Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Boom!
Fang Ping demolished the fourth house, and it collapsed with a boom.
Martial artists in the three lower ranks were not yet at superhuman status. Fang Ping was currently exhausted, fully drenched in sweat. His Vitality was being depleted rapidly.
...
Behind the village.
“Grand Missionary, what should we do now?” someone asked in a low voice. A middle-aged man in the crowd furrowed his brow slightly and said slowly, “Today, I will surely die, but death is nothing to fear!
“The ones coming for us are merely an amateur group of martial arts university-bred curs!
“Those novices have chosen the most tiring and exhausting strategy to retaliate.
“Since that is so, we might as well satisfy them!
“Rank-1 martial artists, start running sneak attacks to disrupt them. Slow them down and exhaust their patience.
“Without patience, they will be all the more easy to fluster...
“Even if they take shifts to demolish the buildings, their Vitality cannot be easily replenished.
“Rank-2 and Rank-3 martial artists, gather together. In half an hour, on my order, attack those Rank-3 martial artists en masse!
“Half an hour will not be enough for them to recuperate. We’ll get ready and attack them when they’re at their weakest. Kill as many as you can!”
“Yes, sir!”
...
As ordered by the middle-aged man, evil martial artists began popping up continually to disrupt the students.
Gu Xiong and the others paid them no attention, killing them as soon as they appeared. At the same time, they also pretending to help demolish the houses, faces pale.
Boulder Village did not have many buildings, but it was still quite a decent number for a village—around a hundred or so.
When the students had demolished about a dozen houses, a more complete view of Boulder Village gradually began to emerge in front of their eyes.
Fang Ping scanned the houses at the back and said in a low voice, “We’ll almost be done after we demolish some of the middle section. A few of you should stay back and pretend to recover.”
Several Rank-3 martial artists sat down, legs crossed, and tossed something pill-like into their mouths and swallowed—chocolate, or something else perhaps.
...
Each time after demolishing several houses, a few people began to “recuperate”.
About half an hour later, Fang Ping panted, “It’s almost done. I bet they’ll come out sooner or later. If they don’t, it means that they’re already in the mountains.”
The demolition operations had almost reached the end of the village now. If their enemies did not appear, it meant that they had all run away, and were no longer in situ.
Upon hearing that, Gu Xiong suddenly yelled, “Retreat!”
Everyone took steps backward. An advance would only strike doubt into their enemies’ hearts.
“There’s nowhere to go!”
As soon as Gu Xiong said that, about a dozen people charged out from both sides of the houses at the back!
Gu Xiong growled, “Everyone else, on support!”
“Block them!” the Grand Missionary snarled, and several dozen people swarmed in again. They circumvented Fang Ping’s group and streamed toward Zhang Ziwei and the others, who were stationed at the back.
The Grand Missionary cast a glance over Fang Ping and the others with him, and growled without further ado, “Kill off these dogs, give them the trial by fire they’re so desperate for!”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the Grand Missionary headed straight for Gu Xiong.
Gu Xiong retaliated in kind. The ground thudded beneath his feet as he ran, a pale crimson glow emanating from his fists. In the blink of an eye, he was engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the Grand Missionary!
Wham!
Fang Ping and the others did not even have time to join the fray before Gu Xiong was sent flying. Gu Xiong gave a low growl, “Peak Rank-3! I need several more people!”
The difference in skill level between Peak Rank-3 and lower-stage Rank-3 was far too massive!
Gu Xiong had been capable of beating a middle-stage Rank-3 martial artist when he was at Peak Rank-2, but now, at Rank-3, he was sent flying after only exchanging a few blows.
At his shout, Zhao Yang, Yu Xianghua, and several others abandoned their opponents and dashed toward the Grand Missionary.
Fang Ping did not delay either but raced over as well.
Six Rank-3 martial artists began surrounding the Grand Missionary.
Fang Ping’s foot landed solidly on the other man’s thigh, but he himself ended up taking a few steps back, his Vitality fluctuating violently.
“This is a Peak Rank-3 martial artist!”
