Chapter 87 - Fang Bite

Ren canceled both of Splinter Storms and prepared to make his final move. Or at least that's what the young martial artist of the Tree Sect had thought. However, in a fight, not everything was destined to go according to one's plans.

As soon as the myriad of wood splinters stopped storming Hei's hair, he immediately divided his hair into three separate sections. Two went to tie Ren's wrists, preventing him from directing his sword and shield towards Hei. The third, on the other hand, binds Hei and Ren together, leaving not even a space as distance between them.

"Bastard, how did you see me if your hair covered your vision?" Ren exclaimed as he gritted his teeth at the sudden situation he was in. He couldn’t believe he was caught in that way when he was so near to end this fight.

"Your Wood Element techniques must be used with a catalyst that helps you manage the direction, right? So now you aren’t able to hit me at all.” Instead of answering, Hei responded with an acute remark about his opponent's techniques.

From the way Ren gritted his teeth, even more, he was sure he had hit the mark. So he didn't have to worry about his root attack nor his binding attack of tree branches.

"Do you think you won just because you blocked me like this? You forgot it or what? But you can't attack me if we're stuck like this."

"Really?"

With that question, Hei's arms that should have been motionless because his hair tied them started to slowly move as they wrapped themselves around Ren's hips, further increasing the pressure at that point.

Ow!

Ren began to feel an increasingly intense pain on his hips. Hei's arms were increasing the grip more and more, and if he continued like this, they would inevitably end up breaking his ribs like the two martial artists of the Tremor Sect. Having no other choice, he prepared to use his last card.

"You're wrong if you think you can win like that. Splinter Bomb!"

All of a sudden, all the wood on the sword and the shield began to shine. Then, it exploded, hurling the wood splinters in 360°, thus involving both of them.

Although it was a suicidal move to use this technique at such a close distance, it was also true that most of Ren's body was protected by Hei's. Therefore, the damage resulting from the contact with the explosion of splinters would be reduced while Hei would have to absorb almost all the impact of the attack, resulting in multiple injuries all over his body

And indeed, the wood splinters struck every part of Hei's body and left an infinity of small wounds on him that started to bleed.

Even though the strength of a single splinter was insignificant, together, they would assume a destructive power that couldn’t be ignored. Anyone affected by this technique would be injured, and Hei was no exception. It was just that Ren hadn’t calculated that his suicide attack wouldn’t affect his opponent's toughness.

Hei, who had momentarily closed his eyes to protect them, opened them again and revealed a frightening smile as the blood began to trickle down from his mouth. His tongue was exposed outside the mouth and was longer than a regular tongue, while his saliva dripped copiously to the ground. But it wasn’t the length of his tongue that worried Ren, in Hei's mouth, his blue teeth were silently shining, and in particular, his canines were more like those of a beast than human canines.

"Monster! What the hell are you? ”Ren began to scream as fear took over his body.

"Monster? I'm not a monster. I'm a spirit beast. Snake Fang + Spider Bite, Fang Bite."

At his cry, a pair of crescent-shaped blades composed of spirit power was formed at Hei's throat. Then together with his ‘fangs,’ they went to bite Ren.

Soon the defense of the leader of the Tree Sect group was destroyed.

"Please, don't-"

Crunch!

Hei's half-moon blades and fangs sank into the flesh as much as breaking the bones while blood began to flood into his mouth. Without decreasing his grip, Hei bit harder to rejoin his teeth. Inside his mouth, he could feel the flesh and bones that had once been Ren's throat.

Spitting this residue on the ground, Hei looked at the corpse of the young man without any trace of resentment or taste for victory. He had simply defeated his enemy, that's all. There was no reason to feel upset or excited because of this.

The reason why he hadn’t spared it, unlike the two of the Tremor Sect, was because the situation was different. This time they weren’t fighting for a mere quarry of spirit stones, but for the treasure contained within the gigantic flower.

This treasure was a possible clue to his father, so it was apparent that the stakes between the two episodes were on a completely different scale.

