Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Lund looked at him, his gaze deepening, and slowly asked:

"I heard that when you were at sea, you secretly did some shady business for the 'New Righteousness Society'."

Now, allow me to ask you a question—what exactly is the New Righteousness Society planning in the Lower City lately? Who was the person who initially made contact with you directly?

Upon hearing this, the air in the basement seemed to freeze instantly.

The fervor and hope in Sislow's eyes were extinguished instantly, as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over his head.

His eyes quickly dimmed, becoming even more ashen than before.

He clenched his teeth tightly, his facial muscles twitching violently.

After a full half minute, he slowly loosened his grip on the knife handle, as if all his strength had been drained, and slumped against the cold iron railing.

"I am not a member of the New Righteousness Society."

Sislow's voice became hollow and desperate, "I don't know what you mean by that either."

The plans of the New Righteous Society were simply beyond the reach of someone like me, an outsider.

As for the contact person... since I'm not a member of the New Righteousness Society, naturally no one is contacting me."

He gave a bitter laugh and closed his eyes:

"Since that's what you're asking, it's clear you don't intend to let me go."

I have no choice but to accept my fate. Let's get started.

After hearing Sislow's almost dying words, Lund frowned slightly.

His sharp eyes were fixed on Sislow's face, trying to find a trace of a lie.

But he was disappointed; Sislow showed genuine despair.

"It seems that this person really doesn't know the core secrets, or... he would rather die than betray the New Righteous Society."

Lund pondered to himself that he had heard of the terrifying methods used by the New Righteous Society.

"Perhaps I really did misunderstand the information."

Lund said calmly, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

He turned around, his gaze passing over the railing to look at Xilen, who stood quietly in the shadows.

"In that case, killing you directly would be too boring."

Lund's lips curled into a cruel smile. "How about we let you and your 'old acquaintance' have another fight here?"

Sislow suddenly opened his eyes.

Lund pointed to Siren in the shadows, his voice echoing in the basement:

"Of the two of you, only one of you can leave this basement alive today."

Those who survive will see the light of day again.

Those that are dead will remain here forever as fertilizer.

Lund glanced at Xilun.

Xilun's face instantly turned ugly, and he couldn't help but grimace and gasp.

He glanced at Sislow, who had regained his vitality in the cage, and felt an overwhelming, terrifying pressure, as if it were a tangible force, pressing down on him.

That's Sislow! The overlord of the Grey Hemp Pirates! A veteran Baptist who's almost reached the pinnacle!

Even though Xilun's strength has greatly increased and his blood and energy are abundant, he still dares not say that he can easily defeat the mad dog in front of him who has been driven to the brink of defeat.

Sislow, inside the cage, also raised his head.

He followed Lund's gaze and saw the figure standing in the shadows.

Because of the dim light, he could only see half of the other person's face at first.

But just the outline of that half-face gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

Just then, Xilun took a deep breath, suppressing the pounding in his heart.

He slowly walked forward and picked up the weapon disguised as an umbrella that was lying on the ground.

As Siron emerged from the shadows, the dim light finally illuminated his entire appearance.

Sislow's pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints. He stared intently at Silen's cold, young face, his shock churning like a tsunami.

"It's you!" Sislow exclaimed in disbelief.

How could he possibly forget that face!

A few months ago, this seemingly insignificant low-level kid displayed amazing swimming skills in the naval battle. He was as slippery as an eel, not only ruining his plans but also giving him a big humiliation!

Silen ignored Sislow's shock.

He calmly gripped the umbrella handle and gently pressed the button on the mechanism.

Crack.

With a crisp mechanical click, he grabbed it hard, and the black umbrella instantly closed, revealing a two-and-a-half-meter heavy alloy spear.

The heavy gun slammed to the ground with a dull thud.

Xilun casually tossed the umbrella cover to the ground, gripped the alloy gun, looked calmly at Lund, and nodded slightly, indicating that the teacher could activate the mechanism.

Lund walked to the wall and gripped a rusty iron lever.

Before pulling the lever, he turned his head and coldly swept his gaze over the two men.

"I can give you two a little piece of advice."

Lund's voice was like a chilling wind from hell, "Don't even think about trying to escape or cooperate here."

The exit from this basement has been completely sealed off.

The only way for you to get out is to use every means at your disposal to kill the enemy on the other side.

crunch--

With a sickening metallic scraping sound, the heavy steel door slowly opened.

