Xu Le's voice, altered by a voice changer, came through the black robe. He wasn't going to fight Jackie Chan, but if Jackie Chan insisted on obstructing him, there was nothing he could do. If he showed mercy, the staff in District 13 would analyze that he had a connection with Jackie Chan, or was someone close to him. As an outsider who had only been there for six months, his identity couldn't withstand scrutiny. If they sent someone to China to inquire, his identity would be exposed. Besides, if Jackie Chan made a move, he would be blocking his path. Obstructing someone's path was not unreasonable, and killing him wouldn't be excessive. Once he made a move, he would have to pay the price.
Upon hearing the threat from the man in black, Jackie Chan felt a mix of emotions swirling within him. If he were alone, he would have risked his life to stop the man in black, but he couldn't. He had his friends behind him, and he had a responsibility to them. He wasn't the kind of person with an overflowing sense of justice who felt it was only right for others to sacrifice themselves for his cause. He was just an adventurer with some martial arts skills who simply wanted to live a peaceful life and didn't want to get involved in these conflicts.
Jackie Chan watched Valmont struggling against the shadow warriors' attacks, his conflicted emotions causing his thoughts to become somewhat chaotic. Suddenly, he put his hands on his shoulders, turned his head, and saw Bull Warrior grinning at him, revealing his big white teeth. Snake had a slight blush on his face and smiled gently.
Everything is understood without words!
Xu Le, hidden beneath the black robe, watched as Jackie Chan, in the end, chose to be his enemy. He felt a mix of disappointment and relief. Jackie Chan was still the same Jackie Chan from the animated series—kind and brave, daring to face any evil head-on. He hadn't betrayed the image he held in Xu Le's heart, yet now he was his enemy. The thought of himself becoming the villain against the protagonist struck Xu Le as somewhat dramatic.
But as he thought about it, he had to pay the price for making that choice.
A slender, long hand emerged from beneath the black robe. It wasn't fair and delicate; instead, it was covered in calluses—the result of Xu Le's many hard and arduous labors in his youth. However, he felt no regret; on the contrary, he was proud that his hands could support him. He slightly raised his index finger, pointing it towards Valon.
Jackie Chan saw the man in black's movements and shouted "Watch out!" to Valmont. At the same time, he fought off several shadow warriors blocking his way, preparing to rescue Valmont first.
Valmont was dealing with the shadow warriors attacking from both sides when he heard Jackie Chan's warning. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the man in black pointing a finger at him, but before he could make any move, an invisible force locked his limbs tightly, as if an invisible giant hand had lifted him up.
Telekinesis! Chicken Talisman!
Valmont had experienced the power of the Chicken Talisman before, but compared to the telekinesis used by this person, those guys were just playing house. The invisible telekinesis tightly bound his limbs. Seeing that Valmont had lost his ability to resist, the Shadow Warrior punched him in the stomach. Valmont felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, as if all his organs were twisted together. A sweet and metallic taste filled his mouth, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the already charred carpet red, adding a touch of crimson.
Although Jackie Chan wanted to save Valmont, eight shadow warriors blocked their path. Though only five meters apart—a distance that would normally be covered in two or three steps—it felt like an insurmountable chasm. Seeing Valmont being pinned down by the shadow warriors and brought to the feet of the black-robed men, Jackie Chan knew there was no way out. He gestured to Bull Warrior and Snake, then turned and ran.
"There's a price to pay for doing things." The mechanically synthesized voice processed by the voice changer reached Jackie Chan's ears, followed by a golden laser beam that shot directly over the top of Jackie Chan's head, instantly evaporating a large patch of hair. Jackie Chan couldn't help but tremble, not because he was cowardly, but because his body was making a stress response when faced with a life-threatening situation.
Just a hair's breadth away; if the laser had been a fraction lower, a huge hole would have appeared in his head. Jackie Chan, disregarding his hairstyle, glanced back at the black-robed figure floating in the air, then sprinted forward with all his might. He turned a corner and ran down the stairs, dodging darts fired by several shadow warriors still following behind, slowly escaping the danger zone.
