Li Yucheng died in the previous second.
In the very next moment—
an elderly man with long silver hair appeared before Zhao Xuan.
His facial features bore a striking resemblance to Li Yucheng, whom Zhao Xuan had just crushed to death beneath his foot.
No need to guess.
This old man was definitely related to Li Yucheng by blood.
Could this old ghost be the former Li Family Patriarch Fatty Fu mentioned?
Zhao Xuan was still puzzling over it when—
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
A hoarse, soul-tearing roar exploded through the night.
A roar filled with grief.
With anguish.
With hatred so thick it felt tangible.
"You… you… YOU!!"
Without warning—
The old man's eyes turned completely blood-red.
He glared at Zhao Xuan with a murderous fury.
"You deserve to die! You deserve to die! YOU DESERVE TO DIE!!"
Along with the roar—
A terrifying aura surged out of his body.
Anyone hearing it would instinctively shiver.
"F*ck!!!!"
Zhao Xuan's expression changed instantly.
The hell?!
Fatty Fu!
Didn't you SWEAR the Li family had no seventh-rank Sovereign?!
Grass!
This old ghost was absolutely a seventh-rank Sovereign!
At that moment—
"BOOM!!!"
A violent gust of power blasted toward Zhao Xuan.
The old man had made his move.
A fist shot forward.
Wind howled violently.
Air pressure spiraled into whirling vortices.
In an instant—
The old man's pitch-black fist arrived before Zhao Xuan.
"BOOM!!!!"
Zhao Xuan was shocked—
but shock didn't mean surrender.
Meeting the incoming fist head-on—
Zhao Xuan threw a punch of his own.
BOOOOM!!
The next second—
Zhao Xuan was blown backward like a ragdoll.
Meanwhile, the old man only staggered two steps back.
Just a single exchange—
And Zhao Xuan's knuckles split open, blood lines cracking across his fist.
Can't fight him head-on!
Without hesitation—
Zhao Xuan turned and sprinted toward Hang City in the north.
A gentleman's revenge can wait ten years!
Live first, kill later!
Leave the green hills standing, and firewood will never run out!
"RUNNNNN!!!!"
The old man's hysterical bellow shook the skies.
"Run where?! Even if the Governor comes in person today—HE CAN'T SAVE YOUR DOG LIFE!"
The old man soared into the air—
Then dove, chasing Zhao Xuan with killing intent burning.
He quickly caught up.
"You little brat! YOU KILLED MY SON—GIVE ME YOUR LIFE!"
The old man roared and struck out.
Zhao Xuan blocked with his fist—
BOOM!
He flew away a second time.
The old man only staggered.
Just then—
The Hang City City Guard finally arrived.
Their leader—
a sixth-rank Grandmaster—
stepped forward.
Zhao Xuan didn't even slow down.
He knew—
A sixth-rank expert was utterly useless here.
Only two people in Hang City could help:
The Hang City Governor — a real seventh-rank Sovereign.
The Ability User Guild President, Jiang Youde — an eighth-rank King-realm powerhouse.
Zhao Xuan technically could kill the old man with the life-saving jade talisman Jiang Youde gave him.
But—
He was reluctant.
Using a strike capable of harming an eight-rank powerhouse on a pseudo-seven-rank?
That was a waste.
Besides—
He wasn't out of options yet.
Even though the old man was seventh-rank—
with Zhao Xuan's monstrous physical stats, he couldn't kill him instantly.
Seeing Zhao Xuan attempt to rush past the guards—
The old man roared:
"DO IT!"
Suddenly—
"BOOM!!!"
A violent gust shot in from Zhao Xuan's right.
The City Guard commander—Lu Fei—
unleashed a savage Rankyaku kick.
It came too suddenly.
"BOOM!!!"
Zhao Xuan was kicked flying.
"Hahahahahaha! Lu Fei, good! WELL DONE! All these years supporting you wasn't for nothing!"
The old man laughed wickedly.
Lu Fei said nothing—
expression cold as ice—
and joined forces with the old man.
In the next instant—
They descended upon Zhao Xuan.
Both threw punches.
Both struck with killing intent.
BOOM!!!
Zhao Xuan slammed into the ground like a meteor.
The ground cracked violently beneath him.
