Chapter 825: Both sides know full well: the battle begins!

Inside the private room, the atmosphere was harmonious.

The whole venue's atmosphere……appeared peaceful and relaxed, but inside……it had long been tensed into a single……about‑to‑snap deadly bowstring.

After a brief silence and standoff, Bai Guiyuan, Chairman of the White Gold Han Group, slowly rose and took the initiative to step forward.

He held a clear highball cup with both hands respectfully, the cup filled with limpid liquor, his movement extremely humble.

The arrogance he once had as a regional magnate was completely withdrawn; his whole posture was lowered to the extreme, his waist and back slightly bent.

His face was full of sincere remorse; he deeply bowed his head to apologize to Qin Bore, his tone soft and guilty.

"Miss Qin, all previous conflicts were due to our narrow vision and rash actions; today I formally apologize to you here."

"I offer this cup to you, hoping to dispel all past grudges; I also ask Miss Qin for your tolerance."

Qin Bore sat calmly in her original seat, her expression composed and unperturbed, quietly watching the other party's deliberate show of weakness.

She did not immediately refuse, nor did she ask further; she simply raised her hand and gently took the cup of liquor.

Her lips lightly touched the icy rim of the cup; she slightly tilted her head back and elegantly took a small sip of the liquor.

Merely the act of a light taste and stopping, yet it precisely fell into the eyes of every new‑faction magnate present.

When they actually saw the liquor go down her throat, the originally tense magnates instantly flashed a sinister smile in their eyes.

Hong Bai Tian's feigned gentleness at the corner of his mouth completely faded, replaced by a bone‑chilling cold sneer.

Lu Yuanshan and Lan Shengqiang, among others, exchanged glances, their eyes all hiding the gloom and delight of success.

Everyone was certain that the liquor laced with the specially made soft‑bone powder had entered her system; Qin Bore had already fallen for the trap.

In their view, it would take only a moment before the woman who had been pressing them so hard they could barely breathe would go limp, her limbs weak and helpless, at their mercy.

They failed to notice that beneath Qin Bore's lowered eyelids lay a hint of cold amusement.

Just as everyone's gaze focused on the cup, secretly delighted, Qin Bore took advantage of the motion of raising her hand to cover her mouth.

She silently spat out the liquor remaining in her mouth, precisely onto the palm‑fitting napkin.

The motion was minute and smooth, utterly natural, with no abnormality, perfectly evading everyone's sight.

Having done all that, she slowly set down the cup, her composure still calm and untroubled, without the slightest flaw.

At this moment, Le Xiao chen, seated in the chief position, spoke up in time, continuing to uphold the pretense of reconciliatory cooperation.

"Miss Qin, since the misunderstanding has been resolved, we sincerely hope to shake hands and make peace with the Divine Phoenix Group."

"From now on in the Jiangnan business district, we can set aside past grudges, help each other, and become mutually beneficial partners."

"The new faction is willing to relinquish all interests, seeking only a situation of peaceful coexistence."

His tone was sincere, his words earnest, every sentence crafting the illusion of long‑term cooperation and complete reconciliation.

Qin Bore's eyes shifted slightly, and she displayed a perfectly moderate soft smile on her face, feigning agreement.

"Since you all show such sincerity, let us temporarily set aside past grievances; cooperation can be discussed."

That feigned agreement completely convinced every new‑faction magnate present that the moment had thoroughly ripened.

The next second, the sincere, humble, peace‑seeking smiles on everyone's faces instantly cracked and vanished.

In their place rose faces full of ferocity, gloom, and bloodlust; the temperature in the private room instantly plunged to freezing.

Hong Bai Tian slammed the table hard, his murderous aura erupting as he let out a fierce roar.

"Attack!"

The rough, icy shout exploded inside the private room, shattering the last trace of false calm.

The heavy, solid wooden door of the private room was instantly kicked open by a tremendous force, slamming against the wall and reverberating.

Dozens of top‑rank assassins lying in wait outside surged in like a tide, their speed astonishingly extreme.

At the same moment, Le Xiao chen violently grabbed the cup on the table containing a stronger dose of the soft‑bone‑powder liquor.

His eyes were mad and sinister; he rushed forward, intending to forcibly seize Qin Bore's jaw and force her to drink it all.

Qin Bore, who had anticipated every trap and stayed on guard the whole time, moved her body suddenly, reacting as fast as lightning.

She exerted light force from her waist, shifting her upper body sideways to dodge, perfectly avoiding Le Xiao chen's lunging form.

Before he could react, she snapped her right leg straight, delivering a precise, fierce kick that smashed hard into the body of the wine cup.

A clear cracking sound burst out; the highball cup instantly flew into the air and crashed heavily to the floor, shattering.

The liquor laced with the medicine splashed in all directions, completely spilling onto the ground, utterly wasted—not a drop touched Qin Bore.

At the instant the killing shout rang out, Lin Yun'er beside her immediately entered combat mode, without the slightest hesitation.