"I'll let you off this time." Xu Le looked at Jackie Chan who had run away. He was letting him go this time for his father's sake, but if Jackie Chan dared to obstruct him again next time, then he would have to get serious, not just let it go like this time with a few strands of hair. He had already ordered the shadow warriors to pretend to throw darts and return. There was no need to chase them too far. He just needed to make it clear to others that he hadn't shown any mercy to Jackie Chan and his group, so that his identity wouldn't be exposed.
Coming to his senses, Xu Le looked at Valon, who was being held up by two shadow warriors, and felt a pang of emotion. Did a powerful mob boss end up like this because of his many evil deeds? No, it was because he was too weak. Because he was weaker than Xu Le, he was slaughtered. As for the many bad things he had done, so what? Just like a sentence Xu Le had once seen.
Children distinguish between right and wrong; adults only care about interests!
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Chapter 20: God's Cube
Looking at the disheveled Valon, Xu Le could clearly see the hatred in his eyes. If given the chance, he would definitely repay him a thousandfold.
But is that possible? Valon is nothing more than an ant to Xu Le now. Xu Le wonders if this guy will affect the subsequent plot. If he doesn't, he'll just finish him off first. After all, it's not good to leave someone who poses a potential threat to him alive. Fate is unpredictable, and it's not good if that thing gets some kind of lucky break.
Valon also noticed the murderous intent in Xu Le's eyes as he looked at him. He immediately lowered his head, trying his best to suppress his hatred so that Xu Le would see it and make him unable to resist killing him directly. He was not the kind of fool who would make threats when his life was in someone else's hands. Obediently listening and surviving was the best way.
"Where did you put the Tiger Talisman?" Xu Le had no interest in watching his ugly behavior any longer and asked directly.
"In the pocket inside my clothes, I had someone add a pocket to my suit before, and the Tiger Talisman is in there." Valon knew his chance to shine had come, so he put on a fawning expression and said. You could say that Valon was like a clown right now, making a complete fool of himself, and he seemed like a useless person.
Xu Le didn't look down on Valon; at least he couldn't do what Valon did—sacrifice all dignity to survive. But such people were extremely dangerous. Successful ones among them were called ruthless heroes, while even the losers could wreak havoc. So Valon's performance didn't make Xu Le lower his guard; on the contrary, it made him even more wary of him.
However, in his heart, Valmont was nothing more than an ant. Even if he posed some threat, he was still just an ant. If stepping on him once wasn't enough, he would step on him again. Xu Le gestured to a shadow warrior, who skillfully searched inside Valmont's suit. After a while, the shadow warrior pulled out a talisman with a tiger on it. Xu Le took the tiger, which represented balance, and felt a surge of excitement. He had finally collected all twelve talismans. He hadn't felt anything before, but recently, he had been experiencing a sense of obscurity when using the talismans. He realized that each talisman's function was not superfluous. Without the balance provided by the tiger talisman, he would ultimately be unable to use the talismans fluently.
Now, he has finally obtained the twelve talismans. It can be said that with his own strength, he can flatten a modern metropolis within an hour. Abroad, he can be called a superman, and in the East, he can be called a land immortal.
Xu Le put the talisman into his pocket, looked at the mournful Valmont, and extended an invisible force that knocked Valmont unconscious. Then he sat on the Shadow Throne and disappeared from the building, leaving Valmont lying on the ground.
Five minutes later, Blake and his men rushed up. They had been lying in ambush nearby to prevent their escape, but they had sent Jackie Chan and his team in first to subdue Valmont and his men. Blake waited on the rooftop for a long time, and seeing flames shooting out from the top floor, he quickly contacted the fire department to put out the fire. However, he didn't rush up himself. He trusted Jackie Chan's abilities, but to his surprise, Jackie Chan's team of three escaped down shortly afterward, looking somewhat disheveled. This surprised him. Had Valmont's strength become so great that even Jackie Chan couldn't defeat him?
But after hearing Jackie Chan's description, he realized that a new enemy had appeared, far stronger than Valmont. Valmont was no match for him. Thinking of this, Black's face grew increasingly worried. Finally, ignoring Jackie Chan's advice, he led a group of people and charged forward. Jackie Chan had no choice but to follow. After all, he and Black had been friends for many years, and he couldn't just watch him go to his death. However, this time he left Snake and Bull Warrior behind. They were injured and needed to be treated quickly. The two agreed, knowing they were useless and wouldn't be a burden.