A life-or-death struggle with no way out officially began in this dark and sunless basement.

……

The moment the steel gate opened, a strong stench of blood and decay wafted out from inside the cage.

Sislow struggled to his feet, using his hands to support himself on the cold ground.

The long period of imprisonment and torture caused his joints to crack like popping beans. His originally hunched and somewhat decadent body, at this moment, was like a hard bow being fully drawn again, slowly straightening.

He raised his head, and his eyes, hidden beneath his disheveled hair, were like those of a lone wolf starving on the grasslands, or an eagle circling high in the sky, locking onto its prey—so sharp that no one dared to look directly at him.

"Hehe... Hahaha!"

Sislow grinned, revealing his chapped lips and teeth yellowed from years of life at sea, and let out a hoarse and arrogant laugh.

"I never expected this, I really never expected this."

"Your Highness, the Knight, have given me, Sislow, such a wonderful opportunity."

He smiled as he looked up and down at Xilun, who was standing five or six meters away, with his hawk-like eyes.

His gaze lingered for a moment on Xilun's strong muscles and steady lower body, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Young man, it's been a few months, and your vitality has improved considerably."

Looks like you've been eating a lot of good food lately.

Sislow's voice carried an air of condescending arrogance. "However, if that's your confidence, you're sorely mistaken today."

Compared to me, your strength is far inferior!

Arrogant, nonchalant, and absolutely confident!

This is Sislow.

Even when imprisoned and facing death, he remained the tyrant who issued orders on the Grey Hemp Pirates.

If the person standing in front of him today were a stranger of the same extraordinary level, he might still retain some wariness and test the waters.

However, this person is Xilen.

He had seen the boy in person a few months ago.

At that time, Xilun was weak and had poor health. Compared with him, a veteran powerhouse who was almost at the pinnacle of power, he was like mud compared to clouds.

In his opinion, if it weren't for the fact that this kid was such a good swimmer, slippery like an eel under the cover of the sea, that he had been caught off guard and suffered a setback.

He only needed one stroke to sever the other person's head like slicing a watermelon.

In Sislow's subconscious, even if Silen drank extraordinary potions like water every day for several months, it would be impossible for him to bridge the huge gap in strength between them.

Zheng—

Sislow's fingers gripped the knife handle tightly.

With a crisp and chilling clang, the black sword was drawn!

In an instant, a powerful and suffocating stench of blood, like a tangible wave, swept over Xilun.

This aura was mixed with the wails of countless dead souls; it was the terrifying malevolent energy that Sislow had accumulated over half a lifetime of killing at sea.

Xilun stood still, his face as calm as still water.

He exhaled a deep breath, his lungs emitting a muffled sound like a whale taking a deep breath.

The next second, he gripped the gun barrel with both hands, and the silver-black alloy spear drew a sharp arc in mid-air, instantly assuming a defensive stance.

The two were five or six meters apart, which might require an ordinary person to run a few steps.

But in the life-or-death struggle of the extraordinary, this is only a hair's breadth away.

In the blink of an eye, Sislow's figure had already left an afterimage in the spot.

His speed was incredible; his legs unleashed terrifying propulsion, and he was like a black cannonball fired from a gun, instantly closing to within three meters of Xilun!

"die!"

With a roar, Sislow's black blade transformed into a streak of black lightning, carrying a violent force, and slashed straight at Siren's face.

Xilun stared intently at the black figure whose trajectory was almost impossible to discern, and couldn't help but feel secretly astonished.

"Such speed! Such overwhelming power!"

Xilun felt a chill run down his spine.

Even though he has now cultivated the "Great Sea Whale Guiding Technique" to the third level and his blood volume has greatly increased, when faced with Sislow's furious attack, his naked eye could barely catch the trace left by the blade in the air.

This is the foundation of a veteran powerhouse!

In the critical moment, Xilun remained completely calm.

Instead of taking the hit head-on, he instinctively raised the heavy alloy pistol in his hand, relying on his honed muscle memory.

clang!

The clash of swords and spears produced a deafening metallic roar.

Amidst the sparks flying, Xilun felt an overwhelming force surge through the gun barrel, numbing his hands and making the muscles in his arms feel like they were about to tear apart.

Using the force of the recoil, he plowed two deep furrows in the ground with his feet and quickly retreated, trying to create distance.

However, Sislow gave him no chance to catch his breath.

"Trying to run? Too late!"

