Chapter 99: Chapter 98: Spirit Mountain, Demon Fiends, Meeting Friends with Fists, How Fortunate

Su Bai glanced at him, then his figure dissipated like smoke.

At the same time, the gloomy expression on the face of the Blue-robed Youth standing in the corridor gradually softened.

’This person’s strength is nothing to scoff at. He’s stronger than an ordinary Divine Platform expert!’

The Blue-robed Youth’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He watched the spot where Su Bai had vanished and spoke slowly. "If I hadn’t just arrived in the Imperial City with three tasks yet to complete, and if I couldn’t afford to attract *his* attention..."

"...disturbing my pleasant mood would have been reason enough to sentence him to death!"

The Blue-robed Youth spoke in a slow, deliberate manner, a hint of coldness in his eyes.

The black-robed child at his side, Hei Sanlang, saw the Great Xia experts of the Spirit Transformation Realm continually arriving in the sky and spoke cautiously.

"Young Master! Men from the Prison Suppression Bureau and the Demon-slaying Bureau are here!"

The Blue-robed Youth didn’t even bother to look up at the people in the sky. Clasping his hands behind his back, he murmured as he walked away.

"Find all of that... Carefree Powder. Gather a few hundred pounds of it for me and pack it up to go."

"Yes, sir!"

Hei Sanlang replied with a bow.

The pair walked to the end of the corridor, where their bodies turned into a wisp of black smoke and suddenly vanished.

...

Inside the villa, a middle-aged man in black attire lifted his fingers from a mess of putrid flesh and blood, then spoke with a solemn expression.

"Lord Chen! We’ve completed the preliminary investigation!"

"The deceased is Feng Wuya, the Vice Dean of the Celestial Craft Institute!"

"In addition, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice is also among the dead..."

"Based on our findings, this was likely an important stronghold for the Soul-devouring Demon Sect. We’ve also identified several other victims: the Demon Bone Saint Son of the Soul-devouring Demon Sect and one of their Outer Elders..."

"Furthermore..."

At this point, even Tao Feng—a high-ranking official in the Demon-slaying Bureau who had seen countless gruesome scenes in his life—showed a flicker of horror.

He took a deep breath before continuing in a heavy tone.

"Furthermore, in the villa’s basement, we discovered a large number of imprisoned people. Among them were the daughter of the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and the young daughter of a wealthy merchant from the Southern Domain..."

"Alright, I understand."

"Report these matters to your Director later."

Chen Tianfeng waved his hand dismissively, his expression grim.

"Yes, sir!"

Tao Feng bowed in acknowledgment and quickly withdrew, along with the other Demon-slaying Bureau Martial Artists.

As he passed by a burly corpse on the floor, a complex expression crossed Tao Feng’s face.

The corpse belonged to a Spirit Transformation Realm expert he actually recognized.

It was Shi Tianlong, Sect Master of the Guihai Sect within the Great Xia Empire!

Several years ago, the two had even drunk together and conversed cheerfully at the Youlan Grand Assembly.

He never imagined their next meeting would be with the man as a corpse.

He had seen many corpses in his life, and no shortage of them had died horribly.

But for Shi Tianlong, an expert at the Third Level of Spirit Transformation, to have his head flattened by a single slap and his Divine Spirit torn asunder...

...the sight still managed to shake Tao Feng.

His mind immediately jumped to the mysterious Great Celestial Venerable who had recently overcome the Thunder Tribulation.

In his heart, he had a pretty good idea who had killed this man.

He looked up.

Tao Feng saw the National Preceptor, Xiao Rongshan, staring blankly at the sky, his gaze vacant.

Tao Feng approached and whispered in Xiao Rongshan’s ear, "Lord National Preceptor, it must have been the mysterious Great Venerable who recently passed the Thunder Tribulation... He was the one who acted..."

Xiao Rongshan continued to stare at the heavens, saying nothing.

Tao Feng sighed beside him. "According to the survivors, this mysterious Great Venerable killed three Spirit Transformation experts with a single punch!"

"This Great Venerable’s power is truly unimaginable!"

"More than just unimaginable..."

Xiao Rongshan finally spoke. "Compared to his Cultivation, his mastery of the Fist Dao has reached a Realm that leaves even me in awe."

