Chapter 2276: _2

The fighting skill and treachery of this old guy are well-known; the United Federation sending him out this time shows the importance they place on the operation.

With this old guy’s arrival, Wei Chen’s brows slightly furrowed; the current situation was already very unfavorable for him. He could handle the Little House Lord of Bone Painting Tower, but with the addition of Life-taking Yama, today’s events were unlikely to end well.

The General Bureau had made various arrangements in advance for this operation, yet they underestimated the determination of these guys to stir up trouble.

Support from the General Bureau is still on the way, so he needs to delay them as much as possible. These two are top-notch masters in the country, not ones Sheng Yanlin and his team can handle. Once they enter the city, the battle will be completely rewritten.

Seeing Wei Chen remained silent for the moment, Pei Yan laughed and said, “Chief Wei, if Mr. Bai’s prestige is not enough, combined with my old bones, will it suffice?”

Pei Yan is different from Mr. Bai; he’s a member of the United Federation. His seniority in the United Federation is extremely high, with connections pervasive, not to be underestimated. Wei Chen cupped his hands and replied slowly, “Ah, it’s Chairman Pei. If it were ordinary times, I would never stop you, but this time duty calls, I must refuse.”

Upon hearing this, Pei Yan’s eyes flashed with anger, his ring-gripping hand tightened sharply. He knew Wei Chen very well; this person was Gu Chongshan’s deputy. Although young, his combat power is top-notch within the Patrol Defense Office.

He is the General Commander of the second elite combat unit, a prominent figure in the Patrol Defense Office. In a one-on-one fight, he was unsure of victory against Wei Chen.

But this time is different; alongside him is the Little House Lord of Bone Painting Tower, a famous martial artist too. With two against one, no matter how talented Wei Chen is, he cannot withstand them both.

If not for Wei Chen being part of the Patrol Defense Office, and truly being a hard opponent, Pei Yan would have made his move long ago. Back when his name was renowned in the world of martial arts, Wei Chen was probably still mucking about as a kid somewhere. In terms of seniority, Pei Yan is far ahead.

Does he really think his title of Life-taking Yama was given for free?

If Gu Chongshan were here today, he would’ve left without a word, but Wei Chen is not Gu Chongshan. He lacks the grace and the strength.

If Pei Yan backs down today, he’d lose face and fail to account to those above, especially since aiding Bone Painting Tower is what was instructed from the top.

In the end, it doesn’t matter who controls Yiling Academy or who becomes the Dean, as long as it doesn’t fall under the Patrol Defense Office’s control.

This time Pei Yan is confident, because multiple parties, including the United Federation, are involved. The Chamber of Commerce also participated covertly. They’re wary of public criticism, so they don’t openly support, but secretly supplied Sheng Jingxuan with several good fighters at nearly giveaway prices.

This is sufficient, as the Chamber of Commerce wasn’t counted on for much anyway. Little effort means little reward in the end.

The United Federation is different; they reached a deal with the Big House Master of Bone Painting Tower. If they help Bone Painting Tower take Yiling Academy, both parties would share the benefits equally. Our United Federation gets half.

With the strength of the United Federation, they aren’t afraid if a dispute erupts and the Bone Painting Tower doesn’t honor the agreement.

The next second, Wei Chen suddenly acted, swinging a short stick toward a seemingly empty spot in the distance.

Yet, a dull thud inexplicably echoed from that supposedly empty place, soon revealing two figures appearing out of thin air; one was forced several steps back to steady himself.

Facing the sudden appearance, the scene was in an uproar because the retreated figure was Mr. Bai.

The figure taking the blow bore no trace of life’s aura, clearly a puppet.

At the same time, not far away, the figure resembling “Mr. Bai” standing before the convoy rapidly decayed. Like paper, the outer layer soon rotted away, exposing the real appearance within — another puppet, this one a High-level Puppet.

At this moment, the extricated Mr. Bai looked remarkably grim, and his gaze toward Wei Chen turned murderous.

Clearly, Mr. Bai wasn’t an honest person. He had planned to slip into the city unnoticed to provide assistance, using a trick to switch out unnoticed when Wei Chen was distracted. Wei Chen’s keen perception revealed him publicly, denying him any dignity.

Upon recognizing the plan, Pei Yan’s eyes narrowed, his face convulsed with tension, revealing his patience had worn thin:

“Wei Chen, I’ll ask once more, will you let us pass or not?”

Wei Chen held the stick in his left hand, a sense of Evil Qi permeating around him, signaling his men to retreat, leaving the battlefield:

“Not letting.”

“Since you refuse my respect, I have no need for reluctance.”

“If I’m reasoning with you nicely, it’s out of respect for your Chief Commissioner Gu; otherwise, do you really think I’m afraid of you?” Life-taking Yama Pei Yan extended his right arm, the antique ring emitting a sinister green light.

“Mr. Bai, I’ll hold him off, bring everyone into the city quickly. Remember, defeat Sheng Yanlin, and we are in an invincible position.” Pei Yan, at this point, stopped pretenses; the cards were laid on the table — it’s a matter of who dares and acts first.

Mr. Bai understood the urgency, took a cold, fierce look at Wei Chen, and wasted no time gathering his fighters to storm into the city as backup.

For Yiling Academy, Bone Painting Tower spared no expense. Mr. Bai brought along two Silver Corpses, endowed with Copper Skin Iron Bone powers, both were Netherworld Envoys in life — top-quality puppets.

Apart from the high-level puppets, two elite fighters from the Tower accompanied him, both Netherworld experts. Including Qian Gu Shou Gu Ji stationed in the Academy, Bone Painting Tower deployed four Netherworld masters for this operation, including Mr. Bai as Little House Lord — a formidable lineup.

Wei Chen frowned tightly, intending to intercept Mr. Bai’s group, but Pei Yan’s menacing aura pinned him down, poised for a slip-up.

His spiritual power matched Pei Yan’s, their strength comparable; for experts like them, distraction at such a crucial moment could be disastrous.

Just as Mr. Bai coldly snorted, preparing to vanish with his men, he sensed something, his pupils dilated suddenly. He quickly raised his head, looking behind, at the direction from which they came.

Almost simultaneously, the other two top-level experts, Wei Chen and Pei Yan, sensed the aura, both abandoning their confrontation to look toward that direction.

And indeed, in just about 10 seconds, a whirl of dust kicked up from the road behind their convoy.

Calling it dust might be misleading, given it’s a highway, relatively clean with little dust. More accurately, it was a gray cloud of haze, moving swiftly, arriving at their forefront almost in a blink.

Before anyone else could react, Wei Chen, Pei Yan, and the Little House Lord rapidly dispersed into a triangular formation, encircling the haze.

As the haze slowly dissipated, a desolate figure appeared in everyone’s view.

This was an elder wearing a gray long shirt, face haggard, severe, with disheveled silver hair fluttering in the wind, his cheeks rugged and dark red, etched with traces left by the elements.

At this moment, none dared underestimate him, for merely standing there exuded a sense of oppression because merely standing there exuded a sense of oppression because