Chapter 852: Assassin Duel

"Still planning to struggle like this, kid? The teammates you brought have already been slaughtered by our Sacred Flame Sect, and even the Golden Knights have begun their assault on your mountain gate. How dare you continue to waste my time here? Now, you should either surrender or die a martyr!"

The grim smile on the blue-robed assassin's face remained.

"If the Western Emperor's lineage could be overthrown so easily, then the title of the strongest among the Eastern Domain's Three Great Bandits would have changed hands long ago. Your ideas are far too naive. Never underestimate the power of bandits; that is my only advice to you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the blue-robed assassin's movement speed suddenly accelerated to its limit. However, this time, within the confined space, he didn't choose to flee, but instead actively flew behind Shadow.

"Myriad Blades, Boundless!"

The moment the blue-robed assassin spoke, his physical form vanished from its spot. What emerged were silver light blades, erupting simultaneously in a 360-degree radius around him. Each blade was a phantom energy projection of his two conical magic artifacts, yet each possessed a sharpness capable of rending earth and air.

Any human body, especially those below the Heaven Martial Realm, would be instantly disintegrated upon contact with even a single light blade. However, Shadow Sect seemed to have anticipated this trump card.

"Did you think your tactics would be unfamiliar to me? Then you are mistaken!"

Almost the instant these countless light blades shot forth simultaneously, Shadow Sect launched a powerful counterattack.

Its physical form silently vanished, transforming into a dark, ethereal light that dissolved into nothingness.

At the same moment, a dark, black seal ignited on the blue-robed assassin's brow. Unbeknownst to him, this seal was Shadow Sect's most formidable ninja art, a fatal technique!

"Eight Extremes Sky Blade!"

Within the entire enclosed space, Shadow Sect's cold pressure fully erupted.

As this command was uttered, phantom outlines of Shadow's true form appeared simultaneously around the blue-robed assassin's body from all directions.

Each phantom then hurled two dark, ink-black killing shurikens towards the central point, striking the blue-robed assassin squarely.

Initially, nothing unusual happened with these shurikens.

However, the moment Shadow Sect's true form reappeared, a cold smile subtly curved on its lips.

"Now, do you feel anything strange in your body?"

The blue-robed assassin landed, his face contorted in extreme distress.

He discovered that his meridians had been completely severed by the unique shurikens. The shurikens had no substantial form; a single shuriken could split into dozens of illusory phantoms. Thus, once these shurikens entered the blue-robed assassin's body, any attempt he made to resist them was futile.

Every time he suppressed one shuriken phantom, a dozen more phantoms would simultaneously emerge.

"Eight Extremes Collapse!"

An immensely powerful force erupted instantly. All the shuriken phantoms, like timed explosives, shattered the blue-robed assassin's body in an instant, blowing him into a bloody mist.

The occurrence of this scene also declared the complete victory of Xu Yang's Five Heavenly Kings against these five members of the Thirteen Protectors.

"Goodness, I never imagined that the Five Heavenly Kings' combat abilities were this formidable! Their opponents each held a significant advantage in competitive rank, yet during the actual battle, the Kings maintained absolute dominance from start to finish. It's truly incredible!"

A look of disbelief spread across the warriors' faces. After all, it had been a while since they had witnessed beings of the Five Heavenly Kings' caliber personally engage in combat. Now, having seen them, their strength was indeed unfathomable.

"Haha, Sect Master, how was it? We didn't disappoint you, did we? Our strength was perfectly showcased in this battle."

Elder Tan excitedly approached Xu Yang, seeking praise.

This time, Xu Yang did not disappoint him. With a casual flick of his hand, several top-tier magic artifacts were distributed as spoils of war to the Five Heavenly Kings present, and even the girl Yunxiao received a share.

However, what Xu Yang gave Yunxiao was not a magic artifact, but a very exquisite jade ornament.

"This jade piece must have a significant origin. I salvaged it from that Heaven Martial Realm Thorn Maiden; even she was reluctant to part with it. I sensed a very strong spiritual energy fluctuation within it, so wearing it should greatly aid your spiritual growth."

In fact, for Yunxiao, the item's function was irrelevant. What mattered was that it was Xu Yang's first gift to her, and she would always wear it, regardless of its properties.

"Sect Master, the Golden Knights have ascended the mountain. Should we follow them immediately?"

However, Xu Yang chuckled softly and shook his head. "I want all of you to immediately take our fifty thousand warriors to the Tiger Pill Alliance. There will be people there to meet you, and they will lead you to the strongest alliance capital city in the entire Eastern Domain. The city lord there is my partner. Just go directly, and someone will arrange everything for you perfectly. The rest of the matters here will be handled by Yunxiao and me."

Upon hearing Xu Yang's command, the Five Heavenly Kings were initially stunned, but they quickly understood that Xu Yang was using this method to protect their safety.

"Boss, don't tell me you've made some special discovery around Mount Qizong? If we're truly going to confront the Western Emperor's lineage on a large scale, we'll need our forces to ensure a smoother fight."

"That's right, you guessed correctly this time. Mount Qizong is merely a diversion. What awaits up there are endless traps; it's not Lord Western Emperor's true base of operations at all. If I'm not mistaken, the Western Emperor's true stronghold is located in one of the Eastern Domain's legendary Three Unknowable Lands, which are rumored outside. This so-called Mount Qizong is just an empty shell."

How Xu Yang discovered this was unimportant, and it was not for his subordinates to question. The Five Heavenly Kings clearly understood their roles and immediately acted on Xu Yang's orders, leading their fifty thousand elite troops directly towards the Tiger Pill Alliance city.

After watching the large force quickly depart and safely relocate, Xu Yang then ascended into the air with Yunxiao, closely following the ten thousand Golden Knights into the summit area of Mount Qizong.