When Obsidia Shade saw the two strange men sitting imposingly at the entrance of the lakeside residence, she was startled and pulled on the reins of her warhorse, stopping in her tracks.
"Young master, they..."
But Obsidia Shade's words were interrupted by the angry man beside her. Seeing that the once bustling lakeside residence was now empty except for a huge man and a short fellow, with no other guests, and even the poor hostess keeping her distance, Aurelian Dragon's plans vanished instantly.
"This is outrageous! How did it turn out like this? Who are you two? What are you trying to do sitting there?"
As they were talking, Aurelian Dragon, looking displeased, had already led his horse to the entrance of Lakeside Residence and met the two strange men who had stood up.
As soon as he stood up, Aurelian Dragon was secretly taken aback. The huge man was actually a size larger than Garrick Stonewall, standing in front of him like a mountain, while the short man next to him gave off a sinister feeling, although he looked like a child, making the pair of them amusing.
Although surprised, the man, who was always bold, still spurred his horse forward and charged at the two ignorant fools in front of him, to show them what he was capable of.
Unexpectedly, a strange, eerie wind suddenly swept in from ahead, causing Aurelian Dragon's warhorse to leap abruptly, startling its rider. The two strange figures standing in front exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with relaxed smiles.
Knowing the origin of the eerie wind, Aurelian Dragon simply leaped off his horse, stood in front of them, put his hands on his hips, and said imposingly, "You two bastards, do you know who I am? How dare you try to play tricks on me? Don't you want to live? Get lost, or I'll throw you in jail for a good time."
The two strange men in front burst into laughter. The giant, despite his enormous size, emitted a sharp, high-pitched voice that was completely out of character for his size, as if someone were sharpening iron with a file. In contrast, the short, wiry man had a loud, booming voice, like thunder from nowhere, that made people's eardrums buzz.
Cynthia and her goddess warriors had already dismounted, watching the men in front of them warily, secretly gathering all their strength. From their laughter, it was clear that these two were no ordinary characters, but rather formidable opponents.
"Young Master, they are the great and small killing gods from Chu Yue!"
Obsidia Shade leaped to Aurelian Dragon's side and hurriedly announced the identities of the two strange men in a low voice, while her delicate hand rested on the longsword at her waist.
"This girl has a good eye; she actually knows our brothers' names."
The short, wiry man stared in surprise at the pretty Obsidia Shade in front of him. It was rare to find someone on the mainland who could recognize them at a glance, let alone such a young woman as Obsidia Shade. Although the man in front of him was insignificant, the woman beside him was worth noting.
Obsidia Shade wasn't the only one who caught the attention of these two killing gods. The spirit and composure emanating from Cynthia and her goddess warriors told them that they were facing a group of extremely formidable experts who could not be ignored.
"The God of Slaughter of Chu Yue?" Aurelian Dragon looked at Obsidia Shade with a puzzled expression, then at the two terrifying-looking yet comical Gods of Slaughter in front of her. "How come I've never heard of them before?"
"You ignorant brat, how could you, a frog in a well, possibly know the names of us brothers?"
The giant-like god of death mocked, his voice high-pitched and thin, like a fine wire drilling into Aurelian Dragon's ear, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
Seeing the Aurelian Dragon's furrowed brow and distressed expression, the short, murderous figure roared like thunder, "Little brother, you must not be disrespectful to the Eastern Governor!"
Strangely enough, when he said that, the enormous god of death actually bowed his head respectfully in response, showing him immense respect for this short god of death.
As Aurelian Dragon was wondering, the short, murderous god slightly clasped his fists, and a chilling wind, as if from the depths of the netherworld, surged from his body and rushed towards Aurelian Dragon standing in front of him.
"My name is Gao Ju, and he is my sworn brother, Ai Xiaoxiao."
The names that Gao Ju uttered were completely different from the impressions they gave to outsiders—a stark contrast that made one wonder if their parents had made a mistake when naming them. The combination of such names and such people was enough to make anyone laugh, and naturally, their opponents were no exception.
Obsidia Shade and Cynthia smiled slightly, sensing the formidable strength of these two; such opponents were worthy of respect and shouldn't be ridiculed. However, the men beside them felt differently. Wouldn't it be disrespectful to those who had given them their names if they didn't thoroughly laugh at something so amusing?
"Your name is Gao Ju? He's Ai Xiaoxiao?... Ha..."
