Chapter 38: A Family Must Stay Together

Gozzi’s hand rested on the hilt of his waist sword, his deep black eyes scanning the surroundings—in an instant, his chest felt crushed under a massive stone, drenched in sweat.

As one of the Four Ghosts of the Original Imperial Fist Temple, he had fought countless battles, yet now he dared not move a single step.

He knew he had been targeted by enemies.

But he did not know where the enemies were, how many there were—everything was unknown; he was in the open, the enemy in the shadows.

The tree canopy above, the roadside shrubs, the mountain soil—all seemed to hide countless eyes fixed upon him, ready to strike the moment he stirred.

This was a trap set for him!

And he was already trapped deep within a killing array, unable to escape.

Though his heart burned with urgency, Gozzi tightly controlled his expression, restoring his mind to a state of cold calm.

At that moment, a soft chant slowly emerged from the forest ahead: “I am the dual pupils of Death God Orberg—the Unchanging Light shall watch you enter the Netherworld…”

Assassins of Orberg! Why are they after me? Has the Empire’s plan been exposed? No, I was careful—I never contacted any outsiders; there should be no leaks… A flood of chaotic thoughts surged in, yet all ultimately converged into one—

—No, I cannot fall here! If I die, my children will surely not survive!

So what if they are Orberg’s?

As long as I have the Imperial Artifact “One Strike, Certain Death,” I may still fight my way out!

With this thought, Gozzi remained motionless, but his muscles rippled like flowing water, and the long strands of hair at the back of his head stirred as if alive—though this astonishing sight could be seen only by his enemies.

Killing intent!

A shocking, concentrated killing intent surged toward him in an instant, and the shadowy figure cloaked in black launched a thunderous strike!

Ping—!!

In the blink of an eye, Gozzi drew the Imperial Artifact Murasame at super speed, blocking the piercing strike mere inches from his body, producing a crisp metallic chime.

But merely blocking the attack was not enough—he had to counterattack! His mutated arm muscles could execute a hyper-speed triple slash beyond natural law; if the opponent failed to react even once—even a minor graze—would kill instantly.

Tear!

To his surprise, his confident triple slash had cut only a black robe—beyond it, no one was there. The enemy, as if prepared, struck once and vanished immediately.

Suddenly, a rushing sound came from behind him.

Without hesitation, Gozzi’s long hair—tough as spider silk, hard as steel—whipped wildly under the stimulation of the Imperial Fist Temple’s secret technique, intercepting all hidden projectiles.

“Wrong—how could it be this easy?!”

As the force from the projectiles reached his brain, Gozzi keenly realized the attacks were pathetically weak—like those of a beginner apprentice; even if they hit, they would cause little damage.

What tightened his pupils and stiffened his muscles was the wild roar coming from his side, obscured by the torn black robe—

“Woooh! Eat my Northern Dipper Flying Guard Fist!”

Gozzi spun his blade and retreated frantically, yet sneered inwardly—who ever shouts out their technique’s name when attacking? Stupid!

Bang—!

This flying kick was faster than normal, quicker than imaginable, fiercer than rational!

A powerful shockwave disrupted the air; a strange blue light flashed and vanished—a human projectile struck Gozzi with such force it could blast a crater into the earth.

Cold seeped into his marrow—a chilling sense of extreme peril spread from the crown of his head to his entire body; his previously overheated frame seemed coated in a faint frost, joints frozen stiff. His warrior’s instinct screamed: absolutely do not block this punch… Foot?

How could it be a foot?!

Gozzi finally spotted the blind spot—the opponent had called a flying kick a fist technique! Despicable! Utterly shameless!

And what terrified him further was that the kick was not aimed at him—its true target was… the Imperial Artifact “Murasame” in his hand!

Boom!

A force, overwhelming and impossibly immense, exploded across his clenched fist gripping the hilt—like a bomb detonating!

Violent winds surged, blue, white, and black light mingling and erupting at a single point.

The colossal impact shattered his right hand in an instant; the penetrating force reduced his entire arm to shredded flesh and pulverized bone; the sword, under gravitational pull, fell to the ground.

“What kind of power is this?!”

Unprecedented agony slammed into Gozzi’s brain, nearly overwhelming his control—but his terrifying willpower still drove his tentacle-like hair to thrash desperately.

If I can seize Murasame, I still have a chance!

“You have no chance.”

Jia Ji sneered, stepping firmly on the blade of Murasame with his foot, driving it three inches into the earth with crushing force.

Then he thrust a palm upward, striking Gozzi’s chin—vibrating force shook his skull and brain, as if violently stirring the contents inside.

The leader of the Empire’s assassination unit, Gozzi, saw darkness—and collapsed into unconsciousness.

Yet Jia Ji did not spare him; his right hand gripped Gozzi’s other shoulder and squeezed—“Northern Dipper Steel Shatter Grip” crushed the sturdy arm like dough, tearing it clean off.

Then he paused for two seconds and shaved Gozzi bald with the Imperial Artifact Murasame.

“Good. That should be fine.”

After sheathing Murasame, Jia Ji suddenly realized he was holding an Imperial Artifact—but it neither resisted him nor called to him.

Generally, Imperial Artifacts have two usage prerequisites: one, those whose wavelength does not match cannot use them; forcibly using one either disables its power or harms the host; two, one cannot wield two or more simultaneously—the human body can bear only one artifact’s burden.

Whether one can use it or not seems entirely up to the artifact’s mood.

Perhaps because Jia Ji is not from this world, his wavelength cannot be recognized—hence the artifact reacts to him not at all.

Although he can hold the Imperial Artifact, he cannot activate its special abilities.

“Tsk tsk tsk.” Shaking his head, Jia Ji strapped Murasame to his waist—he still planned to give this useless thing to Chi Tong, but the future Chi Tong.

“Done. That one… Miaozi, right? Come clean up this guy. Don’t let him die by accident—he’s still useful.”

Jia Ji tossed the half-dead, limbless Gozzi to Miaozi, the smallest in stature, feeling no guilt—after all, this man had committed countless atrocities under the Empire’s banner; he was practically a half-worthless scumbag.

Half-limbless, half-scumbag—perfect match.

“Cherise, Barbara, come with me!”

“Next, we go and take his entire family.”

“Northern Dipper Flying Guard Fist” sounds like “Northern Dipper One-Night Stand”

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(End of Chapter)