[Oh Shit.]

Sean took a step backward.

“Do you have any more schemes for me?” Shénqí Lǎorén slowly approached, his face covered by a long shadow. The clouds drifting above the sky covered the natural moonlight that once illuminated the two. From beyond the dark, red eyes glared into Sean’s being as the voice grew ever so closer, “any more tricks? A last ditch effort, perhaps?”

A wrinkled arm held Sean up by the neck. Shénqí Lǎorén’s face peered out from beyond the dark. He slowly tightened his grip, causing the youth to start coughing and wheezing. Fǎ Shù body’s slid off Sean Wu’s back and onto the ground as the young man dangled above in the air.

“I will admit, tricking Wǒ Bìxū Lā Shǐ into provoking a 400,000 year old celestial boar was quite bold! Never in my years have I seen such a ruse so daring!”

[What the fuck is this guy on about?!]

“No more. I will crush your neck here and now. Hand over the Triangulum Star of Fortune so I tear the soul from your corpse and be on my way!”

“You can tear.. these nuts! Elder Fǎ Shù, do it now!”

“That will not work on me agai-“, Shénqí Lǎorén’s words were interrupted. The old man turned his head downward to see a cold edge protruding from his chest. “Wha-!”

Shénqí Lǎorén coughed up a mouthful of blood and swung his arm around, intending to bat away the assailant, however the large man already distanced himself.

“You… How did you escape Wǒ Bìxū Lā Shǐ?!” Shénqí Lǎorén pointed a finger at Pàng Zi.

“Oho, it was nothing really. We simply paid him off.” The large man grinned. “It is all thanks to Senior Wu! If not for his plan, this one would not have had to opportunity to speak one-on-one with Venerable Lā Shǐ! As you can see, we two came to an agreement.”

When Shénqí Lǎorén saw the large man reach into his pocket and retrieve a half-quarter of the Triangulum Star of Fortune, the old man wanted to spit out blood! This useless Wǒ Bìxū Lā Shǐ got bought off with that small a piece of the fruit?! Why didn’t he just beat this guy senseless and take it off his corpse? No, of course he couldn’t! That useless cur had already gotten injured fending off the 400,000 year old celestial boar. Having to fight without qi would only be more work for that lazy bum. Of course he would have taken the easy way out! Shénqí Lǎorén smacked his lips. Damn that Wǒ Bìxū Lā Shǐ, the ungrateful brat!

“No matter! I alone will be enough to deal with the likes of you two!” Shénqí Lǎorén reached into his robe and pulled out a pair of twin daggers. The old man made a dash towards Pàng Zi while throwing a dagger to his left and one to his right. These two daggers formed a triangular array behind Shénqí Lǎorén which seemed to increase in size as the old man continued to run forward.

“Not bad! Using oneself as a foundation for an array is quite difficult. This one is impressed with elder’s skills!” Pàng Zi turned around to give Shénqí Lǎorén a thumbs up.

This only made Shénqí Lǎorén angrier. “You fucker, I am not your junior! Stop running so I can tear the meridians from your bones and the veins off your corpse!”

Sean watched all this unfold with a look of disbelief. Even in a life or death situation, this Pàng Zi would dare to provoke a raging bull. Even more so, this guy was giving the other one a thumbs up while running for dear life in the opposite direction.

After a certain point, Shénqí Lǎorén suddenly stopped and pulled out two more daggers. He leapt into the air and threw the pair of daggers forward.

However, with Pàng Zi’s dexterity, deflecting these daggers was not an issue. Shénqí Lǎorén had already known this; attacking was not his intention! The two daggers flew past Pàng Zi, landing some hundred yards to his left and right. A large array enveloped the entire area, expanding into the pentagon shape that blocked any passage in and out of its domain.

In Shénqí Lǎorén’s current state, he could only maintain the array for a few seconds, however a few seconds was enough! The old tiger immediately pounced on the trapped Pàng Zi, showering the large man with a series of blows. It took less than second for Pàng Zi to fall. The large man simply could not keep up. Shénqí Lǎorén was too far ahead of him terms of cultivation.

