It was just too hard a truth to swallow.
Hell Valley’s 5th elder still sported a confident smile in his power, just as Huangpu Qingyun before him. But witnessing the latter’s miserable ending cut all his bravado short as he reeled back again and again.
[No, that is no human. Not even a Bursting Pill is enough to defeat him. I need to escape, now!]
“Second young master!”
Suddenly, four cries echoed and four figures were next to Huangpu Qingyun and lamenting his fate. Zhuo Fan raised an eyebrow at the four. They were Huangpu Qingyun’s porters, in the 1st layer of the Profound Heaven Stage.
However, Zhuo Fan’s soul was now in the Radiant Stage and this time, looked at the four with a frown and suspicious eyes.
These guys were indeed of Profound Heaven cultivation but were weak as hell, even when compared with peak Bone Tempering experts. [No wonder Huangpu Qingyun told them to stand aside. But why are they here anyway?]
At one point in his thinking, Zhuo Fan’s vision swirled and his body was on the verge of collapse.
[Damnation, I’m running out of time.]
Gnashing his teeth, Zhuo Fan braced himself to keep up appearances and then flee from this place. Staying here longer than necessary would only make it worse for him, as he wouldn’t be able to hold on for long and fall unconscious. At that point, his head was up for grabs.
But he didn’t get the chance as the four porters roared and jumped him, “You savage mongrel! You dare kill Regent Estate’s second young master, we will kill you!”
“Just the four of you? Please!”
Zhuo Fan snorted, but as the four approached, his mind whirled and his power plummeted. Bursting Pill’s effect was declining faster and faster.
Bitting his tongue to clear his head, Zhuo Fan’s wing lashed out and the three porters were cut in two while the latter was wailing on the ground having his arm chopped off.
Ignoring the ‘lucky’ fellow, Zhuo Fan flew away as fast as he could.
Vicious Pill King paused for a moment before yelling, “5th elder, stop him now! His fight with second young master used up his Yuan Qi and can’t hold on for long. We have to keep him here at all costs.”
When 5th elder was ready to slink into obscurity, he whipped his head around and saw the three dead and one rolling on the ground. His eyes lit up then laughed out loud.
Demon Zhuo Fan’s attacks were ruthless and precise. [How could he just harm and not kill? His body can’t take it and didn’t have the time to finish the last one.]
5th elder then shot straight for Zhuo Fan and swung his mighty hammer.
With his vision fading away, Zhuo Fan swayed in his flight. He watched the incoming hammer dazed.
Chu Qingcheng was beside herself with worry, but there was not enough time to help.
5th elder cackled, his eyes lit up with savagery, “Ha-ha-ha, demon Zhuo Fan, time to pay for what you did to 7th elder and second young master with your life.”
“You’re not nearly worthy enough to take my life!”
His body’s power was sapped, but his eyes never lost their ruthlessness. Bitting his tongue again to sober somewhat, Zhuo Fan roared and lashed with his wings like a pair of lightning whips.
Bam!
5th elder’s hands went numb from pain, with the half a ton hammer slipping from his grip, flung away by Zhuo Fan.
Yet, 5th elder couldn’t be happier, “Ha-ha-ha, wise ass. It is you who fell for it this time. You can’t possibly fend me off when you have no wings to protect you and your body is too weak to resist!”
5th elder’s hand was wrought in a fierce flame and clawed at Zhuo Fan’s chest, “High spirit ranked martial art, Back Piercing Fire Claw!”
With the Lightning Wings used to fend off the hammer, they were too far off to recall them in time. Zhuo Fan’s chest was wide open.
With 5th elder being a body cultivator in the 5th layer of Profound Heaven Stage and using a high spirit ranked martial art, the strike would go straight through him.
Not even Zhuo Fan could keep his life then.
5th elder smirked while Chu Qingcheng was watching below wracked with anxiety and powerless to help.
Zhuo Fan’s eyes flashed coldly and said, “I already told you. You’re not worthy enough to take my life!”
Zhuo Fan roared, “Wraith Style’s second move, Ghostly Dragon Claw!”
With another heaven shaking dragonic roar, the two claws clashed.
Something incredible happened. In that instant, Zhuo Fan ripped 5th elder’s entire arm clean off.
Blood spurted but 5th elder took a long time for the feeling to sink in. He turned to his arm and then fell from the sky wailing.
Only Zhuo Fan, the invincible, stood in the sky like a king. The burning arm he was clutching, was now soaked in blood.
“Humph, no one is worthy of taking yours truly’s life!”
Snorting, Zhuo Fan once again displayed his power for all to see. He clenched his hand and 5th elder’s hand was ripped to pieces.
[He’s just too strong!]
They couldn’t be further from the truth. Zhuo Fan’s power kept dropping but even so, he ripped the arm off 5th elder despite the latter having been at his peak of power, and having taken the Bursting Pill.
