Seeing Andrew Qi and Warren Cloud rapidly closing in, their eyes brimming with murderous intent, Luna Xiao's heart skipped a beat. She quickly called out to Shawn Young beside her, "Uh—watch out! They want to wipe us out! We need to go—now!"
As she spoke, she grabbed the limp May Gu and tried to retreat down a small path behind them. Andrew Qi caught on to her plan and shouted to Warren Cloud, "Elder Warren, they're trying to escape—cut them off!"
Warren Cloud understood instantly. He summoned his inner force, dashed forward in a blur, and blocked the exit to the path in a few swift steps. The three had no choice but to double back, only to find their way blocked by a fake mountain and a high wall. Their escape route was nearly sealed. Luna Xiao tried to muster her true energy for a spell to break through, but was suddenly overcome by a powerful dizziness. Her body went limp, and she staggered with a muffled groan, nearly collapsing. Unable to gather her energy, she grabbed the fake mountain for support, realizing that the Bonemelt Powder she'd suppressed in her meridians had finally spread.
Seeing her condition, Shawn Young knew she'd lost her fighting strength! The burden of breaking through the siege fell squarely on him. With Andrew Qi and Warren Cloud closing in with sinister grins, Shawn felt his scalp tingle. Still, his mind raced, searching for a way out.
Andrew Qi sneered at the nervous Shawn Young and spat, "Hmph—Gavin Grant, I used to respect you, thought you knew how to pick sides. Turns out, you're just a backstabbing traitor! I won't give you a second chance!"
Warren Cloud snarled, "Elder Andrew, this Gavin Grant is a sly little bastard. I've hated him for ages! Kill him, chop him into eighteen pieces, and clean house for the Thirteen Enforcers!"
Luna Xiao shot back angrily, "Andrew Qi, Warren Cloud, you two are the real traitors to the Thirteen Enforcers! You're the ones who need cleaning out—"
"Heh, heh, Luna, in the underworld, it's winner takes all! If I kill you and take the Dragonseal Jade Signet, I'll run the Thirteen Enforcers! Then, if I say you're traitors, you're traitors—so just accept your fate!" Andrew Qi grinned wickedly, channeling his inner force as he prepared to strike at Shawn Young, the only one left able to resist.
Shawn Young stared wide-eyed at Andrew Qi, hands raised before his chest, feet braced apart, every muscle tense. Andrew Qi sneered, surprised by Gavin Grant's unexpected skill, but confident he could still take him down—just a bit more trouble than expected. He stepped up, planted himself before Shawn, raised his right hand, and focused, ready to attack.
But Andrew Qi was caught off guard—Gavin Grant, who looked ready to fight to the death, suddenly turned and bolted straight toward Warren Cloud's position. At the same time, he hooked his pinkies behind his ring fingers, pressed his middle fingers down on the tips of his pinkies, thumb pinching the pattern, ring fingers pressing down on his thumbs, index fingers straight—quickly forming the Thunder Duel Seal. As he ran, he chanted, "Fivefold Thunder Envoy, unleash your might, fierce spirit descend, heaven-shaking thunder, earth-fire lightning god, by law—release!"
With a loud shout, Shawn Young swept his hands through the air in an arc, then clapped them together and thrust toward Warren Cloud. The ground beneath Warren Cloud shook violently, then split open as blue lightning erupted from below—BOOM! The blast sent Warren Cloud flying, flattening a fake mountain with his massive body. Luckily, his hard qigong training saved his life, but he was left charred and dazed, unable to get up.
The whole thing happened in less than ten seconds. Shawn Young had improvised the Thunder Duel Spell on the spot, and it worked surprisingly well. The commotion drew Jade Swann's curiosity from across the hot spring pool—it was eerily similar to the spells of her own Five Thunder Divine Sect.
But right now, Jade Swann, Rainie Cheng, and the others were locked in a tense standoff with the ninja in black. As curious as she was, she couldn't run over to check it out.
"Go—now!" Shawn Young seized the moment, scooped up the limp May Gu, and Luna Xiao quickly got her bearings, struggling to her feet as they dashed desperately for the path outside.
"Bastard! You dare trick me—" Andrew Qi was furious. He hadn't expected Gavin Grant to be so cunning, sneaking past him to ambush Warren Cloud—and actually pulling it off! Enraged, he chased after them, vowing to rip Gavin Grant to pieces for ruining his plans again and again.
They were almost caught. Luna Xiao's strength was running out, her steps faltering. Andrew Qi closed in, ready to kill—when suddenly, something fell from the sky, hissing with white smoke. Andrew Qi looked closer—it was a grenade! He dove back to dodge—BOOM! A burst of fire left a smoking crater in the ground.
Just then, a graceful figure darted out—Shawn Young saw it was Yara Zen. She grabbed Luna Xiao's arm and shouted, "Quick, follow me!" With that, she dragged Luna Xiao down a side path.
Shawn Young clutched May Gu tightly and hurried after Yara Zen. Led by her, they burst out onto the hot spring corridor of Nine Bends Manor, sprinting past May Gu's black-clad bodyguards sprawled on both sides of the path.
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To his horror, all those black-clad bodyguards were dead, eyes wide open in death. Some still clutched broken pistols and submachine guns, bullet casings scattered everywhere. Every single one had a fatal wound through the throat, blood already dried. Clearly, they'd been killed with cold weapons—by someone terrifyingly skilled.
"Don't just stand there—Andrew Qi's coming!" Yara Zen shouted to Shawn Young.
Startled, Shawn Young looked back and saw Andrew Qi closing in. If he caught up, it was certain death. Shawn clutched May Gu and sprinted after Yara Zen. Fortunately, they burst out the side gate of Nine Bends Manor, where a red Porsche waited. Yara Zen dragged Luna Xiao into the car, flung open the rear door, and Shawn jumped in with May Gu. Before the door could close, Andrew Qi was already there, grabbing the open door—CRASH! He ripped it off, but Yara Zen floored the engine, and the red Porsche roared away.
Andrew Qi cursed, kicked the ripped-off car door aside, and sprinted toward the parking lot. He knew he had to get back the Dragonseal Jade Signet—without it, his claim to lead the Thirteen Enforcers would be meaningless!
Meanwhile, by the hot spring, Jade Swann, Rainie Cheng, and the others were still facing off against the black-clad ninja. Neither side made a move; Jade Swann held back, knowing she wasn't his match. Fortunately, the ninja wasn't eager to fight either—he just scanned them with wolf-like eyes, then suddenly tossed a white object to the ground—POOF! A cloud of white smoke enveloped the area.
"Uh—a smoke bomb! He's making his getaway—" Jade Swann and Rainie Cheng led the SWAT officers into the smoke, but the ninja had vanished. Daniel Nagumo, half-dead in the pool after Shawn Young's earlier attack, was gone too. Jade Swann realized the ninja had come to rescue Daniel Nagumo.
But Warren Cloud was still groaning by the hot spring. Lean Tiger Gavin Strong dashed up and sealed his acupoint, and the SWAT officers rushed in to cuff him.