Moreover, Ren was about to use one of his final techniques a moment before being blocked. That attack would have left Hei seriously injured or even killed in the blow.

In his attack, Hei had indeed read a tenuous murderous intent, a sign that his opponent hadn’t the slightest intention of sparing himself.

So why would he leave him alive? And what if he had saved him and Ren would have used that moment to attack him? It wasn't just his life at stake; he also had to take into consideration the safety of Lian and his two little sisters.

Having finished his enemy, Hei shifted his gaze to see how others were going and to see who he needed his help.

*

Lian was currently running against Duan Long. Behind her, there was a hammer that was following her from behind. The second hammer was instead in her enemy's hand, waiting for her to come closer.

"You are stupid. Do you think I didn't understand what you have in mind? You want to get close to me and then dodge at the last minute, hoping that I hit myself with my own hammer. You are delusional! With my imprint, I can control my hammer with extreme precision and therefore change its direction at the last minute. "

Duan Long mocked loudly, foreshadowing the moment when he would finally win. Surprisingly, the young girl in front of him had lasted beyond his expectations; in fact, he expected to have finished the fight long ago so as to help his companions.

Lian didn’t respond to his mockery but remained silent, utterly focused on the fight. Regardless of whether what he said was true or not, she was inevitably approaching his position.

"Are you really going to do this even if I have understood your plan, bitch? All right, come forward!" Duan Long positioned himself and began to strike with the hammer.

When Lian reached him, she jumped into the air. Duan Long smiled, thinking that the first blow had damaged her brain due to her absurd action. In midair, she had no way to dodge the hammer coming from behind or the one he was holding, let alone both.

"Lotus Style, Aquatic Version, Elegant Walk."

Suddenly, a tiny drop of water formed under her delicate feet. As her feet leaned on that drop, Lian's body was propelled forward at high speed.

Bang!

The two hammers, instead of crushing the tender skin of the beautiful blue-haired girl, collided violently, transmitting the resulting impact on Duan Long's arms that he couldn’t understand what had happened.

Until an instant ago, Lian was in front of him in mid-air with no chance of escape. A moment later, she disappeared, and his hammers ended up hitting themselves. But when his mind started recording all this, it was too late.

With the thrust generated by the drop of water, Lian had catapulted herself forward, coming behind Duan Long's back. Her silk ribbon had already wrapped around her opponent's neck vehemently.

Screech!

The silk ribbon began to rub with the protection of spirit power that protected Duan Long, who only then realized he had been trapped.

"Bastard! Don't think it will end like the other time."

By shifting his spirit power, Duan Long tried to move the hammer that had his imprint as he could maneuver it from a distance with just his mind. However, he noticed a detail. Strange water vines had sprung up from the ground and had tied both his hammers as well as his wrists.

"Lotus Style, Aquatic Version, Binding."

Bound by those strange vines, Duan Long was unable to react. In a short time, his vision darkened until he lost consciousness. But this time, there was no Hei to stop Lian, so the young girl continued to take the life of the mighty member of the Tree Sect.

With Duan Long and Ren dead, there was now only one member of the Tree Sect.

But unfortunately for them, Xing had already finish Tian Yaling. The head of the young woman laid separated several meters away from her body. On it, one could see the expression of terror of the young woman.

And if Xing had finished her enemy, there was no way that Ye was outdone. Li Na, the second remaining member of the Frozen Sect, was lying on the ground lifeless. Her arms and legs, and her head also, were bent in a completely different direction. It was as if she were a doll that had been a victim of a child's play session.

As for the battlefields of the other Sect Flower members, Mei and Ying Yue had won against their respective adversaries. However, both women suffered severe injuries and weren’t be able to continue fighting.

Li, on the other hand, had succeeded in the incredible feat of putting K.O. Wen Guiying, but the burns on his body were too severe and had made him faint. But even so, it was already a great achievement.

However, despite the victories on the other fronts, the most crucial battle that would lead to the triumph of the Flower Sect wasn’t going as planned.

