Chapter 459

Following this harsh scolding, the crowd that had almost been scared witless also quickly reacted.

Yeah, we've got one of the kingdom's strongest men on our side—what is there to be afraid of?!

Thus they, like chicks seeing a hen, all ran toward Duke Xiguang, howling as they ran.

"Duke, please protect us!"

"Good heavens, that guy can even kill a Holy Knight!"

"It's too cruel, sir; we must not let this wicked scoundrel go!"

"Don't panic, everyone unite; that guy definitely can't do anything to us."

The mages and priests, one on each left and right, kept slapping all kinds of buffs on him, dazzling and colorful, making Duke Xiguang flash even more than a disco ball.

"Yeah, we're counting on you, Prison Duke."

Even Ji Ming pulled out a bottle of SpiritGathering Liquid, had Duke Xiguang chug it first, so he'd be a bit more comfortable when he's later imprisoned.

In short, under everyone's concern, the human side briefly felt a sense of filial piety, as if the old duke were enjoying family bliss.

But now a formidable foe is upon us, not an old man celebrating his birthday, so the next second, a guy on the outskirts of the crowd let out a horrible scream.

And that scream, just as it was about to peak, was abruptly cut off, because that person's head had been yanked out by brute force.

The spine whipped, blood spurted, the fine head rolled like a ball onto the ground, brutal as a Mortal Kombat finishing move.

"Seek death!"

This was undoubtedly a slap to Duke Xiguang's face; fuming, he drew a deep breath of vital energy and stepped forward to throw a swift straight punch.

Yet the others in the group were also frightened out of their wits, instinctively crowding forward to seek his protection.

Thus, the front and back crowds ended up blocking him himself.

"Hehehe hahaha..."

Such a ridiculous scene made that laughter even more mocking, as if ridiculing Duke Xiguang's incompetence.

Ji Ming: "See, I told you he's the Prison Duke, right?"

As the saying goes, the capable end up imprisoned; now the enemy is lurking while we are exposed, and most of us can't even withstand a single move from them, our only skill being to drag others down as useless losers.

As the sole plank sticking out of this makeshift barrel, Duke Xiguang dared to shoulder everything, piling the hope of victory on himself and smugly thinking up a way to break the deadlock.

What is this?

This is the sin of arrogance.

He deserves punishment!

But it's obvious that although the Prison Duke made him sit, this blade won't fall on his head, nor on Ji Ming's head,

so amidst the crowd's uproar that made Duke Xiguang grit his teeth, another shrill cry rose from the edge of the crowd.

Moreover, this enemy, whose form remains unseen to this day, understands human psychology all too well, leaving no time for anyone to calm down and think.

Because this time it was actually a waist-level cut, the practitioner over level twenty didn't die on the spot, but instead lay on the ground, full of vigor, wailing loudly.

"Save me, Duke! Hurry up and save me!"

"The most deadly thing is this 'save' — in this situation, it really can be done."

Without saying anything else, even if one merely splices the two halves of the body together, applies medicine, and with the physique of a practitioner from Yangyue World, they would definitely survive.

But now, with the butcher's knife looming overhead, who's going to be the scapegoat?

Moreover, although it was unspoken, these two consecutive killings also let people vaguely sense the killing pattern of the 'ghost'.

——Don't look at him being reckless; in fact, he's also afraid of Xi Jueye's fist, so he only dares to attack those on the outside, like peeling an onion.

Then.

"Move aside, let me in!"

To survive, the people surrounding Xi Jueye not only didn't decrease, but became even more crowded as more people joined.

Moreover, as fear escalated step by step, and due to the inevitable inward shift of sharp conflicts from survival competition, people's moral quality also began a mad decline.

"I'm a Count, I hired you with my money—get lost!"

"Damn it, we're about to die—what do I need money for? Get lost!"

"You say I didn't talk about you? You damned bastard, if you dare to pull me again, I'll beat you to death today!"

Arguing, cursing, shoving—it turned into a chaotic mess.

What the hell, what are these people doing? They're acting like a bunch of idiots.

