Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The rustle of the wind brought the drape of the black bandage to flutter, suffusing the area with an air of darkness. A faint heartbeat could be heard, reverberating within Bu Fang, and it seemed only he could hear it.
Startled, he looked inadvertently at the black bandage around his arm. It was the remains of the Black Taotie. Could the Beast be still alive? Was that why he heard the sound of its heartbeat?
Some distance away, an air of terror exuded from Golden Sabre. A turbulent outburst of energy permeated the surroundings, causing the sabre vigor to float around him and release a suppressed and sharp buzzing sound. Golden Sabre was enveloped in his golden armor, his expression indiscernible. Only his blood-red eyes showed an inkling of his anger.
It was a great embarrassment to him that he, a Guard from the Holy-Land who had garnered the seven steps soul ladder, was defeated by a nobody from the Divine Physique Echelon Realm with a wok! He should have smashed the small fry into minced meat instead. It was humiliating for one as arrogant and confident as him.
The soul ladder emitted rays of light above his head, and torrents of frightful energy gushed out, bombarding the air with such force that it seemed not able to withstand it. It made sounds that indicated the pressure it was under.
A glittering star illuminated the Golden Sabre, the sky-falling energy accentuating the horrific air around him.
“Meet your death!” howled the Golden Sabre with a beast-like roar, the scarlet glow in his eyes were in a whirl.
The formidable vigor of the sabre stagnated in the air for a while before thundering into an explosive outburst, spurting towards Bu Fang to slice him into fragments. That imposing presence was frightening and oppressive. Along with the outburst of the sabre vigor, the terrorizing waves of energy came tumbling towards Bu Fang. Everyone was aghast at the sheer force of the energy. It was powerful enough to blast the entire restaurant into shreds!
Could Owner Bu hold on to the attack? Nangong Wuque’s eyes constricted as he took in a deep breath. “Old Bu, you must hold on!”
Bu Fang’s face was grim as he faced the ruthless attack of the sabre vigor. It was slicing at high frequency, shrouding the surroundings with its energy. His face changed suddenly when a thought emerged. The next moment, he put the Black Turtle Constellation wok on the ground with a ‘dong.’
The people around were baffled at Bu Fang’s action. In the face of such a dreadfully strong sabre vigor, he had chosen to forego the use of his Black Turtle Constellation wok! Had he gone out of his mind? They had seen the prowess of the Black Turtle Constellation wok—it was powerful enough to smack away the Golden Sabre. However, with the full-blown outburst of the Golden Sabre, Bu Fang giving up his use of the Black Turtle Constellation wok was as good as seeking his own demise. How was he able to fend off the attack of the Golden Sabre without the Black Turtle Constellation wok?
Bu Fang raised his hand, and his black bandage made a loud noise. To everyone’s astonishment, it loosened itself from Bu Fang’s arm, disbanding the concentric bends. A ferocious roar was heard from the bandage, and a black energy permeated the air. That bandage encircled itself around Bu Fang, floating, while his arm darkened. It exuded torrents of black energy. Right before him, the bandage transformed into a huge fearsome beast with its enormous mouth wide open. It was… the Black Taotie.
With a long howl, the beast opened its mouth, showing a large black hole whirling within. His mouth seemed magnetic, drawing all the sabre vigor that was slicing towards Bu Fang into it. The sabre vigor that could have demolished the entire Cloud Mist Restaurant had disappeared in an instant. The din was no more, and all had returned to the original tranquility.
The Black Taotie shrunk back to Bu Fang’s arm after absorbing the sabre vigor, reassembling itself into its original state. There was no inkling of the episode that had just occurred. Bu Fang was flabbergasted too. The soul of the Black Taotie emerged only to showcase his power for a short while. It was a typical act of ‘gluttony’ to put on a cool front before escaping immediately after.
“The soul of Taotie? It’s really with you! I have indeed made the right move!” Astounded as he was upon the absorption of his sabre vigor, Golden Sabre was not anxious. After the initial shock, he was excited and was thinking only of the engulfing prowess of the Black Taotie.
The soul of the Black Taotie and the legacy of the Valley of the Gluttony—these were the two things from the Valley of Gluttony that were hotly sought after by the Scared Land of the Heavenly Spring. It was a pleasant surprise that one of them was within his sight. If he could get hold of the soul of Taotie, coupled with the skills of the abled men in the Holy-Land, a Divine Army could be reconstructed!
The power of the Divine Army sealed with the soul of Taotie was formidable!
Rumble!
With a stomp of his foot, the ground cracked. Golden Sabre appeared instantaneously in front of Bu Fang, wanting to capture him. If Golden Sabre had thoughts of killing Bu Fang before, he had now decided to capture him alive with no reason other than to grab hold of the soul of Taotie.
The arm that was sealed with the soul of Taotie grasped the Black Turtle Constellation wok, and terrorizing energy exploded. The Black Turtle Constellation wok was flung out, enshrouded in an earthly yellow hue.
Rumble!
The punch from Golden Sabre and the Black Turtle Constellation wok collided. Bu Fang trembled slightly as his Black Turtle Constellation wok was smacked out.
