Chapter 796 777: One Punch

"Hahaha, brilliant!" Gao Ping laughed from the side.

Du Qingteng nodded emphatically. "Perfectly put!"

The group of disciples from Blazing Flame Province, however, all erupted in fury, as if they'd been deeply humiliated.

"You're courting death!" Zhao Min's face turned livid. An intensely cold glint flashed in his eyes as he glared at Xu Luo and gritted out, "Do you dare fight me?"

Du Qingteng, knowing full well that Xu Luo's stamina was nearly depleted from his series of battles, sneered from the sidelines. "What's there to fight about with a shriveled-up seed? He even slew the spiritual projection of your ancestor. Someone like you... you're not even qualified to challenge him!"

"Whether I'm qualified is not for you to decide!" Zhao Min retorted, brandishing an ancient sword and pointing it at Xu Luo. "We'll find out if I'm a shriveled-up seed after we fight!"

The ancient sword in Zhao Min's hand exuded a piercing aura. Its blade was dark red, and it radiated a bloody qi that soared to the heavens. A single glance was enough to tell that this sword had tasted countless lives; it was a peerless, baleful weapon.

Zhao Min looked at Xu Luo with contempt. "What's the matter? Scared?"

Gao Ping said calmly, "I'll fight you."

Zhao Min shot Gao Ping a cold glance. "You're no match for me!"

"We'll only know if we fight." Gao Ping remained unprovoked. His expression was placid as a red jade bottle materialized above his head, and the aura of a Venerable instantly erupted from his body.

Being unable to fully unleash his suppressed strength in the Ancient Ruins World had left him feeling stifled. Now that he finally had a chance to show what he could do, he didn't want to miss it either.

Even though he deeply admired Xu Luo, Gao Ping was just as eager to display the true power befitting a Holy Land Inheritor.

'Even when making friends, you have to let the other person know: I'm not weak!'

Du Qingteng grinned. "Since Brother Gao wants to have a go, I won't embarrass myself by jumping in. But like I said before, if you want to fight Luo the Celestial King, you'll have to get through us first!"

A cold light flickered in Zhao Min's eyes as he looked at Gao Ping and Du Qingteng. Inwardly, he was quite surprised.

He hadn't expected the two of them to be so protective of Luo Tian, willing to risk being looked down upon just to stand up for him.

To be honest, he wasn't afraid of these two at all.

As a Jiuzhou Seed, his own strength was self-evident. 'So what if they're Holy Land Inheritors?' he thought.

But he didn't want to offend two Holy Lands at once.

In all of Jiuzhou, any rational person probably wouldn't want to offend any Holy Land, let alone two at the same time.

But Zhao Min was unwilling to pass up the chance to slay Luo Tian. He narrowed his eyes, stared at Xu Luo, and said coldly, "So this is the might of the number one prodigy of Celestial Brilliance's younger generation? Just hiding behind others like a cowardly turtle. Heh... what an eye-opener this has been!"

Ming Youyue's face turned grim, but she still said to Xu Luo, "Senior Brother, don't listen to him. We've even killed his ancestor, so why would we be afraid of him? This isn't the time to let your pride get the better of you."

Tang Xiao chimed in, "That's right. We'll have our chance to slaughter these pups from Blazing Flame Province sooner or later. Aren't we almost at the Peak of Jiuzhou? Once we're there, we can kill them however we please!"

Shao Zheng added, "Exactly… and we'll even specialize in killing the big fish. We wouldn't even bother with a shriveled-up seed like this!"

The disciples from Blazing Flame Province all began to jeer.

"If you're too scared, just admit it! What's the point of all that high-and-mighty talk?"

"Heh... so this is what a Heavenly Brilliance Disciple is like. What an eye-opener."

"A cowardly turtle who only knows how to hide behind others! He talks a big game, but his guts are pathetically small!"

"If you have the guts, then come out and fight!"

"See, I told you! Those so-called rumors are completely unreliable. I was right, wasn't I? He's just a cowardly turtle!"

