Chapter 275: Long-Distance Runner Boss Fang

Boss Fang brushed the dust from his hands and glanced around, immediately encountering a crowd of utterly stupefied faces.

Who else would dare to scale the walls of the City Lord’s estate under the cover of night?!

And by the looks of it, even this white lion companion beast had been knocked unconscious by this very individual!

At this moment, everyone shared the illusion of doubting their own eyes.

Fang Qi muttered, "...I must have stared at the system panel a bit too intensely..."

Staring at a phone without watching where one walked could be fatal; doing the same with a system panel seemed even more perilous.

Such was the predicament Boss Fang found himself in!

He now harbored the urge to leap back over the wall and try it all over again; it was entirely the fault of the wall being too low—one hop and he was over, with no time to break!

Every person before him wore a face of fury: "Who goes there?!"

The white-robed woman leading the group quickly rushed to the snow-white lion's side, channeling a measure of spiritual essence into it until it slowly stirred awake, evidently having been knocked out by Fang Qi just moments ago.

"Was this your doing?!" Her tone was as frigid as the frost of midwinter.

Fang Qi rubbed his nose with a touch of embarrassment and explained, "This fellow barks at everyone he sees, which isn't good. What else could I do? A good thrashing fixes everything."

"Don't misunderstand," Fang Qi offered a forced explanation. "I only came in to look for a latrine."

The explanation only made matters worse!

"Seeking death!" Hearing this, the middle-aged man with graying hair and beard darkened his expression, waving his hand as he barked, "Apprehend him!"

Several cultivators behind the middle-aged man raised their hands, instantly unleashing streaks of pitch-black chains that transformed into dark beams of light, lashing out directly to bind Fang Qi!

"What are these things?" Fang Qi’s form blurred as he instantly retreated several rods away, yet these black chains pursued him like slithering serpents, strangely relentless and clinging like shadows!

"Do not let this thief escape!" a white-robed disciple nearby shouted.

"This boy dared to harm the companion beast of our Nanhua Sect; he must not be dealt with lightly!"

"Rest assured, everyone!" the middle-aged man declared with a sullen face. "These are the Flood-Dragon Binding Chains of my Black Dragon Estate. Even a flood dragon of the deep sea cannot escape my grasp. Though this boy flees to the ends of the earth, he shall not evade this doom!"

As he spoke, the black chains wrapped tighter and tighter, prompting a white-robed man to praise, "The City Lord’s Flood-Dragon Binding Chains truly live up to their—ir—"

Before the final word could leave his lips, the group witnessed a spectacle that left them agape!

A flying sword at Fang Qi's waist shot forth like a silver serpent, splitting from one into two, and two into four, the multiple blades weaving like streaks of lightning until the sword light clashed against the black chains, erupting in a violent shower of sparks!

Blazing white arcs of electricity flashed upon the flying swords as they slashed out in a whirlwind!

Every single black chain was sent flying backward by the sword strikes! The Black Dragon Chains were shattered in an instant!

The powerful shock of the electric glow turned the faces of the cultivators controlling the chains deathly pale; they looked as though they had suffered a devastating blow, their spirits entirely crushed!

With several flying swords hovering around him and one positioned upright beneath his feet, Fang Qi stepped upon the hilt and slowly descended from the sky, the stirring wind from his blades making him look like a sword immortal descending to the mortal realm!

Beholding the scene before them, an unspoken awe involuntarily surged within everyone's heart!

The phrase 'peerless in the world' nearly escaped their lips!

"To think such swordsmanship exists in this world!" a Nanhua Sect disciple exclaimed in wonder.

"The trajectory of every strike is flawless, as if sculpted by nature itself. Most importantly, this sword does not seem to be a spiritual artifact, lacking any distinct fluctuations of spiritual essence. Just how is he controlling it?!" another Nanhua Sect disciple stammered in astonishment.

Meanwhile, Huangfu Tao’s face grew darker by the second.

Fang Qi surveyed his surroundings and cast another glance at the system panel: "Oh no, those Ethereal Stones seem to be carried by these very people?"

"Ruined... it seems I've offended them to the point of no return..." Fang Qi’s face fell, and he hastily recalled his flying swords, clasping his hands in a polite gesture. "Your Excellency’s Flood-Dragon Binding Chains truly live up to their reputation. I had to employ the Eight Desolations and Six Directions Ultimate Dominance Art along with the Heaven-Destroying Earth-Shattering Sword Twenty-Three just to barely withstand them. A good match! A good match!"

Huangfu Tao: "..."

"Roar~! Awoo~!" The white lion beside them bared its fangs and growled, looking as though it wanted to pounce once more.

"..." Fang Qi was at a loss for words. "Young lady, I believe this big dog of yours needs a few more frequent beatings in its daily life."