The combination Cao Su and Zan had been able to destroy the four bodies operated by Chang Huan, generating an incredible surprise for the puppeteer. But to do so, not only had they consumed all their spirit power, but they had wounded all over their body, making them unable to continue.

Chang Huan, who should have been tired by the battle, except for his expenditure of spirit power, appeared completely fine as if he hadn’t fought at all.

"I have to congratulate you of the Flower Sect. I would never have expected such a result. You have defeated all others, even Wen Guiying. You two haven’t been outdone too. You should know that those four were bodies that I personally modified after hours and hours of experiments. They can be defined as the elite of the corpses at my disposal. But unfortunately for you, they aren’t the strongest corpses in my possession, not to mention that I'm still in a condition to fight."

Chang Huan began to approach slowly towards Cao Su and Zan. His goal was straightforward.

"Since you destroyed my elite guards, I have to replace them with other bodies. The best of the younger generation of the big sects. Thanks to you guys of the Flower Sect, I can calmly collect all these bodies."

"Shit, fuck!" Cao Su swore on the ground.

Zan instead was looking around. All his companions, despite having won their battles, weren’t in a condition to fight. It would already have been difficult for them to face Chang Huan, the Genius, in their peak conditions, let alone when they were seriously injured. His and Cao Su’s defeat was a clear example of their enemy’s strength.

But when he looked better, he noticed something.

Right! They weren’t all incapable of fighting. The young blue-haired girl, Lian, was still standing. Despite being injured, she wasn’t unable to move. Moreover, the two spirit beasts that had fought alongside them were in perfect shape, apparently without having reported any kind of damage.

However, the hope in Zan lit up when he saw a brown-skinned boy approaching. Although he was covered in blood from head to toe, particularly on his mouth, the shine of his pitch-black hair, the glow of his blue teeth, and the sharpness of his green nails made him look more like a wounded beast ready to bite those who had dared to attack him.

His arrival was perceived not only by Zan but by all the members of the Flowers Sect still conscious who watched him arriving. The same went for Chang Huan, who was struck by the strangeness of that young boy.

"What my eyes see. I sensed that you had defeated Ren, but I didn't think you were still standing. Amazing. Despite your age, you defeated the greatest genius of the Tree Sect. It is no coincidence that you earned the number 1 position in the Flower Sect," Chang Huan complimented.

Although it was a sincere compliment, it wasn’t due to a sense of admiration. Chang Huan said that just because he was happy to find a candidate so much promising as his next personal corpse.

Hei shifted his gaze momentarily to all those present. In a moment, he analyzed the situation and understood the danger in which they were now.

"Zan, Cao Su, can you move?" Hei asked.

"Yes, even if with difficulty," Zan replied for both.

"Then, get out of here and take the others with you."

"Leave? What the fuck are you saying? And do you think this necrophile would leave us in peace?" Cao Su swore, coughing.

"Necrophile? Although I am a lover of corpses, my interest isn’t sexual. It's more like the excitement of an alchemist when he finds a rare substance or a blacksmith who has discovered a new method of metal processing. In the same way, I find pleasure in collecting corpses of talented martial artists and modifying them to make them stronger."

"Zan, Cao Su, don't make a fuss. Do as I told you. I'll take care of him. "

Hei's tone admitted no replies. His eyes were already hooked on the corpse manipulator, who was bursting into laughter.

"Good, yes. This is how it should be; it's not fun to end it right away. However, those are my prey. I can't let them escape."

With one hand movement, two other bodies appeared before him and ran at high speed against Cao Su and Zan. But before they could reach the two youths, Ye and Xing appeared out of nowhere and with powerful movements tore the corpses to pieces. At the same time, Hei appeared among them.

"As I said, your opponent is me. No, it isn’t correct. Your opponent is the three of us."

As he said this, Hei smiled even more as he bared his teeth. Beside him, Ye and Xing were also doing the same hissing loudly against Chang Huan.