Chapter 358 - 268: A Step Too Late? (Part 2)

Chapter 358: Chapter 268: A Step Too Late? (Part 2)

The tornado before them looked immense and powerful, but it was actually a self-sustaining phenomenon.

In other words, it didn’t take much energy to maintain.

All that was needed was to control its direction.

"I’ll go first. Sister Qi, cover me."

With that, Tang Wen stepped forward, appearing above the cliff’s edge.

Not far away, a faint black shadow was fleeing south.

It was moving incredibly fast, yet silently.

Tang Wen was quite surprised. In the Black Mountain King’s footwork, he recognized not only the Shadow Nether Step but also the Profound Technique of the Night Divine Fist.

He casually sheathed his longsword behind him, caught up to his opponent in a few flickers, and threw a punch.

He didn’t use a Sword Skill to launch a sneak attack, not because he wanted to give his opponent a dignified, open fight.

It was purely because he wanted to use this veteran master of the dark arts to grind for some experience.

[Night Divine Fist—Assassination]

The punch was silent and unnoticed.

Just as the fist was about to hit his opponent’s back, the Black Mountain King suddenly dodged like a slippery loach, and Tang Wen’s punch missed.

Tang Wen clicked his tongue. ’This old fox is pretty slippery. No wonder the Queen said he was an expert at escaping.’

He was in no mood to play a one-on-one game of cat and mouse. He might have indulged him at any other time, but after this, Five Families City was still waiting to be saved. He simply had no time to waste.

With a SWISH, he flickered and appeared behind the Black Mountain King again.

The unexpected happened.

The Black Mountain King had anticipated this move. The moment Tang Wen’s Instant Step landed, he spun around and unleashed a Sky-Shattering Shocking Fist, whipping up a gale of Gang Qi and blasting it at Tang Wen!

Though surprised, the latter was unafraid. "Nice one!"

The Black Mountain King knew that if he just kept fleeing, his death would be certain once the White Tiger caught up.

At this moment, the only way to survive was to quickly kill Tang Wen and then go into hiding!

Without a moment to lose, Tang Wen slightly lowered his head, and a golden-red light enveloped his body.

CLANG!

It was like a hammer striking a giant Golden Bell, a resonant, metallic hum echoing through the air.

The Black Mountain King’s expression changed. He felt as if his well-planned punch had slammed into a mountain of solid steel!

It made a loud noise but caused no damage. Worse, the rebound force from his Shocking Fist sent a sharp pain through his own wrist.

Tang Wen’s figure appeared out of thin air.

Seeing his face clearly, the Black Mountain King became even more terrified.

"Where did this little monster come from!"

As if he’d seen a ghost, the Black Mountain King gave up on fighting head-on and turned to flee.

’That counter-punch just now was a six-fold Shocking Fist, using at least eighty percent of my strength. It’s one thing not to take him down with a hasty surprise attack, but I couldn’t even break through his defense?!’

’How am I supposed to fight this?’

Tang Wen shook his head, and the slight dizziness faded.

He used Instant Step to continue the pursuit.

Sensing instant danger three times in a row, the Black Mountain King’s expression turned grim.

The old fox, who had been cunning for half his life, finally understood. ’I can’t outrun him, and I can’t beat him!’

’What am I supposed to do?’

’Just give up and let myself be captured?’

’Or die here like a stray dog?’

’No!’

’There’s still a way for me to live!’

The Black Mountain King’s eyes flashed, and he shouted, "Don’t kill me! I have treasure, and Martial Arts Secret Techniques! I’ll take you to them right now."

"Hah! Do you take me for a three-year-old?"

BOOM!

He casually threw an Eightfold Shocking Fist.

The Black Mountain King was sent tumbling head over heels, crashing forward and smashing through several trees in his path with a series of CRACKS.

Covered in blood, he was a miserable sight.

Tang Wen didn’t pause for a moment and rushed forward.

’That last punch seemed to have shattered something. Probably the Black Mountain King’s Heart-Protecting Mirror or some other piece of defensive gear. The old fox looks pathetic, but he’s probably not seriously injured at all.’

Sure enough, seeing that he had created some distance, the Black Mountain King crushed a bamboo tube in his hand and threw it over.

He changed direction and fled again.

A rotten stench assaulted the senses.

Tang Wen’s steps faltered.

’What is this? Poisonous Insects? Black Mountain Camp has tricks like this?’

Tang Wen held his breath and kept his distance.

The Black Mountain King wished he’d been born with two more legs as he sprinted madly toward the western mountains.

He could release the poison indiscriminately, but Tang Wen couldn’t just ignore it.

After all, this was already Flame Camp’s territory.

Who knew what kind of disaster it would cause if left untreated?

BOOM!

A Flying Locust Stone shot from his fingertip, instantly igniting into a stream of fire and blasting into the swarm of stinking insects.