Upon hearing a name so different from their physiques, Aurelian Dragon couldn't help but burst into laughter. But before his laughter had even finished a single syllable, a bone-chilling cold enveloped him, as if the space around him had suddenly plunged into the depths of winter, or even a hundred times colder.
The laughter turned into a loud sneeze so quickly that Aurelian Dragon didn't have time to make a more elegant response.
Although she knew she had already lost face, the most urgent task was to get rid of the strange chill that had enveloped her. Aurelian Dragon didn't have time to use her eloquence to curse the despicable guy; she quickly used all her strength to resist the cold current that was gradually invading her body.
His inner energy circulated rapidly through his meridians, barely protecting the vital ones. However, Aurelian Dragon seemed to lack the necessary skill to completely expel the bone-chilling cold. Helpless, he could only step back, attempting to compensate for the difference in power with distance.
But how could the god of death who claimed to be Gao Ju let him escape his "Nine Nether Cold Light" so easily? He immediately activated his true energy and continued to strengthen the energy covering Aurelian Dragon, striving to finish off the man in front of him as soon as possible and let him know the power of the god of death.
Unexpectedly, taking a step back not only failed to extricate him from his predicament but also brought him even greater pressure, causing Aurelion Dragon to inwardly groan. First, he had inadvertently allowed the High Giant to launch a successful sneak attack, losing the initiative; now, by retreating and showing weakness, he had only emboldened his enemy. Aurelion Dragon knew he had made too many mistakes.
Fortunately, Aurelian Dragon was surrounded by top-notch fighters who saw through the situation and knew that Aurelian Dragon was completely at a disadvantage.
Two gleaming silver javelins suddenly appeared from the side, their tips brimming with powerful true energy that instantly severed Gao Ju's true energy. It was Cynthia and another goddess warrior who had made their move.
Gao Ju's body trembled slightly. The pull of his qi made him realize that the two women in front of him possessed remarkable skills. They were able to hit his qi path so accurately and block its release. Their eyesight and internal strength were extraordinary.
Feeling the pressure on his body suddenly ease, Aurelian Dragon breathed a sigh of relief. After circulating his true energy rapidly throughout his body for two cycles, expelling all the invading cold energy, he took a deep breath.
"Bastard, how despicable and filthy!"
Hearing Aurelian Dragon's powerful and energetic shouts, Obsidia Shade and Cynthia breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he was alright.
Gao Ju inwardly cried out, "What a pity!" Knowing he had no chance of succeeding, he had no choice but to withdraw his true energy. What puzzled him, however, was that everyone who had been struck by his "Nine Netherworld Cold Light" had always been afflicted by the Yin-Cold Poison, requiring considerable time to expel it. For opponents of weaker skill, it could even take several days. Judging from Aurelian Dragon's previous performance, this guy was only an ordinary expert, the kind who needed days to recover from the Yin-Cold Poison. How could he have become so vigorous and full of energy in the blink of an eye?
Because he was unaware of Aurelian Dragon's background—whose innate talent granted him a natural resistance to these chilling poisons—Gao Ju felt for the first time that this man was unfathomable. This also caused him to miss the opportunity to kill him.
Gao Ju burst into laughter, startling Aurelian Dragon and his warhorses.
"As a martial artist, one must always be vigilant. It is truly disappointing to find someone who is not skilled enough to blame others!"
Aurelian Dragon sneered, "Solicitation of reason, utter nonsense!"
Gao Ju ignored Aurelian Dragon's words and continued, "My brother and I came from the Chu-Yue Kingdom this time. We heard that General Aurelian is highly skilled in martial arts, and we are itching to try our skills. We would like to ask the general to give us some pointers!"
"Alright, you've got a challenge for me." Aurelian Dragon replied with a grin, "Are you brothers coming at me all at once, or one at a time?"
"Ugh, is this guy out of his mind?"
The same thought popped into Gao Ju and Ai Xiaoxiao's minds at the same time. Judging from their performance just now, Aurelian Dragon was no match for the two brothers. They thought he would make excuses to refuse, but Aurelian Dragon agreed so readily. While they were overjoyed, they were also at a loss. All the goading words they had prepared were wasted.
"us..."
Before Gao Ju could finish speaking, Aurelian Dragon arrogantly interjected, "Oh, you all want to come at me together? Fine, let me see just how strong you really are! How dare you challenge me!"
