Chapter 188: Critical Moment
Translator: KurazyTolanzuraytor Editor: Lucas
"Duan Ling Tian, how is it? Are you afraid now?" A trace of mockery was mixed within Duan Ru Lei’s gaze. It was as if he wanted to see Duan Ling Tian’s terrified expression.
"Afraid?" Duan Ling Tian’s gaze focused when faced with Duan Ru Lei’s question, and he smiled indifferently. "Why should I be afraid?"
"Humph!" Duan Ru Lei snorted coldly. "You’re about to die and you still dare be stubborn! Then I’ll make it clear to you: this is my private courtyard house. Including Senior Ku and those three, they’re not members of the Duan Clan, so don’t you think that they’ll give consideration to the fact you’re a Duan Clan direct descendant and show mercy!"
"Therefore, I’ll undoubtedly die today, right?" Duan Ling Tian’s tone was calm. To outsiders, it would seem as if he’d given no thought to life and death and was completely indifferent to it.
"It’s good that you know." Duan Ru Lei’s face had a layer of frost on it as he sneered, "Now, do you regret killing my son?"
"If I say I regret it, could it be that you’d let me go?" Duan Ling Tian asked rhetorically. He still had a carefree expression on his face.
"It’s naturally impossible! Today, you must die no matter what!" Duan Ru Lei’s gaze went cold when he proclaimed his determination to kill Duan Ling Tian.
"Then doesn’t that suffice? If I regret it, I’ll die; if I don’t regret it, I’ll still die. Why should I regret? Maybe I, Duan Ling Tian, will have things to be sorry about during my lifetime, and there will be a moment that I feel regret… However, I’ve never one regretted killing your son. Not in the past, not now, and not in the future!" Duan Ling Tian’s gaze was like a sword as it focused onto Duan Ru Lei. He spoke in a neither humble nor arrogant manner.
"Good, good…." Duan Ru Lei started laughing out of extreme fury. "As expected of the son of Duan Ru Feng, you sure enough possess the demeanor he had all those years ago!"
Subsequently, Duan Ru Lei’s gaze sized up Duan Ling Tian. "I heard from my nephew that your cultivation had currently stepped into the Origin Core Stage. If I remember correctly, you seem to be only 18 this year… An 18-year-old Origin Core martial artist. In terms of natural talent, you’re virtually more monstrous and heaven-defying than your father all those years ago. But unfortunately, you’re going to die here today!"
Obviously, Duan Ru Lei had heard from Duan Rong about what happened at Paladin Academy this morning.
Duan Ling Tian relied upon his cultivation at the Origin Core Stage to defeat the former number one genius of Paladin Academy, Xu Qing.
"An 18-year-old at the Origin Core Stage?" The green-clothed old man beside Duan Ru Lei spoke, which was a scene that was hard to come by. His voice was slightly hoarse, and a strange lustre flickered within his eyes. "Not to mention the Crimson Sky Kingdom, even in the younger generation of the entire Azure Forest Imperial Kingdom, I’m afraid such natural talent can still be considered to be at the top… how unfortunate."
"However, being able to kill such a monstrous talent in my lifetime can truly be considered as good fortune." A trace of cold intentions slowly appeared on the corners of the green-clothed old man’s mouth.
On his body, strands of a bizarre aura stretched out…
Duan Ling Tian’s sensitive Spiritual Force reacted to this aura at the first possible moment, causing his pupils to constrict. "Half-step Void Stage!"
Now he could finally be completely certain. The old man before him was a Half-step Void Stage powerhouse!
"You know of the Half-step Void Stage?" The green-clothed old man was briefly surprised when he heard what Duan Ling Tian said, and his pair of strange eyes flickered with a sheen of teasing intentions. "Looks like you aren’t simple, kid… Right, someone who’s able to control two seventh level Nascent Soul martial artists should have some ability."
