I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 192 - 190: Still Not Dead

Zhang Xiaojiang didn’t dare let his guard down. He immediately unleashed a volley from his Golden Silk Iron Bow. A cold smile touched Huang Feng’s lips as his body swayed, dodging arrow after arrow. His body seemed as if it had no bones, capable of bending at will. None of Zhang Xiaopang’s attacks could land a hit.

On the contrary, Huang Feng’s attacks had Zhang Xiaojiang running for his life. The bone-piercing pain was truly unbearable. The Wasp Needles were too small and incredibly fast. In just a moment, Zhang Xiaopang had been struck four times. Each hit pierced to the bone, an absolutely excruciating pain.

As another volley came at him, Zhang Xiaojiang immediately sank into the ground—the Earth Escape Skill!

’This is my trump card for defeating enemies. I wanted to show off a bit before using it, but now I really need it to save my life.’

Huang Feng stared coldly at the spot where Zhang Xiaojiang had disappeared. ’Let’s see how long you can hold out!’

Then, Zhang Xiaojiang suddenly appeared behind Huang Feng, unleashing another frantic volley from his Golden Silk Iron Bow.

Unable to dodge in time, Huang Feng took an arrow to the shoulder. Just as he was about to counterattack, Zhang Xiaopang immediately dove back underground.

A vicious look crossed Huang Feng’s face. He spread his hands, revealing a silver ring on each finger. Ten Wasp Needles!

The ground trembled slightly as streams of Wasp Needles bored directly into the earth.

With a bloodcurdling scream, Zhang Xiaojiang was forcefully dragged back out.

"I’ll teach you to burrow!"

SHINK... another needle plunged into him.

It had to be said that Huang Feng’s weapon was a rarity in the Holy Hall. It was likely not something from the Hall itself, but rather a treasure he had acquired during his travels.

This needle was aimed straight for the vital point of Zhang Xiaopang’s Life Mark—a fatal strike.

Wracked with agony, Zhang Xiaojiang saw he couldn’t possibly dodge. He seemed completely incapable of resisting. But right at that moment, even while howling in pain, Zhang Xiaojiang suddenly twisted his body. The needle plunged directly into Zhang Xiaopang’s butt...

Zhang Xiaojiang’s entire body convulsed; the pain had reached its absolute limit.

He suddenly burrowed toward the ground. Huang Feng tried to pull him back out, but he was met with an irresistible, immense force that dragged him in as well, sinking into the earth.

Just like that, both of them vanished from the Dueling Platform.

Wang Meng relaxed slightly. ’This guy is getting more mature. Zhang Xiaopang has a weakness—he’s afraid of pain. That’s always how he is in a fight. But when things reach an extreme, they reverse. Once the pain becomes unbearable, he can produce an unbelievable amount of strength.’

’In truth, just looking at his cultivation level, it was clear he was no match for Huang Feng. But Zhang Xiaopang still went up without a second thought. It seems he’s truly learned and grown from his previous fights.’

’He has both courage and wits.’

After a while, a chubby head emerged from the ground, and a body slowly began to climb out. With every inch he rose, he howled in pain. His cries were bloodcurdling, as if he were suffering every torture known to man.

When he finally managed to crawl all the way out, Wasp Needles were still stuck in him. He desperately yanked one out, and the pain made Zhang Xiaopang scream his lungs out.

But... where was Huang Feng?

It was another application of the Earth Escape Skill—the Endless Abyss.

Dragging the enemy underground and burying them alive!

Elder Hong Pan’s face was livid. As an Elder, he already knew the outcome.

"Third match, victory to Zhang Xiaojiang of Thunderlight Hall."

The disciples of Thunderlight Hall couldn’t help but cheer as they rushed forward. Zhang Xiaojiang looked at everyone, his eyes welling with tears.

Liuu Mei tried to quickly snip the silver threads attached to the needles, but she found they wouldn’t break. Her pulling only caused Zhang Xiaopang bone-deep agony. Though the wounds were on his body, Liuu Mei felt his pain as if it were her own.

"Let me try."

Yang Ying drew her Flying Phoenix Sword. With a flash of its blade, the silver threads snapped.

With the threads no longer pulling on him, Zhang Xiaopang felt a tiny bit better.