"Deploy the Heaven-and-Earth Dragon-Locking Array!" Huangfu Tao erupted completely. "If we do not capture this boy today, where will the honor of my Black Dragon Estate rest!"

Ten minutes later...

Fang Qi’s flying sword sliced through the night sky like a sharp blade!

"Little thief, do not run!"

"Stop chasing me!"

Looking back at the large crowd pursuing him frantically, Fang Qi pulled out a communication jade: "Little Mo, if the boss doesn't return tonight, just close up shop yourself, twelve o'clock sharp!"

"What? You're asking what to do if someone refuses to leave? Don't worry, if they won't leave, just shout that someone is causing trouble and throw them out."

"Rest assured, nothing will go wrong!"

Behind him, a breathless squad of Black Dragon Estate cultivators panted, "...City Lord, how does that boy still... still have the leisure to chat on a communication jade!"

"Little White, can you go any faster?" The white lion beneath her felt provoked and let out a furious roar, accelerating wildly!

Fang Qi put away the communication jade and glanced back: "Hmm? Catching up?"

Forming a sword hand-seal, he suddenly surged with speed!

An hour later.

"Bo... boy, halt! *Pant, pant, pant*..."

"Roar~ *pant, pant*..."

Fang Qi sat down casually upon his flying sword: "We can talk things over, can we not sit down and chat?"

"Damn it!"

"#￥%&&..."

"Little White, can you go even faster?" the white-robed woman asked, patting the white lion beneath her.

"Roar!" Another frantic pursuit ensued!

After an entire night...

Boss Fang casually lit a cigarette and sat upon his flying sword, surrounded by drifting mists.

The Black Dragon City cultivators gasped, "Bo... boy... don't... don't run!"

The Nanhua Sect cultivators wheezed, "I... I can't... run... anymore..."

Huangfu Tao wondered, "Just how... how is this boy flying...!?"

"Little White, can you still..." With a thud, the creature collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth.

"...Little White! Little White!" the white-robed woman cried out in alarm, her beautiful face turning pale as she frantically channeled spiritual essence into it.

She pointed a freezing glare at Fang Qi ahead: "If you have the ability, stand your ground!"

Huangfu Tao managed, "If you... if you don't run, everything is negotiable! We... we can talk this through!"

Reflecting on it, the intruder had merely taken a stroll through his courtyard without causing any real loss... there was nothing that couldn't be discussed.

This was truly exhausting the old man to death!

"*Pant, pant, pant*..." He leaned his hands against his thighs, breathing heavily.

"I took you for a person of consequence, yet why do you know nothing but flight?!" The white-robed woman gritted her teeth, a murderous glint flashing in her eyes.

"If you are a true and capable hero, dare you engage in a bout with this weak maiden?" the woman in white said, her voice sharp and cold. "Let our hands speak the truth!"

Huangfu Tao also sneered, panting heavily between words. "I... perceive that your... background is no small or ordinary one. Could it be that your master... only ever taught you the art of fleeing?"

"Whew..." That was a close call; uttering so many words in one breath had nearly left him completely winded.

"Are you proposing a duel, miss?" Fang Qi looked toward Huangfu Tao, who was visibly eager to move. "Surely it will not be this fellow here?"

Fang Qi stared at Huangfu Tao, already poised in a stance ready to flee.

"City Master Huangfu!" The woman in white spoke with a freezing cadence. "Allow this maiden to step forward. Since Xiaobai has suffered such humiliation, as its master, I must certainly reclaim its honor!"

Every single word from the woman in white seemed to be ground out from between her pearly teeth. "If you can but endure for the duration of a single incense stick without defeat at my hands, we shall let the matter drop. What say you?!"

Seeing Fang Qi appear to hesitate, she added, "Do you lack the courage?"

"A mere incense stick's time?" The disciples of the Black Dragon Mansion gasped in astonishment.

"The Nanhua Heavenly Light cultured by Senior Sister Liu is unmatched by anyone of the same realm... Even masters of a higher realm would fall prey to it if they grew careless. Never mind a single incense stick, ordinary men cannot even withstand a single encounter!" a disciple of the Nanhua Sect explained.

"By the looks of it, he probably dares not..." The surrounding crowd began to whisper and murmur.

"Why even reveal the Nanhua Heavenly Light? For this journey outside the sect, the Grand Head Instructor bestowed several Dharma treasures... and which of them is not of immense power? Drawing any one of them at random would easily suppress a strong cultivator of the same realm!"

"No, that is not it..." Fang Qi organized his words and said, "What I meant to ask is, if I perform well, could there perhaps be some sort of reward? For instance, choosing a treasure from among you. If that is the case, I would not mind raising the difficulty a bit, such as removing the time limit altogether."