Wen Zai'fou had never been so enraged.
He, the dignified head of the Wen family, was one of the foremost families in the entire capital. Yet, on his own territory, his son was assassinated, and the assailant had even infiltrated his home to strike at his son.
This was not merely a declaration of war against the Wen family; it was a direct slap in the face to Wen Zai'fou himself!
How could he tolerate such an insult?
The assassination of Wen Qiang quickly alerted the Twelve Elders, who then emerged from seclusion.
"Who dares to assassinate a descendant of our Wen family? They are courting death!"
"Investigate! We must find out who did this!"
However, after killing some of the Wen family's experts, Shadow sensed the unfavorable turn of events and promptly fled.
Unable to find the culprit, the Wen family immediately decided to head to Dragon Gate to settle the score with Chen Jie.
They also intended to use this opportunity to control Dragon Gate and become the most powerful family in the capital in one fell swoop.
This would give them a righteous cause.
Inside Dragon Gate, a chaotic battle ensued, with heavy casualties.
Seeing his brethren fall or suffer grievous injuries, Zhu Qing's eyes turned red.
As Zhu Qing's men were on the verge of losing their will to resist, Feng Yuan suddenly shouted, "Everyone! These were our brothers in the past. How can we strike them down with such ferocity?"
"The true enemies are this brat named Chen Jie and his accomplices!"
"Cease your attacks! Their momentary confusion does not mean they are forever lost! Let us first deal with the immediate crisis. As for Zhu Qing and his men, we should show them leniency!"
"Yes, focus on Chen Jie! Execute Chen Jie and Li Ziling!" Long Yu roared.
Chen Jie's expression darkened.
This Feng Yuan was undoubtedly cunning.
He only offered such platitudes after half of Zhu Qing's men had been killed. What was he doing before?
The sole purpose of this charade was to establish an image of righteousness and magnanimity for himself.
In reality, such individuals were the most ruthless and calculating; after this was over, Zhu Qing would still not escape death.
It all depended on Zhu Qing's choice.
Everyone charged towards Chen Jie.
If only half of them had attacked, Chen Jie might have been able to hold them off with his martial prowess alone.
However, with so many experts attacking Chen Jie simultaneously, and not even sparing Li Ziling, Chen Jie's expression became grave.
It seemed he would have to reveal his true strength today!
But at that very moment, Zhu Qing suddenly bellowed, "Everyone, heed my command! Hold back these traitors! Do not let the Dragon Lord suffer any harm!"
He was the first to step in front of Chen Jie.
He urged Chen Jie anxiously, "Chen Jie, you must escape, take the Dragon Lord and run! Quickly! We will hold them off for you!"
Chen Jie was moved.
Zhu Qing, his face covered in blood, exuded a tragic aura.
The men who followed him also placed themselves before Zhu Qing, resisting with their lives.
Zhu Qing roared, "Today, Dragon Gate faces this catastrophe. If the Dragon Lord survives, he will eventually rebuild Dragon Gate! Kill! Protect the Dragon Lord!"
Amidst a roar of battle cries, Zhu Qing's men charged forward once more.
"Hmph! Zhu Qing is obstinate and refuses to yield. It seems he has chosen to oppose us! Attack!"
Feng Yuan's expression turned grim.
He had initially planned to deal with Zhu Qing privately after today, if Zhu Qing had been more sensible.
Now, it seemed he had to eliminate Zhu Qing first.
"Chen Jie, why aren't you running yet!"
Zhu Qing, seeing that Chen Jie had not fled, urged him anxiously.
"No hurry, it's not over yet."
"What?"
Chen Jie threw the bronze sword towards Zhu Qing. "Use my sword, I'll help you."
Zhu Qing instinctively reached out to catch it, but the bronze sword trembled in mid-air and flew back to Chen Jie before Zhu Qing could touch it.
Zhu Qing looked at Chen Jie in confusion, thinking Chen Jie had changed his mind and retrieved the sword.
In reality, it was the sword's own decision.
"What's happening?" Chen Jie asked the sword.
"No! I'm not used to others touching me..." Su Jin Nian's shy voice reached Chen Jie's ears.
"Stop messing around!" Chen Jie reprimanded lightly and threw it out again.
But the bronze sword flew back once more. "Really not! I don't want to! I can't let another man touch me!"
"Never mind, Chen Jie. You should use my sword. Mine isn't bad either!"
Zhu Qing raised his hand and brandished the sword in his hand.
"Wow, so cheap!" Su Jin Nian exclaimed.
Chen Jie's gaze sharpened as he carefully examined Zhu Qing's sword.
"It is indeed a good sword. Hand it over!"
Chen Jie beckoned, and Zhu Qing's sword flew into Chen Jie's hand.
As Chen Jie touched it, he couldn't help but be startled.
He felt that this sword also possessed the quality of a spirit artifact. If there was a spirit residing within, it could perhaps become a true magic weapon.
"Not bad!"
If this sword did not belong to Zhu Qing, Chen Jie would have snatched it away without hesitation. However, given Zhu Qing's earnest efforts to protect Li Ziling, Chen Jie would not put him in a difficult position.
So, he casually etched a formation onto it.
He then threw it back to Zhu Qing and said, "Go!"
Zhu Qing caught it in his hand and felt nothing different.
"You guys should run quickly!"
Zhu Qing hesitated and called out, then faced the incoming Twelve Dragon Guards.
The Twelve Dragon Guards were now employing their exclusive formation.
Their Qi interconnected, unleashing incredibly powerful attacks.
This was their signature move.
Twelve individuals could form a single unit, with each person's attack equivalent to the combined might of all twelve.
This was why, despite having so many subordinates, Zhu Qing's men were unable to fight back against the Twelve Dragon Guards.
Zhu Qing charged forward fearlessly, prepared to die.
He swung his sword, and one of the Dragon Guards used a move called Vajra Finger, clashing with Zhu Qing's sword.
A metallic clang echoed, and the Dragon Guard was sent flying backward.
"Ah! My head!"
The old Dragon Guard clutched his head and cried out in pain.
"Such weak power?" Zhu Qing was stunned.
He then rejoiced to discover that the Dragon Guards' strength had returned to its normal state.
The combined power of the twelve was gone.
In fact, it was only his sword that had allowed him to hold on earlier; without it, he would have been overwhelmed long ago.
The attacks of the Twelve Dragon Guards had been too fierce.
"Impossible! How did they suddenly become so strong? Again!"
Another Dragon Guard, though incredulous, charged forward to engage Zhu Qing.
Clang, clang, clang…
After several loud impacts, the Dragon Guard retreated in disarray, shouting repeatedly.
"What kind of attack is this? My spirit feels disturbed! Our combined energy is gone!"
"Again!"
Another person, unwilling to accept defeat, also stepped forward.
But he soon met the same fate.
They all looked at Chen Jie in disbelief.
They had seen Chen Jie's actions just moments ago.
Even Zhu Qing looked at Chen Jie in shock.
As for Chen Jie, his expression remained calm.
Even without Zhu Qing, he could have dealt with these Dragon Guards.
What was more, he had shattered their momentum.
Chen Jie had already discerned that the reason for the Twelve Dragon Guards' formidable combined power was the accumulation of their Qi. And Chen Jie had precisely broken this Qi!