silence.
A deathly silence.
The fire was still burning, and the thick smoke was still billowing, but the deafening battle cries had mysteriously disappeared.
All the surviving rebel soldiers froze in place, as if under a spell. Their hands, gripping their knives, trembled slightly, their eyes filled with uncontrollable fear as they stared intently at the man standing amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, like a demon descended to earth.
That bright yellow figure was no longer prey in their eyes, but a deadly demon!
They were scared.
They were completely terrified!
Xiao Che slowly raised the longsword in his hand, which was still dripping blood. The blade pointed far ahead. His handsome face was stained with the blood of his enemies, but this did not diminish his appearance in the slightest. Instead, it added a chilling and cruel kind of handsomeness.
He parted his thin lips slightly, his voice not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears, carrying an unquestionable imperial majesty.
"Next."
These three simple words struck the hearts of all the rebels like a heavy hammer blow!
"Thump, thump, thump..."
The closest rebels could no longer withstand the terrifying pressure and retreated in fear, dropping their weapons to the ground with a sharp, piercing sound.
The battle line has collapsed!
At the other end of the hall, Regent Xiao Yuan, standing in the shadow of the fire wall, had long since changed his initial confidence to shock, astonishment, and even a hint of... disbelief and ferocity on his face!
"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"
He cursed under his breath, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
He simply couldn't understand how this person, whom he had treated as a pawn, whom he had fed with slow-acting poison for over a decade, and whom he always saw as a sickly, weakling who could die at any moment, could possibly possess such terrifying martial prowess!
This is completely illogical!
Could it be that he has been pretending all these years?
A terrible thought surfaced in the Regent's mind, sending chills down his spine.
Looking at his nephew, who was like a god of war and single-handedly routed the hundreds of elite warriors he had carefully raised, a genuine sense of apprehension appeared in his eyes for the first time.
No! This can't go on any longer!
He absolutely cannot lose!
He has staked everything on today's plan! Failure would mean utter ruin!
"It seems I have no choice but to rely on you..."
A flicker of pain and resolve flashed in the Regent's eyes. He turned his head to face the deepest shadow behind him and spoke in a low, almost whispered voice:
"Phantom, go, kill him."
As soon as he finished speaking, the shadow behind him seemed to come alive and twitched slightly.
Immediately afterwards, a ghostly figure, almost blending into the darkness, silently slid out from the shadows.
He was like a ghost that didn't exist in this world; he didn't exude any aura of power, and even his breathing and heartbeat were extremely faint. Unless seen with one's own eyes, no one could possibly detect his presence.
This is the Regent's last and strongest trump card!
The Phantom is a top assassin renowned throughout the martial arts world, ranking among the top three on the assassin list. He has killed countless people and has never missed a shot!
To win this man over, the Regent paid an unimaginable price. For so many years, he kept him hidden, regarding him as his most important lifeline, and never used him.
But today, he has no other choice!
"Yes, Your Highness."
The Phantom's voice was hoarse and dry, like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together, devoid of any emotion.
The next moment, his figure vanished from the spot like a wisp of smoke!
Xiao Che, who was confronting the rebels, suddenly narrowed his eyes!
An extremely strong sense of crisis exploded from the depths of his heart without warning! This sense of crisis was a hundred times stronger than when he faced hundreds of assassins before!
He didn't even have time to think; relying entirely on his battle-hardened intuition, he suddenly took a step to the left!
"Sizzle!"
A barely audible sound rang in his ears.
The air where he had been standing seemed to be sliced open by some invisible blade, emitting a subtle distortion.
Such speed! Such unpredictable movement!
Xiao Che's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly realized that the real enemy had appeared!
He no longer cared about the terrified henchmen and focused all his attention on perceiving his surroundings.
Inside the main hall, a suffocating silence once again descended.
Everyone held their breath. They couldn't see anything, but they could feel an invisible, deadly killing intent quietly spreading through the sea of fire.
Suddenly, on the ground to Xiao Che's right rear, the shadow left by the collapsed burning roof beam abruptly "stood up" without warning!
