Proofreader: Papatonks
Tracing his fingers over the wall, Zhuo Fan was mulling over something. Then he opened his eyes wide, and two golden halos flashed in his right. “Divine Eye of the Void’s 2nd stage, Void Annihilation!”
Bam!
The spatial power struck the wall loudly. Then it was over. The barrier didn’t even shake.
Though it did flash a bit after as if to mock Zhuo Fan that he was all bark and no bite.
Zhuo Fan sighed.
[This array is ridiculously strong. Not even Void Annihilation, specialized in breaking arrays, can do a thing to it.]
He would never get it open as he was now, a mere ant against the world.
[My only choice is to wait until after I go beyond the mortal domain to try again.]
Zhuo Fan gave up the search and was about to return to the valley. However, he made sure to spruce this place up with how messy it was.
And so, without further ado, he picked the walls clean of any and all sacred stones.
By using Shift now and then, Zhuo Fan popped all over the mountain as he avoided the hundreds of monitoring arrays.
All he left behind was now a bare, dark cave like he was some thief who couldn’t get enough.
It was a good thing the Exalted Double Dragons didn’t see him, or they’d be spitting blood right about now. Those sacred stones were tens of times the reward the Double Dragon Gathering offered the nine sects this time. It took a thousand years to form, and yet they were gone just like that.
[May you rot in hell, Zhuo Fan!]
How fortunate indeed, the two exalted were oblivious. Of course, Zhuo Fan could never let them know, though his wounded right arm was a giveaway.
Zhuo Fan frowned and held it close. It was its first wound, and he was a little worried.
In the last few fights he had, no one could even scratch it, so coming out wounded all of a sudden would definitely attract the exalteds’ gazes.
[That’ll be bad for sure.]
Squinting, Zhuo Fan was pondering on a solution…
Whoosh!
An hour later, Zhuo Fan reappeared in the valley. Alas, gone was the natural beauty and lush scenery, now covered in ever-flowing blood that gave it a nasty stench.
One should not forget the constant symphony of wails and cackles that accompanied such a view. It brought this work of art to life.
Bang~
“Don’t hit me, please. I give, I give! Just let me go!”
“Damn you. Now you know when to surrender? What were you doing before then? Where’d your arrogance go? What about yesterday’s cockiness? Hi-hi-hi, if I don’t set you straighter than an arrow now, then I’m no Demon Scheming Sect’s disciple!” Kui Lang’s laughter echoed through the valley, filled with the promise of brutality.
Zhuo Fan looked around, and he saw punches and kicks raining down on one helpless victim. Gui Hu, Kui Lang, and the rest were dishing out all the beatings they could, like a master lashing out at his servant. As for the one who wailed beneath their feet, that was Ren Cong.
Yue’er and the girls stood aside with a thick, loathing gaze on their faces. When they noticed Zhuo Fan, they bowed, “Steward Zhuo, welcome back.”
“Did you get the prick?” Zhuo Fan asked.
The girls turned to the others and nodded.
Bai Lian bowed a bit as she reported, “Steward Zhuo, Heaven Trailing Sect’s disciples have all been killed, except Ren Cong. Based on his status, we can’t kill him. So we captured him, sealed his cultivation, and let the others thrash him until now.”
“As you should have. Ren Cong can’t be killed, or it will force Heaven Trailing Sect to desperate action.” Zhuo Fan nodded, then he showed a nasty smile, “Though that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t put him in his rightful place. Since he liked showing off yesterday, he-he, let’s show him how it’s truly done. By the way, how come you aren’t enjoying the kicking festival along with those guys?”
The three girls blushed and fell silent.
Zhuo Fan paused, but then he noticed something. “Ha-ha-ha, I get it. A lady is to be reserved and shouldn’t lower herself to such barbaric and vile actions. But as someone treading the demonic path, you should learn to let go. Come, let’s kick him a couple of rounds. It’ll make us feel better.”
Zhuo Fan waved as he strutted over. But the girls still hung their heads in the same spot.
“This isn’t like you at all.”
Zhuo Fan looked back with an odd gaze, “Especially you, Yue Ling. When you were the boss of the Labor Office, you were more arrogant than ever. Why the sudden shyness over kicking someone?”
