Yang Jian walked with Zhang Xiangguang through the dream world, slowly approaching an old European-style castle in the distance.

Beside him, the Evil Hound followed closely, always on guard against Zhang Xiangguang, who had regained his ability to move.

Even in this dream world, Yang Jian remained vigilant, giving Zhang Xiangguang no chance to get close. He didn’t want the knife in Zhang Xiangguang’s hand to suddenly be turned on him.

Zhang Xiangguang was well aware of Yang Jian’s caution, so he didn’t try to get too close, maintaining a mutual understanding to keep a certain distance.

“How’s He Yuelian doing now?” Zhang Xiangguang asked as they walked.

“She’s doing well. She’s familiarizing herself with her supernatural power. If all goes well, headquarters will have another female captain,” Yang Jian said calmly.

Zhang Xiangguang smiled and said, “Are you really comfortable with her? You know she’s likely to implement the Peach Blossom Fountain plan again. As long as she’s alive, there’s always a chance for the plan to restart. If you don’t want to see that happen, I suggest you get rid of her to eliminate the threat completely.”

“Do you think your scheme would work on me?” Yang Jian glanced over and said, “Stop thinking about your plan. You failed before, and now it’s even less likely to succeed.”

“Since you don’t want to talk about it, let’s move on,” said Zhang Xiangguang, changing the subject. “Let’s talk about that castle.”

Yang Jian said, “There’s not much to say about Nightmare Castle. Once you defeat the opponent, everything will be over.”

“The foreign group is getting restless, aren’t they?”

Zhang Xiangguang said, “The presence of the supernatural nightmare here indicates that you’ve been attacked before, and the foreign group even wants to kill your headquarters’ captain. Their purpose must not be simple. It looks like their malicious intent has risen again. Can you handle it with your limited forces?”

“You’ve gone up against us before. What do you think?” Yang Jian replied.

“Do you want the truth?” Zhang Xiangguang asked.

“Is there any point in lying?” Yang Jian responded.

Zhang Xiangguang chuckled and said, “They have numbers and aren’t weak as a whole. If they join forces, the captains at your headquarters won’t be able to hold against them. Besides, they plan to strike first and defeat each of you one by one. You’re likely the breakthrough point, but fortunately, you held your ground. Not only that, but you also left their supernatural nightmare power here.”

“I’ve got a plan. Want to hear it?”

“You have another plan?” Yang Jian asked.

Zhang Xiangguang said, “The opponent is clearly unwilling to relinquish Nightmare Castle. Since that’s the case, you should slow the invasion and draw them in to eliminate them slowly—kind of a siege to rescue strategy.”

“I’m not interested,” Yang Jian promptly refused.

“You’ve pointed out that the opponent doesn’t want to give up the supernatural nightmare power, which proves its value. Why not control this power for yourself? Once the Evil Hound consumes the nightmare, it will become the opponent’s nightmare.”

“I don’t want to give the enemy hope, even false hope. I only want to give them despair.”

“You’re young but have quite the temper,” Zhang Xiangguang chuckled, almost sounding like a compliment.

“We’ve arrived.” Content originally comes from novel✶fire.net

Quickly.

Yang Jian, with the Evil Hound and Zhang Xiangguang, returned to the gates of the old European-style castle.

The doors were open, and standing there were not just one but a dozen foreigners wearing armor and wielding cold weapons. These men were tall and muscular, clearly formidable even in reality. While such a physique is of no use in the supernatural circles, it actually provides an advantage in the Nightmare World.

“The opponent is trying to play dirty,” Zhang Xiangguang remarked after a glance.

Yang Jian said, “I see their strategy. After I agreed to the duel, they swiftly rearranged their lineup, bringing ‘experts’ into the Nightmare World while the ghost tamers stayed hidden, unwilling to risk their lives here.”

“Do you think you can handle it now?”

Zhang Xiangguang, holding his large blade, said, “If a group of them charges, I can’t guarantee anything. But one-on-one? They’re just sending themselves to their deaths. Let’s finish this quickly. I need to get back and teach.”

