Chapter 106: Battery-Powered Oil Lamp

So! He!

He had moved her! The Black Widow nearly burst into tears. She could leave now, but she dared not move. If she were to depart, she might be sliced to pieces by the Sword Master the very next second!

Realizing the female assassin no longer harbored any intent to kill, Lin Shu paid her no further mind.

After the flash of intense light subsided, the Six Sword Slaves were forced to retreat and break contact. Even at full power, this battle could not inflict a single wound upon the two queens.

"Hehe! What chaotic technique has my husband conjured up this time?" Jing Ni shook her head with a smile.

Luna stepped back to lean against her sister and laughed as well. "This 'Prajna-Paramita' thing—it certainly rolls off the tongue."

Glancing at the two beauties, the Six Sword Slaves finally dared to inspect the situation on the ground.

"Dead! They are all dead!"

"No! Wait! One of them is still fine!"

"How can this be!" The indifferent eyes of the expressionless twins began to lose their focus!

The Six Sword Slaves hesitated. Should they flee, or...?

They had been confident in slowly draining the queens' inner energy, after which victory would be assured. But what was going on with the "Prince of the North" holding a child in the carriage? Had the Sword Master not been behind them, the Six Sword Slaves would have retreated long ago.

"Damn it!"

"What should we do?" The Sword Master began to doubt his own life. He had never felt such hesitation since attaining the rank of Grandmaster! Even when facing Beiming Zi or Guiguzi, he would have dared to trade a few blows before slipping away.

"Kill!" In the end, the Sword Master’s will remained firm.

With a flick of his blade, a twenty-meter arc of sword energy slashed toward the carriage, and his body followed, lunging forward like a celestial being descending from the heavens.

[Commander, the Grandmaster is attacking.]

Lin Shu only saw a terrifying flash of white light approaching; startled, he couldn't help but shout.

"Golden Bell Shield!"

*Crack—snap!*

Amidst swirling energy and flickering electricity, a ten-meter-tall bell materialized, enveloping the carriage.

*Boom!* The twenty-meter sword strike slammed into it instantly.

The shockwave exploded, forcing even the Six Sword Slaves to channel their energy to brace themselves.

"Such power!" The killing intent rolled in, and Jing Ni’s sword began to tremble.

"A Grandmaster has struck!" Luna also unleashed a Great Protective Seal, preparing for a direct confrontation.

The sword energy shattered into scorching air, yet it didn't even leave a scratch on the carriage. Even the Black Widow, who had been standing by in a daze, remained completely unharmed.

"Damn it! Just how strong is he?"

*Boom!* The air detonated as the Sword Master accelerated like a guided missile, his sword of pure aggression capable of piercing all things. Not even the Eastern Emperor would dare to take this thrust head-on.

*Clang!* Lin Shu hadn't even had time to react before the tip of the Sword Master’s blade was pressed right before his eyes.

The tip of the sword was capable of shattering force fields and displacing electrical currents, but the Sword Master’s own body was now dragging down the momentum of his lethal blade.

The sword could not break through the Golden Bell Shield, and the man himself became stuck in the swirling, electric vortex.

"Hmph!" Unconvinced, the Sword Master continued to unleash wave after wave of sword energy.

"Let's retreat for now!" Zhen Gang was startled, as the aftershocks had nearly injured him.

The Six Sword Slaves leaped back several dozen meters, though they dared not stray too far, as the Sword Master was still fighting for his life.

"Damn it, why can't I move!" His energy was being drained at a staggering rate, yet the Golden Bell Shield only glowed brighter.

The Sword Master tried to pull his sword back and retreat, but he couldn't even budge!

"The Sword Master’s strength is immense! He’s standing perfectly rigid, not even moving his feet!" Luan Shen shook his head in wonder. They had thought themselves powerful, but today they realized there is always someone stronger beyond the horizon!

"Ah! Damn it! What is happening?"

*Boom! Boom!* He exploded with his full ten-tenths of power, but the Sword Master found it was all in vain.

"Daddy, that man in black is really amazing, he hasn't moved at all for so long!"

Little Yan'er giggled. She often floated in a rigid posture herself, but she could never manage to stay perfectly still like that.

"Haha! Little Yan'er, let's start shocking the mouse."

The Sword Master had little spiritual energy left, and Lin Shu no longer intended to be polite.

