Chapter 85

As the lightning and fire dragon was about to pounce on the red-haired man, the man suddenly raised his hands like lightning and grabbed the dragon's head. Then, with a powerful tug, he tore the dragon's head from its body, causing a惨叫 accompanied by thunder. The dragon, now headless, disintegrated into countless sparks and vanished into the air. Only then did Baekje, who had already been killed, fall to the ground. A disciple of Kōjin came forward to examine Baekje's injuries. His face turned grim, and after a moment's hesitation, he turned to his master and said, "Senior Brother Baekje has already passed away. I am powerless to save him."

Upon hearing this, the red-haired man's face also changed. After squatting down to examine the body, he sighed softly and shook his head at Kōjin. Then, he turned to Wu Mian and said coldly, "In just a few days, your skills have advanced to such a degree. It seems the former Great Master really favored you." As he spoke, another disciple of Kōjin came forward to help carry Baekje's body away.

After saying this, the red-haired man's gaze on Wu Mian tightened. After a pause, he continued, "Since Mr. Wu Mian does not intend to join us, let's discuss how to compensate for Baekje's life." By this time, he no longer addressed Wu Mian as "Uncle," indicating that the pretense of joining had been dropped.

As he spoke, a faint layer of flame appeared around the red-haired man. The flames swayed, as if he were wearing a suit of armor. Wu Mian met his gaze with a carefree smile, and then dozens of thick, crackling electric arcs appeared on his body.

Just as the two were about to engage, a voice from behind the red-haired man called out, "Kōjin, you are blind. You didn't notice the presence of a senior. Since you have already passed on your skills to my junior brother, why don't you show yourself and let Kōjin and his disciples apologize to you?"

As he spoke, Kōjin's eyes darted around the people who had been knocked down by Wu Mian, but he didn't seem to notice anything unusual. The people behind Wu Mian, led by Guilai and Guiqu, were all former bandits. Apart from the two Gui brothers, who had some basic skills, the rest didn't appear to know any magic.

As Kōjin spoke, Guangxiao and the others also focused their attention on these people. When Wu Mian had risen from the crowd, he seemed like a different person, his depleted skills suddenly overflowing. If it wasn't for a great master passing on his skills, it would be truly bizarre.

The Kōjin generation could also pass on skills, and with their numbers, they felt confident in dealing with this mysterious person. However, they were unsure of his background and hesitated to act rashly.

After Kōjin finished speaking, there was no response from the other side. He smiled slightly and was about to speak when Gui Gui stepped forward, met the Great Master's gaze with a grin, and said, "No wonder the former Great Master passed the position to you, Kōjin. You have some skills. You were able to see through my old man's technique of passing on skills. Since you've seen through it, I won't be polite. To be clear, I just passed on my skills to Wu Mian, but the one who killed Baekje was Wu Mian himself. Since your disciples couldn't persuade him to join, can we leave now? We can discuss any issues with the former Great Master when he finishes fishing."

"Then is Senior Brother Baekje's death in vain?" Before Kōjin could respond, Huoshan, who was standing at the front, spoke up. After a pause, seeing that his master didn't stop him, he continued, "Even if Senior Brother Baekje was at fault, he was still a human life. Since Mr. Wu Mian refuses to join, I no longer need to consider our seniority. Isn't it only fair that a life is repaid with a life?"

Kōjin didn't try to stop him. His gaze remained on the people, waiting for any sign of a weakness. Guangxiao and the others slowly moved closer, forming a line with identical expressions, all focused on the same spot.

Wu Mian met Huoshan's gaze with a cold laugh and said, "Who made you consider seniority? Your master or your mistress?"

Before he finished speaking, Huoshan's red hair stood on end. With a roar like a wild beast, his entire body transformed into a red fireball. In an instant, the fireball shot toward Wu Mian.

As Huoshan transformed, Wu Mian's hands opened, and two lightning and fire dragons shot out from his palms. The fireball and the dragons met in mid-air with a deafening explosion. The entire hall was filled with a blinding light, and the Gui brothers and others were momentarily blinded. It took them a while to regain their sight.

During this brief blindness, Huoshan's human-shaped flame had already engaged the two dragons. Everyone expected a prolonged battle, but suddenly, two hands emerged from the fireball, each grabbing a dragon's neck. With a mournful dragon cry, the necks of the two dragons were torn off.

This sudden turn of events caught Guangxiao and the others off guard. Although they knew Huoshan was the strongest among the disciples, they didn't expect him to be this powerful. The balance of power now needed to be reassessed.

As the two dragons dissolved into nothingness, a cold laugh came from the fireball. "Do you have any other tricks? If not, you will soon share the same fate as these illusory dragons."

Pausing, Huoshan glanced at the people behind Wu Mian, who were still blinded and shouting, and continued, "In consideration of the former Great Master's teachings, if you return his possessions, I will plead on your behalf to the Great Master. If you renounce the skills of the Fangshi, you can still live forever due to the elixir's effects. Living forever without skills is not a difficult choice, is it?"

Kōjin continued to smile and watch the people behind Wu Mian, tacitly approving his disciple's words.

Wu Mian laughed coldly and, with a challenging tone, beckoned to Huoshan, "Why don't you come and try it yourself?" Although his words were sharp, the release of the two dragons had completely drained his skills. The Kōjin generation could see that Wu Mian was exhausted, and without the mysterious person's help, the outcome was no longer in doubt.

With a狂笑, Huoshan's fireball charged at Wu Mian. Just as he was about to be engulfed by the flames, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Wu Mian. A loud thud echoed, and the fireball instantly disappeared, leaving Huoshan standing in its place.

Gui Gui, who looked incredibly old, stood in front of him, pointing a finger at Huoshan's forehead. With just one finger, he stopped Huoshan's unstoppable attack.

Huoshan couldn't believe what he was seeing. Staring at Gui Gui, he spat out, "Were you just acting all along?"