Chapter 284 Flame Devoured
"Fate Severing Slash!"
Bai Zihan still hadn't grasped the full essence of the Fate Severing Slash, yet even in its incomplete form it was terrifyingly powerful.
Other techniques weren't enough to deal with someone in the Void Refinement Stage.
Against Elder Wu, only this Saint-Grade technique could bring results.
(If even this doesn't work... then I'll be forced to drag it out.)
Elder Wu roared, his Qi exploding outward in a desperate defense.
Flames surged, barriers stacked upon one another like towering mountains, a fortress of fire and steel.
"No sword can break my flame barrier!"
But the moment steel met flame-
Chiiiing!
The inferno split apart like silk before a razor's edge. Layer after layer of defenses collapsed under the weight of a truth they could not resist. "-What?!"
The Fate Severing Slash tore through, arcing straight for Elder Wu's throat.
His eyes widened, instincts screaming. At the last instant, he twisted-but not fast enough.
With a sickening shhkkt!, his arm shot up, taking the brunt of the strike.
Blood sprayed.
The sword cleaved clean through flesh and bone, severing his right arm at the elbow.
The rest of the slash carved a deep gash across his shoulder, stopping just short of his neck.
"ARRRGHHHH!"
Elder Wu staggered back, face twisted in agony, his severed arm tumbling to the ground in a pool of blood.
He was alive-but only barely.
(If I hadn't sacrificed my arm... my head would've been rolling on the floor.) The realization struck like lightning.
He thought he was toying with a junior, like an adult amusing himself with a child.
But in the blink of an eye, playtime nearly became a tragedy-his tragedy.
His knees weakened, sweat pouring down his temples as his pale face twisted with fear and fury.
Only now he realized he wasn't the predator but the prey.
He pressed fire against the wound, burning it shut to stop the bleeding.
"Oh my, you made quite a good decision."
Bai Zihan praised with a sarcastic tone.
Well, he truly felt it was a good decision. After all, sacrificing his hand could be said to be far better than his life.
But of course, now that he lost his hand, there was no possibility of Elder Wu being able to fight back.
Elder Wu was already at a disadvantage, and now with his dominant hand severed, he could hardly be called an opponent for Bai Zihan.
"You-Stop!"
Elder Wu said, still trying to exude authority over Bai Zihan.
Of course, it didn't work before and it certainly wouldn't work after he was crippled.
"Oh ya, oh ya! Elder Wu, why are you scared? Aren't you the mighty Elder of Azure Sun Holy Sect? Shouldn't you be teaching me a lesson for being rude?"
Bai Zihan continued mocking while getting closer and closer to Elder Wu, who was fearfully backing off.
"Young Master Bai, let us talk this through. I don't want Jin Yuanzhan and his sister. You can keep them!"
Elder Wu tried to negotiate. Well, he had no choice, and any sane man could tell that he stood no chance against Bai Zihan.
Although it was difficult to accept, he, a Void Refinement Realm cultivator, was no opponent for a Spirit Severing Realm cultivator.
"That's not for you to decide!"
Bai Zihan coldly declared.
Once he saw someone as an enemy, he tended not to let them go. Well, unless they had some usefulness.
As for Elder Wu, while an elder and certainly someone with good information about Azure Sun Holy Sect, Bai Zihan didn't find him particularly useful.
He already had Jin Yuanzhan, who knew good intel about Azure Sun Holy Sect, and he didn't need more.
If he was to go to war with Azure Sun Holy Sect, perhaps but he wasn't interested in it.
Moreover, the information about them experimenting on children was already enough for Bai Zihan to socially destroy them and make them public enemy number one if they dared to become his enemy.
So, for now, he only considered Elder Wu as his enemy who had tried to capture him.
And as his enemy, mercy was the last thing he should expect.
"Young Master Bai, think carefully. The Sect will not stay quiet if you take my life. This old man's life isn't worth making an enemy of the Azure Sun Holy Sect,
is it?"
Elder Wu tried to reason out with Bai Zihan.
But of course, Bai Zihan wasn't easily scared off.
"Hmph! If the Azure Sun Holy Sect thinks that they can win against my Bai Clan,
then they can be my guest. Though I hope that they can make things a bit
interesting and not too easy!"
Bai Zihan said with a mocking tone. Anyone knows who would win between Azure Sun Holy Sect and Bai Clan.
Thinking that begging for his life was not going to work, Elder Wu gritted his
teeth.
"Bai Zihan, don't think that you can easily take this old man's life."
Elder Wu said, ready to fight with his other hand.
"Well, try to make this enjoyable if you can."
Bai Zihan said as he raised his sword.
Slash! Slash!
The sword whistled through the air, its edge carrying the weight of
inevitability.
Elder Wu roared, flames bursting from his remaining hand, desperate to
conjure another barrier.
The blaze surged upward, swallowing the arena in a fiery storm.
But Bai Zihan's sword light shredded it apart as if it were paper, scattering
embers across the sky.
Bang!
Bai Zihan's fist followed, slamming into Elder Wu's chest. The impact thundered like a collapsing mountain, ribs snapping under the pressure.
Elder Wu spat a mouthful of blood, his body flung backward across the cracked
stone floor.
"Urghh-!"
Staggering, he tried to rise, flames struggling to gather around his body again. But before he could stabilize, Bai Zihan's shadow loomed over him.
"Too slow!"
Boom!
A kick sent Elder Wu skidding across the ground, the bones of his leg shattering with a sickening crack. His scream pierced the air, raw and ugly.
Yet he refused to collapse entirely. His left hand trembled as he formed another
seal, summoning a blazing phoenix of flame that screeched toward Bai Zihan.
But Bai Zihan simply sneered.
"Didn't you already learn? Fire means nothing to me."
He slashed upward, and the phoenix split in two, scattering into harmless
sparks.
Elder Wu's eyes widened in despair.
(Impossible... this boy... he's a monster...!)
Before he could even take another breath, Bai Zihan appeared before him again,
sword pressed against his chest.
"Elder Wu, I thought you were going to make things difficult for me. But at the
moment, it is almost like you are begging me to take your life!"
Bang!
The sword pierced his shoulder, pinning him to the ground. Elder Wu howled,
thrashing helplessly, blood pouring in torrents.
"B-Bai Zihan, let's talk!"
Bai Zihan leaned in, eyes cold, voice laced with mockery.
"There is nothing left for us to discuss. Goodbye!"