"Okay! Let's shock the mouse. But... is he a mouse that big?" Little Yan'er was puzzled. Could he be a mouse spirit?

*Zap!* Lin Shu pointed a finger, and a bolt of electricity as thick as an arm struck the Sword Master.

*Ugh—ugh—*

The convulsing Sword Master was finally able to move, but his posture was hideously ugly. Another bolt of electricity struck, and the Sword Master began to writhe like a loach.

"Hehe! So this is a Grandmaster!" Jing Ni chuckled and shook her head, sheathing her sword.

*No... Impossible!*

*Understood!* The Six Sword Slaves finally realized!

"Run! Run now!"

With a shout, Zhen Gang leaped into the air. Then, one by one, they dove away from the tree canopy like hawks.

Even Jing Ni would have struggled to catch up at that speed, for the Six Sword Slaves specialized in speed—the speed of a single killing blow, or the speed of an instantaneous escape.

Before Lin Shu could even speak, the Six Sword Slaves, having fled 160 meters, were sent flying back one by one.

"No! How... how could this be!" Zhen Gang shouted in panic, losing all the composure of a leader.

It was over! The Six Sword Slaves seemed to accept their fate. Since the day they rose from a pile of corpses, they had been accustomed to life and death, including their own.

"Hmph, hmph! Mommy, Second Mommy, look! The big mouse stopped moving again!"

Seeing her mother had arrived, Little Yan'er jumped out.

As she caught her daughter, Jing Ni couldn't help but frown. "I told you not to jump around! What if you fall?"

"I won't! Sister Xinying would definitely catch me." Standing beside the carriage, Little Yan'er had never known fear.

Within a few breaths, the Six Sword Slaves' energy was nearly depleted—though of course, the spiritual energy within their bodily cells remained.

The group collapsed to the ground. The physically robust Sword Master kicked the twins aside and slowly struggled to his feet. He felt an unprecedented weakness, making even standing a difficult task.

"Hehe! The Northern Royal Family is truly as legendary as they say! Do it! I will never utter a single word!"

On the surface, the Sword Master was the leader of the Net assassins, but he had two masters above him. The influence of the Net was far more than just assassins; there were the Black, White, and Hidden divisions, and the assassin group was merely the Black division.

[Commander, this man’s spirit is too resilient; he can be killed but not subdued.]

Lin Shu was reluctant to slaughter such a high-capacity battery.

"Sword Master, is it? I will not kill you. Instead, I will feed you well!"

*Feed?* An honorable warrior would rather die than be humiliated! The Sword Master wanted to die instantly, but he had not reached the state of transcending worldly attachments.

"Husband, it’s a pity. These are six perfect killing machines!" Jing Ni sighed. She, too, wanted to claim these six blades.

At this moment, the Six Sword Slaves were strangely calm. In their emptiness, they felt like ordinary people. The ruthless twins couldn't help but recall their days wandering the streets. Those years had been bitter—so very bitter! Not only did they have to disguise themselves as boys, but they also had to make themselves smell and look filthy. Yet, the freedom and joy they once had never returned after joining the Net. Back then, half a steamed bun on the ground had been the most delicious memory.

The Six Sword Slaves were six blades of ruthlessness, hard to tame, but Lin Shu was unwilling to kill them.

"From now on, you seven will follow me."

The Sword Master sneered and shook his head. "Hehe! An envoy of the Northern King, yet you still need to hide your true colors!"

The Six Sword Slaves remained silent, but their expressions were resolute, and they even bowed their heads with faint, bitter smiles. To think a single sentence could make them follow him was a dream; they were already prepared for death.

"Of course, I don't need you to do anything. Just eat, drink, and cultivate happily. Being a human battery isn't a bad life."

Lin Shu didn't mind the Sword Master’s provocation; eventually, they would understand the value of their own lives.

"Batteries?" Luna already knew what electricity was, but she wondered what a "battery" could be.

Seeing his wife’s confusion, the Great King Lin immediately explained.

"A battery is like an oil lamp; when it runs out of oil, you add more. However, these seven batteries will be adding spiritual energy to the carriage."

*Understood!* Luna nodded, suppressing a laugh.

"What oil lamp?"

"This...?" The Six Sword Slaves wanted to speak, but the next second, they were pulled into the inner space.