Chapter 49: Chapter 46: Qin Wu’s Deterrence
The fist passed through the hurricane without a sound, eting no resistance. A grin spread across Han Yifeng’s face as he let out a loud laugh. "Haha! So it was all for show!"
But the words had barely left his mouth when he realized sothing was terribly wrong. The fist he had thrown was slowing down within the hurricane. Looking closer, he saw a fine layer of blue crystals covering his arm. The crystals multiplied rapidly, completely encasing his arm in monts and continuing to creep upward.
"Aaargh!" With a bloodcurdling scream, Han Yifeng yanked his arm back. But even after pulling it free, the inexorable spread of the blue crystals didn’t slow.
"Aaargh! How can this be? No!"
He let out another roar, this one laced with boundless terror. Han Yifeng could feel his arm gradually going numb; even his Primordial Power could no longer circulate through it. ’What does this an?’ It ant his arm was being corroded by the blue crystals. They had already reached his elbow. If he didn’t sever the source, he would lose his life. A look of grim resolve flashed in the agonized Han Yifeng’s eyes. Raising his left arm, he condensed his Primordial Power into a blade and swung it fiercely at his own right arm.
SCHLICK! Han Yifeng’s right arm was severed cleanly at the elbow. But as it fell away, he felt no pain. Not a single drop of blood spilled.
’Sothing like this is even possible.’ Han Yifeng touched the stump of his right arm, and an excruciating pain instantly shot through his brain. His face twisted into an even more hideous expression as violent Primordial Power erupted from his body. He knew he was crippled. With the loss of an arm, it would be nearly impossible for his Martial Artist Realm to advance further. In fact, if he wasn’t careful, his realm might even regress.
He was filled with regret. He regretted underestimating his opponent, assuming he was just a re Third Ring Martial Artist and letting his guard down. He should have killed him instantly from the very beginning. Now, not only had he lost an arm and all of his dignity, but even after returning to Cold City, his status was sure to plumt.
The blue hurricane continued to spin violently. At its center, Mu Chen had fallen unconscious. Within his body, the blue Ice Attribute Dantian had dimd completely, becoming a transparent, glass-like sphere devoid of any Primordial Power fluctuations.
’Whew... so this is the Attribute Activation the Extre Spirit Chaos Technique spoke of. No wonder I felt the kid’s Dantian activity was a bit abnormal recently. It was especially intense just now. It seems it’s finally activated. But it’s been hard on the boy; his injuries this ti are serious.’ A sigh echoed from within Mu Chen’s mind, but in his comatose state, he couldn’t hear it.
The blue hurricane raged for several hundred breaths before quietly dissipating. When it faded, the ground it had swept over was covered in a platform of ice several ters high. The unconscious Mu Chen lay on top, dead to the world.
As the hurricane finally subsided, Han Yifeng’s expression grew cold and detached. He looked at Mu Chen as if staring at a corpse about to be turned to dust. He slowly extended his left hand, and a ball of green fire began to dance in his palm. The color of the fla was unusually deep, unlike an ordinary fla condensed from Primordial Power.
"Among all the people I’ve t, you are, without a doubt, a genius. Things didn’t have to be this serious. I originally had no intention of killing you, but now, I can’t find a single reason not to. However, I will honor you by using my strongest Combat Skill to end your life." With that, Han Yifeng threw the ball of green fire with all his might, roaring, "Green Fla Burst!"
Thrown with all his might, the green fla shot toward Mu Chen at incredible speed. In mid-air, the ball of green fire suddenly erupted in a flash of white light. A violent fluctuation of Primordial Power burst from its core, sweeping through the entire Celestial Fragrance Pavilion.
"Stop!"
Just then, a clear cry rang out from the second floor. As the green ball of fire was about to reach Mu Chen, a graceful woman flew onto the scene. With her ca a flurry of urgent zither notes. The mont the music reached it, the green fla, which had been glowing with a blinding white light, suddenly dimd. It floated quietly in front of the young woman. She gave it a light pat with her fair palm, and the ball of green fire vanished into thin air.
Han Yifeng was inwardly horrified. ’Only I know the true power of my Green Fla Burst. To block my attack so easily, she must be a Martial Artist whose realm is far higher than my own.’
At that thought, Han Yifeng’s gaze fell upon the graceful figure. He was stunned by what he saw. ’Are all the youths of today this astonishingly talented?’ he wondered in disbelief.
"Who are you? Why are you interfering in my private affairs?" Han Yifeng demanded.
She was an elegant young woman of about fifteen or sixteen, dressed in a colorful Ni Chang robe. Her long, brown hair was styled in a Liuyun bun, with two locks framing her beautiful face. Her eyes, like black diamonds, shone with a wise light. A faint smile played on her lips, and she radiated an elegant, inviolable air.
In her left arm, she cradled a light purple Ancient Rhy Guqin that faintly glowed. At first glance, the Guqin appeared to have no strings, but upon closer inspection, one could see seven slender, seemingly transparent strings that shimred as they reflected the sunlight.
