影院西瓜影院

Chapter 266: Exceptional Swordsmanship

Tan Zhenwei answered quickly.

"You\'ve caused quite a bit of trouble this time, kid."

The city leader spoke urgently over the phone, "Tianyu Palace is a legally registered gang and is protected by law. You killed so many of their people. The Ye family and the Starry Sky Hotel will use this to attack you and hold you accountable."

Li Xiaofei sneered, "A legally registered gang? It won’t be legal for long. There’s more than enough evidence at Tianyu Palace’s headquarters to bring them down a thousand times over."

Tan Zhenwei replied, "But you\'re not law enforcement."

Li Xiaofei countered, "The law enforcement is dead."

He was referring to the little policewoman, Su Yuke.

Tan Zhenwei’s tone softened a bit. "Leave everything to me. Don’t act impulsively. Go back, get a good night\'s sleep, and wake up for school tomorrow."

A bitter smile crept onto Li Xiaofei’s face.

"Why?" He asked, "Why can\'t the evidence convict the Ye family?"

Tan Zhenwei explained, "Some believe it’s fabricated, others say the testimony is unreliable. For various reasons, relying on Shangguan Tianyu\'s confession alone to bring down the Ye family is too naive."

Li Xiaofei responded, "I know what Shangguan Tianyu said was the truth."

"So what?" Tan Zhenwei shot back.

Li Xiaofei said, "As long as it\'s the truth, that\'s enough." After a moment, he continued, "Actually, I didn’t have much hope to begin with. I just wanted to give it one last try and hold onto a sliver of luck... Uncle Tan, I understand now."

He hung up the phone. He straddled his motorcycle, secured the container holding Shangguan Tianyu’s head, and started the engine. The roar of the engine echoed in the air.

In the fading winter sun, his lone figure and the motorcycle cast a long shadow on the ground. Li Xiaofei sped down the streets on his bike as the sun faded away ahead of him. As the winter air grew colder, Li Xiaofei rode fearlessly into the darkness. A hero, breaking the law through force.

***

Twenty minutes later. In the slums.

Li Xiaofei entered his training room.

“No matter what happens, do not disturb me.” He gave a strict order.

The training room, built entirely out of titanium alloy, was completely sealed off. The martial artists of the Cloudy Sky Gang stood guard outside.

Inside, Li Xiaofei drew his Bull Blade and channeled starforce qi into it as he activated the Armor Harnessing Technique. The mutant bull’s blood erupted from every pore in his body, transforming into a crimson exoskeleton armor. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. He looked like a monster beneath the red armor.

He grinned.

A monster, huh? So be it. Actually... I can be even more monstrous.

For some reason, a figure from a myth five hundred years ago suddenly appeared in Li Xiaofei’s mind.

With a three-foot sword in hand,

At ease by the wall he stands,

Eyes wide, banishing evil spirits,

Raising his brow, he slays the demons of the world.

"It\'s him."

Li Xiaofei made up his mind. He pushed the Armor Harnessing Technique further, altering the shape of the crimson exoskeleton around him. Soon, he was clad in a grotesque and fearsome black-red armor. He resembled an evil deity with a leopard head, bulging eyes, and a fierce beard framing his face.

Zhong Kui[1] was a Daoist god known for hunting down ghosts and expelling evil spirits. Daoism was the native religion of China. Calling it the national religion wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

"If this world is overrun with demons and monsters, then I’ll become Zhong Kui and slay every last one."

Li Xiaofei was thoroughly satisfied with the new form of his Armor Harnessing Technique. He would avenge Su Yuke in his own way. He would wipe out the Ye family. He would protect Liuhe Base City.

"Dog Box."

"Woof."

"Open the Spatial Point Theft map."

"Woof, understood."

A scroll made of ancient parchment appeared out of thin air before him. Li Xiaofei controlled the map\'s coordinates with his mind, finally locking onto the Ye family\'s ancestral estate.

He paused for a moment, carefully studying the layout of the estate displayed on the map.

"Here."

He lifted the Bull Blade, allowing the strange blood to cover its blade. The blade transformed as well.

"In your transformed state, you deserve a new name. I\'ll call you Ghost Slayer."

Li Xiaofei gently ran his fingers along the blade, which vibrated in excitement. It would cut down every demon and evil spirit in existence. Li Xiaofei\'s gaze grew sharp and resolute.

"Dog Box, begin teleportation."

"Woof, got it."

A silver light burst forth from the ancient parchment map. In the next instant, Li Xiaofei vanished from where he stood.

***

At the same time. A faint glimmer of light flashed in the Ye family\'s ancestral estate. A pale silver portal appeared in the front courtyard. The crimson-armored Li Xiaofei, carrying the broad Ghost Slayer blade, stepped out from the portal. Immediately, he was met by a pair of patrolling Ye family warriors.

"Who goes there?"

"Stop right there, who are you?"

The warriors quickly surrounded him. After all, this ghostly figure had appeared in such an eerie manner. Li Xiaofei remained silent as his long blade swept across them. This was the first time he had wielded his blade in combat since mastering the Eight Secrets of the Heavenly Blade.

The blade flashed in the night and the five well-armed warriors, all in the Acupoint Opening Realm, froze in place. Li Xiaofei walked forward, his blade in hand.

As his figure disappeared through the moon gate ahead, blood suddenly erupted like five crimson rainbows. The five warriors were severed at the waist and collapsed to the ground. But the courtyard’s rockery, pavilion pillars, and stone table were also sliced clean in half.

A maid, pushing a dinner cart into the courtyard, caught sight of the scene and immediately screamed in terror, covering her face. Her shriek alerted the guards.

"Enemy attack!"

"An assassin!"

The alarm rang out. Figures began darting around the Ye estate. Shouts and the sounds of battle soon followed.

Ye Guanzhen, who had been entertaining guests, was naturally disturbed by the commotion. His expression shifted slightly.

Someone dared to launch an assassination attempt at the Ye estate?

"Lord Ye, would you like me to handle this matter for you?" The man sitting across from him, dressed entirely in black, wore wooden clogs and had three swords, two long, one short, hanging at his waist. It was clear he was from Jiepeng.

Ye Guanzhen smiled faintly and said calmly. "No one in Liuhe Base City has ever entered the Ye estate and left unharmed. Lord Qian, please sit back and watch."

As he spoke, he operated his light core, projecting a screen in the room. After a moment, it displayed footage of the estate guards confronting the intruder.

"Eh?" Ye Guanzhen was momentarily stunned.

The intruder looked rather extraordinary. He was draped in a blood-red robe that seemed to flow like liquid and his armor was the color of fresh blood. His helmet had the visage of a grotesque human face, making him seem anything but human. It was as if a god or ghost had walked out of the underworld.

He wielded a massive crimson broadblade in his hand as he leisurely strolled through the courtyard. One after another, the Ye family’s elite fell like wheat before a scythe with each swing of his blade.

The screen flickered as the intruder swiftly moved through the Ye estate. No one could withstand a second strike from him. His swordsmanship was astounding!

"Lord Ye, it seems you\'ve encountered trouble."

Even Senjo Takauchi, the Jiepeng warrior, couldn’t hide his shock. "This man’s swordsmanship is exceptional."

1. Zhong Kui is a Daoist deity in Chinese mythology, traditionally regarded as a vanquisher of ghosts and evil beings. He is depicted as a large man with a big black beard, bulging eyes, and a wrathful expression. Zhong Kui is able to command 80,000 demons to do his bidding and is often associated with the five bats of fortune. Worship and iconography of Zhong Kui later spread to other East Asian countries, and he can also be found in the folklores and mythologies of Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. ☜