Whoosh~

Zhuo Fan vanished the next moment. Huangpu Qingyun’s heart was in distress. How could a Bone Tempering kid escape his sneak attack?

Thunder rolled and Huangpu Qingyun’s heart froze, feeling danger creeping up on him.

His only reaction was a slight tilt of his head.

Whoosh!

A flash of lightning streaked past his face, drawing blood. Huangpu Qingyun’s forehead was soaked with sweat.

He had a keen danger sense, otherwise his head would have rolled off his shoulders.

Bam!

He may have avoided the killing blow, but a hammer blow shot into his belly. He felt pain down to his marrow as if a cannon shot at him.

With a rumble, he flew back and created a three meter wide hole in the Drifting Flowers Arena wall.

It all happened in a blink. It was unclear how he was even attacked, only to ultimately end up through the wall.

The snicker on those on the eastern stand froze. [What was going on? How did Huangpu Qingyun lose when he was the one with greater power, when he was the one at the advantage?]

His opponent was but a Bone Tempering kid!

Aghast, the people looked towards the center stage only to feel their faces twitching.

Zhuo Fan was standing there in all his glory, with the Lightning Wings flickering behind him. His leg was still high up, the clear reason behind Huangpu Qingyun’s setback.

Those wings, could they be…

“Zhuo Fan!” Hell Valley’s 5th elder gnashed his teeth in malice. His eyes filled with killing intent.

This was unbelievable to the crowd. They once heard of this demon Zhuo Fan and the sensations he stirred. Of his lightning wings and his ruthless savagery.

Who could’ve seen it coming? The one to defeat Vicious Pill King four times, the one to transcend the title of Pill King, Heaven-toppling Pill, the same Grandmaster Song, was in fact the one and only Zhuo Fan.

Even Chu Qingcheng and Drifting Flowers Edifice’s people were in a state of shock. That vile and deceitful demon of a man was in fact the pigheaded, blunt, and oafish Song Yu?

[They had absolutely nothing in common!]

Or more aptly put, Zhuo Fan’s performance was so convincing, he got everyone dancing his tune!

“Did you know he was Zhuo Fan all along?” Peony Overseer asked Long Jiu’s group.

Nodding, Long Jiu stroked his beard with a chuckle, “Indeed. And our friendship with the kid isn’t shallow either!”

“What will you do now? Are you going to join him in fighting Hell Valley and Regent Estate?” Iris Overseer frowned in worry.

They all saw Huangpu Qingyun’s power. Now that he had three other houses helping him, they were out of their depths. But that wasn’t the worst part. This was a turning point. Once they joined this fight, the damage was done, and the seven house war would erupt.

With how precarious Drifting Flowers Edifice’s state was, their end was guaranteed!

They did not want to see it come to pass. However, Hell Valley’s number one offender, Zhuo Fan, came out of the closet. Now the seven houses were split in sticking for Zhuo Fan or wishing to kill him.

Drifting Flowers Edifice held a grudge against the party who wished to kill Zhuo Fan. Therefore, they could not join them. On the other hand, Zhuo Fan’s side was the weakest, doomed to fail.

Iris Overseer and Peony Overseer were in anguish, on the verge of tears.

[You got smacked again and again so many times before, but why do you appear now, in front of so many people? Wose, in front of your enemies! Why are you making it so hard on us? Drifting Flowers Edifice never offended you, so why are you looking to harm us?]

Xie Tianyang could guess what they were thinking and gestures dismissively, “Don’t you worry now. There’s no need to join this miserable battle. We plan on sitting back as well.”

“You won’t help him?” Peony Overseer was puzzled and glad. Puzzled since he always said he and Zhuo Fan went through thick and thin together, but not willing to help him now when it matters. Glad, since they could play innocent. Since no one was going to help him, then Drifting Flowers Edifice needn’t bother themselves with other people’s problems.

However, seeing them so callous, Xiao Dandan was fuming mad, “Humph, and you call yourselves brothers while afraid to lend a hand when it matters. If you won’t help him, I will.”

Xiao Dandan just started running when Peony Overseer dragged her back.

“Don’t go cause trouble, missy. That Zhuo Fan has a vile reputation. Who knows what he was planning while hiding in Drifting Flowers City? Why are you still treating him like your husband? And how come you’re more infatuated then before?” Drifting Flowers City cussed.

Xiao Dandan felt chagrined, “Master, I finally found a good man and I just can’t sit by and watch him die.”

“Miss Dandan is so virtuous, worthy of me calling you sister in law.”

Xie Tianyang giggled, “Don’t you worry your pretty little head. This is all part of that brat’s master plan. He even warned us not to get involved and to believe in him to see this through to the end.”

