The current state of Zhan Xiaoxiao was quite reminiscent of someone whose hair had just been aggressively styled with a fresh perm and then doused with several bottles of industrial-strength hairspray! This level of shaping skill would make even the world's number one hairstylist hang their head in shame...
No matter how much of a master a hairstylist is, they still rely on scissors and tools. This man achieved his hairstyle using lightning, and he paid for it with his very life!
Lightning certainly has no appreciation for hairstyles. It struck Zhan Xiaoxiao's head again and again without mercy. It took him a moment of stunned silence before he remembered to drop downwards quickly. Fortunately, this old fellow's power was truly astonishing; even after enduring such relentless lightning, his injuries were still limited—not enough to kill him...
But limited as the injuries might be, he was still wounded. And fighting head-on against the Heavenly Tribulation—wasn't that an idiotic move? Zhan Xiaoxiao hastily reactivated the "Thousand Catties of Descent" technique and plummeted downward for dear life!
Only when he had dropped about halfway did the lightning cease its pursuit and slowly dissipate. At this moment, the thunder in the sky finally roared to life, crackling like firecrackers, with a density matching the clamor of a million armies clashing in the mortal realm, the sound echoing the grand moment when both sides beat their war drums together...
Poor Saint Venerable expert Zhan Xiaoxiao! All his clothes had been reduced to tattered strips by that barrage of lightning. His face was completely soot-black, his body crisscrossed with scorch marks, and the big waves he once had on his head had long since transformed into a bird's nest. A gust of wind caused the hair, now reduced to ash, to flutter away...
He opened his mouth and surprisingly puffed out a cloud of thick smoke...
However, to have survived a direct assault from Heavenly Thunders of this magnitude, Zhan Xiaoxiao already felt incredibly fortunate. Had he delayed even a moment longer, he likely would have been roasted into cooked meat by the heavenly lightning...
What in the blazes was this lightning? It was nearly as fierce as the tribulation lightning he endured when passing his own Saint Venerable Heavenly Tribulation... It almost shattered his soul!
Zhan Xiaoxiao landed on the ground, his heart still pounding with lingering terror. He glanced inside himself and saw that his remaining Profound Energy had been diminished by more than half. In that brief span of time, he had approached death twice, truly cheating fate. Fear gripped him, causing goosebumps to rise across his body in waves...
Damn it, all he was doing this time was chasing down an Ethereal Constitution practitioner of the Golden Profound realm...
How did he end up running into such a catastrophic disaster!
Was there any semblance of fairness left in the heavens?
Just then, he suddenly felt another anomaly. Zhan Xiaoxiao instinctively ducked down violently. Whoosh—a gleaming long sword flew past his head, skimming so close it almost grazed his scalp. The icy touch of the blade sent a chill straight to the bottom of his heart...
Before Zhan Xiaoxiao could even stand up, the long sword whipped back, whooshing menacingly toward his throat!
Zhan Xiaoxiao maintained his horse stance and hopped sideways like a toad to avoid it. Then, the sword began a relentless assault, attacking him from every direction—front, back, left, right, up, and down! Occasionally, the blade would graze his arm. His skin, normally so tough that even divine weapons struggled to wound it, actually showed a white mark, and soon after, blood began to well up...
His current power had already been reduced by more than half, and this Void Flying Sword was clearly a top-tier divine weapon of this world! His physical resilience was no longer sufficient to withstand the sword's cutting edge!
Zhan Xiaoxiao's mind raced with frantic calculations. His clothes had already been reduced to strips; now, under the swift dodging, the strips were sliced apart by the sword wind, transforming into countless fluttering butterflies that drifted away...
Then, the amusement for His Holiness the Saint Venerable grew exponentially!
The current Zhan Xiaoxiao was completely naked, seemingly not even a shred of covering left!
So, every time he made a vigorous movement, he felt something swinging loosely, a chilling sensation that was utterly unsettling...
Having lived for several thousand years, when had he ever encountered such an embarrassing situation?
Zhan Xiaoxiao's old face flushed a deep shade of eggplant purple...
He felt anger, shame, fury, and panic all mixed together...
Zhan Xiaoxiao suddenly roared at the top of his lungs, "If you have the guts, come out and fight me to the death! What kind of true skill is it to only ambush and scheme?"
After enduring one shock after another, Zhan Xiaoxiao finally realized that the flying sword was not being wielded by anyone.
This meant some mysterious opponent was controlling it with Sword Control Arts! And anyone capable of reaching that level must be an opponent on par with himself!
Such a powerful expert was resorting to such a petty, humiliating way to capture, even toy with him...
Zhan Xiaoxiao was almost choked by rage, fearing he might pass out from indignation; this was too humiliating!
Suddenly, a playful voice sounded from behind him: "Wow, worthy of being a Saint Venerable master! Your backside is actually so white. And the dance you're doing is quite good too! If you performed this publicly, you'd surely earn thunderous applause."
Zhan Xiaoxiao immediately blushed scarlet! One hand instinctively flew up to cover his most private part...
