Dingdong—
You've experienced a remarkable battle! You've gained new insights into all of your abilities (excluding swordsmanship).
All abilities (excluding swordsmanship) proficiency +400!
As the system prompt faded—
"Hahahahahahaha!!"
A wild, almost deranged laughter suddenly erupted from the ruins of the nearby base.
The laughter—
was filled with exhilaration,
dripping with madness.
It went on for several minutes before finally dying down.
Rustle, rustle—
Dragging his weary body, Zhao Xuan staggered out of the rubble.
Step by step, he walked to the corpse of the Tier-6 Grandmaster.
His eyes turned cold as he stared at the lifeless face.
A savage gleam flashed across Zhao Xuan's face.
With a thought, he closed the entrance to the relic space completely.
Then, without wasting time, he sat cross-legged on the ground.
He grabbed two pouches of Mid-Grade Energy Liquid and gulped them down in quick succession.
After draining both pouches, he pulled out a Monkey King Fruit and bit into it.
When the fruit was gone, Zhao Xuan shut his eyes tightly—
And began fully restoring his stamina and spiritual power.
For a while—
The entire desert within the relic fell into utter silence.
Time slipped quietly by.
About twenty minutes later, Zhao Xuan slowly opened his eyes again.
The instant his eyes opened—
A terrifying killing intent erupted from within them.
"Next… it's those three Tier-5s' turn."
Yes.
He called them bugs.
That's how Zhao Xuan referred to those three Tier-5 Masters.
Murmuring to himself, he reopened the relic's entrance and stepped back into the outside world.
Following the same path, he headed back the way he came.
If you don't root out the weeds, they'll grow again when the spring breeze blows.
Zhao Xuan was never one to show mercy.
He was no saint.
That whole "spare a life and meet again as friends" nonsense?
"Letting someone live earns you virtue"?
Utter crap.
If they should die—then let them die!
Why would he let someone live for no reason?
What was he supposed to do, act like those idiotic villains in novels?
Those clowns who always had the chance to kill the protagonist, but instead stood there gloating,
giving speeches,
and letting the hero live—
only to get slaughtered later when the protagonist made a comeback?
Even back in his previous life, when Zhao Xuan read those stories,
he'd always scoffed at those fools.
He didn't think those three nearly forty-year-old Tier-5s could ever reach a point where they could threaten him,
but still—
There's a saying: "Never say never."
What if one of them stumbled upon some incredible opportunity out in the wild someday—
and their strength skyrocketed overnight?
Unlikely? Almost impossible? Sure.
But in this world, the impossible happens every day.
Hadn't the strongest man in Kyushu—the Ninth-Tier Emperor-level powerhouse, General Zhang Ping, the Guardian of the Imperial Capital—once been considered mediocre in talent?
Yet after an expedition into the Endless Sea, he found the corpse of a Tier-9 Sea King-class beast,
and with that fortune, rose step by step to his current glory.
So yes—there was a second reason Zhao Xuan had to kill them.
If he didn't, he'd always feel an itch in his chest,
a smoldering anger he couldn't release.
If he didn't let it out—his mind would never be at peace.
That would seriously affect his cultivation.
While Zhao Xuan hurried back, atop the mountain that had been leveled by the energy shells,
The three Tier-5 Masters stood together, faces grim.
"Zhu Si, did you find anything?"
"No. You?"
"Nothing here either."
"Damn it! Where the hell did Huang Jiong go?"
Their expressions darkened further.
The air grew heavy, suffocatingly quiet.
After a long silence—
The bald man, Zhu Si, suddenly spoke.
"You think… maybe Huang Jiong ran away?"
"Ran away?"
"What do you mean?"
The other two looked puzzled.
"He was afraid the authorities would find out we ambushed Zhao Xuan,
and that we'd all be hunted down.
So he bailed?" Zhu Si guessed.
"Run away? Are you serious?" one of them scoffed.
"We've been doing this for years. His hands are already stained with the blood of half a dozen geniuses.
Running now won't save him.
Even if he turned himself in, the government wouldn't spare his life."
"Then…"
Zhu Si's face hardened. "There's only one possibility left."
Swish—
Both of his companions turned to him.
He took a deep breath and said solemnly,
"He was killed by that kid—Zhao Xuan."
"And not just killed—instantly killed.
So fast, we didn't even sense an energy fluctuation!"
The moment those words dropped—
The air froze.
"But… but that kid's only Tier-4! Huang Jiong was a veteran Tier-5!
No matter how much of a monster he is, he can't one-shot someone like that without a sound!"
"I can't think of any other explanation."
Zhu Si's tone was grim.
Silence fell once more.
The oppressive tension grew thicker.
"Hahaha…"
Suddenly, one of the ability users forced out a laugh.
"Fine! Let's say Huang Jiong really was killed in an instant.
So what?"
"You saw the state that kid was in when he ran—
half-dead, barely breathing!"
"And besides, the boss is personally chasing him right now!"
"No matter how freakish he is,
no matter if he could one-shot a Tier-5—
there's no way he can fight a Tier-6 Grandmaster!"
