Just stepping out of the tunnel, the operatives tasked with assassinating Lu Li all halted their steps as they stared at the instantly decapitated Lu Tian.
The man standing before Lu Tian's corpse, holding a pitch-black blade, wore a smile that was practically demonic. An invisible, suffocating aura of murder spread across the arena, mingling with the heavy stench of blood in the air, making it genuinely hard to breathe.
"Idiot. To act so recklessly against a powerhouse like Lu Li..." Fei Wangfang stared at Lu Tian's corpse, his face turning incredibly dark. Wielding a custom long spear, he had already activated the [Divine Demon] state, fixing his gaze tightly on Lu Li, but he didn't attack immediately.
There were four operatives sent to besiege Lu Li this time, all direct disciples of White Niko. Originally, they were supposed to attack simultaneously from four different blind spots to execute Lu Li. But that fool Lu Tian had charged in alone before the others were fully in position.
Even with only three of them left, logically speaking, the absolute tactical advantage should still have been on their side... That's how it was supposed to be.
Fei Wangfang was absolutely certain he had been observing Lu Li from the shadows this entire time, yet he couldn't comprehend where Lu Li had pulled that massive black katana from.
If three armed assassins were besieging an unarmed Lu Li, he believed they had a solid chance of success. But now that Lu Li was also armed with a lethal blade, the variables had shifted drastically.
Furthermore, there was another transcendent powerhouse in the arena: the Devil Lance, Kuroki Gensai. Even without a weapon, Kuroki could easily intercept and suppress at least one of them.
CLANG—!
The sharp sound of the Devil Lance clashing with metal rang out. Fei Wangfang frowned even deeper as he saw his martial brother, Ranjo, get violently repelled.
"You have desecrated my duel with Mr. Lu Li. I assume you are prepared for the consequences?" Kuroki stared directly at Ranjo, who had tried to flank him. Though completely unarmed, Kuroki was clearly the one holding the absolute advantage.
"What's wrong? Aren't you going to attack?" Lu Li took a step forward, holding Qiu Mo. To Fei Wangfang, the smile on his face looked utterly terrifying. "Come. Let me see your spear arts."
In the next microsecond, as if his kinetic energy was forcibly drawn out by Lu Li's suffocating pressure, Fei Wangfang attacked uncontrollably.
It was simply because he felt an overwhelming, landslide-like aura. It felt as though if he didn't strike now, he would never have the chance to strike again.
Empowered by [Divine Demon], a point of cold light arrived first, and then the spear thrust out like a dragon!
It was a god-speed strike, containing the absolute peak power of his [Divine Demon] mode and the ultimate refinement of his spear techniques.
Under the extreme, life-or-death pressure, he actually felt an unprecedented sense of absolute clarity. The moment the spear was thrust, his mind was no longer tense; instead, he felt a wave of exhilarating freedom. The path to victory was perfectly clear in his eyes.
The Point. He saw the absolute Point. In all their clashes, this was the very first time he had ever seen a flaw in Lu Li's defense!
I can do it! I'm faster!
My spear tip will pierce his throat!
Under the effects of [Divine Demon], his perception of time slowed to a near-halt. He could see everything clearly in the microscopic crevices of time. He saw his spear tip closing in on Lu Li's vital artery. He saw the smile disappear from Lu Li's face. He saw Lu Li's expression turn completely apathetic. And then he saw... Lu Li slightly tilt his head.
The spear violently grazed past Lu Li's neck, leaving a tiny, hairline trail of blood.
Before Fei Wangfang even had time to register his shock, a sudden, agonizing tearing sensation ripped diagonally from his waist to his chest.
I was slashed?!
When did Lu Li swing his blade?!
Did my thrust actually miss?!
How did Lu Li dodge it?!
While operating in the [Divine Demon] state, his violently over-clocked heart was like a balloon inflated to its absolute limit. The moment his chest cavity was sliced open, his heart burst into a gruesome, crimson flower.
Fei Wangfang's body fell backward, kicking up a small cloud of dust as he hit the ground. Blood violently geysered from his mouth. His eyes remained locked tightly onto Lu Li. Using the absolute last ounce of his fading life force, he asked the singular question burning in his mind. "Was I... really that weak?"
