Long Xiao did not use his Five Elements Qi, so his attack speed slowed considerably. He relied solely on his swordsmanship to kill Hei Tian, and it took over ten minutes to finish.
Hei Tian's strength was second only to An Ye, making him the strongest among these twenty-odd people besides An Ye.
Clutching the spot over his heart, blood gushed out, and the feeling of suffocation grew heavier. He tried his best to inhale air, to drive away the excruciating pain that gripped his entire body.
Long Xiao walked into the flower wreath and funeral supplies shop and picked up Hei Tian's phone from the table.
The screen was still lit. Long Xiao opened the call log and checked. The last call was to his master, made precisely when Long Xiao entered Screw Alley.
"Boss, should we head to the next stronghold?" Xiao Ming landed on the ground and asked.
Long Xiao shook his head and said, "Not yet. You and Tian Shui guard the alley entrance. The others should be arriving soon."
Xiao Ming and Luo Tian Shui left. Long Xiao dragged the seven corpses into the house and threw them into the living quarters.
Under the dim light, Long Xiao sat on a lounge chair, took out his own phone, and deleted seven photos from his album.
Soon, Luo Tian Shui's call came through. He informed Long Xiao that three more had arrived.
"Let them in. Help me watch the alley entrance and don't let them escape."
The three men were cautious. They parked their car at the alley entrance, walked towards Screw Alley on foot, and simultaneously observed their surroundings.
Screw Alley was eerily silent, not a sound to be heard except for the faint footsteps of the three men.
Long Xiao rose, picked up his long sword, moved the lounge chair, and walked out of the flower wreath and funeral supplies shop.
Beneath the white paper lanterns, Long Xiao lightly placed the lounge chair down, then his long sword at his feet. He leaned back on the lounge chair and took out his phone to play a game.
As the three men approached the flower wreath and funeral supplies shop, they were hit by a strong scent of blood, and they stopped.
Long Xiao looked up towards the bend in the alley, put away his phone, and said, "They're here. Come on in."
Hearing the unfamiliar voice, the three men quickly drew their short swords from their waists and cautiously advanced.
In front of the flower wreath and funeral supplies shop, the strong smell of blood wafted in the gentle breeze, and the white paper lanterns swayed slightly.
"You killed them?" Seeing Long Xiao, one of the assassins sniffed and asked.
Long Xiao nodded. The lounge chair swayed, and he stood up, holding his long sword.
Long Xiao's footsteps echoed long and deep in the quiet Screw Alley. The aura of death spread, enveloping the three assassins.
Having been on missions abroad for many years, each of them had killed hundreds of people. They had always operated alone; this was their first time working together.
When they first arrived in Donghai, they didn't understand why so many experts were mobilized. Killing one person was a complete waste.
"Let's wait for An Ye."
"No need," another assassin shook his head and said. "No point waiting for him. By the time he arrives, it should already be over."
The long sword in Long Xiao's hand flickered in the dim light, forming a dazzling sword flower, like a blooming silver-white flower of hell.
Hearing the whistling sound of the long sword, the three assassins raised their short swords and pierced the air with a whistling sound, lunging towards Long Xiao's throat.
Their combined strength could barely surpass Hei Tian's. Long Xiao weaved through them using the 'Chi Mei Xiao Yao Bu' (Wandering Step of the Chi Mei) while attacking with the 'Long You Jian' (Dragon Swimming Sword).
The three assassins seemed to see a silver dragon attacking them. They constantly dodged and blocked, gradually losing their ability to fight back.
This time, Long Xiao still did not use his Five Elements Qi, and he only exerted eighty percent of his strength.
The fight lasted less than ten minutes. A flash of sword light, and one assassin clutched his chest and slowly fell to the ground.
The other two assassins had already sensed the arrival of death. The moment their companion was killed, they found an opportunity to escape. Both of them simultaneously retreated quickly, leaving Long Xiao's attack range.
The strength of these two assassins was roughly at the early stage of the Earth Realm. Watching their figures disappear around the bend of Screw Alley, Long Xiao did not pursue.
He sat back on the lounge chair, took out his phone, and deleted the photos of the three men. He trusted Luo Tian Shui and Xiao Ming's abilities; those two wouldn't escape.
The two assassins fled in a panic along the winding Screw Alley. They hadn't run far when they saw a child with a backpack standing under the dim streetlamp.
"This young master is going on a killing spree today, haha, two roast ducks." Xiao Ming shouted loudly, pulling out his Xuan Tie cleaver from his backpack, ready to strike.
Suddenly, a red light descended from the sky. The targeted assassin frantically raised his short sword to block. With a metallic clash, the short sword was severed. Luo Tian Shui stood behind the assassin.
The sound of the short sword hitting the ground was followed by the assassin's head falling heavily to the ground.
Luo Tian Shui's full-force strike gave the assassin no chance to retaliate. Seeing this, Xiao Ming roared and charged at the other assassin.
Xiao Ming's speed was faster than Luo Tian Shui's, but he had no combat experience and knew no techniques.
The Xuan Tie cleaver chopped down towards the assassin's face. The assassin was utterly panicked. He had been trained to kill since childhood, and fear had left his heart before he was ten.
Seeing the Xuan Tie cleaver and Xiao Ming, for the first time in many years, the assassin felt the threat of death, felt endless fear.
He completely lost the will to fight back and could only dodge. After a few dodges, with a *thump*, the assassin's head was split in half by the Xuan Tie cleaver.
Red and grayish-white sprayed out, scaring Luo Tian Shui into retreating rapidly, lest he be splashed by the blood.
Xiao Ming retreated even faster. Just as Luo Tian Shui's back hit the wall, Xiao Ming had already scaled the wall and crouched in the darkness.
When An Ye arrived with his three subordinates, they didn't see Xiao Ming or Luo Tian Shui. They only saw two corpses lying under the dim light.
One body was surrounded by blood and brains, and the other's head lay five meters away on the ground.
This is too damn cruel. Who is this Long Xiao? Why would he make the scene so bloody when killing someone?
"Master, Hei Tian and the others are probably all dead."
"They're definitely dead. We fell into a trap. There's not just Long Xiao here; he must have helpers."
"Master, let's retreat."
An Ye shook his head and said, "Retreat? Where to? We can't leave now."
Xiao Ming chuckled and said, "Four roast ducks. Not bad, not bad."
Seeing Xiao Ming land on the ground, An Ye scanned the surroundings again and asked, "Where is Long Xiao? Tell him to come out."
Xiao Ming pointed inside Screw Alley and said, "He's waiting for you inside. I advise you not to go in. My boss is too cruel. I'll do the chopping."
"You cut them?" An Ye asked.
Xiao Ming pointed at the assassin he had killed with the Xuan Tie cleaver and said, "I cut one."
Luo Tian Shui emerged from the darkness and said, "This guy is also cruel. I'll do it."
"I came to find Long Xiao, not to kill you," An Ye said.
Xiao Ming and Luo Tian Shui both smiled and pointed inside Screw Alley.