As Han Jiulao began to laugh, Liu Xing frowned. Just like that, all his questions had been answered, but neither answer was satisfying. Learning that a renowned region had fallen under the control of a demonic sect was bad enough; now, he knew the young master of the Nether Lotus Sect's Patriarch was twisted. Dozens of women were held captive below, each taken by force. Their villages had likely been massacred, all to satisfy the perverse tastes of a young master. The thought made Liu Xing want to punch the young master in the face, even though he didn't know his name.

"You bastard! I'll kill you!" the red-haired man shouted at Han Jiulao. The white whale floating nearby began to vibrate, the red hue it emitted growing slightly stronger, as if the beast responded to its master's emotion. The little white shark merely circled the man, but even Liu Xing understood that it too was agitated.

Liu Xing clenched his stone blade more tightly. Several more questions swirled in his mind, the most important of which was how to complete his mission. He needed to reach a place called Water Tower City. Since half the Wild Tide Region now belonged to the Nether Lotus Sect, there was a fifty percent chance the city was under their control.

Still, that question didn't need to be answered by Han Jiulao. Liu Xing was finally ready to kill him, before Han Jiulao could activate the technique he had been sneakily cycling.

Liu Xing glanced at the red-haired man. He was a man in the Lock Opening realm yet had control over a Core Splitting spirit beast. Liu Xing nodded, and the red-haired man answered with a similar nod. They could work together to kill Han Jiulao.

"Attack!" the red-haired man shouted.

Instantly, the whale fired a condensed qi beam toward Han Jiulao. Seeing the attack, Han Jiulao, his body shrouded in burning black flame that resembled smoke, moved aside like a kite pulled to the side. The attack missed, but the whale tracked him with its beam.

Liu Xing activated his Lightning Cloak Technique, shrouding himself in electricity, and jumped into the air. His initial leap made a booming sound but wasn't strong enough to damage the deck. In the air, he summoned his shield and kicked it with all his strength. A loud crack, like thunder, reverberated through the air. The world became a blur, and he arrived instantly above Han Jiulao.

"Die!" Liu Xing shouted as he swung his stone blade downward, intending to split Han Jiulao's head in two. The air whistled and parted. The attack was so fast that neither Han Jiulao nor the whale could follow his movement. In an instant, his stone blade cut through Han Jiulao's head, down through his neck and torso. It was smooth—so smooth that he felt as if he were cutting through smoke. This instantly put him on alert. Cutting through a person should not have been that easy.

Liu Xing got his answer when the split body of Han Jiulao bled coagulated black fire instead of blood. Han Jiulao turned his bisected head and stretched both hands upward, as if wanting to catch Liu Xing in a hug.

"You're too cocky! Senior Hou Qiang and Wei Shuren were strong. The only reason you successfully killed them is because you launched sneak attacks, and you've lost that advantage now!"

Liu Xing replied to the exclamation by summoning his shield again and jumping higher. Looking downward, he saw Han Jiulao open his mouth wide and spew a torrent of black fire toward him. Liu Xing absorbed the qi from Wei Shuren that remained inside his gun, channeling it into the Ethereal Pearl which still resided within his stomach. He then sent some of that qi into his left gauntlet, which was enhanced by stable qi, summoned a basketball-sized ball of lightning, and struck downwards, launching a thousand lightning strikes toward the ground. This attack completely overwhelmed Han Jiulao's torrent of fire like a candle flame doused by a bucket of water. Han Jiulao opened his eyes wide, but before the lightning could engulf him, he moved swiftly aside like a ghost.

"Now!" the red-haired man commanded.

With that command, the white whale, which had positioned itself below Han Jiulao, fired another condensed beam of qi. Once again, Han Jiulao moved aside, dodging the attack. But this time, the little white shark had positioned itself behind Han Jiulao, and it opened its mouth wide and swallowed the red condensed qi. The shark needed a full second to absorb the attack, and then it spewed hundreds of small balls of qi, raining down on Han Jiulao.

Seeing the attack, Han Jiulao danced left and right, up and down, as if the sky was his stage. Several balls of qi hit him, and upon seeing this, Liu Xing narrowed his eyes.

