

Seizing the chance, the dagger soul master closed in. His blade sliced past Zhang Fei's lower back beneath his ribs, cutting through his clothes and a thin layer of dragon scales. The blue-green poison on its tip seeped into the wound.

The searing pain made Zhang Fei's vision go dark, but he used the force of the blow to stumble out of their encirclement.

"Poison?"

Zhang Fei's heart tightened, but he immediately felt the power of ice and fire within his body begin to circulate on its own.

The ultimate ice and ultimate fire dormant deep within his meridians activated instantly, crushing, neutralizing, and dissolving the invading poison.

Two breaths later, the poison vanished without a trace.

But he had no time to celebrate.

The three Soul Emperors shifted their footing and surrounded him once more, their killing intent even stronger than before.

Zhang Fei knew he could never defeat three Soul Emperors.

He turned and ran, pushing the enhancement of Golden Armor Body to its limit. His legs nearly turned into two afterimages.

But how could he possibly outrun Soul Emperors whose martial souls were a panther and a falcon?

The wind howled past his ears, while two auras behind him followed like shadows, drawing closer and closer.

"Kid, you can't run!"

The panther soul master's voice sounded like a death warrant.

Another palm strike came at him from behind. Zhang Fei twisted aside with all his strength, but it still grazed his back.

"Bang!"

He spat out blood again and flew more than ten meters before crashing heavily onto the stone-paved road. It felt as though all his internal organs had shifted out of place.

Ignoring the agonizing pain throughout his body, Zhang Fei pushed himself up with both hands and immediately got back on his feet, continuing to run forward.

His mouth was full of blood, and his vision blurred from the impact, but only one thought remained in his mind: Get back! As long as I get back to the Crown Prince's Residence, I'll be safe!

The three Soul Emperors caught up again. The panther soul master and falcon soul master flanked him on either side, while the dagger soul master stood in the middle. All three raised their palms and blades.

This time, they would not give Zhang Fei another chance.

The shadow of death descended.

Zhang Fei felt that bone-piercing chill. He wanted to dodge, but his body could no longer keep up with his mind. His legs were as heavy as lead.

It's over! I really screwed this up!

At that critical moment, a black figure suddenly appeared at Zhang Fei's side like a phantom tearing through space.

There was no warning, and not a single soul ring lit up.

The person merely reached out and scooped Zhang Fei up around the waist. Then his figure flickered as he darted swiftly through the three Soul Emperors.

His speed was utterly unbelievable, leaving behind only a faint afterimage.

"What?! A Titled Douluo?!"

The three Soul Emperors' faces changed drastically, but before they could react, their heads had already fallen to the ground, terror still frozen in their eyes.

Though the black figure had not revealed any soul rings, why would a Titled Douluo need soul skills to kill a few ordinary Soul Emperors?

After dealing with the three Soul Emperors, the black figure carried Zhang Fei through winding rooftops and alleys. Only after making sure they had shaken off every watcher did he descend directly into the rear courtyard of the Crown Prince's Residence.