"Won't he come up with it himself?"
A big question mark rose in Gao Ju and Ai Xiaoxiao's hearts, but they soon understood what Aurelian Dragon meant.
Obsidia Shade and Cynthia leaped out simultaneously, their swords and spears flashing with terrifying cold light, aimed directly at Gao Ju and Ai Xiaoxiao's chests. They were as swift as a whirlwind, their power as imposing as a mountain, making it difficult for them to breathe.
Gao Ju and Ai Xiaoxiao roared, their figures flashing as they charged towards Obsidia Shade and Cynthia without hesitation. Gao Ju shouted at the same time, "Aurelian brat, you're too scared to come up yourself? Sending your women to their deaths, what a spineless man! You might as well go home and hide under a woman's skirt!"
As he spoke, two thin black thorns emerged from the bottom of Gao Ju's large sleeves, hooked onto Obsidia Shade's longsword, and with a twist and turn, instantly neutralized Obsidia Shade's lightning-fast attack.
The man being criticized didn't seem to care at all. He even had one of his female guards bring him a chair and sat down, replying casually, "You should defeat my men first."
Ai Xiaoxiao was even more decisive, stretching out his two thick, long arms to block Cynthia's lightning javelin. His arms were five feet long, and his hands were like large fans. This stretch completely blocked the space in front of him, leaving Cynthia's lightning javelin no opening.
"bite!"
With a crisp metallic clang, the contact between the arm and the lightning javelin was like the collision of two metals, and a few sparks of gold could even be seen flying out.
"Diamond Body Protection!"
A look of surprise flashed in Cynthia's eyes. She hadn't expected that after so many years, someone would actually be able to master the "Diamond Body Protection," hailed as the most solid defensive technique in the world. This was an extremely powerful and yang-based protective skill. The process of mastering it was undoubtedly long and arduous, and one was constantly tormented by demonic fire burning the heart. It was said that after its creation, very few people on the continent could master this skill. But once mastered, its power was truly astonishing. When activated, it was absolutely as hard as metal and stone; no matter what divine weapon or sharp object it was, it could not be harmed in the slightest. Moreover, because this skill was originally created to resist the power of divine artifacts, even those ancient divine weapons could not damage it in the slightest.
Just as Cynthia was pondering this, Ai Xiaoxiao spread her hands out as if catching fish, attacking her with all her might. Her two thick arms intertwined into a mountain of flesh, so heavy that if she were to be hit, it would definitely cause her a lot of trouble.
Cynthia swung her lightning spear, drawing a bright silver circle in front of her, shaking the large hand that had reached into her center out of danger. With a flick of her spear tip, she aimed at her opponent's brow.
Gao Ju's pair of black, fine thorns traced deadly trajectories before Obsidia Shade, aiming straight up and down at her vital points. The originally supple and slender black thorns became straight and hard under Gao Ju's true energy.
Obsidia Shade's longsword trembled, unleashing a barrage of sword shadows. The sword's momentum spread out like a fan, completely blocking the path of the two black thorns.
"Impressive skills!"
A hint of admiration flashed in Gao Ju's eyes. This young and beautiful woman before him had actually managed such a move that combined offense and defense; it was truly unexpected. With his superior martial arts skills and experience, Gao Ju immediately saw that Obsidia Shade's move, seemingly a blockade of his attack, concealed a terrifying counter-attack within the flurry of sword shadows. If one wasn't careful, they could be injured by a longsword that suddenly thrust out from the phantom.
A cold smile appeared on his face. Gao Ju still went forward in the same manner. The two black shadows almost lost their real image in the air. A chilling killing intent approached Obsidia Shade, aiming to strike her between the eyebrows and her heart.
"Ding! Ding!"
Two metallic clangs rang out almost simultaneously. Obsidia Shade's longsword was able to catch the two fine thorns with perfect accuracy. When the thorns touched the longsword, the strange sparks that erupted made it clear that the fine thorns in the High Giant's hand were not made of ordinary materials.
Both Obsidia Shade and Gao Ju swayed slightly. The flurry of sword shadows dissipated, and Obsidia Shade took a half-step back, indicating that her skill was still inferior to Gao Ju's. However, this result delighted Obsidia Shade. The two Killers held a revered position among assassins and killers, almost legendary figures. The fact that she could actually compete with them was something she had never even imagined before.
