Chapter 167: 167, Dead end

The alley was only wide enough for three people, and it was a dead-end.

Ren Xiaosu, at the end of the alley, surveyed the two supernatural beings belonging to the Dawn, and to be honest, he had never properly faced another supernatural being before, so he was curious about his own standing among them.

So, only by fighting could he know.

Ren Xiaosu had never been a timid man; if he were, he could not have survived so long in the wilderness.

Since the problem could not be abandoned, he would kill the one who created it—this was the logic of the wilderness.

The two supernatural beings exchanged glances and simultaneously fired their guns at Ren Xiaosu. Half of their plan had already failed tonight, and if it failed further, they might face destruction.

The gray brick walls on both sides of the alley offered no escape from the gunfire, but in an instant, the shadow from the palace had already separated and appeared before Ren Xiaosu.

Ren Xiaosu and the shadow were perfectly aligned in a straight line, and each bullet that struck the shadow seemed to sink into the deep sea, unable to penetrate.

Yet each bullet that struck the shadow also struck Ren Xiaosu himself, his brow furrowed as he endured the pain.

The pain spread relentlessly through his limbs and bones, but the more it hurt, the more alert he became.

The two Dawn supernatural beings seemed unprepared for Ren Xiaosu’s ability to summon shadows. They had come hunting for Xu Xianchu, and the fact that the Qing family had put a bounty on Xu Xianchu, along with his appearance and powers, was no secret, which had only piqued the Fire Seed Company’s interest.

They had assumed the one being pursued by Luo Lan was Xu Xianchu, but no—they had found the real one!

They sneered, discarding their pistols and drawing long sabers from their waists. Hunting supernatural beings was their specialty.

Suddenly, Ren Xiaosu noticed one of them removing their black leather glove, revealing a black claw beneath.

Was this still human? Was this gene editing?

A member of the Dawn laughed, “Your courage is commendable.”

Ren Xiaosu remained silent, staring at the two supernatural beings. He raised his hand as if grasping something in the void, and with a violent yank—

In an instant, the two supernatural beings saw Ren Xiaosu pull a mysterious black blade from the air. What was this ability? Neither had ever seen a supernatural being wield two entirely different powers.

“Why do you have two abilities?” a Dawn man frowned.

Ren Xiaosu smiled. “Not two—three.”

As he spoke, a small shadow door opened beside his wrist. He plunged the blade into the shadow door.

A soft *plop*—the speaking man froze, staring at the blade protruding from his chest and the blood flowing out…

What the hell was this vile ability?!

To stab someone in the back right in front of them!

The remaining Dawn member was stunned. This turn of events was completely unexpected—he had never imagined his side would lose two members so easily!

The next moment, the shadow charged like a train, and the Dawn supernatural being leaped upward, attempting to bypass the shadow to kill Ren Xiaosu.

But before he could clear the shadow’s head, he saw the shadow on the ground leap up as well. He kicked at it, but the shadow fearlessly endured the blow, grabbing his ankle.

A searing pain radiated from his ankle, overwhelming his still-conscious mind. The shadow’s iron-like grip seemed to crush his ankle entirely.

A crack—he realized in horror that his ankle had truly been crushed!

Their bones and muscles were far stronger than most supernatural beings, and in ordinary combat, they were the toughest opponents. Yet now, the tide had turned!

This ghostly shadow could block bullets, but to crush his ankle barehanded—this was a terrifying power!

Yet Ren Xiaosu, still cautious, was stunned. *This weak?*

After crushing his opponent’s ankle, the shadow did not pause. It dragged the broken ankle down, and the two clashed midair, their movements so swift they left afterimages. The sheer kinetic energy seemed to ignite the air itself.

The shadow and the Dawn supernatural being struck each other relentlessly, but the latter suddenly noticed that while he was spewing blood, his opponent remained unharmed.

When they landed, the shadow planted its feet first, then lunged forward, pinning the supernatural being to the alley wall. The wall exploded in a thunderous crash, cracks spreading like a spider’s web.

The supernatural being was embedded in the wall like a hanging portrait.

Before he could recover, the shadow abruptly stepped back, its body bending into a bow stance. When it struck again, it slammed into his chest with the force of a cannonball.

His chest and abdomen caved in instantly, demonstrating the sheer terror of the blow!

Ren Xiaosu was about to exhale in relief when suddenly the air behind him rippled like water.

He whipped around and saw, faintly, a supernatural being raising a blade to strike him. It turned out the Dawn had not sent four—they had hidden another in the shadows, relying on their powers.

“Are you done yet?” Ren Xiaosu said coldly.

His waist muscles tightened, and he spun around like a pivot, swinging his blade.

A will as hard as steel roared in the air. In that moment, no one knew what would happen next—except Ren Xiaosu.

A clang—the Dawn supernatural being gaped as his trusted blade, which had served him in battle, shattered against the mysterious black blade.

Then he watched in horror as his arm tore from his body, the severed limb pumping out his blood like a bellows!

His semi-transparent form was suddenly exposed in the air, with no place to hide!

The black blade’s sharpness had already been proven when Ren Xiaosu slew the test subjects. The mysterious palace in his mind had never once disappointed him.

Without hesitation, Ren Xiaosu surged forward, his leg muscles exploding. Before his opponent could react, he pinned the enemy to the alley’s brick wall with the black blade!

Ren Xiaosu withdrew the blade from the wall and corpse, and the body collapsed to the ground.

Now the alley was stained red with blood. Ren Xiaosu stood silently, his only thought: *The Dawn… they’re not that impressive either.*

As they say, a flurry of fierce moves like a tiger, but in the end, just a bunch of clowns.

These weak supernatural beings—what was there to be proud of in the first place?

He recalled his shadow and climbed back onto the rooftop, where Xu Xianchu sat, panting heavily. His opponent was dead, his neck twisted like a twisted doughnut.

Ren Xiaosu glanced toward a distant skyscraper, waved, then said to Xu Xianchu, “Let’s go back and wash up, change clothes. If you want to go to the 178 Bastion, we’ll need a proper meal first.”

Xu Xianchu said gratefully, “Thank you!”

“A thank-you from Xu Xianchu, +1!”

At that moment, Ren Xiaosu wanted to tell him to stay, to say thanks every day…

In the distance, hurried footsteps echoed on the street. It seemed the Li family’s forces were arriving soon.

Now Ren Xiaosu sincerely hoped the factions within the Bastion would clash soon. When they did, everyone would lose their minds, and no one would have the energy to bother with him.