Chapter 400: The Trio Makes Their Move

"Boom—"

Flames surged up from the bottom floor like a ferocious beast, devouring everything.

Tongues of fire licked the walls, spreading rapidly, and thick smoke billowed, obscuring the crystal chandelier on the ceiling; the original brilliant light was replaced by darkness and panic.

The laughter and chatter of the guests in the banquet hall came to an abrupt halt, replaced by screams and panic.

The crowd scurried about like headless flies, searching for an exit, but the fire was too large and the smoke too thick, causing many to lose their way.

The magnificent banquet scene instantly turned into a living hell; exquisite tableware was crushed underfoot, expensive red wine spilled all over the floor, mixing with shattered glass and burning decorations.

The incident happened too suddenly; even Chen Che was caught completely unprepared.

Akiyama Minako was so terrified that her face drained of color, and she roared, questioning, "What have you done?!"

Chen Che ignored her, frowned, and without time to think, said quickly, "Let's get out of here first!"

"Boom!"

In just a few seconds, the fire became increasingly fierce; the entire building seemed to be tightly gripped by an invisible giant hand, and every explosion made the building's structure tremble.

Cracks on the walls were like a demon's grin, constantly widening, eventually causing parts of the wall to collapse with a roar.

Exquisite murals were swallowed by the flames and turned to ash; elegant sculptures twisted and deformed in the high heat, losing their former splendor.

The roaring flames and collapsing building materials successfully blocked the path of Chen Che and his two companions.

"It's no use, the fire is too big, it's spreading too fast, and we're on a high floor—we can't charge down!"

Ji Xuan leaned against the wall and shouted.

Chen Che's gaze sharpened: "Then we go straight down!"

"Boom!"

True Qi gathered in his palm, and with one strike, he blasted a passage through the window and the wall.

"What is this?!" Ji Xuan looked at the red film outside the wall skin with a face full of astonishment; it was murky and eerie.

Chen Che gritted his teeth and said, "A Barrier!"

"Does that mean we can't get out?! What do we do now?!" Akiyama Minako was panicked and began to scream.

At the same time, the guests fleeing from all over the banquet hall also encountered the obstruction of the Barrier; this Artisan Technique Barrier, which could be seen and touched, not only blocked people's path to survival but also kept the flames contained within the building, so that even if the building were burned and collapsed, it would not endanger anything in the surrounding area.

Clearly, this accident was premeditated!

"What are you doing?!"

Akiyama Minako pressed tightly against the wall, and the spreading flames caught her clothes; she hurriedly took off her coat, only to see Chen Che still standing at the hole in the wall, his hands dancing as he formed seals, looking like a rural shaman performing a superstitious ritual.

"It's all your fault!! If you hadn't come looking for me, it wouldn't have ended up like this!"

A look of despair flashed in Akiyama Minako's eyes, "I shouldn't have gotten involved in this... now it's all too late, it's all over!"

"If you want to die, wait until after tonight; I have plenty of things I want to ask you!"

Chen Che completed the technique, fixed his two fingers in front of him, and a golden Heavenly Book Character was imprinted onto the red Barrier, dissolving an oval-shaped passage through it.

"It won't last long... Assistant Ji, take her and go first, find my two senior sisters, and then hide!"

Chen Che said quickly.

Ji Xuan asked anxiously: "Special Commissioner, what about you?"

Chen Che turned his head to look at the end of the corridor; the once clear passage was now blocked at both ends by walls formed of black-red smoke, turning the entire corridor into a closed, isolated space, with only the exit dissolved by the Heavenly Book Character still barely connecting to the outside world.

"I can't leave yet."

As he spoke, Chen Che's eyes turned sharp, and three figures slowly emerged from the thick smoke, as if the smoke had condensed into substance.

Ji Xuan furrowed her brows, a look of worry appearing on her face; she opened her mouth, but in the end, said nothing.

She knew very well that staying here would only be a burden to Chen Che, and taking Akiyama Minako, the key person, away was the best thing she could do to help him.

"Special Commissioner, take care of yourself!" After saying this, Ji Xuan grabbed Akiyama Minako and leaped out through the exit of the Barrier.

The next second, the thick smoke spread to the hole in the wall, the dissolved Barrier returned to its original state, and the hole in the wall was also filled by the smoke, becoming impenetrable.