Sislow's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he followed closely behind like a shadow.

The black blade in his hand seemed to transform into a raging storm, unleashing a barrage of slashes, diagonal cuts, and upward thrusts, carrying a suffocating sense of oppression as it poured down madly towards Xilun.

*Swoosh!* *Crack!* *Boom!*

The sharp whistling of blades tearing through the air and the dull thuds of weapons clashing exploded crisply and densely in the basement.

Under Sislow's ferocious offensive, Xilun was like a lone boat in a raging storm, only able to retreat continuously.

He wielded the 2.4-meter-long spear with impenetrable skill, maintaining the most rigorous defensive posture at all times. Utilizing the length of the shaft and the toughness of the alloy, he deflected Sislow's deadly slashes time and time again.

Retreat! Retreat again!

Within just ten moves, Xilun had been forced back nearly ten meters, his back almost touching the cold wall.

But there was not a trace of fear or panic in his dark eyes, only a stagnant coldness and extreme focus.

His "far hearing" talent has been pushed to its limit.

In his perceived world, Sislow's movements were no longer blurry afterimages, but the sounds of muscle fibers rubbing together, bones colliding, and blood rushing through his veins.

He was waiting, waiting for a flaw.

In the eleventh move, in pursuit of ultimate lethality, Sislow unleashed a powerful and devastating strike, his old strength exhausted and new strength yet to be generated.

A sharp glint suddenly flashed in Xilun's eyes!

"Now!"

The power that had been suppressed and accumulated within Xilun erupted like a volcano at this moment.

His gun, which was originally in a defensive stance, suddenly trembled strangely.

This seemingly casual tremor actually contains extremely profound techniques for deflecting and counterattacking water flow.

Snapped!

The blade of the black knife slid down the shaft of the spear, while Xilun's spear, like a viper striking, used the force of the rebound to lash out at Xislow's chest with its butt.

boom!

A muffled thud.

Sislow's brows furrowed instantly, and he let out a painful groan. He felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer and uncontrollably staggered back two steps.

He barely managed to stand, a sweet taste rose in his throat, and a trickle of bright red blood flowed down the corner of his mouth.

Sislow wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, staring intently at Xilen, his heart filled with turmoil.

He was secretly surprised.

Although he seemed arrogant just now, he had actually been on high alert the moment he made his move, and had not held back at all.

But he could never have imagined that the strength of this kid in front of him would undergo such a rapid and qualitative change in just a few months!

That steady lower body, that unpredictable force-dissipating technique, and that powerful blood and energy that was almost on par with his own...

This is a far cry from the ant that could only escape by swimming a few months ago!

"This kid... must not be allowed to live!"

Sislow took a deep breath, expelling the stale air from his lungs.

He knew that conventional methods were no longer sufficient to quickly defeat this formidable opponent.

The next moment, the blood and qi in his body began to burn wildly.

A wisp of crimson blood-red energy, like a tangible flame, began to spread and envelop the black blade.

An aura even more violent and bloodthirsty than before permeated the basement.

Meanwhile, in a dark corner more than ten meters away from the battlefield.

Lund, observing all of this, crossed his arms, his face as calm as still water.

His deep eyes silently observed every move of the two people in the arena, his mind racing with thoughts.

Behind him, a tall, thin figure quietly crept in.

That was his third disciple, Aigu.

Aigu pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, the lenses reflecting the sparks from the battlefield.

He observed carefully for a while, then lowered his voice and analyzed:

"Teacher, the speed at which Junior Brother Xilun has improved is truly astonishing."

Based on current observations, his blood volume and physical strength are roughly equivalent to Sislow's.

Aigu paused, his mind rapidly processing tactical scenarios:

"If we strictly analyze their martial arts skills, physical fitness, and weapon advantages, Junior Brother Xilun, wielding a long spear, has a distance advantage and his defense is extremely tight."

I believe that Junior Brother Xilun has a slightly better chance of winning.

At this point, Aigu hesitated for a moment.

He turned his head, glanced at Lund's expressionless face, and cautiously asked:

"But teacher... isn't this kind of practical arrangement a bit too extreme?"

This is a true life-or-death struggle. What if… I mean, what if it's Junior Brother Xilun who's defeated? You should step in to save him at the crucial moment, right?

Lund didn't even turn his head, his gaze still fixed on Xiren, his tone so calm it sent a chill down one's spine: "Why did you lose?"