Chapter 146: Crimson Flame Unleashes Its Might

“There are twenty-three in all. The strongest has reached the first level of the Astral Core realm, while every other one is at the Qi Sea realm!” the beautiful spirit of the ring analyzed calmly within his mind.

“Oh?” Du Long mused. “Is Fan Tong among them?”

“No. He has no idea you would suddenly set out today. These people were probably stationed in this area long ago. They must have received word that you were returning to your territory, calculated our rate of travel in advance, and then lain in wait here.”

“That brat is lucky to be alive! If he had dared come personally to assassinate me, I would have wiped him out today!” Du Long replied coldly. Fan Tong had dared to commit an outrage against the natural order by sending people to murder him. Sooner or later, he would settle this account in full.

“Du Long, why not let Little Blaze handle them and wipe out this sneaky bunch in one stroke?” the beautiful spirit asked, puzzled.

“Heh heh! My strength has broken through repeatedly lately, and I’ve also made some progress with the first form of Red Flame Slash. These people are just the right targets for me to practice on.” Du Long narrowed his eyes and gave a quiet, icy laugh.

“Good heavens! Are you planning to challenge someone an entire major realm above you—the man at the first level of the Astral Core realm?” the beautiful spirit cried in shock. “Aren’t you courting death?”

“Tch! I’m not arrogant enough for that. In any case, Little Blaze can deal with anyone above the third level of the Qi Sea realm. Those below the third level will make good practice for me. Opponents whose lives I needn’t worry about are hard to find.”

An undisguised killing intent gleamed in Du Long’s eyes.

Time passed. One had to admire the assassins’ patience—they had actually waited until the dead of night before making their move.

Du Long’s resting place was very close to the main road. The assassins did not want to act too early, lest passing travelers catch sight of them in the darkness. Thus, they waited until midnight before preparing to strike.

Amid a faint rustling sound, Little Blaze gently opened its eyes beside the campfire, where only a few glowing embers remained. A cold killing intent flashed through the darkness. Its body remained perfectly still, yet it was already prepared to unleash a violent attack at any moment.

Inside the tent, prompted by the images supplied by the beautiful spirit of the ring, Du Long opened his eyes as well. After a moment’s thought, he gently shook the two women awake. Since they had only been engaged in ordinary cultivation, both quickly opened their eyes and stared at him in confusion.

“Shh!”

Du Long raised a finger to his lips, then lowered his voice. “More than twenty assassins are approaching us. Stay inside the tent and watch the show later, but be ready to respond if anything goes wrong. Leave the matters outside to me.”

The two beauties reacted in completely different ways. Xia Qinglian looked worried, while Princess Fire Phoenix appeared intensely excited, as though eagerly anticipating the spectacle about to unfold.

“Young Master, please be careful!” Xia Qinglian could not help warning him.

“Don’t worry. With Little Blaze here, nothing will happen to me,” Du Long reassured her softly.

Before long, more than twenty dark figures burst from the dense forest and scattered, rapidly surrounding the entire tent and campfire. They moved in pairs, covering one another with remarkable coordination.

There was no longer any need for Du Long to conceal himself. He slipped out of the tent, carrying the Red Flame Slash, a weapon weighing more than three hundred pounds.

“What are you people doing, skulking around here?” Du Long roared at the nearest masked man in black as he reached the campfire.

“Heh heh heh...” One of the masked men gave an unpleasant, sinister laugh. “Du, today is the day you die! Once you descend into the underworld, remember this well: in your next life, do not offend those you should never have offended!”

“Who are you? Who sent you to ambush and kill me?” Du Long asked, pretending to be puzzled.

“Heh heh...” It was the same masked man who answered with another eerie laugh. “After you die and descend into the underworld, you can ask who killed you. Attack!”

At his command, two squads immediately charged at Du Long. With the beautiful spirit’s warning, Du Long knew that all four were between the first and third levels of the Qi Sea realm, so he told Little Blaze to hold back for the moment.

“Hmph! You think you can kill me?”

Du Long swung the Red Flame Slash in quick succession. Two flaming blades, each roughly thirteen feet long, shot forth in an instant, slashing diagonally toward the two squads.

“What is that?”

The four masked men in the foremost squads cried out in alarm. The flaming blades were moving too quickly, and with the four of them charging forward at full speed, they had no chance to evade them.

Thus, all four instinctively made the same choice. They swung their swords and sabers with all their strength, preparing to meet the flaming blades head-on.

Whoosh!

