"Winged Dragon Family is here! We came to aid the City Lord's Mansion!"
"Silver Wolf Family is here! We came to aid the City Lord's Mansion!"
"Huyan Family is here! We came to aid the City Lord's Mansion!"
One by one, experts from the other families arrived to lend the experts of the City Lord's Mansion a hand in defeating the invading forces.
The sounds of battle echoed everywhere. With the arrival of reinforcements, they gradually thinned out the number of the smaller Abyss Demon Beasts.
"Use that boulder to destroy the inscription array!" Ye Shuo shouted.
Six men worked together to lift the massive stone. With a collective grunt, they hurled it with tremendous force. It traced a graceful arc through the air before crashing onto the inscription pattern with a loud thud, destroying it.
Cries of elation escaped everyone's lips as they watched the portal gradually fade away.
The same scenario was unfolding at the Divine Family Mansion as experts from the other families arrived to aid them.
With the combined strength of Chen Zhenlong, Da Chu, and Chen Linlin, they defeated the two remaining Abyss Demons, putting an end to the crisis on their side.
Watching this, the cloaked figure in charge of the Divine Family front let out a growl as he fled with some of the surviving members of the Dark Guild, disappearing into the shadows.
With the defeat of the Abyss Demon and the Abyss Two-Headed King Constrictor, the cloaked figure overseeing the invasion at the City Lord's Mansion clicked his tongue in frustration.
"It seems the Demon Lord was right about that brat Xue Hui. He really has been hiding his true strength. That Two-Headed King Constrictor possessed the strength of a Legend-rank, yet he defeated it just like that. I need to return and report this matter to the Demon Lord."
He was about to flee the scene when a sense of crisis suddenly washed over him.
With great agility, he spun around and threw a roundhouse kick behind him, only for the person behind him to block it.
Undeterred, the cloaked figure quickly took out a rapier from his interspatial ring. Tightening his grip on the hilt, he swung with all his strength.
Shatter!
The cloaked figure's eyes widened in shock as the blade in his hand became covered in rust before shattering like glass upon colliding with a head-sized yellow sphere that had appeared out of nowhere.
"How!? That's a Legend-rank weapon!"
Instead of receiving a response, he felt an intense chill crawling up his legs.
Looking down, a look of terror washed over his face as he saw both of his legs encased in ice, hindering his movement.
He opened his mouth to say something but was unable to as another sphere slammed into his abdomen, sending him crashing to the ground with a loud thud.
Injured, the cloaked figure coughed up a mouthful of blood, unknowingly spitting some of it onto the Origin Sphere that had struck him.
"You look unfamiliar. I guess you like hiding yourself in the shadows, huh?"
Xue Hui's cold, dangerous voice reached the ears of the now-exposed Gui Sha.
With short white hair, fair skin, and a well-built physique, Gui Sha looked more like the young master of a noble family than a member of a murderous organization.
Gui Sha lifted a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his lips. He glared at Xue Hui with a murderous gaze as he took out another blade.
"I'll admit you're quite strong, to be able to defeat the Abyss Two-Headed King Constrictor and sneak up on me unnoticed. Your talent is impressive, just as expected from the disciple of a Legend-rank expert."
Gui Sha stood up, brandishing his sword as he adopted a defensive stance.
"You talk as if that Abyss Two-Headed King Constrictor was some kind of formidable opponent. It's just a Legend-rank Demon Beast. I can kill ten of them at once. And as for you, a mere Black Gold-rank Demon Spiritualist, do you really think you could sense my presence if I didn't allow you to? You think too highly of yourself."
Gui Sha cursed inwardly.
He was wearing an artifact capable of concealing his true strength, yet the person before him had seen through it with ease.
Unknowingly, Gui Sha took a step backward.
He could now tell that Xue Hui was far beyond his ability to handle.
They had underestimated him far too much.
"So you're a little stronger than we imagined. So what!? That doesn't matter. Once the Demon Lord comes out of seclusion, he can kill you without lifting a finger. That's for sure. How about this? Let me leave, and I'll put in a good word for you with the Demon Lord. Who knows? Maybe you'll pique his interest and he'll spare both you and your family."
