Chapter 124: Legendary Trickster

Lei En took a few steps forward, then suddenly stopped.

Zuo Ertan emerged from the temple, having already transcribed the runes; upon seeing Luo Jie's condition, he shouted, "Luo Jie, how are you? Are your injuries serious?"

Luo Jie clutched his waist, blood seeping through his fingers.

He shook his head and replied in a low voice, "I'm fine, I won't die."

Zuo Ertan let out a sigh of relief, stepped forward to support his old friend, and Lei En, his face full of worry, hurried over to lend a hand.

Boom!

A gunshot startled Zuo Ertan.

From the corner of his eye he saw that Lei En had fired, having somehow drawn a shotgun and aimed at Luo Jie's head.

The shot was completely unexpected and close—only seven or eight steps away—so Luo Jie couldn't dodge; dozens of tiny steel pellets hammered his head, punching blood‑filled holes and turning most of his face into a gruesome mess.

"Lei En, what are you doing!"

Zuo Ertan shouted in bewilderment.

Lei En gave no reply, just kept firing. Boom, boom, boom—several gunshots in a row, the shotgun blast enveloped Luo Jie's upper body, raining down like a hail of pellets.

At that moment Luo Jie recovered enough to raise his Kun'en Shield.

Apparently wounded and low on spiritual power, Luo Jie's shield was far less sturdy than usual, trembling violently under the bullets and on the verge of shattering.

"Lei En, stop!"

Zuo Ertan shouted angrily, also drawing his Soul Gun and aiming at Lei En.

Lei En knew Zuo Ertan's Soul Gun intimately; its power was immense, far scarier than any ordinary shooter, even a Level‑2 steel body wouldn't dare meet it head‑on. Moreover, they were only three steps apart, practically shoulder‑to‑shoulder, so at such close range he couldn't be sure to dodge the pellets.

With no other choice, Lei En had to cease fire.

Having taken several shots, Luo Jie made no counterattack, just stood there, looking miserable, his eyes toward Lei En filled with confusion and a touch of resentment.

"He's not Master Luo Jie," Lei En said, eyeing Luo Jie warily, and immediately explained.

Zuo Ertan froze for a moment, his face showing doubt.

He turned back and examined Luo Jie closely; neither his appearance, the armor he wore, the steel sword in his hand, nor his voice and tone revealed anything unusual.

Luo Jie wore an innocent expression, spread his hands and said, "Lei En, what are you talking about? I'm not Luo Jie—who else could I be?"

"Hmph…" Lei En sneered; the guy reacted quickly, using the fact that Zuo Ertan called his name, and if it were someone else he might have been deceived.

"Since you are Luo Jie, then what is his name?" Lei En asked, pointing at the dwarf beside him.

"Luo Jie," the dwarf said, looking at Zuo Ertan, opening his mouth, his face freezing.

Boom!

The gunfire rang again; this time Zuo Ertan fired without hesitation, the runes on his Soul Gun glowing as massive high‑power fuel pellets shot toward the impostor Luo Jie.

The golden shield re‑activated, blocking the projectiles.

But this time, "Luo Jie" no longer stood there passively.

His expression turned eerie; although he still wore Luo Jie's face, the impression was entirely different—his gaze was grim, his aura wicked, essentially a different person.

Yet this unknown foe possessed exactly the same abilities as Luo Jie.

He moved at blinding speed, no longer feigning injury, meeting the pellets head‑on; the long sword in his hand resembled a wolf's fang, its blade glowing crimson as he swung a dazzling sword light straight at Zuo Ertan.

A barrage of gunfire crackled; Lei En rapidly pulled the trigger, emptying the magazine, but it was of little effect. For beings beyond legendary, a shotgun's power was still insufficient.

He simply tossed the gun aside and drew the Crushing Ice War Hammer from his dragon‑hide belt.

At the same time he infused himself with the Dragon Force Technique.

In just a second or two, "Luo Jie" surged forward, forming a seal with his left hand and slapping forward.

It was Luo Jie's most frequently used spell, "Ice Roar."

Boom—

An invisible force of cold ice erupted like a towering wall, crushing Zuo Ertan instantly and knocking him off balance. Lei En, having stepped half a stride ahead, fully activated his steel body, standing like a statue, a layer of frost forming on him from the Ice Roar.

"Luo Jie" seized the moment, stepping forward and slashing his red blade toward Zuo Ertan's neck.

A phantom dragon head silhouette descended, Lei En's power surged, he broke free of the freezing frost and immediately launched a charge at "Luo Jie," hammering forward with his war hammer.

The heavy war hammer struck, producing a loud crack through the air.

"Luo Jie"'s expression shifted slightly, forced to alter his sword stance for the dwarf.

