The sudden turn of events was certainly unexpected, causing the twin strikes from Long Hao and Long Xun to miss their mark entirely.
This immediately caused their expressions to change drastically! While Tie Ying's feigned retreat to advance was somewhat unforeseen, it wasn't enough to throw them into disarray. What truly shocked them was the direction of Tie Ying's sudden backward surge!
Near a section of the passage wall, which had previously appeared empty—just a smooth, unbroken surface—at the moment of Tie Ying's retreat, a sword flashed out with lightning speed. This strike, incomparably swift, carried a terrifying power capable of piercing anything, and it drove directly toward that smooth wall!
That was the most unbelievable part! Yet, another anomaly occurred!
The previously smooth and featureless wall suddenly exploded outward, the sheer force sending shattered corpses and fragments flying like a torrential downpour toward Tie Ying.
And within this fierce deluge of flying debris, a streak of golden afterimage shot out like lightning, hurtling toward Tie Ying!
It turned out there was a person hidden within that wall. Tie Ying seemed to have anticipated this; this was why he used the retreat to lure the assassin hidden within the stone.
Long Biao was immensely frustrated. He hadn't expected that his deeply concealed aura could still be detected by this formidable opponent!
Long Biao had always been supremely confident in his ability to hide. Even the most precise biological radar couldn't detect the slightest fluctuation from him.
In the past, relying on this peculiar concealment skill, countless masters had fallen victim to his surprise attacks, perishing beneath his Golden Greatsword.
But this time, he had miscalculated. He couldn't fathom how Tie Ying had discovered his presence, though at this point, it no longer mattered.
This ambush had not only failed, but his position, having been concealed within the wall, was now extremely precarious—he was practically a sitting target! Thus, he was forced to break out.
The moment he burst from the wall, Tie Ying’s blade was already slamming into his chest.
"Roar!" Caught completely off guard, Long Biao could only let out a desperate bellow, unleashing his divine strength! He desperately raised his Greatsword to meet the attack!
"Clang..." A dull thud of clashing metal echoed. One adversary rushed an attack hastily, while the other met it with fully gathered momentum—the outcome was obvious.
Although Long Biao's Greatsword managed to precisely block Tie Ying's fatal strike, the sheer kinetic force of Tie Ying's impact sent him flying backward uncontrollably toward the wall behind him!
Simultaneously, the two streaks of sword energy from Long Xun and Long Hao, which had missed their target, also slammed into the wall with a booming sound.
Amidst the heavy reverberations, dust and debris billowed, turning the not-so-spacious underground chamber into chaos.
All this occurred in the blink of an eye! Yet, Long Biao felt as though one of his feet had already stepped across the threshold of hell!
Having gained the advantage with a surprise offensive, Tie Ying gave Long Biao absolutely no chance to catch his breath! His overwhelming killing intent manifested as a savage black greatsword that danced like a spirit snake, weaving and flashing, seemingly capable of penetrating everywhere.
In an instant, a sky full of sword shadows enveloped Long Biao completely.
Thump! Just as Long Biao’s back connected with the wall, he swiftly slid sideways along the corner, his Greatsword whirling like the wind, raising sheets of light shields.
Against impossible odds, he managed to parry no fewer than ten rapid strikes from Tie Ying in quick succession.
However, the speed of Tie Ying's draws, the devilish angles of his cuts, and the sheer power behind them were nearly impossible to withstand. Blocking ten strikes was already the absolute limit of what Long Biao could manage!
On the other side, Long Hao and Long Xun, realizing their twin strikes had failed, saw that Long Biao’s situation was dire. As soon as their attacks missed, they rushed forward recklessly.
Before they arrived, their scorching sword energies were already slicing through the air, aimed directly at Tie Ying’s vital spots from behind.
By this time, Tie Ying had already executed his eleventh strike—the last, strongest, and fastest one.
Shhhk!
Blood erupted in a spray, a figure flashed violently, and Long Biao finally buckled under the strain, his left shoulder pierced by the sword. The terrifying impact then sent him reeling backward again.
This eleventh blow nearly killed him, but Tie Ying had no intention of letting him go. His body moved like lightning as he swiftly closed the distance.
One more strike, just one more follow-up blow, and Long Biao’s life would surely be forfeit.
Fortunately, the sword energies launched by Long Hao and Long Xun finally caught up!
Amidst a piercing whistle, the heavy killing intent and the fierce, blazing fluctuations of their sword auras caused a flicker of grave solemnity to cross Tie Ying’s normally placid face.
Without even turning his head, he executed an electric sidestep!
Whoosh! The black silhouette vanished as if it were ethereal smoke, utterly lacking substance.
The two scorching sword energies passed right through nothing but a phantom residual echo in the void!
"Ah! It’s the Flowing Cloud Movement Technique!"
Long Hao and Long Xun gasped in horror.
The Seven Great Phoenix Knights each possessed unique talents, and Tie Ying was renowned throughout the world for his speed and movement techniques. The most famous among these was that unpredictable and mystifying Flowing Cloud Movement Technique!
Body transforms into flowing light, movement resembles flowing clouds, shapeless, formless, leaving no trace!
The intense killing intent did not diminish in the slightest; instead, it grew more violent and ferocious!
Long Biao could no longer discern Tie Ying’s actual form. The only thing he could sense was that ever-present black Greatsword, an illusion existing outside of normal time and space, yet appearing like a strange, black, turbulent cloud—scattered, indistinct, constantly shifting, yet utterly pervasive.