The voice sounded again: "We're both men here, there are no women around, so what's the point of covering up? Besides, I saw everything when you were performing that seductive dance just now. Isn't it a bit late to cover up now? By the way, old man, you're quite well-endowed. That's something to be proud of!"... Zhan Xiaoxiao's old face turned crimson. He squatted on the ground, hands trying to cover front and back, and roared in a low voice!..."Is this how heroes conduct themselves, tormenting someone like this? If you have any decency, give me a set of clothes! Let me dress properly, and then we'll fight!"
In his mind, since they were both masters of the same level, they must both be people of stature. Even if they had to fight, it should be done in a fair and reasonable manner that befits their status. Asking the opponent for clothes, he believed, was something he himself would have done. After all, defeating an opponent using such tactics was a victory achieved without true honor...
But he never imagined the kind of person he had encountered...
The voice mocked back, "That's hilarious. Do I owe you anything? Asking me for clothes? Why should I give you clothes? You're the one who enjoys wandering around naked... Who can you blame for that?"
Zhan Xiaoxiao was so angry he nearly rolled his eyes, but his lower half was painfully exposed, making it impossible to fight like this. Having no other choice, he said meekly, "Today, consider this old man admitting defeat... You... you... hurry up and get me some clothes..."
"This place is remote, nothing but barren mountains and wild fields all around. Where am I supposed to get clothes for you? Aren't you making an impossible demand?"
Jun Moxie watched Zhan Xiaoxiao's pathetic state and could barely restrain his laughter.
Zhan Xiaoxiao realized the logic was sound. Who goes out on business specifically carrying a spare set of clothes? This wasn't a vacation... Moreover, home was so close; bringing extra clothes would just be idiotic behavior...
"Then take yours off and give me one!"
Zhan Xiaoxiao crouched down, one hand covering the front, the other covering the back, exasperated and furious. In his extreme shame and indignation, he had completely forgotten the disparity in their positions, overlooking the fact that his predicament was entirely a trap set by the opponent!
"Ah, the way you think! The weather is hot today, and I'm only wearing this one piece myself; there's nothing underneath either... If I really took it off for you, wouldn't I end up just like you? Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you."
Jun Moxie fought back his laughter and continued to tease slowly.
Zhan Xiaoxiao instantly understood. The opponent was simply playing with him; forget having clothes, the other man would never give them to him even if he did!
Realizing this, all the pent-up rage surged upward, overriding his shame. Since only the two of them were present, and no one else could witness it, as long as he killed this man, who would ever know how humiliated he had been?
With this thought, Zhan Xiaoxiao let go of his hands, slowly stood up, and said with a sinister tone, "Since you refuse to be sensible, don't blame this old man for being ruthless!"
He suddenly roared, channeling all his profound energy, and uttered each word deliberately: "One Palm Through the Underworld!"
As the shout concluded, his right hand erupted with an extraordinary light. He rapidly swept his hand in a half-circle before his chest, and with a whoosh in the air, the wind roared. Everywhere—the sky and the ground—was filled with the shadows of that single palm, dense and countless, forming an entire mountain of palms, which descended upon them with immense force!
Wherever the palm winds passed, the dense white fog that filled the space thrashed about as if struck by a hurricane. On the ground, sand and pebbles flew up, and the sharp tearing sound of air echoed like ten thousand screaming specters!
No fewer than a thousand palm winds surged toward Jun Moxie simultaneously!
This strike truly revealed the actual power of this 'Earth-Piercing Hand'! Although his profound energy had been weakened by more than half, the power of this single palm was still earth-shattering!
Jun Moxie was instantly startled!
After appearing to mock and tease him, he had assumed Zhan Xiaoxiao was at his limit. He never expected him to unleash such a ferocious attack! Even now, he wasn't confident he could withstand this strike!
However, being unable to block it didn't mean there was no way to counter it!
Jun Moxie let out a light laugh and shot upward with a swoosh, flying straight up. Zhan Xiaoxiao's eyes were filled with killing intent, his expression utterly resolute. Almost without thinking, his palm technique shifted direction, also soaring towards the sky, relentlessly pursuing the opponent's ascent! Clearly, he had been driven past the point of reason by Young Master Jun, willing to risk mutual destruction rather than suffer further insult!
The two shot toward the heavens one behind the other, like twin sharp swords. The only difference was that one was masked in black, while the other was completely naked!
But by now, Zhan Xiaoxiao cared nothing for that!
Even if it meant being ridiculed by the world, he had to teach this man who brought him such deep dishonor a lesson. Killing him outright would be best, but even if that failed, fighting to the death was acceptable!
A person completely consumed by madness exhibits astonishing combat awareness and explosive power. The combat prowess Zhan Xiaoxiao displayed now was in no way inferior to his peak state.
But he never considered why his opponent, who had countless avenues for evasion, would choose to fly into the high sky? Why risk clashing amidst the heavenly lightning tribulation?
Zhan Xiaoxiao didn't consider it now; he only knew that by following the opponent, he would definitely turn that detestable fellow into a pile of meat paste, finally extinguishing the hatred in his heart! (To be continued; for further developments, please log on to [website address], more chapters available, support the author, support...)