The black-armored giant made no attempt to dodge. Ji Feihua secretly rejoiced, only to hear two clangs as the cold streaks struck their target. The giant's eyes were protected too, by transparent eye guards. Raising the Coiling Dragon Pillar, the giant swept it across once more. Ji Feihua sprang away and landed on open ground fifty feet from his opponent, staring coldly at him. "Who exactly are you?"
The black-armored giant cackled. "You're full of schemes, Ji Feihua. Can't you guess who I am?" He threw back his head and let out a strange howl, thunderous enough to carry far through the rainy night.
"Hong Beimo!" Ji Feihua said. Who else but Hong Beimo, with his mastery of mechanisms and endless stratagems, could possess such abilities?
The black-armored giant said, "I underestimated you after all. I never imagined you could persuade my subordinate to poison me!"
Ji Feihua smiled. "The feeling is mutual. Persuading Murong Zhan to turn against me took some skill." He glanced toward Murong Zhan in the distance and saw that he had risen to his feet again.
Hong Beimo said, "There's one thing you've never understood. If you want someone to serve you with unwavering devotion, you must never force him into submission!"
A mocking smile touched Ji Feihua's lips. "You mean, win him over with virtue?"
"Exactly!" Hong Beimo raised the Coiling Dragon Pillar and drove it toward Ji Feihua.
Ji Feihua snorted coldly. "Let's see just how capable you are!" He was now certain that the Retired Emperor, Long Xuan'en, had seized the opportunity to escape the Spirit Firmament Palace. They had planned today's trap long ago. Even the discovery that Long Tingsheng had received a wax pill might have been a deliberate leak, intended to arouse his suspicions and lead him along this