Gui Sha tried to negotiate.
Xue Hui was simply too terrifying. His only hope of escaping alive was to use the Demon Lord's name.
"Demon Lord? So that's what you call the leader of the Dark Guild, huh? Interesting. I definitely need to meet him. Oh, I know. If I kill you, do you think he'll show himself?"
Gui Sha's entire body broke out in a cold sweat as a sense of imminent danger washed over him.
He quickly reached for a bundle of stone-like talismans, items he used to command the members of the Dark Guild. Injecting each one with tiny wisps of his Soul Force, Gui Sha shouted his orders before turning on his heels.
"Kill him! Everyone, go and kill him!"
The moment Gui Sha gave the order, ten figures leaped out of the shadows.
They let out furious roars as their bodies transformed into their Demon Spirit forms.
Brandishing their weapons, claws, and fangs, they lunged recklessly toward Xue Hui.
Gui Sha took this as his cue to shoot through the air at breakneck speed.
He could tell that Xue Hui wasn't merely boasting.
He truly intended to kill him.
Miserable howls entered Gui Sha's ears as an intense heat erupted behind him.
He glanced back to see what had happened, only for the top of his head to go numb.
A sea of flames swirled around Xue Hui, swallowing everything in its path.
All ten experts he had sent to buy him time had already been reduced to charred corpses as the flames continued to consume their remains.
Those were Black Gold-rank experts, yet Xue Hui reduced them to ashes as effortlessly as snuffing out candles.
If Gui Sha had been intimidated by Xue Hui's display of strength earlier, he was now utterly terrified.
This extraordinarily handsome youth was frighteningly merciless.
Xue Hui looked up at the escaping figure of Gui Sha, a dangerous glint flashing through his eyes.
He kicked off the ground with tremendous force, tearing through the wind with a sharp whooshing sound as he gave chase.
The hairs on the back of Gui Sha's neck stood on end as the sensation of death rapidly approached.
Desperate, he threw one of his treasured knives behind him.
As the knife closed in on Xue Hui, Gui Sha formed a hand seal, detonating the powerful weapon.
A massive explosion shook the surrounding buildings.
He watched as Xue Hui was engulfed by the blast.
Before Gui Sha could breathe a sigh of relief, the space before him rippled like the surface of a disturbed lake.
Then a hand shot out from it.
Out of instinct, Gui Sha raised his arm to shield his face.
The hand seized it with mountain-like force.
Rip!
"Argh!"
Gui Sha let out a painful scream as his entire right arm was torn from his body.
Lightheaded, he watched as Xue Hui emerged from the rippling space, his eyes glowing with ferocity.
A sense of dread washed over Gui Sha as Xue Hui froze the severed arm before shattering it.
As Gui Sha desperately searched for another way to escape, a streak of light shot toward Xue Hui and attached itself to him.
Immediately, Xue Hui felt a powerful force hurl him away from Gui Sha.
He was thrown uncontrollably through the air like a kite whose string had been cut.
Seeing the approaching ground, Xue Hui instinctively used the Origin of Piercing to destroy the talisman attached to his body.
Shatter!
As the talisman lost its effect, Xue Hui regained his balance.
He quickly turned toward where Gui Sha had been, only to find that he had already disappeared.
Sighing, Xue Hui ripped the broken talisman from his shoulder and examined it thoughtfully.
"It seems this Demon Lord isn't simple. To provide his subordinates with so many means of escape really shows how knowledgeable and resourceful he is."
What Xue Hui was most wary of was not a powerful enemy, but an intelligent one, since they were the kind of people who excelled at scheming.
With a frown, Xue Hui crushed the talisman in his hand.
"It doesn't matter how many trump cards that Demon Lord has. I have my own. I don't believe I'm at any disadvantage against him. Furthermore, now that I've devoured the Soul Core, my cultivation has increased by leaps and bounds.
