Chapter 40: Chapter 40: I Don’t Understand
"Oh?"
Everyone’s eyes narrowed, and all gazes landed on Chen Xuan.
One of them, a tall and sturdy man, cracked a smile. He rose to his feet at once and casually approached. "And you are, my friend?" he asked.
He circled directly behind Chen Xuan. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he slammed a large hand onto Chen Xuan’s shoulder and sneered, "Your little speech just now really pissed me off, you know that?"
BOOM!
He suddenly exerted his strength, and a powerful surge of Dark Energy, like a tidal wave, flooded down toward Chen Xuan’s shoulder.
He intended to kill Chen Xuan with the sheer force of the blow.
But Chen Xuan’s body was as immovable as a mountain. He simply swung a backhanded slap.
SLAP! It connected with the sturdy man’s cheek.
The man’s entire head spun a full 360 degrees. His burly body flew sideways like a broken sack and, with a THUD, was embedded in the wall.
He was as dead as dead could be.
"Did I annoy you? Then you can just go die!"
Chen Xuan’s tone was glacial as he looked at the remaining men. "I’ll ask again," he said coldly. "Did you burn down my pier?"
[Well done. Retribution points +1000!]
The river pirates, criminals, and assorted martial artists were all stunned.
’That man just now... he was at the Dark Force Seventh Layer...’
’And this guy killed him with a single slap?’
’Are you kidding me?’
Fan Tao of the Iron Sand Palm narrowed his eyes. He exchanged a look with Song Ming, Tie Niu, and the others beside him. Then, as if on cue, they all charged toward Chen Xuan.
"Attack him together!"
"Kill him!"
RUSH!
Nearly all the river pirates, criminals, and martial artists surged forward.
The man named Tie Niu was at the very front. With an angry roar and without a moment’s hesitation, he raised a massive battle-axe and swung it down at Chen Xuan’s head.
"Die!"
CLANG!
Chen Xuan caught the massive, dark battle-axe as it came down. He held the sharp blade in his palm as if it were nothing, but the impact sent a numbing jolt up Tie Niu’s arm, his face freezing in shock.
Before Tie Niu could react, Chen Xuan stepped forward. His other hand, carrying a terrifyingly powerful force, had already slammed into his lower abdomen.
With a sickening BOOM, Tie Niu’s abdomen seemed to explode, and all his internal organs were instantly pulverized.
Blood gushed from his mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. His body flew backward like a kite with a snapped string, CRASHING into the clay statues at the back of the temple and shattering them.
[...Retribution points +1000!]
The charging crowd stopped dead in their tracks, their expressions changing to ones of utter shock.
’Tie Niu was at the Dark Force Ninth Layer.’
’Could this man... be at the Transforming Force realm?’
"Retreat!"
"Let’s bail!"
"Run!"
The river pirates and criminals were quick to react. Snapping out of their shock, they turned and scattered, fleeing in all directions.
"Thinking of leaving? Who do you take me for?"
Chen Xuan’s gaze was ice-cold. He stomped his foot, cracking the ground beneath him, and shot forward like an arrow. In an instant, he was behind one of the criminals, striking him in the back with his palm.
WHUMP! The powerful palm strike actually pierced straight through the man’s back and burst out from his chest, sending a spray of blood, flesh, and organs flying.
The criminal’s eyes filled with terror as he spat out a mouthful of blood and died on the spot.
"Bastard. You got blood all over my hand."
With a look of disgust, Chen Xuan casually flung the corpse aside with his other hand. Then he shot forward again, continuing his slaughter of the other river pirates and criminals.
This time, he adjusted his aim. Instead of striking their backs, he went for their heads. One slap, one kill. His power was wild and savage, like a terrifying bear, sending the pirates and criminals flying amidst their screams.
Lines of notifications for retribution points scrolled past his vision.
Everyone was scared out of their wits.
They were all in a state of utter panic.
’Who could have imagined that a Transforming Force expert would suddenly appear here?’
"Who are you? We’re from the Thirteen Golden Dragon Stronghold!"
The leader, Fan Tao, screamed in terror.
"The Thirteen Golden Dragon Stronghold is exactly who I’m here to kill!"
Chen Xuan’s aura was ferocious. His huge, burly frame carried an incredibly savage power as he immediately lunged forward and swung a vicious slap at Fan Tao.
Horrified, Fan Tao grabbed a companion and, to the man’s absolute terror, threw him directly at Chen Xuan. But the instant he was thrown, Chen Xuan swatted him away with a single palm strike.
THWACK! With the sound of shattering bones and a spray of blood, the man died violently.
"Damn it!"
Fan Tao was utterly horrified.
’He knew that if this continued, they would all die without a doubt!’
’Not a single one of them could escape the hunt of a Transforming Force master.’
At this thought, a ferocious look appeared on his face. As if activating some powerful Secret Technique, his bones and sinews began to vibrate with a loud CRACKLING sound, and his skin turned a deep, blood-red.
"Heavenly Demon Disintegration!"
He roared, gaining a temporary burst of explosive power. He spun around and lunged at Chen Xuan, his palms shrouded in a faint scarlet glow, seemingly containing an unstoppable force.
"Die!"
He unleashed a dense flurry of palm strikes, like a raging storm.
Chen Xuan’s eyes turned cold. Without dodging or evading, he met the attack head-on.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of deep, deafening booms erupted between the two, as if four red-hot iron hammers were clashing together. Waves of Qi Energy burst forth from the impacts like ripples.
Even the ground trembled beneath them. Floor tiles shattered, and violent shockwaves radiated outward.
Fan Tao was horrified. The longer he fought, the more he realized something was terribly wrong.
’This man’s power is terrifying!’
’He’s far stronger than any ordinary Transforming Force master.’
’He had seen how young Chen Xuan looked and assumed he was a recent breakthrough, so he thought he could take a gamble with the Heavenly Demon Disintegration.’
’But now it was clear that this man’s power wasn’t the least bit inferior to his own.’
’More importantly, his opponent’s fists contained a searing, fiery energy that felt like it was burning his heart and corroding his bones, continuously seeping into his body through his skin and meridians.’
’Even after using a ferocious, life-sacrificing technique like the Heavenly Demon Disintegration, he couldn’t gain the slightest advantage.’
This made his face twist in a near-frenzied expression.
"Young man, we all make our living in the same world! Why do you have to be so merciless?"
Fan Tao roared, "Spare my life today, and I’ll repay you a thousand times over in the future! There’s no need to burn bridges; it’s a small world. How about we become friends?"
"I’m not listening!"
Chen Xuan roared, his power growing even more terrifying. He unleashed an overwhelming barrage on Fan Tao, his terrifying strength and scorching Qi Energy making him seem like an enraged Fire Qilin.
A pained expression crossed Fan Tao’s face as he finally failed to resist Chen Xuan’s assault. Chen Xuan brutally smashed through his guard, shattering both of his palms. Fan Tao let out a pained scream just before a powerful, scorching fist slammed into his chest.
THUMP! The sound was like a drumbeat as his clothes burst apart.
Fan Tao sprayed a mouthful of blood, his eyes bulging. Fragments of his internal organs flew from his mouth, and his eyes were wide with utter terror and disbelief.
"Spare... spare me!"
CRUNCH!
Another palm strike crashed down, driving Fan Tao’s head directly into his own chest cavity. Only a tuft of black hair remained visible. His body swayed for a moment before he died horribly.
[...Retribution points +1000!]
"What was that gibberish? ’Spare you’? As if anyone would ever spare me."
Chen Xuan’s tone was ice-cold as he turned and charged after the remaining survivors.
