Chapter 378: Chapter 141: Slaying the Arrogant Maiden in the Gangfeng Forbidden Land, Initial Mastery of the True Scripture and Riding the Wind, Pursuit and a Desperate Escape
The old man slowly opened his eyes. His cloudy gaze swept over Chu Fan, filled with a condescending indifference as he said faintly, "Girl, stop fooling around..."
"A worthless life that crawled out of some godforsaken corner of the mountains isn’t worth wasting another Wind-Thunder Pearl on."
"The Artifact Refining Sect sent us plenty of Wind-Thunder Pearls, but that doesn’t mean we can squander them like this."
His words treated Chu Fan’s life as worthless, as if it could be snuffed out as casually as crushing an ant.
Chu Fan said no more.
’It’s pointless to talk to people like this, who see human life as worthless and are arrogant to the core.’
Expressionless, he walked toward the two of them.
His pace wasn’t fast, but it was exceptionally steady. Each step seemed to land with a certain rhythm, exuding an invisible pressure.
"Hm?"
A trace of astonishment flickered in the old man’s eyes. He hadn’t expected this brat, whom he perceived as being merely in the early Spirit Awakening Realm, to not only refuse to flee but actually dare to approach him.
The playful smile vanished from the girl’s face, replaced by a flash of anger at being provoked. "You’re courting death!"
She raised her fair hand again and threw another Wind-Thunder Pearl!
This one was even faster, the Wind-Thunder Pearl transforming into a streak of light as it shot straight for Chu Fan’s chest!
In a flash, Chu Fan’s body bent sharply to the left like a folding hinge, leaving behind an almost solid residual image.
The Wind-Thunder Pearl passed through the residual image and exploded behind him.
But the instant he dodged, Chu Fan’s true body stomped hard on the ground!
BANG!
The rock shattered as he shot toward the old man like an arrow loosed from a bow!
The Spirit Array Map of the Demon Dragon Celestial Spirit Scripture flared to life!
’The threat from this old man is far greater than the girl’s...’
’I’ll kill this old bastard first!’
"Yi?!"
Only then did the old man’s expression truly change, and he let out a soft cry of surprise.
Yet he remained seated, merely forming a sword-finger and pointing it at Chu Fan from afar.
SHING! The longsword on his back shot from its scabbard, transforming into a sharp, white rainbow that pierced the air with a piercing shriek as it flew straight for Chu Fan’s throat!
Before the blade even arrived, its sharp Sword Intent was enough to make one’s skin crawl.
But Chu Fan had already activated his Spirit Array Map, and his speed and reflexes were far beyond what they could have imagined!
The moment before the longsword reached him, Chu Fan pushed his Ghost Shadow Illusionary Body Step to its absolute limit, his speed abruptly multiplying several times over!
His body blurred and twisted like a phantom, somehow scraping past the deadly flying sword by a hair’s breadth. The next instant, as if by Instant Teleportation, he appeared less than three feet from the old man!
"What?!"
The old man and the girl both paled in horror, their pupils shrinking to pinpricks!
’How could someone in the early Spirit Awakening Realm possess such terrifying speed?!’
The old man tried to react, but it was too late!
Chu Fan’s eyes were ice-cold. His left fist, a Bear Form Drilling Fist, shattered the faint blue shield of light around the old man. His right palm, trailing residual images, executed the Extreme Night Cold Prison Hand, striking straight for the crown of the old man’s head!
The force of the palm was as vicious as a Ghost Hand!
"How dare you, junior!"
The old man roared, both shocked and enraged.
’A mere Spirit Awakening Realm cultivator dares to attack me, someone in the Late Stage of the Divine Power Realm, bare-handed without even drawing a blade?’
’He’s simply courting death!’
He channeled his Primordial Qi and thrust out his right palm, meeting Chu Fan’s strike head-on.
He was confident that with his vastly superior cultivation, this one palm strike would be enough to shatter every meridian and bone in his opponent’s body!
BOOM!
As their palms met, a violent wave of energy exploded outwards, sending a visible ripple spreading in all directions.
Caught off guard, the girl nearby was thrown back by the shockwave. She staggered several steps before managing to regain her footing, her face a mask of horror.
Chu Fan was also sent stumbling back several yards by the immense force!
"A mere early Spirit Awakening Realm cultivator, and you dare to be so insolent! This one palm strike will sever your meridians..."
A cruel smile had just begun to form on the old man’s lips when his expression suddenly changed!
He raised his palm in horror, only to see that the Protective Primordial Qi on it had been shattered by his opponent’s Palm Force!
A bone-piercing yin cold, mixed with a heart-stopping Yellow Springs Death Qi, was frantically invading his body through the meridians in his arm, clinging to him like a plague.
"You... What is this Palm Technique?!"
The old man shot to his feet, both frightened and appalled. He frantically circulated the Primordial Qi in his body, trying to expel the bizarre invasive energy.
But how could Chu Fan give him a moment’s respite?
Empowered by the Spirit Array Map, his speed surged. With a flicker of his body, he closed the distance, sticking to the old man like a shadow.
The old man was scared out of his wits. He hastily condensed a large hand of Primordial Qi with his left hand and swiped viciously at Chu Fan.
But Chu Fan didn’t meet it head-on. He once again displayed the wonders of his Ghost Shadow Illusionary Body Step, his body circling like a phantom to easily evade the large hand and instantly appear behind the old man.
"Extreme Night Cold Prison Hand—Extreme Night Vortex!"
His palm, trailing residual images and wrapped in a bone-chilling cold and grim Death Qi, landed squarely on the unprotected back of the old man’s head.
PTUI!
The old man’s body convulsed. He violently spat out a mouthful of fresh blood mixed with shards of ice, his eyes filled with disbelief and despair.
As an Alchemist from Medicine King Valley, despite having the cultivation of the Fourth Heaven of the Divine Power Realm, his actual combat experience was abysmal.
Combined with his underestimation of Chu Fan, he had been pushed into a desperate situation in just a few moves!
"Third Grand-uncle!" the girl shrieked.
Pressing his advantage, Chu Fan planted his feet as if they had taken root and stomped down hard on the back of the old man’s left knee.
CRACK! With a crisp snap, the old man screamed and fell to one knee.
At the same time, Chu Fan’s fist momentum surged once more. The Twelve Forms Fist of Bear Form Shattering Fist, like a savage bear shaking a mountain, smashed heavily into the back of the old man’s head—a spot where his Protective Primordial Qi had already been shattered by the Extreme Night Cold Prison Hand!
SPLAT!
The sound was like a ripe watermelon bursting open, splattering red and white all over the ground.
The old man’s body went rigid for a moment, then collapsed limply to the ground, all signs of life gone.
"Third Grand-uncle—!"
The girl’s eyes looked ready to split with rage. Seeming to have gone mad, she instantly produced several more Wind-Thunder Pearls and hurled them at Chu Fan in a frenzy.
"I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you! Medicine King Valley will never let you get away with this!"
But to Chu Fan, with his Spirit Array Map fully active and his Ghost Shadow Illusionary Body Step pushed to its limit, the pearls seemed clumsy and slow.
His body moved like a willow catkin caught in the wind, unpredictable and erratic. He left behind a dazzling string of residual images, effortlessly dodging every single Wind-Thunder Pearl.
