Chapter 334

Several members of the Soul Group surrounded Xie Wendong, but not only failed to hurt him in the slightest, they themselves suffered many casualties. Two short, burly men in the Soul Group exchanged glances and simultaneously stepped back toward the wall. One of the men with a round face signaled to his companion, drew his gun, focused intently, and aimed at Xie Wendong, who was fighting his way through the crowd. He was confident in his marksmanship; despite the dim lighting in the room and the shadows flashing by like a carousel, he was sure he could shoot Xie Wendong in the head with a single shot. All he needed was an opening—a moment when any vital part of Xie Wendong’s body was exposed outside the crowd. He waited, but someone wouldn’t let him.

Just as the round-faced man’s gaze aligned with the barrel of the gun and Xie Wendong’s figure in the scene, a sudden severe pain struck his lower abdomen. He couldn’t help but grunt, lowering his gun and bending over with his head down. That’s when he saw a pair of legs—a pair of long, curvaceous woman’s legs, straining the black stockings. He wondered how a woman could be here in such a situation! The round-faced man slowly raised his head to see a face of breathtaking beauty. Her eyes, like stars, were dark and bright, and her flowing hair swayed as if in an invisible breeze. What a beautiful woman! The round-faced man felt his eyes light up, and the pain in his abdomen seemed to lessen. The woman smiled—a gentle, sweet smile—but the thin, lightweight pocket knife in her hand was anything but gentle or sweet. Her pale hands, with fingers as white as scallions, swiftly moved in front of the round-faced man, and the sharp knife cut a deep gash across his throat in an instant. Only when the smile vanished from the woman’s face did the round-faced man’s body slump against the wall and slide to the ground. The woman’s attack was so sudden that another member of the Soul Group sensed something was wrong. By the time he tried to intervene, it was too late; he watched helplessly as his companion’s neck was severed. He screamed, raising his gun at the woman, ready to pull the trigger. Though seemingly frail, the woman was incredibly agile. After killing the round-faced man, she didn’t pause for a moment. She crouched and rushed toward the other man, reaching him in the blink of an eye. By the time the member of the Soul Group reacted, her knife had pierced his lower abdomen. He gritted his teeth in pain, raising his gun to shoot her a fatal bullet, but the sharp knife had already sliced across his abdomen, spilling blood all over the floor. The foul smell filled the entire hall. The man instantly collapsed like a deflated balloon, unable to hold his gun anymore. He lay there, eyes wide, waiting for death. The woman ignored him, wiped the blood from her hands, and stepped over his still-living body coldly and mercilessly.

Xie Wendong’s side fought with ease, but he himself was in extreme danger, a truly terrifying situation. It wasn’t that his skills were inferior to others’—it was simply that there were too many attackers surrounding him, all fierce warriors from the Soul Group, slashing at him from all sides. Even when one fell, two others would immediately take their place, like endless waves. Thanks to countless battles and experience in being hunted, Xie Wendong had developed remarkable agility. Coupled with the unique fighting techniques taught to him by the elders of the Hongmen Wangyue Pavilion, he managed to hold his ground and avoid being torn apart by those ferocious Soul Group members. Sweat covered his body, his breathing grew heavier, and the pressure from all sides grew, shrinking the space he could move in. At that moment, a burly man with a dark face lunged at him with a sword. Xie Wendong tried to back away to dodge, but another sword strike came from behind him. He gritted his teeth, drew in his breath, bent his body suddenly, and swiftly grabbed the burly man’s wrist holding the sword. The tip of the sword was less than a centimeter from his stomach, but it couldn’t penetrate any further. With a shout, he twisted his wrist outward, using a grappling technique. The burly man cried out in pain as the sword slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, causing him to crouch down. Xie Wendong controlled the burly man in front of him, but he couldn’t avoid the sword strike from behind. A three- to four-pound sword slammed into his back. Although he wore bulletproof armor given to him by Hei Dai, the force of the strike was still too much for him to bear. “Oh!” Blood surged in Xie Wendong’s veins; his throat turned sweet, and blood rushed back up from his stomach. He held the blood in his mouth, not daring to spit it out, knowing that his injury would only provoke even more fierce attacks from the Soul Group, making his situation even more dangerous. His eyes rolled back, and another gulp of blood was forced down. At the same time, he lifted the burly man he had captured and used him as a human shield to block three swords slashing in from the side. The members of the Soul Group were ruthless—none of the three swords hit Xie Wendong as they were all blocked by the burly man’s massive body. Xie Wendong could even hear the crunching sound of blades breaking bones.

