Chapter 549: Terrifying Foe, Qi Yuan Going All Out!

Chapter 549: A Terrifying Foe, Qi Yuan Goes All Out!

In the inner city.

Blood Tiger sat in the spectator seats.

Around him were many nobles, half-human, half-monster, half-animal, just like him.

Some had ox heads, others pig faces, hundreds upon thousands gathered together, as if they had entered a garden of myriad demonic oddities.

These bizarre nobles stared with fervent eyes at the arena below.

On the field, scantily clad, half-naked men and women held swords and blades, locked in mutual slaughter.

The nobles’ eyes were bloodshot, their breaths ragged.

“Worthless fool, snap his neck!”

“Bite him, have you no mouth!”

“If you make me lose money, you’ll pay dearly!”

“Motherfucker!”

“Fatherfucker!”

All manner of foul and filthy language filled the air.

Blood Tiger shook his massive tiger head, eating minced meat mixed with garlic, his open mouth reeking of halitosis.

He glanced at his communication artifact, his expression relaxed.

“A cultivator who rose from the dead?”

On the other end, the Blood Tiger Gang leader, seeing Blood Tiger’s response, immediately spoke humbly.

“This fellow flouts your majesty, Blood Tiger Lord, and dares to kill members of the Blood Tiger Gang. Now he has come to the inner city seeking refuge. I beg you, Lord Blood Tiger, to stop him. Your humble servant will offer thirty thousand taels of silver!”

Blood Tiger narrowed his eyes: “Spare me the flattery about flouting my name. I happen to have nothing to do, so I’ll go take a look.”

With that, Blood Tiger rose directly.

On the communication artifact, the Blood Tiger Gang leader had already sent Qi Yuan’s approximate location.

It was not far from Blood Tiger.

Before leaving, Blood Tiger slapped the thigh of a serving girl in the arena, a mocking glint in his eyes.

“Save the thigh meat of those two-legged beasts up there for me.”

He meant the two slaves locked in combat.

Even if one barely won on the platform, it did not mean a chance to live.

The serving girl’s face twisted into a fawning smile: “Rest assured, master, I’ll keep the tenderest piece for you.”

Blood Tiger swaggered down the streets of the inner city.

Compared to the outer city, the inner city was far more prosperous, the roads much cleaner.

Human servants, heads bowed, dressed in neat clothes, were diligently sweeping the streets.

“A cultivator who rose from the dead—the Thornblood confirmed it, and yet he came back to life. He must have a secret.

This time, he’s come to the inner city, likely to seek out some lord and offer up that secret.”

Blood Tiger was shrewd and quick to connect the dots.

He instantly grasped Qi Yuan’s true intent.

“A fine scheme, well struck—but unfortunately, you’ve met me.” Blood Tiger held the winning card, a murderous look on his tiger face.

Just then, he suddenly looked up at the sky, surprise and astonishment crossing his features.

There, across the heavens, a streak of gold flashed by at incredible speed.

That golden streak was familiar to Blood Tiger—it was Golden Crane, a big shot of the Thornblood!

This great figure was a Heaven-tier powerhouse, the kind whose mere footfall could shake the entire Cloudblood City.

Yet, as Blood Tiger knew, this lord had been in seclusion for years, elusive as a dragon.

Why had he appeared today?

“Strange business, but it’s none of my concern as a small fry. My task now is to slay Qi Yuan.”

“And that waste, Zhi Qi—he lost the surveillance artifact. Looks like I’ll have to act myself.”

With that thought, Blood Tiger’s pace suddenly quickened.

Then, he looked up again, seeing several streaks of light cross the sky, each radiating a terrifying aura—Heaven-tier powerhouses, no less!

“What’s going on? Has the council of elders mobilized?” A foreboding feeling stirred in Blood Tiger’s heart.

In that brief moment, he detected over ten Heaven-tier experts on the move.

This was undoubtedly a major incident.

“When the sky falls, the tall ones bear it. This has nothing to do with me.”

Blood Tiger forced himself to calm down.

For now, finding Qi Yuan was paramount.

Meanwhile, high in the sky, Golden Crane, clad in golden robes, wore a grim and dreadful expression.

“A princess was slain by a human slave!”

In the Kuijin Realm, any title of princess carried a terrifying weight.

They were either daughters of the Demon Gods or sisters of the Demon Gods.

The Demon Gods hung high in the heavens or lurked deep in the earth and clouds, rarely appearing in the world.

Their daughters or sisters held higher status than even the elders of the Thornblood.

The one who had come to Cloudblood City to amuse herself was the daughter of the Dark Pupil Demon God, Dark Spirit Conceiving.

This princess loved nothing more than hiding her identity and stirring up trouble.

When Dark Spirit Conceiving arrived in Cloudblood City, Golden Crane, upon learning the news, was deeply anxious and specially arranged for a Heaven-tier expert to follow and protect her.