A cold light flashed at her waist; a sharp short blade leapt from its sheath, its icy gleam flashing piercingly under the warm lights.

She darted forward, straight into the crowd of assassins rushing into the private room, instantly launching a fierce, ruthless close‑quarters melee.

The blade wind howled fiercely; each swing was precise and vicious, every move deadly, firmly suppressing the charging assassins.

In the corridor outside the private room, dense ranks of enforcers streamed in one after another, an endless flow pouring into the room.

Each enforcer gripped a sharp, icy cold blade; the blade's surface glowed with a chilling light, radiating killing intent.

Heavy footsteps clamored in disorder; the cold light of the metal blades spread across the whole field of vision, the deadly situation fully unfolding.

Faced with assassins encircling from all sides and a sea of blade light, Qin Bore stood upright in place, without a trace of panic or fear.

She slowly lifted her gaze, coldly sweeping over the surrounding ferocious‑looking, murder‑intent‑revealing new‑faction magnates, and curled the corner of her mouth into a bone‑chilling cold smile.

The last trace of gentleness in her eyes faded completely, leaving only bone‑deep chill and an overwhelming dominance that crushes all.

"Gentlemen, is this what you call a parley??"

The cold female voice pierced the clamor of footsteps and slaughter, echoing clearly throughout the private room, laced with utter mockery.

Le Xiao chen, seeing this, no longer needed to feign endurance; his face filled with frenzied ferocity, he lifted his head and burst into a furious laugh.

He strode forward, his eyes blood‑red, locked tightly on Qin Bore, his tone vicious and arrogant, completely tearing away all false pretenses.

"Victors become kings, vanquished become bandits! Qin Bore!"

"Today's banquet, from start to finish, was a death trap set especially for you—its sole purpose was to kill you!"

Hahaha! It's a pity you're so foolish; you still took the bait obediently. Today you can't escape even with wings! Hahaha!

The manic laughter subsided, Le Xiao chen raised his hand and issued a fierce kill order.

As this order was issued, all the hidden thugs nearby erupted instantly and violently charged forward.

Countless black‑clad thugs swarmed in layers, tightly sealing the entire area, leaving no escape.

Each gripped a sharp cleaver with both hands, arms tensed, blades raised high, and they brought them down with a howling wind.

Icy blade light crisscrossed and flashed, refracting under the crystal lights into piercing cold glints, killing intent washing over.

Qin Bore's footwork shifted nimbly, his body sliding sideways, his waist bending with extreme flexibility, narrowly dodging several incoming blades.

The heavy cleaver slammed hard into the solid wood round table, the blade sinking deep into the tabletop with a dull, piercing crash.

Wood chips flew as the sturdy tabletop instantly cracked with deep, visible fissures, its destructive power terrifying.

Lin Yun'er's movement was even swifter and fiercer, she darted like a ghost through the crowd's gaps, precisely evading every chopping attack.

The two coordinated perfectly, left and right covering each other, instantly finding stable footing amidst the encircling crowd.

A thug rushing forward swung his cleaver straight at Qin Bore's face, the move vicious and tricky, showing no mercy.

Qin Bore's eyes turned icy; he didn't dodge, he lifted his leg and struck hard at the opponent's chest ribs.

A sharp crack of bone rang out, and the thug flew off like a broken kite.

He crashed to the ground, blood spurting from his mouth, his cleaver slipping from his hand and rolling away; after two twitches he lay still.

On the other side, two thugs simultaneously flanked Lin Yun'er, their blades falling together, cutting off all her escape angles.

Lin Yun'er turned her wrist, her short blade flashing up to block, precisely knocking aside one cleaver and using the force to thrust her elbow sideways.

Her hard elbow smashed into the thug's throat; he instantly choked, clutching his neck as he collapsed in pain.

She then drove her knee up, slamming hard into another thug's abdomen with brutal force, sending him flying several meters.

In just a few seconds, several elite thugs were swiftly taken down by the pair, collapsing unable to rise, the scene intensely shocking.

Qin Bore stopped dodging, flipped his fingertip, and a concealed exquisite short blade flashed out, its cold light glinting.

She struck fast and fierce, her moves clean and decisive, with no wasted motion, each blow aiming straight at vital points.

Any thug who got close was sliced by her blade, wounds deep enough to show bone, blood spurting wildly.

Lin Yun'er brandished her blade and met the crowd head‑on, her short blade whirling, wind howling, continually cutting down those who rushed forward.

Warm blood dripped steadily from the blade, splashing onto the polished marble floor and blooming into red flowers.

The originally luxurious, clean, and splendid presidential suite instantly became a brutal, bloody battleground.

The floor quickly coated in sticky blood, crisscrossing stains spreading across the area, the bloody smell thick and pungent.

Black‑clad thugs kept falling under the pair's fierce counterattacks, severely injured and losing all combat ability.

Corpses piled up one after another, bodies interlocking in layers, completely blocking most of the suite's passageway.

Later thugs surged forward, stepping on their comrades' corpses, eyes full of madness, still fearless of death.

