Lin Xianhuo's Fire God Saber had shaken everyone so badly that none of them dared approach.
She snorted coldly. "Out of my way, or I'll have you all dead here today!"
"She's right. Let her through." A slick-haired man in a suit and leather shoes descended from the second floor, his voice frivolous.
He was the black market's ace assassin, known as Black Butcher. He always wore a neat black suit, killed without drawing blood, and worked swiftly and cleanly.
Black Butcher carried himself like a gentleman. He swept a glance over the battlefield and frowned slightly.
"Get the young master to the hospital, quickly. It can still be reattached!"
"Young master, please bear with it."
Huang Qianfeng roared, "Black Butcher, you have to kill her!"
"Don't worry, young master. I've never failed." Black Butcher grinned cruelly.
He tugged at his black tie and stared coldly at Lin Xianhuo.
"That saber technique, that treasured saber... you're someone important."
Lin Xianhuo scoffed. "If you know that, why aren't you getting out of my way?"
Black Butcher shook his head. "Alas, if we of the Huang Family backed down whenever someone important showed up, could we even keep this black market open?"
As soon as he finished speaking-
"Whoosh!"
He flicked his hands, sending exactly ten steel needles flying from between his fingers.
Lin Xianhuo's body trembled.
This guy attacked without so much as a warning!
She hurriedly raised her saber and swept it in a circle.
"Clang, clatter!"
All ten steel needles were easily swept aside. Lin Xianhuo breathed a sigh of relief and sneered. "Is that all you've got?"
But the next second, her expression changed drastically.
The ten steel needles had been a diversion. Black Butcher had already closed in, and the sharp knuckle-duster on his hand pierced through the flames, about to smash into the side of her face.
Lin Xianhuo could feel the terrifying force with perfect clarity.
Her pupils abruptly contracted. He was at least a Lesser Grandmaster; if the blow landed, she would surely die!
"Flame Explosion!"
She roared, instantly expelling all the breath a Martial Artist held within her, accompanied by intense flames.
Black Butcher executed a graceful sidestep, dodging it perfectly. He straightened and looked at Lin Xianhuo, suspicion and surprise in his eyes.
"A seventh-tier technique, Flame Explosion?"
"You're only a Martial Artist! How can you learn a seventh-tier martial art?"
"What level is your talent? Saint level?"
"Damn it, looks like you really are someone important. I can't let you leave today!"
Talent was divided into one to nine stars, then venerable level, quasi-saint, saint level, quasi-divine, divine level, and above those was the legendary mythic level.
A Martial Artist corresponded to third-tier techniques. It wasn't impossible to cultivate something better, but without sufficient talent, even if someone gave it to you, you wouldn't be able to learn it!
Yet she was only a Martial Artist, and she used a seventh-tier technique so smoothly!
That talent was terrifying!
He couldn't let her live!
Suddenly, Lin Xianhuo noticed a man in black happily "stealing" things in the distance.
Those movements, that posture.
The Dog King!
"Hey, help me!" Lin Xianhuo shouted.
Black Butcher turned to look as well.
Xiao Fan froze, then smiled awkwardly. "You two go on fighting. What are you looking at me for?"
Black Butcher looked at the other guards around them and snorted. "What are you standing around for? Deal with him!"
Then he turned back and continued fighting Lin Xianhuo.
Lin Xianhuo was furious and mortified. What's wrong with you, Dog King?
At a time like this, you're still stealing things?
Black Butcher was too strong. After using that Flame Explosion, her strength and speed had visibly weakened by thirty percent. Although she had focused her attention, Black Butcher still drove her back step by step.
Suddenly.
Black Butcher heard a series of clatters behind him. He frowned slightly, but gave it no further thought.
He would deal with Lin Xianhuo first.
His knuckle-duster shot forward again. This time, he used the fifth-tier technique Golden Bull Force, greatly increasing both his speed and strength!
Lin Xianhuo couldn't raise her long saber in time. A look of despair appeared on her face.
Behind her, Ding Dong let out a shrill scream. "Help!"
But just then.
A dark yellow spiked club suddenly appeared.
The muscles in Xiao Fan's arm bulged as he used every strength-enhancing technique he had at once.
Then.
"Clang!"
The spiked club slammed straight into Black Butcher's face with such force that the club itself caved in!
Black Butcher was sent flying on the spot, his head striking the ground and his face covered in blood!
"Who the fuck ambushed me?!" he roared.
Xiao Fan's heart skipped a beat. He really is the black market's ace assassin. Even with a new weapon and a full-force blow, I couldn't knock him out? Has he trained in some iron-head technique?
Still, it wasn't a big problem.
He glared at Lin Xianhuo. "What are you standing around for?"
"Press the attack and cut him down!"
With that, he hefted his club and charged in himself.
"Bang!"
The club came down, but Black Butcher reacted swiftly and hurriedly blocked it.
Luckily, Lin Xianhuo arrived and slashed straight at Black Butcher's arm!
"Are you stupid? Cut off his head!" Xiao Fan cursed.
"I..." Lin Xianhuo felt aggrieved. She had never even killed anyone, and he was telling her to cut off a head the moment he arrived?
Xiao Fan shook his head, frustrated that she couldn't live up to his expectations. "Forget it. I'll do it myself!"
Having lost one hand, Black Butcher was no longer capable of resisting.
Xiao Fan's spiked club came crashing down on his forehead!
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
The scene was extremely bloody and violent. Ding Dong couldn't hold back and threw up, while even Lin Xianhuo felt a wave of nausea, the hand holding her saber trembling.