But who could have known—just now, he saw that Heaven-tier expert’s soul tablet shatter.

As members of the Thornblood, all left a wisp of their soul on a soul tablet.

A shattered soul tablet meant death.

How could Golden Crane not be shaken by this news?

The other Heaven-tier experts also rushed toward the place where that Heaven-tier expert had fallen.

“What happened?” Golden Crane’s voice was dark and terrifying.

The princess’s death—none of them could escape blame.

They would be lucky to escape with their lives, let alone their skins.

As for the culprit, he wished he could devour his flesh and gnaw his bones.

The ten elders’ faces were equally grim: “The princess set up a stall at the city gate to collect tolls, and a mortal… not only refused to pay, but slapped the princess to death with one blow!

When Long Shiyi intervened, he was also slapped to death with one blow!”

Long Shiyi was the Celestial-level guardian of the princess; though his power was hidden, he was still Celestial!

And yet, killed with a single slap?

How could Jin Danhe not be shocked?

Now, the strong of Yunxue City had gathered in one place, advancing with menace.

“To kill Long Shiyi with one slap, his strength is surely immense, but no matter what, having slain the princess, he must die today!” Jin Danhe said in a deep voice.

“Li Da is engaging him now, probing his depth!” said the ten elder.

Li Da was also Celestial, most skilled in speed and escape, so he was sent to test Qi Yuan.

As for the other strong of Thornblood, they now clustered together, hiding in the shadows, preparing a thunderous strike to slay that man.

For now, they would lie low, biding their time to strike.

If they did not strike, all was still; if they did, it would shatter heaven and earth.

At that moment, in the street, Li Da stared at the man before him, his expression furious.

“Do you know what you’ve done?”

Qi Yuan stretched lazily, his expression as languid as ever: “I just wanted to enter the city for breakfast, but someone blocked the gate to collect a toll—a hundred taels at once!

How many buns could that buy?

I complained to the city guards, but they ignored me!

The guard captain stood behind that scoundrel, bowing and scraping like a lackey!

Is there no justice, no kingly way?

Since no one would uphold reason for me, I, an honest man, had to deliver justice myself!”

Qi Yuan said earnestly.

His original thought was simple: go to Thornblood, tell them he wanted to become mortal, and not to disturb him, or else face the consequences.

He was still reasonable, persuading with logic.

Of course, if logic failed, he would flexibly shift his approach—persuading with force!

Li Da heard this and found it utterly absurd.

Killing a princess over just a few hundred taels of silver?

This man was insane!

“You’re finished. Killing the princess leaves you no path to survival—you will die today without a doubt!” Li Da said darkly. “Soon, someone will come for you; that will be your death!”

With that, Li Da flew away without any hesitation.

This Qi Yuan was too strong; he dared not engage him, so he just spat a threat and fled.

“Hey, don’t run!”

Qi Yuan was speechless.

Were these people too soft?

Pity that now, to become mortal, he could not use his divine sense; otherwise, he would have found all the hidden enemies around and slain them.

Now, he could only walk step by step forward, toward the enemy’s lair.

After about a few dozen breaths, a contemptuous voice suddenly rang out.

“You’ve got some nerve, daring to come to the inner city!”

Blood Tiger stood with arms folded, his tiger head held high, exuding dominance.

Qi Yuan glanced at Blood Tiger, his face hesitant and grave.

“Are you the backup they found?”

“Now that you see me, why not kneel!” Blood Tiger said imperiously.

His voice boomed, laced with bad breath.

He looked at Qi Yuan as if he were already dead.

Qi Yuan, however, was especially wary.

Could his eyes be deceiving him?

Was this a true big shot?

Otherwise, with such cultivation, how dare he block his path?

Or had everyone in Yunxue City lost their minds, sending a puny tiger to stop him?

“Since you’ve come, you are my opponent, and I will respect you,” Qi Yuan said seriously.

Inside, he was on high alert.

“You think you’re worthy of being my opponent?” Blood Tiger sneered with disdain.

This domineering air, this confidence—the very image of a peerless master, making Qi Yuan deeply wary.

“Even if you are strong, you shouldn’t use foul language!” Qi Yuan said indignantly, gathering all his power.

He stared at Blood Tiger.

Blood Tiger was full of openings; he had ten thousand ways to kill him with one blow.

But he dared not, hesitating.

After all, the man was no fool—if he dared come, he must have some skill.

Though his brow gave no warning of danger.

But what if… the man was a true big shot, deceiving both his eyes and his brow?

“Hmph, take your own life in atonement, and I’ll leave you a whole corpse,” Blood Tiger said arrogantly.

“It seems… I must go all out!”

Qi Yuan’s expression grew extremely solemn.

“I’ll crush you with just one finger!” Blood Tiger taunted.

This was the bully of the strong over the weak!

Qi Yuan was furious.

Too much!

Even if you are strong, can you insult my dignity?

Qi Yuan’s veins bulged, his blood flow turned abnormal, his face flushed red as if overheating.

