Chapter 322: Brute Force, the Bane of the Flashy

As the patriarch of a prestigious Mage Family and the current head of the Hu clan, Hu Hong had more than his fair share of troubles.

His strategic blunders in the struggle for supremacy were particularly galling.

He once had a chance to vie for ultimate power, but a scheme against him had caused it all to fall apart at the final moment.

The endless stream of trivial matters that followed only added to his frustration.

'If only I could break through to the realm beyond First-Grade, I wouldn't be this troubled,' Hu Hong thought, rubbing his temples.

To outsiders, the Hu Family was a picture of prosperity. He, however, knew the reality. While they weren't a hollow façade on the verge of collapse, the sheer expense of supporting such a massive Mage Family was enough to give him a headache.

'The ancient texts say that with an Immortal Spiritual Root, one can achieve ascension and undergo a complete metamorphosis.'

'But there's no such thing as a so-called Immortal Spiritual Root. These ancient texts... they're probably just full of lies.'

Every First-Grade Mage was searching for a path to break through, but Spiritual Roots only came in Lower, Middle, and Top grades, corresponding to the nine ranks of Mages.

However, many ancient texts did mention Immortal Mages, and all of them referenced the existence of something called an Immortal Spiritual Root.

Unfortunately, not even the most powerful and prestigious Mage Families had found the slightest trace of one.

As a result, the pinnacle of power remained at the First Grade.

Of course, there were still differences between one First-Grade Mage and another.

A First-Grade Mage from a prominent family, with an optimal combination of Spiritual Roots, a good education, and the backing of wealth and resources, would naturally be stronger.

This was assuming, however, that it wasn't a fight to the death. In that case, the outcome was anyone's guess.

After all, when someone is fighting for their life, the desperate underdog with nothing to lose won't necessarily be defeated.

However, Mages who reached the First Grade rarely fought. After cultivating so arduously to reach this level, they naturally cherished their lives.

They wouldn't make a move unless it was absolutely necessary.

For any minor matters, they could simply order the Second-Grade Mages in their family to handle it.

After a moment of grumbling, Hu Hong returned to handling the Hu Family's affairs. Many important matters required his personal review before they could be implemented.

After all, these matters concerned the economic and resource lifelines of the Hu Family. As the patriarch, he had to keep them firmly under his control.

"Hm?" He suddenly raised his head, a look of confusion on his face. 'Danger? What's going on?'

He didn't quite understand the source of this premonition.

'Could it be several First-Grade Mages working together?' Hu Hong had crossed paths with other First-Grade Mages before. A one-on-one duel, as long as it wasn't a fight to the death, would never trigger such an intense sense of peril.

The feeling came from a Taoist Technique granted by one of his Lower-Grade Spiritual Roots.

Lower-Grade meant foundational, not necessarily poor quality.

So, naturally, it remained useful even for a First-Grade Mage.

Therefore, the most likely explanation was that two or more First-Grade Mages were making a move against him, which was the only thing that could provoke such a sense of crisis.

'Do they think the Hu Family is finished?' A cold glint flashed in Hu Hong's eyes.

If the situation was truly that dire, he could at most take one of them down with him.

As for regret or remorse, such things were out of the question.

They were the ones picking a fight; what use did he have for those emotions?

He casually draped a purple robe over his shoulders, a talismanic artifact formed from his Middle-Grade Spiritual Root.

He then drew his Coiling Dragon Staff. With a beckoning gesture, an eagle that had been dozing in the study flew to him, landing on his shoulder.

It and the staff were also his talismanic artifacts.

Together, they covered the three functions: defense, offense, and support.

'Since you've come, if this is truly a fight to the death, I'll have to make sure at least one of you stays behind.' Hu Hong was not arrogant enough to think he could take down all of them.

But if even one First-Grade Mage died, it would mean another prestigious Mage Family would accompany his Hu Family to the grave.

His task wasn't to fight all his enemies at once, but to pick one and beat them to death.

'They're here.'

"Flame!" The draconic eyes on the Coiling Dragon Staff in Hu Hong's hand flashed with fire.

In an instant, Spiritual Power erupted into fire, rapidly engulfing the entire study.

A black shadow shot into the inferno at extreme speed, its sharp claws tearing right through the Flame he had summoned.

CLANG!

His Coiling Dragon Staff intercepted the claws aimed at his face.

However, the pure, savage force traveled straight down the staff, delivering a staggering impact to his hands.

If not for a flash of lightning from the purple robe on his body that nullified the force, he would have been in dire straits from that one blow, even if not seriously injured.

"Divine Soul Thunderfire Spirit Venerable!"

Hu Hong retreated several steps and immediately played his trump card.

Three Taoist Scriptures, formed from his Top-Grade Spiritual Roots, materialized around him. Qi Suian, the assailant, naturally recognized them: Celestial Thunder Punishment, Earth-Fire Celestial Mountain, and Fierce Spirit General.

Their abilities were much like their names suggested: the first two were thunder and fire-aspected, while the last was soul-aspected.

By combining these three Taoist Scriptures with his divine soul, he created an effect similar to a Fire Seed Armor.

The Coiling Dragon Staff in his hand, the purple robe on his body, and the eagle on his shoulder were all enveloped by the light.

A brilliant flash of thunder and fire later, Hu Hong had transformed into a godlike figure. He held lightning in his left hand and flame in his right, his eyes as piercing as a falcon's.

"All flash, no substance," Qi Suian commented, then lunged forward and delivered a simple, unadorned kick to the groin.

In response, Hu Hong decisively manipulated his thunder and fire to... get kicked squarely in the crotch, doubling over like a cooked shrimp.