Right now, I'm a Five-Star Gold-rank Demon Spiritualist, and my overall combat prowess has reached the Legend rank. I have sufficient means to face him. Unless this Demon Lord has already reached a cultivation level beyond Legend rank, things might become a little complicated."
Xue Hui gazed into the distance with a thoughtful expression.
Despite his current strength, a sense of urgency crept into his heart.
Between this Demon Lord and the Demon Clan, Xue Hui knew that only by becoming the strongest existence in the Tiny World could Glory City truly escape destruction.
"Xue Hui, are you okay!?"
A familiar voice snapped him out of his thoughts as Xiao Ning'er ran toward him with concern written all over her face.
Opening his arms, Xue Hui welcomed Xiao Ning'er as she leaped into his embrace.
Feeling her soft body and the floral fragrance drifting into his nose, Xue Hui's entire body relaxed as he allowed himself to be enveloped by the comforting warmth she brought him.
Patting her delicate back, Xue Hui smiled reassuringly.
"Ning'er, I'm completely fine. There's nothing to worry about. Those intruders merely used a harmless talisman to throw me away so they could escape."
Xiao Ning'er carefully looked him over.
Seeing that he truly wasn't injured, the worry in her heart finally faded.
"Mhm. I saw you falling from such a great height, and it scared me. I'm just glad nothing bad happened to you."
Feeling touched, Xue Hui pulled Xiao Ning'er even closer, chuckling as he heard her muffled complaints about how everyone might see them embracing so intimately.
The two remained in each other's arms for a while before finally separating as a group of experts approached them.
Xue Hui recognized several of them.
Ye Zhong had come with the experts of the Snow Wind Family.
Xiao Yufeng had also arrived with the experts of the Winged Dragon Family.
There were also several experts from the Jing Clan and the Mei Clan, all of whom clasped their hands respectfully and bowed toward him.
Everyone looked at him with the utmost respect and admiration.
His earlier display of strength in defeating the Abyss Two-Headed King Constrictor had left a profound impression on them.
Xue Hui returned the gesture before taking Xiao Ning'er's hand and walking toward them.
There was still much work to be done, as the City Lord's Mansion had suffered significant damage from the attack.
Not far from the City Lord's Mansion, hidden within the shadows of an alley, two figures could be seen making their way toward the outskirts of the city.
One of them was severely injured while the other supported him as they escaped.
"Gui Sha, just endure it a little longer. We're almost at the Star Restaurant."
Gui Sha merely grunted in response.
The youthful-looking man beside him gave him a concerned look as he used his Spiritual Energy to ease some of Gui Sha's pain.
"I'm fine, Long Sha. Don't worry. It's just an arm. We need to hurry and inform the Demon Lord about Xue Hui's true strength.
That damn brat is actually a Legend-rank expert, and an abnormal one at that. Those weapons of his and all the techniques he uses... I've never encountered anything like them in my life."
A trace of fear flashed across Gui Sha's face as he recalled his encounter with Xue Hui.
"Mhm. Even that young princess of the Divine Family is a Legend-rank expert. Furthermore, besides that mysterious expert, there's another person with the strength of a Legend rank. Adding that damn brat, the Divine Family now has a total of four Legend-rank experts on their side."
Gui Sha stared at Long Sha with a shocked expression.
He was so stunned that he forgot the pain from his injuries for several breaths.
They had truly underestimated the Divine Family far too much.
With this new discovery, they feared that even the Demon Lord would be unable to do anything against them until he reached the Demigod rank.
"Long Sha, let's leave the city. Given the current situation, I'm afraid the Sacred Family is no longer a safe place to hide."
Gui Sha spoke decisively.
With the combined strength of the Divine Family and the Snow Wind Family, dealing with the Sacred Family would be as easy as stepping on a bug.
Long Sha looked at him for a moment before the same realization dawned on him.
Without another word, the two of them immediately changed direction and fled Glory City instead.
End of Chapter 98
.
.
.
.
If you like my story, and want to support me, you can read advance chapter to my patreon.com/AxelDeAxist