Returning to the Mysterious Era

Chapter 294 - Blade Demon, Save Me!

Qi, Qi, Qi, and more Qi...

Four powerful Qi’s were fully unleashed within the hall. They were bright and blazing, radiating outward like a flame. The air was disturbed by these forces, sending gusts of strong wind swirling, forcibly suppressing the raging golden-red flames.

Released Qi could be very clearly sensed by combat artists. Cloud Dog Fist Sect Master Tom and Elder Oro were both at the level where they could naturally sense the four powerful and condensed Qi’s that almost filled the entire hall.

"Four Combat artists! How rare!" Moreover, Tom could tell that these four were not your average combat artists. Each one's Qi seemed to be at the level of a veteran combat artist, which was simply outrageous.

That wasn't all. He could sense another two sources of Qi rapidly coming toward the hall. Although they were still far away, he still pegged them at the level of combat artists as well.

"What does this mean?"

An antique exhibition had attracted eight combat artists? Of which, at least five were veteran combat artists? Even the gatherings of the Eastern Nine Sects never had this many combat artists...

Tom's heart sank instantly. They had too little information and had completely underestimated the enemy. They had thought only the Blood Spirit Society would be a foe. Tom suddenly regretted not insisting on holding the gathering of the Eastern Nine Sects in Kura City. Otherwise, they might have been able to contend with them.

How could Oro and him possibly stop four combat artists, one monster, and another two combat artist experts outside? Regret filled his heart for a moment, but Tom forcibly suppressed it.

Regret and panic were useless in the face of such a crisis. Instead, he needed to calm down and figure out what these people wanted from the Tulip Antique Exhibition.

Could they just want an antique box? Thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. To outsiders, Tom's unpleasant expression froze momentarily, but then he quickly calmed himself.

When he raised his head, he saw five pairs of eyes staring intently at him. Their sharp gazes were like swords aiming to pierce his heart, as they held a wolf-like ferocity.

Tom's forced calmness wavered, but he quickly realized the root of the problem. His eyes flickered, and he threw the Kupan Demon Box in his hand toward Cassius and his two companions. If these people's true goal was the Kupan Demon Box, then they could fight among themselves. The conflict between Tom and them would disappear, and he could avoid the situation of being besieged by seven or eight people.

He could vaguely see that these combat artists were all separate forces, and not a united group. The blood-armored man and the bespectacled man beside him were one group; Cassius and his two companions were another; and the two rapidly approaching from the plaza might also be a group.

Since the Blood Spirit Society was in conflict with Cloud Dog Fist, Tom certainly couldn't give the Kupan Demon Box to them. So, he immediately tossed the hot potato to Cassius and his companions.

The box drew a swift arc in the air, flying toward the seating area under everyone's gaze.

"Take action!!!" Black Peacock shouted sharply, and the Blood Spirit Society's president, Lotus, let out a beast-like roar.

Two arcs, one black and one red, dashed toward the box.

Snap!

Cassius's outstretched hand caught the demon box. He grinned ferociously, his white teeth gleaming in the light. "Got the demon box, but it's not over yet. We'll have to settle this today..."

Screech!

A sharp cry of a raptor echoed inside the hall. Cassius's whole body was boiling hot; his every organ was trembling. Both liquid and steam sprayed from his pores, causing the air to warp in waves as a red mist filled with terrifying Qi covered the ground. A massive, exotic bird of prey dove down with its fierce wings blotting out the sky.

He lightly kicked off with both feet and his whole body blasted out like a cannonball. His terrifying physique erupted to the fullest.

"Hahaha, I'm coming too!!!" Feng Liusi was equally unwilling to be left out. He had just advanced his Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist to the fifth stage and was itching to try it out. As soon as he roared, volcanic energy erupted from his body. Compared to Cassius, Feng Liusi's deep crimson Qi was so thick that it was suffocating.

The blood vulture's wings unfolding behind him seemed even more graceful as Feng Liusi spread his hands. Four red chains on his arms spun rapidly, like venomous snakes coiling around a pole. Instantly, crackling sounds started to echo as red lightning leaped around his body. There was a power to his movements that made one's heart shudder. He vanished from where he stood with a whoosh, as his body rapidly displaced the air in front of it.

In contrast, Saint Feinan seemed unhurried as he serenely drew the crystalline blue long whip from his waist. Half a breath later, the long whip was a longsword. The frosted blade tip was angled slightly downward as Saint Feinan stepped forward. Each step left an icy footprint on the ground, like traces left by a centipede.

Several figures collided instantly in the center of the hall.

They perfectly demonstrated the strength, speed, and destructiveness of combat artist experts. It was like missiles had collided head-on and exploded. The five figures clashed and separated, then quickly engaged again, turning the air into white mist.

It seemed the immense force of their confrontation compressed the air in the center of the hall, forming outward-spreading rings. The white mist shot out swiftly, and although it was just residual force, it created shallow pits in the walls like bullets.

"Sec... Sect Master, we..." A squad of Cloud Dog Fist disciples, posing as attackers, stood dumbfounded in place, momentarily at a loss. They had agreed to follow the plan set by the sect master. They had successfully orchestrated a trap to lure people in and then surround them.

How... how did it turn out like this? Should they still follow the original plan...

Cloud Dog Fist Sect Master Tom exhaled a breath of hot air.

Just as he was about to speak, explosions sounded outside!

"It's those two!" He quickly rushed out with Oro, leaping through the hole in the wall and into the circular plaza.

White-clad people were battling with those in black and red, like mixed paints on a canvas. Every corner of the plaza was engulfed in combat. The numerous disciples in white were wearing Cloud Dog Fist combat attire. The elites from the Gate Organization were in black, while Blood Spirit Society members were dressed in red.