He sidestepped toward Lei En, the long sword in his hand tracing an arc; instead of meeting the hammer head‑on, he angled the blade delicately upward, aiming to sever Lei En's neck while evading the charge.

This sword technique was exceptionally refined, worthy of pride even among legends.

Yet Lei En was far from someone who played by ordinary rules.

He ignored the long sword, subtly shifting direction mid‑charge as if rehearsed countless times, first hammering the golden shield, then striking "Luo Jie" dead‑on.

A muffled thud sounded as "Luo Jie" was slammed away.

The massive force hurled him dozens of meters, as if struck by a wild beast; suspended in mid‑air, his whole body ached. Before the impact, he had seen his blade slice Lei En's neck, but only a spray of sparks flew.

Lei En's charge was forced to halt.

His mind remained ice‑cold; this impostor Luo Jie, though fake, possessed legendary strength just like the real one.

He could hit the opponent through surprise, and such a collision was not fatal for a legendary strongman, hardly even wounding him.

If he didn't seize the chance, both he and Zuo Ertan might not survive today.

Facing a legend, Lei En dared not be even slightly careless.

He gulped a sharp breath, exhausting his stamina, and launched another charge.

A Level‑4 charge could reach nearly thirty meters, far faster than a Level‑1, but just as Lei En was halfway, "Luo Jie" flipped up, his gaze cold and fearless, meeting him head‑on.

"Luo Jie" didn't charge, yet his speed was no slower.

He weaved left and right at high‑speed, his figure flickering, trying to evade Lei En's lock, but strangely, no matter how he shifted, Lei En adjusted in sync, the charge's path turning into a bizarre wave.

In less than two seconds, both changed direction three times, yet they kept colliding like two magnets.

Bang!

The icy howl thunders onto Lei En, only slightly blocking him by half a step.

He raises the war hammer high and swings down in a frenzy.

Luo Jie darts aside, evading, and with even more agile footwork the war hammer misses him by a hair. Seizing the opening, Luo Jie's longsword coils upward like a venomous snake, slashing Lei En several times.

Lei En's clothes had long ago been reduced to ash by lightning when he tried to lift Thunder God's Hammer, leaving his upper body bare.

Clang clang, like the sound of metal striking.

The longsword cuts Lei En's body, sparks flying, leaving only a few faint white marks on his skin.

Surprise flashes in Luo Jie's eyes; before he can attack again, Lei En's belt suddenly glows, unleashing a pale violet energy.

Secret Explosion Technique!

The violent explosion reverberates through the cavern, and Luo Jie is caught off guard, blasted away.

He lands awkwardly, forced back three or four steps by the blast's aftershock before regaining footing; glancing at his longsword, he sees multiple notches gouged into the blade.

Luo Jie looks at Lei En, his gaze strange, and can't help but say, "You have a body of steel and can cast spells, blasphemer—what is your profession?"

Bang!

The answer is a gunshot.

Zuo Ertan finally gets up, quickly reloads fresh ammunition, and with a single shot shatters Luo Jie's Kun'en Shield; the bullet pierces through, leaving a hole in his shoulder.

"Mixed-breed, taste my Armor Penetration Bullet!"

Zuo Ertan roars in fury, continuously firing at Luo Jie; these Armor Penetration Bullets are specially designed against all shields, with rapid fire and extreme penetration.

Luo Jie shifts his footing, dodging several bullets before being hit by another shot, blood splattering from his body.

His figure suddenly vanishes, slipping into the shadows.

The gunfire ceases, and Zuo Ertan, having lost his target, scans the area, trying to locate the hidden enemy.

Lei En steps back inch by inch toward Zuo Ertan, his gaze scanning around as if unaware of the enemy's location. In fact, he sees Luo Jie's position clearly; under Truth Willpower, nothing can hide.

Luo Jie uses the cavern's darkness to loop around in a wide circle.

He stealthily moves to the left rear of the two, silently approaching, his eyes fixed on Zuo Ertan, clearly intending to eliminate the dwarf wielding the powerful Soul Gun first.

Lei En, back turned to Luo Jie, activates Soul Power Element, and a colored light orb materializes on his chest.

After merging with Truth Willpower, his casting speed accelerates dramatically; even with the Rainbow Light Beam upgraded to the Second Ring, the casting time remains under a second, and no hand gestures are needed—he can invoke spells from any position outside his body.

One breath later, as the spell nears completion, Lei En suddenly turns to face Luo Jie.

A straight, rainbow‑like beam erupts.

The Second Ring Rainbow Light Beam reaches eight meters, its width thickened, and it now triggers an additional negative effect.

In an instant, the beam strikes the stealthy Luo Jie.

Because he had no shield while hidden, the beam hits his chest directly, yet no blood flows; his whole body stiffens, skin turning ash‑gray, his weight as heavy as stone, immobile as a stone statue.

