"You…" The Emperor of the Holy Barbarian Empire had a contorted expression on his face. What was more insulting than having a person shouting scram at you right after seeing your own son killed in front of your eyes?
As he stared at the Traceless Sword stained with blood in Fang Zhengzhi's hands, he had the impulse to simply rush forward to exact revenge. He wanted Fang Zhengzhi as an offering for his deceased son.
However, at that moment, an anxious voice could be heard.
"Father, you cannot do this!"
"I cannot?" The Emperor knew that this voice belonged to his other son who accompanied him here. He also understood why he had to restrain himself.
However, he could not take this anymore.
As an Emperor, how could he condone a person who had killed his son and still had the cheek to stand righteously in front of himself?
A powerful aura enveloped his body. It churned like a powerful and terrifying sea wave, striking fear into the hearts of everyone present.
However, he did not take another step forward. This was because he knew he was not in the Holy Barbarian Empire, but the Heavenly Dao Pavilion.
"The Great Xia Dynasty would not mind fighting another war for Fang Zhengzhi. Yun er, do you mind?" Lin Mubai's voice could be heard as he spoke directly to the Holy Barbarian Empire.
"I do not mind it at all!" Pince Xian Lin Yun shouted without hesitation.
The Heavenly Dao Pavilion disciples felt a chill down their spine as they heard this simple and calm conversation between Lin Mubai and Prince Xian.
A war all for the sake of one person.
Furthermore, this person would lose his life in around four months' time.
One had to say that Lin Mubai and Lin Yun had accomplished it. They used the simplest action to tell Fang Zhengzhi that they would support him under all circumstances.
"Argh!" The Holy Barbarian Empire Emperor roared in anger. He was extremely bitter, though he still had to consider the fate of his citizens.
Most importantly, he had already lost once. He could not lose again.
"Return me the body of my son!" The Holy Barbarian Empire Emperor shouted after recollecting himself slightly. Despite this, his fists were already pale from excessive clenching.
Qian Wu's body then rolled to the side of his feet.
Fang Zhengzhi said nothing.
His target was not the Holy Barbarian Empire Emperor. Furthermore, he could care less about the traditions of killing everyone related to Qian Wu for revenge. He was only concerned about Qian Wu himself.
This was for the deceased Prince LI of the First Rank and Ping Yang, who was waiting for him in Ling Yun Tower. It was also for his recent brazen actions of stepping forward.
Of course, even if the Holy Barbarian Empire Emperor wanted a fight.
He would gladly take it.
There was nothing to fear. As the people around him have mentioned, he already has one of his foot in the gates of hell. There could be no other considerations.
The Holy Barbarian Empire Emperor clenched his fists once again as his nails cut deep into his flesh. He waited no longer as he grabbed Qian Wu's body and walked out of the Heavenly Dao Pavilion.
He stayed no further in the Heavenly Dao Pavilion.
That was because his favorite son was dead.
The hope for the Holy Barbarian Empire was destroyed. The only thing he could do now was to quell the internal revolution and protect his country to the best of his abilities as he awaits the merciless invasion of the neighboring empires.
He looked lonely and depressed. Alas, this was the harsh reality of a cruel world.
Fang Zhengzhi slowly rose and paid no attention to the Holy Barbarian Empire Emperor. Amidst the purple eyes, the reflection of a figure could be seen. This figure was none other than the Fifth Elder, who stood right in front of him.
"Young lad, you are merciless enough!" The Fifth Elder stared at Fang Zhengzhi as he exclaimed. He was not surprised by Fang Zhengzhi's actions.
If it was him, he would have done the same.
Just like how he attacked Nangong Mu, he could not allow a person who would launch a sneak attack on him anytime to live. This was not compassion, but stupidity.
Survival of the fittest.
That was the law governing the world.
Especially so in the Saint Realm.
The Fifth Elder was also abiding by this same rule. Only by killing Fang Zhengzhi would he be able to regain his reputation in the Heavenly Dao Pavilion and salvage his dignity.
Boom! A loud sound could be heard behind him.
The Fifth Elder did not pay the sound much attention. He knew that this was the collision sound from the battle between Nangong Mu and Yan Qing. He had no time to be bothered with those.
