Chapter 87: A Painful Parting Between Teacher and Disciple (III)
“It’s a blistering sun, it’s… scorching!” Color drained from Li Hao’s face. The ball of light was stronger than both Sunflares and advanced in their direction at an unimaginable speed.
It was coming for him!
The supernatural organization had sent someone stronger than Sunflare for him?! Or was this a peak Sunflare existence?? He couldn’t determine its strength—all the young man could tell was that the newcomer was stronger than the dueling Sunflares.
Li Hao again sensed something different before the heavyweight arrived. A massive scarlet shadow sped through the air—it was enormous! It was his first time seeing such a ginormous shadow. More than ten times bigger than the one he’d killed earlier, it was at least twenty meters tall!
Li Hao’s jaw dropped. Are you kidding me?! He’d been present when Little Yuan died—the scarlet shadow that killed his friend was similar to the one that Li Hao had killed tonight. Just look at this one!
He could see it from miles away!
Twenty meters tall was the equivalent of six or seven floors! And the key thing was, no one could see it other than him! His heart threatened to stop beating. Teacher… are you up for this? For the first time ever, he doubted his teacher. Perhaps this was out of the esteemed professor’s league!
Panther shivered by his feet. Previously confident that it’d grown stronger, the now petrified little black dog tucked its tail between its legs.
A super big red shadow!
Super super big!
It had a great time licking the young man when Li Hao absorbed the shadow. But this one?? There was only one thought in the dog’s mind—I won’t finish licking this one even when it’s time for my next life!
“Sis!” In this moment, Li Hao confirmed that none of Liu Long’s arrangements mattered. The one about to arrive wasn’t someone that the Demon Hunters could cope with.
When Liu Yan looked at the young man, she saw a bloodless face that nonetheless smiled at her.
“You guys should withdraw! We’ve pretty much taken care of the danger here and the powerhouses are preoccupied. Go help chief, it’s pointless to stand guard here…”
Liu Yan’s brows furrowed.
“Seriously. It’s better to go help chief than to waste time standing around here. I won’t be going, I’ll just wait here!”
“Li Hao!” Liu Yan looked sharply at him, none of her usual coquettishness to be found. “Out with it!”
The young man flashed an ugly grin. “I see a falling sun!” he joked, as if the matter had nothing to do with him. “Sis, we’re fireflies. What can we do against a descending sun?”
Liu Yan’s expression shifted and she looked to the distance, where roars of thunder slammed against howling winds. “You mean that?” she asked irritably.
“No! Stronger than that!”
Liu Yan’s breathing hitched as she was momentarily dazed. Stronger than Sunflare? What kind of titan had Li Hao aggravated?? Beyond Sunflare?
She couldn’t imagine such strength. Liu Yan was only a Slayer, a level that mapped to the weakest of Starlight. There were Darkmoon, Sunflare, and many more minor levels above her. Killing a Darkmoon reeling from backlash had almost been more than the coordinated Demon Hunters could bear, to say nothing of a supernatural stronger than Sunflare.
“Go!” Li Hao smiled. “Hurry, their target is me, not you guys! Trust that justice will always prevail. Thank chief for me, sis!”
“Li Hao!” Liu Yan wanted to say something further, but couldn’t find the heart to say so.
Yun Yao likewise had an unpleasant expression on her face. “Can you get away?” she whispered.
Can I get away?
Li Hao chuckled ruefully. How could he? The enemy was rapidly approaching!
And yet, it was Yuan Shuo who arrived first. Disheveled and bedraggled, he’d lost his shoes somewhere and his face was a mottled mess of gray and black. The old man heaved a sigh of relief when he ran in and saw Li Hao; his gleaming smile appeared particularly bright in the rain.
“Little Hao, thank goodness you’re still alive!”
Li Hao stared at him. “Teacher… you…”
Look damn awful! Your disguise is a bit too much. C’mon, you’re a Dominator—is it right that you’re in such bad shape?
The young man glanced in the distance when his thoughts traveled here. The massive ball of light was less than ten thousand meters away and drawing closer. Based on this speed, it would be here soon.
He anxiously stepped forward to support his faltering teacher. “He’s much stronger than the two—he’s like the blazing sun in the dead of summer!” he muttered. “Teacher, let’s bow our heads to fate if we can’t face him. If not, are you able to outrun him if you take me with you?”
“Who are you thinking so little of?” Yuan Shuo kept his voice down, but spoke with less confidence than he might. He’d never matched himself against this level of opponent, so he didn’t know if he could prevail either.
“Also, the thing in the dark… is bigger than can be imagined.”
“There’s another one?” Yuan Shuo almost inhaled sharply. The fuck? Two of them? I can try taking on one of them, but two… Also, are there differences in strength with those things? “How big?”
“At least twenty meters tall!”
The fuck!!