"Since when did an existence at the Half-step Void Stage become a lackey for others? Moreover, being a lackey for a ninth level Body Tempering cripple!" A cold smile appeared on the corners of Duan Ling Tian’s mouth as he mocked.
The green-clothed old man didn’t given any reaction when Duan Ru Lei’s face went gloomy. "Duan Ling Tian, don’t you talk nonsense and sow discord amongst me and Senior Ku… Senior Ku is my esteemed guest, and I’ve always treated him like an elder!"
"Kid, no matter how great you are at talking, it’s still a waste of breath… If I were you, I would kneel and beg for mercy and kowtow to the second master, and maybe second master’s mood might turn good and leave your corpse intact." The green-clothed old man didn’t get angry or embarrassed. His voice was calm, but within it was a breathtaking coldness.
At this moment, he seemed to have transformed into the judge of life and death in hell, and Duan Ling Tian was only an ordinary person waiting to be judged.
"Kneel and beg for mercy? Corpse intact?" The cold smile on the corners of Duan Ling Tian’s mouth grew even wider, and his fierce gaze descended onto Duan Ru Lei. "Asking me to kowtow and beg for mercy? Old man, are you so old that even your brain isn’t working? Can a cripple like him bear to receive it? Is a cripple like him worthy?"
"Duan Ling Tian!" Duan Ru Lei’s face was crimson red as he burst into rage.
In these years, although he had lost his cultivation, his status in the Duan Clan was extremely important. Who’d dare call him a cripple to his face?
Now Duan Ling Tian had repeatedly called him cripple, and this utterly enraged him!
"Senior Ku, I’ll have to trouble you." Duan Ru Lei took a deep breath as killing intent flashed within his eyes. He looked at the green-clothed old man, as he didn’t plan to waste his breath on Duan Ling Tian anymore.
"Xing, father will take revenge for you right away." Duan Ru Lei’s icy-cold gaze descended onto Duan Ling Tian as if he’d already seen the scene of Duan Ling Tian dead on the ground.
The green-clothed old man’s expressions was extremely gloomy. He gave orders to the three old men that were surrounding Duan Ling Tian’s group of three, then he moved his gaze that was filled with mockery onto Duan Ling Tian. "You three, take care of those two seventh level Nascent Soul martial artists. I’ll personally deal with this kid… An 18-year-old Origin Core martial artist. Kid, I’ll always remember you for my entire life. You’ll be the first peerless genius to die at my hands!"
"Yes." The three old men respectfully obeyed the orders of the green-clothed old man, and their bodies flashed before instantly pouncing towards Zhang Qian and Zhao Gang. 3,000 ancient mammoth silhouettes dashed out in tow!
Zhang Qian and Zhao Gang’s pupils constricted. They could only enter into battle with these three enemies that were evenly matched with them. Their enemies were more in number after all, and they were at a disadvantage in next to no time.
"Kid, you’re going to die right away. Could it be that you aren’t afraid?" As the green-clothed old man took each step, the mockery in his eyes grew even darker.
"If I were afraid, could it be that you’d give me a way out?" Duan Ling Tian sneered, and he looked at the green-clothed old man as if he was looking at an idiot….
"You’re courting death!" The green-clothed old man’s face went grim when he noticed Duan Ling Tian’s strange gaze. He got angry from embarrassment, and a killing intent that blotted out the sky and covered up the earth arose from him.
"This Duan Ling Tian actually enraged Senior Ku." The corners of Duan Ru Lei’s mouth curled into a cold smile when he saw this scene.
"Old goat, could it be that you really think you can kill me?" Duan Ling Tian had a calm gaze as he looked at the extremely enraged green-clothed old man that desired to kill him.
"Stop acting!" The old man had a face full of disdain as he swiftly walked forward.
Right at this critical moment, Duan Ling Tian’s leg jerked and Origin Energy rose explosively to allow him to flash backwards at an extremely swift speed, then he explosively shouted, "Uncle Nie, you still plan on watching the show?"
