"I ask you, who are you? Say your name if you have the guts!" he shook, his voice low and menacing, ignoring the man's cold mockery and the sight of his junior brother's tragic corpse on the ground. Third Junior Sister Fang Piaohong stared fixedly at the body of Second Senior Brother on the ground, trembling so violently she couldn't utter a word.

The fierce battle in the arena suddenly ground to a halt. Zhao Wuji and the others, having narrowly escaped death, were immensely relieved; they didn't dwell too much on the fact that the reinforcements had arrived so late. Whether late or early, as long as they arrived, it was enough.

Wasn't survival more important than anything else? Though the fighting ceased, the atmosphere in the arena grew increasingly oppressive! The man in red chuckled, suddenly raising his hand.

With a crisp snap, his sleeve whipped through the air. He clearly struck nothingness, yet it sounded as if he had hit something solid. A faint whooshing sound echoed around them, and suddenly dozens of figures materialized silently from every direction.

Reflected in the firelight, every one of them was clad in red, standing motionless. But their eyes gleamed with a cold, chilling light, like a pack of bloodthirsty wolves in the dark night, awaiting only the command of their alpha. Two figures drifted forward slowly, arriving beside the first man in red in an instant.

They faced Lei Jianhong and Fang Piaohong, a soft azure radiance softly shimmering around them, yet this light delivered a powerful visual impact to Lei Jianhong's group! These three were all Heaven Profound Realm experts! Looking around further, streaks of bright yellow Profound Qi were scattered everywhere—there were about ten Earth Profound masters.

The rest, all bearing the greenish hue of Jade Profound Qi, numbered a solid thirty to forty people! Lei Jianhong’s heart instantly turned cold. Utterly cold!

How could this battle be fought! The enemy's strength had far surpassed their own! And his side only had himself and the Third Junior Sister.

"My name? Haha, Elder Lei. You haven't been running around long enough to not know the rules.

As an assassin from the Blood Sword Sect, how could I reveal my name? Even if I didn't care about the two of you, I still have to consider Lei Wubei, Sovereign Lei, don't I! As for whether I have guts, perhaps you should ask your Second Junior Brother; he certainly knew quite a lot!" The initial man in red tilted his head slightly before answering Lei Jianhong’s question.

"Very well! Blood Sword Sect, Lei will remember you!" Lei Jianhong cast a look of sorrow and indignation at them. He turned sharply: "Junior Sister, let's go!" "Wait!" The man in red suddenly barked.

Lei Jianhong stopped in his tracks. "What? Do you still delusionally think you can keep us two?" Lei Jianhong let out a desolate laugh: "Your strength far exceeds ours, and we are indeed no match for you in a direct fight, but do you really think you possess the power to detain us?" Lei Jianhong was correct; the top figures on both sides were Heaven Profound experts.

While the Blood Sword Sect could easily defeat Lei Jianhong’s side, keeping Lei Jianhong and Fang Piaohong contained was absolutely impossible! As long as the two were determined to leave, they could carve a bloody path and flee at any moment. "Heh heh, Brother Lei has misunderstood my good intentions; as the sole bloodline of the Cold-Blooded Sovereign, we naturally wouldn't dare offend you." The man in red spoke slowly: "However, don't you wish to take the body of Zhou Er Ye with you?

Just let him rot exposed in the wilderness?" Lei Jianhong snorted, offering no reply. Suddenly, he sprang up, grasping Fang Piaohong's hand, unwilling to utter another word of pleasantries. In a few bounds across the tree branches, he vanished into the night sky.

Lei Jianhong saw clearly: if he took Zhou Jianming's body, that extra burden would make escape impossible; the man in red's words were clearly laced with malicious intent, aiming to keep them both there to eliminate future trouble. In truth, this grievance had been cemented. There was no room for turning back; it was absolute enmity until death.

If he showed any intention of taking Second Junior Brother's body, the opponents would certainly resort to extreme measures to keep them, regardless of his father being the Cold-Blooded Sovereign! They mustn't forget that if the two of them died right there, and all of the Li family's accompanying guards were wiped out, there would be absolutely no evidence. At that point, even his father would find no one to exact revenge upon!

And the enemy clearly possessed the strength to do it! Thus, he made a decisive move and fled immediately. Just as Lei Jianhong had judged, since intercepting him was meaningless, no one made a move to stop him!