Blade light, blood light, and human silhouettes frenziedly intertwined under the lamps; the whole fight was perilous and gruesome, thrilling to the extreme.

Even though Qin Bore and Lin Yun'er possessed abilities far beyond ordinary people and their moves were fierce and deadly, the enemy's numbers remained overwhelming.

Especially the ten elite Death Warriors Du Jie had specially transferred from Shanghai, whose combat power far surpassed ordinary street thugs.

An endless stream of black‑clad thugs came forward, stepping on fallen comrades and charging wildly, completely fearless of death.

They had clear divisions: some front‑lined to grapple, others flanked to press, tightly gripping the two's bodies.

These Death Warriors employed vicious, tricky moves, had extremely rich combat experience, and coordinated advance and retreat seamlessly, with no gaps in offense and defense.

Ambushed outside the hotel…… the Divine Phoenix Group members on standby to reinforce at any moment wanted to break through the blockade and join the fight immediately.

But fatally, the New Faction Groups…… had already laid layers of defenses outside.

Dump trucks blocked the road, cutting off the Divine Phoenix Group members' support route!

Thus the Divine Phoenix Group's support speed would be delayed.

Vehicles packed bumper‑to‑bumper formed a copper wall and iron barrier, encircling the entire Cloud Top Hotel so tightly that outside personnel could not break through.

The Divine Phoenix Group members watched helplessly as the top‑floor private suite erupted in brutal carnage, unable to rush to aid.

Inside the hotel…… top‑tier Death Warriors went berserk in a surrounding slaughter, with no timely reinforcements outside, Qin Bore and Lin Yun'er instantly fell into a desperate melee.

Several Death Warriors seized an opening, suddenly shifted formation, divided tasks to flank, and tightly restrained the agile, skilled Lin Yun'er.

Prolonged high‑intensity combat steadily drained their strength, breathing grew ragged, and their movements subtly slowed.

A side Death Warrior wielding a long sword seized the opening, his blade slashing fiercely straight at Lin Yun'er's vital point, the attack extremely swift.

Lin Yun'er alone could not withstand the combined assault of several elite Death Warriors; a heavy blow struck her shoulder, staggering her.

At the critical moment, Qin Bore's eyes darkened; he ignored the incoming blade and threw himself sideways to shield Lin Yun'er.

The icy, sharp long sword instantly tore through the air, viciously grazing Qin Bore's shoulder, ripping fabric and flesh.

Warm blood trickled down Qin Bore's arm…… drop by drop, splashing onto the blood‑stained floor, adding a fresh splash of crimson.

A ferocious, narrow wound instantly split open, bright red blood quickly soaking through the pale shoulder's clothing.

Intense pain radiated from the shoulder through the body, tugging at muscles and bones, making her agile movements momentarily sluggish.

After the injury, Qin Bore's footwork lost its flowing grace; his dodging and blade speed visibly slowed.

The other side's setting of this Hongmen banquet was no impulsive act; it gathered all forces, staking their fortunes in a death‑match.

Qin Bore knew full well that although he had anticipated the trap and prepared, the New Faction had likewise made thorough preparations.

This seemingly absurd feigned negotiation was in fact a mutual understanding, a tacitly accepted ultimate showdown.

Without false posturing or last‑minute calculation, this is the ultimate opening of the all‑out war between Jiangnan's old and new forces.

Being tightly gripped by several Death Warriors, Lin Yun'er's pressure surged, her stamina drained rapidly, and her moves grew frantic and weak.

The New Faction's bigwigs watched cold‑eyed, their faces full of ruthlessness, silently waiting for Qin Bore to exhaust and fall.

Qin Bore gritted his teeth against the shoulder pain, sped up his blade, and repeatedly blocked lethal attacks for Lin Yun'er.

Faced with endless killing moves from all sides, she gradually found herself unable to cope, her figure constantly retreating, unable to parry.

After repeatedly taking blows head-on, she sustained several more superficial wounds, her qi and blood surged, and the situation grew increasingly perilous.

At the very moment a Death Warrior gripped his Long Sword, gathered strength, and was about to deliver a crushing blow to Qin Bore.

Inside the neighboring lounge, Lin Yuan, who had lain in wait observing for a long time, could no longer restrain himself and instantly burst forth.

He heard the fighting sounds coming from the neighboring suite; Lin Yuan knew that Qin Bore had already entered combat.

Lin Yuan no longer concealed his presence; with a sudden burst of force from his feet, he slammed through the wooden door of the lounge like a Liebao.

The wooden door panels shattered with a sound, wood chips flew, and the huge commotion instantly alerted all the hallway guards.

Dozens of black-clad guards stationed in the hallway turned their heads at the sound, stunned for a moment, then immediately brandished their sabers and swarmed toward Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan's gaze was icy and sharp, without a hint of retreat; his agile figure surged forward, cutting into the crowd at close quarters.

In just a few breaths, the dozens of hallway guards were all defeated and collapsed; none could halt his advance even half a step.