"As for that rumor about him killing a Tier-7 Demon Cult elder—
Manager Li already told us!
That elder was heavily injured by the Old Guildmaster beforehand!
Otherwise, Zhao Xuan wouldn't have had a chance!"
Hearing that, the two others slowly relaxed.
"Whew…"
They both exhaled deeply.
"You're right, you're right."
"The boss himself went after him. A Tier-4 kid? He's dead for sure."
The one who had been analyzing things so confidently grinned.
"Actually, Huang Jiong's death might even be a blessing for us!"
"After all—"
"Fewer people alive means more shares of the reward."
The other two's eyes flickered.
And just like that—
the oppressive air lifted,
replaced by greedy laughter and light conversation.
Time passed.
Ten minutes later… fifteen…
Gradually, the laughter faded again.
The mood darkened.
"It's been nearly fifteen minutes, hasn't it?"
Zhu Si frowned. "Why isn't the boss back yet?"
"Yeah, weird.
That brat was on his last legs.
With the boss's speed, he should've caught up by now!"
"Maybe the kid used some escape ability.
We haven't felt any major energy surges yet,
so maybe the boss just hasn't found him."
"That makes sense."
Zhu Si nodded, and silence returned.
Time ticked by—
Ten more minutes.
The three grew restless.
One of them began pacing.
"What the hell is going on?
It's been half an hour!
Even if the brat could run,
he's still just a Tier-4!
How could he last this long against a Tier-6 Grandmaster!?"
The others exchanged uneasy looks.
Then suddenly—
Zhu Si's eyes widened. "Wait! Maybe that kid's hiding!"
"Hiding?"
"You forgot?" Zhu Si's gaze flickered.
"That brat might really have a spatial relic core!
What if he slipped into the relic when the boss wasn't looking,
then sealed the entrance?"
The more he said it, the more convinced he became.
After all, in his eyes,
there was no way Zhao Xuan could beat a Tier-6 Grandmaster!
"Yes! That must be it!
The boss is definitely guarding the spot where the entrance vanished,
waiting for the kid to come back out!"
"That makes sense!"
"Yeah! Zhu Si, you're actually using your brain today!"
"Niulang!!" Zhu Si suddenly shouted.
"Hurry! Use your dog-nose and find the boss's trail!"
"Right! On it!"
The one called Niulang pulled out the same burlap pouch Zhao Xuan had once used to hold his Land King Crystals.
He was just about to use his fruit ability to track Zhao Xuan's scent when—
Thud, thud, thud—
Heavy footsteps echoed from the forest.
"The boss is back!"
"It's gotta be him!"
The three instantly lit up, turning toward the sound.
Then—
Something flew up from the foot of the slope—
A blood-soaked corpse.
They all froze.
When their eyes adjusted—
and they saw the corpse's face—
Their smiles stiffened.
Their hearts went cold.
Before any of them could react—
BOOM!!!!!!!
A violent gust ripped through the air!
Zhao Xuan struck without hesitation.
While the three were still in shock from seeing their leader's corpse—
He made his move.
And when Zhao Xuan moved—he went all in.
In the blink of an eye—
his foot slammed into Niulang's chest.
Crack-crack-crack—
PUFF!!!
With a mouthful of blood, Niulang's ribs shattered, and his body was sent flying.
Zhao Xuan didn't chase him.
Instead, he turned and threw a punch—
BOOM!!
His Armament Haki- and lightning-coated fist smashed into another Tier-5's head,
caving half of it in.
That man, too, went flying, crashing into the dirt with a howl of agony.
Only Zhu Si was left.
He finally came to his senses—
Staring at Zhao Xuan, who radiated murderous intent,
and remembering his boss's bloodied, seven-orifice corpse—
Terror flooded his soul.
He didn't hesitate.
He turned and ran for his life.
"Trying to run?"
Zhao Xuan's face was icy cold, voice brimming with killing intent.
"No way in hell."
He stomped once—Shave!
And in an instant, he was after him.
Zhu Si ran madly, crashing through the forest, heart pounding in his ears.
Terror consumed him.
Regret gnawed at his gut.
He could feel Zhao Xuan's presence closing in with every breath.
"Zhao Xuan! I was wrong! I'll never do it again! Please—spare me! Please!!"
Zhao Xuan didn't even respond.
He accelerated.
A moment later—he caught up.
His fist slammed into Zhu Si's back.
PUFF!!
Zhu Si screamed, sent tumbling through the air, landing hard.
But before Zhao Xuan could reach him,
Zhu Si scrambled to his feet,
crawling, limping, still running—
Driven purely by animal panic.
But the more he ran, the more hopeless it became.
Zhao Xuan closed in again—
BOOM!
Another punch sent him crashing to the ground.
When Zhu Si tried to crawl away once more—
Zhao Xuan stomped down, pinning him.
"P-please… please… Zhao Xuan, don't—don't kill me… I was wrong… I swear I was wrong…"
BOOM!!
Zhao Xuan's eyes were merciless.
His lightning- and Haki-clad fist rose high—
Then came crashing down.
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