"And he's supposed to be a disciple from the most powerful Supreme Great Sect in Xi Hezhou? He doesn't even have the courage to fight. Haha, Xi Hezhou sure is powerful!"

The distant onlookers couldn't help but frown, a sense of dissatisfaction with Xu Luo growing in their hearts.

As the most powerful Supreme Great Sect in Xi Hezhou, Celestial Brilliance was practically the face of the entire continent. For Celestial Brilliance to be humiliated was tantamount to Xi Hezhou itself being humiliated.

And as the strongest of Celestial Brilliance's younger generation, Luo Tian... in a way, represented the honor of Celestial Brilliance.

His constant refusal to fight now left these spectators from Xi Hezhou feeling quite displeased.

Xu Luo glanced at the crowd, then back at Tang Xiao, Ming Youyue, and the others beside him. "See? This fight... is unavoidable. Don't worry, it won't take long. As soon as I'm done with this shriveled-up seed, we'll leave immediately!"

"Brother Luo!" Du Qingteng frowned slightly, wanting to say something.

Gao Ping also looked on with concern. They knew full well how brutal his last battle had been and didn't believe Xu Luo still had the strength for another fight.

They thought Xu Luo must have been goaded into a rage and was forcing himself to fight, but his opponent was no pushover. He was a Jiuzhou Seed!

"Excellent!" The corners of Zhao Min's mouth curled upward as he looked at Xu Luo. "Finally done hiding in your shell?"

Xu Luo looked at Zhao Min with a hint of resignation. "Did I ever say I wouldn't fight? All right, enough with the nonsense. I'm in a hurry!"

The crowd immediately erupted in an uproar. Many who had previously been displeased with Xu Luo, and even some who harbored ulterior motives, couldn't help but secretly applaud him.

Whether he could actually defeat the Jiuzhou Seed from Blazing Flame Province was another matter, but that mouth of Xu Luo's... it was truly venomous!

Things having come to this, Gao Ping and Du Qingteng could no longer intervene. If they tried to stop him now, it wouldn't be helping him—it would be humiliating him.

A Martial Artist... has their pride!

The Blazing Flame Province disciples around Zhao Min all stared at Xu Luo with cold sneers, their faces showing they were ready for a good show.

Tang Xiao, Ming Youyue, and the others watched Xu Luo with worry. They had no idea how much their leader had recovered in such a short time.

Besides, their opponent was a Jiuzhou Seed, whose strength was clearly immense. And their leader... he hadn't even reached the Venerable Realm yet!

At this, everyone in the vicinity retreated, leaving a large, open space at the bottom of the valley for the two combatants.

Zhao Min looked at Xu Luo and said calmly, "Don't worry. I'll make it quick and give you a comfortable death."

Xu Luo sneered, whipping out the complete Soul Scripture Stele and swinging it in a full circle before smashing it directly toward Zhao Min.

"Enough with the damn chatter! I'm in a piss-poor mood!"

The aura of the Great Saint Realm instantly erupted from Xu Luo. He executed the Shaking Light Step, and his speed was like a flash of lightning.

Sensing Xu Luo's aura, Zhao Min felt completely at ease. He sneered, and the ancient sword in his hand radiated a torrential bloody qi as he slashed down at Xu Luo!

"Die!"

Zhao Min roared!

CLANG!

The Soul Scripture Stele in Xu Luo's hand smashed violently against the peerless, baleful weapon in Zhao Min's hand, letting out a world-shaking sound.

In an instant, the torrential bloody qi completely receded, vanishing without a trace!

The terrifying, baleful ancient sword was like a mouse that had run into a cat; every last trace of its killing intent vanished!

Before Zhao Min could even register his surprise, Xu Luo swung the Soul Scripture Stele... and smashed it directly toward Zhao Min's face!

Xu Luo had been seething with rage, holding it back to avoid further complications. But his opponent had pushed him relentlessly, humiliating him again and again, until Xu Luo was finally, thoroughly enraged.

'You're looking for death... then I'll grant your wish!'

'So what if you're a Mid-stage Ultimate Venerable?'

'I've even killed a Celestial Venerable. What's one more Venerable to me?'

