Volume 4: Hidden Battles – Chapter 272: Endless Killing Intent
As those words were spoken, two figures appeared to the west of the battlefield where Qin Nianran and the three elders were fighting. One of them was tall and slender, with silver hair fluttering in the wind. His cold, fair face showed no expression, but the slightly raised corners of his mouth gave him an air of charm. Looking down, faint starlight flashed between his fingers, sending chills down everyone’s spine.
The other man beside him was burly and tall, with a lion-like nose and mouth, exuding a rough and wild aura. A knife-shaped scar across his brows added to his fierce appearance.
The arrival of these two made the three elders frown. It wasn’t fear of interference that prompted them to frown, but rather doubts about the identities of these two men. Judging from their behavior, they seemed to possess special skills—skills different from the true energy or martial prowess familiar to cultivators, more like what people call supernatural abilities.
Thinking this, the three elders exchanged glances. Then, the middle-aged elder waved his hand lightly. Instantly, over a dozen figures emerged from the shadows and surrounded the two intruders in perfect coordination. Their staggered positions sealed off all possible escape routes.
“Sigh, boss, even now you still lack the authority of the old leader. Look, they don’t even take you, the new leader of the Six Blades Group, seriously!” the burly man said mockingly.
The two newcomers were Wu Hen and Xue Dao from the Six Blades Group of National Security. After Xue Dao revealed his identity, Wu Hen ignored his teasing. Ever since he hadn’t become the leader, he and that kid Xing Mang had often targeted him. According to them, it was because he was more handsome than them and attracted pretty girls more. So this situation continued even after he became the leader, with no change.
Wu Hen stared calmly at the leading elder, his piercing gaze seemingly trying to see through the other man’s thoughts. He then said coldly, “I assume you all are cultivators. I don’t want to waste words. This is a vital area in the capital, and you can’t act recklessly here. Though I know you’re strong, if you engage in any shady or illegal activities, it’s our duty to stop you. Especially since you’ve even caused deaths…”
Before Wuhen could finish speaking, Xue Dao interjected, “Boss, why bother talking so much to them? They’re clearly using their numbers to bully us. Forget about responsibilities or punishing the evil—our own lives are in danger right now!”
Faced with Xue Dao’s sarcastic tone, the old man at the head suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice, “You may seem simple-minded, but you’re not stupid. You even have more self-awareness than that blond kid!”
Without waiting for Wuhen or Xue Dao to respond, he raised his hand, ready to attack. After all, this wasn’t the wilderness where they could act as they pleased.
Just then, a loud voice came from outside, saying, “Sorry, old man, but our boss isn’t some blond kid. He has standard silver hair! You can trample on his dignity or insult his body, but you can’t defame his ‘handsome’ hair!”
“Heh, you’re doomed! How dare you call our boss Wuhen a premature gray-haired man?” another voice said.
“Sigh, it seems I can only observe in silence for three seconds as your fate unfolds!” a third voice added.
With these words, the old man, who had thought he had the upper hand, was shocked to see countless dark figures appearing around them. What terrified him even more was the strength of these people—they had managed to get so close without him noticing at all. It seemed there were dozens of them, and they had quietly surrounded their own group of dozen or so men.
Suddenly, a tense atmosphere filled the scene, with a fight on the verge of breaking out.
Facing his subordinates’ teasing, Wuhen was utterly exasperated. Despite the critical situation, these kids kept making jokes about his hair, acting as if they were facing ordinary cultivators.
On the surface, he appeared calm, but inwardly he was suffering greatly. Not only the three old men but also the dozen or so men in black surrounding them radiated murderous intent, sending chills down his spine. Although they outnumbered them, it was hard to say who would win in a real fight.
Just as Wuhen was suffering inwardly, the old man at the head sneered disdainfully, “Overestimating yourselves!”
As soon as he finished speaking, before his words could even die, everyone saw a blur before their eyes—his figure seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving no trace. Just as they were puzzled, two screams came from outside instantly. Wuhen felt a tightness in his heart, and a sense of doom surged within him.
Sure enough, when the old man reappeared in his previous position, he was holding a head in each hand. Judging from the cuts on their necks, it seemed they had been strangled to death—tracheas torn apart, flesh torn to shreds, a truly gruesome sight!
“Xiaoshui…”
“Tianhuo…”
Faced with such a horrific scene, the crowd spontaneously let out several cries of grief. Clearly, Wuhen’s group had finally realized that the heads in the old man’s hands were those of their companions, comrades, and good friends with whom they had spent day and night together…
The sudden turn of events enraged the people from the six groups, who unleashed their unique abilities to the fullest. All sorts of strange phenomena appeared before their eyes, ready to avenge Xiaoshui and Tianhuo at Wuhen’s command.
