Headed Blade
The black robe enforcers of the Enforcer Alliance carried Justice and Execution Tokens on them. They could easily kill any living being beneath titled kinghood—even powerful half step kings trembled with fear at the sight of the two tokens.
Not only that, but the black robes themselves were immense experts. They were highly experienced, peak superior realm cultivators with hundreds of battles under their belt. These were the elites of the Enforcer Alliance!
Thus, Zhuo Bufan arranging that identity for Lu Yun and the little fox had drawn some criticism at first. But after Lu Yun displayed the power of a supplemental grandmaster in Redbud City and defeated the tide of beasts, the censure faded away.
Black robes were the strongest group in the Hongmeng beneath half step king. The Enforcer Alliance was deeply beloved by the people in their line of work, not only because of the one hundred and eight kings at its helm, but also because of the mighty enforcers.
Kings didn’t have the time or effort to spare for maintaining order between the chaos and Hongmeng. Half step kings were too busy preparing and accumulating strength for their ascension. Only this exemplary group of enforcers could see to the peace and tranquility of the realm.
……
"Black robes!" Envy and admiration flashed through Li Zhen’s eyes. "My old man sent me to join the alliance so I could become a black robed enforcer, but they didn’t want me and sent me away.
"According to the stories, the Immortal King was a black robe before he grew into his fame. Tsk tsk tsk, talented heroes abound within the Enforcer Alliance alright! Just look at who was once part of them!" Yearning filled his voice at the sight of the newly arrived reinforcements.
"What? Even you weren’t selected to be a black robed enforcer?" Lu Yun blinked with surprise.
Li Zhen was a powerful half step king with solid foundations and extraordinary battle strength. All of that had been displayed when he fought the ghosts, yet he didn’t meet the bar to gain admittance to the Enforcer Alliance?
Lu Yun knew that while it was Zhuo Bufan pulling the strings for him and the little fox to become black robes, the final deciding factor was the venerated one. These black robes are truly a force to be reckoned with!
"That’s right," Li Zhen responded dejectedly. "That was almost a hundred thousand years ago, when Hua Fengwen just became a titled king. The alliance sent out their three weakest black robes and told me that I could join them if I defeated any of them.
"But…" He didn’t continue since it was nothing worth talking about.
"It looks like I’ve underestimated the
It looked like they counted only a hundred and eight kings among their ranks, but the truth was that no one knew how many they really possessed. That the Starspace King ranked in their top ten was likely another misleading statement.
Were a hundred and eight kings enough to police the entire Hongmeng given the Immortal Region, Ten Valleys of Evil, and countless pockets of mysterious forces?
In the eyes of ordinary cultivators, kings were lofty existences far out of reach. The hundred and eight reigned from above and oversaw the realm. But from Lu Yun’s current heights, if the alliance really did possess only a hundred and eight kings, they’d be overthrown the next day.
He hadn’t understood anything when he first arrived in the Hongmeng; the mists were beginning to part and he could see a bit of the truth.
……
"Li Zhen! I hear you’ve gotten your hands on a sweet weapon. Bring it out for a look." Three young men blocked their way when Lu Yun and Li Zhen reentered the city.
Their leader bore a strong resemblance to Li Zhen, but was taller and more muscular. He leered maliciously at Li Zhen’s ghost-headed sword. The group’s fashionable outfits were clean and lacked traces of any fighting. Plainly, they hadn’t left the city to battle the ghosts.
"Li Quan, this is my weapon." Li Zhen subconsciously backed away, then stopped when he thought of something and maintained a firm grip on the blade with his singular hand. He coolly stared down their interloper.
"Yo, who would’ve thought that Li Zhen would find his balls after losing his arm? He draws his sword on elder brothers now!" smirked a man with long and narrow eyes standing next to Li Quan. "Not bad eh? You’ve gained some courage after fighting the ghosts."
His outfit was luxurious and his words oily and smooth. He was evidently a rich young master, but also very strong as he was peak superior realm. It was hard to tell if he was a half step king.
The third member of their group was dressed in a similar fashion and didn’t say anything. Instead, he slowly assessed Lu Yun and Li Zhen with a calculating gaze.
Lu Yun frowned faintly and took a step back, giving Li Zhen some room. This was obviously a Li Clan matter and it wasn’t appropriate for an outsider like him to be involved. Though he’d said that he was lending the ghost-headed blade to Li Zhen, it was a gift for all intents and purposes. It wasn’t up to him to determine ownership of the weapon, and it would only prove that Li Zhen wasn’t destined to wield the blade if he couldn’t keep it.
"At least you’ve got a brain," snorted the narrow-eyed man when he saw Lu Yun remove himself from the situation. "If it wasn’t for the Azureclad Duke reserving your sword, I’d kill you and take it right now."
"I back away only because I don’t want to get dragged into your clan’s internal affairs, not because I’m afraid of you. If you dare speak rudely to me again, I’ll butcher you," Lu Yun sniffed coldly.
"Hahaha!!" Li Quan brayed with laughter. "Kid, do you really think you’re on the same level as the dukes just because you gave yourself the title of Champion Duke? What a prancing clown, get away from me!
"Li Zhen, on your knees and hand over the blade!" He ignored Lu Yun and turned to Li Zhen with a shout.
"Don’t do anything!" Li Zhen took a step to the side when he sensed Lu Yun ready to make a move. "Li Quan is the son of the clan’s patriarch and his status is very lofty—"
Slap!
Li Quan darted forward when Li Zhen was speaking and slapped him viciously across the face. He almost broke the heavily injured youth’s neck.
Li Zhen flew backward, smashed into a wall, and weakly slid down it. Ignoring Lu Yun, Li Quan strode over to his kinsman and snatched the weapon from the one-armed youth’s hand.
"Hahaha, now this is what I call a weapon! Only a blade like this is worthy of me!" Chortling merrily, he hung the blade on his waist and waved at his followers, sauntering off into the distance.
They didn’t bother with another glance at Lu Yun. In their eyes, he was a dead man walking since the Azureclad Duke had set his sights on the young man. It was only a matter of time before the sword in his hands became the duke’s.
"Stop right there!" came a crisp, female shout.