Chen Che stared at the trio that had appeared; judging by their builds, they were two men and one woman, all dressed as ninjas, clad entirely in black, wrapped tightly from head to toe, with two long swords strapped to each of their backs.

"Did Yamamoto Tomoya send you?" Chen Che stood still in the center of the corridor, his True Qi slowly surging, "Judging by this setup, you intend to kill everyone in this entire building... is it worth such a high price just to get rid of me?"

The trio did not answer, but slowly moved their feet to create a subtle distance, slowly drawing the swords from their backs.

"If you won't talk, then I'll beat you until you do!"

A Lightning Spear gathered in his palm, and the sparks of battle instantly ignited in this space turned to smoke.

Chen Che made the first move; he shouted, and the spear thrust forward violently, the lightning on the tip of the spear winding out like a living snake, pointing straight at the leader of the trio.

The leader retreated rapidly, crossing his two swords to block, attempting to use the metal blades to conduct the power of the lightning.

However, the power of the Lightning Spear far exceeded his expectations; the current on the blades caused his whole body to jolt, and his movements became momentarily stiff.

The male member took the opportunity to launch an attack from the flank, his two swords striking like a violent storm, each blade carrying the sound of tearing air.

Chen Che was unhurried, wielding the spear like a giant tree in a gale, steadily enduring the baptism of the wind-blades.

Utilizing the length advantage of the spear, he delivered a horizontal sweep, forcing the male member back.

The female member searched for an opportunity in the rear; her two swords danced like flames, each swing carrying a scorching aura.

She suddenly accelerated, crossing her swords to form a Flame Cross Slash, charging straight at Chen Che's back.

Chen Che seemed to sense it, and the spear thrust violently backward; the lightning on the tip collided with the Flame Cross Slash, erupting with dazzling light and a deafening explosion.

The thick smoke Barrier isolated the space and also cut off all sound; the sounds of the fire burning and the screams of the crowd outside could not get in, and the sounds of metal clashing in the battle could not get out.

"Clang—Clang—Bang—Boom—"

The battle grew increasingly intense, gradually reaching a white-hot state, as Chen Che's Lightning Spear and the ninjas' long swords clashed repeatedly.

The spear was like thunder, every swing carrying destructive power, while the ninjas' long swords were like ghosts in the night, fast and lethal.

Relying on the flexibility of the spear and the power of the lightning, Chen Che fought the three ninjas with ease, gradually figuring out the strength and realm of the trio.

The leader had just stepped into the threshold of the Heavenly Master realm but was not yet stable, while the male and female members were both at the Earth Master Great Perfection.

Chen Che curled his lips silently, secretly delighted in his heart; such a setup clearly meant the identity information prepared by his teacher's wife, Wu Qingkui, had taken effect.

Yamamoto Tomoya and the other members of the Shadow Organization all assumed Chen Che was an Acquired Heavenly Master, but in reality, he had long been only one step away from breaking through to Heavenly Master Great Perfection.

With such a gap, how could a setup like this trio possibly be a match for Chen Che?

"Ha!"

Chen Che let out an angry shout, the spear spinning rapidly in his hands, skillfully using the tail end to sweep out fiercely; with a clang, the leader of the trio's twin blades were knocked flying.

Chen Che followed up with a turn, the spear thrusting toward the male member like lightning, forcing him to roll away in a panic to dodge.

At the same time, the shaft of the spear struck the female member's wrist, causing her twin blades to slip from her hands.

"Don't let your footwork get messy!"

The trio all retreated backward, and the leader shouted, ordering: "Master said, we cannot be careless, continue to attack together, keep him entangled!"

Although the three ninjas had lost their weapons, under the leader's adjustment, they quickly steadied their stances and began to use unarmed techniques and the unique body arts of ninjas, continuing to surround and attack Chen Che in close-quarters combat.

However, Chen Che's Lightning Spear was like his third arm, flexible and versatile; whether attacking from a distance or fighting up close, it could unleash astonishing power.

"Too clingy, so annoying!"

Chen Che lost his patience, held the spear straight up, and thrust it forcefully into the ground.

"Boom!"

A thunderclap exploded.

Dense bolts of lightning spread and extended to the surroundings, like small silver snakes darting and biting in all directions.

………