Of course, the original Order of Slaughter could only block a full-force strike from a Peak Energy Transformation Martial Artist, and it required a month to accumulate Spiritual Energy.
Logically speaking, it should have been impossible for Xiang Mantang to use the Order of Slaughter, a Magic Artifact, to block Lu Yuan's angry strike.
And since he had obtained the Order of Slaughter, less than a month had passed, so there shouldn't have been enough time for the accumulated Spiritual Energy to form a defensive light shield...
The reason for this was that after Mu Jinyu had handed over the Order of Slaughter to Xiang Mantang, he thought that given the extraordinary material of the Order of Slaughter, it couldn't possibly have just that little ability. So, he disassembled it and indeed found that parts of the defensive formation inside were damaged; the Inscriptions were no longer visible.
Afterward, Mu Jinyu relied on the formation knowledge that their master had taught him and carved countless Runes following the example, enabling the Order of Slaughter to withstand a strike from a Divine Realm powerhouse.
And the time required to accumulate Spiritual Energy was no longer a month but just about ten days.
Xiang Mantang wasn't so arrogant that he would have agreed to Lu Yuan's demands without the Order of Slaughter at his side.
After all, it was one thing for himself to seek death, but behind him were people like Jian Ruyan, Mei Yinxue, and others who were very important to him!
Thinking about the modification of the Order of Slaughter, Xiang Mantang felt a pang of distress.
At that time, if he hadn't taken the Order of Slaughter and had handed it to Mu Jinyu, would Chen Qianqian's desperate assassination attempt to save him have been unsuccessful?
Of course, that was just a thought.
After all, if the Order of Slaughter had been fully charged with Spiritual Energy back then, he wouldn't have been successfully ambushed by Chen Qianqian so easily.
So even if Mu Jinyu had the Order of Slaughter at that time, it wouldn't have protected the other person!
Regaining his composure, Xiang Mantang shook his head slightly and said to Lu Yuan, who had an ever-changing expression, "Elder Lu, I have taken your palm strike, may I leave now?"
"Of course."
Lu Yuan's mind was filled with doubt, wondering how many times more Xiang Mantang could use his protective light shield and whether he should continue to make a move. But upon hearing Xiang Mantang speak, after hesitating for a bit, he decided not to risk keeping Xiang Mantang there and simply let them leave with a grave face.
"Then... I will take my leave."
Xiang Mantang nodded slightly to Lu Yuan and then turned around to say to everyone, "Let's go."
"Yes!"
Assassins like Zeus and San Liu from Jinyu Mantang vaguely guessed what the light shield that blocked Lu Yuan's angry strike might be, but... why could the Order of Slaughter block an attack from a Divine Realm powerhouse?
This was something they did not understand.
Once Xiang Mantang led everyone away,
the Sect Leader of Tianhe Sword Sect looked displeased as he said to Lu Yuan, "Great Elder, they destroyed our Mountain Protection Array, why should we still hand over Shen Cangsheng and the others? If this gets out, our Tianhe Sword Sect's reputation will be completely tarnished!"
Continuing on, he said, "Moreover, they only have about a dozen Peak Energy Transformation Martial Artists, and our Tianhe Sword Sect's Elders and Core Disciples include more than a dozen at the Peak Energy Transformation level. Why should we fear their Dragon King Hall?"
Lu Yuan gave the Sect Leader a cold look and reprimanded, "Indeed, we are evenly matched in strength, even with a slight advantage over Dragon King Hall, but what about after a great battle? Even if we could annihilate them completely, we would inevitably suffer heavy casualties. What about the covetous rival sects around us? How will we protect our sect then?"
"Now we're just sacrificing these disciples who acted on their own and brought great trouble upon us. What's there to be unwilling about?!"
Lu Yuan snorted coldly and said, "These fools acted rashly on their own, launching an assault on the Dragon King of Dragon King Hall and bringing disaster upon us. Why should I block the sword for them and save them for a bit of face?!"
If Shen Cangsheng had been a Divine Realm Martial Artist, he certainly would have done whatever it took to keep him safe.
But Shen Cangsheng was just an ordinary warrior at the Complete Energy Transformation Stage, and the Tianhe Sword Sect wouldn't call him a dime a dozen, but it also wouldn't go so far as to start a war with Dragon King Hall over him!
Upon hearing Lu Yuan's reminder, cold sweat instantly broke out on the Sect Leader's forehead, his judgment clouded by the overwhelming humiliation of watching his disciple executed by Ling Chi before his eyes, his blood boiling with the desire for vengeance.
He had forgotten that if Tianhe Sword Sect truly acted on this impulse, even if they succeeded in leaving Xiang Mantang and their party behind, their own destruction wouldn't be far off.
It seemed that today's anger was destined to be swallowed silently.
As the Sect Leader's expression flickered between shades of hope and despair, Lu Yuan sighed and said, "Dragon King Hall is developing rather rapidly, I recall they initially had only one Divine Realm Dragon King and seven Energy Transformation Warriors, among them only two or three at the Peak level. Now they actually have more than a dozen, it's truly unbelievable!"
The Sect Leader, hearing this, could only nod in agreement, puzzled by the thought.
He remembered Shen Cangsheng mentioning not long ago that Dragon King Hall was at a low ebb in talent, even considering seizing the Dragon King position for himself. How was it that today Dragon King Hall seemed to be abounding in talent?
...
Xiang Mantang and his party, after smoothly dealing with Shen Cangsheng, made their way back to the entrance of the Kunlun Ruins without incident.
After a bit of tinkering by Xiang Mantang, a vortex of light appeared, and everyone exited the ruins one by one.
"Phew…"
Having just stepped out of the Kunlun Ruins, everyone frowned and covered their mouths, feeling somewhat unaccustomed to the outside environment.
The Kunlun Ruins, to be honest, had a much stronger concentration of Spiritual Energy than the outside world. If it weren't for their various commitments on Earth and their status as Peak Energy Transformation warriors, which might not even suffice for a good living in the ruins, they would probably have opted to stay inside.
"You all can go back now," Xiang Mantang said to Zeus, San Liu, Nameless, and the other guild leaders in a soft voice.
"Yes."
"Your subordinate takes his leave!"
Seeing that Xiang Mantang no longer required their company, Zeus and the others cast a lingering glance at the still-spinning vortex behind them and then briskly walked away from the place.
As for Zhu Yeqing, she had been ready to leave as well.
But she was stopped by Mei Yinxue.
"I'm a bit old, and the harsh training at the Dragon King Hall doesn't mean much to me anymore. Since you've become an assassin and seem to be doing well, you must be proficient in various killing techniques, right? Could I trouble you to teach me these methods during this time?" Mei Yinxue earnestly said to Zhu Yeqing.
"I can," Zhu Yeqing thought about it and found she had no pressing matters to attend to, and since the former elder sister had come to her, she couldn't simply refuse and leave, so she agreed.
Mei Yinxue had been slightly worried that Zhu Yeqing might refuse, as these were the other's livelihood skills, but seeing her agreement, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Subsequently, she sincerely and gratefully said to Zhu Yeqing, "Thank you."
Mei Yinxue's decision was based on the thought that if Zhu Yeqing was capable of this, she might as well learn some killing techniques from her first, which would improve her skills far faster than through tough training.
If she didn't make any progress in the training at the Dragon King Hall, having learned Zhu Yeqing's various killing techniques would allow her to be of help to Mu Jinyu once he awoke.