Chapter 355: A Strong Enemy Appears, All Show and No Substance p2
Huangfu Zhong raised his spear and smiled faintly: “To die by my hand, your name, General Zhengyang, will surely resound throughout the Fengchen Kingdom for decades, for a mere mortal.”
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure blurred like a phantom.
The demons and ghosts kneeling on the ground changed their expressions and looked back at the platform in alarm: “Yanxing, be careful!!”
Hua Yanxing’s pupils constricted abruptly, his hair standing on end, his powerful internal energy surging, his entire cultivation instinctively activated as he sensed the imminent danger.
But the moment the black spear tip approached, his protective internal energy shattered like melting ice, and he watched helplessly as the spear almost pierced his neck!
—Clang!
A crisp sound, like a drop of water, echoed softly.
The handsome young man, who had been smiling gently, suddenly froze, looking at the scholar standing beside Hua Yanxing with a surprised expression.
Because that deadly attack had been blocked by his bare hand!
“—Sir.”
Lin Tianlu’s expression was cold and calm, and he said in a deep voice: “You’re not welcome here, and wielding weapons in public isn’t allowed in this city.”
“Heh? A mere mortal like you can actually block…”
Huangfu Zhong quickly retracted his spear, waving his sleeve and retreating a distance, asking in surprise: “Wait, could you be the ‘Mystic Scholar,’ Lin Tianlu, that the ancient realm and the Luo Xing have been talking about?”
“I haven’t heard of that strange title.”
Lin Tianlu looked back at Hua Yanxing: “Are you alright, Your Highness?”
“I barely survived.”
Hua Yanxing touched his still cold neck and smiled coldly: “Thanks to my grandson-in-law’s timely rescue, otherwise, I would have truly died.”
“That’s good.” Lin Tianlu nodded slightly: “Please step back, Your Highness, so you don’t get caught in the crossfire.”
“Alright!”
Hua Yanxing’s expression darkened slightly, and as he retreated, he whispered: “Be careful, this Eastern Emperor’s Sect is incredibly mysterious and unpredictable, his methods are extraordinary, and his true abilities are far beyond what you’ve just seen!”
“Hahaha—”
Huangfu Zhong suddenly burst into laughter.
“Although you’re just a mortal, old man, you have friends everywhere and know many secrets unknown even to ordinary demons and ghosts. Truly commendable!
However, if you think relying on this person can keep you safe, you’re too naive.”
He casually twirled his spear, his gaze shifting to Lin Tianlu with a grin: “Mystic Scholar Lin Tianlu, I heard you possess extraordinary cultivation, even capable of rivaling Savage Realm great demons with your mortal body. It would be a good deed to eliminate such an anomaly.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Huangfu Zhong’s spear flashed, like a black lightning bolt splitting the sky.
Just the residual force of the attack made the pavilion behind the platform tremble violently, as if the entire building would collapse under the terrifying and chilling Yin wind!
The force of the impact was so powerful that even the stone lions in front of the pavilion were covered in cracks, as if they would shatter at any moment!
“Hmm?!”
But Huangfu Zhong quickly frowned, the smile on his face fading.
His spear tip, which had shot out like teleportation, was once again firmly caught between two fingers, unable to advance an inch.
Lin Tianlu blocked the spear aimed at his forehead and asked calmly: “What is your purpose in coming to Qingcheng, attempting to kill Prince Zhengyang and deceive the people?”
“Purpose?”
Huangfu Zhong held his spear with one hand and grinned again: “We, the Eastern Emperor’s Sect, control all living beings, our status transcendent. And those who disrupt the destiny of the world must be eliminated by us.”
“Disrupting… destiny?” Lin Tianlu’s expression was calm and collected, a cold glint in his eyes: “You have a lot of explaining to do, even I want to capture you and interrogate you.”
“Heh!”
Huangfu Zhong suddenly laughed loudly: “Interesting! Our Eastern Emperor’s Sect hasn’t appeared in the world for so long, and now even a mortal scholar dares to speak such arrogant words!”
He abruptly pulled on his spear, trying to retract it.
“…”
But the spear, its tip trapped, wouldn’t budge.
Huangfu Zhong’s smile faltered, his expression darkening:
“You… are courting death!”
He clenched his fingers, and the black spear instantly exploded into countless fragments, swirling in mid-air like a black tornado, a chilling wind howling and tearing, deafening thunderclaps echoing as it rose into the sky, almost causing a storm above Qingcheng!
“A mere mortal, having interacted with the Zhaoxiao Court and the Due’e Sect, and you think you’re invincible?”
Huangfu Zhong slowly floated into the air, his expression indifferent as he formed hand seals, his black hair flying wildly, and he sneered condescendingly: “I’ll show you what true power is!”
A strange, cold light erupted, spreading from the sky above Qingcheng like a canopy.
Instantly, terrifying thunderclaps echoed, his figure looking like a demon god under the black light. As he spread his arms, a massive formation seal, more than ten feet wide, appeared behind him, the surrounding Yin energy surging rapidly!
Lin Tianlu glanced sideways and saw ghostly hands materializing from the ground below the platform, a strange, cold mist spreading, countless ghostly figures seemingly crawling out from the depths of hell.
In the blink of an eye, the once lively Qingcheng had become a terrifying underworld.
Huangfu Zhong looked down with contempt, waved his sleeve, and sneered: “Today, this Qingcheng will be your burial ground!”
“—Truly troublesome.”
A soft sigh suddenly echoed.
“Hmm?!”