The green-clothed old man was stunned and stopped his footsteps. Duan Ru Lei couldn’t help but frown….
"Kid, I originally intended for you to suffer a little longer so you wouldn’t dare act recklessly again… But never had I imagined that I’d actually let you notice me." Accompanied by a helpless but hearty laugh, a figure flashed in from outside the courtyard house and lightly descended before Duan Ling Tian, protecting Duan Ling Tian behind himself.
This was a middle-aged man, and his entire body emitted a peerlessly domineering aura.
It was precisely the Divine Might Marquis, Nie Yuan!
The corners of Duan Ling Tian’s mouth slightly curled up and held a faint smile within. Not long after Duan Ru Lei and the green-clothed old man appeared, he noticed Nie Yuan, who had concealed himself at the side. This was the reason why he could maintain that careless expression from start till finish….
He understood in his heart that with Nie Yuan here, he couldn’t die!
"General!" Zhang Qian and Zhao Gang pulled away from their three opponents and saluted respectfully as they gazed at Nie Yuan.
"Divine Might Marquis!" Duan Ru Lei’s face went grim, as he knew of the friendship between Duan Ling Tian’s father and the Divine Might Marquis all those years ago/ For a moment, a bad premonition arose within his heart. But in next to no time, he caught his breath and relaxed.
The Divine Might Marquis was an existence at the Half-step Void Stage, and thus his strength was similar to Senior Ku’s… His side still firmly had the upper hand.
"You’re the Divine Might Marquis?" The green-clothed old man’s gaze descended onto Nie Yuan, and a trace of viciousness was mixed within. "I have heard that Divine Might Marquis Nie Yuan’s strength is shocking and that he is an existence at the Half-step Void Stage… Today, this old man will seek guidance for a few moves from the Divine Might Marquis!"
Nie Yuan glanced at the old man indifferently. "I’ll naturally accompany you if you want to seek guidance from me… But unfortunately, you’re opponent today isn’t me."
As Nie Yuan finished speaking, he moved.
Whoosh!
Duan Ling Tian only felt a flash before his eyes, and Nie Yuan had already vanished from where he stood.
In the next moment.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The three existences at the seventh level of the Nascent Soul Stage were all dead!
Duane Ling Tian’s pupils couldn’t help but constrict, and his heart trembled as he gazed upon Nie Yuan, who seemed to instantly return to where he stood before.
From the ability which Nie Yuan revealed earlier, he was obviously only a step away from the true Void Stage….
It looked like the natural talent in the Martial Dao of this Uncle Nie of his was extremely high.
"You… You’ve already arrived at that last step?" The green-clothed old man was originally still wondering about what Nie Yuan said earlier, but when he saw the ability Nie Yuan revealed, his face went gloomy.
Even within the Half-step Void Stage, there’s a slight difference in strength between each martial artist.
Compared to him, Nie Yuan had undoubtedly gone farther and only lacked the last step before becoming a true Void Stage martial artist. In other words, a Void Prying powerhouse!
Whoosh!
At almost the exact same moment that the green-clothed old man’s face went gloomy, a figure silently snuck into the courtyard house and descended beside Nie Yuan.
The person had a big and tall figure and wore a black outfit, and his face was covered by a Ghost King mask, and thus his face couldn’t be seen clearly…
Duan Ling Tian’s face went slightly pale. He was actually unable to perceive the existence of this person in the slightest!
There was only one possibility.
This person was a Void Prying powerhouse!
A true Void Stage powerhouse!
In the next moment, a scene that made Duan Ling Tian even more surprised appeared.
The old man who was still ferocious-looking a moment ago, at the instant the ghost-masked man appeared, his face went deathly pale without a trace of blood, and he even directly knelt down on the ground with a ‘putong’ sound as he trembled.
"Le… Leader." The old man’s voice contained infinite terror mixed within. This was a terror that stemmed from his heart, a terror that stemmed from his soul.