Although everyone was furious, the people from the six groups were well-trained and would never act rashly without orders. Though filled with grief, they prepared themselves to strike at any moment.
At this moment, Wuhen’s heart also ached bitterly. Xiaoshui was one of the closest people to him and Feixue—he had always treated him like his own younger brother. Seeing his head, and recalling the laughter and joy they had shared just moments earlier, he could only suppress the starlight energy surging within his veins. His fists were clenched tightly, trembling, with light growing brighter through his fingers.
“Calm down, calm down! Wuhen, you must stay calm—the lives of many brothers depend on you!” he kept reminding himself.
As he pondered, Wuhen suddenly noticed that Qin Nianran, the young lady who had been fighting against the three old men, was still there. Looking at her, her face remained calm, and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.
What happened today was really because they had interfered where they shouldn’t have. Tonight was his engagement day with Feixue, and many friends had gathered at Juxianlou to celebrate until late. Just as everyone was enjoying themselves and preparing to return to the base, they found someone blocking the road in the dead of night. Upon investigation, it turned out to be people from Longhun.
Recently, the atmosphere in the capital has been tense. Wuhen, filled with doubts, asked a few more questions out of a sense of helping a fellow department. To his surprise, that guy was rude and evasive in his speech. Based on Wuhen’s years of experience in reading people, it was clear he was hiding something. And from his tone, it was obviously not something legitimate—otherwise, with the arrogance of the Dragon Souls, they would have acted as if they were the best in the world and kept others at a distance, rather than showing such lack of confidence.
So Wuhen became more cautious and asked a few more questions, deliberately pretending to insist on passing through. The men behind him, relying on their numbers, started making a racket and continued moving forward despite attempts to stop them.
Unexpectedly, those Dragon Soul members attacked them, throwing thunder bombs onto the ground. It was clear they intended to use the power of those bombs for a surprise attack. Given their strength and range, and the fact that their group was clustered together, such an attack could cause heavy losses, even death.
Yet none of the thunder bombs exploded. They lay quietly on the ground, as if they had simply been placed there gently.
As the Dragon Soul members stared in confusion and surprise, a brown glow slowly emerged from the ground, lifting the bombs into the air. As if drawn by some force, they drifted toward the man standing behind Wuhen.
The man was sturdy-built and appeared honest and simple. He smiled shyly, his lips pressed together. As the light in his hands disappeared, the thunder bombs lay neatly on his open palms.
Just as the Dragon Soul members’ attention was drawn, the honest-looking man suddenly winked at them, his gaze hinting at cunning…
Before they could react, they felt their feet go weak, as if sinking into the ground. Before they could understand what was happening, a numbness spread through them, leaving them unable to move. At the same time, several dark shadows appeared beside them, along with chains of black mist. The moment they were enveloped, a loud noise rang in their heads, and they lost consciousness instantly.
After dealing with those Dragon Soul members blocking the surrounding roads, Wuhen realized there must be some hidden agenda at play. There was definitely something fishy about Dragon Soul’s operation—otherwise, they wouldn’t have launched such deadly attacks just after asking a few questions. Driven by his years of professional habits, Wuhen quickly formed a plan in his mind and decided to keep investigating. He arranged for his men to be divided into two groups, one visible and one hidden. He took Xue Dao and Xing Mang as bait; if Dragon Soul was indeed on some special mission, they could claim they had stumbled upon it by accident. After all, with only the three of them showing up, they would have an explanation.
As for the rest of the team, aside from a few who continued to block the roads, the rest dispersed and sneaked in from all directions. This served two purposes: acting as a surprise element and also scouting the area. For some reason, Wuhen had an unexplained sense of danger, which was why he didn’t assign Fei Xue to his group.
Unexpectedly, the path was unobstructed until they detected several massive energy fluctuations ahead. Only then did Wuhen realize his concerns weren’t unfounded. He quickly ordered Xing Mang to inform the other members sneaking in from the outside, warning them of the presence of extremely powerful enemies and advising them to be cautious. If things turned bad, retreating was the best option—fighting head-on was out of the question.
Wuhen and Xue Dao slowed down and advanced carefully. When they arrived at the scene, Wuhen was shocked to see that it was Qin Nianran—the granddaughter-in-law of Vice Chairman Han and the most prominent talent in the capital’s business world—who was being attacked by three old men!
That explained the earlier chaos. Without even mentioning her status, just looking at the bodies lying scattered on the ground, such a brutal murder surely fell within their responsibility as a group.
However, given the current situation, their responsibility seemed like a castle in the air—impossible to fulfill. The gap in strength between the two sides was enormous. The old men’s recent actions were a harsh and direct warning to them!
