Chapter Fifteen: Poisoned!
Seeing Lie Yun wounded and coughing blood, Lie Chen’s expression grew grave. He spoke quietly but sternly, “Elder Lie Yun, what happened?!”
Lie Yun struggled to suppress the churning battle energy within him. Hearing the clan leader’s angry tone, he hurriedly replied, “Clan leader, this man is rather strange—he seems to wield illusion techniques!”
Illusion techniques? Aren’t those soul arts, always known for their unpredictability and mystery?
Lie Chen frowned at the words. Though the Lie family was formidable, their knowledge of such rare soul-based battle skills was limited, let alone their ability to counter them. He had thought that, even if the intruder was a strong opponent, he wouldn’t be much stronger than their own, but the clash just now clearly showed that the opponent surpassed Lie Yun. Now, with these elusive soul arts added to the mix, the situation looked grim.
Lie Chen reasoned that, since the man dared to rob them so openly, he clearly did not fear the Lie family’s power. An attempt to threaten him with words would likely be futile. There was only one course of action left—
Kill!
“You five, attack together as well!” Lie Chen pointed to the five Douluo experts guarding Lie Feifei. His tone was steady and forceful.
The five obeyed his command, each letting out a low shout. Their bodies radiated intense battle energy as they charged toward the mysterious man in the black robe!
Lie Chen watched, thinking, Let’s see if you can still act so arrogantly when beset by eight Douluo!
The combined might of eight Douluo was not to be underestimated, especially when three of them were at the peak of fifth or sixth rank. The other five were also seasoned veterans, their battle experience profound.
With Lie Chen overseeing the formation, unless their enemy was a seasoned Doulong-level expert, even a newly ascended one would find this situation deeply troublesome.
They could stand toe to toe with those who had just entered the Doulong realm—testament to the Lie family’s formidable strength. And don’t forget, the family still had two injured elders. If all forces were deployed, even a typical Doulong expert would find the Lie family difficult to handle!
In Changling City, several factions were powerful, but none could match the Lie family’s eleven Douluo. As a result, the Lie family stood alone at the top, and none dared confront them openly.
Last night’s events marked the family’s greatest humiliation in more than a decade!
As the clan leader, Lie Chen had been troubled by his inability to intimidate the city’s factions and affirm his family’s might—to show everyone that the Lie family remained what it always was!
The mysterious black-robed man before him was likely a formidable opponent, perhaps with one foot already in the seventh rank, or just newly ascended. This was the perfect opportunity to seize him and let Changling City witness a Lie family capable of defeating even Doulong experts!
The black-robed man, for his part, was not oblivious to the threat posed by eight Douluo attacking together. As the five surged forward, his figure flickered, a shadow flashed, and he darted through a gap between them.
His speed was so incredible that the five, even at full sprint, couldn’t react in time—he simply slipped past their formation!
Once through, he did not slow but accelerated even further, heading straight for Lie Chen!
Not good! The others realized the danger, hastily turning to intercept, but a Doulong expert is no ordinary foe. The energy circulating in his core was no longer mere violet aura, but golden dragon energy!
Even if he couldn’t overcome eight Douluo together, in terms of movement he still held an edge. The others couldn’t catch up; the black-robed man was already almost upon Lie Chen!
Meeting his assailant’s eyes, Lie Chen’s gaze darkened. He drew in a silent breath, battle energy surging within, shifted his body slightly, and clenched his right fist. In an instant, he swung it with overwhelming force!
“Wolf Fang Strike!”
A blade of green energy, shaped like a giant fanged beast, roared toward the black-robed man. This was the Lie family’s most advanced mid-tier Xuan-level skill, second only to the newly acquired Heaven and Earth Shift!
The black-clad figure did not dodge. He raised his right hand, cloaked in dense black energy, and a chilly voice echoed, “I’m running out of patience…”
The green energy blade whistled through the air, about to strike him—a blow that would wound grievously if it landed. But the black-robed man’s right hand became a claw, and with a sudden lunge, he caught the energy blade in his grasp!
What a bizarre move!
The energy blade trembled violently, twisting as if it had a life of its own, trying to break free. The black-clad man snorted softly, then clenched his fist. The blade shattered like snowflakes and vanished.
As the others stared in shock, the black-robed man seized the moment to lunge at the stunned Lie Chen, grabbing his right hand.
Lie Chen, startled, instinctively struck out with his left fist. The black-robed man met the blow—two gusts of force collided with a muffled sound. Lie Chen staggered back, shaken by the impact, while his opponent used the recoil to leap onto the rooftop and vanish into the distance…
“After him!” Discovering that the storage ring on his right hand—the one holding his battle skills—was gone, Lie Chen’s face turned icy, and he shouted in fury.
…
Su Yi, dragging his weary body, entered his small hut and immediately collapsed onto his bed.
Feeling the soft mattress beneath him, Su Yi found himself strangely unsettled by his own condition today. He couldn’t shake a lingering fatigue—was he simply overexerted from recent training, or had last night’s injuries not fully healed?
This wasn’t good. Perhaps he should rest a day. As he pondered this, a sudden stabbing pain shot through his left shoulder, then spread rapidly throughout his body like a web.
Before Su Yi could react, terror seized him—he had lost all control over his body. He couldn’t even move a finger!
What was happening?! Why had he suddenly become completely paralyzed? Alarmed, Su Yi’s thoughts raced. He’d been fine yesterday—nothing out of the ordinary. But after last night, it seemed as if something unseen had changed.
First, the inexplicable fatigue; now, this sudden paralysis. Steadying his mind, Su Yi carefully reviewed recent events.
There were only two unusual occurrences: Di Yuan’s attack on him, and the mysterious black-robed man who came to auction battle skills.
But Di Yuan hadn’t struck with lethal intent—nothing that should have caused this. Unless he’d concealed a hidden move, catching Su Yi off guard. If so, Su Yi would have to reassess Di Yuan’s cunning.
As for the mysterious black-robed man, though indeed strange, he had no reason to target Su Yi—no prior enmity. Besides, Su Yi hadn’t sensed anything amiss at the time—wait. If memory served, as the black-robed man left, he’d patted Su Yi’s left shoulder.
And the pain just now had started in his left shoulder!
Could the mysterious man have poisoned him?
But they’d only met for the first time today—what grudge could there be? Was this some exotic poison?
Su Yi had little time to speculate before the searing pain, like a venomous serpent, slithered toward his head.
Damn it! For the first time, Su Yi cursed aloud. He didn’t know what would happen once this agony took hold, but it couldn’t be anything good. Had he crossed into this world only to die so wretchedly, so soon?
No! It couldn’t end this way!
Gritting his teeth, Su Yi desperately tried to mobilize his energy to drive out the pain. But the familiar flow of energy was sluggish, blocked—creeping along at a snail’s pace, utterly ineffective.
The pain, as if provoked by his efforts, suddenly exploded, surging into his mind!
A hoarse scream tore from Su Yi’s throat as waves of agony ravaged his consciousness—countless hammers seemed to pound at his awareness. His head throbbed to the point of splitting, and after a wave of numbness, he was horrified to feel his consciousness slowly fading away.
Powerless, as his mind dulled, Su Yi could only sigh in resignation: Is this really the end?