With this in mind, Obsidia Shade's sword was not slow at all. The longsword suddenly appeared at the right side of the giant's chest, following the original trajectory. Dark energy that could be perceived with the naked eye flowed on the longsword, causing the originally cold blade to distort in the sunlight.
This sword strike was already imbued with Obsidia Shade's true energy, and its powerful aura secretly alarmed Gao Ju.
"As expected of a master of the Dark Clan, they possess such power! No wonder the legends say they don't even put the gods in their eyes."
Gao Ju dared not be negligent. His long robe suddenly billowed outwards, his inner energy surged wildly, and the fine thorns on his left hand, like a living serpent, created circles of black shadows in front of his longsword. Each circle that appeared diminished some of the inner energy on the sword. Obsidia Shade's longsword seemed to automatically plunge into the circles of inner energy in front of it, involuntarily becoming entangled by the fine thorns.
Meanwhile, the fine thorn in Gao Ju's right hand sprang up with lightning speed, bypassing Obsidia Shade's left hand, which was gripping her sword in a magic gesture, from an incredible angle, and lunged at her delicate body. Its speed was incredible; in the blink of an eye, it was upon her.
Ai Xiaoxiao let out a low shout as he felt a rather uncomfortable sensation coming from Cynthia's lightning javelin. He knew it was a weapon imbued with electric magic, and although he had a special skill protecting him, being hit by it would still be quite unpleasant.
More importantly, although it appeared that Cynthia's lightning javelin was aimed at her brow, the tip of the javelin trembled slightly during the thrust. If one did not have exceptional eyesight, one would not be able to detect the subtlety.
The flying javelin was actually meant to strike his eyes, the weakest point in his entire protective divine skill. This woman's skill was terrifying, vastly different from any opponent he had faced before. She had actually forced him to withdraw and defend himself on the second move. This was something he had never encountered since mastering the "Diamond Body Protection."
Ai Xiaoxiao thought to himself, but his movements remained perfectly composed. Although his body was enormous, he was remarkably agile, even several times faster and more nimble than most experts.
He took a half step back with his left foot, and his upper body made an incredible dodge move. He flexibly twisted his thick, bear-like waist, instantly changing into three different body shapes. While dodging Cynthia's fierce attacks, his iron arms, which were as hard as metal and stone, twisted and turned, and his outstretched hands with five hook-like fingers reached out to grab Cynthia.
Even though Cynthia retreated quickly, she hadn't expected this behemoth to be so agile. She was momentarily caught off guard and her arm was grazed by Ai Xiaoxiao's iron fingers. Even with the goddess warrior's incredibly strong physique, she felt a tingling sensation in that area and let out a soft groan.
Having gained the upper hand, Ai Xiaoxiao pressed her advantage, taking a step forward and sweeping her giant palm across, unleashing a burst of scorching energy that made Cynthia feel as if she were in a furnace.
Cynthia's figure could be described as tall and voluptuous, but compared to Ai Xiaoxiao, it was like a child versus an adult. Her delicate body darted and leaped between his hands like a swimming fish. However, due to Ai Xiaoxiao's height, long arms, and long legs, she had to exert twice the effort for every move Ai Xiaoxiao made, making it quite difficult for her to cope.
Seeing that Obsidia Shade and Cynthia were at a disadvantage against these two killing gods, Aurelian Dragon was not happy. If this continued, wouldn't his beloved woman be in danger of getting hurt?
"You guys go up and give them a hand, take one down first!"
Aurelian Dragon gave instructions to the goddess warriors around her, directing them to attack Ai Xiaoxiao.
Obsidia Shade's longsword was finally entangled by the giant's fine silk barb. The barb coiled tightly around the sword, which emitted a series of dragon-like roars. Although Obsidia Shade tried her best to break free, she couldn't achieve anything for the time being. However, the venomous barb aimed at her right shoulder had already pierced through her protective aura, and her fair skin even showed signs of stinging and dents.
Obsidia Shade sighed inwardly, knowing that there was still a gap in skill between him and the renowned killing god before him. Whether it was experience or inner strength, he was no match for this guy at the moment. Given time, he would definitely surpass this guy, but it seemed impossible for him at the moment.
In that move just now, I actually gained a slight advantage, but I lacked experience. I attacked with all my might whenever I saw an opportunity, forgetting about my opponent's tenacity and strength. Was my only option really to let go of my sword and retreat?