Should they retreat? Or attack? Retreating would not only betray their duty and disappoint the spirits of Xiao Shui and Tian Huo but also leave them unable to face their enraged comrades. But attacking meant that dozens of brothers who came to celebrate with him and Fei Xue might all die here. With those three old men’s strength, dealing with them would be as easy as crushing ants…
It is painful to be a decision-maker, especially when faced with such choices—emotion or reason, which takes precedence? Just as Wuhen was filled with anxiety and hesitation, Qin Nianran, who had remained motionless until then, suddenly turned red all over. A massive wave of warm energy burst forth from her body, pushing back the oppressive aura of the two elders opposite her. With eyes like lightning and palms outstretched, her ten fingers emitted ten electromagnetic waves wrapped in red light, which instantly pierced through the defenses of those elders and, along with waves of heat, shot toward the dozen men in black surrounding Wuhen and Xue Dao.
The other two elders, who had been focusing on suppressing her with their energy, were caught off guard by Qin Nianran’s sudden outburst. They stepped back, unable to do anything but watch as the electromagnetic waves passed by, temporarily losing the ability to interfere with her actions.
As for the leader elder who had just unleashed his fury and was holding two heads in his hands, he was also stunned. He hadn’t expected her to be able to break through the suppression of his two brothers and counterattack. In his haste, he could only watch as the electromagnetic waves controlled by Qin Nianran, like ten spears, pierced through the chests of his five subordinates—exactly two each…
As those five men collapsed with expressions of shock and disbelief, Qin Nianran’s cold voice rang out: “You targeted me. Stop causing unnecessary trouble. Otherwise, you’ve seen the consequences. And I believe you understand well that in our confrontation, having more people is useless—otherwise, you wouldn’t have hidden those worthless subordinates in the shadows.”
After Qin Nianran’s sudden attack and her words, the scene fell silent, with varied expressions on everyone’s faces—some shocked, some surprised, some deep in thought, some terrified…
After a long while, the crowd gradually came to their senses. The leader elder glared at Qin Nianran with vicious intent, as if wanting to devour her alive. With a furious laugh, he said, “Good, very good. Truly, the heart of a venomous woman—old sayings never lie!”
“Those who refuse to die in old age are nothing but thieves. Judging by what you’ve done today, it’s even worse than before!” Qin Nianran retorted sarcastically.
“Uh…” The elder was speechless, his forehead veins bulging, clearly overwhelmed by anger. If it weren’t for his fear of Qin Nianran’s formidable skills, he would have stopped wasting words long ago.
Seeing the old man’s expression, Qin Nianran gave him a disdainful look before releasing him, then turned her gaze to Wuhen and said, “It must be Brother Wuhen. This matter is not something you can interfere in. As for the blood debt between the two brothers, I will give you a satisfactory explanation.”
“Hmph, even a clay Buddha crossing a river can barely save itself—how can you expect to give any explanation? That’s nothing but delusion,” the old man retorted sarcastically, temporarily suppressing his anger.
“Stop saying such harsh things. You three are quite old—be careful not to ruin your health!” Qin Nianran replied coldly.
A delicate balance emerged in the situation. Although it was merely a verbal confrontation, it involved matters of momentum. The three old men had the advantage of their combined strength and combat experience, while Qin Nianran, though far more skilled than them, lacked practical experience. Additionally, she had only been practicing the Illusion Flame True Pulse for a short time, and with her busy daily schedule, she hadn’t fully absorbed its power to the point of mastery.
Thus, both sides were temporarily evenly matched. If not for Wuhen and the others’ sudden intervention, Qin Nianran wouldn’t have stayed—her skills would have made it easy for her to leave.
The reason she fought against those old men earlier was to seek justice for the deceased disciples of the Xuanji Sect. Unintentionally, she found them to be formidable opponents—skilled masters infused with the energy of heaven and earth, coupled with their seamless teamwork and combined power. After a few exchanges, the fight ended in a stalemate, with neither side able to gain the upper hand.
However, Qin Nianran was able to discern the origins of those three from the energy of heaven and earth within them. Their energy, like Zhan Zifeng’s, came from the Qilin bloodline, though their strength and cultivation levels differed.
It was surprising that at such a critical moment, when the Zhan family was locked in a fierce battle with Qin’s side, they still bothered to avenge their son by causing unnecessary complications—surely not a wise move.
But soon, Qin Nianran understood the key to it. Zhan Yupeng’s move wasn’t a foolish decision at all; on the contrary, it was a well-thought-out and clever strategy.