Fang Ping’s expression was very grave. There was indeed a massive difference between Peak Rank-3 and lower or middle-stage Rank-3.
Their opponent’s defense was far too strong. If they launched a counterattack against him, Fang Ping and the others would be severely injured.
As the group of them attacked the Grand Missionary, Chen Pengfei bellowed from nearby, “Here’s another higher-stage Rank-3! Come help!”
A few more Rank-3 students abandoned their opponents and started to attack Chen Pengfei’s opponent, the higher-stage Rank-3 martial artist.
Of the 15 Rank-3 martial artists here, ten of them had their attention completely taken up by these two enemy opponents.
In contrast, there were still seven or eight Rank-3 martial artists left on the evil sect martial artists’ side. They started attacking the remaining students.
Even with their superior numbers, the students surrounding the Grand Missionary and the higher-stage Rank-3 martial artist were at a disadvantage. They kept on suffering injuries and retreating.
“Zhang Ziwei! Finish them off quickly and come help! We need some more Peak Rank-2 people here too!” Chen Pengfei bellowed. Their four lower-stage Rank-3 martial artists were being hounded into retreating.
The higher-stage martial artist they were up against wielded an alloy long staff. Just a single blow of the staff made their Vitality fluctuate and their internal organs quiver. As the man’s main adversary, Chen Pengfei was constantly retreating, vomiting blood all the while. The other three students could only provide limited aid in the battle.
Zhang Ziwei and the remaining students were rapidly killing off the martial artists blocking their paths.
Their adversaries might be few in number, but they were utterly fearless. They managed to keep the entire group of two hundred students on the perimeter, preventing them from entering the fray.
The Grand Missionary humphed. “You’re rather ingenious, I’ll give you that. Your Vitality hasn’t been depleted by much. It’s no use though. After we kill you lot of Rank-3 brats, I think those martial arts university dogs won’t have any more brainless ideas about making us mere training fodder for the likes of you!”
The Grand Missionary wielded no weapon, but still had the energy to speak while sending Zhao Yang back with a punch. Zhao Yang’s face turned red; a second later he spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Keep him occupied” Zhao Yang growled furiously. His temples sank in, and his hands were enveloped with a visible blood-colored glow!
Seeing that, Fang Ping and the others pressed closer around the Grand Missionary. The next second, Zhao Yang sent his fist towards the Grand Missionary’s skull like lightning while the man was too occupied to set up a defense.
The Grand Missionary gave a low snarl and the air around him vibrated in a shockwave that forced the surrounding students back. He dodged the blow, pulling his torso straight up. Zhao Yang’s fist missed the Grand Missionary’s head but landed on his shoulder instead with a sound like a metallic clang.
“Not bad. If you were higher-stage Rank-3, you might’ve injured me seriously. What a pity!”
The Grand Missionary’s shoulder had collapsed somewhat. Blood flowed from the wound, but his vitals remained unharmed.
Zhao Yang had not managed to fully figure out an ultimate move. That blow had expended about 200cal of his Vitality, the power needed for a Rank-3 lethal move, but it had only injured the other man slightly.
Zhao Yang’s Vitality, on the other hand, was fluctuating, decreasing rapidly.
On the other side of the battlefield, Chen Pengfei and his comrades were also struggling. Luckily, Zhang Ziwei brought several Peak Rank-2 martial artists to their aid, dashing over quickly to engage with the higher-stage Rank-3 martial artist as well.
Fang Ping and everyone else had overestimated their capabilities somewhat.
Forget about Rank-4 martial artists—a mere higher-stage Rank-3 martial artist and another at Peak Rank-3 were already more than they could handle.
A casual blow from their opponents could match their so-called lethal moves, and their opponents spent far fewer Vitality points as well.
One move that spent twenty to thirty Vitality points packed almost as much power as their hundred-Vitality point moves.
The Grand Missionary did not really make very many Vitality-based moves either, preferring to defend himself by physical means for now.
Gu Xiong said loudly, “He’s deliberately making us expend our Vitality!”