Han Jiulao's form had merged back into one. There was no sign that he had been slashed vertically. This reminded Liu Xing of his fight with Ji Dongyang when he had taken the form of a black cloud—or rather, black smoke. That kind of technique was frustrating because Liu Xing lacked the proper means to counter it effectively. But as Han Jiulao danced and dodged the barrage, Liu Xing realized something. If his form couldn't be harmed, there would be no need to dodge. Yet, several balls of qi had successfully hit him, which meant his body had not turned entirely into black fire.

"He's hiding his true body," Liu Xing muttered.

He decided to test this hypothesis and extended his left hand toward Han Jiulao. The tip of the gun followed Han Jiulao's movements. Liu Xing predicted where he would move next and fired an Exploding Fist bullet a meter to the side of where he anticipated Han Jiulao would be. The bullet shot swiftly into the empty air. When it reached that spot, it exploded, creating a thunderous sound and a shockwave so strong it even affected the waves below. A form fell from the sky, trailing smoke, its left shoulder blown to smithereens, as if someone had taken a huge bite out of it. Han Jiulao grimaced and shot a hateful look toward Liu Xing before he splashed into the water.

It seemed Han Jiulao's technique wasn't that impressive after all. It was merely an illusion technique. He created an illusion of himself nearby while he remained invisible. Yet, it seemed the illusion couldn't stray too far from his actual body.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

With his Lightning Cloak still active, he kicked his shield and dived downward. When he hit the sea, his skin felt the unnatural cold, but he ignored it and looked around.

Beneath the surface, the whale and the shark moved twice as fast. The condensed qi beam was bigger and faster, and the shark struck Han Jiulao so hard that each blow made him stagger. A moment after Liu Xing entered the water, Han Jiulao's right hand was swallowed by the red condensed qi, instantly evaporating. He screamed soundlessly underwater before the shark bit his neck, tearing out a chunk of flesh.

Upon seeing this, Liu Xing realized that the ferocious whale and shark could and would kill Han Jiulao. It seemed that they were many times stronger in the water. But he couldn't let them claim the kill, it would be wasteful.

Liu Xing pointed his gun at Han Jiulao and willed his body to become invisible once again. The process was faster than the first time he used invisibility in a small forest near his sect, but it still took several moments for him to disappear completely. With his invisibility active, he willed the gun to pull him toward Han Jiulao. He was unsatisfied with his speed, but he needed to be patient.

Han Jiulao's body was damaged beyond repair. His mangled neck, destroyed shoulder, and the stump of his right arm gushed blood, painting the sea red. The fire that had been shrouding him vanished, but he still moved, trying to survive. By Liu Xing's estimation, the whale and shark needed a full minute to finish him off. It was enough time for Liu Xing to swoop in and claim the kill. Yet, as he approached, his instincts began to scream, stirring his gut, warning him of something important he had overlooked.

He decided to trust his instinct; his subconscious had often guided him correctly. As he moved toward Han Jiulao, he observed him more closely and soon realized something odd. Han Jiulao, for all intents and purposes, was losing. Hell, he would die if the situation continued. Yet, his face was calm. Sure, suppressed anger lingered, but overall he looked like someone not on the brink of death. It felt wrong. Soon, Liu Xing realized what was missing from his expression. There was no desperation.

People on the brink of death who showed no desperation typically fell into two categories. First were those who had truly accepted their fate. They were rare; even if someone claimed they were ready to die, when faced with death directly, their masks often crumbled. The second type were those who knew they could survive, who believed the situation was still under control. Han Jiulao was not the first type. Liu Xing knew it. So the only explanation was that Han Jiulao believed the situation was still under control—that he could survive.

He suddenly remembered Han Jiulao sneakily cycling his qi while they were talking. He had assumed that technique was merely for the illusion, but perhaps Han Jiulao still had an ace up his sleeve. After all, he had vowed to kill Liu Xing, the murderer of Hou Qiang.

