Just then, a deep blast of a horn sounded from within the Imperial City; the commotion here must have finally alerted the Emperor.

The leader of the black-clad figures grew anxious seeing this, for if the Imperial Guards joined the fray, his own group would gain no advantage whatsoever.

He quickly barked an order to his black-clad subordinates: "Yin Lei Warriors, listen up! Slaughter every single member of the Church of Light!"

As the words fell, the leader of the black-clad figures charged toward Mora, and upon hearing the command, the others surged toward the rest of the group.

The leading black-clad figure flew directly toward his main target, Mora, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.

The two remaining Judgment Knights beside Mora knew they were no match for the assailant, but duty bound, they grimly drew their weapons and lunged forward. As their blades neared the black-clad figure, he paid them no heed, a flash of disdain crossing his eyes, completely ignoring their attacks.

When the two weapons were still half a meter away from striking him, a burst of white light erupted from the black-clad figure’s body. The weapons struck the shimmering barrier and could not advance a fraction further. The man had blocked the two Judgment Knights’ assault using only his protective Zhenqi. He then effortlessly flung both knights away, one in each hand. They crashed to the ground, seemingly beyond saving.

The black-clad figure struck down the two Judgment Knights and, without pausing, attacked Mora ahead. Just as his longsword was about to pierce Mora’s chest, a roar of fury erupted from the side. A pale blue sword aura materialized to the black-clad figure’s left, carrying a fierce momentum as it lunged toward him.

The attacker was Murong Tian, the patriarch of the Murong family. Facing the full-force strike of a top-tier High Sword Master, the black-clad figure dared not be careless. He abandoned his pursuit of Mora, swiftly redirecting his weapon to meet Murong Tian’s incoming sword. A clash of blue Dou Qi against white Dou Qi ripped through the air with a deafening boom. The Murong family’s Mad Dragon Dou Qi proved indeed ferocious and unstoppable. After the exchange, Murong Tian staggered back five or six steps, while the black-clad figure, caught off guard while hastily defending, conceded a slight advantage, retreating three steps.

A flicker of anger crossed the black-clad figure’s eyes; it seemed he hadn't been disadvantaged like this in a long time. He spoke, "You seek death! I had intended to spare you, but you chose to ambush me. Don't blame me for what comes next."

With that, an even more dazzling white light burst from his body. Murong Tian, sensing the shift, tried to summon his Dou Qi, only to find it gathering with extreme difficulty, as if obstructed by something unseen. Murong Tian gasped in shock and cried out, "Dou Qi Domain!"

The black-clad figure stood still, speaking with contempt, "You have some knowledge. You even recognize the Dou Qi Domain. Within this hundred-meter radius centered on me, all enemies' abilities are suppressed—both Dou Qi and magic are affected—while my own power increases. This is the difference between a Sword Saint and a Sword Master; this is the terror of a Sword Saint. See what you can possibly use to fight me now."

Murong Yu Guang, witnessing Murong Tian’s predicament, cried out in alarm, "Patriarch!"

He started to rush forward but was halted by Murong Tian’s sharp command. Murong Tian knew that even if Murong Yu Guang and the remaining Mad Dragon Guards joined the fray, it would be useless—it would only increase the casualties. But Murong Yu Guang paid no heed and lunged at the black-clad figure. The figure merely raised a hand, unleashing another blast of white Dou Qi that struck Murong Yu Guang’s weapon, sending both man and metal flying backward. Murong Yu Guang landed, stumbling back several paces, spitting out a mouthful of blood. The gap in their power was evidently not slight.

Then, the black-clad figure stated coldly, "I warned you. I gave you a chance, but you sought your own doom. You have no one to blame but yourself."

As he prepared to strike, a light shout cut through the air: "Behold my Light Burst Technique!" It was Mo Han.

A globe of light drifted slowly toward the black-clad figure. Hearing Mo Han’s cry, the figure was momentarily stunned, then scoffed, "Do you think your low-level Light Burst Technique can harm me? What an idiot."

Seeing the light sphere approaching, he dismissively raised a hand, intending to shatter it with his Dou Qi.

Mo Han smiled faintly upon seeing the enemy's action. The light sphere, upon encountering the Dou Qi, did not vanish; instead, it accelerated rapidly toward the black-clad figure as if suddenly provoked. The man was greatly alarmed and, caught completely unprepared, the sphere struck his protective Dou Qi. A blinding flash of white light erupted. When the glare faded, the black-clad figure’s face was scorched black, his veil and much of his hair burned away. He had clearly suffered a significant blow.

The black-clad figure roared in fury, "You insolent whelp, you dare try to trick me!"

Mo Han grinned wickedly, "Did I say Light Burst Technique? And you believed me? Are you a pig? Should I tell you to go eat excrement and you’d follow orders? You’re just slow-witted, don’t blame others."

In truth, what Mo Han had cast was not the Light Burst Technique at all, but the high-tier light-element single-target magic, Rapid Light Sphere. It resembled the low-level Light Burst Technique in appearance, but the Rapid Light Sphere's characteristic was its slow initial speed; it only underwent a sudden acceleration when met with external resistance. This was why Mo Han had deliberately shouted Light Burst Technique—to mislead the black-clad figure’s judgment. The figure, taking Mo Han’s words at face value, underestimated the attack and failed to react in time, thus suffering the consequence.

Hearing Mo Han’s mockery, the black-clad figure trembled with rage, yet he could offer no rebuttal. He could only curse, "I never thought the Church of Light would resort to such tactics."

Mo Han snorted dismissively, "I called you an idiot, and you truly live up to it. Are you truly a Sword Saint? When facing a defenseless priest, must we simply stand still and allow you to bully us? Are you really that dense to utter such foolishness?"

Mo Han’s barbed words made the black-clad figure shake with fury, while Murong Tian and Mora and the others nearby smiled at the exchange.

The black-clad figure ground his teeth and snarled, "You brat, I will flay you alive! I will carve your flesh piece by piece until life is worse than death!"

Mo Han ignored the threat and calmly mocked, "Is that so? Do you dare make a wager with me? If you win, I will submit to your judgment."

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