"Ugh!"
A few men clenched their legs tight together as their eyes almost popped out of their sockets. The cruelty and arrogance they had originally shown was completely nowhere to be seen.
"I've killed more people than the number of rice grains you've eaten. You think you can mess with me?"
Their fighting spirit couldn't compare at all to Tianming’s, after the countless battles he'd experienced in the Theocracy and the Grand-Orient Realm. His will had been honed through deathly battles time and again, something the disciples of Archaion Sect had no luxury of experiencing. Not to mention, he was killing fervently crazy fighters of the Nineshades Clan, to say nothing of the weak disciples of the Human Branch he was beating up now.
The Nine Yang Sword was exceedingly sharp. Each time it swept past, lifebound beast and beastmaster alike would kneel and shiver with fear.
"Buzz off!" Tianming looked around and saw that Xuanyuan Xixi's men had all collapsed and were groaning nonstop. Now, she was the only one remaining. The girl in the leopard coat watched him blankly. "What level are you at?"
"The second level of the Empyrean Saint Stage!" she snapped. Though she was surprised, she wasn’t frozen with shock.
"The same level as Autarch Qian, huh.... You're a little too dumb compared to him, though. I guess the heavens are fair after all," Tianming said.
"Are you insulting me? An errand boy like you? You think you're a hotshot just because you defeated them?"
"Do I still resemble an errand boy?"
"Lin Feng, are you faking it or do you really not know who I am? Do you know what the consequences of offending me are? I've killed tens of disciples just like you! Nobody dares to even ask about what happened to them! I’m going to teach you a lesson. Do you dare to resist?" she proudly said. It seemed that she was really confident about her family background. In fact, most people took it for granted that members of the Archaic House of Xuanyuan could do as they pleased without consequence, not to mention her elder brother was a deacon of the Dragonmight Faction.
"You've killed tens of them?" Tianming chuckled and pointed his sword at her. "It's not a matter of whether I dare touch you. I’ll rough you up today. You're only so rambunctious because nobody’s taught you a lesson, right? Usually, I don't mess with people that don't cause trouble for me, but you obviously tried to mess with me. So, I’ll give you a lesson. Tuition is free."
"Insolence!" Xuanyuan Xixi got the rest around her to buzz off, then charged into the fray with her lifebound beast, a Pentamount Purgatory Dragon. It was a legendary dragon with ninety-seven stars, ten more than Ying Huo. It seemed that empyrean manna was rather common in Archaion. In fact, there was enough for many lifebound beasts to have hundreds of stars.
The Archaic House of Xuanyuan was the most famous clan on the Flameyellow Continent with a dragon lifebound beast. Around two hundred thousand years ago in the ancient past, dragons were the absolute rulers of the Flameyellow Continent. However, the Nine Divine Realms eventually formed a new world order.
The first god beastmaster had a dragon lifebound beast, and the House of Xuanyuan had descended from this mythical figure. That was why those with the Xuanyuan surname formed a house that was granted the 'Archaic' appellation, for it was a name that had been passed down since antiquity. Apart from the first god, the other nine gods had also ascended during antiquity, the last one to do so being Xuanyuan Xi from a hundred thousand years ago. Ever since her time, no new gods had ascended.
By now, Tianming no longer felt the same pressure and impetus when fighting a second-level empyrean saint. It used to look like an insurmountable peak, but now it only seemed like a small mound he could skip over when he traveled closer to it. That’s the meaning of strength! Only the powerful are able to influence others' lives, live with dignity, and protect their loved ones! It was with these thoughts that Tianming clashed with her.
Xuanyuan Xixi used a long spear and boasted a rather impressive combat capability with her mid-grade empyrean-ranked art. However, Tianming's Myriad-Demise Sword came blasting out of the Nine Yang Sword, sending her spear flying. The sword ki swallowed her whole and tore her armor away, piercing into her.
"Aaaagh!" she yelped in pain before collapsing, her face purple and grim. She was enduring the same kind of pain Tianming did when he had trained in the sword ki pool.
"Yiyi, save me!" she said as she struggled to get up. Turning to look, she found that her dragon had been pressed into the water by Tianming's three beasts and was crying out for help.
"Tortoise Bro, I'm pressing it down for you to mount it, quick! You sure are lucky that there’s so many dragons around here!"
Lan Huang roared and slashed with Annihilation Godsword, sending blood flying all over the place.
"Hey, that's the wrong sword!" Ying Huo said.
