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 were no follow-up actions, not even the slightest rumor.

Yet Zhang Fei always felt that something was wrong. The calm before a storm was often the most terrifying.

However, 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, entering the arena, defeating opponents, collecting points.

More than ten days passed, and Zhang Fei finally advanced to a Gold Spirit 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 obtained it before even turning nine.

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

In high spirits after being promoted to a Gold Spirit Badge, Zhang Fei prepared to head back and show off in front of his grandfather.

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

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

He rounded a corner and entered a relatively secluded alley. It was a shortcut back to the Crown Prince's Residence, one he had taken more than a hundred times.

Suddenly, his steps paused slightly.

His golden vertical pupils abruptly contracted.

Three killing intents silently locked onto him from the air.

"Not good!"

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

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Three black figures burst forth at once from the alley's shadows, the rooftops, and behind a wall, forming a triangular formation that sealed off all his escape routes.

All three wore tight black clothes for nighttime travel, their faces concealed behind masks that revealed only pairs of cold eyes.

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

Six Soul Rings rose beneath the three of them at once, and the pressure of Soul Emperors crashed down upon Zhang Fei!

Their martial souls appeared behind them: a jet-black leopard, a fully feathered falcon, and a dagger glowing with an eerie blue chill.

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

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

Zhang Fei's expression changed drastically, and his heart turned ice-cold.

He had been careless! He had gotten too carried away!

"Kill!"

The leopard Soul Master at the lead shouted lowly, and all three moved at once.

They did not waste a single word, nor did they underestimate him in the slightest. The moment they attacked, they went all out. They clearly intended to kill Zhang Fei in the shortest possible time, leaving no room for error.

The leopard Soul Master transformed into a bolt of black lightning and lunged straight for Zhang Fei's face.

With a flap of his wings, the falcon Soul Master soared into the air. His sharp talons descended from above, sealing off Zhang Fei's path overhead.

The dagger Soul Master drove his poisoned dagger directly toward Zhang Fei's lower back.

A three-sided assault—a sure-kill situation!

At that instant, Zhang Fei's golden vertical pupils blazed with fierce light.

With nowhere to retreat, he would fight!

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

His first and second Soul Rings ignited beneath his feet at the same time. Golden dragon scales instantly covered his entire body, while his hands transformed into sharp dragon claws.

He stomped his right foot fiercely against the ground. Rather than retreat, he charged straight toward the dagger Soul Master on the far left!

Compared to beast martial soul users, tool martial soul users were physically weaker. Among the three-sided encirclement, that was the direction with the weakest offensive force—and his only opening!

"Clang!"

The dagger struck his dragon scales with a piercing metallic screech, sending sparks flying in all directions.

The tremendous impact halted Zhang Fei for an instant, but his dragon scales had forcibly blocked the strike.

Zhang Fei flipped his right palm, and dark golden claws shot violently from his fingertips—the Heaven-Rending Claw!

"Rrip!"

Five streaks of dark golden claw light swept backward, tearing through the air as they shot straight for the dagger Soul Master's throat.

The dagger Soul Master's pupils shrank. He hurriedly leaned back, and the claw light grazed his mask, leaving behind five deep slashes.

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

"Bang!"

The falcon Soul Master's talons clawed fiercely into Zhang Fei's shoulder and back. Dragon scales shattered, and blood sprayed into the air.

Zhang Fei let out a muffled groan. Before he could turn around, the leopard Soul Master's palm had already struck his back.

"Pfft!"

Zhang Fei staggered forward as a mouthful of blood surged up his throat.

Seizing the opportunity, the dagger Soul Master rushed in. The blade sliced past Zhang Fei's lower back beneath his ribs, cutting through his clothes and a thin layer of dragon scales. The bluish-green poison on its tip seeped into the wound.

The intense pain made Zhang Fei's vision darken, but he used the force of the impact to stagger free from the 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 that lay 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 steps and surrounded him again, their killing intent even stronger than before.

Zhang Fei knew that he could never be a match for three Soul Emperors.

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

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

Wind howled past his ears as two auras followed close behind him, drawing nearer and nearer.

"Kid, you can't escape!"

The leopard Soul Master's voice sounded like a death sentence.

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

"Bang!"

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

Ignoring the agonizing pain coursing through his body, Zhang Fei pushed himself up at once and continued running.

His mouth was full of blood, and his vision was 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 once more. The leopard Soul Master stood to the left, the falcon Soul Master to the right, and the dagger Soul Master in the middle. All three raised their palms and blades at the same time.

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

The shadow of death descended over him.

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

It's over! I screwed up!

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

There was no warning, and not a single Soul Ring lit up.

That person merely reached out and scooped Zhang Fei up around the waist. Then, with a flicker, he weaved swiftly through the three Soul Emperors.

His speed was unimaginably fast, 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 lingered 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 twists and turns over rooftops and between alleys. Only after confirming that all watchers had been shaken off did he descend directly into the rear courtyard of the Crown Prince's Residence.