Chapter Fourteen: Thirteen Celestial Assassins

"Our Ye family and your Bloodswallow Alliance have always minded our own business and never interfered with each other. Could it be that someone has paid you to act against us? Did your superiors not consider the consequences of such a move?" Ye Xiang demanded forcefully, questioning whether they could withstand the Ye family's retaliation.

"Ye Xiang, spare me your threats! Death Reaper couldn't kill you, but that doesn't mean you'll escape today. This place will be your grave!" Blooddrinker sneered, his eyes cold as iron, his body trembling with rage.

A chilling laugh escaped Blooddrinker. "Isn't the so-called backbone of your main Ye family just a supreme powerhouse? And isn't that what you branches rely on the most? Let me tell you, it's not just the Ye family that boasts a supreme warrior—our Bloodswallow Alliance also has one. So your threats? They're a joke to us."

His words dripped with ridicule. Ye Xiang's expression flickered darkly, and he cursed inwardly, "What now? Judging from their tone, they've clearly come prepared! There's no avoiding a bloody battle tonight."

Kuanglong's face twisted with indecision. After much inner struggle, he finally resolved to stay and fight—not for any other reason but the honor of a warrior, which compelled him to battle.

"Blooddrinker, stop wasting time with him! Let's finish them all and get back quickly. We shouldn't keep the lord waiting," Wolf Fang urged, reminding Blooddrinker to resolve the matter before they risked punishment for delay.

Inside the carriage, Leng Tian was making arrangements for a retreat. "Yanlong, you five protect the siblings and get them out. If you can't break through, I'll have Max take you away while I cover your escape!"

"Brother, you must come with us! It's too dangerous for you to stay!" Huo Wu protested stubbornly, refusing to let Leng Tian remain behind.

"I'm not leaving either! I want to stay and help Father!" Ye Fan's eyes were red with emotion, his fists clenched as he shouted.

"Xiao Fan, don't be reckless! Staying will only hinder Father. Listen to Brother Leng—Father will be all right!" Ye Die understood the gravity of the situation and curbed her brother's impulsiveness.

Ye Fan wanted to argue further, but Leng Tian silenced him with a thunderous shout. "Enough! Both of you get moving—I'll cover the retreat."

With a swift motion, a golden blade of energy shot forth, piercing the skull of an approaching assassin, whose corpse toppled to the ground with a thud.

Yanlong and his team hesitated no longer, shepherding the siblings toward the border of the Blue Surge Empire.

Leng Tian's figure flickered ceaselessly, golden blades shooting from his fingertips and felling every Bloodswallow assassin who tried to intercept Yanlong's group, each blade shattering skulls and ending lives instantly.

Two beams of energy flashed toward him from either side, but Leng Tian's eyes held only disdain. To others, Heaven-ranked warriors might seem formidable, but that depended on whom they faced.

In Leng Tian's eyes, Heaven-ranks were merely a joke. Still, he could not afford to reveal the full extent of his strength, for without the means to guarantee his own safety, he did not wish to draw envy or unnecessary trouble.

He shifted his stance, his footwork weaving and exchanging positions in an instant, his body seeming to vanish and reappear. Both fists shot out, shattering the two energy blades with brute force.

Two figures crossed before him, each wielding two palm-wide blades of energy shaped like shears, slicing from either side toward his waist.

Gold light flared as all four blades were silently destroyed. Two soft exclamations of surprise rang out, but Leng Tian's footwork grew more rapid; his body seemed to multiply, suddenly appearing as four distinct images.

The two Heaven-ranked assassins had no time to see what had happened before their arms were seized by overwhelming strength. Pain shot through their consciousness, and cries of agony escaped their lips.

Leng Tian's imposing figure shook, and with a powerful swing of his arms—swish! swish!—the two Heaven-ranked warriors were hurled into the Crimson Butterfly Grove.

Glancing sideways, he saw dozens of figures rushing toward him. Meanwhile, Ye Xiang and Kuanglong were already beset by eight Heaven-ranked warriors, their eyes bloodshot but their wits still intact as they fought while retreating toward the border.

In total, there were thirteen Heaven-ranked killers. Eight surrounded Ye Xiang and Kuanglong; the remaining five charged straight at Leng Tian.

The two who had been thrown into the grove soon emerged unscathed, joining the other three to besiege Leng Tian.

Ye Xiang and Kuanglong’s men fell one after another. The Bloodswallow Alliance executed their assault with flawless coordination, overwhelming their foes with numbers—groups of three attacking in tandem, backed by two assassins wielding custom-made crossbows, picking off their targets with deadly precision.

Though the Azure Guard boasted considerable numbers and had undergone strict Ye family training, they were no match for assassins who struck only to kill.

It was easy to dodge open attacks, but not the ones from the shadows. In this desperate melee, even the warriors of the Wild Dragon Mercenary Company could not escape death’s summons.

The crossbowmen were all master marksmen. No matter how chaotic the battle, they picked off targets without endangering their own.

One mercenary, fiercely tenacious, managed to plunge his weapon into an enemy’s heart despite losing an arm. But the next moment, his eyes glazed over as a crossbow bolt pierced his brow, ending his life instantly.

Ye Xiang realized their numbers were dwindling rapidly. "Damn it!" he cursed. In a moment of distraction, a gleaming crescent blade suddenly appeared at his side.

Blooddrinker’s eyes gleamed with a cruel smile as he slashed at Ye Xiang’s neck, a blade of energy extending a full inch from the edge and flashing forward like thunder.

Ye Xiang's pupils contracted. With uncanny agility, he twisted and leaned back, the blade of energy slicing past the tip of his nose. Blooddrinker’s eyes flickered with surprise.

Ye Xiang did not fall; his waist bent with the serpentine grace of a python as he spun, thrusting his short sword toward Blooddrinker’s chest.

Blooddrinker, caught off guard and unable to withdraw, roared in desperation, twisting his wrist to bring the hilt of his blade down on Ye Xiang’s sword tip.

Ye Xiang anticipated the move, stamping the ground as his short sword seemed to come alive, trembling and shifting so that the hilt now pointed forward and the blade backward.

Blooddrinker’s strike missed. Ye Xiang used the opportunity to slip behind him, and a cry of anguish rang out as a crossbowman was struck in the chest by Ye Xiang’s thrown short sword, falling dead on the spot.

Ye Xiang did not pause; his body flashed like lightning, evading several Heaven-ranked assassins. Though he broke through the encirclement, fresh wounds bled through his clothing.

Retrieving his short sword, Ye Xiang shouted to Kuanglong, "Find a way to break free! We'll regroup at the border!" Then, summoning the Ye family's secret Miststep technique, his form became as elusive as drifting smoke, vanishing amid the onslaught as he fled toward the frontier.