Chapter 785: Mutual Sabotage

Jian Changsheng’s expression suddenly froze! He slowly looked up, seeing figures dressed in coarse linen clothes glaring at him with ill intent. These people didn't wear uniforms like law enforcement officers or the unified black robes of the Witchcraft Association. Their attire was simple and plain, like indigenous people emerging from the mountains. But that didn't diminish the terrifying aura of immense power radiating from them.

"Another assassin??"

"Bastard... You just killed Third Master this morning, and now you dare to come back?!"

"Do you really think we Dragon-Stranglers are pushovers?!"

Only then did Jian Changsheng notice that all these people had white cloths tied around their heads and their eyes were bloodshot. He swallowed hard, his gaze peeking through the gaps between them to look behind. The opulent conference hall was now draped entirely in white cloths, and a black-and-white photo hung in mid-air. A figure lay on a central platform, covered by a white cloth, with a patch of vivid red around the neck. Jian Changsheng had just witnessed such a death at the Comet Hotel.

"No... I'm not an assassin, I was thrown in here by a lion..." Sweat began to seep from Jian Changsheng's forehead as he hastily tried to explain. However, these Dragon-Stranglers, who had just lost a comrade and had nowhere to vent their rage, clearly had no intention of believing him. Their fists clenched tightly!

Jian Changsheng: !!!

Without the slightest hesitation, Jian Changsheng transformed into a blood-red shadow, crashing directly through the glass on the opposite side and free-falling from the hotel's top floor. The next moment, over a dozen murderous figures swarmed out, leaping after him in pursuit.

"Woah." A train roared past nearby. Sun Bumian, lying on top of a carriage with his legs crossed, watched a dozen burly men chasing Jian Changsheng as they whizzed by, his mouth agape in an "O" shape.

"Is the effect that good?"

Sun Bumian knew the address of the Dragon-Stranglers from the Path of Hercules, but he was unaware that one of their comrades had just been assassinated that morning. He had simply thrown Jian Changsheng over there, intending to stall that debt-collector and allow himself to escape in time. He hadn't anticipated such an extreme reaction from the Dragon-Stranglers. Judging by this, the debt-collector would likely not escape death... But what did that have to do with him? Anyway, whatever came out of the Ash Realm wasn't a good person. Since it had formed an enmity with him, its death was a good thing. He also didn't want to experience being chased by crab legs again.

Thinking this, Sun Bumian completely relaxed. He yawned lazily, preparing to close his eyes for a nap. A figure lightly landed on the train's roof.

Sun Bumian hazily opened one eye and saw a figure in a black long gown looking around and walking towards him. "Senior Spade 9?" Sun Bumian sat up in surprise. "Long time no see... What brings you here?"

"I'm looking for Spade 6. Where is he?"

"?" Sun Bumian looked bewildered. "Spade 6? Are there other '6' generation members in the Tian Shu Realm besides me?"

"The one who inexplicably started chasing you just now," Spade 9 said matter-of-factly. "I saw him pointing at you, saying something about 'bastard,' and then he just zipped off... His silhouette looked like yours, so I thought there might be some misunderstanding between you two, and I followed."

Sun Bumian: ?????

Sun Bumian's eyes widened, looking as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Our Twilight Society members are all geniuses, and geniuses are proud, so internal squabbles are understandable," Spade 9 explained earnestly. "But even so, you are all comrades with common aspirations. A little roughhousing now and then is fine, just don't take it too far... Spade 6 is a very interesting young man. Both of you are from the '6' generation and still quite young, so there shouldn't be any conflict you can't resolve, right? You might be fighting alongside each other as comrades in the future, so try to be more open-minded about some things... Back then, Red Heart 9 and I used to constantly bicker, but did you ever see me genuinely trying to kill him? It was all just minor squabbles."

After delivering his lecture, Spade 9 felt he had made his point and decided to get back to business: "By the way, where's Spade 6?"

Sun Bumian: ...

"He... uh..." Sun Bumian scratched his head. "It's... a long story..."

"Bastard!"

"Bastard!!!"

"Bastard!!!!!"

Jian Changsheng, while frantically using his Blood Droplet Gyro to escape, repeatedly cursed the insidious, malicious, and wicked Awake Lion Man, his anger erupting like a volcano.

He had originally intended to find that bastard and settle the score from the Ash Realm. He was on the verge of success, but he never expected the other party to pull such a trick, directly trapping him in a desperate situation! Now, not only had he not settled the score, but his own life was also on the line!

*Swoosh—!!*

A sound of something tearing through the air came from behind. Jian Changsheng's hair stood on end. He instinctively dodged to the side, and at the same moment, a sharp axe, seemingly capable of splitting the heavens and earth, whizzed past, striking the ground ahead like a bolt of lightning! The sharp axe buried itself in the earth, and the next moment, a chilling aura surged from it, tearing a hundreds-of-meters-long gash in the ground. A barrier shot up, directly blocking Jian Changsheng's path!

Jian Changsheng reacted incredibly fast, stopping just barely short of the axe mark. A single strand of hair lightly drifted over the mark, only to be instantly severed into two! Seeing this, cold sweat immediately broke out on Jian Changsheng.

He looked back to see over a dozen towering figures floating down from the air like supermen, their bloodshot eyes fixed on him, as if watching a cornered prey. Their combined oppressive presence, like the weight of three mountains and five sacred peaks, slowly pressed down on Jian Changsheng.

"Brothers... let's talk this out, I'm really not an assassin!" Jian Changsheng swallowed. "I truly had no intention of disturbing your... uh... farewell ceremony, it was an accident!"

"An accident?" the leader scoffed. "We just arrived in the Tian Shu Realm this morning, Third Master was assassinated in the morning, and at noon you barge into the funeral with an iron rod... You're telling me all of this is an accident??"

"If we don't kill someone to assert our might, these demons and monsters will probably think we Dragon-Stranglers are pushovers," another person said, eyes narrowed slightly. "Only corpses and blood can wash away Third Master's grievances... First you, then that assassin. No one who dares to challenge the authority of the Dragon-Stranglers will be spared."

"What... is your name?"

Feeling the murderous intent rushing towards him, Jian Changsheng's face turned pale. He figured he likely couldn't avoid a bloody battle this time, but with his abilities, it wasn't impossible to fight his way out alive... His only fear was that when the time came to contend for the 'Tongtian Star Position,' these people would still single him out and pursue him relentlessly. With a thought, he boldly declared:

"I won't change my name, nor alter my surname!"

"My name is Lin Yan!!"