Chapter Thirty-Four: Who Is the Real Hunter?

“……”

When the man clad in yellow armor was sent flying by Liu Ji’s savage punch, the onlookers—Rain City and the others—were all left stupefied.

It was clear that none of them had expected the assassin, who just moments before had held the overwhelming advantage and left Liu Ji completely powerless, to be blasted away with a single punch.

But in the next instant, everyone’s gaze was drawn to the black armored gauntlet covering Liu Ji’s right arm. The armor was as black as ink.

It seemed unremarkable at first glance.

With a dull thud, the man in yellow armor crashed to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood. His face turned ashen as he clutched his right arm, pain searing through his limb as though Liu Ji’s punch had shattered his bones.

Yet what terrified him most was that, during their clash, the full force he’d poured into his blow had been diminished—no, absorbed—by Liu Ji’s black armor.

Because of this, his punch hadn’t even unleashed half its power before he was sent flying, leaving him bewildered and alarmed.

Moreover, he could feel a fierce, almost desperate yearning surging from within his own armor—urging him, commanding him, to kill Liu Ji!

Could it be that this man’s armor is…? His heart pounded wildly as he looked at Liu Ji again, his eyes now burning with greed.

Gritting his teeth against the agony in his arm, he charged toward Liu Ji once more. For assassins like them, if they failed to kill their target in the first moments, they would usually retreat at once; the longer the fight dragged on, the greater the danger.

But with the appearance of Liu Ji’s armor, his mind was now entirely consumed by the lust and hunger emanating from his own armor. All he could think was: just a little more time—he had to kill Liu Ji!

Golden arcs of electricity snaked around Liu Ji like little serpents, as black pieces of armor emerged from within him, covering his body until he was clad in a suit of pure black.

Intricate patterns wound across the tight-fitting black armor, giving Liu Ji a lean and striking appearance.

Staring at the black armor enveloping him, Liu Ji was nothing short of astonished.

He was completely baffled. While he’d always suspected he might possess an armored spirit, he had no idea how to summon it.

Still, whatever the means, the appearance of the armor now might offer them a glimmer of hope amidst peril. The only catch was that the armor looked rather ugly…

His thoughts raced. As the yellow-armored man charged toward him, Liu Ji saw the burning hatred in his eyes.

Previously, he’d been powerless and at the man’s mercy. Now that he possessed strength, he had no reason to fear.

So, he turned and ran. With the armor, his speed had increased dramatically. As he fled, he shouted to Rain City and the others locked in combat, “Rain City, don’t get bogged down! We need to get out of here—now!”

Rain City nodded in agreement.

They were just outside the Southern Prince’s City, and no one knew if these assassins had more accomplices lying in wait. They had to escape at once.

With a booming command, Rain City shouted, “Retreat!”

He threw a punch to drive back his opponent, then turned and shot off like an arrow. Xu Man and the others also unleashed their own techniques to break free and flee.

“Damn it!” one of the assassins roared at the man in yellow armor. “Wu Ping, what are you doing?! You’re a peak Xuan Yue master—can’t you even finish off a brat?!”

Another asked, “What now?”

The first man’s face darkened. “We’ve already wasted too much time here. We can’t delay any longer—we must withdraw!”

“No!” Wu Ping, clad in yellow armor, objected. “This is too good an opportunity to let slip! We’re four or five hundred miles from the Southern Prince’s City. With our strength, we can definitely kill Liu Ji before he gets there. If we let this chance slip by, he’ll never leave the city so carelessly again!”

After a moment’s thought, the man nodded. “All right, everyone—pursue Liu Ji with everything you’ve got! Whoever brings back his head will be the hero of this mission!”

No sooner had the words left his lips than Wu Ping dashed after Liu Ji like a blur, the others hot on his heels.

Shadows streaked through the woods—two groups, one chasing, one fleeing.

Liu Ji glanced behind at their relentless pursuers, his face growing more and more grim.

He was wounded and exceedingly weak. Though summoning his armor had greatly boosted his speed, he could feel his stamina, spirit, and lifeblood draining rapidly, as if the armor itself was devouring his energy.

At this rate, he doubted he could keep running for long before the armor failed him; they’d be overtaken soon enough.

Suddenly, another mouthful of blood welled up and spattered from his lips.

Rain City, seeing this, said, “My Lord, you’re injured, and summoning your armor is draining your strength further. You won’t last much longer.”

He paused, then continued, “I suggest Xu Man and Hao Qiang take you and escape, while Du Qiang, Zhang Lin, and I hold them off!”

“No!” Liu Ji refused at once.

Their pursuers were strong and outnumbered them. How could Rain City, Du Qiang, and Zhang Lin possibly hold them back alone?

“But…” Rain City began, only to be interrupted as a figure burst from the woods—Wu Ping!

“Hahaha! You can’t escape!” Wu Ping laughed wildly, staring at Liu Ji with unconcealed greed. From the moment their fists collided, his own armor had filled him with an intense craving, the likes of which he’d never felt before. That told him at once: Liu Ji’s armored spirit was no ordinary artifact.

Its rank was at least above that of special armored spirits—such spirits were exceedingly rare, even in the empire’s long history.

If he killed Liu Ji, his own armor could devour Liu Ji’s spirit and inherit its power. His own strength would skyrocket, and one day he might become one of the world’s greatest warriors.

Fueled by this ambition, he pushed his speed to the limit, finally catching up. To him, Liu Ji was now prey—a delicacy he must claim.

“Courting death!” Rain City shouted, furious, his fist wreathed in black energy as he hurled it at Wu Ping. The punch howled through the air.

But before it could land, a dark figure flashed out of the woods with lightning speed, appearing before Wu Ping in an instant.

For a heartbeat, time seemed to freeze.

Wu Ping found himself face-to-face with an ordinary, yet resolute and stern visage—just an arm’s length away. Those piercing eyes bore into him.

“Liu—” he began, but before he could finish, the man’s fist crashed down on his head. A sharp black current whirled around the fist, slicing the air with a shriek like a tiger’s roar.

With a thunderous crack, Wu Ping’s head was blasted apart, blood and brain matter splattering everywhere. His headless corpse was sent flying, smashing heavily into a tree.

The sudden, brutal scene left Liu Ji, Rain City, and the others utterly dumbfounded. When Liu Ji finally regained his senses, he saw a figure clad in armor standing before them. A black cape billowed behind him, embroidered with the lifelike image of a tiger’s head.

The man’s armor was black and gold, his helmet shaped like a tiger, shoulder guards crowned with tiger heads, and his chest plate bore a tiger’s head gripping a golden mirror in its jaws. The overall effect was fierce and imposing.

Seeing this man, Liu Ji was overcome with gratitude and emotion.

“Father, you’re finally here…”

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PS: Second chapter. Please vote with your recommendations~