Volume 4: Hidden Battles – Chapter 268: The Gate God Appears

Chu Tianyu, who was ready to act, did not move immediately. Instead, he skillfully produced a soft human skin mask from his clothes, gently placed it on his face, and adjusted it. Then, he realized something was missing. After some thought, he suddenly remembered what Ao Xue had said to him.
The eyes—those were the most crucial. No matter how clever the mask was, it couldn’t escape her observation. This thought gave Chu Tianyu a headache. If he covered his eyes with clothes, wouldn’t it be obvious in front of a smart woman like Ao Xue?
With that in mind, Chu Tianyu focused his energy and shattered the clothes on his upper body, revealing his strong and muscular frame. He then continued to channel energy, causing his body to swell significantly, making him appear much more robust. At the same time, his entire body was enveloped in a yellow glow.

Meanwhile, Lord Qin, under the siege of Zhan Yupeng and the Ao Xue sisters, was struggling to cope with their attacks. Sweat droplets the size of beans kept forming on his forehead and turning into mist when they cooled, making him look as if he were sweating profusely. His subordinates, too, suffered heavy losses under the attack of those twenty-eight Holy Blood disciples. After all, due to time constraints, as soon as Lord Qin learned of Ao Xue and the others, he took advantage of the opportunity to capture one of their informants, claiming to have urgent news that required personal reporting, thereby luring them into a trap. Thus, he only assembled a temporary force, with few experts from the higher ranks of the Nether Realm. His original plan was to catch them off guard, thinking that even if those two girls were skilled, they would still be outnumbered and forced to surrender, just like last time.

This operation was meant to create a time difference—using the newly captured informant to send false information while Ao Xue and the others were unaware, ensuring timeliness. But no matter how much Lord Qin planned, he failed to anticipate that his plan would still backfire. What puzzled him was where exactly the mistake lay. Logically, under their soul-searching technique, the informant shouldn’t have been able to stay conscious. Moreover, he had been present during the communication and hadn’t heard any hidden messages in Ao Xue’s words. Could there be a traitor within the organization?

But no matter what he was thinking now, defeat was inevitable today. Watching his subordinates fall one after another, Lord Tai’s mind became even more chaotic. This chaos led to a flaw in his moves, which Zhan Yupeng seized on. With his blood-red energy, he slammed his large hands onto Lord Qin’s back, causing him to lean forward instantly and force him into a head-on clash with Ao Xue and the others in front of him.

Under attack from both sides, Lord Tai was in extreme distress—his back felt as if it had been struck by a huge, scorching rock. At the same time, his chest tightened, and he couldn’t control the stream of blood spewing out.

Fortunately, this burst of blood made Ao Xue and her sisters reduce their strength significantly, forcing them to dodge the sudden spray of blood. Otherwise, Lord Tai might have lost his life right then.

Having suffered such a heavy loss, Lord Tai quickly regained his composure and focused on fighting. He took advantage of the gap created by Ao Xue and her sisters and used a reckless move, disregarding any sense of dignity.

But before Lord Qin could fully stand steady, Zhan Yupeng reappeared before him like a ghost, blocking his path. With a single punch infused with blood-red energy, he struck Lord Qin in the face in an instant.

By then, Lord Tai had just managed to stand up, his steps unsteady and his moves disorganized—too disorganized to mount an effective defense. He could only barely turn his head, allowing Zhan Yupeng’s fist to hit his right shoulder. A crackling sound of broken ribs followed, and Lord Tai let out a muffled groan before stumbling back several steps and collapsing, utterly unable to resist anymore.

Zhan Yupeng couldn’t help but admire Lord Tai. He knew full well the strength of that punch. If someone with weaker skills had taken it, half of their body would have been blown away. Yet Lord Tai, despite reacting hastily, managed to withstand it. Although the punch dealt him a severe blow and left him unable to resist, Zhan Yupeng knew it was only temporary—his condition hadn’t been truly damaged, as evidenced by Lord Tai’s mere muffled groan.

Moreover, although Lord Qin was now on the ground, gasping for breath and drenched in cold sweat, no one could guarantee he still had the strength to fight to the death with his strange life energy.

But compared to Zhan Yupeng’s experience, Ning Shuang was far less skilled. Seeing the enemy fall, she was overjoyed and, ignoring coordination with her sister, rushed forward with a capture move, trying to seize Lord Tai.