The high temperature caused the air to shimmer and distort.

The Flying Locust Stone exploded, shattering within the swarm. The intense heat incinerated the stone to ash, and the insect swarm was reduced to dust along with it.

Tang Wen used Instant Step to leap into the air, casually flicking out stones that transformed into flames, annihilating the swarms of insects the Black Mountain King had left in his wake!

After this slight delay, the Black Mountain King was out of tricks. He was hit by another of Tang Wen’s punches from a distance and immediately screamed in pain, his tendons snapping and bones breaking.

The instinct for survival drove him to flee frantically.

Tang Wen sensed something was off. ’Is this guy trying to lead me somewhere?’

He glanced at the sky. The White Tiger was already escorting him from within the clouds, so he had nothing to worry about from behind.

So, he deliberately held back, making each of his attacks weaker than the last.

The Black Mountain King was overjoyed. ’That’s it! That little monster behind me is so young, yet so terrifyingly skilled. He must have a weakness. He can’t maintain his explosive power!’

’It makes sense when you think about it. His Instant Step and high-multiple Shocking Fists are all ultimate moves. They must consume an enormous amount of physical and Spiritual Power. How could he possibly last long at this rate?’

The more the Black Mountain King thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Even the pain from his injuries seemed to fade as he picked up his pace, his footwork becoming more varied as he sprinted wildly.

Finally, a buzzing sound arose.

’We’re here!’

The Black Mountain King’s spirits lifted, and he roared with all his might, "Tyrant Bear! Get out here!"

Tang Wen smelled a foul wind, rounded a bend, and emerged from the forest to find a village before him.

In front of every house hung lantern-like beehives, with bees buzzing incessantly.

"So this is Tyrant Bear’s hideout!"

Surprise showed in Tang Wen’s eyes. ’What a pleasant surprise.’

’That old bastard, the Black Mountain King, is completely selling out his teammate!’

At this thought, he stopped holding back. He flashed forward with a punch. The Black Mountain King hurriedly dodged, not expecting it to be a feint.

Tang Wen drew his longsword, Gang Qi erupted, and he severed both of the Black Mountain King’s legs with a single slash!

"AH! You little bastard! You were pretending just now?"

Tang Wen couldn’t be bothered with him, dodging the wild attacks from his hands.

A few more slashes ended his life, and Tang Wen cut off his head.

The Black Mountain King’s head had to be taken back to show everyone at the camp.

The Black Mountain King, who had been a thorn in their side for so many years, was dead.

Black Mountain Camp was finished for good.

Tang Wen didn’t feel much about it.

The ground trembled slightly.

The Tyrant Bear emerged from a giant wooden house, glanced at the sky, and fled towards the deep mountains without a second look.

Unfortunately, where could it run?

The White Tiger, excited by the hunt, cast a Wind Binding, restraining the Tyrant Bear’s massive body as if it were a toy!

Then, she carried the bear high into the air and slammed it viciously toward the ground.

Unexpectedly, just as it was about to crash, the Tyrant Bear let out a furious roar. Its Spiritual Power erupted violently, breaking the bonds on its body, and it fled in a wild rampage.

Hu Qi snorted under her breath, feeling she had lost face.

Growing larger against the wind, she revealed her true form—a massive body dozens of meters long. She swatted down with one paw, pulverizing the rocks beneath and leaving the Tyrant Bear on the verge of death.

With a second swat, she ended its life.

After checking the village, there was no female bear, and certainly no cubs.

Tang Wen used a Void Stone to collect its corpse and was the first to return to the camp.

The Black Mountain King’s head was surrounded by a crowd of onlookers.

The feud between the two camps had a long history. Seeing their old rival killed should have made everyone happy.

But when they recalled how their own camp had just been attacked by a Sixth-Grade Master earlier that day, nearly wiping them out, they couldn’t bring themselves to celebrate.

Instead, there was a complex feeling of sorrow, for the death of a rival today could mean their own tomorrow.

"Entrusting the camp’s future to Tang Wen was the right choice. Otherwise, we might have been the ones wiped out one day," General Zhou sighed.

But Tang Wen didn’t hear his emotional sigh.

He and Hu Qi, along with Li Zi, General Zhao, and the others, were already on their way to Five Families City, traveling without rest.

After just a few hours, Five Families City was in sight.

The city gates were wide open, and clouds of smoke and dust billowed out.

Tang Wen exclaimed in shock, "Why is it on fire? Is someone attacking the city? Or has the Huang Family already arrived?"

The White Tiger flew closer at high speed.

Li Zi and the others could also see clearly now. The sounds of battle rose from within the city, tinged with exhaustion and resentment. It sounded like the people of Five Families City had already been resisting for some time.

"How did the Huang Family get here so fast?"