Killing Clayde

Ice spikes filled the sky, howling toward him.

Linley neither dodged nor retreated, merely snorting coldly.

"Hmph, you have a death wish."

He lashed out with a kick.

"Bang!"

His azure foot slammed into the Icecold Snow Lion's head.

"Awooo-!"

The Icecold Snow Lion let out a piercing, agonized howl. Its massive body was sent flying backward into a wall, bringing the entire wall crashing down.

Dust filled the air.

Linley had sent an eighth-level magical beast, the Icecold Snow Lion, flying with a single kick!

The two attendants Clayde had brought turned pale with fright, their legs going weak. They didn't even dare move.

W-was he even human?

A Dragonblood Warrior... was this the legendary Dragonblood Warrior?!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

Linley hammered the barrier with punch after punch, each blow carrying a thousand pounds of force.

Inside the barrier, Clayde's face was deathly pale.

He could feel the barrier's defenses weakening rapidly.

At this rate, it won't be long before the barrier breaks!

Just then-

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Several figures rushed in from outside and landed in the living room.

There were three of them in all.

Two warriors dressed in close-fitting white combat clothes and a magus in white robes.

All three wore the Radiant Church's emblem on their chests.

"Your Majesty!"

The middle-aged warrior at their head saw Clayde's sorry state, and his expression changed.

"Lord Lait!" Clayde cried excitedly, as though grasping at a lifeline. "Quick! Kill him! He's going to kill me!"

Lait was a peak eighth-level warrior!

Of the two beside him, one was an eighth-level warrior and the other an eighth-level magus!

All three were experts the Radiant Church had stationed in the Fenlai Kingdom.

Clayde had sent for them long ago, but he hadn't expected them to arrive a step too late.

Lait looked at Linley. When he saw the azure dragon scales covering him, his pupils contracted sharply.

"A Dragonblood Warrior?!"

Lait was shaken to the core.

"I don't care who you are," Lait said gravely. "By daring to assassinate the king of Fenlai, you've made an enemy of the entire Radiant Church! Surrender at once, and perhaps you'll be allowed to die with your corpse intact!"

"You think you can do that?" Linley sneered.

A peak eighth-level warrior, an eighth-level warrior, and an eighth-level magus.

Their lineup was indeed formidable.

But-

They still weren't capable of stopping him!

"Boss, I'll help you!" Bebe called, darting to Linley's side.

"Attack together! Kill him!"

Lait gave the order.

"Yes!"

The eighth-level warrior and the eighth-level magus answered in unison.

But-

Before they could attack, a black shadow darted toward them.

"I'm your opponent!"

Bebe chuckled and swung a claw.

"Clang!"

The eighth-level warrior's sword struck Bebe's claw, producing the ring of metal against metal.

"What?!" The eighth-level warrior's expression changed.

What kind of magical beast is this? How is its defense so strong?

"My turn!"

Bebe's figure flashed, moving at astonishing speed.

"Rip!"

A single swipe of his claw tore several wounds into the eighth-level warrior's chest, deep enough to expose bone.

"Aaagh!" The eighth-level warrior screamed and was sent flying backward.

One move!

In just one move, the eighth-level warrior had been gravely wounded!

"Is this... a level nine magical beast?!" Lait's face changed drastically.

He hadn't expected this unassuming little mouse to be what appeared to be a level nine magical beast!

"Rapid-Fire Light Spears!"

The eighth-level magus reacted quickly, hurriedly chanting a spell. More than a dozen spears of light shot toward Bebe.

"Heh heh, too slow!"

Bebe cackled and shifted, easily dodging every attack.

Then he charged straight at the magus.

Magi were weak in close combat to begin with, and faced with the astonishingly fast Bebe, he had no time to react.

"Rip!"

Bebe's claw tore open the magus's throat.

The magus's eyes widened. He clutched his throat with both hands and slowly fell.

An instant kill in one move!

In just a few breaths, of the two eighth-level experts, one was dead and the other wounded!

"This..."

Lait was completely dumbfounded.

What kind of monsters are these?

A Dragonblood Warrior is one thing, but he also has a pet that looks to be a level nine magical beast?

How are we supposed to fight this battle?

While Lait was stunned-

"Whoosh!"

Linley abruptly vanished from where he stood.

When he reappeared, he had passed Lait and arrived in front of Clayde!

"No-!" Clayde was scared out of his wits.

He desperately channeled the Destiny Guard Scroll, and the barrier shone as brightly as it possibly could.

But Linley's gaze was terrifyingly cold.

"Die."

A purple soft sword appeared in his hand.

It was the Purple Blood Soft Sword!

Although it wasn't his bonded divine artifact and he couldn't bring out its full power, combined with his Dragonblood Battle Qi and Wind Element magic, its destructive power was still terrifying!

"Hummm-"

Linley flicked his wrist, and the Purple Blood Soft Sword stabbed out like a venomous snake.

"Clink! Clink! Clink!..."

Seven thrusts in succession, all striking the exact same point on the barrier.

With each strike, the barrier grew dimmer.

When the seventh strike landed-

"Crack..."

A crisp shattering sound rang out.

The barrier broke!

"No-!!"

Clayde let out a desperate scream.

Without the barrier to protect him, he was like a lamb awaiting slaughter before Linley.

There was no emotion in Linley's eyes.

He flicked his wrist.

The Purple Blood Soft Sword traced a strange arc.

"Slash-"

The sharp blade sliced easily through Clayde's throat.

Blood gushed out like a fountain.

Clayde clutched his throat tightly with both hands, his eyes wide and filled with terror and unwillingness.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but could only make a rasping sound as air escaped.

Then-

"Thud."

He fell stiffly to the ground and moved no more.

