The fight was a blur of rapid movement. Shao Qi's dagger seemed slightly disadvantaged. Unable to easily harm his adversary, he shifted his focus to their weapons. Breaking a blade signified a breach in the encirclement. The assassin wielding the broken blade was swiftly punched in the chest by Shao Qi, sent flying and crashing onto the ground. With a bone piercing the heart, survival seemed unlikely.

Shao Qi twisted his wrist, discarding his dagger. He then extended his armored gauntlet over his fingers. His hands, now resembling agile weapons, faced large knives, demonstrating an even more potent destructive force.

His ferocity was anticipated. Given Shao Qi's punch strength, even armor would prove ineffective. A punch that shatters bone doesn’t stop at merely a fracture.

After three of their own were killed, the assassins revised their strategy. Four rushed to retrieve a large net, which Zhou You recognized as identical to the Tiansi net once gifted to him by Shao Qi. Such a vast and valuable net was indeed a significant investment.

While some assassins engaged Shao Qi, four others leaped from a height, casting the Tiansi net, even ensnaring their comrades within. They began tightening the net by running in a circular pattern.

In such confined quarters, discerning friend from foe became challenging. Misjudged strikes harmed allies several times. In contrast, Shao Qi jumped, stepping on two assassins' heads. As the Tiansi net descended, he channeled his internal energy to his feet, pinning the two men, who were subsequently stabbed by their comrades and died silently.

As Zhou You prepared to assist, an eerie wind blew. Instinctively, he leaped off a decorative rock formation, just in time to avoid being sliced by multiple blades.

"Who sent this backup?" Zhou You calmly inquired, amidst the intense battle behind him. Someone retorted, "Young man, you can still leave. We have only one target."

Zhou You smirked, "Seems like your intel isn't thorough. Don't you know Shao Qi's relation to me?"

"Husbands and wives scatter in face of peril. Yet, you two aren't even married."

"That's where you’re mistaken. Our bond is unbreakable, sharing both good and bad."

"Then don't blame us for our lack of mercy."

"You sure talk more than your friend over there. And often, the more talkative villains tend to perish first," Zhou You remarked. As he finished, the speaker collapsed, a bloody hole in his neck, all while none noticed the attack.

"Such a swift hidden weapon!" With no further words wasted, the assassins charged at Zhou You with blades drawn. They had been given minimal intel, only to ambush and kill a target, and had assumed the environment would work to their advantage.

Initially, they believed they faced only one skilled individual with Zhou You being an ordinary sidekick. However, their oversight was glaring, as Zhou You clearly exhibited the prowess of a powerful psychic controller, proving to be even more formidable than their primary target.

Zhou You didn't engage in close combat. Instead, he swiftly maneuvered around, launching steel needles at his foes. The sight of hundreds of needles in the air was terrifying, yet now forewarned, hitting the assassins directly became more challenging.

But who said Zhou You only had one method of attack?

"Damn, just how formidable is his mental prowess?"

Zhou You briefly diverted his attention to Shao Qi. The number of people inside the silken web was dwindling. Shao Qi, with his agile moves, turned his hands into deadly weapons. A master in close combat, he was unmatched.

The four assassins on the perimeter doubted the wisdom of their strategy, feeling as though they'd unwittingly offered their adversary a perfect killing ground.

Finally, one of them, unable to resist any longer, abandoned the silken web and lunged at Shao Qi with a knife. Shao Qi calmly dodged, passing between two assassins. With a push, he sent them reeling apart. One almost stumbled into his comrade's blade, but the knife was quickly withdrawn, sparing a life. With this, an opening was created in the silken web. Seizing the moment, Shao Qi slipped out, not to escape, but to tighten the net, shouting, "Zhou You, now!"

Without turning, Zhou You, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, threw two steel needles, piercing the brows of two assassins within the web.

Only the unexpected strikes of hidden weapons carry a lethal force. Those two men died with eyes wide open, probably without even a glimpse of the weapon that killed them.

Shao Qi burst into hearty laughter, exclaiming, "In perfect harmony, aren't we?"

"Enough talk. The rain's turned to hail. I don't fancy fighting outdoors in this weather."

"Make it quick." Shao Qi abandoned the web and clenched his fists, creating a clanging sound reminiscent of thunder, before charging at the nearest assassin.

In single combat, Shao Qi wouldn't lose to anyone present. The adversary's blade was swift and fierce, deadly in its execution. Against any other opponent, the assassin might have stood a chance. But this was Shao Qi. When Shao Qi made his name, these men were probably still in training. His martial talent was unparalleled, even Zhou You conceded. With the protection of the heart stone, his training advanced exponentially. Within months, his skills surpassed his previous peak.

"Die." Shao Qi's punch, backed by his inner energy, shattered the man's face. The corpse fell to the ground, grotesquely disfigured.

Even assassins, fearless in the face of death, have their own dread. Some slowed down, realizing their inevitable fate. After all, death is death, isn't it?

Chapter 157: World of Two

They'd anticipated the mission would be challenging but didn't expect that, even split into two groups, they'd be utterly dominated by the duo. As their numbers dwindled, their disadvantage grew more apparent. Their only option was to flee.