At last, Black Butcher breathed his last.
Ding! The host killed an enemy above his level. Wind and Lightning Art progress increased by 75%, reaching mastery. Ding! The host killed an enemy above his level. Reward: one third-tier technique of your choice.
Martial arts were divided into four stages: beginner, proficient, mastery, and perfect, corresponding to 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%.
Xiao Fan was shocked. Killing Black Butcher had brought it straight to 75%, and more importantly, there was even a technique of his choice?
Did killing an enemy above his level come with benefits like these?
It wasn't as though he had never killed before. Was it because he had killed exotic beasts before, while Black Butcher was human? Or was it because he was strong enough?
Forget it. This wasn't the time to think about that!
He bent down and pulled Black Butcher's storage ring off. "Let's go. Reinforcements are coming."
With that, he took Lin Xianhuo's small hand.
Lin Xianhuo felt nothing unusual. They had kissed all night the previous night, so she was used to it. She took Little Ding Dong's hand and headed for the main entrance.
They stepped past the people Xiao Fan had beaten to death with his spiked club and crossed the threshold.
Lin Xianhuo breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
Little Dingdong was even more excited. "Big brother, you're amazing!"
Xiao Fan, however, sighed and shook his head. "Looks like we celebrated too early."
Sure enough, the next second, two figures slowly stepped in from outside the alley.
"How dare you cut off my son's hand? I've never seen anyone this fucking bold in Green Leaf City." Huang Meng clapped his hands as he walked toward him, his face full of brutality.
Beside him was Huang Meng's good brother, Pang Hu.
Both of them were late-stage Lesser Grandmasters.
One was at the eighth level, the other at the ninth.
As their auras surged, Lin Xianhuo's body trembled. "What... what do we do?"
After killing a Fire Sparrow, she had mistakenly thought it was easy to kill enemies above her level. But after facing Black Butcher, she finally understood how ridiculously wrong she had been.
The idea that exotic beasts were stronger than humans at the same level was a joke!
Black Butcher's raw strength was certainly inferior to the Fire Sparrow's! His talent and martial arts were separated from hers by a vast chasm.
But when they actually fought, all she felt was a profound sense of helplessness. From beginning to end, she had been suppressed so badly she couldn't lift her head. The technique she was so proud of and her powerful attributes couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes!
Without the Dog King, she might already be dead, and she would have died without leaving a single wound on Black Butcher.
Now, before her stood two opponents whose realms were higher than Black Butcher's and who might have even more experience killing.
She despaired.
But when she felt that the hand holding hers was as steady as Mount Tai, her heart inexplicably settled again.
"Have you come up with another plan?"
Xiao Fan's expression was impassive. Though he considered himself strong, two fists were no match for four hands!
Besides, these two were underworld bosses. They would certainly strike ruthlessly!
What was more, they might have reinforcements behind them. If so, things would really turn terrible!
He could only use that move!
Xiao Fan said gravely, "In a moment, find a chance to take this little girl and leave."
With that, the storage ring on his hand flashed, and more than a dozen boxes of cancer medicine fell to the ground.
"Put them away. What are you standing there for?" Xiao Fan snorted.
Lin Xianhuo hurriedly put them away and asked nervously, "What about you?"
"I'll deal with the two of them."
"Are you kidding me? Two late-stage Lesser Grandmasters! How are you going to fight them?!" Lin Xianhuo grew anxious.
"By putting my life on the line, of course." Xiao Fan exhaled deeply. "Inject your flames into my body."
"What?! What are you going to do?" Lin Xianhuo's eyes widened.
"Elemental Overlap," Xiao Fan said impassively.
"Elemental Overlap? Are you fucking crazy?! You'll die! Your body can't withstand it!"
Xiao Fan remained perfectly calm. "You talk too much. If you don't inject your flames into me now, none of us will get away today."
"Don't forget, I'm the Dog King."
"Would I sacrifice my life for two little girls?"
"Aren't you thinking too highly of me?"
"You're sure you can survive!" Lin Xianhuo stared intently at Xiao Fan.
"Pinky swear." Xiao Fan raised his hand.
"All right! Pinky swear! Xiao Fan, you have to survive!"
With that, Lin Xianhuo steeled her heart and injected flames into Xiao Fan's body.
At the same time.
Wind and lightning thundered around Xiao Fan!
The Wind and Lightning Art activated!
Elemental Overlap was also known as Elemental Conflict. When several different elements mingled, they could easily cause an explosion, unleashing violently surging power.
If Xiao Fan couldn't suppress the conflict between the flames, wind, and lightning, he would explode into a mist of blood on the spot.
But if he could suppress it, he would gain explosive power like that of dynamite.
Just then.
"Bang!"
A thunderous report rang out.
The black clothing covering Xiao Fan's upper body burst apart on the spot, revealing that familiar face in plain sight.
But what shocked Lin Xianhuo even more was the dense web of scars covering his body. It hardly looked like human flesh.
Just how many injuries had he suffered?!
At the same time, the power of the three elements completely fused.
Xiao Fan roared at the sky, and terrifying power erupted.
Pang Hu's and Huang Meng's pupils trembled violently.
"Is this guy fucking insane?!"
Xiao Fan took a step, moving three times faster than he had at his peak. Carrying wind, lightning, and flames, he arrived before the two late-stage Lesser Grandmaster experts in an instant.
Both fists blasted forward.
The two men retreated in terror. It wasn't that they couldn't withstand the punch; they were afraid Xiao Fan might explode the next second and blow them to death too!
"Run!"
At last, Xiao Fan roared.