Chapter 226: Death Struggles
A scant moment ago, Lu Wuji had been strutting around with pride, going over his wonderful plan. He would kill Jiang Chen, destroy Ye Rong, raise up Prince Ye Hao, and then become the general director of the Dragonteeth Guard in the future.
However, he hadn’t even had the time to savor this daydream when reality gave him a harsh slap to the face, and said slap had sent him plummeting down from the heavens in his imagination straight to h.e.l.l.
As he watched Xue San about to exit, Lu Wuji’s first thought was to wrap himself around the other and prevent him from leaving. However, a voice deep within his heart told him that he couldn’t do this.
If he did this, a cold hearted a.s.sa.s.sin like Xue San would absolutely kill him immediately without even a crease to his forehead.
“This won’t do, this won’t do. I am not going to sit here and wait for my death. I can’t stay here. I need to leave too! Even if Xue Tong accuses me, I’ll just deny it all to the end. They won’t be able to do anything to me with just Xue Tong’s one-sided testimony!”
Lu Wuji hastily rushed outside the door when his thoughts travelled down this path.
He had just rushed to the door when he ran into Xue San and the others doubling back with black faces.
Rage exploded out of Xue San when he saw Lu Wuji and he flung a slap at him, sending the latter’s body flying viciously and cras.h.i.+ng into the wall.
This slap almost took Lu Wuji’s life with it.
He was unable to retaliate in the slightest at all as he crashed into the wall, with great mouthfuls of fresh blood spewing forth after a dull grunt.
“Lu Wuji, you worthless tras.h.!.+ You said you weren’t being followed, right? Then was I the one who’s brought the three layers of men surrounding us?!” Xue San’s face was completely black in his anger. He really wanted to just smite Lu Wuji to death.
Lu Wuji had been filled with shock and rage when he was sent flying, but his flames of anger were immediately quenched with the frosty coldness of an icy cavern when he heard Xue San say that there were people surrounding them outside.
“We’re surrounded? How is that possible?” Lu Wuji struggled to his feet.
Xue San paid no heed to Lu Wuji and spoke in a low voice to his four men. “We’ll split into three groups later. I’ll be one group, and two of you each will form a group. Remember, don’t linger to fight. Although there are many enemies from the Dragonteeth Guard, they don’t have the overwhelming strength to keep you here.”
“Master San, we’ll cover your retreat!” The four men said.
Xue San said proudly, “No need, I won’t have a problem as long as you all get out. Does a mere Dragonteeth Guard have what it takes to keep me here?”
Those whose strength were on par to Xue San within the Skylaurel Kingdom were few and far in between.
Not to mention that as a natural born a.s.sa.s.sin, he had methods of concealment and an unending stream of escape tactics. Xue San didn’t think that these Dragonteeth Guards would be able to keep him even if they’d surrounded him on all sides!
His four men were also all of the spirit realm level. Their level of training was greatly different from his as they were of the first and second levels.
Under the encirclement of a thousand troops and ten thousand horses, a spirit realm pract.i.tioner such as Xue San would stand out as if a crane amongst chickens, and would possess overwhelming advantage with a great likelihood of breaking through the siege.
But first level through third level spirit realm pract.i.tioners all belonged under the small spirit realm. They were frankly, novices, and wouldn’t have the same overwhelming advantage in the face of such an army.
“Master San, we can die, but nothing can happen to you!”
“We are willing to pave the way for Master San and cover your retreat!”
“Master San, we are willing to die for you!”
His men were all quite resolute. Although they knew that Xue San was strong, even he wasn’t one hundred percent sure of being able to break through.
After all, once the tactic of a human sea was initiated, even one in the earth spirit realm would possibly be unable to have enough stamina to bear.
Xue San said coldly, “Listen to me! Unless Ye Chonglou himself makes an appearance, it won’t be that easy to keep me within the Skylaurel Kingdom!”
Although the Skylaurel Kingdom was one of the four great kingdoms within the sixteen kingdoms and thus much stronger than the ordinary kingdoms, apart from Ye Chonglou who could dominate over him, the other experts within the kingdom weren’t strong enough to the point in which Xue San feared them.
Only a spirit king protector who had lived an indeterminate lifespan like Ye Chonglou gave Xue San a feeling of looking upon a lofty mountain. As proud as he was, Xue San knew that it was a level of existence that he couldn’t hope to measure up to at all.
A spirit king was the peak of the spirit realm. He was only in the earth spirit realm and there was no way he could contend against a spirit king.
There were nine levels within the spirit realm. First to third level were called the small spirit realm.
Fourth to sixth levels were the earth spirit realm.
Seventh to ninth levels were sky spirit realm.
Spirit king was above the sky spirit realm and therefore the apex of the spirit realm. Once a pract.i.tioner received the t.i.tle of spirit king protector, their existence would be unparalleled within the spirit realm.
Although Lu Wuji had been ignored, he firmly maintained a thick face, “Then, then what about me? Xue San, you can’t leave me behind!”
Xue San smiled coldly, “You? I haven’t killed you yet because you can more or less restrain the enemies a little bit. Are you so naive to think that I would take you with me?”
Lu Wuji’s face was ghastly, “Do you think you can escape out of the capital without me?”
