A battle drum covered in divine diagrams appeared in the sky. Swirling divine light radiated from it, sending out powerful ripples that froze the entire battlefield in an instant. No one knew what kind of material the drum was made from. Its glossy surface gleamed like glass, yet it exuded an ancient presence. Hovering over the battlefield, it seemed to be watching over the chaos below. Beside the drum, the race leader’s figure materialized. The usual kind smile on his face had vanished, replaced by an icy expression. In truth, he had been aware of the battle from the very beginning. But with both sides fighting like sworn enemies, neither willing to listen to reason, there had been no opportunity for him to intervene. The reason he only appeared now was that he had gone to retrieve the Battle God Drum—the violet blood race’s most priceless treasure. This was their strongest divine item. If there was anything capable of stopping this war, it was this drum. “Race leader, this brute Long Chen suddenly attacked us—!” one of the Bi family Elders cried out, his voice trembling with indignation. Though his body was frozen, his mouth could still move. The power of the drum had locked down his bloodline, but it hadn’t robbed him of speech. However, before he could finish his accusation— A streak of Sword Qi slashed toward the ancient elder. The ancient elder bellowed in fury, but in truth, he was powerless to resist. Just as the attack was about to strike, the transparent figure appeared again, shattering Long Chen’s Sword Qi in an instant. “Long Chen, you have gone too far!” barked the transparent figure. The race leader and the highest-ranked Elders were all here. Yet Long Chen still dared to kill in front of them? It was as if he was mocking their authority. This transparent figure was none other than the violet blood race’s Shadow Guard—their only Shadow Guard. His status was nearly equal to the race leader himself. He normally remained hidden like a phantom. The violet blood race’s Elders only knew that an expert of the race leader’s caliber existed in the shadows, but no one had ever seen him before. Having been repeatedly provoked by Long Chen, the Shadow Guard coldly shouted, “Do you think that dagger will let you do as you please here?” Blood sprayed into the air. A dozen bloody holes appeared on the Bi family patriarch’s body. Everyone was shocked. Long Chen’s attack had clearly been shattered by the Shadow Guard, so how? Long Chen’s expression remained icy. “Did you think I couldn’t kill him just because you blocked my attack?” His voice was calm, but his words carried a terrifying weight. “If I, Long Chen, want someone dead… then no one can stop me.” “You…!” The Shadow Guard trembled with rage. The Shadow Guard trembled with rage. Only now did he realize that when he shattered Long Chen’s Sword Qi, it hadn’t vanished. Instead, it had reformed into countless invisible blades. They were slow-moving and undetectable as they pierced the patriarch’s body like a thousand needles. One even punched through his forehead. The old man’s mouth opened as if trying to speak. But no words came out. After a while, his lifeless body collapsed to the ground. The Shadow Guard let out a furious roar, and a terrifying force erupted, crashing toward Long Chen with world-ending pressure. The next moment, the void around Long Chen twisted violently as if it was about to explode. Long Chen felt an invisible grip tighten around him. His left hand, the one holding the dagger, started to tremble violently. The Shadow Guard was trying to crush his arm—to strip him of his trump card. With a frightening expression, Long Chen said, “Since the violet blood race is so heartless, don’t blame me for being ruthless.” Just as Long Chen was about to summon the Earth Cauldron, a figure appeared in front of him.