Peak Rank-3 martial artists had Vitalities of over 1000cal, and their tendons, bones, and flesh were thoroughly honed to the maximum. They were close to being invincible – apart from their skulls and internal organs.
The Grand Missionary would rather take some light injuries than retaliate. He stood there, open for attack, relying on his body to defend against them.
Gu Xiong’s growl elicited no response from the Grand Missionary. It was obvious to any observant person that he would attack his opponents when they stopped; one single move of his would probably suffice to inflict terrible damage.
The students had no choice but to expend move after move, further depleting their Vitality. Wounds kept appearing on the Grand Missionary’s skin, but they were only superficial; Fang Ping and the others received worse injuries, and their Vitality expenditure was also very high.
The others were beginning to look desperate. Seeing this, Fang Ping growled furiously, “The rest of you go deal with the higher-stage Rank-3! Leave this to me!”
Everyone was stunned for a moment. Even the Grand Missionary looked somewhat stupefied.
“What are you looking at? Go!” As he spoke, Fang Ping sliced down with his glaive, his Vitality so condensed it was like the piercing tip of a blade.
The Grand Missionary focused on him, his attention no longer divided. A blood-colored glow enveloped his fist as he landed a punch on Fang Ping’s blade, causing it to vibrate continuously.
“Let’s see how many moves you can use!”
Even the Grand Missionary had to focus completely when faced with moves like the one Fang Ping had just used, given that a hundred Vitality points and more were packed behind it. How many more of them could Fang Ping use, however?
Fang Ping provided the answer soon enough.
Clang, clang, clang!
Fang Ping slashed five times with his glaive, expending a hundred Vitality points each time and forcing the Grand Missionary to keep backing up.
The others did not linger either. Everyone was reminded of Fang Ping’s advantage—his Vitality could replenish extremely quickly. Currently, no one knew what his limit was. While Fang Ping used powerful move after powerful move to force the Grand Missionary into countering with all his might, they needed to finish off the higher-stage Rank-3 martial artist first.
“Eh?”
The Grand Missionary furrowed his brow slightly. He had wanted to dodge Fang Ping once and for all, but Fang Ping raced toward him again and began slashing at him continuously with his glaive!
Clang!
The next few slashes made the Grand Missionary take a few steps back, fissures splitting the ground under his feet.
“You can still continue?”
The Grand Missionary’s gaze was frosty. He sneered coldly, “Seems like you’re one of the University’s prodigies. Killing you will be more useful than killing off a ton of Rank-2 and 3 martial artists!”
“Try me, and you’ll know!”
Fang Ping’s forehead was plastered with large drops of perspiration. The Grand Missionary no longer assumed a defensive stance. He growled under his breath, bending his spine. The next second, he was in front of Fang Ping, attacking with fists and legs, aiming for Fang Ping’s vital points.
Fang Ping defended himself with everything he had, sweating profusely all the while, but he was still forced into retreat, his body stained with blood.
“You attack, but so do I!”
Fang Ping gritted his teeth. He moved back a step and put some distance between himself and his foe. After that, he began slashing at the other man again with all his might!
The Grand Missionary’s expression changed. How many times had this brat slashed at him?
Twenty times? Thirty times?
A Peak Rank-3 martial artist’s Vitality was much more potent than that of a middle-stage Rank-3 martial artist. For them, 1cal was as effective as 2 or 3cal for anyone below higher-stage Rank-3.
Provided both had the same offensive capabilities, Fang Ping, with his Vitality of 1000cal, could square up against a middle-stage Rank-3 martial artist with 2000 or 3000cal in his arsenal.
A middle-stage Rank-3 martial artist normally had a Vitality of 600cal or below.
He could wring everything out of six or seven middle-stage Rank-3 martial artists or more if the fight was based on endurance alone. This was because he was not merely on the defensive, he was on the offensive as well.
When fighting one-on-one, he would only need several moves to defeat a middle-stage Rank-3 martial artist.
Right now, however, Fang Ping attacked as defense, every move a lethal one. In the face of that, the Grand Missionary had no choice but to dodge and retreat.