Along the way, Jackie Chan was filled with anxiety, fearing that he might suddenly encounter the man in black robes, which would surely mean certain death. He was also puzzled as to how such a powerful person could suddenly appear without any prior notice, as if he had just emerged from the deep mountains and forests.
However, when they arrived, only Valmont was left lying unconscious on the ground; the man in black had already vanished. Jackie Chan crouched down and searched Valmont's body; all the talismans had been taken. That man... had obtained twelve talismans.
Jackie Chan looked up, met Sheriff Black's questioning gaze, shook his head, stood up, and leaned against the side. Since the talisman had already been taken away, its only purpose was to prevent the person from using it for evil.
Blake was somewhat disappointed that he hadn't been able to retrieve the talisman, but it wasn't a complete loss. At least Valon, the main culprit in the attack, had been caught, and he could report back to his superiors. As for the talisman, he would have to search for it again later. Thinking of the powerful enemy that had suddenly appeared, Blake got a headache again, but there was nothing he could do but go back and report to his superiors.
Valon slowly woke up from his coma and found himself in a police car transporting prisoners, surrounded by armed guards whose eyes were fixed on him. Valon had no doubt that if he tried anything, he would be shot dead by these guards.
Having escaped that terrifying figure, Valon felt a huge weight lifted from his heart. At least he was safe from capture; he'd only lost his freedom. As long as he lived, there was still hope. Valon closed his eyes, the image of the man in black appearing in his mind again. His face was calm as he murmured, "I will definitely take revenge."
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Xu Le, who had accomplished this great feat, had already returned to the interior of the Gate of Myriad Realms, within the Astral Plane. He took out the remaining third of the golden liquid, poured it into his hand, and placed the dragon and snake into his body one after the other. But when he placed the tiger into his body, the eleven runes within him lit up one after another, and the tiger rune resonated with these runes, slowly approaching. At this moment, a black hole appeared in the Astral Plane, and a ball of pure white light slowly flew in, entering Xu Le's body and enveloping the twelve runes.
Xu Le was also startled by this change and didn't know what had happened. He quickly called out to the artifact spirit. After connecting with it, he found that the artifact spirit was still asleep and seemed a little tired, but it was conveying a message to him, telling him not to worry, that this was a good thing.
After realizing there was no danger, Xu Le calmed down and quietly observed the changes in the talisman.
The twelve talismans within the light transformed into puddles of liquid under its influence. Xu Le resisted the urge to intervene and continued watching the talismans' transformation, trusting that the spirit wouldn't harm him. The liquid formed from the talismans slowly coalesced under the influence of some force. After an unknown amount of time, the liquid talismans solidified into a transparent cube. Each edge of the cube was inlaid with gold, and each face bore an animal image. Xu Le examined it closely; it featured exactly six different animal designs: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, and snake.
Did the power level decrease after the fusion?
Xu Le was puzzled as to why he had lost six abilities after the fusion. With this in mind, he carefully examined the cube in his hand. Suddenly, he realized that the edge of the cube was made of a crystal-like material, which was transparent. He held it up to his eyes and examined it closely. Sure enough, the inner wall of the cube was engraved with six other animals.
As Xu Le was wondering how to use it, the cube flew into his body, swirled around inside, and finally settled in his heart. A much stronger life force surged from his heart. Only then did Xu Le understand the cube's purpose.
Strengthen! Strengthen the power of every talisman!
Moreover, he could clearly feel that this cube belonged only to him, as if he and it were born as one. Even if the Holy Lord obtained it, without Xu Le's permission, he couldn't use any of its abilities and it would only be a decoration.
Xu Le touched his chest. He could feel the familiarity of the cube. He tried other different abilities. Except for the rat, tiger, snake, horse, sheep and monkey talismans whose abilities could not be directly measured, the other talismans all increased by at least five levels from their original levels.
"Let's call you the God's Cube, a cube with extraordinary magic."
This is Xu Le's first treasure that belongs to him alone, and it is the starting point of his journey, but it will not be the end. The God Cube is both an admiration for the powerful abilities of this treasure and a representation of his ambition.
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Chapter 21: Daily Life (I feel the quality of the two updates has dropped; the daily life transitions are too quick)