Jimmy stared at Chen Feng's receding figure, venom coiling in his eyes. He pulled a blue crystal stone from his inner pocket, channeling a spark of Dou Qi into its surface with his fingertip.
The crystal stone instantly erupted in a faint azure mist upon activation by the Dou Qi. This mist billowed in the air, suddenly seeming to sprout wings as it zipped out the twelfth-story window, vanishing into the sky in the blink of an eye.
“It’s a Magical Communication Stone!” Judy exclaimed first.
A Magical Communication Stone was an artifact used for long-distance spell communication, capable of reaching up to 100 kilometers at its maximum range. The pale blue crystal Jimmy had just produced was small, likely only capable of sending a message within a 10-kilometer radius, but its use at this moment clearly indicated he was calling for reinforcements.
Judy, having received a Dou Core from the black-robed man, was naturally unwilling for him to come to harm. She started walking toward the stairs, but before she had taken more than a few steps, Jimmy blocked her path.
“Miss Judy! What do you think you are doing?” Jimmy drawled, his tone laced with insincerity.
Judy snapped, “Were you just taking out that Magical Communication Stone to summon help against that Black-Robed Lord from earlier?”
“Heh heh! I’ve long heard that Miss Judy is extraordinarily clever, and now it seems the rumors are true!” Jimmy acted as if he were completely unafraid of her knowledge.
Judy retorted, “If you wanted a fight, you could have done it openly before. To use your family’s influence like this—you are utterly despicable!”
“I always have been!” Jimmy sneered, turning to the group behind him and giving an order, “Take Miss Judy away!”
“You wouldn't dare!” Judy raged, shouting loudly. Her subordinates, seeing their lady about to be seized, rushed forward.
“I wouldn’t dare? Heh, there’s hardly anything in this world I wouldn’t dare to do!” Jimmy declared.
“Nothing? Hmph! Why didn’t you dare say that when the black-robed man was still here?” Judy pressed her advantage ruthlessly, hitting upon the sore spot of his cowardice.
Indeed, Jimmy was consumed by shame and anger. With a sharp shout, he spread his five fingers and lunged toward Judy’s shoulder.
Though young, Judy possessed considerable strength, already reaching the rank of a Third-Tier Dou Shi. She twisted her supple waist, dodging the grab, and countered with an open-palm strike.
Naturally, Jimmy would not be struck by such an attack. He gave a slight shake of his fingers, and five streams of Dou Qi shot forth, spreading like a net to envelop her.
Judy’s body was as pliant as soft bones, weaving fluidly through the net formed by his Dou Qi!
The retainers behind both principals saw their masters engage and, without hesitation, joined the fray. A chaotic brawl instantly erupted!
However, none of this mattered to Chen Feng, who was already far beyond the boundaries of Genamu Town, walking the road back to the blacksmith shop.
Chen Feng stuck to the forest path, having stripped off the black robes and cloak, which he instantly incinerated in his palm with a burst of flame.
The initially dark and somewhat corpulent black-robed figure was instantly replaced by a lean youth with a head full of fiery red hair.
Chen Feng scratched through his red locks while walking through the snow, keenly feeling the biting cold air surrounding him.
He hadn't expected selling a single Dou Core to cause so much trouble—first Vina’s plea, then the dispute over the Core itself; one event after another was giving him a headache.
Thinking about how he hadn't helped Vina at all, yet gifting a Fifth-Tier Dou Core directly to Judy, the stark contrast made him feel strange. Had he turned into a lovesick fool? He shook his head, resolve hardening in his eyes. It seemed that even as his temperament grew colder and more arrogant, he hadn't lost his essential self, acting according to his own likes and dislikes.
Vina was conducting business with him; if his strength were insufficient, she wouldn't have treated him with that respect. Judy was different; even knowing he was an ordinary person, she had still ordered Pass to shield him from the shockwaves of combat.
Comparing the two, it was perfectly normal for him to help Judy.