The flaming blades were easily cleaved apart by their weapons. Each broke into three segments, but their momentum did not weaken in the slightest. They swept viciously across the bodies of the four men.

After passing through them, the six broken segments continued shooting forward like bolts of lightning, catching another squad that had been frozen in shock. They sliced through those men as well, then flew another fifty or sixty yards before gradually fading away, vanishing like fireworks.

With a chaotic clatter, the six men who had been struck finally collapsed into scattered, severed limbs. Not a trace of blood stained the scene. The wounds left by the flaming blades were charred black, clearly burned shut in an instant by the terrifying heat.

Silence.

After the momentary chaos came a dreadful stillness. The only sounds were the occasional pops and crackles of the embers, along with the heavy breathing of the many men in black.

The assassins were not the only ones stunned by what had happened—even Du Long, the one who had caused it, was no exception. He had never imagined that the first form of Red Flame Slash could be so terrifying.

“The target is too powerful! Everyone attack together! Eliminate him as quickly as possible!” the masked man who had spoken earlier bellowed, issuing the order for a final all-out assault.

Though fear filled their hearts, the masked men ignored the threat of death and launched their fiercest attacks at Du Long. They truly were death warriors trained by a great power.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The Red Flame Slash swept through the air again and again. One flaming blade after another shot toward the masked men like the sickle of the Grim Reaper.

The great lion, Little Blaze, did not rush to act. It had already risen to its feet, ready to deliver a fatal strike against any expert in black who managed to break through the flaming blades.

Having witnessed the fate of the first six men, the assassins were already on guard against Du Long’s flaming-blade attacks. When five or six blades came streaking toward them in succession, every one of them desperately dodged out of their paths.

Unfortunately, because of differences in speed, angle, and other factors, five or six of the weaker men were still struck. Three were dismembered on the spot. Two suffered crippling injuries, their hands and feet severed. Another escaped with only a minor wound, a slash opened across his body by a flaming blade.

Of the twenty-three assassins, half had fallen after only two exchanges. Just twelve masked killers still retained their fighting strength.

“Close in on him! Don’t let him use his ranged attacks. Once we’re near him, taking his life will be easy, and we can avenge our fallen brothers!” the same masked man shouted, trying to bolster the others’ courage.

Without other factors to consider, his words made perfect sense. Du Long was only at the Whirling Qi realm. If a group of experts, the weakest of whom were at the Qi Sea realm, managed to get close to him, the outcome would be obvious.

Unfortunately, every one of them had overlooked the presence of the great lion, Little Blaze. In their eyes, a demonic beast whose strength even an Astral Core expert could not perceive was at most an ordinary lion demon. Surely it could not possibly be a Spiritual-tier existence.

Many people who sought to deal with Du Long had made this fatal mistake. Nor could they really be blamed. Even Spiritual-tier experts could not see through Little Blaze while it wore the spirit-beast collar. Under such circumstances, misunderstanding the situation was only natural.

That was precisely the effect Du Long wanted. Otherwise, how could he conceal his true strength and strike when they least expected it?

Roar!

Little Blaze, which had remained hidden until now, finally erupted with a furious roar. In that single cry, it released the full might of a king among fifth-tier demon beasts.

“What kind of monster is that?”

Terrified by the sudden explosion of Little Blaze’s aura, the masked leader cried out in utter horror.

Unfortunately, no one was left to explain it to him. Just as he had told Du Long moments earlier, if he wanted to know what was happening, he could descend into the underworld and find out for himself.

The great lion Little Blaze opened its jaws and spat a torrent of blazing fire at the masked leader. The flames swelled as they met the wind, instantly engulfing him and the two peak Qi Sea experts who stood constantly at his sides.

“Ah!”

The three powerful men in black had time only for a single scream before Little Blaze’s rare burst of flame incinerated them. They turned directly to ash—not even their bones remained.

After dispatching the three strongest assassins in an instant, Little Blaze did not pause. It transformed into a crimson blur, unleashing the full speed and battle power of a fifth-tier demon beast. Even Du Long could not see its path of movement clearly; he could only make out a faint red shadow flashing through the night.

Before the remaining nine Qi Sea assassins could even assume a stance to flee, Little Blaze’s razor-sharp flaming claws had swept across them one after another.

The beautiful spirit of the ring ordered Little Blaze to leave no trace behind. Each claw carried terrifying flames, and the shattered corpses were incinerated one after another.

Extra! The story has entered a crucial stage and urgently needs more favorites and recommendations. If you enjoy this novel, please take a moment to add it to your favorites on the left and give me a little more encouragement, so I can write faster and better.