In the eastern sky, a gray-robed figure stood atop the head of a massive black dragon coiling through the heavens, a confident smile on his face as he watched the green-robed middle-aged man and the earthen-yellow giant clash in battle.
"Swish!"
A piercing shriek tore through the air as the green-robed man's long sword pierced through the earthen-yellow giant's skull. "Boom!" The giant's head exploded, but the creature didn't seem to notice at all. Its fist, massive as a boulder, slammed straight into the green-robed man's body.
"Ugh!" The green-robed man spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale.
But the shattered skull of the earthen-yellow giant began to reassemble itself, completely restored without a trace of damage!
"Di Long, just hand it over. The Earth Guardian I've summoned isn't something you can deal with," the gray-robed man on the black dragon's head said coldly.
The green-robed man stared icily at the gray-robed figure, then suddenly snarled, "Ludi, what I can't have, neither will you!" The emerald-green light in both of the green-robed man's palms suddenly surged. The gray-robed man, who had maintained a cold and indifferent expression atop the dragon's head all this time, now looked thoroughly alarmed. "Stop!!!"
"BOOM!"
A tremendous explosion rang out. The emerald-green light in the green-robed man's palms blazed bright as a sun, then scattered into nothingness amid the violent blast after a brief moment.
"Di Long, you—" The gray-robed man pointed furiously at the green-robed man, unable to finish his words.
The green-robed man's face was deathly pale as he stared coldly at the gray-robed figure, whose own complexion had darkened considerably. "There, now neither of us gets it. Ludi, I'm injured right now, but if you think killing me will be easy, you've got another thing coming." With a cold laugh, the green-robed man transformed into a streak of emerald light and shot off toward the northeast at tremendous speed.
The gray-robed man watched him fly toward the horizon, merely frowning but making no move to pursue.
The earthen-yellow giant beside the gray-robed man gradually faded away.
"The Starsword Saint 'Di Long'? What a pity — now isn't the time to kill him," the gray-robed man muttered under his breath. Then, as if sensing his master's thoughts, the massive black dragon spread its enormous wings and soared off toward the southeast with a thunderous roar.
These two Saint-level powerhouses vanished beyond the edge of heaven and earth in the blink of an eye.
But Wushan Town lay in utter ruin. Hundreds upon hundreds of houses had collapsed. Groans of pain, curses of rage, piercing wails of grief, and bitter weeping filled the air. In the span of just a few moments, what had been a peaceful morning had turned into a day of disaster.
*******
Inside the Baruch Family's parlor, Hogg sat alone.
He sat at the long table, brow furrowed tightly. As the de facto ruler of Wushan Town, he naturally had to think about the town's residents.
The sound of footsteps approached as Xili, the butler, entered the parlor from outside. "Master."
"How is Lin Lei?" Hogg immediately turned to ask.
Xili smiled slightly. "Rest assured, Master. I've already cleaned and bandaged Young Master Lin Lei's wounds. I gave him a full meal, changed him into clean, fresh clothes, and put him to sleep. Once he wakes up, he should feel much better."
Hogg nodded in relief, though his brow remained tightly creased.
"Are you worried about the people of Wushan Town, Master?" Xili asked.
Hogg nodded and said with a bitter smile, "Uncle Xili, the ordinary residents of Wushan Town aren't like us. The men can manage — they're typically first or second-tier warriors at least. But the women are a different story. When those massive boulders kept raining down from the sky, how could they possibly block them?"
Xili nodded as well.
Across all of Wushan Town, those who had cultivated 'Battle Qi' could be counted on one hand. When thousands upon thousands of boulders rained from the sky, your only hope was to hide in the cellar early or shield yourself with a barricade. Otherwise, if you were struck, the consequences were...
"All we can do now is wait for Hillman and the others to finish their count," Hogg said, his heart heavy with anxiety.