Clayde, king of the Fenlai Kingdom, was dead.

And just then.

"Linley! Hurry, go!"

Haoyue's voice suddenly rang out from outside Linley's residence.

"Heidens is here. I held him off for a while just now, but I can't delay him for long. Leave now, quickly. Head southeast, and I'll meet you once you're out of the city!"

Linley's heart tightened.

Heidens!

The Pope of Light!

A peak Saint-level expert!

Without hesitation, he turned and left.

Outside the southern city gate.

A black-robed figure stood there quietly.

It was Haoyue.

His black robe was torn in several places, a trace of blood marked the corner of his mouth, and his breathing was somewhat ragged.

Clearly, his clash with Heidens had not been easy.

"Big Brother Haoyue!"

Linley's voice came from the distance.

Soon, his figure appeared before Haoyue.

"You're hurt?" Seeing the blood at the corner of Haoyue's mouth, Linley's heart tightened.

"Just a minor injury." Haoyue shook his head. "Heidens is a peak Saint-level expert, after all, and a little stronger than I expected. But don't worry, I've already shaken him off."

He had indeed suffered a slight injury.

But that was all.

With the defense of the Mountain Dragon Soul and the restorative power of the Ocean Dragon Soul, plus Earth Element magic and the Taiji Sword's method of redirecting force in circular motions, holding out against a peak Saint-level expert for a short while was still within his abilities.

"Let's go." Haoyue patted Linley on the shoulder. "We'll talk once we're out of the Fenlai Kingdom."

"Right!"

Linley nodded firmly.

The two men and the beast didn't pause for a moment, quickly disappearing into the vast darkness of the night.

Half an hour later.

Linley's residence in Fenlai City.

A dazzling white light descended from the sky.

The light faded, revealing an elderly man in white priestly robes.

His face was aged, but his eyes were bright and piercing, as though they contained boundless authority.

It was the Pope of Light, Heidens!

But his robes were somewhat disheveled at the moment, clearly showing that he had been through a fierce battle.

"Your Holiness!"

Lait hurried forward and dropped to one knee.

"Your subordinate was incompetent and failed to protect Your Majesty. Please punish me!"

Heidens ignored him.

His gaze fell on Clayde's corpse, his expression terrifyingly grim.

"Tiger-Striped Warrior... Dragonblood Warrior..." Heidens murmured, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Good... very good indeed!"

He had not expected to encounter descendants of two Ultimate Warriors in succession on this trip to the Fenlai Kingdom.

And-

That Tiger-Striped Warrior had actually managed to stop him!

Although his opponent had caught him off guard and fled after the exchange, not daring to face him head-on, escaping from him unscathed was astonishing in itself.

"Pass down my orders," Heidens said slowly, his voice icy. "Use all our strength to track down these two. I want them alive, or their corpses if they're dead!"

"Yes!" Lait hurriedly answered.

Heidens raised his head and looked at the southern sky.

That was the direction Haoyue and Linley had gone.

"Haoyue Bolei, Linley Baruch..." A cold light flashed in Heidens's eyes. "They really are the Tiger-Striped Warrior and the Dragonblood Warrior."

Half an hour earlier, on the east city road in the Fenlai Royal Capital.

The night was cool as water, the moonlight pale as frost.

A figure stood with his hands behind his back, black robes fluttering in the wind, blocking the only road to the royal palace.

It was Haoyue.

Long before Linley entered the palace, Haoyue had sensed the vast, abyss-deep aura of light in the distance.

Peak Saint-level, Heidens.

"Whoosh-!"

A streak of white light tore across the night sky at astonishing speed.

It was the Pope of Light-Heidens!

But-

Just as he was about to fly into the royal capital, a black-robed figure blocked his path.

"Hmm?"

Heidens frowned.

Who was bold enough to stand in his way?

Burning with anxiety, he could not be bothered with words and casually struck out with his palm.

"Out of my way!"

Blazing white light gathered into a giant palm and descended upon Haoyue's head, bearing a holy yet terrifying aura.

Even a casual strike from a Peak Saint-level expert was enough to kill an ordinary Ninth Rank expert instantly!

But-

Facing a palm strike powerful enough to destroy a city and lay waste to the land, Haoyue neither dodged nor evaded.

"Hmph."

A cold snort.

He slowly raised his right hand.

"Hum-"

A suit of platinum-colored armor formed around him.

Ninth Rank Earth Element magic: Platinum Saint-level Earth Guardian Armor!

After the giant palm of white light struck, its power was considerably weakened.

At the same time-

"Splash-"

Water surged from around Haoyue, forming a translucent curtain in front of him.

Ninth Rank Water Element magic: Water Shield!

The curtain of water rippled gently, like the surface of a lake.

"Boom-!"

The giant palm of white light slammed heavily into the curtain of water.

But the expected explosion did not occur.

Instead, the curtain of water drew the violent force away with exquisite skill, dissipating it until nothing remained.

The tai chi art of roundness and yielding, combined with Water Element magic, had endless applications!

"What?!"

A flicker of surprise crossed Heidens's eyes.

He had blocked it?

He came to a stop and studied the black-robed man before him with a grave expression.

"Who are you?" Heidens asked in a low voice. "Are you from the Dark Church? You blocked one of my attacks, so you must be a Saint-level expert too. Hegemon? Or Titus?"

He named two Saint-level experts from the Dark Church, only to find that the aura of the man before him differed from both of theirs.

"No, you haven't even reached Saint-level... Who are you?"

Beneath the black robes, the corners of Haoyue's mouth rose slightly.

"Never mind who I am."

His voice was calm and unhurried, with a faint trace of mockery.

"You only need to know one thing-"

"Today, you'll have to stay here for a while."