“What? Is this true? Or are you just saying this to shift the blame and pull the wool over my eyes? ” Xiao Dandan suspected him.

The others laughed with a shake of their heads and even Peony Overseer felt bitter.

[Foolish girl, who do you think they are? If people of the seven houses say they won’t go save him, then that’s what they’ll do. Why would they go and lie to a lass?]

Seeing her suspicion not in the least dispelled, Long Kui let out a disarming giggle, “Lady Dandan, that brat didn’t want us to interfere, afraid that Regent Estate would target us and affect the rise of his clan. Which reminds me. This is all part of a selfish aim of his. Why would a ruthless and devious savage such as him show kindness otherwise? Why would he burden himself with the lives of others otherwise? This brings me back to the chaos that happened in Windgaze City between us and Hell Valley. He took advantage of the turmoil and killed two of their elders, while making us take the fall…”

“You are not allowed to speak ill of my husband! Can’t you see it’s all because of his intelligence?” Xiao Dandan cut her off with an irritated tone.

Shaking her head, Long Kui remained silent. [What’s so good about him anyway? What got this grown-up lady so delusional over him?]

Ignoring her martial niece, Iris Overseer looked at Zhuo Fan then at Long Jiu, “Uncle Jiu, you say that he wants to carry this by himself. But how is a Bone Tempering cultivator able to deal with four houses ganging up on him and flee with his life? Will you intervene if his death is certain?”

Long Jiu paused for a long time, then nodded with unyielding conviction, “Yes, he is the brother I believe in without question.”

“I as well. I owe him a debt.” Xie Tianyang grinned, then chuckled at the tall figure in the arena, “However, we are probably overthinking things. He got this in the bag.”

“What!? He can actually escape under the eyes of four experts?” Peony Overseer jolted, “That would make him just as the rumors spoke of, a freak. These four are renowned figures of the Profound Heaven Stage.”

“Ha-ha-ha, he is without a doubt, a freak!” Xie Tianyang laughed, “I also do not know if he can escape, but I know from his fight with You Guiqi. He is no oaf. As long as he set his mind on something, he will see it through to the end.”

They all had to nod at this and returned to watch the events unfold.

Crash!

With a burst, Huangpu Qingyun flew out of the rubble. There was dust all over him, but otherwise, not a scratch on him.

He however knew full well how his belly hurt.

Feeling his belly carefully, Huangpu Qingyun watched the winged Zhuo Fan solemnly.

He underestimated him for having a Bone Tempering cultivation, but in fact, Zhuo Fan’s speed wasn’t the only one transcending stages, his body’s power too.

As a fellow body cultivator, Huangpu Qingyun knew how difficult Zhuo Fan could be. What surpassed this, however, was the shock of finding someone with a more savage body cultivation method than Regent Estate’s Imperial Tyrant Body Art.

Easing his leg down, Zhuo Fan’s face was ever the same, calm and unfeeling. He opened the wooden box in his hands and breathed in deeply. The root was finally his.

Grinning from ear to ear, Zhuo Fan put the box away and ignored the flabbergast looks of everyone as he turned his attention to Hundred Pill Meeting, “Second young master, didn’t you say something about being unworthy of Bodhi Root? Ha-ha-ha, as you well know, as the Pill King of this Hundred Pill Meeting, I am rightfully entitled to it.”

“You little shit, you won’t live enough to enjoy it!” Huangpu Qingyun’s eyes exploded with killing intent.

Shrugging, Zhuo Fan chuckled a retort, “If yours truly took it, I am least afraid of someone taking it from me!”

Whoosh!

With a sudden sound, Hell Valley’s 5th elder flashed not ten meters from him. He glared, “Punk, you’re that Zhuo Fan who killed 7th elder! Don’t even think of denying it. Many from Hell Valley saw those same lightning wings when you committed the crime!”

“When did I ever say the contrary? He-he-he, then again, who else out there is brazen enough to openly steal what one of the seven houses covet?”

Zhuo Fan’s face slowly changed to his original appearance.

Despite knowing it was coming, the crowd was still filled with panic. Zhuo Fan’s face was the same one on Hell Valley’s kill order.

The crowd devolved into chaos as each ran which way.

The fight between the killer of Hell Valley’s mastermind – You Guiqi – Zhuo Fan and their 5th elder was not something these first, second and third rate clans would dare involve themselves in.

If by some disaster, they would get killed from a stray attack, they wouldn’t even have time to lament.

Despite such fears, they couldn’t help feeling sorry for the magnificent Heaven-toppling Pill, Grandmaster Song, ending up to be the demon Zhuo Fan.

Under the seven houses’ encirclement, the only ending was with one’s head on a pike.

Regardless if he was the demon Zhuo Fan, or the freak Zhuo Fan, how could either of them escape from the seven houses’ entrapment?