Seeing Liu Yan struck down by Nie Li, Deacon Yunhua, who had merged with the Heavenly Star Black Tiger, let out an enraged roar and kicked at Nie Li.
Bang!
Nie Li was sent flying, hit in the abdomen by Yunhua's kick.
He flew several meters before crashing into a tree and gradually slid down, landing heavily on the ground.
Deacon Yunhua glanced down at Liu Yan lying in a pool of blood, fury surging within him.
He sensed that Liu Yan's strength was not particularly strong, yet he had managed to eliminate two of his subordinates.
How could Yunhua contain his rage?
"Dammit!" Yunhua kicked Liu Yan's lifeless body, confirming that he was completely dead.
The most fatal blow had struck the back of his head, leaving no chance of survival.
Nie Li slowly wiped the blood from his lips, a hint of a cold smile gracing his face.
With two enemies down, only Deacon Yunhua remained!
"What devilry is this? You're going to die!" After losing two subordinates, Yunhua shouted in anger, his massive form, thanks to the Heavenly Star Black Tiger merger, leaping into action as he unleashed his sharp claws towards Nie Li, who was merged with the Shadow Demon Spirit.
The Shadow Demon Spirit was a stealthy type of demon spirit, adept at assassination.
However, its own strength was comparatively weak and required gradual growth.
On the other hand, Deacon Yunhua's Heavenly Star Black Tiger was a powerhouse, brimming with formidable fighting strength and inscribed with various empowering runes.
Just as Yunhua's colossal paw was about to crush Nie Li, the latter's figure slowly blurred and vanished into thin air.
Boom!
Deacon Yunhua's massive paw struck a nearby tree, splintering it in half.
"What’s going on?" Yunhua’s pupils dilated in shock; he didn't expect to encounter such something so strange.
What on earth was that?
The Shadow Demon Spirit was a particularly rare and mysterious spirit, and Yunhua had never seen such techniques before, making it understandable for him to be baffled.
Yunhua’s heart raced; while he hadn't clearly seen the figure's appearance, he could ascertain that it was definitely a human who had merged with a demon spirit! Even though he didn’t know which demon spirit it was, a killing intent suddenly flickered in his eyes.
He urged the Heavenly Star Black Tiger to soar through the trees, searching for Nie Li's presence.
"That shadow from earlier must be a rare assassin-type demon spirit!" Yunhua thought to himself, remembering how Nie Li had evaded capture so effortlessly.
As he searched through the woods for Nie Li, the latter hid behind a tree, holding his breath and staying perfectly still.
With his current cultivation and the Shadow Demon Spirit’s abilities, they had only barely stepped into the Silver level.
Facing an opponent like Yunhua, a Silver Five Star demon spirit master, head-on would be utterly futile.
Nie Li could only rely on the Shadow Demon Spirit's elusive nature to strike at Yunhua.
Yunhua's presence drew nearer, getting closer to where Nie Li was hiding.
Whoosh!
At Nie Li's command, the Shadow Demon Spirit suddenly appeared, its sharp claws darting toward Yunhua's neck.
Feeling a chill creeping over him, Yunhua reacted quickly, leaping backwards to evade Nie Li's attack.
He then spun around, lunging toward Nie Li.
Bang bang bang!
The Shadow Demon Spirit’s claws narrowly missed Yunhua’s head multiple times, eliciting a cold sweat from him.
This creature was too terrifying; its limbs could extend or retract at will, moving with astonishing speed.
A single misstep could lead to a deadly strike.
Yunhua leaped away, dodging the Shadow Demon Spirit's strikes, catching his breath as he prepared to launch a fierce counterattack.
But to his surprise, the Shadow Demon Spirit vanished once again.
Yunhua cursed under his breath.
Nie Li, merged with the Shadow Demon Spirit, was proving exceedingly difficult to deal with, disappearing without a trace.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Transformed into the Heavenly Star Black Tiger, he repeatedly swiped in the direction where the Shadow Demon Spirit had vanished, sending debris flying everywhere; however, Nie Li did not reappear.
"This damned spirit is not using a typical invisibility technique!" Yunhua thought, heart racing.
Many assassin-type demon spirits could use invisibility techniques, but there was a notable weakness: they would reveal themselves upon being attacked.
What the Shadow Demon Spirit employed was not an invisibility technique but a rare phasing technique, allowing it to become as insubstantial as air, able to pass through any physical object.
This technique had a weakness: once a spirit used it, its movement speed became incredibly slow, akin to a turtle's.
Yet, due to its rarity, most people had never seen it, let alone recognized its flaws.
Yunhua paused; failing to find Nie Li was dampening his spirits.
Even if he had lost two subordinates, he felt reluctant to retreat.
"I swear I will wipe out your Heavenly Mark Family one day!" Yunhua thought in fury.
However, he was only daydreaming.
While the Heavenly Mark Family had fallen, it was still a noble family in Glory City, under its protection.
For the Dark Guild to eradicate the Heavenly Mark Family, they would need to conquer Glory City first, a task far beyond his capability.
At that moment, rustling sounds came from the distant forest, with several silhouettes darting toward his direction.
It was members of the Heavenly Mark Family!