Overall, the white-clad side had a numerical advantage but they were still locked in a stalemate. There were hardly any white figures in the center of the plaza. Clearly, the two formidable Qi sources Tom sensed earlier had fought their way in and killed anyone who stood in their way.

"Damn it!!!" Tom and Oro were instantly enraged. Let those five inside the hall fight over whatever they wanted—they couldn't interfere anyway. However, the two who were wantonly slaughtering Cloud Dog Fist disciples outside were unforgivable. Even a clay Buddha would have a temper!

Just as they were about to regroup and counterattack, four or five objects suddenly streaked toward the plaza, leaving red trails in the air. Two Qi’s unfurled and metallic humming sounded as three blades sliced through the air, cutting through the marble floor while slashing fiercely at the rockets.

Bang! Bang!

Two rockets exploded mid-air. However, three more weren't intercepted and slammed into the ground near the two Qi’s. A violent explosion erupted as scorching air surged outward. Metal fragments and debris shot out from the expanding orange flames.

Tom watched as a large group of professionally trained men in black appeared on both sides of the plaza. They were stern and calm, with badges on their chests depicting a hand holding an inverted sword wrapped with menacing thorns.

Most of them were armed, and quite a few burly men were carrying rocket launchers. They were clearly well-trained.

"Keep bombing the area!" A slightly deep adolescent voice suddenly commanded.

"Yes!" Immediately, another batch of rocket launchers rose and fired at the center of the plaza. The air was filled with whooshing sounds as eight or nine red arcs flew over.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom...

The rockets drilled into the expanding fireball, making the already surging flames burgeon even higher. The loud blasts were starting to make Tom wince.

Whoosh!

From a high wall at the plaza's edge, the last red arc flew out, piercing fiercely into the fire.

Tom turned to see a black-haired youth in a butler's uniform jumping down with a rocket launcher on his shoulder. He casually tossed it aside, and a subordinate jumped to catch it.

The youth walked slowly, round-framed glasses on his nose reflecting the sunlight like mirrors. He had a cigarette in his mouth, the tip glowing scarlet. A white-gloved hand, engraved with unknown letters, reached up to pluck the cigarette.

Smoke curled from between his fingers, rising in wisps.

"Black Ops Agency?" Tom's gaze sharpened, tinged with caution. As the sect master of Cloud Dog Fist, he had some interactions with the official force known as the Black Ops Agency. He even cooperated with them in certain circumstances.

"Nice to meet you." The youth raised his hand and bowed gracefully. "Section thirteen of the Federal Special Service Bureau, Black Ops Agency. The name's Amos..."

He straightened, putting the cigarette back in his mouth. White smoke curled around his face. "Mister Tom, in light of the current situation, I think... We should temporarily cooperate, shouldn't we?"

***

Blade Demon's sword had been broken in the explosions.

He had three sharp combat blades—Slash Blade, Pierce Blade, and Shock Blade. Crafted over several years by master swordsmiths using special alloy formulas provided by the Gate Organization, the blades were extremely hard and tough. They were capable of easily tearing through steel.

Before he had these blades, Blade Demon's swords would suffer severe damage in every battle and were often rendered unusable after four or five duels or a single all-out fight. This was partly due to exchanges, but partly because his own sword techniques were very taxing on the blades.

However, ever since he switched to these three beloved swords over ten years ago, Blade Demon Garoro never had to find replacements. He only needed to sharpen them periodically. The blades were hard and almost unworn even after a thousand battles over the past decade.

However, just now, the Shock Blade he used for defense had been completely destroyed. It had been broken into two pieces from a third down the blade. The pieces fell heavily to the ground.

Even though Blade Demon was among the best in Class B, he couldn't escape rockets unscathed. The Black Ops Agency defined Class B as comparable to rocket launchers, capable of causing large-scale damage and devastating surrounding areas. Class B experts were also free to act on their own. However, their class was only determined by their destructive power. If they themselves were hit by rockets, they would also suffer shockwaves and shrapnel damage, unless they had extremely strong physiques.

Blade Demon and Purple General had been bombarded by multiple rockets in the plaza. Even top Class B experts had to pay a price to survive that assault. Garoro's Shock Sword had shattered, rendering him incapable of performing his Triple-Blade Style, Rainbow World. Purple General was also disheveled, having suffered minor injuries from the shockwaves. He was also feeling quite embarrassed.

The surging flames were sliced open with a single stroke of a blade as two figures emerged from within.

Garoro's expression was gloomy, with a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth. It wasn't about performing the Triple-Blade Style; it was simply because his beloved sword had been broken. He wasn’t recovered enough to use Rainbow World anyway. If he did, his injuries would tear open even further. At best, he could maintain the Dual-Blade Style, Scale Fire.

Beside him, Purple General patted his tattered clothes. He cast a sullen glance at Amos and Tom, but he seemed to sense something as he suddenly looked toward a wall.

Boom!

The wall exploded and the five who had been fighting inside rushed out together.

One was in a particularly miserable state. Lotus, the president of the Blood Spirit Society, was besieged by Feng Liusi and Cassius, while Black Peacock was temporarily tied down by Saint Feinan and unable to assist.

In less than half a minute of combat, Lotus's seemingly indestructible blood armor had nearly been nearly destroyed by Feng Liusi. In his hands, Lotus's formidable physique was like tofu—everything broke with a pinch. Even his immortality was useless!

Lotus had quickly consumed a concentrated Berserk Serum during the explosion, further enhancing his regeneration abilities. He had even intended to take on Cassius's trio alone, showcasing his unparalleled combat prowess.

As for the result...

"Blade Demon, save me!!!"