After slapping the city guard captain aside with a single blow,
the charred man—clearly the Demon Cult Elder—didn't immediately continue his assault.
He staggered twice, struggling to stay upright.
"Huff... huff..."
Only after taking two deep breaths did he resume charging toward Zhao Xuan and the others.
Anyone could tell at a glance—
he was severely wounded.
At once, Zhao Xuan and the others' eyes lit up.
They exchanged a brief glance—
and in each other's gaze, they saw the same fire of reckless ambition.
Every one of them was a genius—
students from the top academies of Nanjiang.
And geniuses, by nature, were bold.
So when geniuses met an injured, weakened powerhouse…
what would they do?
They would hunt.
Like a pack of starving hyenas that had stumbled upon a wounded lion.
The charred man sensed something strange in the air.
He raised his head and met their eyes.
And when he saw those burning, predatory gazes—
rage ignited in his chest.
"How dare you… how dare you! A bunch of Third- and Fourth-Tier insects daring to look at me like prey!?"
His face twisted into a cruel smirk.
But by then, Zhao Xuan and the others had already made their move.
"Kill!"
"Kill!!"
"Kill!!!"
The battle cry erupted as they charged.
"Step! Step! Step!"
Feet pounded against the ground.
Dozens of silhouettes blurred forward with "Shave."
"YOU'RE COURTING DEATH!!!"
The charred elder roared in fury.
He was a Seventh-Tier Venerable!
Even Sixth-Tier Grandmasters had to bow before him—
yet here were a group of Fourth-Tier juniors,
daring to raise their blades against him.
Unforgivable.
Absolutely unforgivable!
But before he could act, Fatty Fu appeared in front of him, eight swords gleaming.
"Eight-Sword Style: Peerless Hell!"
Eight blades whirled around him like a deadly meat grinder, slicing toward the elder.
The charred man inhaled deeply—
and swung his fist.
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"
The swords met his fist—and were blown away one by one.
The shockwave sent Fatty Fu skidding backward,
and before he could recover, the elder's punch came flying toward his face.
Then—
"Boom!"
"Haah!"
Attacks flew in from all directions as the others joined in.
But the elder didn't even bother dodging.
He simply tensed his muscles—
and Iron Body activated.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
A violent shockwave burst from him,
knocking everyone away at once.
Clearly, this man had perfected Iron Body to an extreme degree—
even evolving it into a reflexive counter-shield.
"Hmph. A bunch of arrogant insects."
He smirked coldly and strode toward the fallen Fatty Fu.
But just as he took two steps—
"Haaah!"
The group surged forward again, charging from all directions.
He frowned, but didn't retreat.
Once more, Iron Body glowed faintly across his burnt flesh.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
The next wave of attacks slammed into him—
and once again, everyone was blasted back.
"Anyone with long-range abilities—use them!"
Zhao Xuan's eyes flashed sharply as he barked the order.
"Shhhh!"
Everyone immediately adjusted.
Beams of energy, elemental blasts, sword aura—
waves of ranged attacks rained down on the elder from all sides.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xuan dashed forward, dragging the injured Fatty Fu away from the front lines.
The elder's defenses were terrifying.
But his wounds were deep—
and his stamina was running out.
He could block their attacks with Iron Body,
but every defense drained him further.
With each round, his footing faltered.
Zhao Xuan and the others maintained distance—
continuously pelting him with ranged attacks, never letting him rest.
Watching the battle unfold, Zhao Xuan couldn't help but mutter,
"Why does this feel like fighting a slow boss in a raid?"
And just like that—
minute by minute, volley after volley—
the elder's movements slowed.
His breathing grew ragged.
Finally—
"Thud."
He stumbled backward and collapsed heavily onto the ground, gasping.
"D-Damn you... huff... damn you... you insects... you filthy little insects..."
Rage boiled in his fading voice as he glared at them all.
"Still have energy to talk?" Zhao Xuan sneered.
"Keep firing! Don't stop!"
"Yes!"
Another wave of attacks rained down.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!!!"
The elder's blood-red eyes locked onto Zhao Xuan.
He rasped, barely audible, "You... you're the one... you're the reason I'm like this... I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do!"
But his words were swallowed by fire, ice, lightning, and swordlight.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
Each strike tore his already ruined flesh.
Screams filled the air.
After four or five full barrages—
his body was covered in open wounds.
The once blackened figure was now crimson from head to toe,
a mangled, blood-drenched mess.
Then—
Silence.
His body slumped motionless,
his breath fading away…
and finally—
gone.
"Is he… dead?"
"I think so."
"We killed… a Seventh-Tier ability user!?"
Laughter and cheers erupted.
"HAHAHAHAHA! A Seventh-Tier isn't so terrifying after all!"
They were exhausted, grinning, triumphant.
Several even sat down, panting, beaming at the corpse.
But Zhao Xuan didn't smile.
"Don't relax yet." His tone was sharp.
"High-tier fighters have insane vitality. What if he's just pretending to be dead to lure us in?"
Everyone froze.
