After arriving on the street, Evan Chu didn’t immediately run away. Instead, he stood there as if nothing was wrong, calmly waiting.
The group quickly caught up. The middle-aged man eyed Evan, surprised that he wasn’t running, and couldn’t help saying, "Kid, weren’t you acting tough just now? Why aren’t you running anymore?"
"If I run, how am I supposed to kill you? Is everyone here yet? I’m about to start slaughtering pigs." Evan finished speaking and swung his sword, attacking the nearest opponent.
Naturally, there were plenty of people on the street. Seeing a fight break out, the curious crowd gathered to watch, though they kept their distance, afraid of getting caught up in the chaos.
The closest to Evan was a young man in his early twenties, with a fairly handsome face. He gripped a broadsword, and seeing Evan charge straight at him, he swung his own blade to meet the attack.
Evan’s Frostbane Sword clashed with the youth’s broadsword in an instant. The sword qi and blade qi shattered the not-so-sturdy street beneath their feet, sending rubble flying everywhere and injuring some of the onlookers.
The recoil forced both Evan and his opponent to take several steps back. Evan felt a slight ache in his wrist, surprised by the guy’s strength—just as Luna had said, he was at least Earth Martial Realm seventh layer.
Evan was shocked, but the young man was even more stunned. His hand gripping the broadsword felt like it might snap, and he nearly lost his grip. To his horror, a rice-grain-sized chip had appeared on the blade’s edge.
That broadsword was his beloved weapon, already a high-grade spirit tool. Yet it got damaged in a single clash—his heart ached. Clearly, Evan’s sword was of an even higher grade. He had to find a way to get it.
The other assassins saw Evan suddenly attack and all moved in at once. As long as they could kill him, they didn’t care about fighting fair or outnumbering him.
After being forced back several steps, Evan saw the others attacking and quickly dodged with Shifting Position, shouting, "Damn! You guys sure think highly of me, huh? Ganging up on me like this!"
"As long as we kill you, nothing else matters. The rest of us aren’t bothered by fighting dirty," the middle-aged man replied.
Evan stopped talking, letting Chaos Qi roar through his Earth Star Pellet. These guys were all experts—he had to stall until Old Man Xu arrived.
"Wind Over the World!" Evan slashed out again, then chained Shifting Position. What he really wanted was to unleash the ninth form of the Windchaser Sword Codex: Furious Wind Slash.
But that move needed prep time to gather wind element particles, and with things as they were, he had no chance. The only option was to rely on speed and keep maneuvering.
Wind Over the World attacked with wind-blade sword qi, countless blades slashing toward the group. The middle-aged man’s face darkened with anger. "Is this all you’ve got? Making us all come out here to kill you is a waste of time."
He slashed back, instantly shattering Evan’s attack. The leftover force split the ground with a massive crack.
Evan realized this guy was definitely Earth Martial Realm ninth layer—just as strong as he’d feared. With his current power, he wasn’t a match. He grew anxious, wishing Old Man Xu would show up already.
"Everyone, attack together. This kid’s not as strong as the intel said—at best, he’s eighth layer. Let’s kill him quick. If the old man gets here, we’re screwed," the middle-aged man ordered.
Evan hesitated, debating whether to run. With his speed, these guys shouldn’t be able to catch him. But if Old Man Xu couldn’t find him later, he’d be in trouble.
Before Evan could make up his mind, several fierce sword qi attacks shot toward him. He used Wind Over the World again to dodge to the side. Not having a powerful, instantly usable killing technique was his biggest weakness right now.
He dodged quickly, but one sword qi still struck him, tearing a sizable gash and drawing blood.
"This isn’t going to work. I have to get out of here. I’m not strong enough to fight several evenly matched opponents—keeping my life is more important. The old man will definitely be able to find me." With that thought, Evan ignored his wound and dashed away.
He unleashed Shifting Position repeatedly, moving so fast that the assassins were stunned.
"Quick, block him! Don’t let that brat get away!" the middle-aged man shouted, shocked by Evan’s speed.
The group quickly chased after Evan, while an old man in the crowd grinned and muttered, "Letting you suffer a bit isn’t bad. Now you know what it’s like to be hunted."
Evan pushed Shifting Position to its limit, leaving afterimages as he wove through the crowd. He soon exited the city gate and fled toward the distant forest.
Evan’s speed left the Assassin Guild killers in the dust. Not long after leaving the city, they lost sight of him. One asked, "Third Brother, that kid’s gone. What now?"
"Don’t worry, he can’t get away. There’s the main road on one side and the forest on the other. If you were running for your life, which would you choose?" the middle-aged man asked.
"Definitely the forest. The main road’s too obvious and easy to chase down. In the forest, you can hide and it’s harder to spot you," the other replied.
"That’s right, the kid really did run into the forest. But the faster he runs, the quicker he’ll die. Second Brother’s been waiting there a long time—he’s in for a surprise," the middle-aged man said.
"No idea what’s happening with Big Brother. That old man is a Heaven Martial Realm expert—we should go check on Big Brother!"
The group turned and left. Meanwhile, Evan kept running nonstop, only stopping after about half an hour.
"I’m seriously exhausted. How unlucky can I get to run into a bunch from the Assassin Guild? And where the hell did that old man go? If he shows up, I’m definitely going to beat him up." Evan leaned against a big tree, complaining.
"You’ll never see him again." A cold voice reached Evan’s ears.
"Shit! Did those guys already catch up? That’s way too fast!" Evan was shocked.
He looked carefully around but saw no one, wondering where the voice was coming from.
"Stop looking, kid. Your speed’s impressive, and your talent’s not bad, but you’re doomed to die today." The voice sounded again.
At that moment, a middle-aged man wearing a bamboo hat and veil drifted down from a nearby tree.
"You’re from the Assassin Guild too?" Evan sized up the newcomer.
"That’s right. Escaping from Third Brother means you’ve got some skill, but you picked the wrong direction. If you’d taken the main road, you might have survived. But choosing the forest sealed your fate." The man’s voice was icy, sending chills down Evan’s spine.
With only one opponent, Evan wasn’t too afraid. Worst case, he’d use the Lion Spirit Fist. Of course, he wouldn’t use it unless forced to the brink.
"You want to kill me? I don’t think you’ve got what it takes. Come on, let’s see how badass the Assassin Guild really is!" Evan laughed.
"You’re courting death!" With that, a massive fist force blasted toward Evan...