'A Close-Combat Mage would have finished stacking buffs, and an Elemental Mage would have created distance.'

'Hell, even a Warrior would have charged in by now.'

'But this guy was something else. He was still posing after his transformation sequence.'

'If he wasn't asking for a beating, who was?'

Qi Suian was certain that kick was a critical hit, and it probably had a "shatter" effect, too.

The main issue was that Hu Hong had never imagined Qi Suian would use such a dirty, underhanded move.

He had seen killing blows and was wary of treacherous schemes. But a move this cheap... it wasn't that he'd never considered it, but he never imagined anyone would actually *use* it.

'With your level of skill, why not just attack my vital points directly?!'

Fortunately, as a First-Grade Mage, his body's regenerative abilities were powerful, and the pain began to subside almost instantly. He struggled to raise his head and saw a ferocious figure clad in black armor.

He mentally scanned his list of known First-Grade Mages but couldn't place this individual.

But he quickly realized he had no time for such thoughts.

Qi Suian's claws were already coming straight for his face.

If he failed to block this, even if it didn't punch five holes in his face, he would certainly be blinded.

Awkwardly, his hands were still instinctively guarding his groin, and he couldn't bring them up in time.

He wanted to dodge but couldn't; his posture made evasion impossible.

The result was inevitable. The claws pierced his face. His opponent not only gouged out his eyes but even yanked outward.

He felt a part of his brain being pulled out with them.

Agonizing pain shot through him, but Hu Hong had no time to dwell on it. He forcefully broke free of his enemy's grasp and began to retreat.

Losing his eyes wasn't a crippling blow for Hu Hong. After all, he had his magical and Taoist Techniques to guide him; it was merely an inconvenience.

Right now, the only thing that mattered was finding a way to escape with his life.

From his arrival to this moment, his opponent had used only three moves, and he had only managed to parry the initial surprise attack.

Against the subsequent groin kick and eye-gouge, he had been utterly powerless to fight back.

Honestly, he was baffled. 'We are both First-Grade Mages, so how can he be this much stronger than me?'

In that instant, three words flashed into his mind: Immortal Spiritual Root.

"You've obtained an Immortal Spiritual Root!!!" Hu Hong's voice was deafening, loud enough for everyone in the Hu Family compound to hear.

'He must have obtained an Immortal Spiritual Root but hasn't fully refined it yet,' he reasoned. 'That puts him in the realm of a Half-Step Immortal Mage.'

'That's why he can crush me, but not kill me instantly!'

Hearing this, Qi Suian's movements became even more ruthless; his claws shot out and pierced straight through Hu Hong's throat.

Inwardly, however, he was a bit dumbfounded. 'So there really are Divine and Immortal Grades? I thought that was just my own wild speculation.'

'I can't believe they actually exist.'

'And this guy thinks I have one.'

Qi Suian didn't have an Immortal Spiritual Root. His immense strength came from possessing ninety-nine Lower-Grade and ninety-nine Middle-Grade Spiritual Roots.

Still, he made a mental note of this information.

'After I capture this Hu Family patriarch, I'll have to be extra thorough when I plunder the place,' Qi Suian thought. 'Maybe I'll find what he was talking about.'

Since he was already here, Qi Suian wasn't about to just capture the First-Grade Mage. Everyone else would be slaughtered and tossed into the Melting Furnace for disposal.

Anything valuable would be taken. Anything that couldn't be taken would be stuffed into the Melting Furnace as fuel.

'Can't just leave things behind,' he thought. 'That would be such a waste.'

"Hahaha, you can't keep this a secret!"

"When the other First-Grade Mages find out, there will be nowhere left for you to run!" Hu Hong had assessed Qi Suian's condition.

His opponent was far stronger than a First-Grade Mage, but still operated within the bounds of that rank; he had not yet become truly Extraordinary.

Qi Suian was speechless. 'Do you even know who I am? You think I can't keep a secret?'

'With my current appearance, even the me from a month ago wouldn't recognize myself now.'

The man's threat was completely empty.

Qi Suian pulled his claws from the man's throat, and Hu Hong's body went limp.

His flashy transformation instantly dispelled. The talismanic artifact from his Middle-Grade Spiritual Root returned to his body, and the Taoist Scriptures of his Top-Grade Spiritual Roots grew dim and lackluster.

Evidently, Qi Suian's attacks had damaged the Top-Grade Spiritual Roots that served as the main source of the amplification.

With a sharp twist, Qi Suian wrenched Hu Hong's head clean off his shoulders.

'Separating the head from the body is the first step in taking a captive.'

'And if they die? That's what anesthetics are for.'

However, for a First-Grade Mage like Hu Hong, beheading wasn't fatal. More importantly, his powerful physique rendered conventional anesthetics useless.

Qi Suian hadn't yet had the time to develop a more potent sedative, so physical incapacitation was simply more convenient.

Hu Hong sensed Qi Suian's intent and tried to struggle with his Divine Soul.

But Qi Suian immediately sealed it, then summoned a creature named Fei to completely suppress Hu Hong's Divine Soul.

Fei was a being of divine will, a kind of evolved spiritual projection, whereas Hu Hong's Divine Soul was a special structure formed from his Top-Grade Spiritual Roots and his own Spirit.

In essence, they were similar. But with Hu Hong's Taoist Scriptures severely damaged and Fei being enhanced by Qi Suian's current Abyssal Form, the contest was one-sided.

Any hope Hu Hong had was instantly extinguished.

Qi Suian easily processed and sealed the captive, only then did he notify the Tai Sui God to enter.

That's right. For this operation, he hadn't worn the Tai Sui God. He had relied solely on his own strength.