“Would I be able to escape for sure if I took you?” Xue San’s tone was full of disdain. “You worthless thing, even if you want to become my burden, you first need to see if you have the right to do so.”
Lu Wuji likely had never received so much humiliation in his life as he had today.
But, he couldn’t quibble over the loss of his face at the moment and cried out, “If you take me with you, I can use my power to cover your withdrawal from the capital. Otherwise, if I die, all your connections within the capital will be broken!”
“Lu Wuji, I can’t believe you’re still so naive when the situation has escalated to this extent. If you really had so much power within the capital, we wouldn’t be surrounded right now. I, Xue San, ended up in such dire straits because I wrongly believed in trash like you.”
Xue San’s gaze shot down towards his men after he finished speaking, “Are you all ready?”
“Master San...”
“Say no more, act according to my orders and split into three groups!” Xue San commanded.
“Understood.” The four men could only nod and agree when they saw Xue San was so resolute.
“Make your preparations and charge out separately. Remember, don’t stay and fight!”
Xue San took off running after he finished speaking. He was an earth realm spirit pract.i.tioner, whereas the main fighting power of the Dragonteeth Guard were all of the true qi realm. With the aura of his spirit realm, he’d be able to create an opening as long as he dashed out and flared his aura.
A low and sinister laugh came from the empty secret room at this moment.
“Xue San is it? The Hidden Hand is it? Why are you in such a rush to leave when you’ve already come?”
There were a few traces of cruel mockery within this low life, like a hunter toying with his prey.
“Who is it?” Xue San’s face changed slightly.
“Xue San, didn’t you plot and schemed to kill me? You ask me who I am now that I’ve come? Don’t you think you’re comical and pathetic?”
After these words had been spoken, the secret room started trembling violently. It was as if the earth of moving and mountains were trembling in that moment, like the entire secret room would flip on its head.
Bam!
A great rumbling noise came from within the secret room.
Xue San didn’t know what was going on, but his face changed greatly.
Lu Wuji leapt up as if he’d seen a ghost, “Jiang Chen!”
The voice that had leisurely traveled out of the secret room belonged to Jiang Chen!
Xue San and Lu Wuji had never thought that they would run into Jiang Chen under these circ.u.mstances. When Lu Wuji saw Jiang Chen, his eyes were like those of a viper. He wanted to leap onto Jiang Chen and shred him into pieces.
Xue San also watched Jiang Chen with some surprise in his eyes. This Jiang Chen had some guts to come out of the hole and face off against him all by himself!
“Jiang Chen, you’re Jiang Chen!” Xue San didn’t dare let down his guard as he stared at Jiang Chen. He wasn’t a fool. Jiang Chen was sure to have his own backup given that he’d dared come alone.
However, Xue San had looked all around and couldn’t identify what his backup was.
Although Jiang Chen was also a spirit realm pract.i.tioner, his level of training was only of a small spirit realm. He was on a completely different level from Xue San.
“You’re right, I’m the Jiang Chen that your Hidden Hand wishes to a.s.sa.s.sinate. Xue San, I have to say that your Hidden Hand has successfully enraged me this time.”
“So what?” Xue San snorted coldly as his mind raced.
“So what? What do you think I’m going to do here?”
Xue San smiled coldly, “Do you think you can capture all of us just by yourself?”
A faint smile appeared on Jiang Chen’s lips as his face darkened. “Wrong, I’m not here to capture you, but to send you on your way to the underworld!”
Lu Wuji cried out, “Xue San, this is an opportunity! We have a chance to turn this around if we can take down Jiang Chen.”
One had to say, Lu Wuji had kept some of his wits about him. His thoughts were the same as Xue San’s in a rare moment of accord.
Xue San’s face chilled and he made a subtle gesture. His four men spread out with silent communication and surrounded Jiang Chen in a fan-shaped formation.
“Xue San, do you know what kind of mistake you have done?” Jiang Chen seemed to be completely unmoved as he viewed the people surrounding him as mere blocks of wood.
“Jiang Chen, you couldn’t be bothered to take the open road to heaven, and barged right into h.e.l.l. It doesn’t matter what mistake I had made, but you’ve made the wrong choice in coming here and making an offering of yourself!”
Xue San had surrounded Jiang Chen and made up his mind.
Regardless of whatever conspiracy Jiang Chen had in mind, they were all empty as the floating clouds in front of an absolute power. Xue San didn’t feel that Jiang Chen would be able to get up to any tricks in such a narrow, confined s.p.a.ce of the secret room.
Even a large army wouldn’t be able to charge in!
“Haha, Xue san, it looks like I still overestimated you. You went wrong in knowing that Lu Wuji is trash, but still decided to listen to him at this crucial moment. How did I find this place? Why has the army surrounded this place?”
“Why?” Xue San laughed heartily. “None of that is important anymore. The most important thing is that you’ve fallen into my hands. All of your schemes are futile endeavors!”
Jiang Chen sighed, “One isn’t afraid of an opponent as strong as a G.o.d, but rather afraid of a teammate as dumb as a pig. Lu Wuji is your pig of a teammate. Xue San, you should remember to cooperate with smart people when you reincarnate!”
Upon speaking those words, the floor beneath Xue San trembled as a golden figure rushed out from beneath the ground, pouncing onto Xue San’s neck and going in for a big bite.