Such power struck the core of everyone.
Vicious Pill King had long been reduced to standing there dumbly. Zhuo Fan’s early power was based on the five Bursting Pills.
But now that the pills’ effect was waning, how was he still invincible?
Even Long Jiu’s eye bulged out.
Who was Hell Valley’s 5th elder? An expert that clashed with Veiled Dragon Pavilion’s 3rd elder thousands of times to a draw. The shock was palpable, seeing his hand ripped off like it was a child’s play.
“Just how am I going to explain this to third brother? This little freak has far surpassed him. How shocked will he be when he finds out?”
Long Jiu shook his head, turning to Long Kui and Long Jie, “Maybe, you’ll be the one to break the news to him.”
The two had long stopped listening. They never had truly witnessed Zhuo Fan fight for real, and were now watching dumbstruck at what their peer was capable of.
Panting, Zhuo Fan had used too much of his energy. He snapped a cold glare at the dazed Vicious Pill King and flew off.
Biting his lip, Vicious Pill King’s eyes roamed everywhere and after some hesitation, he roared, “Zhuo Fan, don’t forget! I’m still around!”
The hundred Rumbling Blood Bats flew at Zhuo Fan.
Zhuo Fan’s flight faltered and glared back, “Old fool, don’t be obstinate. I let you go in respect from one grandmaster alchemist to another. Don’t you come and throw your life away!”
“Humph, as I was entrusted, I shall reply with the same devotion! Second young master is dead and only your head will keep me alive! Bluntly speaking, either you die, or I die!”
Vicious Pill King roared as his hand made signs. The hundred Rumbling opened their snouts and unleashed Rumbling Bat Waves on Zhuo Fan.
A huge ripple struck Zhuo Fan just like a tidal wave.
Chu Qingcheng was overwhelmed with alarm. This was a soul attack. Zhuo Fan’s tough body was useless against it and could only resist with the azure flame.
And when that happened, he’d be too exhausted to leave.
But Zhuo Fan wasn’t fretting.
He flicked his eyes to Vicious Pill King and made a hand sign, “Since that is your wish, I shall oblige. Wraith Style’s third move, Necro Dragon’s Screech!”
Zhuo Fan snapped his jaws open and roared!
This dragon roar was unlike the Rumbling Blood Bat’s wave, it came out of Zhuo Fan’s mouth and appeared as a dragon. It flew in the air and shook the whole world.
“T-that’s a sound martial art, and a goddamned Profound Rank at that!” Xie Tianyang had never been so overwhelmed with shock in his entire life. He said to Long Jiu, “Didn’t he say he comes from a third rate clan? Just where the hell did he really come from when such an art doesn’t even exist in the entire Tianyu Empire, or the seven houses?”
Long Jiu shook his head bitterly, “How am I supposed to know? That is one secret only the brat knows. But there’s one absolute truth, he did not come from that third rate clan.”
Xie Tianyang nodded slowly.
Then, the two sound waves collided.
The tidal wave and the dragon fought each other and the aftermath spread well into the crowd below.
The previous shockwaves were from Yuan Qi, so the people could resist it. But this time, it was a soul attack.They would hit the ground, dead if their souls lacked in the least.
Chu Qingcheng used her soul to resist and Peony Overseer covered Xiao Dandan behind her. But even they, Profound Heaven experts were forced to spew blood.
With pain came shock, unable to believe that a sound martial art was unblockable. They weren’t even the real targets of the attack and were already suffering. It was unimaginable how astonishing its power was on the real target.
The people began looking at Zhuo Fan with dread. Vicious Pill King was relying on the hundred Rumbling Blood Bats while Zhuo Fan could do it himself.
His hand made another sign as Vicious Pill King did his best to withstand the shockwave, with dark blood leaking from his mouth. Never had he dreamt it possible for Zhuo Fan to use a sound martial art. He was an abomination!
He was able to hold Zhuo Fan back before, but now…
Squinting, Zhuo Fan saw through the old coot’s inability and roared again.
The huge dragon above whipped its tail and the tidal sound wave was dissolved. It then flew through the hundred Rumbling Blood Bats, who’s eyes went blank as they fell on the ground like hail.
Such was irony, cruel and merciless. The powerful blood bats, prideful in their sound waves were shot dead by Zhuo Fan’s own sound attack.
But the huge dragon didn’t stop there, passing through Vicious Pill King as well. His mind went blank, with not even a simple thought coming to him.
Then, his body plopped two the ground, stiffly. Yan Fu wailed, “Master!”
Zhuo Fan grinned and flew away. When his figure was gone, a mad laughter resounded, “The great seven houses beneath the imperial family are not able to kill one man even with seven against one. Their name is undeserved, bringing shame to the entire world, ha-ha-ha…”