"Junior Brother Zhang, you’d best not move. The more you struggle, the deeper the Wasp Needles will burrow, making them much harder to remove."

This scared Zhang Xiaojiang so much he became as still as a wooden statue.

Liuu Mei glanced at Yang Ying. She still held some resentment over the issue with Tian’Er, but for now, all she could do was say thank you.

Yang Ying smiled faintly. "Hurry and carry him down. Well done. Very brave."

Zhang Xiaojiang, who had been on the verge of dying from pain just a moment ago, immediately beamed upon hearing praise from the beautiful girl. Suddenly, the pain didn’t seem so bad. This made Liuu Mei grit her teeth in frustration; if he weren’t so seriously injured, she would have definitely taught him a lesson.

Huang Feng was finished.

When a battle reached this point, a single moment of carelessness meant death. No one would object to the outcome.

Now, Thunderlight Hall had a two-to-one lead, giving them the advantage. Hengshan Hall was forced into a corner.

The Hengshan Hall disciples, who had been so full of bravado before the matches, were now deathly silent. Huang Feng was clearly the stronger one, yet he had been taken out by this fatty using such a vile and shameless spell.

Staring at the fatty who was still crying out in pain, the faces of the Hengshan Hall disciples burned with shame. Their top expert had actually been defeated by someone so afraid of pain...

Wang Meng walked over to Zhang Xiaojiang. The fatty’s face was pale with pain and he was drenched in sweat. He had been whimpering and groaning, but he managed to stifle it when he saw Wang Meng.

"Set him down gently." A smile appeared on Wang Meng’s face. "Your strategy was very clear. How did you know he used needles?"

As he spoke, Wang Meng placed his hand on one of the Wasp Needles on the fatty’s chest. Zhang Xiaopang grinned. "That kid Zhang Liang secretly... HISSS!"

In the split second Zhang Xiaojiang was distracted, Wang Meng yanked out a Wasp Needle. This type of needle weapon wasn’t uncommon; it was favored by many Demon Cultivators and Evil Cultivators who walked a more sinister path. With the addition of barbs and poison, being struck by one was truly a fate worse than death.

’In my past life, Moo Shan was once hit by one of these. The removal technique is extremely delicate, but no matter how it’s done, the pain is unavoidable.’

"It was a good strategy, using your own body to drag your opponent in. You just didn’t expect it to hurt this much, did you?"

SWISH...

Another needle was out. Zhang Xiaojiang’s face contorted, but he was too exhausted to even cry out.

’These needles have to be taken out immediately, or they’ll stay in his body for life. Now that would be a fate worse than death. The fatty truly was fearless out of ignorance.’

He removed them one after another. Some even tore out chunks of skin and flesh. Many of the Thunderlight Hall disciples could no longer bear to watch. They finally understood why the fatty had been screaming in pain; anyone else would have passed out long ago.

Liuu Mei was so frightened she burst into tears. Wang Meng’s expression, however, grew increasingly stern as he concentrated on controlling the force he was using. Ma Tian’Er covered Liuu Mei’s mouth, afraid her sobs would disturb him.

Wang Meng’s mind raced. ’Am I forcing this on them? I want to help chart a path for Zhang Xiaojiang and Hu Jing, but is this path truly what they want?’

’Even Cultivators have many ways to live. Not everyone has to charge forward like I do.’

’Even without great power, you can still live a good life. This is the Holy Hall, not the domain of Demon Cultivators or Evil Cultivators. Besides, the times have already changed. Isn’t Zhou Feng living just fine?’

’Seeing Hu Jing’s injuries earlier had already struck a chord with him, but seeing Zhang Xiaojiang now, the feeling was even more pronounced. If I hadn’t insisted on pushing them forward step by step, perhaps they wouldn’t have to endure so much pain.’

"Zhang Xiaopang, there’s actually a secret I’ve kept in my heart for a long time. I’ve always wanted to tell you that you..."

Wang Meng said. Zhang Xiaojiang was on the verge of collapse, but upon hearing the word "secret," his eyes widened—especially a secret hidden in Brother Meng’s heart.

His gossip soul granted Zhang Xiaojiang a surge of strength.

SHINK... (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendation tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)