Chapter Forty-Nine: The Battle Resolved!

"I'm sorry, I can only explain your first question," Wang Bi Xuan said with a bitter smile, shaking his head. "Because I infiltrated the ranks of the Grandmasters myself, I didn't know who the enemy was, nor what kind of enemy we were facing. Between the two of us, whoever exposes themselves first loses the advantage. So I sealed my spiritual power beforehand with a spell, making myself appear more like an ordinary person. That's why I didn't notice the anomaly in spiritual energy. As for who that person was, I truly don't know. But I can confirm two things: first, this person possesses Grandmaster-level strength; second, he is an enemy, not a friend."

Hearing this, everyone recalled Jiang An's earlier warning and his feat of catching the flying needle, and nodded in agreement. Then Chen Long spoke, "No matter what, Ou Xingkong won't get away! His trump cards should be exhausted. With me, Wang Bi Xuan, and that other person, three against one, there's no way he'll escape!"

"Alright, let's go. The others, surround this area, but remember—don't fire recklessly. Ordinary bullets won't harm a Grandmaster-level expert anymore."

Meanwhile, at the center of the battlefield, a conversation was underway.

"When I heard that Li Gancheng had metal fragments in his brain, I couldn't resist probing with telekinesis. But as soon as I acted, someone noticed. The first was Li Gancheng's quasi-Grandmaster bodyguard, but he wasn't strong enough to know it was me. The other was you! I suddenly felt a cold gaze on my back, a sensation that startled me. You were seated behind me, but when I checked, I couldn't detect anything abnormal about you. There are only two possibilities: either your strength exceeds mine, or you're just an ordinary person. Confident in my own abilities, I believed the latter. Still, to be safe, I deliberately accused you, hoping to provoke you or have the military move you away. But now, it seems the first possibility was correct!"

Still unable to open his eyes due to the Ghost Veil spell, Ou Xingkong spoke calmly, maintaining his Grandmaster's composure.

"Allow me to formally introduce myself: I am Ou Xingkong, 'Divine Eighteen,' a member of the Domination Organization! May I ask your name?"

"Jiang An! That is truly my real name, just an insignificant nobody," Jiang An replied.

"Haha, so Grandmaster Jiang doesn't wish to befriend me," Ou Xingkong said, clearly skeptical. "But I advise you—this is a conflict between the Domination Organization and the Huaxia military. Best not to interfere, or the Domination Organization will bring divine punishment upon you. No one can escape!"

"Divine punishment? Ha!" Jiang An scoffed. "I have no intention of fully intervening; I'm simply curious about what your Domination Organization is and why you have such a deep conflict with the Huaxia military. Why not satisfy my curiosity?"

Being referred to as 'something,' Ou Xingkong was displeased, but he merely grew colder. "Domination is the most mysterious and vast transnational organization on Earth. I can't tell you more, but you must know: I, Ou Xingkong, am not only a Martial Grandmaster but also an esper, a Telekinetic! With both talents combined, I've slain three Grandmasters myself. Yet even so, my rank in the organization is only eighteenth! Our leader, the God-King, stands at the pinnacle of humanity! Li Gancheng merely targeted our smuggling ships in the East Sea, and we dared to assassinate this powerful general! Hmph, weigh your own worth—how many assaults do you think you can survive? The Domination Organization will rule the world!"

The thick threat in his words made Jiang An laugh rather than anger. "What a joke! You claim to have killed three Grandmasters, yet you're only eighteenth in your organization. Are those ranked ahead of you required to kill even more? How many Grandmasters are there in the world? There aren't enough for you all to kill!"

Ou Xingkong fell silent for a moment before forcing out, "Don't you know about the Divine Path Society's conflict?"

Divine Path Society's conflict? What nonsense is that?

Jiang An truly had no idea, but before he could ask, Chen Long and Wang Bi Xuan had already approached.

"Grandmaster Jiang, I failed to recognize your greatness before—my apologies! But now is not the time for pleasantries. On behalf of the National Defense Manor and the military, I invite you to join us in eliminating this villain. What do you say?" Wang Bi Xuan smiled at Jiang An.

