It seemed to be mocking those lofty sorcerers, showing that they were no different from ordinary people—the so-called condescension and sense of superiority were so laughable, so utterly absurd.

“I’m going to kill you!”

Mark Thompson’s cold sneer was like a needle piercing the heart and lungs. The senior brother from Zhaixing Pavilion’s hair and beard bristled in rage, his eyes nearly splitting with fury—not only had his junior brother been killed on the spot without even having time to scream.

What shocked him even more was that a mere mortal could actually kill a righteous sorcerer. This was simply a provocation to the entire sorcerer sect. Unless he tore Mark Thompson to pieces, he could not quell the hatred in his heart.

The senior brother from Zhaixing Pavilion was about to activate the flying sword lodged in Mark Thompson’s shoulder to shred him, when a sudden sense of danger surged in his heart. Reflexively, he raised his right hand to block a sudden flash of cold light.

A sharp pain shot through both the back and palm of his hand, making him cry out. Looking closely, he saw a slender flying dagger embedded in the back of his hand, piercing all the way through his palm. If he hadn’t instinctively raised his hand just now, that dagger might have gone straight into his forehead.

At some point, these mortals had actually become capable of injuring the lofty sorcerers. This was intolerable!

Where was the defensive spell in front of him?

A sudden shock struck his heart, and only then did the senior brother from Zhaixing Pavilion notice that the spiritual shield protecting him had a small opening about an inch wide, which was slowly closing under the effect of his magic power.

This flying dagger was strange!

“Father!”

The previously despairing Mark Thompson looked at his father in disbelief. How could a mortal weapon possibly harm a sorcerer? He hadn’t even known his father could fight, let alone use flying daggers.

“Hmph! My surname is also Li. If you want to kill my son, did you ask me first?”

Old Thompson now held a seven-inch-long flying dagger between the fingers of his lowered right hand—he was no longer empty-handed.

After so many years without using such weapons, his hands showed no sign of unfamiliarity.

“What the hell! Old Thompson’s flying daggers!?”

John Thompson, who had been looking for a chance to slip away, was dumbfounded.

A local tyrant who made a living by squeezing the poor suddenly turning into a martial arts master was one thing, but to think he could even use flying daggers! And coincidentally, his surname was Li, inevitably making people think of the famous Xiao Li Flying Dagger trope.

But given the age of this pot-bellied middle-aged uncle, Xiao Li’s Flying Dagger naturally became Old Thompson’s Flying Dagger, and it seemed the old blade was still as sharp as ever.

His own father was Old Thompson with the flying daggers, the eldest brother apparently could activate talismans to kill sorcerers, his future wife had a mysterious artifact for protection, and he himself harbored a mysterious lotus seed in his heart—this family was truly full of surprises.

So what about the second brother? John Thompson looked over at the still limp and motionless second brother William Thompson, who was the very picture of a useless scholar.

Could he also be hiding his true strength?

Don’t be fooled by his bookish appearance—maybe he was just hiding it well!

“You!”

The senior brother from Zhaixing Pavilion glared angrily at David Thompson. The mortals in this small town filled him with hatred. Shouldn’t they just obediently stretch out their necks for slaughter?

How dare they resist?

Without even pulling out the flying dagger that had pierced his right palm, he immediately gestured with his left hand, and the flying sword that had stabbed through Mark Thompson’s right shoulder, trailing a spray of blood, shot back toward him.

Caught off guard, Mark Thompson grunted in pain, unable to hold on any longer. His face pale, he staggered back a few steps and collapsed to the ground, leaving coin-sized bloody holes in both the front and back of his shoulder.

The few black pills he had just swallowed, though rare, were still only ordinary medicine—their effects had not yet fully taken hold.

In the eyes of the senior brother from Zhaixing Pavilion, Mark Thompson, who had paid a heavy price to activate the talisman, was now nothing more than meat on a chopping block, unable to escape. The real threat was the man before him wielding flying daggers—David Thompson.

Ever since the moment his spiritual shield was breached, the opponent was qualified to be his adversary.

The flying sword spun around and shot toward David Thompson at lightning speed.

No magic power, no magical artifacts, no spells—even with a few strange flying daggers, a mortal was still a mortal. If the opponent still had that thunder talisman from before, he might have some misgivings.

But now, a serious sorcerer was not someone a mere mortal could withstand.

Facing the sorcerer’s flying sword, David Thompson showed no fear. With a loud shout, he charged straight ahead. Both hands moved in quick succession, and two flying daggers struck the flying sword one after another with perfect accuracy, forcibly knocking its trajectory off course.

The surface of the flying daggers’ blades seemed to be wrapped in a faint, smoke-like aura, clashing with the spiritual light of the flying sword and not at all inferior.

The sword light narrowly grazed David Thompson’s cheek, leaving a two-inch-long thin cut, then, its momentum undiminished, shot forward nearly a hundred paces before turning back again.

But David Thompson seized the opportunity to charge at his opponent, raising his hand and launching two more flying daggers, completely ignoring the flying sword coming from behind.

In just a dozen or so steps at full speed, he was actually a bit faster than the returning flying sword.

The flying daggers could break through the spiritual shield, giving both sides the power to kill each other.

“Get back!”

All his magic power gathered rapidly, and spiritual energy instantly went berserk. The sorcerer shouted, and a violent blast of air exploded out of nowhere.