It was easy to imagine how strong it was; he also seemed to sense it the next moment. Yuan Shuo was a Dominator, after all. He readily perceived the unique energy ripples of the mental entity.
They were in trouble now.
He wanted to spin on his heel and leave. Although this student of his was his final disciple, this was too much trouble that the kid had stirred up! Even the boss of the province’s Night Watchers might have to retreat if he were here tonight. The lad wanted an old man to be his shield??
Granted, who knew what the outcome would be since he’d yet to try? If Yuan Shuo could tidy up the issue, it would deal a grave blow to the other side. If he killed this one and that Sunflare, that wouldn’t leave many of this caliber in the supernatural organization, even if they were one of the three greats. When that was the case…
“You can see it?” Yuan Shuo asked softly.
“Yes!”
Was there a point to hiding anything anymore? Li Hao could see clearer than his teacher, which was precisely why he was terrified. He could try ambushing a Darkmoon, but the Hand That Brings Back Life wasn’t able to crush something at that echelon! There was also the scarlet shadow to contend with. It was so big that he came up to its feet—what, was he supposed to crush its toenails?
Yuan Shuo took a deep breath, having come to a decision. He looked at those behind him and barked, “Piss off! I’m going to make a final stand with Li Hao. I haven’t much longer to live anyway, get out of here so I can die with my student!”
These useless burdens needed to make themselves scarce! Li Hao had to stay, this entire operation was meaningless if the lad left.
“Elder Yuan…”
“Piss off!” Yuan Shuo snarled. What were they waiting for? Their deaths??
The professor sized up the surroundings and discovered ice crystals within the shipping container by the door. A plan for Li Hao spontaneously came into being.
“Wait there. You’ll be able to defend yourself against supernatural abilities to a certain degree there. Otherwise, you’ll die if we make a single misstep! I’ll go inside too. With both of us in that, that guy won’t easily kill you. You’re less than an ant to him and too easy to kill. We stand a chance yet if he constrains his power!”
Understood! Li Hao nodded, it was just acting. He could do that. As for his teacher… he had even less to worry about since his teacher was a better actor than him. Let’s see how we do this time!
His teacher might dispatch the opponent if they were lucky. But if it was one against two with the involvement of the scarlet shadow… that would make things tricky.
“Teacher, do you really think that stabbing the item into my heart will unseal it?” Li Hao thought of the jade sword that’d been able to injure the shadow, despite its sealed state. What if it was unsealed? Would one stroke be enough to eliminate the scarlet shadow?
His teacher would stand a better chance against the incoming powerhouse if he could smite the shadow.
Yuan Shuo considered the possibility. “It’s possible, but not a given…”
His gaze shifted toward his student. Is it here yet? He couldn’t see the shadow, but he could sense a thing or two.
Ashen-faced, Li Hao nodded woodenly. A scarlet shadow that towered like a skyscraper landed one hundred meters away from him. It was monstrously titanic!
Yuan Shuo also smiled stiffly. What in tarnation was he supposed to say now? This is my first time calling upon my full strength… Let’s not make a fool of myself.
“Piss of!” he roared again. Liu Yan and the others didn’t say anything—they saw the changes in Li Hao’s expression. The young man hadn’t looked so ghastly when he killed the Darkmoon.
Liu Yan clenched her teeth and dragged Wu Chao away. Panther wanted to slip away too, but changed its mind when it saw that Li Hao was staying. Fear filled the little black dog’s eyes, but a tiny hint of anticipation also sparkled in its depths.
What if?
What if they poked that huge shadow to death? How much would it gain this time?
Not going!
Liu Yan and the others swiftly withdrew so they could meet Liu Long. It would be another can of worms if Liu Long barged into the scene. Meanwhile, Li Hao and Yuan Shuo walked into the shipping container.
Yuan Shuo gripped a large blade and seemed oblivious to everything. He gasped, “Li Hao, this old man can’t go any further. I’m done for it after this time! There’s hope for you still—that Sunflare may not be a match for Huang Yun… the Night Watchers are very strong… and Liu Long is still alive. You’ll be safe so long as they take care of those guys!
“Live well when you’re safe, move out of Silver City!” He was the very picture of having one foot in the grave as he issued final reminders to his student.
“Teacher… you’ll be fine!” Li Hao protested tragically. “I know that supernaturals can heal injuries and their mysterious power can save you. I’m sure you’ll be fine!”
“Children… always think the best! Cough cough cough…” Blood trickled out of Yuan Shuo’s mouth as a fit of coughing overtook him. He sighed, “My greatest regret in this life is that I was unable to make it to Dominator to Thousands, that I did not make the crossover to sweep the lands. How would a mere Sunflare be my opponent otherwise?”
He panted with obvious discomfort and grabbed Li Hao’s arm, heaving for breath. “I’m going to teach you the Breathing Method of the Five Styles now, remember it well! This is… a culmination of countless ancient tomes that I pored through…”
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