Thus, even Xi Jueye, who had originally wanted to direct people to rescue someone, became anxious and blurted out a sentence.

"Stop crowding, make a little space—I'm the Minister of Defense, I'll protect all of you!"

Ugh, I don't know if protection is possible, but this just gave that damned ghost a long-awaited handle.

Because he immediately reappeared with a grin, and with a backhand strike he vertically split the remaining half of the person.

Moreover, just splitting, he deliberately flicked it, sending scalding blood mixed with white, green, and yellow splattering everywhere with a crackling sound.

"You'll save?"

"Save a fart!"

This time, Xi Jueye's words are utterly useless—after all, the reality is plain: the Lord can't save people, and everyone can only find a chance of survival by scrambling forward with all their might.

"Damn it!"

By this point, the Duke naturally also saw that this was the enemy's linked trap, meant to use this bunch of useless people to restrain him, this formidable foe.

——Heh heh, even if I can't beat you, what can you do? I have a thousand ways to disgust you to death!

However, unfortunately, faced with Yang's plot, the Lord, burdened with many responsibilities, has no choice……

"Huh?"

"Get lost!"

Accompanied by a vigorous, furious roar, a mighty aura as solid as a mountain swept across the entire scene; this force not only shocked hearts but also carried an irresistible momentum.

The Xiguang Duke used this technique to gently yet decisively push everything living around him away; in an instant it seemed even the air trembled, displaying unparalleled majesty and power.

Ji Ming: I'm going!

Standing not far away as a backdrop, quietly watching the spectacle, Ji Ming was naturally also within the range of this soft AoE.

I must admit, the skill of this level‑73 old kid is truly on point; if he charged into the enemy formation with that move, he might actually be able to break the army single‑handedly.

So Ji Ming didn't mind giving the Duke some face; he pretended to be overmatched, letting the force flip him a short distance before he landed.

— Ah, too strong, I can't resist (read in a flat tone).

But the others weren't so lucky; caught completely off guard, they were blown sideways by the gust, flailing in a chaotic mess.

But that's exactly the effect the Xiguang Duke wanted; after years of battling in the kingdom's power arena, he truly understands what it means to let go!

If it should be cut, cut it; if not, keep it. Now I'm the strong leg, so why should I be toyed with by you bunch who only drag the rear!

"If you don't want to fight, just scram!"

Then, at the moment the technique shocked everyone, he sprang up, delivering a whipping kick toward the opponent whose breath he had already seized.

"You?"

The specter emitted a sound other than mockery for the first time.

Although it still deftly executed the surprise attack, the execution was clearly less effortless.

So after escaping cleanly, it couldn't help but mock with a panoramic, concert‑like surround sound.

"Lord Xiguang, you are a pillar of the kingdom, the livelihood of countless people depends on you; how can you abandon them?"

However, moral blackmail only works if the target has morals; if the other party is shameless, it's useless.

So the Duke, gradually restraining his momentum, merely curled his mouth into a rising smile.

"Friend, I've lost too much in this life; face? Ha, do you think I still care about such trivialities?"

Those words left the specter speechless, and the crowd…

What a joke; now that their lives are in others' hands, they no longer dare whine, only tacitly accept everything.

Some even covered their eyes, some even lay on the ground, showing through actions that they didn't care, wholeheartedly supporting the Lord's every decision!

But the Xiguang Duke, who chose "whatever, I don't care about face," isn't doing this merely to spout reckless rhetoric.

His true purpose is.

"So…"

Bang!

Without any wind‑up, even though he was still speaking, he seemed to teleport to a stone beside the crowd.

Accompanied by a resonant, forceful shout, he delivered an extremely fierce front kick.

Logically, the strike should have hit the air, but amid the deafening blast, something was indeed kicked out from there.

But Lord Xiguang didn't care about his own face; one successful move wasn't enough, his fierce qi surged up and down, and his form flashed again.

Swoosh!

His movement speed was even faster than the specter's backward flight; with both legs planted, he was behind the enemy in an instant.

Unrelenting, a massive, heavy swing punch awaited the honored guest!

The stunned specter had no chance to react, so the move landed solidly.