“Yah!” Xie Wendong swung his arm with force, throwing the nearly 200-jin strong man aside. The members of the Soul Group ahead hurried to avoid him, and their consecutive attacks came to a halt. Seizing the opportunity, Xie Wendong wanted to catch his breath, but knives appeared from behind. With a sigh, he shook his head and complained, “There are just endless fools ready to die!” Shouting loudly, he spun around in place. Two narrow blades passed through his armpits on either side. Before his opponent could react, he pulled his arms back, firmly gripping the two katanas, then used all his strength to deliver a powerful kick. His toes stretched straight like a sharp sword, hitting the man’s chin. The man was sent flying high, silent, and collapsed unconscious with his eyes rolled back. Seeing Xie Wendong’s extraordinary bravery as he effortlessly defeated his companion, the other man felt fear. He wanted to retreat, but the knives were still clamped under his armpits. Unable to move, fear took over, leaving him without the will to fight. He hesitated, unsure of what to do, but Xie Wendong didn’t give him time to think. With a single step, he closed the distance to less than three inches, face to face—so close that even the hairs on the other man’s face could be seen clearly.

The man stared at Xie Wendong without blinking, his mouth wide open, frozen in shock. Xie Wendong wasn’t particularly handsome, more delicate in appearance, but his eyes were extraordinary—slit-pupiled and narrow, giving him a squinting look even when open. His dark pupils were deep and mysterious, exuding a subtle, cold aura, occasionally flashing with wisdom as bright as the midday sun, making it hard to look directly at them. Now, those terrifyingly bright eyes were fixed on him, their whites bloodshot, almost glowing red. In that instant, the man felt he wasn’t being stared at by a human—those eyes belonged to a beast, to a devil.

He wasn’t a coward; he had fought countless battles, killing dozens of people. But facing Xie Wendong now filled him with true fear. With a scream, he threw away the katanas and ran away. Fleeing was shameful, but it was the only way to survive. Xie Wendong seemed determined not to let him go. He bent slightly, then shot forward like an arrow, grabbing the man’s hair at the back of his head and pulling him close. In pain, the man reluctantly raised his head. Xie Wendong raised his other hand and punched him hard at the neck. With a crisp crack, the man’s head slumped lifelessly as Xie Wendong’s punch had broken his tibia.

Releasing his grip, the member of the Soul Group, foaming at the mouth, collapsed limp to the ground, his body still trembling and convulsing. Taking advantage of this man’s escape, Xie Wendong finally broke free from the encirclement. He let out a long sigh, wiped the sweat from his face, and with red eyes, looked at the members of the Soul Group approaching him. There was a vertical scar right in the center of San Yan’s forehead; at first glance, it seemed like a third eye, which was how he got his nickname “San Yan.” Everyone knew that when his “third eye” became inflamed, no one should provoke him, for at that moment, San Yan was the most terrifying. And when Xie Wendong’s eyes emitted red light, it meant destruction.

Xie Wendong raised the corner of his mouth in a smile. Most people in such a situation surrounded by formidable enemies would likely not be able to smile, but he did. His eyes narrowed into two curved lines. Without stepping back, he hooked his toe and casually grabbed the Japanese sword he had flung into the air. Swinging it once, he felt it was just right in weight, then casually waved it at the members of the Soul Group. Enraged by his provocative gesture, the members of the Soul Group hated him inwardly, but their steps grew slower. The more confident he was, the more uneasy they felt.

Unable to stand the opponent’s snail-like speed, Xie Wendong took the initiative to attack first. With a roar, he swung the Japanese sword at the person closest to him, slashing down with all his might. No one could tell exactly how powerful that strike was, but the whistling sound as the blade cut through the air was terrifying. Fearing the onslaught, the man didn’t dare to back down and instead braced himself to block the attack. There was only a “crack” sound, followed by sparks flying as the Japanese swords in both their hands shattered into two pieces. Although Xie Wendong’s sword was broken, its momentum remained fierce, and the still-sharp broken blade sliced across the man’s chest. A fatal blow—no chance of recovery. Xie Wendong stepped back, holding his short blade, standing tall. Looking down, he saw his hands covered in blood, some from the opponent and some from himself; the earlier clash had cracked his palm.