Regarding the incident at the villa last time, she and Chu Tianyu were outside and missed it. After returning, a series of events—such as taking control of the Chu family and engaging in business activities in the capital—made her stand out significantly, drawing the attention of Zhan Yupeng. Compared to his son’s tragic death, Qin Nianran’s “activity” became Zhan Yupeng’s burning hatred, driving him to seek revenge. However, considering Qin Nianran’s current status and the need to deal with Lord Qin, he had to bury his plans for revenge for now. It wasn’t until now, when the Zhan family and Lord Qin’s forces were in full-scale war and various other factions joined in, turning the situation into an increasingly chaotic and murky mess, that he finally saw his chance to take advantage of the chaos. Seizing the opportunity of the battle with Lord Qin, he arranged for three high-ranking members of the Zhan family to step in and avenge his son Zifeng. Relying on their exceptional skills, they aimed not only to act undetected but also to deliver a fatal blow so that no evidence could be found. After all, with the current chaos, if anyone noticed someone blocking the road, it could be justified as acting on intelligence about a fight involving powerful cultivators, thereby avoiding harm to ordinary people… While Qin Nianran was pondering, the old man finally couldn’t hold back and decided to act immediately. At this point, there was only one option: to end it quickly. After all, their identities were now completely exposed, leaving no other choice but to eliminate them outright. He first pointed at Wuhen and the others among the men in black, signaling their execution, then, without further words, he and the other two old men swiftly surrounded Qin Nianran. Faced with the old men’s sudden move, Qin Nianran had no better solution for the time being. She couldn’t focus on Wuhen and his group; they would have to rely on their own luck. With their numerical advantage, they should at least not be at a severe disadvantage. But the attack from the three old men before her was what truly troubled her. Although their skills weren’t much lower than hers, their combined tactics—strange, ruthless, and precise in both angle and execution—made it impossible for her to defend against. Moreover, the power of the Qilin bloodline unleashed by their combined efforts couldn’t be underestimated.
Fortunately, her Illusion Flame True Meridian also belonged to the fire element, so it wasn’t affected by the unique heat radiated by the Qilin bloodline during the battle. On the contrary, the three elders suffered greatly from it—they never expected that someone could generate even hotter true energy than their own Qilin bloodline. At the same time, the people from the Six Places and the elders’ subordinates also engaged in combat. However, the Six Places side had no advantage at all. Although those men in black were not cultivators of the natural energies of heaven and earth, each of them possessed profound skills and fierce attacks. After just a few exchanges, several members of the Six Places were already knocked down. If it weren’t for Fei Xue’s special ability to create a protective “domain,” Wu Hen and Xue Dao would likely have been killed on the spot. Realizing the strength of their opponents, the people from the Six Places, who had initially been filled with rage and eager to tear those bandits to pieces to avenge Xiao Shui and Tian Huo, were finally awakened by the harsh reality and the huge disparity in strength. They quickly adjusted their chaotic individual attacks, leveraging their respective strengths to complement each other, attacking from afar and creating distractions up close, barely managing to stabilize their positions and withstand the initial fierce assaults from the men in black. For a moment, the scene was absolutely spectacular—sparks and lightning filled the air, true energy surged, and the sounds of fighting drove everyone insane. Their eyes turned red as they lost all rationality, especially the people from the Six Places, who desperately unleashed their unique abilities in full force, launching wave after wave of attacks at the men in black. The men in black weren’t easy to deal with either. They simply surrounded themselves with strong energy fields. Aside from being initially pressured by the Six Places and forced to take hits, they quickly adapted to their attacks. Faced with those strange phenomena, they used a fixed strategy to counter everything, and thanks to their formidable internal strength, even some attacks that struck them directly posed no serious threat. But their attacks were a nightmare for the people from the Six Places. With each strike, they would take the life of one of their comrades in just two or three moves. At this moment, Wu Hen watched his brothers fall one after another, his eyes turning red. Stars shot out from his hands continuously, and his silver hair became almost transparent—he was fully committed, using all his strength without leaving any room for error. Beside him, Xue Dao conjured up blood-colored long knives in an illusory form, slashing at the men in black repeatedly. Yet each time, those knives were blocked by their energy fields and instantly dissipated, losing all effectiveness.
Faced with the urgent situation on the Untraceable side, Qin Nianran was extremely anxious. Those old men were as slippery as loaches, never giving her a chance to fight head-on, leaving her feeling helpless as if she couldn’t use her strength. In her frustration, her moves became full of flaws. If not for her Illusionary Flame True Pulse, which made those old men extremely wary, she might have already been captured or severely injured. At this critical moment, a sound of something cutting through the air came from afar, sending chills down everyone’s spine—proof that the opponent had already taken control before even arriving… Qin Nianran was immediately overjoyed. A familiar presence was approaching, bringing relief to both her body and mind, signaling that the ordeal of the night was finally over! The old men also sensed this powerful aura—a top-tier expert. They immediately grew nervous. Seeing Qin Nianran’s joyful expression, they realized something was wrong. Knowing it was the opponent’s reinforcements, they exchanged glances. Led by the middle-aged man, the three of them roared simultaneously, and three blood-red qilins with their heads raised to the sky burst forth from their bodies. Before Qin Nianran could react, the three imaginary qilins, with their fangs bared, charged at her.