Chapter 27

The evening breeze brought a chill, and Lulan squinted her eyes, looking at the distant gray and towering building. The night was deep, yet the lights were still on.

He was considering whether to alert the owner of the building or to choose to enter silently. The two outcomes lay between each step and each sword strike. If he were not a high-ranking swordsman, his senses would not have detected the barrier the building's owner had set up around the perimeter. Although it was just a simple warning barrier, its secrecy was far from simple.

A complex barrier indicated that the person who set it up was also not simple.

If he chose to take a step forward, the barrier's owner would discover an intruder. If he chose to cut through the barrier, the owner would not notice, as he had the ability to cut through the barrier without the owner realizing it.

The situation seemed to have deviated from his expectations. Lulan himself had not anticipated such an unexpected encounter, and even more surprising was that when he retracted his foot upon discovering the barrier, a new free-choice mission refreshed in his mind.

"Kill the owner of 666 Slate Street in the Crimson Light District, Anbofen."

It was rare for a mission to align with his purpose. After a moment's thought, Lulan accepted it.

He did not know the strength of the barrier's owner, and accepting the mission rashly seemed hasty, but he knew that the barrier's owner was not overly powerful, at least not to him.

Because he knew the world of those who could set up barriers.

"Disguise" activated, and Lulan changed his appearance. He did not want the other party to recognize his face, and he would not easily expose himself unless he had absolute confidence.

Lulan raised his sword, his deep eyes fixed on the ground in front of him.

He struck, and in an instant, a straight crack appeared before him, like an ugly scar on the earth.

He stepped forward without hesitation.

The invisible barrier seemed to open a gate, welcoming his entry.

He made his choice.

Anbofen had no family, neither in the past nor now.

People thought he did not want or dare to have one.

Because every time Slate Street was reshuffled, the families of the original owners would suffer fatal disasters. Those in that position would offend many people, and when they lost the protection of their status, the overwhelming revenge would destroy everything.

Few could have a good start and a good end. This was the cruel reality behind the highest honor of Slate Street.

When you gained something, you would also lose something.

After Anbofen rose to power, he killed the entire family of the original owner. Behind this cruel and brutal method, perhaps he understood the weight of the word "family" more deeply.

But who knew his true thoughts?

In his grand mansion, there were only a few servants and guards, cold and desolate. Every night, the servants would light the lamps in the house, as if to dispel the eerie fear brought by the darkness.

Anbofen never seemed to worry about his safety, perhaps because his guards were not enough.

But his enemies never underestimated him because of this. They only thought it was a trap set by Anbofen, waiting for them to jump out.

In fact, Anbofen had not set any traps.

So when Xiaolan infiltrated the residence, he had already silently and easily killed all the guards outside.

Anbofen's study.

He was half-lying in a comfortable chair with his eyes closed. If it weren't for his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest, one might think he had fallen asleep.

A hurried and panicked footsteps approached, and Anbofen's brows furrowed slightly, as his peace was disturbed.

The door was pushed open forcefully, and Anbofen suddenly smelled the scent of blood, very strong. When he opened his eyes, he knew why.

"Master! There... there are enemies... killing..."

The servant who pushed the door was covered in blood, one hand still tightly gripping the doorknob, seemingly supporting his body. His eyes were filled with fear and a plea for help. His stammering words were cut off as he fell to the ground, powerless.

Enemies invading? Impossible.

After hearing the servant's last words, Anbofen immediately thought that his barrier had not warned him.

But if there were really enemies, there was only one possibility: the intruders had the ability to break through his barrier without him noticing. But when had he provoked such a person? Could it be that his identity had been exposed?

Thinking of this, Anbofen's face turned grim, and his right hand unconsciously touched a plain ring on his left middle finger. He stood up from his seat, determined to find out who the enemy was.

Stepping over the dead servant's body, Anbofen was about to turn his head when a strong killing intent suddenly hit him. Before he could react, he felt a chill in his heart.

One person, one sword.

The person was right in front of him, the sword piercing his heart.

The long sword was pulled out, leaving a trail of blood on Anbofen's chest, and the force pushed him back several steps.

"Who are you?"

Anbofen did not fall. He clutched his heart, half-kneeling on the ground, and looked up at the "assassin" with a cold question.

"You didn't die?" the person replied.

"Surprised?"

Anbofen stood up with a grim smile, seemingly unconcerned about the blood still flowing from the wound in his heart. He looked at the person in front of him, ordinary and unfamiliar.