Using the same trick, he picked up another Japanese sword abandoned by the members of the Soul Group. Scanning them coldly with a calm demeanor, he said softly, “Next, please.”

Most of the members of the Soul Group didn’t understand Chinese and didn’t fully grasp his meaning. Filled with fear, they looked at each other, none daring to be the first to step forward.

“Can’t all the members of the Soul Group be cowards!” Li Shuang and Gao Qiang finished off the last two opponents fighting them and stood behind Xie Wendong, one on each side.

There was no need to look; Xie Wendong already knew who the two people behind him were. His tension eased, and exhaustion surged over him. Shaking his head, he looked at the members of the Soul Group with a helpless smile and said, “It’s a shame. You’ve missed your best chance to kill me.” With that, he staggered back several steps, leaning weakly against the wall as he took deep breaths. Only then did the members of the Soul Group realize that Xie Wendong was already at his limit, unable to withstand even a slight attack. His arrogance and confidence were merely pretenses. Realizing this, they were shocked and furious, shouting as they charged forward. But now, to reach Xie Wendong, they had to first leap over two particularly tough opponents—Li Shuang and Gao Qiang, who would not stop until one of them died. Soon, seeing Xie Wendong’s pale expression, Jiang Sen also joined the fight. The three men, with their distinct appearances, three different knives, and three vastly different fighting styles, formed an insurmountable barrier, keeping the members of the Soul Group at bay. Exhausted as he was, Xie Wendong was right in front of them, yet they couldn’t take another step forward to kill him. The members of the Soul Group screamed in frustration, cursing endlessly.

Xiao Feng took the opportunity to approach Xie Wendong, supporting his right arm and asking concerningly, “Brother Dong, how are you?” Xie Wendong’s vision blurred; he couldn’t see who had come, but the scent that reached his nose was familiar. Shaking his head, he smiled bitterly and said, “I’m fine. I’m not dying yet.” As he spoke, a sharp pain shot through his back, causing him to frown and grit his teeth. The heavy blow from the members of the Soul Group earlier was now taking its toll on him. “Are you injured?” Xiao Feng was shocked, her concern evident. Ignoring Xie Wendong’s objections, she forced open his clothes and saw a dark purple bruise nearly a foot and a half long on his pale back, with tiny drops of blood seeping from it—a sight that was terrifying. “Oh!” Xiao Feng gasped, realizing that this injury could be fatal. If it hadn’t affected his internal organs, such bleeding from a blunt injury wouldn’t have occurred. An ordinary person would have been unable to stand after such a severe blow, yet Brother Dong was still able to fight. It was truly a miracle. Looking at Xie Wendong, who continued to smile bitterly, Xiao Feng wondered what force was sustaining this seemingly frail young man, barely in his twenties and around the same age as her. Xie Wendong awkwardly pushed away Xiao Feng’s hand holding his clothes. Seeing her stunned expression, he laughed, waved his hand in front of her eyes, and said, “My appearance probably isn’t that attractive, is it?”

“Dong… Brother Dong, are you really…?” Xiao Feng came back to her senses. Xie Wendong’s smile moved her deeply, and she couldn’t continue speaking. Xie Wendong smiled upward and said, “I told you, I can’t die. Even the minions of the Soul Group can’t do anything to me.” He straightened his back, frowned slightly, and said to Xiao Feng, “Help me pick up a knife.” “Brother Dong, you can’t fight anymore. Your injuries…” Xiao Feng grabbed his arm to stop him. Xie Wendong raised the corners of his mouth in a reassuring smile and said slowly, “If my brothers are fighting and sacrificing their lives ahead, while I sit back and reap the benefits, that’s not my style—unless I die. Xiao Feng, help me get a knife!” Xiao Feng had no choice. Xie Wendong had spoken in a commanding tone, and as his bodyguard and assistant, she could only obey unconditionally. She bent down, picked up a knife discarded by Wei Ming, and handed it to Xie Wendong, saying softly, “Brother Dong, your life is more important to us than anything else.” “Hehe!” Xie Wendong smiled broadly. “Don’t worry. They still can’t take my life. It was true before, and it’s true now.” With that, he strode into the chaotic battlefield. His reappearance was like injecting both sides of the fight with adrenaline and a stimulant for combat. Seeing that he was unharmed, Xie Wendong’s team became energized and their fighting spirit soared. Meanwhile, the members of the Soul Group froze in place, their fighting will waning, and the hope they had managed to ignite earlier vanished completely.