He was gathering strength!

Gathering strength!

Blood Tiger looked disdainful, his expression lazy: “Hurry up and strike—I’m in a rush!”

"Ah!"

Suddenly, Qi Yuan let out a thunderous roar.

That sound was like a bolt from the blue.

Yet after the thunderbolt, something even more terrifying occurred.

Behold, Qi Yuan’s right foot stomped the ground with fury!

“Break for me!”

Boundless, infinite power erupted in that instant!

In that moment, he held nothing back.

All his strength was unleashed and poured forth without restraint.

Boom!

Crack!

It was the sound of the earth splitting apart!

It was the howl of a raging gale!

It was the roar of rooftops being torn away!

As if a tornado had swept through—no! More terrifying than a tornado.

A colossal force, like a nuclear bomb scouring the land, swept across the inner city.

Rumble and crash, countless houses collapsed, stone pillars were flung into the air!

In an instant, devastation lay everywhere!

Above the sky, a dozen fearsome figures tumbled down from the air, battered and disheveled.

Every one of those figures was a Heaven-tier powerhouse!

They had been hiding in the sky, secretly observing Qi Yuan, ready to strike by surprise.

But who could have known? Qi Yuan’s stomp was so terrifyingly powerful that it startled them right out of the heavens.

Yet at this moment, Qi Yuan paid no heed to those dozen Heaven-tier experts; his gaze fell upon Blood Tiger.

“You are strong, unfathomably so!” Qi Yuan couldn’t help but admire. “Even if my strike was slow, with your strength you could easily dodge it, yet you didn’t move an inch—clearly, you care nothing for my attack.”

Since he cared nothing, his attack was but a tickle to Blood Tiger, so he had to avoid him—otherwise, what if Blood Tiger deflected the force of that blow?

At that moment, the dozen Heaven-tier experts crashed to the ground, their faces full of terror.

Clearly, they too were frightened by Qi Yuan’s strike!

A single stomp that cracked the earth—was this still human strength?

And Blood Tiger, at this moment, was frozen stiff, unable to move.

What had he seen?

That ordinary human, stomping the ground as if it were a joke.

And then… heaven and earth shattered!

And then… Heaven-tier experts fell like dumplings!

What to do?

What should he do?

Mom!

He panicked, grew frantic, felt fear; his legs trembled horribly, utterly unable to move.

Now he began to understand.

Why those Heaven-tier experts had mobilized—to deal with this human fiend.

And yet… he had recklessly blocked the way?

Just then, the voice of the Blood Tiger Gang leader came through the communication device.

“Lord Blood Tiger, a great tremor just shook the inner city—has something major occurred?

Has Lord Blood Tiger captured that insignificant human? With strange sounds now, I am truly worried for you, my lord!”

Seeing these messages, Blood Tiger was so furious he wanted to curse aloud!

Insignificant human?

The one before him, who shattered the inner city with a single stomp—that’s an insignificant human?

Am I safe now?

Safe your mother!

He had a bellyful of words, only wishing to curse the Blood Tiger Gang leader’s mother after his death!

“Your leg muscles keep twitching—are you releasing force? What a terrifying way to dissipate power!” At this moment, Qi Yuan looked at Blood Tiger and spoke seriously.

Having said that, his gaze swept over the Heaven-tier experts.

“Before I duel with you, allow me to clear away these little bugs—otherwise… they’ll disturb our battle.”

A murderous intent spread across Qi Yuan’s face as he scanned those Heaven-tier experts.

Hearing this, the Heaven-tier experts’ minds trembled.

“Run!”

Golden Crane transformed into a streak of gold, madly fleeing into the sky.

“He can’t fly—head for the heavens!” Li Da shouted loudly in warning.

Earlier, when they met Qi Yuan, he had always claimed to be born with divine strength, without cultivation.

Back then, Li Da didn’t believe it; now he did.

This was true divine strength!

Since he had no cultivation, and they sensed no cultivator’s aura on Qi Yuan, they assumed he couldn’t fly either.

Instantly, the dozen Heaven-tier experts flew swiftly into the sky, higher and higher.

Moments ago, they had been caught off guard and stunned.

Now, aloft and prepared, they thought that if Qi Yuan couldn’t fly, he could never harm them.

And they… could attack from the air.

Yet, fast as they flew, two unlucky ones were still struck dead by two stones Qi Yuan kicked out.

Qi Yuan looked up at the Heaven-tier experts in the sky, a dissatisfied expression on his face: “Bullying me for having no mount, are you?”

Qi Yuan felt a pang of nostalgia for Shen Lingxuan—if he were riding her, he could fly up and slay them all.

“Too bad you don’t know… I use technology—that’s not supernatural, is it?”

A sinister smile crept across Qi Yuan’s face.

As his voice died away, two mechanical wings unfurled from his back, radiating an overwhelming sense of technology.

(End of this chapter)