Yunhua’s pupils constricted, and he sprang into action, dashing into the woods.
Nie Li’s eyes narrowed.
With reinforcements arriving, he had no more worries.
He suddenly revealed himself, his sharp scythe-like limbs slashing at Deacon Yunhua, transforming into streaks of cold light.
Merged with the Shadow Demon Spirit, Nie Li moved like a predatory mantis.
Realizing the imminent danger, Yunhua turned to evade, but he was a beat too slow.
Puff! A gash appeared on his calf, blood splattered.
"Damn it!" Yunhua hadn’t expected the Shadow Demon Spirit to be so swift, faster than before, catching him off guard.
With several powerful leaps, Yunhua vanished into the dark forest.
Considering his own cultivation, it would be hard for Nie Li to pursue him.
With voices drawing near, likely elders of the family, Nie Li’s body shifted slightly.
He gradually pulled back the Shadow Demon Spirit into his Soul Realm, and his appearance returned to that of an ordinary person.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three figures landed before Nie Li, led by Elder Nie En, accompanied by his two brothers, Nie Xiaofeng and Nie Xiaori.
The two brothers were a few years older than Nie Li; Nie Xiaofeng was already a Silver Two Star demon spirit master, while Nie Xiaori was a Silver One Star martial artist.
The relationship between the three brothers and Nie Li had always been rocky, often mocking Nie Li for his lack of talent.
"Nie Li, Elder Nie Yu said that three members of the Dark Guild were here. Where are they?" Elder Nie En questioned, sniffing the air, detecting a hint of blood in the bushes.
"One ran that way, and two are lying here!" Nie Li replied.
"The one who fled is a Silver Five Star demon spirit master, merged with the Heavenly Star Black Tiger. Elder, be careful! That person is injured and should leave a trail of blood!"
Elder Nie En looked surprised at Nie Li's answer, vaguely sensing that Nie Li seemed different today.
"I'll go after him; you two stay here!" Elder Nie En declared solemnly.
If the opponent was indeed a Silver Five Star demon spirit master, there was no use in the two brothers accompanying him.
Elder Nie En took off in pursuit of the direction Yunhua fled, disappearing into the dark forest moments later.
Watching Elder Nie En leave, Nie Xiaofeng and Nie Xiaori exchanged glances with a look of disdain on their faces.
"Why would members of the Dark Guild come here? If you're just fooling Elder Nie En, you know the consequences..." murmured Nie Xiaori, dressed in a black cloak, towering over Nie Li with a condescending glare.
Nie Li frowned at Xiaori's words and replied, "Why would I waste my time tricking you? There are two bodies right there; why don't you take a look for yourselves?"
Though he found the brothers distasteful, they were still members of the Heavenly Mark Family.
After the fall of Glory City, many of their clan members perished at the hands of demon beasts.
Such personal grievances were insignificant.
Nonetheless, Nie Li couldn’t bring himself to be friendly toward them.
Nie Xiaofeng, being a year older than Nie Xiaori and more composed, glanced at Nie Li, contemplating.
The long-standing rivalry stemmed from their parents’ less-than-great relations.
However, he could sense that Nie Li was acting differently today, even daring to argue back.
The three of them walked for a while until Nie Xiaofeng and Nie Xiaori finally came upon the bodies of Liu Qing and Liu Yan.
To their astonishment, two corpses lay before them!
"How did they die?" Nie Xiaori froze momentarily, frowning as he asked, "Did you do this?"
Nie Li did not answer but instead bent down to inspect Liu Qing and Liu Yan.
He discovered two tokens belonging to the Dark Guild on the bodies.
"They're indeed members of the Dark Guild!" Nie Xiaori scoffed.
"They must have been two clumsy thieves trying to steal from our Heavenly Mark Family, and you happened to catch them!"
Nie Li's cultivation was still below Silver One Star, so it stood to reason that these two thieves’ strength wasn't particularly noteworthy.
Nie Xiaofeng shot a suspicious glare at Nie Xiaori.
A look of doubt crossed his face as he knelt and began pulling off some Silver-grade armor from Liu Qing and Liu Yan.
He pinched the muscle on their bodies, muttering, "They are two Silver-grade martial artists!"
"Silver-grade? No way! Brother, are you seeing things?" Nie Xiaori exclaimed incredulously.
"They are definitely Silver-grade, without a doubt. Their armor is all Silver-grade, and their muscle density is likely above yours!" Nie Xiaofeng stated assertively.
At this moment, both Nie Xiaofeng and Nie Xiaori’s eyes were drawn to Nie Li.
"Did you do this?"
Nie Li shrugged, "I never claimed it was me; perhaps they killed each other!"
This whole situation felt peculiar.
Nie Xiaofeng and Nie Xiaori frowned deeply, wondering if there was another powerful figure in the vicinity.
If this unseen powerhouse had helped eliminate members of the Dark Guild, it was likely not an enemy of the Heavenly Mark Family.
Nie Xiaori’s gaze constantly flickered between Nie Li and the ground, finding Nie Li too suspicious.
Yet no matter how hard he thought, he could not imagine that in just a few months, Nie Li’s cultivation had already surpassed that of an average Silver level, far exceeding their expectations!
(End of Chapter)