The ten disciples of Lei Wubei waited on the periphery, only poised to act the moment Fengxue Yincheng and Shi Changxiao Yingboku made their move. As soon as those few stirred, they would instantly intervene to seize the Profound Elixir and flee far away.
Though they lacked the strength to contend directly with the Supreme Divine Profound, they counted on their combined power to create an opening. Once the Elixir was momentarily distracted, they were confident they could vanish across a thousand li!
The three elders of Fengxue Yincheng shared the exact same calculation. They waited for Yingboku and Shi Changxiao to clash. Once those two rivals engaged, they would be too preoccupied for a short time to notice anything else. At that point, the only potential threat would be Fei Mengchen, whereas they would be three against one, greatly increasing their odds of success.
The Grand Preceptor of the Yu Tang Empire, Fei Mengchen, kept his hands tucked deep within his sleeves, eyes slightly closed. He projected an air of complete composure, as if nothing transpiring held the slightest relevance to him, or perhaps he was conserving his strength, poised for a single, decisive blow.
Shi Changxiao, however, found himself in a dilemma. By sheer power, he was the strongest present. By reinforcements, he commanded seven formidable experts to aid him. Yet, he understood perfectly well that precisely because his side possessed the greatest might, it had become the focal point of everyone’s attention. If he did not strike first, this delicate equilibrium might hold. But should he make the first move, it would inevitably trigger a brutal, chaotic melee!
With Yingboku present, even if Shi Changxiao was certain of victory in such a free-for-all, seizing the Profound Elixir would become impossible! If he couldn't secure the Elixir, why had he come here at all? This was no tourist excursion!
Especially since the area was thick with masters. In a chaotic battle, he himself might survive unscathed, but what of his subordinates? Each of them was no ordinary fighter, capable of standing alone, yet the concentration of experts here was too dense. Any one of them faced the constant risk of annihilation! If they were all lost here, even securing the Profound Elixir might not be worth the price!
In contrast, the opposing Yingboku carried none of these reservations. He hadn't come for the Elixir in the first place, and being a lone wolf, he had the supreme advantage of being able to withdraw at any moment. This warmonger, faced with so many worthy opponents, must surely have his blood already boiling with anticipation.
The more Shi Changxiao considered it, the more his headache intensified, even entertaining the thought that perhaps it would have been better had he never attempted to claim the Profound Elixir!
The other Supreme Divine Profound, Yingboku, was equally lost in thought. These assembled individuals clearly weren't here merely to spar with him. If someone dared to strike first, they might instantly snatch the Profound Elixir from the hands of that dark-clad figure. That would lead to a protracted chase, and Shi Changxiao would surely abandon fighting him to pursue the Elixir, thus frustrating the original intent of his visit.
For a suspended moment, despite the sheer number of masters present, not a single soul dared to initiate the action.
A hoarse, icy voice suddenly cut through the tension: “Damn it! All of you just stand around posturing. Are you a bunch of wooden stakes? If you’re going to fight, hurry up and be decisive! It’s raining so hard, I’m about to catch a cold! You’re more indecisive than women! If you’ve got a set of balls, then move!”
Everyone simultaneously erupted in fury. Who dared to be so audacious? That statement managed to offend every single person present, both those who could be slighted and those who absolutely could not. It was utterly brazen!
Gazes instantly snapped toward the source of the sound, revealing an even greater shock. It was the dark-clad figure right in the center, suddenly agitated, railing and gesticulating wildly, his finger pointing accusingly at the noses of the Eight Supreme Beings and the Supreme Divine Profounds one by one, cursing with unrestrained glee.
Truly, he had guts!
What sort of person was this? With the Profound Elixir at risk of being snatched away at any moment, he dared to provoke everyone? Was this sheer recklessness and ignorance, or profound idiocy?
“Silence!” More than five or six voices roared in unison.
“Insolent whelp! What right does a junior like you have to speak here?” Yingboku, whose temper was the fiercest, flashed forward, moving with phantom speed until he stood before the masked figure. He brought his palm down in a vicious strike aimed squarely at the man’s face, intending to teach this sharp-tongued fellow a lesson! He clearly had no concept of heaven and earth!
The three elders of Fengxue Yincheng watched, their eyes wide with tension.
The battle would be ignited by Yingboku’s slap!
Others might not know, but the three elders of Fengxue Yincheng certainly did. This black-clad man was no simple character. Even though Yingboku was one of the Eight Supreme Beings, taking down this masked figure easily might prove far from simple—perhaps even courting defeat if he was too arrogant!
This black-clad individual was highly likely to be a Divine Profound himself, and one of an exceedingly high tier!
Recalling the bizarre spectacle of the man casually shifting the colors of his profound energy still sent a genuine shudder of awe through the elder’s heart! How thoroughly must one have perfected the command over one’s profound energy to exhibit such a feat? Putting others aside, even Han Feixue, the City Lord of Yincheng, whose power ranked among the top three Divine Profound Supremes, had not achieved such mastery!
