On the balcony, Shallot was sitting, and he looked at the Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Sect and said with a grin " Well, I think I should leave, but first, give me the artifact in your pocket, old man "
Zhou Jianhong, Ren Bao, Wang Yong, and the Emperor looked at Shallot in surprise and fear. Then Shallot's smile disappeared, and a cold, murderous expression replaced it as he said " Don't make me repeat myself, old man "
Zhou Jianhong nods with a defeated expression, then he reaches for the artifact in his pocket, and with the frustrated and humiliated eyes of the rest of the people in the balcony, he hands the artifact to Shallot
Shallot looks at the artifact in his hand with a serious expression ' This thing isn't from this realm, and it isn't from the Immortal Realm as well. I can't recognize the words on it at all. Where the f*ck did this old man get this artifact? '
Suddenly, Shallot noticed that the artifact was absorbing his Ki in a subtle quantity, then it shone, taking Shallot by surprise, and finally, the artifact disintegrated to the point that not even dust was left
' A defense mechanism against tracking? Neither of these people can create such a complex artifact. I need to report this to Fannel and the White Tiger ' Shallot frowned and closed his fist, which made the group of old men and the Emperor very nervous. After all, they thought that Shallot was about to blame them for what had just happened
Shallot just smiled at them, and *SWOOSH* He appeared at the edge of the balcony "Remember, I will be watching " Then his eyes landed on Lan Zexi, who was still bowing her head in fear, and smiled, saying " Hey, woman, I think you are about to lose something important." Lan Zexi raised her head in doubt and noticed Shallot's expression. He appeared to be pointing in a direction behind him, then " Haha " *ZOOM* he laughed mockingly and flew away.
Lan Zexi stood abruptly from her seat and looked around. When she didn't see her daughter and Ying Jie, her face turned ugly as she said " No, it can't be " Then she jumped out of the balcony, flying towards the place that Shallot had pointed out before
The Emperor looks at Lan Zexi's departing figure with a frowning expression as he says " What the hell is she doing if that monster said that it could mean that he wanted her dead as well "
Wang Yong looks at him with a serious expression and says " She should know that but still she would try to save her daughter even if it cost her her life, that bastard Chen Kai strength has grown to an extent that only she could beat not even the elders she brought from her clan have an opportunity against him, her daughter was so foolish to charge against him without proper help "
" Foolish little girl, we can't do anything but hope that she arrives in time " Zhou Jianhong said with a serious expression
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A few minutes early in the dense bamboo forest, the group led by the two old men and Lan Xue, running behind them, sped up
" Young Lady, we are getting close to him, I can sense him " One of the robbed old men said with a serious expression
Lan Xue nods as she says " The bastard isn't going to escape like before. I want him dead as soon as possible. Use everything you have from the start "
" As you wish, young lady " Both old men said at the same time as they released their auras. One had an intense blue aura and took out a sword from his space ring, while the other had an intense yellow aura, and he took out a bow from his spatial ring
Suddenly, the two elders open their eyes in surprise ' He disappeared? ' They thought, and they stopped abruptly, making Lan Xue fall from the old man's back. " Why are you stopping for?! " She snapped " What's going... "
*ZOOM* *BOOM* " Ugh! " Dakon appeared out of nowhere. His fist smashed into the bow-wielding elder's face with horrifying force. Bone shattered instantly. Teeth, blood, and skull fragments exploded outward as the old man was launched backward like a broken doll. The bow slipped from his hands and clattered uselessly to the ground as his body tore through the bamboo trees, leaving a trail of blood before disappearing into the forest
" Old Li!! " The sword-wielding old man screamed as rage overtook him. He turned and charged. Dakon stood still. His right eye ignited with intense yellow light, cold and merciless. A deep green aura coiled around his body
Then *ZOOM* He launched forward, the ground cracking beneath his feet
" ....???!!! " Lan Xue could only gasp. One of her escorts, an elder she had known since childhood, a Half-Step Spiritual Body Transformation expert, had been erased by a single punch.
Her legs began to tremble
Hidden deeper within the bamboo, Ying Jie had just arrived
" H-how…? " she whispered, terror, shaking her voice " That shouldn't be possible… "
None of them had stayed to watch the final battles of the tournament. They had waited outside, planning to ambush Dakon once he fled. They never saw what he became, and now he was even stronger
" YOU BASTARD!! " The sword-wielding old man roared as he swung wildly
*SWOOSH *SWOOSH* Sword intent tore through the forest. Bamboo trees snapped and collapsed with every strike, the ground splitting open under the force, yet Dakon vanished through it all. Effortless, calm, faster with every breath. The elder's heart sank ' It can't be, no, no, NO! This brat is in the Spiritual Body Transformation stage! '
The difference was absolute, and despair overtook the Elder " RUN! " he screamed, turning toward Lan Xue " RUN! YOUNG LADY! "
Lan Xue didn't hesitate. She turned and ran as tears streamed down her face
Ying Jie, who was watching everything from a safe distance, was frozen in shock, unable to process what she was seeing. Her brain screamed for her to run, but her body didn't respond. The only thing she did was cover her mouth and hide behind a rock as her eyes landed on Lan Xue, hoping that she could escape that monster
The elder turned back, but it was too late *BOOM* Dakon's kick smashed into the left side of his neck *CRACK* The sound was sickening, making the elder die instantly, his body flew uncontrollably through the air, straight toward Lan Xue
*PAM* " Ack! " The corpse slammed into her back, crushing her to the ground. The impact knocked the air from her lungs, pain exploding through her body. Ying Jie began to cry silently, shaking her head slightly
The lifeless body rolled away, vanishing into the forest
She bit her lip, forcing herself to kneel despite her shaking limbs. She looked up at him, trying to summon arrogance through fear.
" Who do you think you are? " She spat " My mother will— " He didn't stop " She will hunt you down! " Lan Xue screamed, tears streaking her face " She'll erase you from existence! "
No reaction, then her voice cracked " Sister Yue! " She shouted desperately " She'll never forgive you if you kill me! "
Dakon stopped just one meter away. Lan Xue's heart leapt. A trembling smile crept onto her lips. Ying Jie relaxed a bit ' It seems that my sister still has a place in that bastard's heart '
" I'm Sister Yue's best friend," Lan Xue said quickly, clinging to hope. " You know she won't forgive you. You wouldn't dare— "
Dakon raised his right hand as his palm aimed directly at her face. Yellow light gathered, violent and dense as he says with a cold voice " I thought you heard this before, but it doesn't seem like it. I don't care about her in the slightest; she can die for all I care, so can you, so can anyone who tries to kill me "
Terror finally broke through her face, and before she could scream *BOOM* The energy blast engulfed her. The explosion shook the forest violently, flattening bamboo trees and carving a massive crater into the earth. The yellow light illuminated a great part of it, despite the sun shining brightly in the sky
After a few seconds, the dust from the explosion settled, and a huge crater appeared where Lan Xue was kneeling; there weren't any traces of her, just devastation
Ying Jie couldn't believe what she just saw. He actually killed her, not caring at all about what could happen, and finally she understood that he is no longer the Chen Kai she once knew. That was an entirely new person, and that person terrifies her. Then he turned. His gaze locked onto her hiding place.
Ying Jie's face went pale. She dropped behind the rock, clutching her head, eyes squeezed shut as tears poured freely.
Dakon had known she was there all along. He hadn't cared until now
He took a step toward her, but then someone appeared behind him