“Any last words?” Shénqí Lǎorén raised one foot. A large shadow cast over the man who laid bleeding on the ground.

“Uh… No.”

下一章

[PLAY BGM]

Some hundred yards away, Sean Wu heard a loud crack echo throughout the barren scape. The distorted space around gradually dissipated, leaving only a sliver of moonlight peeking through the drifting clouds.

A figure approached in the distance, its silent footsteps tremoring the ground like ripples in a pond. Death was approaching.

“There is no one left to help you, nowhere to run.” The voice had a calm dissonance to it. It was as though an executioner sat across from a death row inmate, sharing with him a light conversation and a cup of tea.

It was as though a child in a zoo had suddenly realized a tiger escaped its captivity and was staring him dead in the eyes.There was no one to help the youth. Fǎ Shù’s corpse laid still and unmoving. Pàng Zi was off somewhere fading between life and death in a pool of his own blood. Even the spear-bearer had long since left. There, in this empty wasteland, hundreds of thousands of miles away from the nearest civilization, only a demon and the young man standing across from it remained.

“….”

Shénqí Lǎorén stood before Sean Wu. There was not much to say. If the young man handed over the Triangulum Star of Fortune, he would die. If he dared not to, then Shénqí Lǎorén would rip it off his corpse. If the scheming cockroach dared to hide it, then this one would only need to torture him until he revealed its location.

“Hand it over.”

“….”

“Did you not hear me?”

Shénqí Lǎorén blinked. What was wrong with this guy? Why was he standing there, staring off into the distance? Shénqí Lǎorén furrowed his brow. What was he staring at? The old devil leaned closer. The youth was paying him no mind. Something behind Shénqí Lǎorén was causing the young man to stiffen up like a log.

Shénqí Lǎorén turned his head. His eyes slowly widened with disbelief. Standing behind him, some thirty meters away under the pale moonlight, was a large man covered in blood. Shénqí Lǎorén could not hold back his immediate disbelief.

“Why not stay down?! I left you alive out of respect for your patriarch, and yet you dare to return? And for what? For him?! This one? This one right here, with no cultivation or talent! You should have stayed there where I left you! What reason could have compelled you to drag your lifeless body here and die for him?”

However Pàng Zi did not answer.

“千軍易得, 一將難求, what would you know of talent? A lowly snake at the bottom of well dares to spout such nonsense.” A voice from behind Shénqí Lǎorén replied.

This voice had not come from, Pàng Zi. It had a clear eminence to it. Decisive and self-confident, only one who has looked upon others from atop his own mountain would dare to speak with such absolution! A tall an imposing figure stood between Sean Wu and the old man.

Shénqí Lǎorén did not dare believe his own eyes! The one standing behind him was none other than Fǎ Shù! The venerable elder’s body was littered with puncture wounds. Parts of his body were a deep shade of purple, the handiwork of numerous toxins and poisons. Was his heart even beating? A bead of sweat rolled down Shénqí Lǎorén’s forehead. How was this guy even alive? Fuck, how the hell were either of these guys even standing right now?

“Brother. Did I not say I would follow you to my last breath?” Pàng Zi had returned as well, forcing a smile. The large man was barely standing. His kneecaps were broken, his ribs punctured, his arms limp.

Fǎ Shù’s back was to Sean Wu. The elder’s breathing was faint. His words were barely audible, but Sean could still hear him well, “Sun Tian Wu, I am sure our meeting must have been fate. Perhaps had we met under different circumstances, we could have shared a drink. Unfortunately, under these circumstances, I can only hope to meet you in the next life. This is we part ways. I will hold him off here. I wish you well. Goodbye.”

With that last line, Fǎ Shù mustered all of the life blood within his body and slammed his fist into the ground. In front of Sean, a wall of black appeared, enveloping everything in its path.

下一章

[END BGM]

Gained 450 Experience. You have leveled Up. You have unallocated points.

….