152: Chapter 152 Crisis

By a shallow stream at the foot of a small hill.

Mad Dog washed the blood from his face and then kicked Golden Scorpion, who was lying flat on his back beside him.

"Buck up, we're not far now."

Golden Scorpion panted like a bellows, waving his hand repeatedly.

"Brother Dog, I'm afraid I won't make it to Blue Ridge. If those bastards catch up again later, you go first. I'll try my best to buy you some time."

Mad Dog remained silent.

Earlier at the Hot-Blooded Arena, Golden Scorpion had challenged Fei Shan as he wished, but the result was just as he had expected: Golden Scorpion lost.

Losing shouldn't have been a big deal anyway, since it was Christmas Eve.

But he hadn't expected that after Golden Scorpion revived, he wouldn't be fully healed; instead, he carried significant injuries.

Furthermore, the moment the two of them stepped out of the Hot-Blooded Arena, they were being watched.

Less than thirty li outside the city, they were attacked by three unidentified assassins.

Mad Dog and Golden Scorpion were brave; in their first clash, they fought hard and killed one of them.

But after that fight, both of them were injured.

Mad Dog recovered very quickly, but Golden Scorpion could not, and his injuries only worsened.

The opponents could revive, return to the city, regroup, and come back. They, on the other hand, couldn't afford to delay; they could only run as hard as they could, hoping to shake them off.

But they didn't succeed.

These assassins were very experienced and followed them tenaciously.

Mad Dog tried to counter-attack twice, but was detected beforehand.

The third counter-attack led them into a trap; the original three assassins suddenly became four, and Mad Dog was nearly defeated and captured alive.

Golden Scorpion had a sudden burst of strength, rescuing Mad Dog and temporarily driving the enemies back.

Consequently, his injuries became even more severe.

"Brother Dog, I feel... they're after you, they probably want to kill you. If it really comes down to it..."

Golden Scorpion didn't finish his sentence. He knew Mad Dog had been planning this operation for a long time. Now that it had begun, what few chips Mad Dog had were almost all exposed.

Would The Sect allow him another chance?

The problem was, their strength was indeed insufficient; they really couldn't do it.

"Brother Dog, do you think Brother Long will come? He doesn't seem like someone who breaks his word."

At the mention of Tang Long, Mad Dog couldn't help but sigh again.

Tang Long indeed didn't seem like a promise-breaker, but he hadn't shown up at the arena as agreed, nor was he at the meeting point outside the city. Mad Dog had sent him two messages, but there was no reply.

Either he had run into trouble himself, or... Mad Dog had indeed misjudged the man.

Could he have been wrong?

He wasn't so certain anymore.

After all, even if Tang Long arrived now, the operation was basically a failure!

Just then, he sniffed the air and suddenly pulled Golden Scorpion up.

"Those bastards are back!"

Golden Scorpion pulled a Golden Spirit Stone from his waist pouch, his body flowing with golden light.

"Just like I said, I'll hold them off, you find a chance to leave!"

"We have to be able to leave first!"

As soon as he spoke, a fierce wind lashed at their faces.

————

On a hill behind them, Wei Jian lowered his binoculars, his expression somewhat strange.

Beside him, Mr. Rong was still watching with great interest.

"This time we should be able to finish them off. The disciple of the legendary Ye Baiqiao really has some skill. Twelve and Fourteen were actually killed one after another."

He turned back and said, "The higher-ups agreed to formalize the Wei Family's status, but a blood offering is still required. You should understand this. I didn't ask you to kill the Emperor, so why the long face?"

Wei Jian shook his head. "That's not what I meant. I just feel that Mad Dog shouldn't be this weak."

Mr. Rong was even more surprised. "Holding off two Blood Refining experts with just the middle stage of Qi Manipulation? That's already ridiculous enough even in Yuanwu."

Wei Jian still shook his head. "You haven't seen Ye Baiqiao; you don't know how strong he really was."

Mr. Rong curled his lip. "The legends make him sound like a god, but in the end, he never stepped into Huagai Realm. How strong could he be?"

A hint of disdain flickered in the corner of Wei Jian's eyes. "Mr. Rong is an intelligence officer, but your work in this area is lacking. In the entire history of Dongyu, do you know who has killed the most Spirit Maps?"

Mr. Rong waved his hands. "Am I really that unprofessional?"