“Let’s see how many times you can slash away!”
The Grand Missionary was relentless in his attacks. He did not believe that a middle-stage martial artist could put out unlimited lethal moves.
Fang Ping could not, of course. He did not need to constantly put out lethal moves however; just a few at a time would suffice.
The Grand Missionary was on the defense right now, but he still had to expend Vitality points to do so. He had expended quite a lot of Vitality when he was surrounded earlier, and he continued doing the same even now. Fang Ping thought that the Grand Missionary would probably not outlast him in the end.
‘Thirty-six!’
‘Thirty-seven!’
Fang Ping counted in his mind. One slash meant spending 0.1 million in Wealth. He had probably spent about 4 million and above.
‘Peak Rank-3 martial artists are truly resilient!’
Fang Ping was also aware that he too had his limits.
His bones were making cracking sounds, and fissures were beginning to appear on his skin, blood seeping out.
He could replenish his Vitality, but there were limits to his physical body.
Despite the blood dripping from his lips and the many blade scars on his skin, the Grand Missionary could still sneer in front of Fang Ping, “Can you still fight?”
He then gave a low snarl and sent his fist flying toward Fang Ping’s throat.
Growling, Fang Ping countered by whipping his right leg up to block the punch. The force of it made his bones crack; the pair of alloy combat boots he had worn for so long began to give way.
Fang Ping yelped in pain and retreated, dragging his injured leg.
The Grand Missionary pursued him relentlessly.
Fang Ping snarled in fury, his weapon slicing through the air once more!
Clang, clang...
Once more Fang Ping unleashed a series of attacks, and The Grand Missionary stopped in his tracks, panting hard.
Fang Ping was also panting. He was drenched in sweat from head to toe.
“Almost 5 million!”
Fang Ping gritted his teeth. He was really losing massive amounts of Wealth this time!
If he included the points he had expended for demolishing the village houses and killing the two martial artists from the night before, he had spent almost 10 million in Wealth points!
His whole body was full of injuries now as well. If this went on, he would lose even if he killed the man.
On the other side of the battlefield, the higher-stage Rank-3 martial artist had reached an impasse. He fought as if his life were of no account, beating back his attackers continuously. Many students were injured and sent flying out of the fray.
Some Peak Rank-2 martial artists also joined in to battle against the man.
They were too occupied to come to Fang Ping’s assistance. It seemed that Fang Ping could still hold on for a while, anyway; it would not be too late to come to his aid after they killed that higher-stage Rank-3 martial artist.
“Is a Peak Rank-3 martial artist really this strong?”
Fang Ping felt more than a little helpless as he looked at the Grand Missionary. The other man seemed to have used up all his Vitality points, but could still soldier on, relying solely on his physical abilities to brawl.
Even with that, he still had the power of a Rank-3 martial artist.
If not for the Grand Missionary’s resolve to fight to the death, he could have easily escaped even at this moment, as Fang Ping was finding it difficult to kill him.
The Grand Missionary was panting hard, but jeered, “Stop looking at me. All of us sect members know that we’ll die sooner or later. We’ll just kill as many as we can before we die!
“You’re quite interesting. You could probably annihilate a team of middle-stage Rank-3 martial artists entirely on your own.
“What a pity someone like you would rather be a dog...”
Fang Ping’s pupils dilated and he took a frantic step back.
A second later, the Grand Missionary’s fist shot out to land on Fang Ping’s chest like a hammer, blood dribbling from his mouth. He had appeared in front of Fang Ping in the blink of an eye.
Fang Ping did not manage to retreat on time. Grinding his teeth, he frantically thrust his glaive in front of his chest.
Clang!
With a loud sound, a dent appeared on the flat of the glaive. Fang Ping felt intense pain in his chest as he was sent flying backward, blood streaming from his lips.
“Not dead yet? You’ve honed your internal organs?”
Pale-faced, the Grand Missionary was astonished but went after Fang Ping rapidly.
Fang Ping slumped to the ground, blood streaming endlessly from his mouth.
“F*ck!”