Liu Xing pursed his lips. Pointing his gun, he activated the Lightning Palm Technique and let his gun absorb the technique once more. Finding a bit of leeway, he decided to use the Flowing Meditation Method to draw upon the qi from Wei Shuren stored within his Ethereal Pearl. When the hole to his consciousness formed and he let the qi from his Ethereal Pearl flow into it, he was ready. He pulled the trigger, unleashing a bullet. The lightning bullet sailed through the water, parting the sea stained red with blood. Inside the crimson water, the blue bullet was easily visible, and he saw it hit his enemy and explode into ropes of electricity.

Confirming his bullet had hit its target, Liu Xing summoned and kicked his shield, propelling himself closer. As he moved through the blood-filled water, he shot five more Lightning Palm bullets toward his enemy. A moment later, he arrived a dozen meters from Han Jiulao. From this close, the water looked like a thick red mist. Han Jiulao's body spasmed as if in a seizure, bound by ropes of electricity. His eyes met Liu Xing's—or rather, Han Jiulao had detected his presence from the parting red water around him. The calm expression he'd worn before vanished, replaced by terror.

At this point, Liu Xing knew Han Jiulao was a mere sitting duck. He couldn't move or dodge. But Liu Xing wasn't the only one who realized this. Inside the red water, the silhouettes of the whale and the little shark turned toward Han Jiulao. Their golden eyes shone with understanding, as if they too realized Han Jiulao couldn't move.

Both spirit beasts glanced in Liu Xing's direction, an unspoken understanding passing between them, and he realized their intent to kill Han Jiulao. Not wanting his target to be stolen, he filled the gun with Exploding Fist bullets, aimed at Han Jiulao, and fired. The whale roared underwater, creating a powerful ripple, and swam swiftly toward Han Jiulao, a swirling red ball of qi as large as itself gathering at the tip of its horn. That ball of qi was so strong and hot that the water bubbled and vaporized around it. The shark, though smaller, was faster. It shot through the water like a cannonball aimed at Han Jiulao's head.

The three attacks converged roughly simultaneously. His bullet moved fastest, but the whale and shark weren't far behind, seeming to gain speed as they swam. The three attacks landed almost at the same time. His bullet exploded, the swirling red qi detonated, and the shark struck. The shockwave centered on Han Jiulao spread outwards, creating chaotic currents that churned the water and blew away the blood.

Liu Xing deactivated his invisibility and looked at the side of his gun. When he saw no glowing stripes, he pursed his lips.

It seemed he'd been outdone by a spirit beast and a strange spear that could turn into a shark. While he felt a pang of annoyance, he focused on the positive. At least Han Jiulao was dead, and he had successfully absorbed Wei Shuren's qi. With the amount of qi now in his Ethereal Pearl, while not enough for an immediate breakthrough, it was substantial. It represented progress equivalent to several months of normal cultivation. Han Jiulao's death also meant that the women inside the ship were safe. He needed to return them to land, and from there, he needed to plan his next move.

He didn't know Water Tower City's location, whether the Nether Lotus Sect occupied it, or how to navigate this turbulent region. He knew only that this mission would be difficult and fraught with hardship. Moreover, he had been marked. If he couldn't get rid of the mark, he would be like a tiger roaming a city. He would be hunted. While one, two, or even three Nether Lotus Sect elders might not pose an insurmountable problem, an entire sect hunting him was a different matter entirely.

As he contemplated all this, the water suddenly exploded again. The shockwave was stronger this time, throwing Liu Xing backward before he summoned his shield and perched on it horizontally, facing the blast's center.

Liu Xing furrowed his brows. What was the source of this new explosion? His attack and the whale's attack had landed.

A moment later, when he could see Han Jiulao's form again, his eyes widened in surprise.

Han Jiulao was still alive!

Not only that, but he was now wreathed in black fire from head to toe, appearing as if made of black fire. His eyes were pools of red fire swirling ominously. The water around him vaporized, creating an effect like smoke, and he howled like a devil.

Then, a fainter sound reached Liu Xing's ears. The source was a small wisp of black fire hovering near Han Jiulao.

"Elder Han, the Teleportation Formation is ready."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.