Faced with Ning Shuang’s recklessness, Ao Xue, being more experienced, quickly shouted, “Ning Shuang, be careful…”

As she shouted, her figure shot forward like a meteor, her palms generating a layer of icy cold air as thick as cream, aimed straight at Tai Ye to prevent any last-ditch counterattack from him. Zhan Yupeng followed at the same time, sharing the same mindset. After all, just now, under the combined attack of the three of them, Qin Ye’s skills had been truly terrifying. Even with 100% of his strength and the energy from his Qilin bloodline, though he still held back, being outnumbered 3 to 1 yet managing to hold on for so long showed just how powerful he was. If it were a one-on-one fight, their strengths would likely be evenly matched. Faced with the attacks from all three sides, Qin Ye on the ground could only force a bitter smile and slowly close his eyes. He had just been hit by Zhan Yupeng’s punch, causing his bones to shatter instantly. A scorching heat surged through his body, making his blood seem to boil and burn. Thus, all the strength he had left was used to control this energy—there was no way he could engage in a desperate struggle. But at that moment, as if someone had suddenly appeared out of nowhere among the four enemies, a person with immense spiral-like power instantly deflected Zhan Yupeng and the Ao Xue sisters’ attacks, pushing them back. Zhan Yupeng and the sisters were forced to take several steps back before they could steady themselves, staring at the scene in shock. There stood a burly man, radiating a faint moonlight glow. Through the cold light, it seemed he was bare-chested, with bulging muscles visible, giving off a rugged and powerful impression. His face was hard to make out, but given his physique and muscular build, he must surely have thick brows and large eyes—certainly not looking like an angel, but at least on par with a door god! Even Tai Ye, who had been closing his eyes waiting for death, sensed the sudden change in the situation and opened his eyes. A yellow light appeared before him, followed by a shock to his body as a warm current flowed in, like a gentle spring breeze, instantly dissolving the scorching heat inside him. Tai Ye felt instantly relieved, as if a heavy mountain had been lifted off his shoulders. His breathing became easier, and he took several deep breaths to get rid of the frustration he had felt earlier. It seemed this person was an ally, not an enemy—help had arrived on his side. Moreover, given this person’s high level of skill, it wasn’t impossible for him to not only rescue Tai Ye but also turn the situation around.

But who exactly is this? Why wasn’t he aware of anyone being sent down from above? Just this point already made the cunning Tai Ye somewhat puzzled. Yet the facts were clear—if the person who came wasn’t one of their own, how could they intervene at this moment to rescue him, and how could they heal him instantly without hesitation…
While Qin Ye was still pondering, Zhan Yupeng spoke up, “Friend, if you’re just passing by and meddling, let me tell you—the government here is handling this case properly and arresting the suspects involved. If you’re their accomplice, I advise you to stop resisting right away and turn back. Going against the state won’t end well for you!”
Zhan Yupeng delivered his official speech with great skill, questioning the other party’s background while revealing his own identity. If the newcomer truly came to right a wrong, hearing these words should prompt some reaction. But if not, if they were enemy reinforcements, given his own skills, Zhan Yupeng would need to focus on ensuring the safety of the Aoxue sisters and getting them out of there.
At the same time, Zhan Yupeng silently gave a few gestures to the twenty-eight Holy Blood disciples around him—first to warn them to be cautious, and second to tell them to abandon any remaining combat and slowly move closer to him, just in case.
The one who arrived was Chu Tianyu. With his current appearance, even if Aoxue were highly perceptive, Chu Tianyu’s entire body was covered in light—how could she possibly recognize him now?
So Aoxue’s expression was the same as Zhan Yupeng’s—filled with shock, with not a hint of doubt. After all, with such an appearance—naked from the chest and even with his figure changed—how could anyone connect him to the Chu Tianyu who had appeared at the banquet earlier in a playboyish outfit?
Seeing that Aoxue showed no reaction, Chu Tianyu relaxed a bit. He was still wary of the special abilities of the Aoxue sisters; what if they came up with some method to identify people by scent? That would leave him in a bind, and all his efforts would be for nothing!
As for Zhan Yupeng’s questions, Chu Tianyu ignored them completely, focusing instead on helping Qin Ye up from the ground. It seemed he was immediately healing him. This made Zhan Yupeng furious—now he knew the newcomer was definitely not just some passerby trying to right a wrong.
So he waved his hand, gathering his men and making a gesture ready for battle.

But before he could finish his gesture, the person who had been by Tai Ye’s side just then moved like a ghost, with a dazzling glow, and rushed at Zhan Yupeng’s twenty-eight Holy Blood disciples.