The Mastermind Behind the Scenes Back Then

After slaying Chi Xiao, An Yi quickly deactivated his berserk mode.

No kidding!

If this state continued, he’d be bankrupt in no time.

Once the berserk mode wore off, An Yi gasped for breath, overwhelmed by an indescribable exhaustion.

Hongtian, shaking his dog head, trotted over and asked suspiciously, "That strong bastard just died like that?"

An Yi replied calmly, "He’s already stopped breathing."

When the Dragon Fang Demon Sword pierced Chi Xiao’s heart earlier, it triggered the "Sealed Throat" effect—a 50% instant-kill chance!

Haha, the spirit core!

Hongtian lunged forward, only to be yanked back by his leash.

An Yi grinned at him, pointing at himself. "I killed it!"

"Lord Chi Xiao!"

The chubby man wielding a spiked club turned around and saw An Yi prying the spirit core out of the giant bird’s skull with a dagger. Fury and grief twisted his face.

With a swing of his club, he knocked Katies’ rapier aside and charged at An Yi.

As Chi Xiao’s lieutenant, how could he stand by and watch a human bastard desecrate his lord’s corpse?

An Yi wiped the spirit core clean and was about to stash it in his storage space—but then he stuffed it into his pocket instead.

Between the dog outside and the dragon inside, getting his hands on this core hadn’t been easy!

Seeing the fat man charging at him, An Yi steadied his breathing, trying to recover his depleted stamina. Gripping his black sword, he prepared to hold out a little longer and take down this hippo of a man.

"Master, let me handle this!"

Fang Jueming’s voice rang out.

"All yours."

An Yi stopped, a faint smile curling his lips as he transformed the Dragon Fang Demon Sword back into a ring and stored it away.

"An Yi! I’ll kill you!"

The burly man swung his spiked club with a terrifying whoosh, aiming straight for An Yi’s head.

"Flash Fist—Sixth Strike!"

At that moment, Fang Jueming suddenly dashed in front of An Yi.

His fist, wrapped in bandages that now shattered, radiated a golden glow as it tore through the air with a sonic boom.

Boom!

The sixth Flash Fist struck the spiked club head-on.

The overwhelming force not only shattered the club but also plowed into the man’s massive belly.

"Guh—!"

Blood spilled from the man’s mouth as his abdomen caved in. He was sent flying, crashing hard against the cruise ship’s railing.

He struggled to get up, only to vomit a mouthful of blood before collapsing, motionless.

A one-punch knockout!

Fang Jueming, drenched in sweat like he’d been fished out of water, panted heavily. His arm trembled, blood dripping from his mangled fist—his knuckles shattered, flesh torn.

The sixth strike had pushed him to his limits.

Yet, he still turned to An Yi with a proud look.

An Yi facepalmed, exasperated.

How had he ended up with such a dumb disciple?

Instead of ambushing the guy from behind, he had to go and punch the spiked club head-on!

Gabriel stared at Chi Xiao’s corpse, his expression grave.

Who would’ve thought the demon lord of the Hundred Ghosts Sect would be skewered through the heart by this brat’s sword?

Just then, Butcher silently appeared on the deck.

Holding Uncle Fu hostage with a dagger pressed to his throat, he roared, "Everyone stop, or I’ll slit this old man’s throat!"

Uncle Fu, bruised but resolute, gritted his teeth. "Young Master Chen, don’t worry about me—"

"Go on, Poker Face! Kill that bastard!"

An Yi’s loud shout drowned out Uncle Fu’s words.

Uncle Fu: "..."

Butcher: "..."

Originally, Butcher had planned to use Qin Yao as a hostage.

But that crafty girl had bolted at the first sign of trouble.

After searching everywhere, he’d only managed to grab this old man—who clearly wasn’t much of a bargaining chip.

Fine. If that’s how it is, might as well kill him.

Crunch!

A black dog, appearing out of nowhere, lunged like lightning and clamped its jaws around Butcher’s throat!

Blood sprayed!

Butcher clutched his gushing throat, howling as he collapsed.

"Pah! Disgusting!"

Hongtian spat out the crushed windpipe, wrinkling his nose.

After devouring several spirit cores, biting through a mere Profound Realm martial artist’s throat was child’s play.

Butcher twitched, then went still, his blood pooling on the deck.

Uncle Fu stared at the black dog, shaken.

This mutt was downright savage!

"Uncle Fu, are you alright?"

An Yi hurried over to help him up.

Though just a steward, the old man was still an elder, and An Yi always respected his seniors.

Uncle Fu shot him a sidelong glance—this hypocrite!—then said urgently, "An Yi, Young Master Chen is in danger!"

"Young Master Chen? Isn’t he just a bodyguard?"

An Yi was puzzled.

Uncle Fu was the steward, while Lin Chen was merely a hired hand. Technically, Lin Chen worked under him.

Uncle Fu coughed. "Never mind that. Hurry and help him!"

Watching Lin Chen get pummeled by Gabriel, An Yi stretched lazily. "Relax, Poker Face won’t die. I need to recover first—wouldn’t want to underperform!"

Uncle Fu: "..."

Meanwhile, the battle between Gabriel and Lin Chen raged on.

The terrifying serrated greatsword came crashing down.

Lin Chen blocked with his Cloud-Splitting Tonfas, his palms splitting as blood seeped out.

"To think a mere ant from back then has grown to this level," Gabriel mused, stepping back.

Lin Chen’s eyes turned icy. "You know me?"

"Lin Chen, elite of the Wolf Fang Mercenary Group. Oh, and let’s not forget your other identity—young master of the Underworld. Am I wrong?"

Gabriel grinned, his smile sinister.

Lin Chen’s expression darkened.

This man knew his secret—that he was the heir to the Underworld!

The Heaven’s Gate and the Underworld were the two most elite assassin organizations in the world.

But for over a century, Heaven’s Gate had always been overshadowed by the Underworld.

The rivalry between them had never ceased.

Gabriel sighed theatrically. "Pity. We wanted to eliminate you back then, but somehow, you were the only one who survived. Gotta admit, your teammates went out in a blaze of glory."

"It was you!"

Lin Chen froze, realization dawning.

His eyes burned with rage, veins bulging as fury consumed him.

Gabriel laughed. "Hah! Not just me. It was a joint decision by Heaven’s Gate’s leaders. As the Underworld Lord’s son, you deserved some... special attention."

Lin Chen’s grip on his tonfas tightened, murderous intent boiling in his chest.

Now he understood.

That ambush years ago—he had been the sole target.

His Wolf Fang teammates had died because of him!

He was the one to blame!

Gabriel smirked. "What, angry? Here’s something to make you even angrier—I was the one who ordered your sister’s kidnapping."

Blinded by rage, Lin Chen lost all reason. He charged at Gabriel, tonfas raised.