Chapter 056: On the Road

Yes, what appeared on Lin Zhan’s face was a smile of satisfaction. His feints and evasions were all designed to create this very opportunity: a moment alone with a single Yellow-rank opponent—one he could strike at with confidence.

Those of the Human rank were of little concern, but with the true strength of a Yellow-rank still unknown, he wasn’t foolish enough to take on four at once. Isolating one was the wisest move. Both were of the same rank, and with the full force of his Blazing Fist, Lin Zhan hoped to make his adversary suffer a hidden loss. Still, he was prepared to flee at a moment’s notice.

“Good move!” Lin Zhan’s smile vanished, his expression grew solemn, and his spiritual energy, long since gathered, surged within him. Golden dragon-shaped forms clustered along his arm, his fist poised to strike forward without hesitation.

“Blazing Fire!”

Brimming with vigor, his sea of spirit surged with tempestuous waves, pouring spiritual energy into a single point—and in the next instant, he unleashed a mighty blow.

Boom!

Everyone heard the thunderous crash. The air quivered, shards of ice exploded in all directions, and the snow-laden trees trembled and swayed.

“Damn it, Chen Feng! We needed him alive; we haven’t finished questioning him yet. Are you trying to blast him to bits?” Lu Feiying cursed in exasperation.

If Chen Feng killed Lin Zhan and erased the evidence, the whereabouts of Cheng Zhi and Wei Tielong would remain a mystery.

A dark shadow shot through the air like a great bird, but as the others looked, they saw that this “bird” was in dire straits—Chen Feng’s body was charred black, blood spraying wildly as he tumbled away.

What? Chen Feng was gravely wounded?

Before anyone could react, Lin Zhan flashed into action. As swift as lightning, he left a phantom image behind, darting among the Human-rank team members. Heavy blows landed in quick succession, and soon, Lin Zhan had already targeted a snow-covered grove to the east. With a flurry of icy collisions, he slipped away and vanished without a trace.

The atmosphere turned even stranger, a chilling silence descending until the sound of Chen Feng’s body crashing to the ground finally shattered it.

“That little bastard is hiding something! After him!”

“Be careful! He’s playing the fool to hide his true strength!”

But it was already too late. The Human-rank team members began to collapse one after another, falling swiftly to Lin Zhan’s relentless Blazing Fist.

Only the frantic Lu Feiying and two other Yellow-ranks were left standing.

“After him!”

“Wait.”

The two Yellow-ranks were about to leap into pursuit, but Lu Feiying stopped them with a forceful gesture.

“This time I was careless,” he said, face twisted and eyes bloodshot. “That brat concealed his cultivation. If he could cripple Chen Feng with a single strike, his realm must be at least Yellow-rank, third grade. And with those movement techniques just now, he’s no simple foe. It seems Cheng Zhi and Wei Tielong were doomed by his scheming from the start. We can’t walk into another trap. Let’s clean up here first, then track him down.”

Lu Feiying glanced around at the corpses and the barely breathing Chen Feng. His veins stood out, and though fury burned in him, a sense of helplessness gnawed at his heart.

A thought flashed through his mind but vanished as quickly as it came. He hadn’t notified the other teams before, and now, given the disastrous losses, he dared not do so. If his squad failed here, they’d become a laughingstock for the ages, not to mention any hopes of merit. Better to suffer in silence than alert the others now.

“Chief Lu, I… I can’t accept this…” Chen Feng lay flat on the ice, grievously wounded in both body and spirit. Lin Zhan’s Blazing Fist had left his front charred black, his internal organs shattered.

Such wounds could only be healed by the most potent elixirs or rarest treasures; not even immortals could save him otherwise.

The team had healing pills, but none could save a dying man. Lu Feiying, unwilling to waste them, hardened his heart, drew his long spear, and thrust it into Chen Feng’s chest.

“Off you go. I hope there are plenty of asses in the afterlife for you to enjoy.”

At another time, Lu’s words might have brought laughter, but in that moment, the two other Yellow-ranks, busy gathering the bodies of their fallen comrades, felt only dread. The fear struck deep, stirring wild, uneasy thoughts in their minds.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the remaining three began searching in the direction Lin Zhan had vanished. This time, they dared not split up for any reason, keeping their focus razor-sharp. It was clear Lin Zhan was Yellow-rank—but likely not much higher—so he relied on trickery. As long as they worked together, they were certain they could bring him down.

Yet Lin Zhan, who had sent Chen Feng flying with a single blow, was not unscathed himself. He’d spat blood on the spot, having suffered internal injuries from the backlash of Chen Feng’s sudden energy defense. Forcing himself to kill the Human-ranks had drained him further. As he fled, he truly feared the remaining three experts might catch up.

Now, hidden away in a secluded spot, Lin Zhan sat to regulate his breath. The memory of battle left him both apprehensive and exhilarated.

The strike had been satisfying—so swift, so decisive! His opponent was of a higher realm, and in a direct confrontation, even with the Blazing Fist, the fight could have ended in mutual destruction. This time, he’d had the element of surprise. Though he’d succeeded, the experience offered little in the way of insight or advancement; such sneak attacks, he thought, should be used sparingly.

His next target was the trio of remaining Yellow-ranks—he hoped they would catch up soon.

The situation was hardly promising. Other than the Blazing Fist and a heavy sword, he had no other techniques or combat skills—a significant weakness. If forced into a head-on fight, brute strength would be his only option.

His greatest advantage lay in the Nine-Star Chart, which provided him with an abundant reserve of spiritual energy. Since advancing to Yellow-rank, he’d discovered that he could access the reserve of the first star at will. It was this that had allowed him, after unleashing his charged strike against Chen Feng, to muster enough power to dispatch the other Human-ranks.

If he faced the three Yellow-ranks together, would they surround and attack him? If so, he’d have no choice but to flee once more.

Sighing, Lin Zhan muttered to himself, “If I want a one-on-one fight, I’ll have to use my wits. A sneak attack when needed is just a tactic, after all.”

Having thought it through, he set aside his worries, sat cross-legged, and focused on healing his wounds.

He could sense that his pursuers would soon arrive.