“Steward Zhuo, uh, it’s better if you see for yourself.”
Yue Ling blushed harder and pointed at the crowd.
Zhuo Fan was intrigued now. Going over, he looked from behind the kicking frenzy, “A-he-hem, brothers, please make way. Allow me to join!”
“Steward Zhuo is back! Make way. Steward Zhuo wants to let off steam!” Kui Lang looked back, and his eyes lit up when he saw Zhuo Fan.
The others moved away with bright smiles, letting Zhuo Fan have his fun.
Now the scene was revealed in all its glory to him that had him stumped. He gave an odd look to the rest, especially those ‘shy’ ladies.
Now he got the gist of their reluctance.
Ren Cong was nothing more than a curled-up ball of bruises and wounds, twitching and even whimpering. That wasn’t the least of it, though, he was stripped of clothes, and blood was also gathering underneath him.
Zhuo Fan couldn’t help sneering at them, “You should know not to take it too far in your games. You even stripped him naked! He is, after all, the young master of the Heaven Trailing Sect. Doing this in front of thousands of people, he won’t have the shame to get out of his room!”
“He-he-he, that’s just what I wanted. I bet he won’t be able to get out of his home even back at his sect.” Kui Lang snickered. He pointed at the blood under Ren Cong and followed the trail of blood. “Look, Steward Zhuo!”
Zhuo Fan did look and was speechless before crying out, “You sure have… unique tastes.” He gave them a funny look, then gave a loathing handshake. “Next time, don’t talk to me. I am not a sicko but a perfectly normal human being. No wonder even Yue Ling, with her nasty temper, stood behind. You guys just aren’t normal.”
The three girls from afar shook and covered their ears, trying anything to stop hearing his words.
The curled-up Ren Cong twitched on cue, and his sobbing increased.
Kui Lang’s face twitched, “Steward Zhuo, who do you take us for? We’re not sick, at least not to that degree. Didn’t we vent for you? The prick had gone overboard yesterday, so… we used a club to…”
Kui Lang lifted a bloody wooden stick. Zhuo Fan hurriedly held his nose and jumped back a couple of steps. He glared at them in disgust, “Put that away, you filthy animals!”
“Animals, animals, wu~”
Ren Cong shook as he cried. For the first time ever, he agreed with Zhuo Fan.
Giving him a long look, Zhuo Fan shook his head, sympathizing with him. Then he turned to Kui Lang and the others, barking, “You’re the ones who’ve gone overboard! Ever heard the saying, death before dishonor?”
The guys were stumped. They did not get Zhuo Fan. Didn’t they do what he asked? Why was he angry?
Ren Cong lifted his wretched and crying face and gave Zhuo Fan a strange look. Was he the rescuer among this band of scumbags?
However, Zhuo Fan’s next line made his mouth twitch.
“Couldn’t you have just gotten rid of the flesh and taken a round with his soul? That kind of pain is the most exquisite. Moreover, it’s far less nasty and messy.”
[I should’ve known that all vile demons are the same!] Ren Cong thought.
With a plop, the club fell to the ground. Zhuo Fan spoke with deep loathing.
The others were stumped for a moment, then cackled.
“That’s the Steward Zhuo we know. Even if left alive, it won’t do without scarring him good. You’re the best team leader ever!” Kui Lang snickered and patted his chest, “Rest assured, sir! We shall have no compassion, no shred of sympathy, and will be sure to make him pay. Thrashing him was going too easy on him. It’s just that you said we should take our sweet time, so there’s plenty of stuff we haven’t yet tried, ha-ha-ha…”
[I told you to take your time so you could buy me time! It wasn’t so you could turn him into your punching bag.]
[Then again, the result ain’t half bad.]
Recalling his haul, Zhuo Fan grinned. Then he looked at the shivering mess on the ground, afraid the act was about to resume, and Zhuo Fan shook his head.
[This beating will leave a deep trauma in Ren Cong’s psyche. He’s done for.]
[Well, not my fault he had to prance in my face.]
[Hold on…]
Zhuo Fan squinted suddenly. Then he looked at his right hand…
