The metallic sounds of the collision of the Blood Gauntlet and Tao Jian's sword were loud and made the heart of the group of tax collectors tremble. Each time an attack by Nero was blocked, he made a quick move and killed one of them.

Sarah was confident in Nero's victory, but she couldn't help but ask what his plan was.

"How do you expect to win like that?"

Nero at first entered the fight, just relying on his superior speed but was surprised by Tao Jain's sword skills. When he realized that he couldn't get through the block only with speed and the Blood Gauntlet, he had to think of another plan that he told Sarah.

"I will continue to attack so that he cannot attack me, and then as soon as everyone else dies, he is alone, and I will be able to tire him out until my victory is absolute."

Sarah understood Nero's idea and couldn't help but agree with him. They both knew that Nero's resistance was much higher than other people on the same level, and even now, against a Martial Warrior Realm cultivator, he would be fine in a prolonged fight and would have no problem beating Tao Jian after he got tired.

It was visible to everyone watching the fight that Nero was trying to kill the guards to leave Tao Jian alone. Not only did Xiong Zhelan's group understand, but so did the tax collector group.

Tao Jian even understood that Nero must have been relying on his endurance to win the battle, but he had already fought worse battles and was still here, alive and kicking. Tao Jian was one of the best swordsmen in that region. He always focused the cultivation on the sword and trained very hard to reach that level of skill, but he also had a Martial Technique.

She had even killed cultivators stronger than him with this powerful technique. He, as a swordsman, trusted only his body and the sword to fight, so a technique could not be better for him than the 'Body Improvement Technique.'

There are several different Body Improvement Techniques at various levels, but all are about improving the user's body capabilities. The one that Tao Jian had was one of the simplest but still increased his strength and reflexes enough to be a powerful resource, which he was sure would be enough to deal with Nero.

But why hasn't Tao Jian used that technique yet? It was because he was a smart person and was almost sure that someone like Nero would not be alone.

The Body Improvement Technique was excellent, but it had a side effect. The cultivator will be stronger and faster for a specific time, but at the cost of a large amount of Qi. When the person's Qi came close to the end, the positive effects would stop, and then a great weakness would make the user pass out for a few hours and take days to recover fully.

Tao Jian only relied on this technique as the last resource as he could not even defend himself when his Qi ran out. He could also rely on his guards to protect him, but he needed to eliminate all enemies before the effect ended. That was not a difficult task for him, but until now, he had not seen anyone else together with Nero.

While the battle continued, more than half of the guards had already died, and Tao Jian was getting nervous as he didn't know if it was better to use his technique now or wait to see who was with Nero. He knew that the situation was getting out of control, so he tried again to provoke Nero to try to get him to call his companions from the shadows.

"Do you think you can really get out of here alive? If I start to fight seriously, you will not last even a minute, so why not save time and call your friends right away."

Nero didn't know if Tao Jian really knew about Xiong Zhelan's group watching them from afar or was just bluffing. He was also unsure whether he had any secret plans or skills, but since he was someone of high status, that was very likely.

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While giving his all to attack with as much speed as he could, Nero was starting to be concerned that his plan didn't work out, but if everything went wrong, he could still trust Xiong Zhelan's help even though he was really against asking for help.

Nero now thought that Tao Jian could only use his secret skill or plan once, so he wanted to make sure that he hit all enemies. Nero did not want to ask for help, and then he had to be prepared for whatever was coming, so he continued his attacks while taunting Tao Jian.

"People who are already dead shouldn't talk that much."

As Nero showed no sign that he was going to ask for help, Tao Jian had to start his move. He blocked Nero's gauntlet again, but this time he also jumped backward, taking a greater distance between them. Just like the other times, he saw Nero kill another guard with a counter-attack.

But he could no longer allow Nero to kill more of his men, so he gave the order while starting to focus the Qi on use his technique.

"Everyone stays away from him because now I will go hard."

The guards have already fought hard alongside Tao Jian to understand the plan and was relieved that he was willing to use his technique before more of them die. Then everyone moved away from the center of the square, giving space for Tao Jian and Nero to fight.

Nero understood that Tao Jian was going to use anything to try to defeat him now, but Sarah spoke in his mind to clarify the situation.

"He is using Qi to strengthen his body so you will have problems for a while until the effects fade off. I suggest that you stay on the defensive and don't try to block directly."

Nero knew that the situation would not be easy since Tao Jian already had much higher strength than his, usually. After using this technique and gaining more speed, the difference between them would be overwhelming.

