Life Ancient City—on a silent street.
Seven blond, blue-eyed men and women stood quietly, waiting.
"What a huge commotion."
"Interesting. Looks like that kid Zhao Xuan actually has some ability. He's managed to last quite a while against the boss—almost three minutes now, right?"
"Hah, naive. That brat is only Sixth Rank. If the boss wanted to kill him, it'd be effortless."
"Then… why hasn't the boss come back yet?"
"Isn't it obvious? You know the boss's methods. His family is his reverse scale. He's definitely torturing that Zhao Xuan kid right now."
"It stopped! It stopped! Looks like it's over!"
"…."
The street suddenly fell silent.
All seven turned their gazes toward the distance, calmly waiting for their leader, Hawkins, to return.
There was not the slightest trace of worry on their faces.
Clearly—
They had absolute confidence in Hawkins' strength.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
…
As they waited—
Suddenly.
A black figure sprinted in from the distant street.
Tap tap tap tap tap!
Urgent footsteps shattered the silence.
Soon—
Under their watchful gazes—
Zhao Xuan appeared before them.
Disheveled.
Face pale.
Aura chaotic.
Steps unsteady.
The moment they saw him—
The seven froze.
Confusion surged through their minds.
"Why is it Zhao Xuan?!"
"Where's the boss?"
"…."
At that moment—
Zhao Xuan also "noticed" them.
The panic on his face deepened.
Yet—
Instead of retreating, he glanced backward in extreme fear, then staggered forward toward the seven.
As if—
As if someone terrifying was chasing him from behind.
Seeing this—
And recalling Zhao Xuan's initial escape speed—
The confusion in their minds instantly dissipated.
They naturally assumed that the one chasing Zhao Xuan was Hawkins.
Zhao Xuan's acting wasn't flawless.
But—
That didn't matter.
None of the seven doubted him.
Why?
First—
They had absolute faith in Hawkins' strength.
Second—
Zhao Xuan's injuries were real.
His aura truly chaotic and weak.
This wasn't something that could be faked.
"Hmph, looks like that brat really is fast. He even managed to shake the boss off."
"But judging by his state, he's clearly at the end of his rope!"
"Shit! He's turning—he's trying to escape! Don't let him get away!"
"…."
When Zhao Xuan suddenly veered into a side alley two to three hundred meters away, their expressions turned cold.
Immediately—
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three of the seven used Shave and shot after him.
In the blink of an eye, they reached the alley entrance.
And there—
They saw Zhao Xuan desperately fleeing ahead.
"Hah! Where do you think you're going?!"
Mockery surfaced simultaneously on all three faces.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The three kicked off the ground and charged after him.
At that moment—
Zhao Xuan clearly "noticed" them chasing.
He suddenly drew a sharp breath.
His previously weak body seemed to recover slightly.
Then—
His escape speed abruptly increased.
In a blink, he widened the distance again—
Nearly a full kilometer.
"Damn it!"
"No wonder the boss got shaken off—this brat is fast!"
"…."
Watching Zhao Xuan appear a kilometer away in an instant, their faces darkened.
While they were still stunned—
Zhao Xuan widened the gap by several hundred more meters.
One of them spoke unwillingly, frustration written all over his face.
"No good! He's too fast—we can't catch him!"
The other two shared the same unwillingness.
Just as they were about to give up—
Suddenly—
They saw Zhao Xuan's body jerk violently.
Then—
He stumbled.
And collapsed to the ground.
After lying there for one or two seconds, he shakily climbed back up and continued running.
Seeing this—
The frustration on their faces vanished.
The three exchanged glances.
The next instant—
Tap!
They charged again.
Within seconds, they closed to within one hundred meters of Zhao Xuan.
At that moment—
Zhao Xuan suddenly stumbled "clumsily" into a narrow alley by the roadside.
Whoooosh—
The next instant—
The three arrived at the dark alley entrance.
Before they could clearly see inside—
Suddenly—
"ROOOOAR!!!!!!!!"
A terrifying roar exploded from within the alley.
Immediately after—
Razor-sharp winds surged outward.
Before any of them could react—
Zhao Xuan, now in Dragon-Man form, burst out of the alley.
Under the tenfold physique boost of Dragon-Man form—
Combined with the explosive power of the One-Second Technique—
The next instant—
Zhao Xuan's fist smashed directly into the head of the first pursuer.
One punch.
A terrifying punch.
Pop.
Blood and pale matter exploded into the air.
Before the remaining two could even react—
BOOM!!!!!
Zhao Xuan was already in front of the second pursuer.
His fist crashed forward.
Crack crack crack!
The sound of ribs shattering echoed.
Vast, overwhelming force surged into the man's body—
And crushed his heart instantly.
After instantly killing two—
Zhao Xuan didn't pause.
The next instant, he was already in front of the third.
Only now did that man finally react.
But—
Zhao Xuan was too fast.
Far too fast.
He had barely begun to retreat—
When Zhao Xuan's fist slammed into his skull.
Thud!!!
Thud!!!
Pop!!!
Three brutal impacts.
Another fresh watermelon burst apart.
Zhao Xuan swiftly picked up the Spatial Ruin Cores that dropped from their bodies.
Then—
He once again suppressed the life energy surging from his bones.
The moment the life energy was cut off—
The backlash of the One-Second Technique struck.
His face instantly turned pale.
His aura became unstable.
And then—
Just like that—
While forcibly suppressing the life energy trying to erupt—
He staggered back the way he came.
"Ha… ha… ha… ha… ha…"
Panting heavily—
Zhao Xuan appeared once more before the remaining four.
They froze again.
Zhao Xuan repeated the same trick.
Feigning weakness.
He glanced in fear toward the direction he had come from—
Then shakily pulled out the Seventh-Rank Energy Bomb given to him earlier by the Kyushu youth.
Gritting his teeth, he charged toward the four.
Looking like—
A man driven to desperation.
A final, suicidal struggle.
Seeing this—
The four burst into laughter.
Then—
They spread out instantly, blocking the road completely.
Not allowing Zhao Xuan any path through.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Zhao Xuan wore a look of utter panic and madness.
Staring at the four blocking his path, he screamed hoarsely:
"Don't force me! Don't force me! Get out of the way! Get out of my way!"
"Don't push me! Don't push me!"
"Or I'll fight you to the death!"
Hearing this—
The smiles on their faces grew even wider.
Fight us to the death?
With what?
With that Seventh-Rank energy bomb in your hand?
What a joke.
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