Tao Feng frowned slightly. "Lord National Preceptor, isn’t that excessive praise? This mysterious Great Venerable is, after all, in the Divine Platform Great Venerable Realm. Killing a few miscellaneous Spirit Transformation experts with one punch should be natural for him."

Xiao Rongshan was one of the few Venerables of Fist Way in all of Great Xia. For him to be in awe of another’s Fist Dao... didn’t that mean this mysterious Great Venerable had already become a legendary Boxing Saint?

The thought was almost too much for him to comprehend.

"Hah..."

Xiao Rongshan suddenly let out a short laugh.

Then, he opened his eyes and stared at the sky, where faint traces of golden Fist Intent still lingered.

He spoke slowly. "Did you know that among the three Spirit Transformation experts just killed, one of them was named Wanhua Peak?"

’Wanhua Peak?’

Tao Feng searched his memory.

An instant later, his eyes constricted in horror, and he couldn’t suppress a gasp of shock.

"You don’t mean... the Fist Sect Elder from the True Martial Divine Sect, Wanhua Peak?!"

"It’s said he became a master of the Fist Sect decades ago!"

"And his Cultivation reached the Ninth Level of Spirit Transformation Realm!"

"He’s dead too?"

"Killed by a single punch..."

Tao Feng’s expression was dazed, his mind reeling as if struck by a colossal wave.

The True Martial Divine Sect was no minor sect!

It had a legacy stretching back thousands of years, and its Inner Sect Elders were all extraordinarily powerful, capable of fighting two or even three opponents of the same rank!

Wanhua Peak’s name was especially renowned; he was known as the Immortal Fist Sect!

His most impressive feat was fighting a newly ascended Divine Platform Realm Great Venerable to a draw!

And yet...

...he was still killed by that mysterious Great Venerable who had only just broken through himself!

In a single punch!

What an incredible gap in power must exist to produce such a result?

Tao Feng’s head was buzzing.

He asked in a daze, "But didn’t that mysterious Great Venerable just break through to the Divine Platform Realm?"

"Could it be that a legendary Great Celestial Venerable, upon breaking through, immediately possesses the power to crush any Spirit Transformation expert?"

Xiao Rongshan didn’t answer.

But a smile spread across his face.

He laughed heartily!

A crimson Fist Intent began to swirl around his fists!

A startling battle intent flashed in his eyes!

"To be born in the same generation as such a breathtaking talent... how fortunate am I?"

"I truly wish to fight him, to meet a friend through fists!"

"Even if it means dying for my Dao... it would be a blessing!"

Xiao Rongshan boomed with laughter, his battle intent soaring to the heavens!

He leaped into the air and was gone!

...

Some people enjoy reciting poetry or painting before they kill.

Others enjoy drinking fine wine after they kill.

The former, Su Bai could somewhat understand; it was purely for style and refined pleasure.

As for the latter, Su Bai was now experiencing it firsthand.

Su Bai was currently sitting cross-legged on a patch of soft grass, surrounded by a lush and dense forest.

But strangely, despite the beautiful surroundings, the area was unnervingly quiet, without a single trace of animal life.

About the time it takes to burn half an incense stick ago, Su Bai had arrived.

The moment he set foot in this forest, every living creature—from the ants and snakes in the undergrowth to the birds and beasts of the woods—had fled in terror.

As if they couldn’t get away fast enough.

Now, the cool morning breeze carried the sweet fragrance of flowers and grass to his nose.

It stirred the leaves with a gentle RUSTLE.

Su Bai took a drink of fine wine, feeling his Heart Spirit relax.

This wasn’t the first time Su Bai had killed someone.

But this was the first time he had proactively annihilated a group of what could only be described as subhuman criminals, all while radiating such a thick killing intent.

It was truly a first.

As a result, a potent killing aura still clung to him, difficult to dispel.

That was what had startled all the living creatures.

As he mused...

Su Bai recalled the horrific sights in the villa’s basement, scenes like something out of Purgatory.

He also recalled the sanctimonious words of the Vice Dean of the Celestial Craft Institute.

Coming back to the present...

...he couldn’t help but sigh.

"The closer you get to Spirit Mountain, the more vicious the demons become."