Fang Ping was simultaneously gratified and furious. He had honed his internal organs, so they were not as weak as the average person’s. No doubt he would have been killed by that punch had he not done this.
The sight of the dent on his weapon made him heartsick.
From nearby, a shout of rage and hopelessness rent the air. The group of more than a dozen Rank-3 martial artists had finally finished off their higher-stage Rank-3 foe.
The Grand Missionary faltered in his steps, expression changing.
Gu Xiong and the others with him raced over to aid Fang Ping while Chen Yunxi and her group hastily went to help Fang Ping up.
The Grand Missionary was now surrounded by Gu Xiong and his team of martial artists.
Seeing that, Fang Ping gasped out to Chen Yunxi as he clutched at his chest, “Do you have a Lifeline Pill? Lend me one!”
Chen Yunxi handed him a pill hurriedly. Fang Ping swallowed it down and said furiously, “Out of the way! He’s mine!”
It was imperative that he kill that bastard today on his own
If he did not, the losses he had sustained during this mission would be utterly unbearable.
Gu Xiong and the others all bore injuries also. Furious at Fang Ping’s words, Zhao Yang snapped, “Now is not the time to play hero!”
“Move aside, or you’ll have to compensate me with pills!”
Fang Ping could not care less, not when he was terrified he might lose. The next second, he charged at the Grand Missionary, weapon in hand, the blood-colored glow surrounding his blade brighter than ever. His Vitality surged, marginally more powerful than before.
Seeing Fang Ping’s complete disregard for anything but attacking his foe, Zhao Yang and the others retreated.
“This guy...”
No one knew what to say!
How many times had Fang Ping used powerful moves?
Could they still be considered an ultimate move?
Fang Ping’s attacks were not as powerful as a single ultimate move, but they were similar to one when used together consecutively.
According to everyone’s calculations, he had probably spent more than 5000cal of Vitality!
The difference between themselves and a Peak Rank-3 martial artist was very obvious right there.
Fang Ping had almost been killed by a punch even when he used powerful moves one after the other.
They watched for a while as Fang Ping slashed maniacally at the Vitality-depleted Grand Missionary, who could now only rely on his physical strength to counter attacks. After a while, Gu Xiong said loudly, “Final round, all of you! Scour the village, and kill everyone you see!”
Five Rank-3 martial artists who had not exerted themselves much before this stood in wait, preparing to lend a hand in case Fang Ping needed rescuing.
...
“A Lifeline Pill costs 200 credits! I’ve incurred so much loss just with one pill! I won’t rest until I’ve killed you today!”
Fang Ping was so furious he could spit blood. Not only had he needed to use an expensive pill, but his weapon was also dented, his boots were ripped, and he had spent 10 million Wealth points!
All that for just one person—how could Fang Ping not be livid?
“I don’t believe that Peak Rank-3 martial artists are truly that invulnerable! I’ll make you shake so much your innards shatter inside your body!”
While Fang Ping’s bones continued to make ominous cracking sounds, the Grand Missionary was not faring very well either. Blood streamed continuously from his mouth, by now flecked with traces of his innards.
No one would have expected a middle-stage Rank-3 martial artist to use a hundred or more 100cal moves. No words could describe this fighting style except for one: excessive!
As Fang Ping slashed away until his hands went numb, the Grand Missionary slumped to the floor on his knees with a loud thud. Fang Ping’s next slash landed right on his foe’s skull.
The next second, Fang Ping slumped to the ground as well. He muttered, “I finally hacked him to death...”
Fang Ping could not muster up any happiness at that moment, though.
This entire mission was depressing for him. Although he had killed this Peak Rank-3 martial artist—the strongest of the lot—the price he had paid was far too high.
“Almost a hundred moves and ten thousand Vitality points...could I kill Old Man Li even if he lay down and let me do it?”
Fang Ping recalled Old Man Li’s words again. He had said that Fang Ping could not kill him even if he were to lie down and let him.
If Fang Ping had been dismissive of the old man’s words before, now he believed them entirely. If he did not split Old Man Li’s head, he really would be unable to kill him.