That triggers the Petrification Effect.

Zuo Ertan seizes the chance, firing wildly.

An entire magazine of Armor Penetration Bullets pours onto Luo Jie, punching hole after hole; in a flash, the humanoid stone statue becomes riddled with wounds.

Lei En charges forward, delivering a crushing blow with his war hammer.

The stone statue shatters into fragments that tumble to the ground; Zuo Ertan, swapping magazines, shouts, "Is he dead?"

Lei En looks at the rubble, shaking his head hesitantly.

A legendary transcendent cannot be slain so easily, and petrification would not have such a severe effect; turning a legend into this, remaining petrified even after death, with not a drop of blood.

Most crucially, he saw no soul rise from the corpse.

Among the rubble lies a strange short sword.

This short sword had once been identical to Luo Jie's steel sword Wolf's Fang, but now reveals its true form.

Under half a meter long, the short sword is twisted in shape, looking at first glance like a living thing, its hilt coiled with a semi‑transparent worm—eerily strange.

Within the view of the Soul Eye, the worm is a vessel for a soul.

Before Lei En can act to destroy the short sword, it flickers and vanishes before his eyes.

Along with the short sword, the scattered rubble disappears; the once‑hard stones turn into fleeting shadows, like popped bubbles.

Lei En becomes instantly alert, whips around, searching for the enemy's trace.

With the Soul Eye plus Truth Willpower, every movement within several hundred meters is rendered in his mind, and Lei En immediately detects an anomaly.

The short sword darts through the void, flashing into existence over two hundred meters ahead.

It hovers in the darkness as if grasped; a hand emerges from the hilt, then an arm, shoulder, torso, head, and legs, and within seconds a complete human silhouette materializes.

This person no longer resembles Luo Jie, but is a stranger, a middle‑aged man.

The middle‑aged man's appearance is ordinary, features unremarkable, black eyes and hair, his clothing a tight leather armor, dressed like a shadow warrior.

His gaze is cold and sinister, exuding an evil aura.

All this confirms to Lei En that he is the former Luo Jie; this must be his true visage.

Lei En finds it odd that this legendary figure can be stared at directly with the Soul Eye without the backlash that previously occurred due to a massive power gap.

He recalls that since that clandestine glimpse of Luo Jie, he has never again observed a legend's soul.

"Could it be that my strength has risen, and I no longer fear backlash?"

Lei En speculates, but has no time to dwell; focusing on the enemy, he instantly spots over twenty Elements!

Shadow Step, Balance, Cat's Lightness, Sprint, Tear, Slice, Blade Dance, Precision Throw, Illusion, Transformation Art, Illusion Sight, Hypnosis, Invisible Hand, Camouflage, Smoke Technique, Flame Jump, Enduring Stamina, Intermediate Self-Healing, Mind Control, Transposition, Mimicry, Phantom Clone…

So many Elements make Lei En gasp sharply.

He finally understands the terrifying nature of a legendary transcendent, and also recognizes this person's transcendent profession.

Undoubtedly, this is a Trickster!

If nothing was unexpected, this person should be the Number Two Leader of the Shadow Blade that Ma Li Shi mentioned, a legendary Mid-stage trickster named Ha Erken.

Thinking of this, Lei En's heart sank.

Ha Erken appeared outside the temple, so Master Luo Jie's situation might not be good.

However, he was still a bit puzzled.

Ha Erken is a legendary Mid-stage trickster, yet after the recent duel, the opponent's strength was clearly far below a legendary Mid-stage, even much weaker than the bona fide Luo Jie of the legendary Initial-stage.

Lei En's thoughts quickened, and when he noticed the "Trick Spirit Duplicate" Element, he instantly understood.

This is only a duplicate of Ha Erken!

Lei En was about to tell Zuo Ertan that this was Ha Erken's duplicate when, suddenly, Ha Erken in the darkness forcefully threw an odd-shaped short sword.

The short sword turned into light and in an instant flew over two hundred meters to a spot not far in front of the two.

A fleeting illusion followed, crossing the distance, as if flashing, reaching out to grasp the short sword—it was Ha Erken's duplicate.

Teleport!

Lei En's pupils contracted as he raised his war hammer to meet the enemy.

But what shocked him even more was that after Ha Erken's duplicate appeared, its body quickly grew taller, muscles swelled, features became handsome, and it finally turned into a very familiar face.

Seeing an enemy that looked exactly like himself, Lei En was shaken to his core.

Zuo Ertan was also dumbfounded.

The strangest part was Ha Erken himself; after he became Lei En, he seemed to notice something magical about his body, stopped in place, his face full of disbelief, plunged into extreme shock.

(End of Chapter)