He got up—
Only for attacks to crash down again.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Again and again.
Zhao Xuan defended with Iron Body and Armament Haki—
Only to be smashed away repeatedly.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
After seven or eight blows—
His organs churned violently.
This won't work!
This won't work!
THIS WON'T WORK!
Staring at the two attackers closing in again—
Zhao Xuan's eyes sharpened.
If it was just the old ghost, I could barely keep up!
But with a sixth-rank assisting—
they're sealing every angle!
I must kill the sixth-rank first!
The old man and Lu Fei's attacks descended again—
Zhao Xuan gritted his teeth.
And this time—
He didn't dodge.
He ignored the old man's punch.
Ignored Lu Fei's punch.
And launched his own—
straight at Lu Fei's face.
A reckless move!
A life-for-life exchange!
BOOM!!!
BOOM!!!
BOOM!!!
Zhao Xuan's fist smashed into Lu Fei's face—
At the exact moment the two punches smashed into Zhao Xuan.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"
A scream tore through the battlefield.
Zhao Xuan's blow crushed Lu Fei's face inward.
His eyes burst instantly.
The moment Zhao Xuan hit the ground—
He sprang up with beast-like ferocity.
Ignoring the old man—
He dashed toward the wailing Lu Fei.
Fist lifted—
"BOOM!!!"
"POP!!!"
Blood and brain matter splattered.
Lu Fei died instantly.
"You little brat—YOU COURT DEATH!"
The old man shrieked.
Training a sixth-rank wasn't too hard.
But Lu Fei wasn't just a random sixth-rank.
He was elite.
He was high potential.
And more importantly—
His position mattered.
The Li family spent YEARS and tens of billions
to place him as the South City Commander.
And now—
Gone.
Destroyed in two punches.
The old man was consumed by fury.
"BOOM!!!!"
His Rankyaku kick slammed into Zhao Xuan.
"PUH!!!"
Zhao Xuan finally coughed up blood, flying back.
But—
With Dragon-Human Mode—
with 24,000 Constitution—
his endurance and regeneration bordered on monstrous.
He drank a pouch of mid-grade energy fluid mid-air—
Gulp gulp gulp—
And though he looked battered—
His actual state was still around 70% full strength.
"You… YOU LITTLE BASTARD!!"
The old man roared and charged again.
Zhao Xuan turned—
And continued to run.
But then—
Something changed.
He sensed something strange.
The old man's aura…
was becoming unstable.
"No!"
"No!"
"No—this is wrong!"
A realization struck Zhao Xuan like lightning.
His power… it's unstable!
His breath… it's becoming chaotic!
Could it be…?!
A bold guess surfaced.
He isn't a true seventh-rank!
He's a pseudo seventh-rank still failing to break through!
While fleeing, Zhao Xuan watched him closely.
After a short while—
He confirmed it.
His intuition was correct.
The old man—
was not a true Sovereign.
He was merely someone with one foot over the threshold.
A failed breakthrough.
"Then…"
Zhao Xuan's eyes gleamed coldly.
"A pseudo seventh-rank… is NOT a real seventh-rank. With my current strength—
I might actually—"
"BOOM!!!!"
A fist tore through the air—
Zhao Xuan inhaled deeply.
Turned sharply.
And punched back.
BOOM!!!
They collided.
Shockwaves blasted outward.
Once again—
Zhao Xuan flew back.
The old man staggered several steps.
But this time—
Zhao Xuan didn't retreat.
Instead—
"ROAR!!!!"
He charged forward like a lunatic.
Eyes full of madness and killing intent.
"You want to kill ME!?"
The old man snarled.
"Fourth-rank trash—HOW DARE YOU TRY TO KILL ME?!"
"You're seeking death!"
He vanished and reappeared—
Punching Zhao Xuan away again.
Then chased.
And punched again.
And again.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The earth trembled.
Zhao Xuan was smashed over and over—
yet every time—
he got up—
and ran straight back at the old man.
A cockroach that refused to die.
A demon.
A monster.
Dozens of exchanges flashed by.
Their stamina plummeted.
Neither had the window to drink energy fluids.
Their attacks grew weaker.
"BOOM!!!!"
Both were blown back.
"Haaah… haaah… haaah… haaah…"
They gasped violently.
