"What the fuck are you doing?"
Everything happened in an instant.
From the youth trying to kick Zhiran in his abdomen to him crashing and fainting in the far corner of the room, not even a second had passed.
Zhiran was too fast and ruthless.
"What am I doing?"
Zhiran lowered his leg, still wreathed in a faint wisp of spiritual energy that he had used to increase the speed and strength of his kick.
He then looked at the burly man with a faint smirk on his lips and a clear excitement gleaming in his eyes.
"Wu Kang, are you stupid?"
He asked, making the burly man's face darken instantly.
Never in his life had anyone dared insult him to his face… and by someone from a lower realm, no less?
The moment Wu Kang saw the teasing look on Zhiran's face, his fists clenched and veins bulged on his neck from sheer rage.
Even his spiritual energy, at the 5th layer of Qi Condensation, began to churn and flare as if ready to erupt at any moment.
"You bast—"
"Why would I wait like a mouse when you're clearly looking for trouble?"
However, before he could lash out, his eyes fell on a small paper in Zhiran's hand that appeared out of nowhere.
It was a small, square piece of red paper, etched with jagged, flame-like symbols that seemed to flicker continuously.
Although it looked beautiful yet unremarkable, the moment he saw what it was, both Wu Kang and the other young man shouted in shock.
"Crimson Burst Talisman!"
Crimson Burst Talisman, a low-grade fire-type talisman that could be used by any Qi Condensation cultivator.
Once ignited, it had the power to harm a 5th-rank Qi Condensation realm warrior, even in its worst version.
In the Divine Cauldron Sect, it was quite a popular trump card among low-level cultivators and was quite expensive.
Zhiran also had only one of these in his storage bag, saved to use in dire situations.
"Are you crazy?"
Sure enough, once Wu Kang saw the talisman in his hand, he immediately became defensive, clearly afraid.
He never thought that this brother of Tianyu was so ruthless.
They hadn't even started to bully him, and he already punched one of his boys unconscious.
Now, with another low-grade talisman in his hand, one even he had a hard time defending against, he didn't know if Zhiran was crazy enough to detonate it in his own room.
"Crazy? Maybe."
Unfortunately, Wu Kang's thought came true, as Zhiran didn't seem to take out the Crimson Burst Talisman to warn them.
Instead, seeing them recoil, he suddenly smirked and flicked the talisman in their direction, softly whispering,
"Ignite!"
The moment Zhiran tossed the talisman, it flared to life, burning rapidly as it gathered a massive amount of spiritual energy in an instant.
Before they could even defend themselves, sparks flew from the paper like tiny streaks of fire, while the air around them shimmered with heat and pressure.
"BOOM!"
With a bang, the Crimson Burst Talisman exploded violently, sending a shockwave that ripped directly through the room.
The explosion was so massive that wooden beams splintered, windows shattered, and the walls cracked as if an invisible hammer had struck them.
Dust and smoke filled the air, making the situation hectic.
The poor old cottage, already dilapidated, collapsed instantly under the force of the explosion.
As for Wu Kang and the other young man, both were slammed directly against a wall, their bodies skidding across the floor while sharp debris tore into their arms.
Moreover, since they were directly within the explosion's range, they were badly injured, blood gushing from multiple wounds, while smoke and the stench of burning wood filled the air.
If they weren't cultivators, no doubt they would have been torn to shreds by the explosion alone.
"Fuck!"
While the other young man had already fainted, Wu Kang was still barely conscious.
After all, he was at the Fifth Layer of Qi Condensation and wore low-grade armor.
Still, being injured this badly showed just how powerful a talisman could be, even a low-grade one.
"Cough… cough… bastard, I will kill you."
He couldn't help but curse in anger while spitting out a mouthful of blood.
With such injuries, healing alone could take him more than six months, not to mention the impact on his cultivation.
He never thought that, today, when trying to pick up some soft persimmons, he would encounter someone as crazy as Zhiran.
He didn't even hesitate to use his trump card and destroy his own residence to get at them.
If he had fought Tianyu, even though he would definitely lose, he probably wouldn't be this injured.
Now...
"Tch… tch… see? Didn't I say you are quite stupid?"
Just when Wu Kang was trying hard to gather himself, coughing nonstop, he heard someone right in front whispering with a teasing look.
"Swearing to kill me when you're already this injured? How naive…"
Zhiran shook his head, clearly unimpressed.
"Heh… so what? Cough… do you think you can kill me? Inside the Divine Cauldron Sect?"
However, although he was heavily injured, Wu Kang still didn't relent.
Instead, he bared his fangs and said in hatred,
"Don't forget what kind of punishment you will face if you kill a fellow disciple."
Wu Kang clearly knew the rules of the sect. That's why, even after getting injured, he didn't fear Zhiran.
"You are only at the 3rd Stage of the Qi Condensation realm. If not for that talisman and you taking me by surprise, do you think you are my match? Heh… jump while you can; your days are already numbered."
He spoke with thick killing intent, not even trying to wipe the blood oozing from his mouth.
Now, he hated Zhiran more than that bastard Tianyu.
He swore that the moment he recovered from his injuries, he would kill this guy with his own hands.
"Haha… okay, I take back that you are stupid. You are a little smart."
But seeing him like this, Zhiran didn't get scared or even take him seriously at all. Instead, he praised him lightly.
"Yeah, I indeed cannot kill you here."
He nodded, as that had always been the rule of the sect.
If you had a life-and-death feud, you took it into the trial arena and didn't settle it outside or faced the consequences yourself.
"But… what if I break your dantian?"