Moreover, after two successive heavy blows, his brain short‑circuited from the stiffness, and his body inevitably collapsed.

But!

Want to fall?

Did I let you fall?

The murderous glint in Lord Xiguang's eyes was so hateful it seemed about to spew blades; how could the combo end so simply?

Thus he swiftly extended his right hand, the five fingers like pincers, twisting toward the specter as if hooks.

Got it, caught!

So he didn't care where exactly he grabbed.

Anyway, his fingers dug in tightly, and he leapt.

Swing up, fly up!

Toward the ground, he hurled a deadly throw aimed to kill.

Boom!

It was the sound of the specter smashing into the ground, carving a huge crater, causing the entire slope to shudder three times.

The whole thing happened so fast that onlookers could only hear the three booming impacts; they couldn't see anything else.

But as the Xiguang Duke's sole spectator, Ji Ming, whose intellect reached 262, clearly watched the entire process.

The Duke's combo was indeed stunning; in a fighting game it would merit its own flashy special move cutscene.

But the only flaw was the final throw, which seemed both cool and satisfying.

Although Ji Ming could finish with a similar technique, he wouldn't simply slam the target into the dirt.

Come on, how could a slope have a body hardened by countless martial drills?

He should be turned sideways and his knee used to crush the enemy's spine!

You agree, Bruce Wayne?

Batman: Aminos!

Bane (thumb up): Yeah, yeah, totally right, bro, let's add a quick message and discuss the exact procedure.

So because the damage wasn't maxed, when Lord Xiguang prepared another crushing strike, the pit was already empty.

"You damned—!"

But this time he didn't need to keep searching with his breath, because accompanied by an even angrier roar, a massive shadow eclipsed the sun.

The crowd rushed toward the sound and discovered that it was a terrifying demon dragon, its body engulfed in teal‑purple flames, its flesh riddled with ugly wounds and oozing rotting decay.

Among the crowd, a self‑proclaimed well‑read mage racked his brain, yet still could not recall what creature this was.

He could only tremble his lips.

"What… what is this thing?"

Lord Xi, standing alone on the other side, slowly clenched his fist.

"This is an evil‑spirit demon dragon; I thought such filthy, disgusting, bizarre creatures had long been extinct."

"Heh heh heh."

Recognized, the demon dragon immediately let out an even harsher hoarse laugh, its tattered twin wings—innately endowed with the Light‑Step and Levitation passives—slowly flapping.

"How could the great creation possibly be destroyed so easily? Fool, we still hover over the Yangyue World, the eternal terror of you!"

But his over‑the‑top proclamation was cut off halfway by Lord Xi's retort, "Bullshit."

He extended his index finger, pointing at the dragon's head like a hunting spear, and sneered.

"It's merely a malformed spawn forged by the Dark Flame Empire using dark alchemy and a giant dragon corpse; a bunch of beings that can't even reproduce have any right to brag before me?"

"Moreover, if the historical records are correct, since the dragons used were the fallen strongmen from both sides of the war, you all should have been over ninety levels when you were first born, right?"

"Why now, even when dueling this old man of over seventy levels, must you resort to underhanded tricks?"

"Hm?"

"You guys are… out of line!"

Four successive slow, heavy emphases—precise etiquette breaking it four times in a second—truly tore the dragon's mental defenses apart.

"You're courting death; are you sick?"

He let out an even angrier roar, circled once, his claws flashing, and couldn't resist diving down from mid‑air.

But that's exactly what Lord Xi wanted!

"Well timed!"

As soon as his foot touched the ground, the soil and rubble beneath him rose into the air, coiling around his right arm to form a massive magical warhammer.

"Take this!"

In fact, the demon dragon knew the human's mockery was meant to lure him into striking.

So it planned to turn the tables, spitting a burst of rotting dragon breath as a counter‑measure.

Who could have guessed that this old man, whose punches were as fierce as a gale, was also so masterful in the realm of magic, instantly delivering a strike that could both withstand and strike back.

Consequently, the expelled dragon breath, together with the trailing dragon head, collided head‑on, and the train‑like force of the massive hammer slammed back.

(End of Chapter)