“I was wondering how a weakling from the Divine Physique Echelon Realm could counter my attack? It was all due to the soul of Taotie. Do not have the illusion that you are invincible with its help,” Golden Sabre said coldly. As the strongman who had garnered and mastered the seven steps soul ladder, though he was quite a few levels below attaining the Almighty Echelon, his combative ability was not to be held in comparison with a small fry of the Echelon. The Golden Armor Guard from the Heavenly Spring Holy Grounds had been through great battles unimaginable to others.
Bu Fang had the combined strength of the Black Turtle Constellation Wok and the soul of Taotie, which could ward off his attack. Golden Sabre was calm and did not panic. He was proven right—Bu Fang was totally restricted when all their skills were showcased.
Golden Sabre was too fast, and his lightning speed made his golden armor glisten in a shimmering light.
Punch.
The air seemed to be distorted by the intimidating punch from Golden Sabre. Bu Fang’s heart sank, his expression solemn. He could see through Golden Sabre’s tactics. He knew that he was fiercely attacking Bu Fang’s eminent weaknesses.
Bu Fang sighed. “Combat battles are really frustrating!”
In the restaurant, Nethery licked the porcelain plate. Her rosy scarlet lips were seductive as they glistened from the gravy of the dish. Upon seeing Bu Fang’s difficulty in holding on to the attack, Nethery was nonchalant when she turned and walked into the restaurant. She placed the plate on the table and saw Blacky savoring his plate of scrumptious Sweet ‘n’ Sour Ribs. In a flash, she stuck out her hand.
Blacky was indulging in the sweety sourness of the ribs, his fur relaxed and wavered along with the wind. It was an intoxicating sensation. Deep down, Blacky was praising Bu Fang’s delicious Sweet ‘n’ Sour Ribs.
Suddenly, Blacky’s eyes widened as he felt a tingling numbness in his scalp. Blacky averted his head and saw Nethery pull his strand of fur. There was an awkward silence.
Nethery blinked her eyes and looked embarrassingly at Blacky. Its mouth was still tainted with the juice of the dish, and with its eyelids slightly closed, it was wearing an expression that made Nethery uncomfortable.
“Little gal, what are you trying to do with my fur?” Blacky asked with his husky but gentle voice. Although there was an uneasiness in Nethery’s expression, she stayed frozen for a while before she continued with her act of pulling with an even greater force.
Blacky’s head was almost pulled up, and he yelped, “Stop! You little gal! Wait till I ‘reward’ you with a scratch! You can have my fur, but could you do it more gently? Pull it strand by strand. Do not treat my fur as though they were blown here by the wind!” Blacky was at a loss for words and looked gloomy.
Nethery gave a start and released her hand. Looking askance at her, Blacky thought, “This fool. Luckily we knew each other, or else I would give her a tight slap!”
Blacky shook his body. Instantly, a strand of dog fur was let loose from his body and floated in the air. “Here, the fur you wanted. This is an exception. You would not have another chance,” Blacky said wearily. His smooth and lustrous fur would not be tampered with.
“Only one strand?” Nethery clutched the black fur and frowned, looking displeased.
“Only one? How many strands do you think you are getting? My fur was not brought here by the wind!” Blacky stared angrily at Nethery, violence erupting any moment within him.
With the fur in her hand, Nethery twitched her lips and headed out of the restaurant.
“You little gal, looking for a yard when given an inch? Dare to be unhappy with the one strand of fur…”
Nethery glanced afar from the doorway. Bu Fang was stepping backward at an alarming speed as he was bombarded with attacks. As for Golden Sabre, he was laughing in the background.
Bu Fang’s Vermillion Robe was fluttering, and the Black Turtle Constellation wok was swaying. However, Bu Fang looked impassive, and the serenity in him exasperated Golden Sabre. He was looking forward to seeing his opponent’s despondency and despair when tortured by him. But the calmness in the young lad… was he not afraid of death? Golden Sabre wished that Bu Fang could show him a look of despair. Without it, he could not feel any sense of satisfaction!
“The moment has come!” The bloody-red eyes hidden in Golden Sabre’s armor brightened up. He stuck his hand out and pulled the sword hung behind him. His entire presence changed tremendously.
The light of his sabre skyrocketed, and the sabre vigor was everywhere. “Meet your death, young man!” Golden Sabre’s eyes were filled with arrogance. As the golden sabre was pulled out of its case, imposing power circulated around it, and peculiar designs were glittering on the blade of the sabre.
It was the God-Slaying Sabre! A weapon ranked third in the God-Slaying tools and especially used against the Spirits from the netherworld. It was not being used to its full potential when brought out, but it could give serious injuries to the weakling Bu Fang.
True energy rushed into the God-Slaying Sabre. The air vibrated violently, and it was about to be perforated in seconds. The next moment, the golden Sabre blossomed in a golden aura of glittering lights as it was about to break the heavens and crack the earth. It went straight to Bu Fang, but Bu Fang only stood there with a dumbfounded and weird expression.
“Having sensed the energy from the God-Slaying tool, the God-Slaying Whitey will return… Counting down… three, two, one…”
At the entrance of the restaurant, Nethery’s straight, black tresses wavered. Simultaneously, the dog fur in her hand ignited with a deep blue luster.