Hmph. However, since old Yingboku was arrogant and perpetually at odds with Fengxue Yincheng, watching him suffer a setback or a major embarrassment would be highly gratifying. The elder naturally would not offer a warning, content to wait for Yingboku to be shocked into public humiliation.
But what happened next—
The mysterious dark-clad man appeared to panic, dodging swiftly before lunging again. Slap. A crisp sound echoed as Yingboku’s palm landed squarely on the man's chest! The masked figure cried out, “Ah! I—” his shout cut short as he was sent flying backward, like a broken kite. Mid-air, he shrieked in utter panic, “Help! Mercy!”
Everyone stared, slack-jawed! How could this be? Such a bold, towering expert was actually crying for help?
Most unbelievably, the Profound Elixir, clutched tightly in the dark-clad man’s right hand, flew loose from his grip due to the impact. By sheer coincidence, it landed directly into Yingboku’s right hand, which was still outstretched!
Yingboku felt an immense, incredibly pure surge of energy suddenly fill his palm. Instinctively, his fingers clamped shut, securing the Profound Elixir in his grip.
He hadn't expected his single slap to succeed! Since this masked man possessed the peak Ninth-Level Profound Elixir, and yet maintained such composure amidst countless top-tier experts, even daring to curse everyone including himself and Shi Changxiao—how could he be an ordinary figure? He must have been a powerful master!
Truthfully speaking, Yingboku’s initial intent in attacking was never the Elixir, but to engage in combat with him. He certainly hadn't underestimated him, holding the masked man in extremely high regard!
Therefore, Yingboku’s palm strike contained countless contingencies and concealed several exquisitely refined maneuvers, designed so that no matter how the black-robed man reacted, he could smoothly transition into a more advanced attack.
This strike, both in technique and positioning, was a masterpiece of culmination.
But relative to the subtle, masterful follow-ups, the opening slap was exceedingly crude. Yet, the black-robed figure he respected so highly proved surprisingly fragile, rendering all his refined subsequent moves unnecessary, as this single slap sent him flying!
Long after the black-robed figure had been struck away, Yingboku himself remained confused. Had he succeeded too unexpectedly? His goal was to find a worthy opponent; this trinket was meaningless to him!
Dumbfounded, Yingboku slowly raised his hand, looking with complex emotions at the Profound Elixir nestled in his palm, staring at this windfall that had come to him for no discernible reason. After a long pause, he muttered, “Damn it all!”
Among everyone present, only one person hadn't come seeking the Profound Elixir—and that was the Prairie Eagle God, Yingboku! But now, against all expectations, as if fate were playing a grand cosmic joke on everyone, the one least wanting it had obtained it!
And obtained it so effortlessly it was a burden!
This sudden turn of events left even the Grand Master Shi Changxiao gaping in astonishment!
No one could have imagined that the black-robed man would turn out to be nothing more than silver plating over straw!
Even worse than straw, for straw at least had a process of melting down. How could he be so crushingly fragile!
The one who had been struck was a figure among the Eight Supreme Beings, and Yingboku, in particular, was renowned among them for his incredible agility. If he truly wished to escape, even Shi Changxiao trying his hardest to stop him would be utterly pointless!
Now, nearly everyone present felt a stabbing regret!
They dared not rashly attack Yingboku, for they were not Shi Changxiao; challenging such an apex figure was simply seeking a swift death!
So, one by one, they furiously scanned the area for any trace of the dark-clad man. If they found that fellow, they would swarm him instantly and beat him into a pulp to vent the rage churning in their stomachs!
Damn it, if you have no strength, why put on such a show? You made me miss a golden opportunity!
I may not be able to deal with the Prairie Eagle God, but I can certainly deal with you! You thing softer than silver-plated straw!
But as the crowd followed the trajectory of the black-robed man’s flight, they saw nothing—silence. The dark-clad figure had vanished into thin air!
Had this fellow been made of paper, or piled ash? Did he simply disintegrate upon impact?!
A living man, under the gaze of two Heavenly Supremes, four Divine Profound masters, nearly twenty Heavenly Profound experts, and the watchful eyes of… a dual profound master, had abruptly disappeared. He vanished as if the air had evaporated, leaving no shadow! It was as if Yingboku’s single slap had struck him into nothingness!
Slap! Another crisp, delicate sound rang out.
The stunned crowd, still reeling from the shock, instinctively turned their heads toward the sound. It was Fengxue Yincheng’s Third Elder, that expert Divine Profound, who had just brought his own palm down across his face!
It was a crisp, resonant, loud, and surprisingly pleasant sound!
What on earth was he doing?!
The Sixth and Ninth Elders stepped forward solicitously. “Third Brother, what’s wrong?”
The relationship between Elders Three, Six, and Nine had always been exceptionally close!
“Uh, a mosquito,” the Third Elder mumbled awkwardly.
The crowd nearly fainted from shock! In the late autumn, during such a torrential downpour, even an eagle would likely be grounded. And yet, there was a mosquito? What kind of mosquito was so formidable?!
Little did they know that the Third Elder’s guts were twisting with regret at that very moment!