Chapter 725: The Play Is On (3k)
“Such heavy power. If not for the constant replenishment from Jiu, I fear I would have broken a bone or two.”
The recoil from the clash sent Su Jiu flying several meters back. With a grave expression, she flicked the Dragon Pattern Long Sword forward, and it sliced through the air, planting itself into the ground behind her. She then stepped on the blade with her back foot, using the resistance to halt her momentum.
She could clearly feel the throbbing pain in her wrist, a sign of being outmatched in strength. Her opponent likely possessed a power-based bloodline.
“Heh! I thought you were some formidable character, but I didn’t expect you to fail even a basic [Shield Counter].”
Seeing Su Jiu sent flying, the burly man let out a sigh of relief, then chuckled heartily. He now held a pitch-black broadsword, and despite his mocking tone, a hint of caution remained in his eyes.
Facing the young girl before him, although her aura seemed to be only at the Initial Stage Battle God Level, still…
His gaze swept across the surroundings, and he noticed dark shadows present in every corner. He knew then that this girl was likely someone his young lady intended to deal with.
“Use rules to cover this area. Let’s finish this quickly,” Su Jiu commanded in a low voice, leaning lightly on her sword hilt. A nascent, light armor surged around her—the third layer of Elegy. She knew that to defeat an expert of this caliber, she had to adopt an equally extreme fighting style.
“You think you can trap me with some low-level rules?”
The burly man frowned slightly as he scanned the Demigod Level Shadow Jingwei scattered around. He couldn’t quite grasp their intentions…
As Su Jiu’s voice faded, energy shields erupted from the ground, forming black hemispherical barriers around a five-meter radius. Demigod Level Shadow Jingwei were present in almost every corner.
“No matter who you are, if you dare to disrupt the Liu family’s affairs, you should be prepared for the consequences.”
With the energy shields completely isolating the interior from the outside, the burly man’s eyes sharpened. He roared, no longer concealing his aura. A halo of lightning appeared behind his head, and his body became covered in scales, resembling a Western lightning dragon poised to strike.
Under Su Jiu’s gaze, he charged forward like a furious beast. His broadsword, skimming the ground, left a long trail of sparks and deep gouges in the asphalt.
Having activated the third layer of buffs, Su Jiu was not afraid of this lumbering opponent. With the bug-like skill [Dream of Blossoms], she could easily kite him. She raised her sword slightly, and the Dragon Sword pulsed with white light.
“Flash!”
In an instant, the entire enclosed space flashed with white light. The girl’s figure crossed paths with the charging black figure, leaving only a string of blood droplets drifting in the air.
During the exchange, Su Jiu used the immense destructive power of [Dream of Blossoms] to shatter the scales on the burly man’s face, inflicting a minor wound.
“You really can run, can’t you…”
After stabilizing himself with his broadsword, the burly man yelled angrily, clutching his face. He glared intently at the sword-wielding Dragon Girl, then suddenly laughed:
“But I’ve also tested your strength. If this is your strongest attack, then either my companions arrive first, or you’ll exhaust yourself without even scratching me.”
“Is that so?”
Su Jiu chuckled softly. She then withdrew her avatar, her small face turning sinister. Her pupils flashed with golden-red, and a pair of small, bat-like wings unfurled behind her.
She looked like a true Blood Clan Duke.
“You have dual bloodlines…”
Seeing Su Jiu transform from a holy Dragon Girl into a sinister Blood Clan member, the burly man’s smile froze. His heart tightened. He clutched his facial wound, his eyes widening with extreme shock and anger.
“It’s the Blood Clan!! She’s manipulating my blood to block my main energy flow?”
Su Jiu remained silent, instead continuously activating “Blood Surge,” faint red light appearing between her fingers.
Watching Su Jiu casting her spell, the burly man felt his body becoming sluggish. He suddenly realized he was suffering from a continuous damage effect known as “dot.” He said in a deep voice:
“I must interrupt her. This space is cut off from the outside, and those two might not be able to sense me…”
Thinking this, he dared not hold back any longer. As he raised his blade again, he glanced behind him and saw red maple leaves fluttering, directly confronting a face glowing with ghostly fire…
“Did you ask me before attacking the boss?”
…
Outside, the giant Ferris wheel began to glow with faint formation lights. This unusual sight attracted the attention of some tourists who were slow to leave. They were confused about what was happening, but the strangeness of the Ferris wheel intrigued many.
At the very top, two figures stood up. The silver-haired figure held an Ace of Spades poker card and raised her hand, pointing it at the forehead of the other golden-haired figure.
“The formation has been activated. Ten-minute countdown, and your contract with the princess will be completely severed.”
The silver-haired figure was Veil, disguised as an Elf. She smiled faintly at Liu Qian, whose face was grim.
The plan was proceeding as expected. As long as the Dark Sorcerer’s formation continued to operate, the mission would be successfully completed in ten minutes.
