Li Shi reacted with astonishing speed, raising his blade to deflect one dagger hurtling toward him. But the other two flew past him—aimed directly at Du Xin behind!
Du Xin, only a Late-Stage Soul Disciple, had been trailing Li Shi closely. Seeing Li Shi strike, he'd assumed Bai Yunfei would be halted and had started to surge forward himself. Suddenly, Bai Yunfei twisted unnaturally, and two cold glints were upon him—one aimed at his throat, the other at his heart!
There was no time for thought. Instinct took over. Du Xin wrenched his body sideways. One dagger whistled past his neck. The one aimed at his chest, however, was impossible to dodge completely. In the final split second, he channeled all his soul force, muscles tensing, skin hardening like keratin.
Useless! The dagger plunged into his left shoulder with barely a pause, sinking to the hilt!
A choked gurgle died in his throat, silenced by the next dagger that followed instantly!
The blade punched through his neck almost completely. Blood welled thickly. His mouth gaped soundlessly, eyes wide with terror, resentment, and utter confusion fixed on Bai Yunfei not far away. He swayed, then crumpled lifelessly to the floor.
His fatal mistake was lagging that crucial half-step behind Li Shi. He'd assumed Bai Yunfei would charge straight for the Young Master. The sudden, devastating shift of focus onto him, the blinding speed of the thrown daggers—one after another without pause—caught him utterly unprepared. He had no time to comprehend, let alone react. A single misjudgment had cost him his life.
With a single turn, Bai Yunfei had slain a Soul Master!
During the brief chaos when the two guards dodged the falling debris, Bai Yunfei had assessed their strength and formulated his plan instantly. While a Late-Stage Soul Disciple posed little direct threat to him now, facing one while simultaneously battling others was dangerous.
So, he'd abandoned the direct assault on Zhang Yang. Instead, he'd launched a surprise attack on Du Xin, the trailing guard. He'd even risked taking Li Shi's slashing blow head-on just to ensure he could unleash that final, fatal dagger!
After deflecting the dagger aimed at him, Li Shi hadn't paused. Seeing Bai Yunfei off-balance from the throw, he lunged forward, his long blade slicing through the air, intending to unleash a furious barrage once his opponent dodged.
But Bai Yunfei didn't dodge. He flung another dagger! Li Shi's blade connected with Bai Yunfei's waist—only to produce a sharp clang of metal on metal. Bai Yunfei merely staggered half a step before spinning back towards his original target, seemingly unharmed!
Zhang Yang, having dodged the initial debris, had remained near the staircase, his face icy as he watched the unfolding battle. Though vicious and cunning, he was no incompetent wastrel. He managed much of the Zhang family's underworld operations and was a Soul Master himself. This situation, to him, wasn't yet "dangerous."
A flicker of alarm had touched him initially, but the moment Bai Yunfei landed and charged, Zhang Yang gauged his strength. Stronger than me, but at best equal to Li Shi. My guards can handle this, he'd thought, considering whether to step in personally to quickly end this "nuisance."
The start seemed to confirm his assessment. The attacker was intercepted halfway by Li Shi. Then, shockingly, with a single twist, Du Xin fell, throat pierced! And the assailant took Li Shi's blow and kept coming!
The casual confidence froze on Zhang Yang's face. The impulse to flee surged within him.
But Bai Yunfei only covered half the remaining distance—now less than five meters from Zhang Yang—before Li Shi caught up again, preventing his advance.
Li Shi proved worthy of his reputation as one of Zhang Zhenshan's most capable guards. He ignored Du Xin's fallen form behind him entirely, utterly unshaken by the lightning-fast kill. His duty, imprinted by the family head, was clear: protect the Young Master. Eyes narrowed in intense focus, he accelerated, closing with Bai Yunfei. His long blade became a whirlwind of steel, enveloping Bai Yunfei in a cage of deadly arcs.
Seeing the attacker finally ensnared by Li Shi, Zhang Yang breathed a sigh of relief, discarding the urge to flee. Yet, he didn't rush to join the fight. Instead, he retreated slightly, becoming an observer.
He studied Bai Yunfei intently. "He seems… vaguely familiar," he mused silently. "But I can't place him. Clearly, he's here for me. To kill me? Yet, apart from those initial daggers, he has no weapon now. That makes no sense. Is he inept with weapons? Reliant on close combat? Hmm? That soft armor he's wearing… is that a soul artifact?!"
In the center of the hall, Bai Yunfei dodged and weaved. Though Li Shi's blade struck him repeatedly, the blows seemed ineffective. Beneath torn fabric, glimpses of softly glowing golden soft armor were visible.
Bai Yunfei seemed determined to close the distance for hand-to-hand combat, relying on his armor's protection. Li Shi, however, was a seasoned fighter. He wouldn't allow it. His blade danced with deceptive speed, its edge never straying far from Bai Yunfei, preventing any escape from its lethal embrace.
For nearly ten minutes, they battled fiercely. Neither could gain a decisive advantage; the struggle remained locked in a furious stalemate.
Zhang Yang watched from the sidelines, his eyes practically gleaming—not at Bai Yunfei, but at the golden soft armor he wore. A look of avarice mixed with excitement flickered across his face.
