Chapter 151: Bewitching Violet

In the World of Diablo, Assassins were one of the most feared characters. They came and went without a trace, possessing incredible stealth and assassination skills. Even every part of their bodies could instantly become a deadly weapon, capable of delivering a fatal blow at any moment, and they were proficient with various weapons. Although Barbarians were also known as close combat experts, their techniques and fighting style were bold and overwhelming, focusing more on imposing presence. In contrast, Assassins specialized in delicate close-quarters combat, like a venomous snake hiding in the shadows, making them impossible to guard against.

This black-clad, masked man who broke into the Back Mountain was a rare expert, yet he was still thrown into disarray by Sun Fei’s series of Assassin close combat techniques.

“Tiger Strike—!”

With a loud shout, Sun Fei suddenly activated the [Tiger Strike] Assassin skill.

The energy inside his body flowed in a strange rhythm and speed. An astonishing scene unfolded—vivid illusions of two roaring fierce tigers appeared on Sun Fei’s fists, emitting deafening tiger roars. His fists moved like lightning, striking the black-clad, masked man in continuous, relentless succession. Each strike’s power seemed to stack, with the next punch being twice as strong as the previous one. By the tenth punch, the tiger head illusions on Sun Fei’s fists became more complete, even enveloping his arms. The power contained within them faintly approached the Four-Star Peak level. One punch blasted through the air directly.

Faced with such a bizarre and fierce move, the black-clad, masked man did not dare to block it head-on. He could only dodge awkwardly amidst the tiger roars.

“Dragon Claw—!”

Another loud shout, and the [Dragon Claw] Assassin skill was activated.

This was a chain kicking technique. Sun Fei’s feet, enveloped in energy, resembled dragon-shaped sharp claws. They tore through the air at a speed and trajectory almost invisible to the naked eye, creating fissures in the air. His legs were like two giant, gleaming axes, fast and continuous, never-ending. The black-clad, masked man was caught off guard by this sudden change in move and was instantly kicked in the upper arm by Sun Fei. He grunted, his arms deformed, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and he was sent flying backward as if struck heavily.

Sun Fei leaped into the air, closely pursuing him. Although he started later, he arrived first, his legs chopping down in a chain, instantly catching up to him.

If he landed one more strike, the black-clad man would surely vomit blood and collapse on the spot.

However, at this critical moment, the black-clad, masked man muttered something under his breath. A purple flame flickered on his body, vanishing as quickly as it appeared. The injuries on his arms instantly healed. The long sword in his hand slid in a strange, eerie manner—slow yet fast. Purple trails remained in the air, like a cluster of blooming, bewitching violets, blocking Sun Fei’s fierce One-Hit Kill kick technique.

Boom—!!

The bewitching violets collided with Sun Fei’s ‘Great Axe’, erupting into waves of terrifying air currents. The overflowing energy bursts broke nearby trees and shattered countless large rocks. Dust and debris shot into the night sky, and even Peter Cech and others standing guard in the distance were pushed back, stumbling by the incoming force.

Sun Fei was thrown backward.

The mysterious black-clad man was lightly injured again, but he used the force to sprint toward the periphery. His movement was as fast as lightning. A Bronze Saint-level soldier on the outskirts swung his sword to block him but was sent flying with a single palm strike from the man. After a few flickers, the black-clad man instantly disappeared into the vast night.

“Trying to escape? Fist Flame—!”

The energy inside Sun Fei’s body suddenly accelerated as he activated the [Fist Flame] Assassin skill. With a ‘whoosh’, incredible crimson flames ignited on his fists. The bright red flames were particularly eye-catching in the dark night, emitting astonishing energy fluctuations. He shook his fists, and the Fist Flame shot out from his hands, streaking through the night like a meteor, vanishing into the distant darkness.

A few seconds later, a muffled grunt was heard. In the distance, a flash of firelight appeared, then vanished completely in an instant. After that, everything fell silent, as if nothing had happened.

Sun Fei landed on a large rock nearby, looking surprised and thoughtful.

“I didn’t expect him to escape… He actually managed to extinguish the Assassin’s ‘Fist Flame’. He really has some tricks up his sleeve!” Though a bit astonished, Sun Fei did not pursue further. He turned and went to the soldier who had been struck down by the mysterious black-clad, masked man. Switching to [Paladin Mode], he pressed his hand against the soldier. The Paladin power ‘Aura’ circulated, and a pale golden flame flickered as he activated the [Prayer] skill. The soldier’s injuries were quickly healed.

“Your Majesty the King!”

Cech and the others, unable to hide their shock, hurried over to pay their respects. They had not participated in the earlier battle at the Eastern Peak Summit. This was the first time they had witnessed the king’s methods up close. They were all stunned by his elusive movements and the miraculous close combat techniques like ‘Tiger Strike’ and ‘Dragon Claw’, feeling incredibly awe-struck.