Because Fang Zhengzhi was simply out of his imagination.
Mastering the Heavenly Dao?
On top of the Near-Life Dao?
Furthermore, he had battled for an extended period and suffered an attack from him. To think that he is showing no signs of fatigue! What kind of monster is this?
"Die!" The Fifth Elder charged forward without hesitation.
As a powerful Saint State individual and the elder of the Heavenly Dao Pavilion, he had his dignity. Even if he was feeling the stretch, he could not rest.
His Thorn Sword glowed with an intense emerald brilliance and charged forward at breakneck speed.
"Kill!" Fang Zhengzhi shouted coldly as the Traceless Sword in his hands hummed with a clear high pitch. The sinister purple light seemed to glow even brighter.
But just when he was about to move forward.
A sharp pain could be felt from his chest. It felt as if his heart was beating at an insanely fast rate, causing him to feel a cold numbing pain in his chest area and losing his focus.
His mind became blank for a moment.
However, the intense pressure coming from the Fifth Elder was right in front of his eyes.
He subconsciously swung his sword and felt a strong force collide into his attack.
Boom! A loud explosion occurred.
Fang Zhengzhi's body flew forward like a shooting star, destroying a white jade pillar in the process. This intensified the pain in his chest.
"Argh…" A mouthful of blood spurted out of Fang Zhengzhi's mouth. He could hear the frantic beating of his heart, as though someone was thumping the drums with full force right beside his ears.
"What is going on?"
"Is this guy out of fuel?"
"It seems like he has reached his limit!"
Looking at this scene, the Heavenly Dao Pavilion disciples could not help but gasp in surprise. Judging from what happened previously, Fang Zhengzhi should not have been defeated so easily.
At least not in this way.
Was he deliberately revealing his weakness to the Fifth Elder?
This was what the Heavenly Dao Pavilion disciples were thinking about. However, they quickly dismissed this thought. That was because Fang Zhengzhi truly looked out of it.
His face was extremely pale and the purple light surrounding him quivered ever so slightly. It was as though the brilliance would devour him alive.
It was a sinister sight.
The Fifth Elder was taken aback as well. He did not feel that Fang Zhengzhi was getting weaker in the previous clash, even when he was outnumbered two against one.
However, it was clear in the most recent attack that Fang Zhengzhi had gotten a lot weaker, to the point where he was powerless.
What is going on?
Did he experience a power loss all of a sudden?
The Fifth Elder thought that the possibility of such a peculiar event was low. After all, the power difference between two consecutive attacks should not be so large. Fang Zhengzhi's power should have been depleted bit by bit instead.
Could it be a side effect that he did not know?
The Fifth Elder suddenly remembered something. Fang Zhengzhi was a person with less than four months left to live. It would then be normal to have certain symptoms leading to his death.
"Young lad, die!" The Fifth Elder displayed no hesitation.
He knew how easy it would be to win when the opponent was not in his best shape. He could not let his opportunity go despite being a Saint State individual.
He once again charged towards Fang Zhengzhi.
Fang Zhengzhi wanted to curse so bad.
That was because he suddenly remembered something. He had forgotten to take his medication, though he could not be blamed for it. After all, it had been less than a month since he left Northern Mountain Village.
Under normal circumstances…
He did not need to take his medication.
However, the sharp pain from his heart was clearly telling him that he needed them now.
What was going on?
Was it due to his excessive use of his energy? Or was it due to his previous overdosing incident which reduced the effectiveness of the medication?
Both possibilities were valid.
After all, one incident of overdose was enough to make the body more resistant to the medication.
It was a simple thing to understand.
After the battle at Flame Capital City, Fang Zhengzhi returned to Northern Mountain Village. During that period, his medication routine was disrupted. He did not take careful notice of the time he took his next medication in Northern Mountain Village.
However, the most important thing now was that he had no medication on him.
That was because, after that harrowing incident, Wu Yuer had learned her lesson and vowed never to leave any medication with him.
This included even the backup ones he had for emergencies.
He had to applaud Wu Yuer for her intellect. In order to prevent Fang Zhengzhi to act on impulse again, she directly cut off his access to the medication.
However, this would result in another problem.
