I've caught a cold, feeling weak all over...
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More than two hundred feet away from Yang Kai and Shui Ling, over twenty Shenyou Realm cultivators and members of the Punishment Sect stood rooted to the spot, their expressions grave as they stared ahead, deep wariness evident in their eyes.
“Sect Master Xing, that place is the absolute death zone of the Wasteland. Are we really going in?” the burly man from earlier asked, a hint of fear in his voice.
The so-called absolute death zone meant that once you approached that area, no matter who you were, you would never leave alive.
Not even an expert from the Transcendent Realm could!
Many years ago, a Transcendent Realm expert from the Heavenly Wolf had attempted to uncover the mysteries hidden within the Wasteland and perished near this very spot. When news spread, it shook the entire Heavenly Wolf alliance. Since then, the land within a hundred-foot radius had been dubbed the absolute death zone.
Anyone who came to the Wasteland seeking opportunity would give this area a wide berth.
They never expected the two Han Dynasty martial artists they were chasing would flee into this very place, putting them in a difficult position.
Xing Zong hesitated as well. One had to learn from past mistakes; he couldn’t afford to be careless.
After a long moment, his expression suddenly hardened. “What’s there to be afraid of? If they’re unharmed, the rumors probably aren’t true. If you lack the guts, stay out here and watch. Two mere Han Dynasty martial artists? I can handle them with a wave of my hand.”
He had brought these twenty-plus people along precisely for insurance. Although he was a Transcendent Realm expert and dealing with two Han Dynasty martial artists shouldn’t pose any trouble, in the Wasteland, nothing could be taken for granted. More people meant more backup.
With that, he stepped forward into the zone, his face twisted with rage and hatred.
The others exchanged glances, hesitated briefly, and then followed.
The hundred-foot distance was quickly closed.
When Xing Zong stopped about five feet from Yang Kai and saw his and Shui Ling’s faces clearly, he froze for a moment.
He clearly hadn’t expected the two Han Dynasty martial artists he was chasing to be so young.
“The Hall Master of the Deep Forest Hall?” Yang Kai tilted his head, wearing an expression that showed he knew no fear or respect for heaven or earth, and asked casually.
Xing Zong snorted coldly, the muscles on his face twitching, his eyes bloodshot. “Since you recognize me, you must be the one who killed my son?”
Yang Kai shook his head with a smile. “It wasn’t me. She did it.”
As he spoke, he pointed at Shui Ling. Shui Ling puffed out her chest, looking every bit the part of someone taking responsibility, not showing a shred of timidity as she hid behind Yang Kai, drawing courage from his presence.
She didn’t know why Yang Kai wasn’t the slightest bit afraid when facing a Transcendent Realm expert, but it was precisely this calmness that made Shui Ling realize Yang Kai had some hidden strength.
Xing Zong’s eyes narrowed, his piercing gaze fixed on Shui Ling, his expression savage. “Whoever did it, you will pay the price today!”
Yang Kai looked at him calmly and chuckled softly. “I wonder what price Sect Master Xing wants us to pay?”
“Killing demands a life! Only your blood and souls can soothe my son’s spirit in the afterlife!”
“Can’t we discuss this properly?” Yang Kai frowned. “To be honest, though I found your son annoying, I had no intention of killing him. However, the young lady beside me here has a fiery temper. Your son made inappropriate advances toward her, and she struck him down in one move. He brought it upon himself, really.”
“Insolent!” Xing Zong roared, cutting off Yang Kai’s explanation. “For merely making advances to her, my son had to pay with his life?”
“If I hadn’t killed him, things wouldn’t have ended with just a bit of harassment. You know your own son’s character best,” Shui Ling huffed indignantly.
Xing Zong took a deep breath, looking Shui Ling up and down. Even through her dusty face, he could discern a hint of delicate beauty, and he immediately understood that his son’s actions weren’t entirely unprovoked.
“So, my son was in the wrong first.”
“Exactly,” Shui Ling nodded.
“Fine. Then I’ll give you a choice—choose how you want to die!”
The group of experts behind Xing Zong burst into laughter, their gazes mocking as they looked at Yang Kai and Shui Ling, silently shaking their heads. They thought these two Han Dynasty martial artists were truly blind—of all people to kill, why choose Sect Master Xing’s son? They deserved this fate.
“Then there’s nothing to discuss,” Yang Kai said, shaking his head in mock distress. “I only came to the Heavenly Wolf region as a passerby. I really didn’t want any conflict with you Heavenly Wolf people, nor did I wish to kill.”
“You still think you can kill?” Xing Zong looked at him as if he were an idiot, snorting coldly. “You’ve lost that chance. After today, you’ll be a corpse, and you’ll never have the chance to kill again.”
Yang Kai grinned suddenly. In an instant, a colossal bone shield appeared before him. It was the size of several houses, its design bizarre and menacing, with razor-sharp bone spurs jutting out along its edges. From its open maw, terrifying energy fluctuations erupted.
“Farewell!” Yang Kai called out through the shield, waving at the Heavenly Wolf group.
A sudden, chilling sense of unease washed over Xing Zong and the twenty-plus Shenyou Realm experts.
Before the thought could fully form, a devastating, world-ending force erupted from the beast’s maw.
A visible pillar of energy shot out, containing vast power that tore through the void, blasting forward a thousand feet and carving a swath of nothingness through the Wasteland.
Within that thousand-foot distance, everything was obliterated in an instant, sliced into countless fine powder by the void’s power.
The Heavenly Wolf’s Shenyou Realm experts didn’t even have time to react before they were reduced to dust.
Only Xing Zong, more skilled than the rest, managed to resist for a brief instant, but he too crumbled under the relentless onslaught, letting out a miserable scream before perishing.
Shui Ling stood stunned.