Chapter 62

Shenma's Selection (62)

Crack!

Aoying Huo gritted his teeth.

He had finally realized that he had been toyed with by the cunning tongue of the other party.

If the prosperity of the Zhangluo Sect were as it was in the past, this insignificant person would not have dared to show his face, let alone dare to mock them!

The more he thought about it, the more his anger boiled.

Aoying Huo glared at Nengsuomi with bloodshot eyes and ordered a nearby subordinate.

"Bring me his arm."

He wanted to cut off the other's head right away, but there was still something he needed to find out from him.

"Understood!"

One of the black-robed men immediately approached Nengsuomi.

Clank.

With each step he took, the rings on the Jinhuan Taiyi emitted a chilling metallic sound.

However, Nengsuomi was not afraid.

"Isn't it going to be difficult?"

Instead, he displayed confidence and a haughty expression.

Suddenly, he felt something strange.

Now, the distance between them was just six steps, yet he could not sense the presence of Fan Jiawei anywhere.

Nengsuomi hastily looked around.

"Senior?"

There was no response.

"……!"

Nengsuomi's heart sank.

At that moment, the black-robed man who had closed the distance in an instant swung his sword like lightning.

"Senior!"

Nengsuomi squeezed his eyes shut.

In that instant.

Crack.

Hearing the sound right in front of him, Nengsuomi slightly opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was the Jinhuan Taiyi, which had stopped just an inch above his shoulder.

Then he saw the large hand gripping the Jinhuan Taiyi.

It was Fan Jiawei.

The owner of the herbal shop was now tucked under his arm.

Nengsuomi finally let out a sigh of relief.

"See, I told you it wouldn't be easy."

Despite the situation, Nengsuomi still taunted Aoying Huo. On the other hand, Aoying Huo was feeling a shock close to horror.

'When exactly...?'

Even though his eyes were open, he felt as if he were dreaming.

The situation was that surreal.

Suddenly, a pale afterimage appeared before his eyes, and then a fierce gust of wind hit him.

When he regained his senses, the person who had been lying nearby was gone. He had reappeared in front of the subordinate, gripping the subordinate's sword with his bare hands.

All of this had happened in the blink of an eye.

"Who are you, sir?"

Aoying Huo unknowingly used respectful language. The presence of the other party was that formidable.

However, the only response was a cold, piercing gaze. When their eyes met, Aoying Huo felt his breath catch.

The black-robed man whose sword was being held didn't fare any better.

He had to endure the overwhelming killing intent emanating from Fan Jiawei.

"Ugh!"

No matter how hard he tried to hold the sword, it wouldn't budge.

His face, visible through the mask, turned red with frustration and shame. But that didn't last long.

"Ah!"

The black-robed man gasped and hastily let go of the sword, stepping back. A sudden, intense heat had risen along the sword's edge.

The black-robed man looked at his palm, which was red and peeling from the intense heat.

But what truly astonishing happened next.

The middle part of the sword, which the giant was holding, turned red-hot and then melted into a stream of molten metal, dripping to the ground.

The intense heat was almost unbelievable, even to the naked eye.

Aoying Huo's eyes wavered.

Even if he hadn't set foot in the martial world for a long time, he still had ears to hear news and rumors. Among them were stories about monsters that should never be encountered.

There was only one person in the martial world who possessed such a massive build and formidable heat energy.

"Wangshan Chaozhe?"

The giant suddenly spoke.

"Have we met before?"

"……!"

Aoying Huo was dumbfounded. His face had already turned pale from the chill running down his spine.

Why would Wangshan Chaozhe appear here?

Their target was Bingyu Xianzi, not a monstrous deity in human form.

Aoying Huo tried to compose his shaken expression and calmly asked.

"Why are you here, sir...?"

"Why are you asking me? You're the ones who came looking for trouble."

That answer confirmed it.

Doctor Dan Aoxian was not alone; Han Xuehua was also there.

Aoying Huo finally realized they had stepped into an absurd situation. But it was too late to turn back.

They were already on the tiger's back.

The naked hostility in Fan Jiawei's eyes!

Now, facing the predator's gaze with the prey right in front of him, there was only one choice.

'If I'm prepared to die, I can at least inflict a fatal wound.'

He had never even considered the possibility of taking down the other alone.

He was that formidable an opponent.

Unless the former leader of the sect had returned, no one present could stand against the monster before them.

Fortunately, they had a secret technique passed down through generations.

Shaking off the rising fear deep in his heart, Aoying Huo shouted.

"Activate the Jinsheng Pili Array!"

The moment his words fell, ten Zhangluo Sect disciples, including Aoying Huo, surrounded Fan Jiawei.

Their Jinhuan Taiyi swords began to vibrate in unison.

At that moment, a strange, ear-piercing sound enveloped the entire temple.

"Ugh!"

Nengsuomi involuntarily let out a groan.

The intense, bone-chilling sound began to shake his insides.

The Zhangluo Sect disciples also did not look comfortable. It seemed they were pouring a considerable amount of energy into their swords.

In contrast, Fan Jiawei frowned as if nothing was wrong and asked.

"What are you doing, trying to deafen me?"

Fan Jiawei threw the object in his hand.

Kuai'ai'e!