A dagger, gleaming with a ghostly blue poisonous light, like the fangs of a viper, silently pierced Xiao Che's back!
This attack was cunning, ruthless, and incredibly fast!
However, just as the dagger was about to touch the dragon robe, Xiao Che's figure suddenly spun around as if he had foreseen it!
"when!"
A crisp, metallic clang suddenly rang out!
Xiao Che's longsword, at an incredible angle, precisely blocked the fatal blow!
Sparks flew everywhere!
That ghostly figure—the Phantom—missed its target and, without lingering, vanished without a trace once more into the bizarre and surreal shadows surrounding it.
A fine bead of sweat appeared on Xiao Che's forehead.
What a formidable opponent!
This was no ordinary military officer, but a top assassin specializing in assassination! The unpredictability of his movements and the ruthlessness of his attacks were unlike anything he had ever seen!
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Before Xiao Che could catch his breath, the sound of air being torn apart rang out simultaneously from all directions!
Several poisoned darts flew from various corners of the hall at different angles, sealing off all of Xiao Che's space to dodge!
That's not all!
Under the cover of darts, Phantom's figure once again descended upside down from the thickest cloud of smoke above Xiao Che's head! The short sword in his hand transformed into a chilling glint, aiming straight for Xiao Che's crown!
Danger lurks everywhere, both in the heavens and on the earth!
This was a flawless, decisive victory!
"His Majesty!"
The few surviving guards let out a desperate cry!
The Regent, standing in the distance, finally revealed a sinister and triumphant smile once again.
He could almost see Xiao Che's head separated from his body in the next second!
However, despite facing certain death, Xiao Che showed no sign of panic.
Instead, a hint of...disdainful snort flashed in his eyes!
"A trivial skill!"
A cold shout echoed throughout the hall!
Xiao Che no longer used the grand and sweeping royal sword technique with his longsword; instead, he flicked his wrist sharply!
"Buzz—!"
The sword emitted a high-frequency tremor, and the originally steady and heavy sword aura instantly became light and swift!
Suddenly, a series of dazzling sword lights erupted from Xiao Che's center!
The sword light seemed to transform into an impenetrable silver net, enveloping his entire body within it!
"Jingle bells!"
A series of rapid, crisp sounds rang out!
Those poisoned darts, which could have been deadly, were all deflected by the sword net!
At the same time, facing the deadly sword overhead, Xiao Che did not retreat but advanced, actually taking the initiative to meet it!
His longsword, with a trajectory as elusive as a gazelle's horns, struck with unparalleled precision, arriving first after being struck later, and aimed precisely at the seemingly impenetrable sword net of the phantom!
It struck precisely at the weakest point in the opponent's sword technique!
It was also the key moment when he exerted force with his wrist!
"What?!"
For the first time, a look of horror appeared in the Phantom's eternally cold eyes!
His opponent not only saw through his most prized, deadly sword move, but also... found its only weakness?!
How is this possible?!
This is no longer a matter of skill level, but an absolute crushing defeat in terms of martial arts realm!
The bizarre and deadly killing moves of the top assassins in the martial arts world seem so laughable in the face of the emperor's upright, unparalleled, and absolute strength!
Phantom's wrist went numb as an irresistible force surged from the sword tip! He could no longer hold onto the short sword, and with a clang, the weapon slipped from his grasp!
He stared at Xiao Che in utter shock, unable to believe that his special skill had been so easily broken!
When masters clash, victory or defeat can be decided in an instant!
Xiao Che did not give him a second chance.
The instant the short sword left his hand, he smoothly swung his long sword, creating a beautiful, bloody flash as it swept across the area!
A masked head shot into the sky!
The headless corpse fell limply from mid-air and crashed heavily to the ground.
The smug look on the Regent's face froze completely.
He stared blankly at his greatest asset, the trump card on which he had placed his last hope, lying decapitated in a pool of blood, his mind a complete blank.
His legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.
It's over.
Everything... is over.
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