Silently observing the figure before her, Liu Qian was unable to forcibly pull the other person into her Spiritual Space through a contract. Seeing the poker card in her hand, she already understood her opponent’s identity, yet feigned an innocent expression, asking with confusion:
“What do you mean? I don’t quite understand.”
While putting on this act, she crushed a sensor in her palm. This was used to contact the three Intermediate Stage Battle God experts. One was from the Liu family, and the other two were from the Ancient God Sect.
“Heh, Miss Liu, why pretend to be ignorant? You have used your power to commit quite a few wrongdoings, such as privately annexing fire crystal mines, stealing resources, and trading in national secrets…”
Veil gently lifted Liu Qian’s chin with the poker card, speaking as if discussing common matters, “Adding this one more won’t make much difference, nor will it be the first.”
“How much do you know?”
Reminded by her opponent, Liu Qian no longer pretended to be innocent. Her usually lively eyes became like stagnant water. She slightly tilted her neck, as if waiting for her opponent to speak.
Veil chuckled and said in a calm tone, “You’ve interacted with the Ancient God Sect and the Salvation Society. One is a cult, the other is a church composed of extremists from Western Europe. They should have provided the formula for creating the [Angel Elixir]. They advocate that only the strong are worthy of living…”
She paused, her gaze fixed on the golden-haired girl, while her other hand reached into Liu Qian’s pocket and retrieved a crystal-like cross pendant.
“As for the Ancient God Sect, I only recently discovered it through an informant. You’ve hidden yourself very well. There’s no evidence in the outside world. No one would suspect that the Mayor’s Daughter, who has always maintained the persona of a well-behaved woman, would have contact with the Ancient God Sect.”
She had considered resolving the issue through public opinion, but after much deliberation, she abandoned the idea. First, there was insufficient evidence, and it could easily lead the other party to desperation, directly tearing apart the rescued target.
Second, she had already privately messaged the Enforcement Headquarters.
Seeing the cross being taken out, Liu Qian merely gave a faint smile and sized up Veil, asking with interest, “Knowing so many of my secrets, aren’t you afraid I’ll silence you?”
“You?”
Facing the threat, Veil’s expression remained unchanged. She taunted again, “Even if your subordinates know what’s happening, with you in my hands, would they really dare to act?”
“Heh, Miss Poacher, you seem to overestimate yourself. I am, after all, a Battle God.”
Liu Qian opened her mouth slightly, her smile not reaching her eyes. She stared directly at Veil, and at some point, a short sword appeared in her hand. She quickly pushed away the poker card and pointed forward, saying, “From the beginning, I never intended for you, who knows too many secrets, to live. You set up this trap for me, but did you ever consider that I was just the bait…”
“So what if I’m bait? The formation has been activated. As long as Miss Liu stays within this theater, the contract will be nullified.”
Upon hearing this, Veil narrowed her eyes slightly. She had investigated the surrounding environment and knew the other party had people, but this was the best and last chance.
Veil knew that the other party had three Intermediate Stage Battle Gods, but this was not important, as the mission was not to defeat them, but to rescue the hostage.
“The formation cannot be completed…”
Liu Qian’s smile grew more pronounced, while Veil calmly watched her, her expression extremely composed. The poker card in her hand had somehow turned into a candle, which she quietly lit on the table…
“As long as you are unconscious, they won’t know what’s happening. When the fireworks go off at nine, the mission will be complete.”
Nodding faintly, Veil then delivered a rapid punch to Liu Qian’s face. The speed of her movement was astonishing.
“Bang!” a sound rang out.
“You dare hit me?”
The latter hadn’t even reacted before she took a solid blow. Combined with the soporific mist, she felt dizzy. It seemed she had overestimated herself…
There was indeed a significant gap between them. A War God like Liu Qian, who relied on drugs, couldn’t even mount a defense. Furthermore, the soporific mist seemed to have a special effect, making her feel groggy.
“Eight minutes remaining.”
However, one punch was not enough. Veil was reluctant to use Jiu on her, but she had plenty of powerful fists.
“Bang bang bang!!!”
The rain of punches turned Liu Qian’s once pretty face black and blue. She also became increasingly disoriented until her vision was blocked…
“Five minutes.”
Before losing consciousness, she saw two figures appear in front of her. She then pointed forward, gritting her teeth and growling, “Kill her,” before forcing her slightly swollen eyes open with all her might, trying to see the situation.
Why were there only two of them?
Bu Hao! My head is so dizzy, what was I supposed to do…
“High-level Ferryman…”
Looking at the two figures before her, Veil’s eyelids felt slightly heavy. Her gaze swept over the red on the hem of their clothes, and without further hesitation, she dashed towards the window beside her and broke through it.
However, as she broke through the window, she discovered that the entire space outside was sealed, forming an energy wall that could only be entered, not exited…
“Miss, do you understand the concept of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?”
A hoarse voice rang out, and a hunched figure appeared about four to five meters in front of Veil. Her eyes were sunken, emitting a faint gleam, and her smile was quite chilling.