“Captain Yang, you’re truly a man of your word. This is the helper you’ve chosen, but we’ve decided to substitute another person for the duel with the one you’ve chosen. Rest assured, the prior promise still stands. If my associate loses, we’ll leave and never return.”

A foreign man emerged wearing a helmet that obscured his face.

“You cowardly creature, afraid to show your face. Are you hiding in case I trace you overseas afterward?” Yang Jian gave a cold glance.

The foreign man wasn’t offended; instead, he laughed and said, “Captain Yang, let’s remain calm. We have no direct conflict. Let’s proceed with the duel so my associate, who is growing impatient, may swiftly clinch victory and end this nightmare.”

“The fight can start now, but either have your man remove his armor or I’ll suspect you’re trying to delay,” Yang Jian stated, eyeing the quietly stilling castle.

Worried that the Evil Hound might be eliminated, losing control of the Nightmare World.

“Of course.”

The foreign man walked over, patting the shoulder of an armored man nearby: “Buddy, do your best. Win against this person, and I’ll give you a million US dollars. But if you don’t, you know my methods.”

The tall man said nothing, just removing the heavy armor that bound him.

A robust foreign giant, standing over two meters tall, was revealed.

This foreign giant was bald, covered in tattoos, and his skin was lined with scars, showing he wasn’t the product of a gym but had extensive battle experience.

In this era, finding someone so formidable with cold weapon combat experience is a rare feat.

The giant stared at Zhang Xiangguang with murderous intent, wielding only a large sword as he stepped out of the castle.

“Use whatever method necessary to win against him,” the foreign man inside the castle instructed earnestly.

“Interesting,” Zhang Xiangguang commented, eying the foreign giant and his weapon, sensing danger.

The giant was clearly no brute. He was cautious, with a slight crouch and a spring-like tension, always ready to take down an opponent. His broad sword, long and heavy, offered a clear advantage in reach and weight.

Anyone facing this man would likely be cleaved in two before getting close. Even if lucky enough to dodge, upon closing in, the giant’s physical advantage would lead to abandoning the weapon for hand-to-hand combat, where he’d likely snap one’s neck with ease.

Even if you can wound him, without a killing blow, he’d sacrifice an injury to take your life.

“There’s no room for a second strike against someone like him. Victory must come after the first clash,” Zhang Xiangguang remarked, his gaze eerily calm.

Immediately.

He sprang into action.

Zhang Xiangguang gripped the knife handle with one hand and swiftly rushed towards this burly man, his seemingly frail body displayed unimaginable speed and strength at this moment, he mobilized all bodily functions, creating an extraordinary burst of force.

“Luo’en, that guy’s coming, get rid of him.” Someone shouted inside the castle, cheering for the burly man.

The burly man named Luo’en faced Zhang Xiangguang, who was dragging a knife and charging swiftly, without panic, calmly standing in place, tightly gripping the large sword with intentions of a defensive stance, ready to meet this man’s peculiar move.

“This is building power while dragging the knife.”

Upon observing Zhang Xiangguang’s motion, Yang Jian promptly searched his mind for related memories.

This method is very extreme; it’s only used when one’s explosive power and stamina are inferior. In ancient times, generals generally built power on horseback, ultimately using the horse’s strength for a blow that leaves the opponent defenseless, finishing them with a single strike. However, Zhang Xiangguang couldn’t ride a horse; he could only employ the short-range sprint method to build power.

“Zhang Xiangguang is gambling that the foreigners don’t understand this move and betting that the big guy named Luo’en is overly cautious, fearing to decide life and death upon first contact.” Yang Jian squinted his eyes and thought to himself.

As long as the opponent hesitates to exert full force with the first strike, then the first collision must leave them at a disadvantage, and in traditional cold weapon combat, being suppressed in the first clash allows Zhang Xiangguang the advantage to strike first in the second.

This first strike in the second blow is often fatal.

So it is not just a battle of skills but also a battle of courage.