“Hmm.” Sun Fei nodded. “Peter, tell me in detail what happened earlier. Did you notice anything?”

“As you command, Your Majesty. This black-clad, masked man was very powerful. He secretly infiltrated up to the fourth Magic Trap before accidentally triggering a flame chain trap, revealing himself. When my brothers and I arrived upon hearing the news, he had almost broken free from the traps. Relying on our familiarity with the Magic Trap layout and our numerical advantage, we only managed to hold him back for two or three minutes. If Your Majesty hadn’t arrived in time, he would likely have broken into the Back Mountain restricted area by now.”

Sun Fei nodded and instantly switched to [Assassin Mode]. His hands continuously formed strange seals as he rearranged the distribution and placement of the traps on the Back Mountain. Then, he turned and walked toward the Underground Grotto Labyrinth, asking again, “From your impression, was the intruder tonight the same person as the one who invaded the Back Mountain before the celebration?”

Cech walked and thought for a moment before replying confidently, “Your Majesty, we have fought both of them. Judging by their strength and Battle Qi attributes, they should be the same person. However, his strength seems to have increased significantly compared to last time. Moreover, there’s a puzzling point—this intruder didn’t seem to have any malicious intent. It was as if he was searching for something, which is why he didn’t harm anyone. Otherwise…”

“Otherwise, you might have suffered heavy casualties by now!” Sun Fei rubbed his chin and said with a frown, “I noticed that too. He was very measured in his attacks and never hurt anyone. That’s why I only intended to teach him a lesson earlier and didn’t really plan to kill him. I have already reset the Magic Traps in the restricted area. You just need to be careful and prevent him from entering the Underground Grotto Labyrinth.”

The fact that the mysterious black-clad, masked man had no malicious intent put Sun Fei slightly at ease.

Although the exchange earlier was brief, Sun Fei had discovered quite a bit of information. This mysterious person had an enigmatic origin. The aura and fluctuations of his power felt somewhat similar to the divine arts of the Holy Church, yet there were clear differences. The differences didn’t seem deliberately fabricated, and Sun Fei had no doubt about that. So, he didn’t shift his suspicion toward Divine Master Ma Zola and the others. Besides, those two were currently focused on trying to befriend the [God’s Favored One], so they likely didn’t have the courage to provoke Sun Fei. However, the bewitching violet flower cluster formed by the mysterious black-clad man’s sword energy left a deep impression on Sun Fei. This might be a clue to uncovering some traces, after all, on the Azeroth Continent, very few strong individuals used purple Battle Qi… This matter needed to be investigated slowly. Since Cech could confirm that the intruders from before and now were the same person, it meant this individual had been lingering in Shampoo City for a long time, so it wasn’t impossible to track him down.

Sun Fei’s thoughts raced as he quickly arrived at the Underground Grotto Labyrinth.

The Underground Grotto Labyrinth had undergone tremendous changes compared to the previously gloomy, cold, and terrifying [Iron Prison Water Dungeon], thanks to the day and night efforts of countless soldiers and craftsmen. Entering from the small stone fortress in the square, which was filled with the corpses of soldiers from the Nine-Nation Alliance who had died in battle during the day, Sun Fei passed through over thirty heavily guarded, indestructible iron gates before reaching the deepest part—the massive cavern space.

It had been completely transformed.

The previously cold prison cells used to hold death row inmates had now been repaired and excavated anew. The old, rusty, blood-stained iron bars were removed and replaced with simple wooden and bamboo doors and windows. The placement of braziers and other light sources was carefully designed, and after reassignment, the lighting became brighter, more reasonable, and gentler. The grotto no longer felt like a cold prison but like warm, safe, ordinary living quarters.

The rooms distributed along the walls of the cavern space varied in size, each clearly serving different purposes. They were arranged in rows, densely embedded like honeycombs in the stone walls on both sides, which were over four hundred meters high. The originally narrow stone stairs were widened, and guardrails were installed along the edges for safety.

In addition to the stone stairs, eight huge iron chains hung down from the dome. Each chain was connected to a large wooden cage reinforced with iron hoops, capable of carrying about ten people. By turning four giant gear wheels placed at the four corners at the bottom of the cavern space, the iron chains could be pulled to raise or lower the cages. These were simple ‘elevators’ that Sun Fei had racked his brains to design. With optimizations and improvements from Dark Blacksmith Charsi and Shampoo City blacksmiths like [The Rock] Samuel, they were finally fully realized. Using these four ‘elevators’, a journey that originally required at least an hour by stairs was shortened to just four or five minutes, saving a great deal of time.