"That armor is a soul artifact! It has to be! A defensive soul artifact… No wonder he seemed so fearless earlier. Li Shi's weapon truly cannot pierce it. But… you're not covered head-to-toe! You can handle Li Shi alone, but you've forgotten I am here!" Triumph roared within him. "It seems he's alone. And he's not hiding his strength—truly just Late-Stage Soul Apprentice like Li Shi. Then… this soul artifact… will be mine!"
Decision made, Zhang Yang wasted no time. He drew a dagger from his belt and sprang into the fray, shouting, "Li Shi! Hold him fast! I'll deliver the killing blow!"
Zhang Yang's sudden entry instantly altered the combatants' expressions: Li Shi's face lit with grim satisfaction, while Bai Yunfei's twisted into apparent panic and… fear.
Seeing Bai Yunfei's terrified look, Zhang Yang let out a derisive laugh. "Fear grips you now, does it? You brought this upon yourself, fool! You'll lose your life and gift this soul artifact to me!"
Bellowing, he seized the moment Bai Yunfei ducked under a sweeping cut from Li Shi. Zhang Yang lunged, dagger aimed straight for the back of Bai Yunfei's skull!
Bai Yunfei rolled away desperately, avoiding the thrust. The roll, however, brought him tumbling to a position slightly behind and to the left of Li Shi. Suddenly, the three were nearly aligned: Li Shi stood directly between Bai Yunfei and Zhang Yang.
Expressionless, Li Shi pivoted and brought his long blade crashing down on Bai Yunfei, who hadn't fully regained his feet. He knew Bai Yunfei would likely take the blow on his armored back. Even if it didn't wound him, the sheer force could disrupt his balance, shattering his combat rhythm. Then, with the Young Master poised to strike, ending him would be swift.
Bai Yunfei hunched his shoulders. The blade tore another gash in his tunic, revealing the golden armor beneath. But this time, when the blow landed, Bai Yunfei only swayed slightly. He didn't stagger or lose his footing as he had before!
Li Shi was already raising his blade for the next strike, confusion just beginning to register at Bai Yunfei's unexpected resilience, when he met Bai Yunfei's suddenly raised gaze. Stark terror flooded his face.
All trace of panic and fear had vanished from Bai Yunfei's expression. Even the weariness seemed to recede. His eyes were cold pools of ice, his entire countenance radiating lethal intent!
Without the slightest pause, under Li Shi's horrified stare, Bai Yunfei planted his right foot half a step back, leaned forward, and unleashed a right fist he'd seemingly been gathering power for the entire fight. It tore through the air with a sharp crack!
Triple Wave Fist!
A sickening crunch of bone echoed. Despite Li Shi's desperate last-moment reinforcement of his physical defenses, the power behind the blow was overwhelming. He was thrown violently backward.
Blood sprayed from Li Shi's mouth, his mind reeling. As his senses cleared, a wave of scorching heat slammed into him. A blinding, fiery red spear-point filled his vision, lancing straight toward him!
Dodging completely was impossible. At the brink of death, Li Shi managed only a desperate sideways twist while bringing his long blade up horizontally in a desperate block, hoping to deflect the thrust.
The spear arrived instantly. Its tip struck the flat of the blade with a barely audible tink. Then, impossibly, it punched straight through the steel and buried itself deep in Li Shi's lower abdomen!
Knowing injury was unavoidable, Li Shi had positioned himself to minimize the damage. The spear pierced his gut, but for a Soul Master, especially one at the Apprentice realm capable of controlling flesh and blood, such a wound wasn't necessarily fatal.
"Missed the vitals! Thank fate, I still have a ch—" Li Shi's fleeting relief was obliterated by a tidal wave of primal terror.
The instant his spear-tip pierced the blade, an almost imperceptible flash of triumph lit Bai Yunfei's eyes. A silent roar echoed in his mind: Success! Now… EXPLODE!
"KABOOM!!!" The detonation seemed to originate from the spear-tip—or rather, from inside Li Shi's body. Flesh and viscera erupted outward. A horrific, gaping hole, edges charred black but still oozing bright crimson blood, was blown open in his left flank.
Li Shi's hand still clutched the severed half of his blade, frozen before his chest. His expression mirrored Du Xin's in death—eyes wide with terror, utter disbelief, and profound confusion. His body slowly toppled backward, revealing Zhang Yang standing behind him, his face an identical mask of stupefied horror.
Zhang Yang stared blankly ahead, still frozen in his half-crouched, ready-to-lunge posture. Only when Li Shi's corpse hit the floor with a heavy thud did he snap back to reality. He stumbled backward wildly, putting distance between himself and Bai Yunfei, his face contorting with abject terror.
"Soul artifact! Another soul artifact! And… you have a spatial ring! You were hiding your strength!" he shrieked, the pieces crashing together. "Impossible! Why didn't you… at the start… You were baiting me!! You wanted to keep me here!!"
Zhang Yang was sharp-minded. He grasped the truth almost instantly. But understanding only amplified the icy dread coiling in his gut.