Here he comes!

After a short sprint, Zhang Xiangguang reached the foreign burly man named Luo’en, abruptly stopping, channeling all his body’s power through the built-up force of the knife in his hand.

Luo’en’s muscles tightened, his strong physique endowed him with enormous strength, and his arm veins bulged as he chose to block this blade with the large sword.

In his view, once this knife is blocked, he can discard the weapon, pin this frail man down onto the ground, and with a few punches, easily secure victory in this confrontation.

Therefore, he spared some effort in the block, preparing for a counterattack.

“Clash!”

The moment the sound of impact echoed, unexpected events unfolded rapidly; almost in a blink, the large sword in Luo’en’s hand could not withstand Zhang Xiangguang’s single strike, directly falling headlong onto the ground. This prompted Luo’en to clutch the sword hilt, barely preventing the weapon from being jarred away.

“How can this guy have such strength… bad.”

Luo’en quickly reacted, knowing it was too late to adjust his weapon, he swiftly released the large sword, intending to fight hand-to-hand, tackle Zhang Xiangguang to the ground, force the opponent to abandon his weapon, and prevent any chance of retaliation.

But it was already too late.

Zhang Xiangguang would not give him that opportunity, with the machete in hand immediately adjusted, turning the blade to strike diagonally upwards at Luo’en’s neck from the lower right.

The skull was too hard, not confident about splitting the opponent’s head without building power. Choosing the neck was the correct decision.

Squelch!

Without any suspense, the machete slashed into Luo’en’s neck, yet only halfway, stuck within the bone crevice as the power depleted, unable to further sever the head.

Indeed, without supernatural power, beheading becomes inefficient.

Zhang Xiangguang did not hesitate, quickly abandoned the knife and retreated, pulling away.

Blood continuously spurted out along the knife stuck in the neck. Luo’en reached out, attempting to grab Zhang Xiangguang, but felt strength within his body seemed drained, losing balance and collapsing onto the ground.

“Damn it.”

Others inside the castle, witnessing this scene, immediately grew angry and frustrated, clearly unable to accept this outcome.

The mighty Luo’en was slain by the opponent upon first contact.

His death was not of concern, yet it caused them to lose the bet.

“We’ve won.” Yang Jian smiled faintly.

Indeed, amidst life-and-death combat, Zhang Xiangguang emerged victorious; although the opponent’s overall strength surpassed him, the lack of all-or-nothing courage from the burly man proved fatal. Such a large man is unbeatable in a ring but this was no ring.

Seeing Luo’en collapse to the ground, Zhang Xiangguang walked over with no expression, grabbing the machete stuck in his neck, and directly pulling it out.

Luo’en’s body convulsed, without response.

Zhang Xiangguang was not merciful, lifted the machete again, striking over the blood-spurting neck of the strong man.

After a strike, a bald head with a tattoo rolled down, the struggling body completely still.

“I won this duel, now leave, vacate this castle.” Yang Jian stepped forward and said.

“Captain Yang, I’ll remember you,” the foreign man gritted his teeth and said.

Reluctant to give up the Nightmare Castle, they had no choice, this duel was the last chance and they didn’t even have the right to cheat.

“If dissatisfied, name a place, and I’ll fly abroad for another match,” Yang Jian sneered.

“No need, we’ll definitely meet again in the future.” The foreign man said angrily: “We’re leaving here, abandoning this castle.”

Others said nothing, glaring at Yang Jian before turning and heading deeper into the castle.

Soon, a large crowd disappeared from sight.

“You have five minutes to withdraw, when time’s up, I’ll clear the castle, anyone left behind dies,” Yang Jian shouted into the castle.

There was no response from the castle, though the Evil Hound’s movements clearly increased.

Clearly, they were indeed retreating.

“Since we’re here, might as well seize the castle this time, saving trouble next time,” Zhang Xiangguang flicked the blood off the blade.

“I think the same, wait ten minutes, I’ll go with you to check it out,” Yang Jian said.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com

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