HSSB186: Someone once thought this way as well, and then he died
Looking at the newcomer, Yan Zhaoge raised his brows slightly.
He was about thirty, forty years of age, with a full head of strange, seldom seen red hair, and two things that resembled boxing gloves covering his hands.
His pupils were yellowed; streaks of blood red light could be seen shooting out from within. He was also a fallen practitioner.
What caused Yan Zhaoge to take some notice was the fact that a few threads of blood vaguely extended from his back, leading deep into the clumps of black fog that was the devilish domain.
Feeling Yan Zhaoge’s aura, the red-haired martial practitioner had approached to investigate it.
After clearly seeing Yan Zhaoge’s appearance, a look of joy was instantly revealed on the red-haired martial practitioner’s face as the bloodthirsty glow with his eyes could not be concealed.
“Ha! The son of Yan Di, Yan Zhaoge?” The red-haired martial practitioner bared his teeth, laughing, “Although I knew you had come to participate in the Heavenly Connection Meet, I really didn’t think that I would be so lucky as to directly encounter you.”
Yan Zhaoge blinked, “I shouldn’t have seen you before.”
“My name is Xue Wuya,” The red-haired martial practitioner exercised his hands that were wearing the boxing gloves, “That’s right, we’ve indeed never met before. It is understandable that you do not recognise me, but as long as I recognise you, that’s enough.”
“While you don’t recognise me, perhaps you’ll recognise this?”
Saying thus, Xue Wuya punched out into the air with his fist, his roiling aura-qi transforming into an illusory heaven and earth.
Within that illusory scene, rolling waves surged unceasingly, obscuring the heavens and covering the earth.
What gave off an ominous feel was the seawater within the illusory heaven and earth that was shockingly entirely black, which caused an aura that made one feel dark and gloomy, and chilled the air.
Yan Zhaoge realised, “These martial arts are of the Black Spirit Flag of the Five Spirit Flags-you are a remnant of the Five Spirit Flags ah?”
The Five Spirit Flags had been a first-rate power that was active by the border of the Heaven and Wind Domains in the past; their martial arts required the killing of others.
Because their sins had been too great, having even slaughtered cities in the West Heaven Region of the Heaven Domain, they had met resistance by a first-rate power subordinate to Broad Creed Mountain. The two clashed in a great battle, with both sides taking tremendous casualties.
Luckily, Yan Zhaoge’s father, Yan Di, just happened to be passing by. In the end, all of the Five Spirit Flags martial practitioners present, their Chief Flag Master included, had been slain by Yan Di on the spot.
Of those sect members of the Five Spirit Flags who had not been present, and were instead dispersed in the outside world and thus avoided disaster, they fled far away, hiding and avoiding capture. From then on they lived hating Yan Di to the bone, yet found themselves unable to do anything to him at all.
Earlier, in the Sealing Dragon Abyss in the Heaven Domain’s Eastern Tang Kingdom, there had been the Crimson Spirit Flag Master who had placed Yan Zhaoge as his target of revenge.
“My luck, is really too good,” Looking at Yan Zhaoge, that Xue Wuya twisted out a cold smile.
Smiling, Yan Zhaoge shook his head, “No, it’s my luck that’s too good.”
His gaze fell on those threads of blood on Xue Wuya’s body, “You are one of those participating in constructing the grand formation at the lake’s bottom, right? Sacrificing your own essence blood to the formation, allowing it to take form speedily.”
“Meanwhile, your essence, qi and mind have also become one with the grand formation, and you cannot stray far away from its core.”
“Encountering you here, it means that I am not far from the formation’s core. Following the thread of blood behind your back, I will be able to find it even more quickly.”
Xue Wuya let out a ‘Ha!’ laugh, “Even if you do find it, what would you be able to do?”
“Recently, it’s been rumoured that you’ve obtained a Sacred Artifact fragment. But even if it is a fragment, also possessing the power of a Sacred Artifact, as you are but a Martial Scholar, how much of its power can you wield?”
“After all, there is only one Extreme Yin Crown.”
Staring at Yan Zhaoge, a look of madness could be seen in Xue Wuya’s eyes, “Even if you can wield the power of the Sacred Artifact fragment, how many times can you do so?”
“If you use it on me, what will you use to shake the formation’s core?”
“At that time, the formation will fully serve its function, the Great Nine Underworlds Door will completely open, and you will still die!”