Huangfu Zhong’s expression darkened, a hint of anger in his eyes: “What did you say?”
“Only now do I see how grotesque and ugly one becomes when consumed by their own power.”
Lin Tianlu shrugged and said indifferently: “Whether you’re from the Eastern Emperor’s Sect or the Western Emperor’s Sect, after uttering such disgusting words, your so-called nobility and transcendence are worthless, no different from the despicable thugs in the streets.”
“—Good, very good!”
Huangfu Zhong was so angry that he laughed, shouting: “Still uttering such arrogant words on the verge of death! After I reduce your body to ashes, I’ll make your soul suffer a thousand torments!”
He waved his hand, scattering countless light spots, his cold and sinister words echoing like a nightmare: “The destiny of heaven is approaching, weak mortals like you will become stepping stones for our ascension. This entire Qingcheng will be mine—”
Boom!
A torrent of spiritual energy, like a pillar of light, suddenly shot into the sky, instantly annihilating the ghosts and spirits that had emerged from the ground within a hundred feet!
Huangfu Zhong’s pupils constricted, and he quickly dodged, his body tilting backward, as a blinding white light seemed to cover his vision, a terrifying storm surging upwards from below!
Crack, crack, crack!
The massive barrier above Qingcheng instantly shattered and collapsed under the impact.
Huangfu Zhong looked up at the sky, where sunlight was shining down again, stunned for a moment.
Then, he suddenly looked down, a look of surprise and uncertainty in his eyes.
“—So much nonsense.”
Lin Tianlu lowered his right hand and said with a speechless expression: “Look at everyone here, who’s interested in listening to your boring talk? They’re all ignoring you. Yet you keep talking to yourself.”
“…”
Huangfu Zhong was stunned for a moment, then his expression darkened. He raised his arm, a wave of oppressive and sinister aura surging, and tapped his forehead.
“Oh?”
Lin Tianlu raised an eyebrow slightly, vaguely seeing blurry figures emerging from the surroundings.
“Clones? No—”
A brilliant light suddenly exploded, condensing into sharp blades, a swift and deadly soul attack!
Lin Tianlu calmly closed his eyes, his movements as swift as the wind, his steps like shadows, sensing the fluctuations of soul power as he dodged, evading every single attack aimed at his soul, flicking his fingers, casually shattering the deadly strikes.
Until he suddenly stopped, his hands clasped together, catching the invisible spear that had been thrust towards him.
Huangfu Zhong’s figure seemed to solidify from hundreds of afterimages, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He shook his spear, and a silver thread shot out from the tip, splitting into two as it was struck, its power undiminished as it pierced through the entire Qingcheng!
“This move… is not bad.”
Lin Tianlu blocked it with his right palm and nodded thoughtfully: “Quite intimidating.”
“…”
Glancing at his unharmed palm, Huangfu Zhong’s expression turned even more serious, and he was about to dodge and change his tactics.
Crack!
Lin Tianlu shattered the spear with a single palm strike and then swiftly kicked out.
“Wha—”
Huangfu Zhong’s expression changed drastically, feeling a terrifying force locking onto his body, as if he would be kicked no matter where he dodged. He quickly cast a spell, creating layers of black barriers before him, and raised his arm to block.
But these defenses were instantly shattered, his right arm broken by the kick, and he was sent flying backward like a meteor.
“How… how is this—”
His expression changed drastically as he stumbled back dozens of feet before finally stopping. Looking down, he saw that his right arm and chest were completely shattered, a single strike almost destroying his entire body!
“There’s always someone stronger, a simple principle, do I need to explain it again?”
Lin Tianlu stood with his side facing him, his gaze deep and boundless, his expression indifferent as he raised his hand and beckoned: “If you have any other tricks, bring them on.”
“…”
Huangfu Zhong’s expression changed repeatedly, shame, embarrassment, anger… all sorts of emotions flickering through his eyes.
Until, after a moment, they all transformed into a surging and cold killing intent, a crimson and golden flame igniting around him, roaring furiously as he raised his hand, the sky and earth changing color, a technique of the peak Savage Realm!
“I will destroy you… along with this entire Qingcheng!!”
Thunder roared, the formation trembled, mysterious and profound runes seemingly forming in the sky above.
“Hu—”
Looking up at this terrifying sight, Lin Tianlu took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and calmly assumed a fighting stance, gathering his strength and spiritual energy in his clenched right fist.
“You can’t stop me! The hundreds of thousands of mortals in this city will be annihilated along with you!!”
Huangfu Zhong’s eyes widened furiously as he intertwined his fingers.
The Soul Origin Heart Realm, external manifestation… Ancestral Soul Reappears, Heaven and Earth Reincarnate—
Nine Netherworlds Extinguishing Baleful Energy, Emperor’s Ultimate Creation!
A vortex seemed to be forming in the sky. With a wave of his hand, like an emperor, a ruler of the Nine Netherworlds, he was about to annihilate everything within several miles!
But—
A fist suddenly pierced through the vortex, shattering the image of the emperor.
And this world-shattering fist, its power undiminished, struck the stunned Huangfu Zhong, shattering him into countless pieces, even piercing through the clouds and mist in the sky, instantly dispelling them.
“…”
The Yin energy receded like a tide, the terrifying and destructive pressure vanishing, and Qingcheng was once again bathed in the warm afternoon sun.
Only Lin Tianlu remained standing on the platform, his figure tall and straight.
He exhaled, lowering his right fist:
“All show and no substance, flashy but useless.”