"Chicken Bro, Tortoise Bro is still young. Aren't you a little too corrupt of an influence for him? Not to mention, I think this dragon's a male..." Meow Meow said.
"What?!" Ying Huo immediately darted into the air when it recalled some unpleasant memories from the past. "I don't swing that way! Beat him up!"
Xuanyuan Xixi knelt on the ground when she witnessed the sight.
"Hey, still think I'm just an errand boy?" Tianming raised her up by the mouth. All the while, Invincible Sword Ki still coursed through her body, causing her to struggle in pain.
"Lin Feng, you're going to die. How dare you bully me! You're going to die horribly!"
"Those same lines again? Come on, stand up for yourself! Don't keep relying on others to avenge you, wimp! Well, I'm already used to it. I don't care who you are. My name is Lin Feng! Well, at least many people call me that."
"You scoundrel! Your father must be a damnable crook as well! I bet your mother's a whore that slept with thousands to beget an abomination like you!"
"Dang, that's low class even for you," Tianming said.
"Hah! I bet I got it right!"
Tianming figured that she was probably spoiled so bad that she always got her way. That was why she still dared to snap back. Just as she was about to say something else, Tianming gave her face a slap. It reddened immediately and she spat a few teeth out.
"Feeling better?" Tianming asked, lifting her up again.
"You!"
One slap later, Tianming dropped her to the ground. "Tell me if you need more. Otherwise, shut up."
Xuanyuan Xixi spat out some front teeth this time. Her mouth tasted like blood.
"Even though you look quite cute, you have a venomous soul. It really doesn't suit your body." Tianming smashed her down to the ground again. "Whatever. I'll spare you, since only your mouth's foul. If you dare mess with me again, I'll send you to the heavens."
"Waaaaaah!" She hugged her head and cried as she knelt. Moments ago, she was threatening to beat the teeth out of others, but now she was the toothless one.
Tianming felt that she deserved it, though. She was so used to throwing her weight around that she didn't recognize a wall even as she rammed into it. He wasn't someone that liked to cause trouble, but that didn’t mean he was afraid of it. Having survived the battle at the Divine Capital, there was no way he would kneel to her and beg for forgiveness.
"Lin Feng!" someone cried loudly. "Cripple yourself or I'll kill her!"
Tianming turned back and saw that it was Fu Bo. He had defeated Lin Xiaoxiao and had his sword against her throat. Tianming didn't see her lifebound beast, implying that it hadn’t come out when Fu Bo attacked her.
"Are you sure?" Tianming headed his way with a cold gaze.
"Of course! Destroy your saint palace now! Otherwise, I'll kill her and you'll regret it for life!" Fu Bo laughed like a maniac, letting the rush go to his head. Lin Xiaoxiao had her hands bound behind her as she looked at Tianming.
"Do you know that I hate other people threatening me with the lives of my friends the most?"
Lin Xiaoxiao's eyes shook when he said 'friend'.
"Your girlfriend's about to die. Still putting up a front?" Right as Fu Bo finished, a rainbow-colored sword ki beam shot towards his eyes. "So quick!"
In an instant, it pierced through his head. The only thing he saw next was the ground. All that remained was an unmoving corpse.
Xuanyuan Xixi and her minions stared at Tianming blankly.
"Let's go," he called out to Lin Xiaoxiao, who was still staring blankly at him. "Go!"
Tianming pulled her along.
"Hold on," she said, almost tripping.
"No way. Running away while pretending to be chased is more exciting."
......
A group of people had gathered outside Tianming's residence. Among them was a burly and fierce man filled with killing intent, behind whom Xuanyuan Xixi followed. "Is this the place?"
"It's this one! After he killed Fu Bo, I got people to watch him. He hasn't left the whole time. Uncle Fu, you have to avenge him!" she said with swollen cheeks. She couldn't even enunciate her words properly, which was super embarrassing for someone like her who valued her reputation so much.
"What's he called?"
"Lin Feng."
"Does he have accomplices? I'll kill them too."
"There's one more. She's his neighbor, Lin Xiaoxiao."
"Anyone else? What's his background?"
"I don't know. Fu Bo tried to look into it but didn't find anything. We don't know how he joined the Human Branch. Perhaps he doesn't have anyone backing him," Xuanyuan Xixi said deviously.
"Alright." The man nodded and flew into the courtyard.
Hmph, you dared to mess with me? Let's see how you deal with Uncle Fu! Xuanyuan Xixi thought with glee.