Lu Li didn't even glance down at Fei Wangfang. He turned his gaze toward another Worm operative, Long Min, who had been preparing to attack but was now frozen stiff in pure terror. Lu Li touched his neck with his left hand, feeling the microscopic cut. "A very beautiful thrust."
As he spoke, he casually flipped Qiu Mo in his right hand and drove the blade directly into Fei Wangfang's skull, ending his suffering instantly.
He stared straight into the trembling eyes of Long Min. "Well? Aren't you going to show me your sword techniques?"
In the next instant, utilizing [Shunpo], Lu Li's figure vanished. When he rematerialized directly behind Long Min, the operative's decapitated head was already rolling across the floor.
Lu Li swung his blade to flick off the blood. "I guess it wasn't necessary after all."
He was just about to move and secure Ranjo's kill, but he noticed that Kuroki Gensai had already plunged his literal Devil Lance—his bare fingers—straight through Ranjo's sternum and directly into his heart.
Although Kuroki Gensai was an honorable martial artist, he was fundamentally an underworld assassin. Since this was no longer a sanctioned duel but a chaotic deathmatch, he naturally struck to kill. Ranjo had almost no ability to resist.
"Senior Kuroki, our duel will have to be put on hold for now. Let's deal with the Worm first," Lu Li said, immediately sprinting out of the arena. He knew Kuroki understood what he meant. Kuroki's master had a deep history with Gaoh Mukaku; the Devil Lance naturally knew what the Worm was and what they represented.
Lu Li had no intention of wasting time clearing out the low-tier trash mobs inside the venue.
Firstly, he had discovered that Qiu Mo was quite a picky eater. Aside from Fei Wangfang, the other operatives he had just slaughtered yielded very little Growth Progression. He needed to hunt true powerhouses to level up his Zanpakuto.
Secondly, he was genuinely worried about the Kure Clan. Erioh Kure hadn't listened to his warning at all and had led his elite assassins out before the explosions even occurred. If the leader of the Westward Faction was among the invaders, a catastrophic bloodbath was likely already underway.
Given their amicable relationship, Lu Li didn't want to see the old Patriarch die at the hands of Edward Wu. Therefore, he had to find them as quickly as possible.
It all happened in a flash. From the moment Lu Tian charged into the ring to the moment Lu Li slaughtered the elite hit squad, less than a minute had passed.
The audience stands were in absolute, screaming chaos, and the surviving Kengan fighters were desperately trying to maintain order, protecting the corporate CEOs who were important to them.
Karla Kure had just frantically pushed her way through the panicking crowd and leaped into the arena to rendezvous with Lu Li, but she was a second too late. She only caught sight of Lu Li's back as he dashed into the dark tunnel.
"Lu Li—!"
Lu Li didn't turn back, shouting over his shoulder, "Stay inside the stadium! Do not follow me!"
Lu Li knew the Worm wouldn't act entirely without restraint. There were political leaders and mega-corporate titans from multiple countries inside the venue. If the Worm indiscriminately slaughtered the audience and caused massive casualties among global VIPs, they would instantly become an international public enemy and be quickly annihilated by the combined military forces of the world's governments.
Judging by the specific locations of the explosions, the Worm merely wanted to create chaos and divide the battlefield, making it easier to surgically assassinate their specific targets.
With the situation escalating to this catastrophic point, Katsumasa Hayami's pathetic coup had completely failed. The Worm hadn't invaded Ganryu Island to help him become Chairman; they were here to completely wipe the Kengan Association off the map!
In the canon storyline, top-tier monsters like Fei Wangfang and Lu Tian hadn't participated in the island invasion. The intruders were mostly just low-level Worm grunts, which was why Metsudo's Bodyguards and the Kengan fighters managed to handle them with relative ease. Hayami's rebellion was quickly quelled; he was nothing more than a manipulated clown.
But now, the Worm had launched a massive, full-scale apocalyptic invasion. Considering Lu Li had publicly displayed his monstrous strength during the tournament, and with the Violator actively fueling the flames from the shadows... if the Worm's leadership wasn't entirely brain-dead, they had absolutely deployed their absolute zenith-tier combatants this time.
So... White Niko, Edward Wu, Xia Yan... how many of you actually showed up today?
My Qiu Mo is already thirsting for blood.
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