In the dim night, a faint, milky-white mist suddenly began to rise, slowly enveloping the entire area. The mist thickened gradually, seemingly forming a thin barrier. In the mountain forest, such mist often arose in the early morning, and no one paid it any mind.

Furthermore, the mist carried whiffs of fresh mountain air that were invigorating to the lungs, causing everyone to involuntarily take a few deep breaths, instantly feeling refreshed! But Jun Moxie, who had descended from the trees at some unknown moment, let out a deep sigh. He cursed the pity!

What a pity! Lei Jianhong and the others had left too soon. If they had stayed just a little longer...

he could have scooped them all up in one net... It was a waste of the Soul-Fading Incense he had painstakingly prepared, to have two escapees... Using the Soul-Fading Incense during the battle was naturally inappropriate; the powerful flows of Profound Qi would likely disperse it completely in an instant, rendering it ineffective.

So, Jun Moxie only deployed this trump card now that the situation had stabilized. The Soul-Fading Incense, refined using the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy from the Hongjun Pagoda, was almost invisible and untraceable. It did possess a scent, and it was a refreshingly elegant one, but anyone who inhaled this elegant aroma would unconsciously lose their ability to resist.

Even Profound Qi masters, after inhaling a sufficient amount of the Soul-Fading Incense, would see their Profound Qi levels drop several tiers in an instant, drastically reducing their combat power. This was precisely Jun Moxie's greatest hidden card in this operation! "You...

you finally arrived..." Zhang Cunxiao, already bearing several injuries, limped forward to greet them. Zhao Wuji followed beside him, his gaze towards the men in red a mixture of terror and boundless flattery. "Yes, there was a slight accident earlier that caused a delay." The man in red nodded expressionlessly.

"Where are the crossbows?" Zhang Cunxiao glanced at Zhao Wuji, who understood. He led the group toward several large carts but stopped beside the horses pulling them, not entering the carriages. He unbuckled the saddle, then gave it a slight flex, and finally untied a nearly transparent long leather strap from the horse's body, carefully unbuckling it piece by piece.

Lastly, from beneath the horse's belly, he pulled out a thin piece of unknown hide, which, with a swish, released several crossbows gleaming with crystalline light onto the ground. It turned out Zhao Wuji had strapped the crossbows there. This single act of cunning was indeed unexpected and quite remarkable.

Even if intruders intended to attack, they would at most search the carts. Finding nothing there, they would move on to search elsewhere; who would bother checking the horses that had been pulling the load for nearly a day? "The crossbows total three hundred and fifty units, twenty more than anticipated, all delivered.

The original crafting schematics have also been burned. Each horse has twenty units strapped beneath its belly; the remaining horses carry a total of seven thousand specialized bolts for the crossbows! This is only the first batch of bolts; the second batch is currently being rushed." Zhao Wuji said, acting extremely subservient and deferential.

For some reason, he felt a chilling aura emanating from the man in red, suggesting deep dissatisfaction with him. "Very good! Your task has been completed well." The man in red said with satisfaction, "I permit you to rest properly and grant you a reward..." "Thank you..." Zhao Wuji was overjoyed, bowing deeply in thanks, but before he could finish speaking, his head suddenly dropped to the ground with a thud.

The flattering smile was still etched on his face—the man in red had suddenly drawn his sword and struck! "Idiot!" This was the last comment the man in red left! "The reward I give you is the reunion with your Second Brother!

In the Yellow Springs, you can rest forever!" the man in red said sinisterly. "Senior... how could you?" Zhang Cunxiao had just managed to ask in surprise when the man in red slammed a palm onto his table, instantly bursting his skull!

Even as he struggled, he gasped: "...Why?" "Why? I thought you might have been a bit smarter, turns out you're an idiot too! To actually ask me for a reason?" The man in red wiped the blood from his hand and smiled faintly: "Did you idiots really think the Blood Sword Hall was cooperating with that foolish, pig-headed Second Prince?

Does he even qualify!" Suddenly waving his hand, he commanded in a sharp voice: "Attack!" All the men in red immediately struck. They had already positioned themselves intentionally or unintentionally close to the fortunate survivors of the previous fight, almost standing together. Those 'lucky' survivors, feeling the shadow of death recede with the arrival of strong reinforcements, had their burdens lifted and were completely off guard.

