Indeed.
After Xiao Jiu was enveloped by the white light from the staff, his expression turned dull, and he placed the war knife against his own neck.
“Champion Marquis, time to meet your end!”
A cold, sinister smile appeared on Asaman’s lips.
But unexpectedly, in the next second, Xiao Jiu broke free from the white light, his war knife slashing fiercely towards Asaman.
Hm?
A flicker of surprise flashed in Asaman’s eyes, followed by a smile spreading across his face.
“To break free from this priest’s spirit-lowering technique, you’re truly worthy of the title Champion Marquis. But alas, you’re injured and no match for me.”
Asaman’s lips moved rapidly, emitting a buzzing sound like a swarm of bees.
It was utterly eerie.
“Clang!”
Xiao Jiu’s war knife struck Asaman’s head, as if hitting an impossibly hard steel plate, producing a metallic clang.
Asaman remained unscathed.
How could this be?
Xiao Jiu’s expression changed.
“Champion Marquis, surprised?”
Asaman grinned, revealing a mouth full of uneven black teeth, looking somewhat ferocious and terrifying. Immediately after, he swung his staff down towards Xiao Jiu’s head.
Xiao Jiu, after all, was the top-ranked master on the Dragon List. Though heavily injured and only able to muster half his usual strength, his combat experience was vast. Seeing Asaman’s staff coming down, he immediately retreated.
However—
Asaman seemed to have anticipated Xiao Jiu’s move. With a swift step, he darted behind Xiao Jiu.
The staff aimed again at the back of Xiao Jiu’s head.
This strike, in both strength and speed, was many times greater than before. Clearly, Asaman had no intention of giving Xiao Jiu any chance to survive.
At the critical moment—
“Swish!”
A sword aura shot towards him.
Asaman leaped into the air, dodging the sword aura, but the staff continued its descent towards Xiao Jiu’s head.
It seemed Xiao Jiu was about to be struck.
At the pivotal moment—
“Bang!”
Suddenly, a bullet whistled from afar, striking the staff in Asaman’s hand.
Clang!
The bullet ricocheted away, but the immense force also shifted the staff’s trajectory.
Yet it only deviated by two millimetres, and the staff was still rapidly closing in on Xiao Jiu’s head.
“Bang!”
Another gunshot rang out.
This time, the bullet was aimed straight at Asaman’s forehead.
It arrived in an instant.
Asaman was caught in a dilemma.
If he persisted in killing Xiao Jiu, the bullet would hit his forehead. Though he had a secret technique that could make his body as hard as steel, he wasn’t certain it could withstand a sniper bullet.
After all, the skin at the forehead was thin, and if it was pierced, it would be a death sentence.
He didn’t dare take the risk.
In a split-second decision, Asaman abandoned Xiao Jiu, swiftly swinging his staff to deflect the bullet.
The entire sequence took no more than a second.
But that one second gave Xiao Jiu a lifeline.
Xiao Jiu swiftly dashed away, joining Ye Qiu and Ye Wudi. The three of them then looked towards the direction of the canyon.
Two figures were approaching rapidly, treading through the snow.
It was Qinglong and Qilin!
“Why are the people from Dragon Gate here?”
Ye Wudi was puzzled, glancing at Ye Qiu as he spoke.
He knew Ye Qiu was one of the four Dragon Envoys of Dragon Gate.
Could it be that Qinglong and Qilin had come to assist Ye Qiu?
Ye Qiu remained silent, but he knew in his heart that Qinglong and Qilin were here under Cao Yuan’s orders to rescue Xiao Jiu.
Back in Yangcheng, when Cao Yuan faced a life-or-death crisis, it was Xiao Jiu who appeared at the critical moment, ensuring Cao Yuan’s safety.
Otherwise, Cao Yuan would have been long dead.
Qinglong and Qilin had come to rescue Xiao Jiu to repay the debt of gratitude for saving Cao Yuan’s life that day.
Soon, Qinglong and Qilin reached Ye Qiu and the others.
Both looked somewhat exhausted.
Qilin was holding a sniper rifle.
“Champion Marquis, His Excellency Nine Thousand Years heard you were in trouble and sent Qilin and me to assist you,” Qinglong said.
“Sigh…” Xiao Jiu let out a long sigh. Instead of feeling relieved, his face showed worry.
“Champion Marquis, what’s wrong?” Qilin asked, confused.
Xiao Jiu said, “You shouldn’t have come. The three of us combined couldn’t handle Asaman. Your arrival won’t change the outcome, and you might even lose your lives here.”
Qinglong replied, “Back in Yangcheng, if it weren’t for you, Champion Marquis, stepping in to save us from danger, we’d already be dead. If I can help you today, even if it costs me my life, I’ll do so without hesitation.”
Qilin added, “Exactly. A drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring, let alone your life-saving grace.”
Xiao Jiu glanced at Qinglong and Qilin, saying gratefully, “Thank you.”
Ye Qiu said, “Since you’re here, let’s discuss how to deal with that old bastard.”
With that, Ye Qiu glanced at Asaman.
The old bastard hadn’t attacked yet, perhaps out of arrogance or certainty that Ye Qiu and the others were doomed. He merely watched them coldly, seemingly giving them time to strategize.
Ye Wudi said, “Fighting like this won’t work. Asaman is not only incredibly skilled but also a highly proficient head-lowering master. His head-lowering techniques are impossible to guard against.”
“We need to come up with a solid and effective plan to take him down.”
“If we can’t kill him, then we escape.”
Ye Qiu said, “The five of us are all Dragon List-level masters, while Asaman is merely the lowest-ranked on the Divine List. If we can’t even take him down and have to flee, that’d be utterly humiliating.”
“My stance is to abandon any thoughts of escape and fight to the end.”
“Today, we’ll slaughter this old bastard right here!”
Ye Qiu’s gaze swept across everyone’s faces, and he smiled, “Don’t you think killing a Divine List master is quite an accomplishment?”
Hearing this, Xiao Jiu laughed, “As Ye Qiu says, I’ll take the lead in the attack later.”
“Are you up for it?” Ye Wudi asked.
“Trust me,” Xiao Jiu smiled and added, “When I make my move, you all just watch from the sidelines.”
Ye Wudi said, “Then after your attack, I’ll go next. That old bastard dared to trick me with his head-lowering technique. Today, I’ll make him see what I’m capable of.”
Seeing the looks on Xiao Jiu and Ye Wudi’s faces, Ye Qiu knew they were about to use their ultimate trump cards.
Ye Qiu followed, “I’ll go last.”
“Qinglong, Qilin, later you two find a way to keep Asaman occupied, buy me some time.”
“Remember, just keep him tied up so he can’t move freely. Don’t confront him head-on.”
“And when he uses his head-lowering technique, a white light will appear on his staff. You must avoid that light.”
Qinglong and Qilin nodded simultaneously, indicating they understood.
“Since everything’s set, let’s get ready to act!” Xiao Jiu led the charge, with the other four following closely behind.
The five of them advanced towards Asaman, their faces filled with resolve.
In this battle, it was victory or death!