"Do I just need to hold on until he gets back to normal?"

"When he runs out of Qi, it's all over because he won't be able to stand anymore. But do not think that you can get out of this fight without suffering serious damage even with your high endurance."

While Nero talked to Sarah about how to proceed, Tao Jian was ready. He managed to use the body improvement technique successfully, and his muscles increased in size, boosting his strength. Tao Jian could feel his senses much better, so he ran towards Nero with his sword in hand while shouting intimidating words.

"You're going to die, stupid boy!"

Nero did not feel threatened and ran towards Tao Jain with his gauntlet ready.

*Woosh*

"Aaaaah!"

Tao Jian took a vertical strike with his sword trying to cut Nero in half, but he dodged downward. After Nero dodged, he attempted to punch Tao Jian in the shoulder with the Blood Gauntlet, but he moved his attack quickly, bringing the sword to collide with the gauntlet.

This scene would be like the other times that Tao Jian blocked Nero's attack, but this time, he was unable to hold the sword that seemed to have much higher strength than before, causing Nero to be pushed down.

Nero screamed as he tried to stand against the sword, but he realized too late that Tao Jian was not holding the sword with both hands like before, and then he couldn't do anything while a punch connected with his face.

The punch of Tao Jian sent him over ten meters. He was in a lot of pain, and blood was running all over his face as he got up quickly to try to dodge the sword stroke that was already close.

Tao Jian ran towards Nero after he was thrown to the ground. He wanted to end the fight quickly, but he couldn't help but laugh and speak words of mockery as he went towards Nero with his sword, making a sharp sound as it cut through the air.

"Hahahaha... Now it is useless to repent because I do not forgive those who get in my way!"

Nero was injured but not defeated, so he jumped up and tried to dodge the stroke this time to the side. Nero saw the sword pass very close to his face and thought he had managed to avoid it entirely, but then he felt a pain in his back and was launched flying again.

Tao Jian could now see Nero's movements at the same speed as his or even slower. When he dodged the sword, Tao Jian turned and kicked Nero in the back with as much power as he could.

Nero was thrown into a tree while flying across the square. He was not only injured in the back by Tao Jian's kick but also in the front by the impact that broke the tree.

He was in great pain and could hear the sounds of his bones cracking as he tried to get up more than once. This time Tao Jian did not come running but strolled while looking at Nero, who was unable to jump up this time.

"As I said, you wouldn't last a minute if I really fought. Now I'm going to fuck that girl while you and her father watch."

Tao Jian was an observant person, and he knew that it was no coincidence that Nero appeared at the same time as the daughter of the man his guards were beating. He thought Nero was the girl's boyfriend and wanted to make them all suffer a lot before killing them.

Nero felt the same feeling as Qiao Kun when Tao Jian talked about harming Qiao Mei. But it was not the time to be afraid because he was still alive, and he could win this fight to protect her, so Nero once again tried to get up and keep fighting.

Tao Jian would not let Nero stand a chance and came close to him while launching a sword stroke, not waiting for him to get up.

Nero saw the sword coming towards him and raised his gauntlet to block the attack. As there was no change in Tao Jian's strength and Nero was more wounded than before, the sword did not stop and continued to descend aimed at Nero's chest even while he held the blade with the gauntlet.

Tao Jian was forcing the sword on Nero, but even in such a deplorable state, he was still able to block the sword. Tao Jian thought Nero's resistance was incredible, but he was still sure of his victory. Then he used his other hand to hit the sword's pommel, causing it to descend further and further.

As the sword approached Nero's chest, he was left with no option and had to hold the blade with both hands. The blood started to flow like water because the left hand was naked, and the sword was still going down.

"STOP!!!"

Before Tao Jian could punch Nero, they both heard a shout and looked in the opposite direction to see Qiao Mei running while filling the floor with tears.

Tao Jian stopped pressing the sword against Nero because he thought the fight was already over and wanted to hurt Qiao Mei in front of Nero before killing him to show everyone that no one can go against him.

"Glad you came. Now I can play with you in front of your boyfriend."

While Tao Jian went towards Qiao Mei, who did not run, Nero was on the floor in a pool of his own blood but had not yet given up.

"Shit!!! That is more difficult than I expected."

Sarah did not like to see Nero hurt, but she could not deny that a cultivator's life was like that, full of difficult fights. So she tried to motivate Nero to try harder.

"Aren't you going to get up and save your favorite waitress?"