At the leader's command, the assault erupted instantly, and the cluster of 'lucky ones' were slaughtered like cutting melons and vegetables. They didn't even manage to form an intention to resist before letting out miserable cries and collapsing. Meanwhile, the other group of men in red silently turned on the Li family warriors that Lei Jianhong and the others had left behind, striking with swords and blades!

Earlier, these men had been attacking others under the leadership of two Heaven Profound masters, holding the upper hand. Now, they were being attacked with full force by three Heaven Profound masters leading a host of Earth Profound and Jade Profound experts! The situation had completely flipped.

Since Lei Jianhong and the other had left, they had already fallen into despair, and now they couldn't muster the courage to resist, being wiped out almost instantaneously! At this point, only the several dozen men in red who had arrived later remained in the arena. Their fighting prowess was indeed formidable, and after a round of fierce fighting, they had suffered no losses.

The white mist in the mountains grew even thicker! "Check quickly and confirm which horse has the crossbows, then pack up and withdraw immediately?" The leading man in red urgently relayed the order. "Hehehehe...

It's finally my turn... It's damn well been hard waiting! But you bastards fought too half-heartedly; not many people died.

That part makes this brother very unhappy!" A faint, ethereal laughter suddenly echoed out, shifting from left to right, then front to back—unpredictable and elusive. He said: "Blood Sword Hall... truly impressive.

Picking up this cheap gain so easily truly convinces and impresses this daddy! But if your Blood Sword Hall isn't serving the Second Prince, then who are you serving? Or perhaps I should ask: who has such great charisma that you would serve them?

This old daddy is very interested." "Who? Who is playing tricks and acting mysterious? Get out here!" The man in red roared, scanning his surroundings.

"Hmph hmph hmph... I am your daddy, your true father's will!" The hidden person laughed lewdly, then burst into loud laughter. "Good son, why don't you hurry up and kneel down to greet your biological father's arrival!" "Courting death!" The man in red was furious.

Listening closely, he suddenly leaped up, unleashing a blue sword light like a long dragon. Where the light passed, there were several booming crashes, severing several large trees halfway! They crashed down as if the mountains were splitting, kicking up clouds of dust from the ground.

"Eh? How is this possible?" The man in red, who had just displayed divine might by killing an expert of the same rank, suddenly cried out in shock. He realized with horror that his Heaven Profound Profound Qi was rapidly draining away.

After unleashing that one sword strike, more than half of it had already dissipated! "Hahahaha, in this world, there are only things that cannot be imagined, but nothing that cannot be done! There is no such thing as impossible!" The mysterious person in the shadows let out a long cry, then roared: "Attack!" With a boom, several spots on the nearby ground churned and flipped like rolling waves, mud and sand exploded outwards, and several thick, sturdy figures swiftly leaped out, followed by people rapidly sprinting in from all directions.

A light, floating figure in mid-air suddenly morphed and flew towards another Heaven Profound expert with extreme speed! The original leader in red was greatly alarmed and shouted: "Be careful!" Before the words fell, he saw a flash before his eyes as a black-clad, masked figure suddenly appeared in front of him. It turned out he was the real target!

Greatly alarmed, he swiftly retreated backward while raising his long sword, preparing to counterattack. But the attacker followed him like a shadow, striking first. A cold glint flashed, aimed at his throat.

This sliver of cold light was so fast that even with the red-clad man’s sharp eyesight, he couldn't discern the weapon before feeling a cold, stinging pain in his throat. The man in red didn't have time to draw his sword and retreat further; he felt a gust of wind near his lower body as a knee slammed fiercely towards his groin. The man in red was terrified, promptly sticking his buttocks out and dodging with lightning speed a foot away.

Just as he congratulated himself for avoiding that fatal strike, he saw the cold light flash again, stabbing directly toward his eyes. He retreated with his remaining strength, only to feel a sharp stinging pain across his face, realizing his skin had been grazed by a sharp weapon. Simultaneously, a boom sounded against his chest as the enemy's dual elbows smashed violently into his sternum, followed by a piercing pain in his lower body—his most vulnerable area had been struck hard!

The man in red was furious, enraged, pained, and terrified. These moves were precisely the same techniques he had used against Zhou Jianming just moments ago; the opponent had copied them almost entirely! But now the roles were reversed, and he was the one being struck.

Moreover, this person's speed was even more ruthless and precise than his own! Could it be that retribution was at work in the cycle of reincarnation?