Chapter Fifty-One: An Unexpected Turn of Events
Swish!
A sense of danger lingered all around.
Beads of sweat dotted the horse-faced man’s brow. Glancing at the empty surroundings, he suddenly recalled a newly emerged organization, one whose member’s ability had become widely known.
“Invisible Man from the Shadow Group! Are you trying to go against the Chen family?”
“Tch, I’m not with the Shadow Group.” Mu Linqiu’s voice was as melodious as a nightingale’s, yet his attacks relentlessly targeted the most vulnerable parts of the man’s body.
Panic welled up within the horse-faced man. No one had expected the Shadow Group to intervene at such a moment.
He sensed his opponent’s murderous intent, and at the same time, expanded his perception outward.
His expression grew increasingly grim.
It was over. Young Master Chen was finished.
Through his senses, he saw Shen An looking this way; that man was tending to his wounds, while elsewhere, Young Master Chen was locked in combat with a man wearing a baseball cap.
That man also wielded a dagger, but his was crimson red.
“Shadow Group’s Viper...” Fear tightened its grip on his heart.
“The Chen family is finished.”
Suddenly, a thought struck him. The Shadow Group didn’t consist of just these few people—there were others as well. For them to challenge the Chen family so brazenly, they must be completely confident...
At that moment, the two groups locked in combat abruptly halted, their gazes turning simultaneously toward a single spot.
Shen An looked as well.
Not far away, Huanyu, a middle-aged man, appeared at the street corner with twelve elite fighters.
Elsewhere, Bai Weiwei and several soldiers observed from atop a high-rise. Though far away, their view was clear.
“Twelve Awakened experts of the second tier—this Chen family...” murmured a man.
“That young man has allied with the Shadow Group. Sigh, whether they’re partners or something else...” The old man trailed off.
Bai Weiwei’s emotions were a tangled mess.
Huanyu glanced at Shen An. Upon seeing the horse-faced man battling with thin air, his brows furrowed. Then, noticing Young Master Chen’s aura fading as he fought the shadowy man in the cap, his face changed at last.
“Shadow Group—this is bad.”
His thoughts whirled. He remembered the surveillance cameras that had been repeatedly destroyed. Fear took hold.
“Save the young master first.”
Ignoring the family head’s orders, he abruptly changed his mind.
The twelve elite fighters behind him entered the fray without a word.
Just then, as the twelve approached their opponents, flames suddenly erupted ahead.
Boom!
The fire instantly encircled them.
Within the flames, Shen An watched them with a calm smile.
From the heart of the blaze strode a bald man.
Wang Yuan licked his lips.
“Heh, Chen family—let me show you what my fire can do!”
In an instant, everyone was trapped within the inferno.
The temperature soared alarmingly high.
Seeing this, the twelve acted in unison, unleashing their respective powers.
Suddenly, two among them were shrouded in a white mist.
Immediately, the air grew colder, droplets of water forming at their feet—then multiplying, the mist thickening around the two.
Crack, crack, crack!
Frost crept across the ground.
Even the flames began to freeze, shattered by the combined assault of the others.
Shen An cast a mocking glance at Wang Yuan.
This fool actually thought his flames were invincible—ridiculous.
With twelve experts present, escape was never in doubt.
Moreover, those two clearly wielded ice powers, the natural counter to fire.
“You two, handle the fire-breather,” Huanyu ordered.
“Fire-breather?” Wang Yuan retorted angrily, unleashing his flames in a furious attack.
Suddenly, an icicle appeared, thrusting toward him. He hastily retreated.
Flames erupted in his hands, colliding with the icicle. Both vanished, not even a single drop of water left behind.
A black iron blade materialized once more in Shen An’s hand.
The previous one had been destroyed by Chen Ziliang, who had taken forbidden drugs. In the brief respite just now, Shen An had entered his spatial domain and forged a new weapon.
This time, he’d used even more compressed ironwood, making the blade tougher and heavier.
By now, the crowd had long since scattered. Bai Weiwei and her group watched from afar.
Elsewhere, many factions observed the battle keenly.
Some were curious about Shen An’s strength.
Some had only just heard of him.
Others hoped to profit from the chaos, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Now, including Huanyu, Shen An faced eleven experts.
Yet he showed not a trace of fear.
“Shen An, you’ve actually allied yourself with the Shadow Group? The Shadow Group’s intentions are treacherous—I urge you to turn back now,” Huanyu called out, pointing at Shen An.
To Shen An, the words were laughable.
“Heh, who’s truly treacherous remains to be seen. I’d like to know—when Chen Ziliang of the Chen family took forbidden drugs, lost control of his strength, and went on a murderous rampage, what does the Chen family have to say for itself?”
“Release the young master and the Chen family will promise not to pursue this matter further,” Huanyu said, still clinging to a shred of hope.
“Absurd. The Chen family is finished. Tell your patriarch to come out and confess.”
Shen An spoke coolly.
Even as his last word faded, he shot forward.
The other experts needed no command—they were already prepared.
“Wind!” someone whispered.
Instantly, a fierce gale whipped up, followed by blades of wind lashing at Shen An, shredding his clothes in strips.
Yet the wind blades could not pierce his flesh.
“Strength enhancement, fivefold.”
Crack!
Someone’s body swelled, muscles bulging, height shooting from about six feet to over seven. He launched a punch.
The sheer force of it compressed the surrounding air, creating a brief vacuum.
Shen An responded, his own power coalescing. His body crackled like roasting beans, his skin taking on a golden hue.
Boom!
Their fists collided, and the air exploded in a shockwave.
The strongman’s face twisted in terror.
Shen An’s muscles rippled, a surge of power erupting from within, flooding his arms and fists.
Crack!
With a crisp snap, the giant man’s expression changed. He shot backward, clutching his arm in pain as his body shrank back to normal.
“Earth Sink.”
Another man’s voice sounded nearby.
This was the third expert; Shen An’s senses revealed each opponent’s unique power.
He could not afford a single misstep—he had to be on his guard.
The moment he heard the voice, the ground beneath him suddenly gave way.
Shen An leapt up, but wherever his feet landed, the earth collapsed—each step anticipated by his foe.
In an instant, the ground all around him had caved in.
His mind raced; energy surged from his soles as he tried to escape the pit’s range.
“Gravity!”
Just as Shen An was about to break free, yet another voice rang out.