Zhao Xuan continued,
"Let's play it safe. Hit him with a few more rounds."
They hesitated—
but then nodded.
"You're right."
"Better safe than sorry."
"Let's finish this properly."
Though exhausted, they took the energy drinks Zhao Xuan tossed them, restoring their strength.
Then—
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
The air trembled again as a new barrage tore through the night sky.
When it finally ended—
the "corpse" no longer looked human.
Just a mound of shattered flesh and blood.
"Whew… that's got to be it."
"Yeah, no one could survive that."
The tension eased once more.
Zhao Xuan narrowed his eyes, staring at the mangled body.
"Looks dead to me," he muttered, "but no one touches it. Wait for President Jiang to get here first."
"Zhao bro, you're being a little too cautious, no?" Fatty Fu said. "Look at him! He's paste!"
Zhao Xuan shook his head.
"One mistake is all it takes.
If he's even barely alive, he could still kill one or two of us before dying. It's not worth the risk."
His reasoning silenced the group.
Until—
"Hahahahahahahahaha!!!"
A rasping, deranged laugh erupted from the "corpse."
Everyone froze.
The elder's eyes snapped open, glowing red once more.
"I... I refuse... I refuse to die like this... A Seventh-Tier Venerable… killed by a pack of insects!? I refuse!!!"
His voice cracked—
grew weaker—
and finally,
faded again.
His body went still.
This time—for real.
Or so it seemed.
"Is he… actually dead this time?" Fatty Fu asked carefully.
All eyes turned to Zhao Xuan.
No system chime.
Zhao Xuan frowned and shook his head.
If the elder had truly died, the system would have already rewarded him.
But it was silent.
Which meant—
he was still alive.
Still pretending.
Still scheming.
And likely waiting to strike him specifically.
Zhao Xuan could practically feel the elder's hatred burning from that broken body.
"Zhao… Zhao bro?" Fatty Fu swallowed hard. "You mean… he's still alive?"
Zhao Xuan's lips curled slightly.
"Who knows? But a Seventh-Tier won't die that easily. Not to a few Fourth-Tiers."
Fatty Fu hesitated, then nodded.
"Then what do we do? Keep waiting? Or—"
"I'll check." Zhao Xuan said calmly.
"If he's still faking, I'll be ready. I can handle a sudden strike."
He winked at Fatty Fu.
Fatty Fu immediately caught on.
"Zhao bro, that's too dangerous! Let's just wait for Grandpa Jiang!"
"Yeah, Zhao Xuan, don't risk it!"
"He might still have a hidden card!"
"Right, let's wait it out!"
Their acting was flawless.
Zhao Xuan sighed dramatically. "Fine, fine. I'll stay back. But just to be safe—let's hit him one more time."
"Agreed!"
Another barrage.
Fireballs, sword aura, ice beams—
the ground shook with explosions.
The elder's body twitched.
One of his ears was sliced clean off.
Still—he didn't move.
Not even a flinch.
"Damn, he's got patience," Zhao Xuan thought. "A real old fox."
His killing intent sharpened.
Someone like that—if not killed now—
would always remain a lurking threat.
When the last explosion faded,
Zhao Xuan exhaled and stepped closer.
"Maybe he really is dead this time," he muttered deliberately.
Inside the elder's half-burnt skull,
hatred surged.
"Come closer… just a bit more…"
he whispered internally, waiting for his chance.
But then—
Zhao Xuan suddenly stopped again.
"Hmm, no. Still not safe."
He frowned. "Let's wait for the President."
Fatty Fu nearly laughed aloud at the sheer audacity of Zhao Xuan's trolling.
"Zhao bro, come on! He's dead! Look at him! Even his organs are mush!"
"True…" Zhao Xuan nodded thoughtfully, inching forward again.
Two steps later, he stopped again.
"Zhao bro, what now?" Fatty Fu asked.
Zhao Xuan sighed.
"His eyes keep staring at me. Creepy.
Can you use your sword aura to stab them out first?"
The words had barely left his mouth when—
"ENOUGH!!!!"
The charred corpse suddenly roared,
its blood-red eyes flaring to life once more.
"You brat!!!" he hissed through clenched teeth.
"Did you… did you know all along that I wasn't dead!?"
Zhao Xuan's grin widened.
He nodded cheerfully. "Yup."
The elder froze—
then blood surged up his throat.
"PFFT!!!"
He coughed out a mouthful of blood.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA— cough!cough!—I, Ye Fan… a dignified Seventh-Tier Venerable… wielder of the Flame-Flame Fruit… brought low and toyed with by a mere Fourth-Tier brat… HAHAHAHA— cough!cough!—"
His laughter turned to violent coughing.
Then to choking gasps.
Then—
nothing.
His breath stopped completely.
The mighty Seventh-Tier Demon Elder—
had literally been laughed and taunted to death.
And at that exact moment—
"Ding!"
The system notification finally chimed in Zhao Xuan's ear.
--------------------------------------------------
Read 30 Chapters ahead: [email protected] / KaiOynx