Fang Zhengzhi needed to take his medication. However, it was now in the possession of Wu Yuer. She would take around three to four days to arrive.
What should he do?
Could he reach a consensus with the Fifth Elder for a temporary truce and continue to fight after Wu Yuer arrives with his medication?
Was that even possible?
Fang Zhengzhi felt that the Fifth Elder must be an idiot to agree to such terms.
It's over.
He was going to lose this.
As Fang Zhengzhi felt the incoming presence, he knew that his end was near.
This was because he could no longer control his powers of origin in the Vast World. It was now in conflict with his physical body.
The intense pain made him drenched in perspiration. Although he was able to maintain some form of consciousness, he felt the world spinning and his vision blurred.
Was he about to die?
Chi Guyan would not blame him for not fulfilling his promise, right? Even if she does, there was no helping it. He had arrived in the Heavenly Dao Pavilion, under the watchful eyes of many powerful individuals. On the other hand, she had kept herself hidden.
He would not take the blame for this.
As for Ping Yang…
He would really have to go back on his promise. He then wondered if Ping Yang was doing well, before snickering to himself as he thought back on Cang Yue's haughty attitude.
Waiting for me at Ling Yun Tower?
Fang Zhengzhi recalled the scene when Cang Yue took Ping Yang away and the flash of determination in Ping Yang's eyes. He did not know if it was his emotions or the clash of powers within himself, but the pain only intensified even further.
As the Fifth Elder closed in, Fang Zhengzhi had no time to think about all these.
The only thing he could do was an attempt to dodge the attack.
Boom!
A blue light flashed across the area and Fang Zhengzhi appeared two feet away from his original position. The place where he was in was now replaced by a huge crater.
The Fifth Elder was in the middle of the crater, staring at Fang Zhengzhi with a murderous intent.
He dodged it.
He was fortunate.
However, the Fifth Elder would rush forward once again. Fang Zhengzhi's discomfort only grew stronger as the thumping sound rang ever so hauntingly in his ears. The scenes that he recalled played constantly in his mind. There was no way he could use another Heavenly Dao technique to dodge this attack.
The Traceless Sword then emitted a high-pitched hum as the purple light surrounding it glimmered with a trace of bitterness.
The same bitterness Fang Zhengzhi was feeling.
However, there were things that could not be solved even if one was feeling bitter. Qian Wu died harboring such thoughts, so did the Holy Barbarian Empire Emperor, who left without saying a word.
The world is harsh.
LI Mubai and Prince Xian Lin Yun had an anxious expression on their faces. They stared at Fang Zhengzhi in concern.
But what could they do?
They could start a war with the Holy Barbarian Empire for Fang Zhengzhi. However, they could not simply act on their own accord in this situation. This was because even the Pavilion Leader Mu Qingfeng chose to stay silent on the matter.
How could they then interfere?
"Fang Zhengzhi!" Nangong Mu's voice rang across the area. However, he could not free himself from the battle he was ensued in. Yan Qing's fist had once again arrived in front of him.
Yan Qing adopted a simple battle style. He employed no techniques and used all his strength in every move. This violent and aggressive style had kept Nangong Mu occupied the entire time.
Boom! Fissures appeared on the ground.
Nangong Mu leaped to one side. Due to the temporary shift in his focus, he had suffered injuries from Yan Qing's attack.
"Young lad, give up! No one will be able to save you!" The Fifth Elder moved and arrived in front of Fang Zhengzhi. He then plunged the Thorn Sword right into Fang Zhengzhi's chest.
"It's true, I should have taken my medicine…" Fang Zhengzhi stared at the Thorn Sword, which was closing in on his chest, as he sighed helplessly. He then slowly closed his eyes.
He was waiting for the sword to pierce through his chest.
It was painful.
To the point where he could not tell if the sword had fulfilled its mission.
Fang Zhengzhi was not sure. After all, he was already overwhelmed by the sharp pain from his chest, though something seemed to be amiss.
His chest possessed the Heart Protection Mirror made from the powers of the Vast World.
Under normal circumstances…
One would need to first remove the Heart Protection Mirror to damage him. At the very least, Fang Zhengzhi should hear the crisp collision sound between the two forces.