Chapter 334: Deception, Surprise Attack

Chen Shao looked at Lin Fan, half‑kneeling in the deep pit, and glanced again at Jiang Yuan, who was not far away propping his body with a sword and panting, the restrained curve at the corner of his mouth becoming more pronounced.

He walked with a composed stride, his leather shoes on the broken bricks and tiles making hardly any chaotic sound.

"The Investigation Bureau's Shadow Lord, and this little brother accompanied by a glamorous lady, you two are really making a lively fight."

His tone was steady, as if reviewing a play that had nothing to do with him.

"Look at this Square, what a mess you've turned it into."

He took a few steps forward, and behind him the boy Xu An, whose mouth was sewn shut with black thread, followed like a shadow, the Red Wood Ruler in his hand glowing with an ominous dark light under the crimson beam.

Xu An slowly raised the ruler.

In those hollow eyes there was no emotion, only a simple marking of Lin Fan at the pit's bottom and Jiang Yuan in the distance as errors that needed to be "corrected."

Chen Shao halted, looking down from above at the two in the pit as if admiring his own spoils.

"What a splendid beast‑in‑a‑trap battle."

"What a pity…"

He shook his head slightly, his tone carrying a perfectly timed regret.

"The winner is me."

The moment the words fell, Chen Shao made no further movements.

Something lit up deep within the pupil of his left eye.

Dominating Demon Eye!

Full power engaged!

Buzz—!

A terrifying force, invisible to the naked eye yet capable of making souls shudder, erupted outward from Chen Shao as its center!

The air instantly thickened like amber, pressing on everyone's lungs.

The tangled flesh and blood on the Square's ground began to convulse violently, crushed downward by the massive, almost solid Psychic Force, emitting a strained moan.

The target of this force was crystal clear.

It was Lin Fan in the deep pit and Jiang Yuan in the distance.

Chen Shao's intention could not be clearer: he would use the simplest, most brutal method to crush these two threats, along with the Divine Gifts on their bodies, into pulp in one fell swoop!

No probing, no games.

Only the purest, coldest annihilation.

However.

At the instant the Psychic Force, strong enough to crush a mountain peak, was about to descend.

The Jiang Yuan, originally half‑kneeling at the pit's bottom and listless, suddenly lifted his head.

He wiped the blood‑like stains from his mouth corner; it wasn't blood, just some red liquid used for disguise.

In his clear eyes flashed an unabashed mockery.

"You little yellow sparrow, you're a bit too plump."

What?

Chen Shao's brows furrowed for the first time.

The next second.

The counterattack erupted suddenly in a way that completely exceeded his imagination!

"Roar!"

The half‑kneeling Lin Fan, feigning severe injury at the pit's bottom, sprang violently from the deep pit!

He wasn't injured at all!

The Bronze Ring on his right index finger burst into dazzling dim light, and the receded Black Water Realm instantly resurfaced, even more ferocious than before!

This time, Black Water didn't spread; it turned into a sky‑piercing water vortex, recklessly surging upward to slam into Chen Shao's invisible Psychic Force Shield!

Meanwhile.

Su Ming's hoarse growl sounded from the other side.

His figure blurred in place, folding space, and in a physics‑defying manner appeared directly behind Chen Shao!

The spot everyone thought was an absolute blind spot!

The Simple Spear he wielded, fashioned from a mop handle and a Watermelon Knife, now infused with all his power, drew a stark white line in the air and pierced straight into Chen Shao's back heart!

However, it wasn't over yet!

"Just now noticing? Too late!"

Jiang Yuan sneered.

The shadows beneath his feet and beneath Chen Shao's feet came alive simultaneously!

Countless snarling arms made of pure Shadow surged from the shadows like the toughest chains, grabbing Chen Shao's legs, arms, and torso, locking him firmly in place and cutting off any chance of evasion!

The Shadow Legion burst forth!

Immediately, Jiang Yuan grasped with his other hand the grim white weapon forged from Ouyang Feng's transformed spine—a Spinal Sword—now in his hand.

The bone spikes on the blade grew wildly, emitting a trembling hum craving flesh.

Jiang Yuan swung both hands on the hilt, cleaving straight down at the locked Chen Shao!

Black Water surged skyward, space pierced, Shadow Confinement, the fierce sword decapitated!

This was the perfect combo achieved in an instant by three Top-level Cunning Ones—a Killer Net tailor‑made for Chen Shao!

Only at this moment did the composed, elegant expression on Chen Shao's face finally shatter completely!

In its place was extreme terror and disbelief!

"You all!"

He couldn't understand at all—how could the guys who should have been fighting to the death suddenly team up, and cooperate so flawlessly!

But he already had no time to think.

The threat of death, like a cold tide, flooded every inch of his skin.

"Ahhh!"

Chen Shao let out a roar, the power of the Dominating Demon Eye surged to its limit, and the Psychic Force Shield thickened wildly, trying to block the deadly attacks coming from all directions.

Yet under the combined onslaught of three completely different but equally domineering Rule Powers, his proud Psychic Force Shield was as fragile as paper.

Boom!

Lin Fan's Black Water Tornado was the first to hit the shield; the extreme chill clashed with the massive Psychic Force, and after only half a second of stalemate, the shield's surface was riddled with spiderweb-like cracks.

Pfft!

Su Ming's spear followed immediately, striking precisely at the densest part of the crack's core.

The Spatial Force warped all defenses before the spear tip, allowing the lethal blow to pierce Chen Shao's left shoulder unhindered, spraying a huge burst of scarlet blood!

The excruciating pain caused Chen Shao's defense to freeze for an instant.

It was that instant that nearly took his life.

Snap!

The Psychic Force Shield shattered completely!

Countless black hands surged from the Shadow, instantly engulfing him, and sharp nails left dozens of deep, bone‑visible wounds on his body.

Chen Shao spewed a massive mouthful of fresh blood, his body pierced in many places; his meticulously tailored black coat fell to tatters, his carefully styled hair became disheveled, and he looked utterly bedraggled.

The elegance and composure he once boasted were torn to pieces before the absolute power.

"No!!!"

He watched helplessly as Jiang Yuan's white bone sword, exuding an ominous aura, grew larger and larger in his pupils.

The Spinal Sword's bone spike had already brushed his neck, the icy touch numbing his scalp; in the next second, his head would be sliced off like a watermelon.

"How could I lose…"

In utter despair, Chen Shao let out a beast‑like roar.

And at that very moment.

In his chest, the Divine Gifts he had just taken from others as spoils suddenly erupted with a blinding, destructive red light!