"Back then, the Spirit Maps of Sang City and Yu City were wiped out by Ye Baiqiao alone. Later, in the war against the **, he killed many more."

"A total of nineteen Spirit Map powerhouses killed, ranking first in Dongyu's history. I know this very well."

"I also know that the second highest is Xu Chaoyang, with eight kills."

Wei Jian nodded. "Yes, although my brother-in-law is indecisive, his ability is not lacking. But do you know who is third?"

Mr. Rong raised an eyebrow at the question. "Are you sure you're not intentionally looking for trouble?"

Wei Jian smiled. "The third is Yun Zhuoyue, Ye Baiqiao's second disciple, with a total of five Spirit Map kills. She's the one you want to provoke most this time."

Mr. Rong realized. "I think I understand what you mean."

"Exactly. Ye Baiqiao is unfathomable, and time has proven that everyone he chooses is extraordinary. That's why I say Mad Dog shouldn't be this weak."

Mr. Rong smiled slightly. "That might not be the case; he also chose Xu Chaoyang. Speaking of which, your old man actually chose him too, which is truly baffling. Would you say Ye Baiqiao was wrong, or your father?"

Wei Jian couldn't help but snort. "My father was brilliant all his life, except for this one matter which is truly unimpressive."

"Xu Chaoyang has ambition, but he's too hesitant in his actions. To stake the fate of the Wei Family on such a person is truly incomprehensible."

"And my eldest brother, he lost his edge as he got older, actually allowing him to drag things out for so many years."

"As for my seventh uncle, I'm afraid I can't afford the luxury of hoping he'll change his faith."

Mr. Rong patted his shoulder. "The Dongyu imperial court is rotten to the core."

"This land is right under the feet of Yuanwu, yet that man named Xu is still making eyes at the Blue Sea people. He's seeking his own death."

"As for the Wei Family, it's a process of sifting through the sand, brother. All great causes must go through necessary sacrifices."

"With an outstanding person like you, things will eventually get better in the future."

Wei Jian shook his head. "It's getting late. I'm going to personally send Mad Dog on his way. What about you?"

Mr. Rong smiled. "Fine, I'll go, if only to give Ye Baiqiao some face."

...

The battle by the stream had become extremely brutal.

Trees, large and small, were snapped by fierce Battle Qi, and soil and stones were sent flying in all directions.

Mad Dog's speed became incredibly fast as he maneuvered between two powerful enemies.

Golden Scorpion was also fighting fiercely; his Metal Spirit Blades were extremely sharp, and his second-refinement Golden Spirit Body took Heavy Strikes one after another, yet it seemed his skin wasn't even broken.

However, no matter how tough his skin was, he was constantly spitting up blood.

His internal injuries were growing more severe and could not be alleviated.

Knowing his time was short, he saw an opportunity. At the cost of taking a Spirit Blade to the neck, he tightly grabbed and hugged one assassin, then proceeded to headbutt the opponent's face repeatedly.

After dozens of consecutive strikes, the man's face was gone, and his own strength was completely exhausted.

He barely managed to roll over, only to see that the people surrounding Mad Dog had increased from two to four.

Moreover, the two who had just appeared were even stronger, at least in the Blood Refining Upper Realm. Mad Dog was being hit repeatedly and had no power to fight back; despair suddenly filled his heart.

"Brother Dog~~!"

"Do you see now? If you do, stop struggling."

Another assassin behind him walked up to his side and landed a series of heavy punches on his chest. After the sound of several ribs snapping, the assassin turned back to the other side.

"This kid can really take a beating. My knuckles are almost broken, and he's still got a breath left."

"A Golden Spirit Body paired with the metal Wuque Method—you think it's a joke? Number Seven's strength was no less than mine, yet he was killed again despite this kid being heavily injured. If he were allowed to grow for another three to five years, I'm afraid except for Wei..."

"Watch your tongue!"

"Sorry, sorry, I was careless for a moment."

"He's a dead man anyway, it doesn't matter if we talk."

As they spoke, the assassins all laughed and surrounded Mad Dog.

Killing intent flared in Mad Dog's eyes, but a slight smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

"You think that just because you rarely return to Song City and wear a mask, no one will recognize you?"

"In the words of a friend of mine, a sneaky fellow like you is called a rat."

"I'm talking about you, Wei the Sixth, Wei Jian!"