The person was silent, and the sword in his hand was ready to attack again. Since the first attempt failed, he would try again.

"It seems there's nothing to talk about between us."

Anbofen opened his left hand, and the plain ring on his middle finger suddenly glowed. A purple-black array appeared under his feet, materializing with a bang.

The person took a cautious step back.

"Ha-ha—" Seeing the other's reaction, Anbofen couldn't help but mock, "Don't be nervous, I'm just opening a barrier. I don't want to cause any other trouble."

As he spoke, the purple-black array under Anbofen's feet began to expand, its light fading until it became invisible. But the "assassin" knew that the entire residence was now enveloped by a force of rules.

"It seems I need to avenge my servants." Anbofen, sensing the silence in the room, looked at the "assassin" with a smile.

In response, Xiaolan launched a sword attack with explosive speed.

"Raging Serpent"

This time, Anbofen was not unprepared. The moment Xiaolan took a step, Anbofen extended his left hand, and a half-person-tall purple-black array suddenly appeared.

Xiaolan's sword was still a step away when the purple-black array on Anbofen's left hand suddenly spewed out several black snake heads. Their triangular heads with green eyes opened their mouths wide, revealing sharp fangs, and lunged at the enemy in front of them.

Caught off guard, Xiaolan quickly retreated to dodge, his long sword forming a defensive circle to block the attacks from the raging black snakes. However, each impact from the black snakes caused an explosion, and each time Xiaolan had to withstand the powerful force of the explosion.

He was somewhat disheveled. Although the black snakes would disappear in a cloud of black mist after each explosion, more black snakes continued to emerge from Anbofen's array.

He needed to solve the source of the black snakes.

In the midst of resisting the black snakes' attacks, Xiaolan discovered their weakness: they had no brains and lacked flexibility. If he dodged in time, they would attack straight ahead and explode.

He began to dodge consciously, and the distance between him and Anbofen grew closer.

Anbofen's eyes were fixed on his movements, as he never underestimated his enemies. When he noticed the change in Xiaolan's actions, he knew what he was going to do. This was the intuition of a battle mage.

The array in his hand glowed again, and the black snakes stopped emerging. The purple-black array's patterns began to change.

"Black Fog Quagmire"

The purple-black array flashed, and the spell patterns changed.

Instantly, the entire space turned dark.

As if losing his vision, Xiaolan could no longer see anything, but he knew Anbofen's position. He needed to launch an attack instantly, or he might never find Anbofen again.

However, his movement was hindered, as his feet seemed to be stuck in a quagmire, and he missed the best opportunity to attack.

The remaining black snakes continued their attacks, and Xiaolan found it increasingly difficult to dodge.

A powerful explosion made the entire building shake slightly.

Anbofen dispelled the black fog and smiled from a distance, looking at the fallen Xiaolan. "You seem weaker than I imagined."

He knew he hadn't died.

Xiaolan, with tattered clothes, struggled to raise his head, his eyes still cold as he looked at Anbofen. "Twilight Mage?"

"Hehe—" Anbofen stroked the plain ring on his left middle finger and laughed. "It seems you know a lot."

"The unique spells of a Twilight Mage are hard to forget," Xiaolan mocked.

If "Raging Serpent" was an accident, then "Black Fog Quagmire," a spell that could blind all senses, was not. Not to mention why he was still alive after being pierced by a sword.

"Seems you're quite unwilling?" Anbofen laughed.

Xiaolan gripped his sword, supporting his injured body and standing up unsteadily. "As long as I'm not dead, I won't be unwilling. Only the dead are unwilling."

"But you'll soon be dead," Anbofen said matter-of-factly.

"Maybe it will be you," Xiaolan replied.

Anbofen spread his arms, his tone challenging. "I'm here. Can you kill me?"

Xiaolan was silent for a moment. "I'm curious why the people of the Radiant Cathedral in the capital haven't discovered you."

"Seems you're not from the Radiant Cathedral," Anbofen sneered after hearing Xiaolan's words. "If it were that easy to be discovered, would we still exist?"

We?

Xiaolan understood what he meant by "we."

"Tell me, who sent you?" Anbofen wanted to know something, even if the other party might not say anything. It was better to ask than not to ask at all.

"I'm just someone who wants your life," Xiaolan said calmly.

"Interesting."

Anbofen extended his left hand, and the purple-black array changed its patterns.

"But it's a pity that all those who have wanted my life over the years are dead."