“Who is he?”
Ye Qiu and Long Ye asked in unison.
Tang Fei’s face was grave as he spat out two words through clenched teeth:
“Jun Dao!” (Military Blade)
It was the first time Ye Qiu had heard this name, so his expression remained unchanged. However, Long Ye, sitting in the back seat, exclaimed, “Old Tang, are you sure? He’s Jun Dao?”
“I can’t be mistaken,” Tang Fei said. “The Palace of Hades has a comprehensive list of top fighters from around the world. Whether they’re on the Dragon List, Tiger List, or are mysterious experts, the Palace of Hades has records of all the information that can be gathered.”
“When I saw him earlier, he looked familiar, as if I’d seen him somewhere before.”
“It wasn’t until Long Ye mentioned he was wearing military boots that it clicked—he’s Jun Dao.”
Tang Fei continued, “Jun Dao has a peculiar habit: he only wears Zhongshan suits and military boots all year round.”
“Damn, this is trouble,” Long Ye cursed.
Ye Qiu asked, “Is Jun Dao really that strong?”
“Not just strong, he’s insanely powerful,” Long Ye said. “Jun Dao was once a legendary figure in the military. His reputation wasn’t far behind Xiao Jiu’s.”
“Moreover, he was one of the top five experts in the military!”
Ye Qiu raised an eyebrow, his gaze filled with doubt as he looked at Jun Dao. This guy was one of the top five experts in the military?
“Long Ye is right. Jun Dao is indeed a legendary figure,” Tang Fei added. “According to the records gathered by the Palace of Hades, Jun Dao was an orphan. He was sent to an orphanage at the age of three.”
“A security guard at the orphanage took a liking to Jun Dao and adopted him, teaching him all his martial arts skills.”
“When Jun Dao was sixteen, his adoptive father—the security guard—died of illness. With no one to support his education, Jun Dao joined the military.”
“In his second year of service, he joined the Special Forces Brigade. By his third year, he had become a platoon leader.”
“At that time, he wasn’t even twenty years old.”
“What truly made Jun Dao famous was when he led a team to take down a major drug lord on the border at the age of twenty-three.”
“At the time, the drug lord was surrounded by countless bodyguards and heavy weaponry. Not only did Jun Dao eliminate the drug lord, but none of the soldiers under his command suffered any casualties. He was promoted to the rank of major upon his return.”
“After taking down the drug lord, he went alone to Tibet. At the time, a group of bandits had taken over a mountain, calling themselves the Horse Gang.”
“Jun Dao, armed with just a single blade, defeated eighteen leaders of the Horse Gang and killed over two hundred bandits. He was then promoted to colonel.”
“At the time, the military district commander repeatedly praised Jun Dao during meetings and called on all soldiers to learn from him. Jun Dao was in the spotlight.”
“Someone like him, if he had stayed in the military and served the country, would undoubtedly have become a general in the future.”
“But no one expected that Jun Dao would become a traitor.”
At this point, Tang Fei was visibly angry. He continued, “At the time, intelligence indicated that a group of drug dealers was planning a transaction on the border. Jun Dao was ordered to lead a squad to eliminate them.”
“During that mission, Jun Dao captured a woman who turned out to be the leader of the drug trafficking ring. Somehow, Jun Dao became infatuated with her. Not only did he let her go, but he also killed his own comrades.”
“Out of a squad of thirteen, the other twelve were brutally murdered by Jun Dao.”
“After killing his comrades, Jun Dao completely disappeared. At the time, everyone thought he had also died. It wasn’t until years later that a spy from the Palace of Hades spotted Jun Dao in the Golden Triangle.”
“Later, it was discovered that Jun Dao had married the woman and they had two children together, all while continuing to deal in drugs.”
“Not long after, a local armed conflict broke out, and Jun Dao’s wife and children were killed in the crossfire.”
“It’s said that on a cold winter’s day, Jun Dao, dressed in his Zhongshan suit and military boots, decided to honor his deceased wife and children by maintaining that appearance for many years to come.”
Ye Qiu asked, “Since Jun Dao became a traitor, didn’t you send people to capture him?”
“Of course we did,” Tang Fei said. “We sent wave after wave of people, but Jun Dao killed them all.”
“After his wife and children died, Jun Dao became like a ghost—nowhere to be found.”
“I never expected him to show up here today.”
Tang Fei seemed surprised. “It seems I underestimated Bai Yujing. I didn’t expect him to have connections with Jun Dao.”
“Now we need to figure out how to take Jun Dao down. This guy is incredibly strong,” Long Ye said.
“Stay here. I’ll go deal with him,” Ye Qiu said, grabbing his sword and pushing open the car door.
As Ye Qiu stepped out of the car, Jun Dao’s eyes locked onto him and didn’t waver.
Ye Qiu slung the Emperor’s Sword, Chi Xiao, over his shoulder and strode forward calmly. He stopped only when he was three meters away from Jun Dao.
“Ye Qiu?” Jun Dao spoke, his voice devoid of emotion, cold and detached.
“That’s right, I’m Ye Qiu,” Ye Qiu said with a tone of disdain. “I despise traitors more than anything.”
Boom!
Jun Dao’s eyes widened, and a powerful killing intent emanated from his body. “You know me?”
“No, and I don’t want to. Like I said, I despise traitors,” Ye Qiu replied. “Who sent you? Bai Yujing?”
Jun Dao coldly said, “A dead man doesn’t need to know too much.”
“Fine, don’t tell me. You’ll be dead soon anyway,” Ye Qiu said. “Jun Dao, I heard you’re a top fighter. Do you believe I can take your head in three moves?”
“I don’t—”
Before Jun Dao could finish, Ye Qiu had already charged forward, throwing a punch straight at Jun Dao’s face.
Hitting someone in the face was Ye Qiu’s usual approach.
“Overestimating yourself,” Jun Dao snorted, raising his fist to meet Ye Qiu’s.
Boom!
The moment their fists collided, Jun Dao felt an overwhelming force surge through his arm. With a crack, his arm was shattered by the impact, sending waves of pain through him.
Jun Dao’s pupils contracted, and he quickly retreated, trying to create distance. But by then, Ye Qiu had already moved to his side, throwing another punch.
Jun Dao, no longer daring to match Ye Qiu’s strength, pulled out a short knife from his waist and thrust it toward Ye Qiu’s fist.
Ye Qiu swiftly retracted his fist and slashed with his sword.
Clang!
The Emperor’s Sword struck the short knife, and with a clatter, the knife was severed. The blade continued its arc, slicing across Jun Dao’s throat.
In an instant, Jun Dao froze, his body stiffening.
“I may be merciful, but I show no mercy to traitors,” Ye Qiu said, then turned and walked away.