The Soul Scripture Stele in Xu Luo's hands was the bane of all malevolent things in the world. No matter how much blood a weapon had drunk or how high its bloody qi soared, when faced with the Soul Scripture Stele, its only fate was to be obediently purified!

Had Zhao Min been wielding any other weapon, he might have stood a better chance. But to bring this kind of peerless, baleful weapon against the Soul Scripture Stele was simply suicidal.

Furthermore, with the Star Power in his body and his incomparably tyrannical Sea of Spiritual Consciousness, Xu Luo was completely unafraid of any suppressive pressure from a higher realm!

Zhao Min had tried to use the aura of his Mid-stage Ultimate Venerable cultivation to suppress Xu Luo, only to find it was completely useless!

When fighting Xu Luo, if you couldn't maintain a distance and attack with techniques, you could only wait to be dominated!

In close combat, Xu Luo's fighting prowess was nearly invincible!

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Zhao Min was forced to raise his sword to block, clashing violently several times with the Soul Scripture Stele that Xu Luo was wielding like a brick. The impacts made his organs churn, and he felt the urge to vomit blood.

Forget Zhao Min; even the onlookers and the disciples from Blazing Flame Province were completely dumbfounded!

Previously, Xu Luo had remained silent. And while his words were venomous, his silence gave everyone the false impression that he was afraid to fight.

It seemed as though he was trying to use the two Holy Land Inheritors to get out of the fight.

This had led many people to look down on him.

Only now did they realize just how ridiculously wrong they had been.

"This isn't a case of being afraid to fight! He clearly just couldn't be bothered to deal with the guy!"

"Those rumors weren't false at all. Even though the Ancient Ruins World suppresses one's realm, think about how rich a Celestial Venerable Ancestor's combat experience is! How powerful they are! The fact that he could slay even the spiritual projection of a Celestial Venerable is enough to prove how terrifying Luo Tian's combat prowess truly is!"

"That Jiuzhou Seed from Blazing Flame Province really shot himself in the foot!"

"He was so arrogant before, but now all he can do is passively defend himself... Tsk, tsk, this is... just brilliant!"

"I wonder if the Bounty Guild will retract the bounty on Luo Tian after this. If they don't, I'm afraid they'll be the ones suffering in the end!"

"Yeah, with that kind of fighting prowess, he's even stronger than a Jiuzhou Seed. If any 'accidents' were to befall him, I'm afraid Celestial Brilliance would go to war with the Bounty Guild directly!"

The surrounding crowd buzzed with discussion. Their gazes toward Xu Luo were now filled with admiration. None had expected this recently risen young powerhouse from Celestial Brilliance to be so dominant.

He was facing a Jiuzhou Seed, an opponent an entire major realm above him, yet he was the one dominating the fight!

"ARGH!" Zhao Min, feeling utterly stifled, let out a furious roar. An ancient scripture materialized above his head. From it, countless purple, ribbon-like strands of light cascaded down like a waterfall, enveloping and protecting his body.

Enveloped in the purple halo, Zhao Min's entire presence changed abruptly. It was as if he had become a deity!

"DIE FOR ME!" Zhao Min retracted his ancient sword. Raising his fist, he charged at Xu Luo like a descending Celestial God and threw a devastating punch!

This punch... was unstoppable!

Gasps of alarm rippled through the crowd.

Even Gao Ping and Du Qingteng's expressions changed. They both wondered, 'A punch like that... if it were us, could we take it?'

The answer they arrived at was disheartening.

The faces of Tang Xiao, Ming Youyue, Yu Tianjie, and Shao Zheng all turned deathly pale. If a punch like that were aimed at them, they would be utterly unable to withstand it!

The disciples from Blazing Flame Province, however, all wore cold, cruel smiles.

'After this punch, Luo Tian will surely die!'

At that moment, a cheerful smile unexpectedly appeared on Xu Luo's face.

This faint smile was seen by many. So much so that many years later, even after some of them had become titans in their own right... whenever they recalled that scene and that faint smile, they would still feel a bone-deep chill.

That feeling was fear.