"You little beast, still running your mouth even at death's door? Take this, my killer move: Lightning Swan!" Feng Kelei naturally wasn't intimidated by Liu Chen's harsh words. He roared, and white lightning instantly erupted all over his body, twisting around him like silver snakes dancing wildly.
These lightning bolts quickly converged, forming a giant white Lightning Swan. This swan glowed with dazzling lightning, its wings spanning several meters, appearing incredibly powerful.
As Feng Kelei urged it on, the Lightning Swan let out a high-pitched cry and, like a bolt of lightning, sped directly towards Liu Chen's position.
"Old man, your killer move is the most useless. Your luck is truly terrible!" Liu Chen sneered, mocking Feng Kelei.
Just then, Liu Chen tentatively activated his Single Blade Gu. The single blade in his hand trembled slightly, as if a powerful force was surging within it.
Liu Chen, without hesitation, swung fiercely in Feng Kelei's direction, activating the Single Blade Gu to its maximum.
With a 'whoosh', a crescent-shaped blade shot through the air, carrying a sharp Aura, like a meteor streaking across the night sky, flying straight towards the Lightning Swan.
The flying blade was incredibly fast, colliding with the Lightning Swan in the blink of an eye.
Surprisingly, the flying blade unleashed by the Single Blade Gu ignored defenses of the same Rank, piercing directly through the seemingly powerful Lightning Swan.
The flying blade's momentum remained unchecked, continuing to speed towards Feng Kelei.
Feng Kelei's face changed drastically when he saw this; it was too late to dodge.
With a soft 'thud', the flying blade, like cutting tofu, easily severed Feng Kelei's head.
Blood splattered, and Feng Kelei's headless corpse crashed to the ground, dead beyond doubt.
In that instant, time seemed to freeze. The bustling Liu Clan suddenly fell silent, a deathly stillness.
"Pan Ping, Pan Ping, Pan Ping!!!"
However, in stark contrast to the Liu Clan, the Hei Family allied army exploded like a boiling pot, filled with boisterous cheers. All the Gu Masters were exulting, shouting Pan Ping's name, their voices deafening.
"Hahaha, Brother Pan Ping is mighty!" Hei Lou Lan couldn't help but burst into laughter. His laughter echoed through the crowd, sounding exceptionally loud. At the same time, he didn't forget to kiss Yan Cui'er, the beauty in his arms, just to humiliate his arch-rival, Liu Wenwu.
Liu Chen stood rooted to the spot, his body trembling slightly. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face as pale as paper, appearing very weak. He said to Hei Lou Lan in a trembling voice, "Cough, I haven't failed Lord Alliance Leader's expectations, but I'm afraid I won't be much use in the upcoming battles. I'm truly ashamed."
"Come, come, Brother Pan Ping, well done!" Hei Lou Lan called out with a smiling face, seemingly completely oblivious to Liu Chen's shocking injuries. He generously raised a huge sea bowl filled with strong liquor and unhesitatingly handed it to Liu Chen.
Liu Chen endured the waves of intense pain from his body, struggling to reach out and take the heavy bowl of wine. His fingers trembled slightly, as if the bowl of wine weighed a thousand jin. However, he gritted his teeth, tilted his head back, and downed the large bowl of wine in one go.
The strong liquor slid down his throat, bringing a fiery burning sensation, but Liu Chen's expression remained unchanged. He even managed a slight smile, praising, "What fine wine!"
Hei Lou Lan nodded in satisfaction, highly approving of Liu Chen's performance. He waved his hand, signaling that Liu Chen could leave.
This action fully demonstrated Hei Lou Lan's nature, for which he was known as the "Black Tyrant"—cold-blooded, ruthless, and absolute.
Liu Chen knew this well. He clutched his chest, his steps faltering as he slowly turned and walked towards the door. Each step seemed incredibly difficult, as if his body had reached its limit.
However, all of this was actually intentional on Liu Chen's part. He knew that after joining the Hei Family, he would inevitably have to fight to the death for the Hei Family. But he didn't want to attract too much attention and become the focus of everyone's gaze. So, he deliberately made his battles appear extremely difficult, preferably only fighting one match each time before being severely injured. This way, it would fit his plan.
If he had truly displayed his full strength without reservation, then helping Hei Lou Lan quickly pass this Hero Assembly would have been no problem at all. However, he had no such intention. He merely hoped to wait for Lao Mo's arrival and then follow him into the Royal Court Blessed Land. In this way, his goal would be achieved to Perfection.
After all, if Lao Mo became aware of his existence, with Lao Mo's cautious nature, he would certainly not be merciful to him.
One must know that the current Lao Mo carried the heavy bets of Heaven's Will and other Venerables! In such a situation, how could he dare to easily stand against Lao Mo? Who could guarantee that the heavens wouldn't suddenly send down a desolate beast?
Although Hei Lou Lan was usually fierce and domineering, he was not stingy with rewards. Take this instance: Liu Chen successfully defeated Four-Turn Feng Kelei, earning nearly a hundred thousand battle merits! This was a considerable fortune!
With Liu Chen's initial success, the other Gu Masters of the Hei Family naturally didn't want to be outdone. Each of them, as if injected with stimulants, unleashed their full strength, successively killing two Rank Four Gu Masters from the Liu Clan. This greatly angered Liu Wenwu, whose face became extremely ugly.
Liu Wenwu knew very well that Hei Lou Lan was using the method of dueling to deliberately deplete the high-level fighting strength of his Clan! After all, dueling was a traditional activity in Northern Plains. If he actively tried to stop it, he would certainly be seen as cowardly and incompetent, and might even lose his prestige in governing the Clan.
Just as Liu Wenwu was feeling conflicted, a rough voice suddenly rang out: "Big brother, your little brother is late!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, only to see a burly man with skin as black as ink and hair and beard as thick as a lion's mane striding over. His physique was towering and muscular, giving off an incredibly powerful Aura.
"Third brother, you're finally here! Not late, not late, you've come at just the right time!" Liu Wenwu's worried expression immediately vanished when he saw the newcomer. He quickly went forward to greet him, speaking enthusiastically.
Then, Liu Wenwu turned around and introduced him to the other Clan members beside him: "This is my third brother, a beloved friend I met during my travels in Southern Border many years ago."
"This Young Master Liu, he even makes brothers with non-humans. He really doesn't know what honor is. Let me, the Poisonous Snake Gentleman, deal with this big fellow." A slender Gu Master with triangular eyes walked out from the Hei Family, unhesitatingly mocking Liu Wenwu's act of lowering himself to befriend a non-human.