No one knew how fast Tie Ying’s movement technique truly was, nor how many sword strikes he had unleashed in that instant.
All Long Biao could do was rely on his astounding reflexes and intuition, retreating frantically without regard for anything else. His Golden Greatsword spun wildly, creating an impenetrable defense, a barrier through which not a drop of water could pass.
Clang, clang, shhhk-shhhk!
Even so, in that single moment, startling bloody gashes were torn across Long Biao’s shoulder, calf, and abdomen!
Thud, crash, shhhk! Finally, when the last sword passed through Long Biao’s chest without any resistance, the figure that had been surging like a flowing cloud finally solidified into its true form.
"Good! Such fast swordsmanship." Feeling his life energy rapidly draining away, Long Biao spat out his final words with difficulty.
"Of course. My speed, Tie Ying’s speed, is the fastest in this world," Tie Ying’s calm face curled into a cruel, faint smile. "Now, go to hell." With that, the black Greatsword gave a sudden, sharp twist.
Boom! Crash!
Long Biao’s body, encased in golden armor, suddenly exploded as if pierced, a punctured balloon, sending golden fragments flying out like shrapnel!
In that instant, Tie Ying had used astonishing Dou Qi energy to violently tear him into pieces!
"No! Ah Biao!" Long Hao and Long Xun were still hurtling forward at full speed, but they were forced to witness the scene they could least accept!
In just the blink of an eye, Long Biao, a Golden Warrior, was killed by Tie Ying without even the slightest opportunity to fight back!
"How is this possible!" Mid-flight, Long Hao and Long Xun instinctively slammed on the brakes. "How can he be this strong."
Long Hao and Long Xun were stunned! While they knew the Phoenix Knights were powerful, this... this was simply too monstrously powerful!
"Hmph!" Tie Ying casually turned around, his icy gaze holding a hint of disdainful mockery as he calmly assessed Long Hao and Long Xun. "This is what happens when cleverness overreaches. If the three of you had fought together honorably from the start, perhaps you could have held out for a moment or two. But alas..."
"Damn it," Long Hao and Long Xun could only grit their teeth, suppressing the terror churning in their hearts.
What they had just witnessed had utterly shattered their confidence and made them realize a terrifying reality.
With their current abilities, they stood no chance of defeating the Tie Ying before them. Therefore, the only course left was to slowly retreat.
"Now you should understand," Tie Ying approached them slowly, without hurry. "With your strength, you are not worthy of being called my opponents."
"I don't believe it," Long Hao muttered, almost hysterically. "With your power, how have you been unable to breach the Nile Tribe for so many years? It's impossible."
"Curious, are we?" Tie Ying seemed intrigued and paused, letting out a slight sigh before sneering, "It's not that I am too strong; it's that you all are genuinely too weak."
"No, this cannot be! Why can Lan Qi and Nia, who are Phoenix Warriors, contend with you, while we, Golden Warriors, cannot?" Long Hao shook his head in denial, everything before him crushing the pride and dignity of being a Golden Warrior.
"Hahaha," Tie Ying laughed loudly, then settled down, adopting a relaxed posture. "Pathetic ignorant fools. You are too obsessed with the glory of being a Golden Warrior."
"......" Long Xun gripped his Greatsword tightly, but the weapon that once brought him immense confidence now felt impossibly heavy. The golden radiance of the Phoenix armor he had prided himself on now seemed an eyesore.
Only today did he sadly realize that he had been wrong. Not just him, but Long Tian and all the other Golden Warriors in the regular legions had been mistaken all along!
"Heh heh," Tie Ying seemed to appreciate the look of remorse, remaining unhurried. "Do you know why we haven't conquered the Nile Tribe for so many years?"
"Why?" Long Hao asked.
"It’s precisely because we need Golden Warriors like you." Tie Ying stated.
"You need us?" Long Hao was genuinely taken aback.
His words left both Long Hao and Long Xun confused.
"We don't fear a god-like opponent," Tie Ying mocked. "We fear pig-like companions. You truly haven't disappointed me."
"You! You insult us!" Long Hao and Long Xun finally registered the implications.
"It is the truth," Tie Ying remained calm. "Did I say something wrong? For years, if it weren't for this so-called regular army dragging us down from behind, the Nile Tribe wouldn't be in such dire straits, and even the Daluo Tribe wouldn't have been lost. Truly a group of qualified pigs."
"I'll kill you!" Long Hao was nearly driven mad with rage, but his reason held his body in check, pinning him rigidly in place.
As for Long Xun, his face was ashen. Never before had he felt such profound dejection, even despair. All his life, he and his self-proclaimed elite regular army, the Golden Warriors, had been viewed by others as mere pigs dragging down the Nile Tribe.
But Long Xun could find no words to refute the accusation, because the brutal reality told him everything was true.
Thinking back carefully, if the overly confident Lieutenant General Long Tian hadn't treacherously launched that surprise attack, compromising the Nile Tribe's defense systems, the current battle situation would never have become so passive.
And then there were them, the Golden Warriors, foolishly trying to challenge Tie Ying.
Were all the honors of being the strongest warriors that surrounded them just false illusions, easily shattered?
"Now do you understand?" In Tie Ying’s mocking gaze, a trace of strange pity even surfaced—the look one gives to a man already marked for death.
Being regarded with such eyes was more agonizing than being killed. Long Hao and Long Xun gritted their teeth fiercely: "We will show you the dignity and glory of a Golden Warrior."