He sighed, smoothing his bright red hair. Just as he was about to quicken his pace, his heart suddenly tightened! The power of the Cyclone beneath his feet surged violently, exploding into a large crater on the ground with a boom. He utilized this force to flash sideways, evading several meters away!
The instant he moved, a flash of sword light streaked past where he had been standing, then vanished again!
“An assassin!” Chen Feng’s heart chilled. If his reaction hadn't been swift enough, he would have certainly died from that single strike!
Assassins, much like Mystics, could harness the color-shifting Dou Qi within their bodies to blend into their surroundings, waiting for the perfect opportunity to deliver a killing blow.
Though he couldn't gauge the assassin's rank, the sheer fact that this person could approach him without being detected meant they possessed the capability to fight him on equal terms!
Could it be a Ninth-Tier Dou Shi assassin?
A wave of cold dread washed over Chen Feng.
Because of their elusive nature, assassins were undoubtedly the most terrifying opponents at any given tier. However, with the Cyclone power of a Seventh-Tier Dou Shi combined with his Fist King techniques, he was no pushover either!
Taking a deep breath, a torrent of fighting spirit surged within Chen Feng’s chest.
The more difficult the opponent, the more excited he became. None of the mercenaries he had killed in the snow previously had been true masters; despite their numbers, they hadn't brought him an ounce of excitement. But now, facing only one Ninth-Tier assassin, he felt the thrill of combat!
The Dark Cyclone spun madly in his Dantian, and a surge of cerulean flame erupted from his palm with a whoosh. Chen Feng closed his eyes slightly, and his powerful mental perception immediately washed outward like a tide!
The cold wind howled through the forest, and fallen leaves drifted onto the pristine white snow. The surroundings were eerily silent. The Ninth-Tier assassin, having missed the initial strike, seemed to have vanished into thin air; even Chen Feng’s mental perception, far exceeding his actual cultivation level, could detect nothing unusual!
The assassin’s concealment technique was truly formidable; it hid not just the body but the very aura!
“Hoo!” A sharp screech echoed from behind him.
Chen Feng ducked to the side, rolling through the snow to narrowly avoid a descending sword gleam! While evading, he flung the flame from his hand toward the direction of the strike. The azure flame rolled across the ground, crackling audibly as it kicked up snow everywhere!
Boom! The flame slammed into a large tree, causing it to snap in half and burst into a violent blaze.
One Hundred and Eight Styles: Dark Hook Hand!
Though this attack missed and failed to reveal the hidden foe's location, its sheer force stunned the opponent, causing a minute fluctuation in the air around him.
A smile touched Chen Feng’s lips. The dark Cyclone formed a ripple-like wave around his body. With the surge of the wave, he shot forward like an arrow’s shadow, instantly shattering the constraints of distance. With a roar, he slammed his right elbow into an empty spot in the air, immediately followed by his left elbow striking the exact same spot. In a final explosive lunge, he bent his waist into a bow shape and hammered down with both fists!
One Hundred and Twenty-Seven Styles: Sunflower!
Snap, snap, snap! Three light sounds followed by a wet phut, and a small, thin figure covered in blood plummeted from the air!
It was the Ninth-Tier assassin!
Chen Feng stomped his foot, gliding forward, his iron claws instantly tearing toward the opponent's chest!
Reverse Skinning!
“Stop!” A shout rang out.
Following the cry, an intense elemental fluctuation coalesced nearby. Chen Feng cursed inwardly and rapidly retreated. With a boom, a football-sized magic sphere exploded near him, the resulting blast wave throwing him backward in three stumbling somersaults.
Chen Feng stabilized himself and looked toward the source of the voice. He saw two mages standing in the snow, one of whom held his staff aloft; the magical attack moments ago had clearly originated from him.
Sensing the elemental resonance in the air, Chen Feng clenched his fists tightly!
The opponents were both Peak Third-Tier Mages!