Xue Wuya laughed loudly, “Being able to exchange my life to have that dog Yan Di prematurely send off his own flesh and blood-it’s also worth it!”
Yan Zhaoge looked at him rather amusedly, “After falling, your mind seems to be a little foggy; who says that to kill you, I’d have to rely on the power of the Sacred Artifact fragment?”
Looking coldly at Yan Zhaoge, Xue Wuya’s eyes were filled with a crazed, bloodthirsty glow, “The one whose mind is foggy, is you.”
“I’ve heard that in the Heavenly Connection Meet, you consecutively defeated Infinite Boundless Mountain’s Liu Shengfeng and the Heavenly Thunder Hall’s Xie Ziyi.”
“A late Xiantian Martial Scholar myself as well, I admit that I am inferior to Xie Ziyi.”
“However, that was before I gave myself to the Nine Underworlds. The me of now, is not any inferior to him!”
Exercising his wrists, Xue Wuya strode towards Yan Zhaoge, “And now, within the devilish domain, my strength is even stronger than in the outside world, while you have to devote some attention to resisting the encroachment of devilish qi.”
“With the boost to me and restrictions you face, do you think that your circumstances now are very relaxed?”
As he strode, his roiling aura-qi surged upwards, transforming into an illusory scene above his head, his fist-intent and aura-qi intermingling to form an illusory heaven and earth.
The great black sea within the illusory heaven and earth actually changed once more, the black sea transforming into a sea of blood, its fierceness surging to the heavens.
The blood-red sea tides obscured the heavens and covered the earth, emanating the incomparable stench of blood, resembling true hell on earth.
Yan Zhaoge’s face revealed an expression that looked as though he was smiling whilst also not as he said mildly, “Speaking of Xie Ziyi, it looks like you are still unaware.”
“Like you, Xie Ziyi fell to the dark side.”
Xue Wuya was stunned for a moment before he continued laughing wildly, “The direct lineage of your six great Sacred Grounds, those self-proclaimed Heaven’s favoured children, only possess so much worth.”
Yan Zhaoge continued, “Afterwards, he had the same thought as you; feeling that after having fallen, he should be able to defeat me.”
“And then, he died.”
Xue Wuya’s yellowed pupils dilated slightly.
Looking at him, Yan Zhaoge smiled slightly, “I killed him.”
Saying thus, Yan Zhaoge’s figure abruptly flashed. Striding out, he was already before Xue Wuya!
Xue Wuya had already intuitively realised that something was wrong. However, as Yan Zhaoge moved now, he also didn’t dare to retreat. Only able to clench his fists and meet the battle, his fists punched out in unison towards Yan Zhaoge!
However, within the violent purplish-red blazing flames that was Yan Zhaoge’s illusory aura world, the lid of a furnace opened, and a massive ape punched out with its fist, its strength causing the heavens to roil and the earth to overturn!
The boundless sea of blood was forcibly ripped apart.
The next moment, before Xue Wuya’s eyes lit up numerous stars. Within the night sky, seven stars hung high overhead, worshipping the north.
Howling wildly, Xue Wuya drew on all of his strength to face Yan Zhaoge, the shattered sea of blood transforming into an all-encompassing blood rain that filled the entire sky, continuously descending as it merged with countless fist-shadows.
The boxing gloves on his hands, flickered with a strange spiritual light!
However, the Jade Dragon Sword within Yan Zhaoge’s hands roared, innumerable stars circulating alongside the changes in sword-intent as it seemed as though the orbits of the stars in the sky had truly shifted.
A jade-green river of stars descended from the heavens, keeping the fist-shadows of blood rain isolated on the outside, unable to draw close.
The river of stars streamed downward, directly piercing through Xue Wuya’s chest!
Xue Wuya opened his eyes wide, staring at Yan Zhaoge as he died with grievances.
Earlier, he had merely heard of Yan Zhaoge’s defeat of Liu Shengfeng and Xie Ziyi; having not seen them personally, he had no idea of the specifics as to what went on. He had completely not thought that Yan Zhaoge would actually be powerful to this extent, such that he was completely not his match!
Yan Zhaoge, however, didn’t place his attention on Xue Wuya.
Having already fallen, after Xue Wuya died, his corpse would automatically dissipate.
And the threads of blood connected to his back that stretched out into the dark fog also began to break apart, seeming as though they were right about to vanish.
Yan Zhaoge struck out with his sword once more.
Seven streaks of sword light locked in place those threads of blood that were about to be retracted into the black fog!