Just like that, standing firm in front of the core, with no retreat.

It was like a duel with no way out.

The distance between them kept closing in, step by step, until they could almost see the anger and chill in each other's eyes, discerning the silently spreading blood vessels within.

Amidst the roar, yet another bullet ricocheted off in front of the You Sui Craftsman.

He stared intently at Ji Jue.

Ten meters? At this distance, you dare stand before me?

Then die!

But in an instant, his body shook violently, and a piercing pain spread from his back, the cold spreading.

His defense from behind had been breached!

—Sniper!

Just in that split second, under Ji Jue's guidance, he had placed all his defenses at the front. At his weakest from the back, a bullet fired from outside the bank hit him square in the back!

It pierced through layers of floors and walls, finally bypassing the repulsion field after breaking through six layers of barriers, heading straight for him!

The Alchemy Bullet, meticulously crafted by Lou Feng with good work and the Melting Furnace and transformed through Spiritual Shaping, naturally possessed formidable power.

The moment the bullet hit its target, it spread a chilling cold, almost instantly freezing him solid like an icicle.

Regrettably, besides the repulsive force field, the You Sui Craftsman also had a layer of close-fitting protective soft armor covering his torso, protecting his vital points.

It was over!

The You Sui Craftsman silently grinned, not only Ji Jue was calculating, but he too could—in such proximity, the edge of transformation of the blade was already enough to breach the defense of the Golden Iron Quality and damage the core.

No, it was even sufficient to blow the opponent to smithereens.

Die!

And in his final moments, his last thought was—what exactly had happened just now?

Without any warning, all the alchemy swords flying in the air suddenly lost their power and clattered to the ground alongside their master, both falling into the pool of blood.

No more sound.

Even Ji Xue was stunned in place, dazed, hesitating, doubtful of some trick by the opposition, staring from afar at the gradually cooling body, unable to comprehend.

"What in the world happened?"

"Yes, what in the world did happen?"

Ji Jue lowered his gaze in contemplation, looking down at the spreading blood at his feet, with no intention of explaining.

Right behind the corpse that fell backward, the Spiritual Hand silently dissipated into nothingness, as if it had never appeared.

Craftsmen are hard to kill.

A craftsman prepared and on guard is even harder to kill.

Too much equipment, too many defenses, who knows how many lifesaving gadgets he had hung on himself.

But craftsmen die easily, too, for once their weakness is seized, there's no chance of turning the tables...

The moment the repulsive force field was broken by Lou Feng's bullet, alongside the bullet breaching the defenses was Ji Jue's third, gathering and dispersing at will, the Invisible Spiritual Hand.

The Spiritual Hand, with its characteristics of Non-attack everything, punctured into the wound Ji Xue had previously left on the opponent's neck, the index and middle fingers pinched the major artery.

Blood solidification, spiritual disturbance, blessing interference, soul trauma—from that moment, a series of fluid operations followed, seizing the opponent's weakest moment, activating the Dissociation Technique!

Matrix disintegration!

Finally, an up-close exertion of force directly shattered the opponent's brain into a lump of brain mush!

Such a series of maneuvers would spell thorough death for a Transformation Stage craftsman. Even if it were Tong Shan, he would still be controlled hard and then pierced by the Merciful Bone Knife, at the mercy of others—the premise was, before that happened, Ji Jue hadn't been crushed into a uniform paste by telekinesis.

Only now did Ji Jue finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Hasten to harvest spiritual resources... process the materials!

Can't afford to waste this...

As far as skills go, the opponent isn't weak.

At the very least, much stronger than the likes of Duden, who are sent out just to avoid trouble—don't know by how many ranks.

Unfortunately, it's still not enough.

Who makes Ji Jue best at fighting his own people?

It's a specialty among peers to take on peers.

Setting aside other messy creations and works, not to mention relying on the inconsistent edge of transformation, just with his Dissociation Technique alone, he could easily handle his peers, and even when facing an opponent a whole major stage above himself, it's still enough to be a serious nuisance.

Moreover, with the Non-attack Matrix in hand, as if he were carrying a workshop with him, he always has the opportunity to adapt to the situation and target weaknesses when facing any opponent.

From the moment the first sword was destroyed by the Dissociation Technique, Ji Jue already understood the opponent's skills, style, and variations.

Just now, there were safer and more convenient methods he could have used; he could have even waited for backup from the young calvary and then finished off the opponent in one fell swoop.

However, with the turn from offense to defense, after the opponent's reckless abandon, he must now prioritize protecting the core.

He can't let the Evil Cult find out that the person here has been switched.

Otherwise, it's likely to end with everything being uncovered.

"Next, I can finally catch a breath."

After being busy, Ji Jue dragged over a chair and finally sat down.

Thick blood dripped from his fingertips, falling into the crimson puddle at his feet. The sound of water droplets in the stillness echoed against the turmoil outside, growing more tranquil.

But it wasn't long before he and Ji Xue couldn't help turning pale together.

A blatantly furious aura emerged from outside the core, rapidly closing in.

Bursting through the door.

"Damn it, where did the Evil Cult find all these morons?"

The irritated voice rose from the disturbed Dust, full of displeasure: "How come in the time it takes for me to take a dump, you guys almost get wiped out?

Is the craftsman still alive? Make a sound, will ya?"

No one responded.

"Motherf—"

The supporter cursed out loud when he finally saw the body inside the room.

Or more accurately, upon seeing the intruder's appearance...

In the brief silence, Ji Jue's eyebrows slowly raised. As he looked over, his expression became increasingly bizarre in the silence.

The intruder, the backup, was also silent.

The two looked at each other, wordless.

"Smith!!!"

From the direction of the underground vault, an angry voice erupted, shouting, urging.

It was the Priest, desperate and struggling under Tong Shan's restraint and fierce attacks, roaring in rage: "Smith, you son of a bitch, what the hell are you doing!"

'Smith' didn't say a word.

Ji Jue didn't say a word either.

Just looked at him.

In the lingering smoke and Dust, that familiar face, the so-called 'Smith.'

"Long time no see, Old Tom."

Ji Jue greeted, "Here for a gig in Spring City again?"

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