A bone-chilling sound tore through the air.

Thud.

Aoying Huo, who was opposite Fan Jiawei, clutched his chest and collapsed weakly.

Instantly, a thick spray of blood burst from his back. The projectile that had left Fan Jiawei's hand had shattered his breastbone and pierced through him.

Even after losing momentum, the projectile flew for a while before finally crashing into a heavy stone pagoda and rolling to the ground.

"……!"

Even as his life was slipping away, Aoying Huo was dumbfounded.

The incredible divine power that he had seen with his own eyes left him speechless.

The nature of the projectile that had pierced his chest. It was not the sharp tip of the sword, but the blunt hilt, the sword guard.

Nengsuomi was also stunned.

Fan Jiawei had transformed into a being of a different dimension from when he was bickering with Chao Aoliang and Han Xuehua.

Click.

Fan Jiawei handed the herbal shop owner, who had been tucked under his arm, to Nengsuomi.

"Take this person and go back."

"Huh? Yes... yes..."

The state of the herbal shop owner, who had been tortured by the villains, was clearly dire.

Once the cumbersome patient was gone, Fan Jiawei immediately darted forward. He began to kill the Zhangluo Sect disciples, who were now leaderless and in disarray, one by one.

He didn't even need to move twice.

With each swing of his hand, heads shattered and breastbones broke.

'The Jinsheng Pili Array... what a joke...'

Nengsuomi couldn't close his mouth at the sight of Fan Jiawei's martial arts, which he had only heard about in rumors.

There was an insurmountable gap in martial prowess between them and Fan Jiawei.

Nengsuomi had seen Chao Aoliang's martial arts a few times. However, Fan Jiawei's martial arts were completely different in atmosphere.

While Chao Aoliang's martial arts were restrained and refined, Fan Jiawei's were destructive and terrifying.

Nengsuomi suddenly felt like laughing.

What was the point of distinguishing between the two? After all, both were bloodthirsty monsters and disasters on par with natural calamities.

'Ah!'

Realizing something belatedly, Nengsuomi hurriedly left the gruesome scene of slaughter.

The condition of the herbal shop owner was that serious.

He could die at any moment if left like this.

Leaving the screams and terrifying killing intent behind, Nengsuomi began to run quickly.

Racing against time, Nengsuomi arrived at Shenma Valley and called out loudly for Dan Aoxian.

"Valley Master!"

Before Nengsuomi's voice had even faded, Chao Aoliang and Han Xuehua were standing before him.

Behind them, Dan Aoxian was hurrying over.

Nengsuomi laid the herbal shop owner on the ground.

"Huh?"

Dan Aoxian, recognizing the herbal shop owner, could not hide his surprise.

"Uncle!"

Even as he let out a scream, his hands did not stop.

He quickly checked the herbal shop owner's breathing, grabbed his right wrist, and then searched his own robes for a box containing needles.

Dan Aoxian, who had detected a thread-like pulse that could break at any moment, urgently called out to Chao Aoliang.

"Please help!"

Chao Aoliang, understanding Dan Aoxian's intention, placed his palm on the herbal shop owner's chest.

He began to channel his energy directly.

"Ugh..."

The herbal shop owner groaned and opened his eyes.

His gaze, which had been fixed on Dan Aoxian, wavered violently. Then, he weakly mumbled something.

"Huh?"

Dan Aoxian couldn't understand.

Even in his dazed state, the herbal shop owner repeatedly said he was sorry.

Perhaps due to the intensity of his emotions, the herbal shop owner began to shiver and coughed up blood. Dan Aoxian quickly used the needles to suppress the bleeding.

At the moment, he was barely keeping the man alive.

He needed to hurry with the treatment.

While Chao Aoliang was channeling his energy to prevent the internal injuries from worsening, Dan Aoxian quickly began to place needles in the main acupoints.

How much time had passed?

The man's breathing stabilized, and the ashen pallor of his face gradually returned to a healthier color.

As Dan Aoxian continued the treatment, Chao Aoliang asked Nengsuomi.

"What exactly happened?"

"Well..."

Nengsuomi began to explain.

From the messenger pigeon that had flown in from Yidang Hall to the encounter with Fan Jiawei and the Zhangluo Sect disciples.

Especially when he mentioned that their target was Dan Aoxian, her expression darkened sharply.

'Zhangluo Sect...'

Dan Aoxian knew about the Shanxi Bloodbath, which had led to the death of the former leader, Aoying Shan, because her father had mentioned it several times. However, she never expected that the old grudge would find her after so many years.

Moreover, her father was not even the direct party to the grudge.

"I'm sorry. It's because of me..."

Even though the herbal shop owner had already lost consciousness, Dan Aoxian apologized to him. Chao Aoliang, looking at her with concern, suddenly noticed something odd.

"You said about thirty men infiltrated using their martial arts?"

"Yes, that's right."

But at the temple, there were only ten Zhangluo Sect disciples waiting for Nengsuomi.

"There are others?"

"I will try to locate them soon."

Nengsuomi's answer made Chao Aoliang shake his head.

"No, there's no need."

"Huh? Why...?"

Nengsuomi trailed off.

Following Chao Aoliang's gaze, Nengsuomi saw black-robed men gathering at the entrance of the valley.