Then—
Zhao Xuan suddenly laughed—
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Seeing Zhao Xuan laugh—
The old man's face twisted in humiliation.
He reached for his waist—
But—
"SHAVE!"
Zhao Xuan blurred forward.
"Damn it!"
The old man tried to block—
BOOM!!!
Zhao Xuan staggered a bit—
But the old man was blasted into the air—
Slamming into the ground with a huge crater.
Dust flew everywhere.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
"SEVENTH-RANK? THAT'S ALL?! THAT'S ALL YOU'VE GOT?!"
Zhao Xuan charged again—
The old man felt terror.
Pain everywhere.
Weakness everywhere.
A chilling premonition rose in his chest.
He scrambled to his feet—
And ran.
"You think you can run?!"
Zhao Xuan roared and chased.
Their roles reversed.
The hunter became the hunted.
They even rushed past the dumbfounded City Guards—
"Was… was that…
Zhao Xuan chasing the Li Family's old patriarch?!"
"A FOURTH-rank chasing a SEVENTH-rank?!"
"I—I must be dreaming…"
No one dared believe what they saw.
But Zhao Xuan didn't care.
He chased the old man relentlessly.
"You old bastard!"
Zhao Xuan taunted loudly while sprinting.
"Why run?! Didn't you want revenge?! Didn't you want to avenge your precious son and your loyal dog?!"
The old man said nothing—
Just ran for his life.
They reached the explosion site—
The Li family retainers were still there.
Seeing them—
The old man's face brightened.
"STOP HIM! STOP THAT BRAT!"
He ordered as he fled past them—
Zhao Xuan arrived an instant later.
The old housekeeper instinctively raised a hand—
"GET LOST!!!"
Zhao Xuan slapped him.
"POP!!!"
His head burst like a smashed watermelon.
Blood and brains splattered everywhere.
The other retainers trembled—
Too terrified to approach.
Zhao Xuan didn't spare them a glance—
He continued chasing the old man.
Step by step—
The gap shrank.
Zhao Xuan's regeneration far outpaced the old man's.
Finally—
At the Li Estate entrance—
Zhao Xuan caught him.
"BOOM!!!"
A punch crashed into the old man's spine.
"PUH!"
He flew into the courtyard wall—
Which collapsed instantly.
"Cough… cough…"
The old man struggled—
"SWISH!"
A sharp wind sliced in.
"BOOM!!!"
Zhao Xuan's lightning-infused Rankyaku smashed his back—
Launching him into a nearby building.
The entire structure collapsed.
The old man crawled out—
running again—
But Zhao Xuan closed in.
One punch—
Smashed him into the ground.
"Cough—! Cough—!!"
The old man lay shaking—
Blood gushing from his mouth.
Zhao Xuan stepped before him—
Expression cold.
"Why'd you stop running? Out of strength?"
He taunted:
"Aren't you a mighty seventh-rank? Weren't you so arrogant earlier?"
Zhao Xuan took a step forward.
The old man dragged himself back—
Until his back pressed against a wall.
No escape.
"It's over."
Zhao Xuan raised his fist.
Armament Haki and lightning wrapped it layer by layer.
"N—no… no… you can't kill me… You can't! My… my eldest grandson is a REAL seventh-rank Sovereign… If you kill me… you'll die too… YOU CAN'T—AAAAAAAHHH!!"
He didn't finish.
"BOOOOM!!!"
Zhao Xuan's fist slammed down.
"THUD!!"
The skull dented but didn't break.
The old man screamed.
"Huh? Hard skull. As expected of a pseudo seventh-rank."
Zhao Xuan murmured.
And punched again.
And again.
And again.
Over a dozen blows—
the skull finally began deforming.
After thirty-four strikes—
"POP!!"
The old man's head exploded.
At that very instant—
A spatial fluctuation rippled in the air.
Then—
A transparent orb materialized where the corpse lay.
"Hm?"
Zhao Xuan's eyes lit up.
"A spatial relic core! The old bastard had a spatial relic core on him!"
His face showed clear delight.
And then—
A familiar mechanical chime echoed in his mind:
"Ding! After an exhilarating battle, you have gained new insights into all your abilities (except swordsmanship). All abilities (except swordsmanship) have increased by +1000 proficiency."
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