The Zither Maiden, seeing Han Yifeng staring at her, gave a slight bow and a smile, withdrawing her right hand. "My na is Qin Wu, and I am the temporary mistress of the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion. Before he left, my father instructed
to ensure that no harm cos to this establishnt. I have no intention of interfering in your private affairs, but I do hope you can be more mindful of your surroundings. The Celestial Fragrance Pavilion is a place for people to dine, not a venue for your brawls."
The young woman nad Qin Wu had a lodious and lovely voice, though the unconscious Mu Chen could not appreciate it. "Besides," she continued, "your young master was the one at fault first, as everyone here witnessed. Mr. Han, you have already gravely injured this man. Barring any miracles, he will be a cripple for life. Why tarnish your reputation by bullying the weak over soone who is already defeated?"
Hearing this, Han Yifeng was montarily stunned, then broke into a cold sneer. "Hmph, I, Han Yifeng, do things as I see fit, regardless of the occasion. This brat humiliated the Han Family’s eldest young master, gravely injured my Han Family Guards, and cost
an arm. He must die!"
Han Yifeng’s words were absolute. At the thought of his lost right arm, his recently composed expression twisted with renewed fury. His face, flushed with rage, darkened as he struggled to suppress his anger. Qin Wu shook her head helplessly and bowed again. "Mr. Han, I will say it one more ti. This is the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion, not Cold City. If you are determined to make things difficult for , then I will have no choice but to be presumptuous and fight you."
With that, Qin Wu took a step back, shielding Mu Chen with her body. With a twirl of her left hand, she laid the Guqin flat before her and sat down cross-legged on the spot.
Seeing her actions, Han Yifeng laughed in fury. "Young people today are getting more and more brazen. ’Be presumptuous and fight ’? I’d like to see just what you think you can fight
with."
As he spoke, Primordial Power surged from his body once more, and seven green Martial Rings materialized around him. A mocking grin spread across his face as he looked at Qin Wu. Although he didn’t know how she had countered his strongest Combat Skill, the Green Fla Burst, he absolutely refused to believe this young girl had the power to fight him.
However, the mont that thought crossed his mind, an even more powerful wave of Primordial Power erupted from Qin Wu’s body. Her colorful Ni Chang robe billowed in a non-existent wind, and her long brown hair whipped about, adding to her otherworldly beauty. Then, around her feet, nine exceptionally solid, green Martial Rings materialized. A Nine-Ring Martial Spirit!
"A Nine-Ring Martial Spirit... That’s impossible!" The smile froze on Han Yifeng’s face. His long, narrow Phoenix Eyes were wide in disbelief as an oppressive aura washed over him.
"Mr. Han, I will say this one last ti. The Celestial Fragrance Pavilion is not Cold City. If my father were here, never mind you, even the City Lord of Cold City, Han Yuan, wouldn’t dare act so brazenly. I urge you not to let anger cloud your judgnt. If you do sothing irreversible, the consequences will be more than your little Cold City can bear." Qin Wu’s expression was icy. A cold, noble aura blossod around her, her earlier gentle deanor completely gone. She now looked down on Han Yifeng with the condescending air of an Upper Rank.
At that mont, Han Yifeng truly felt like a Lower Rank. ’Perhaps her words aren’t just empty threats. Think about it... a Nine-Ring Martial Spirit at fifteen or sixteen? Across the entire Extre Martial Continent, that’s a talent seen once in ten thousand years. For such a prodigy to appear in a backwater like Frost Cold Town, there’s only one explanation: she’s a junior from so peak-level family, out gaining experience. That’s a power my little Cold City can’t possibly afford to offend.’
After a long mont of deliberation, he dismissed any thought that she might be bluffing. While his Martial Artist Realm wasn’t the highest, his position in Cold City was irreplaceable. He hadn’t reached such a high station by being a fool. Instantly, a new plan ford in his mind.
’So, you won’t let
kill him inside the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion? Heh, once we’re outside, you won’t have a say in the matter.’ Casting one last glance at Mu Chen on the ground, Han Yifeng grimly retrieved his severed arm, placed it in his Space Ring, and turned to leave.
"Elder Feng, are you alright...?"
Seeing Han Yifeng’s terrible expression, Han Jun felt his stomach churn with anxiety. He lowered his head and asked the question, but Han Yifeng, his face dark, didn’t even spare him a glance. He walked into an alley, pulled a signal flare from his Storage Ring, and quickly fired it into the air. The flare streaked across the sky, leaving a dazzling white trail that slowly faded into the clear blue.
In less than five minutes, seven figures clad entirely in white drifted into the alley. They looked at Han Yifeng and said respectfully, "Elder Yifeng."
Han Yifeng nodded slightly. "From now on," he said softly, "the seven of you are to surround every exit of the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion." As he spoke, Han Yifeng took out a sheet of white paper of an unidentifiable material. A surge of Primordial Power flowed from his fingertip into the paper, and in monts, a lifelike face materialized on its surface. It was, of course, the face of Mu Chen.
"morize this person’s face. The mont he steps out of the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion, kill him on sight. If you can take him alive, that would be even better."
With that, Han Yifeng tossed the portrait to one of the seven. The man glanced at it and passed it to the next. After the last man had seen it, Han Yifeng flicked a finger, and a dart of green fla shot toward the paper, instantly turning it into fine ash that drifted away on the wind.
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