Jiang An's eyes were sharp as blades, his years of combat experience allowing him to swiftly analyze the battlefield. Ou Xingkong's true energy was temporarily sealed but could break free at any moment, and his telekinesis was Grandmaster-level. With two ultra-hard flying needles in hand, he was unpredictable. Wang Bi Xuan was a spellcaster, strong but unable to fight at close quarters. Chen Long could engage up close but wasn't yet a Grandmaster, so he couldn't match Ou Xingkong, a veteran Grandmaster. That’s why they sought him out... His thoughts raced, and Jiang An laughed heartily, "Serving the nation is my duty. Let me take the vanguard!"

Jiang An’s readiness brought joy to the other two. Chen Long added, "Thank you for your support, Grandmaster Jiang. We should make this quick. I’ve heard the Domination Organization always operates in pairs, so I fear someone might come to Ou Xingkong’s aid if we delay."

As the saying goes, speaking of trouble brings it. No sooner had Chen Long finished than a violent explosion and a barrage of gunfire erupted in the distance, followed by the ground trembling.

Ou Xingkong's face lit up with joy. Everyone turned to see, far away, a stone giant two or three meters tall striding forward ferociously, its momentum unstoppable. Each step shook the earth, making hearts tremble.

Roar!

The stone giant seemed to spot Ou Xingkong and let out a thunderous howl. Winter thunder cracked the sky; soldiers who covered their ears still bled from both, their heads splitting with pain. Martial artists fared better, but even they felt their inner energy churn, true energy in turmoil.

"Stone Man Croft!" Wang Bi Xuan shouted. "I'll hold him off—finish Ou Xingkong quickly!"

With those words, he darted forward, muttering incantations. He waved his hands, sending two talismans flying, which exploded in the wind and transformed into two massive fire serpents lunging at the stone giant. The giant pounded its chest, its momentum rising. It stretched out its enormous arms, grabbed the fire serpents by the neck. The serpents wrapped and bit at his arms, but the giant was unfazed. With a mighty clap of its hands, the fire serpents shattered into a mass of flame and vanished into the void. The stone giant laughed, continuing its charge, but with its next step, the solid concrete ground turned into a pit of quicksand, trapping its massive body like a bear in a pit, roaring and struggling.

"Did you think my command headquarters was made of paper? Fire! Blast the hell out of him!"

Commander Li had regained consciousness. Seeing the situation, his fury reached its peak. At his command, a dozen rockets launched from all sides, each striking the stone giant. Flames soared, explosions thundered, earth shook, sand flew.

Meanwhile, the battle had begun!

Jiang An pressed his toes to the ground, splitting a deep pit beneath him. Using the recoil, he shot forward like a shadow, pouncing at Ou Xingkong. Ou Xingkong, unwilling to let him approach, retreated while pushing his telekinesis to the limit. Two flying needles darted like a swarm of bees, leaving afterimages as they attacked Jiang An.

Speed? Jiang An sneered inwardly. His blood surged, hands dancing, slapping away the flying needles with precision. Metallic clangs rang out as he rapidly closed in on Ou Xingkong. Suddenly, he accelerated, piercing through the needle barrage, his right hand slicing through the air toward Ou Xingkong’s throat. Ou Xingkong couldn't see, but his spiritual senses detected the danger. He dodged desperately, barely escaping Jiang An’s grasp. Jiang An followed through, grabbing and tearing downwards—Ou Xingkong’s left arm was ripped off!

Ou Xingkong screamed, exposing white bone and mangled flesh at his left shoulder. But before he could recover, a tremendous force descended from above, pressing him violently to the ground—he was immobilized.

Heavenly Palace!

Jiang An, intent on killing, showed no mercy. Taking advantage of Ou Xingkong’s brief paralysis under the spell, he flashed forward like an eagle swooping on a rabbit, ready to strike. Ou Xingkong, though unable to move, reacted with his mind—two flying needles appeared, shooting at Jiang An’s eyes in a desperate counterattack. But Jiang An ignored them, taking a deep breath, chest swelling, his right hand instantly growing larger. He slammed down with mountain-crushing force. The flying needles were the first to be pulverized, disintegrating into dust. Then, a thunderous crash sent up clouds of dust. Jiang An flipped gracefully and landed steadily, withdrawing his power.

Looking beside him—Ou Xingkong was gone, nothing left but scattered flesh and gore. Miraculously, the ground around his corpse was unscathed by the immense force, proof of Jiang An’s mastery—like a spear tip striking a fly without damaging the wall.

Ou Xingkong was dead beyond all doubt.

Jiang An remained unmoved. This Ou Xingkong was the first enemy he had personally slain since his return, a stroke of luck in all three of Ou Xingkong’s lives.