novelraw Chapter 148: Seizing Power?
Chapter 148: Seizing Power?
During this time, Hu Qi used the opportunity to make a brief appearance.
He was covered in blood, looking as if he were severely injured.
After proving he was still alive,
he disappeared again.
The reason given was that he was severely injured and needed to heal.
Helinta naturally approved this.
Besides, Hu Qi himself was a Direct Disciple, so not many people were qualified to inquire about his situation.
Aside from Lin Yao and Lin Tu, who asked about his condition out of concern due to their fairly good relationship with him,
no one else asked about the situation of Hu Qi, a Secret Martial Artist of the Qi Blood Realm.
...
「Half a month later.」
Before a new, isolated grave.
The atmosphere was solemn and dignified.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled patches of light and adding a soft glow to this tranquil place.
The cemetery gates were closed. The black, wrought-iron gates were entwined with intricate patterns, giving off a mysterious and solemn feeling.
On the stone-paved path before the gates lay several bouquets of fresh flowers. Their petals were still adorned with crystalline dewdrops that shimmered faintly in the sunlight.
Inside the cemetery,
a group of people stood quietly before a massive grave. They were dressed in black, their faces heavy.
Some held white chrysanthemums, while others stood with their heads bowed in silence.
The grave before them was surrounded by flowers, intertwined and emitting a faint fragrance.
On the large tombstone, the face of Jiang Zuo in the photograph was serene, his eyes revealing a sense of tranquility and peace.
The photograph was set in a golden frame, making it look exceptionally dignified.
Inside the sealed, yet-to-be-buried Crystal Coffin, there was no body of Jiang Zuo, only a blood-stained robe.
This was because Jiang Zuo’s body had been eaten by Helinta, so of course, it couldn’t be found.
Jiang Zuo’s death was confirmed
due to the extent of the destruction at the location where Zhu Xi was, combined with Hu Qi’s testimony.
He said he saw Jiang Zuo die at the hands of a Middle Black Blood Species.
After combining this with investigations from multiple sources, this was finally confirmed.
At this moment, standing at the very front were the two Qi Dao Grandmasters, Chu Feng and Li Xia.
Behind them were Hu Qi, disguised as Helinta, as well as Han Yuan, and the siblings Lin Yao and Lin Tu.
"Old Man Jiang, I can’t believe you just died like this. We were supposed to go drinking together. Looks like it wasn’t in the cards for you. But don’t worry, I brought you the wine."
After the Crystal Coffin was buried,
Chu Feng, with a complicated expression, set down the flowers in his hand, then took out a bottle of wine from his coat and poured it out before the tombstone.
Li Xia didn’t say much, simply placing a flower down as well.
Previously,
when that Food Master appeared, the two of them had been a safe distance away. As veteran Qi Dao Grandmasters, they were stronger and had many life-saving techniques at their disposal.
Their injuries were naturally not as severe as Du Wang’s.
After a few days of recuperation, they had basically recovered.
If not for attending Jiang Zuo’s funeral, they would not have waited this long.
After performing a simple tribute, the two bid their farewells one after another. Their figures transformed into streaks of Flowing Light, soaring into the sky and leaving the area.
Qi Dao Grandmaster.
An existence of this level
numbered less than a hundred in the entire Federation.
As Qi Dao Grandmasters who had opened their Qi Vein Divine Treasure and drawn the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy into their bodies, they were considered absolute powerhouses no matter where they went.
Therefore, each of these Qi Dao Grandmasters had their own jurisdiction to oversee.
They had been away for long enough now, so it was naturally time to return.
As for the other Martial Arts Family who came to provide support, aside from the two Dead Martial Arts Family from the Sealed Wolf Sect who were killed by Helinta, and a few individuals who suffered minor injuries, the rest were unharmed.
As for why this was so,
it was obvious that most of the Martial Arts Family had sensed the extreme danger after the gray fog descended and had gone into hiding.
Regarding this matter,
although everyone knew, it was a tacit understanding, and no one exposed it.
After paying their respects, these people also left one by one in their vehicles.
Following them were Hu Qi’s group of four.
The four of them silently stepped forward one by one to lay down their flowers.
Hu Qi and Han Yuan showed no particular emotion.
Only the siblings, Lin Yao and Lin Tu, had slightly reddened eyes.
They were clearly very saddened by Jiang Zuo’s sudden death.
This was normal. To them, Jiang Zuo had been their master for at least sixty or seventy years.
He was a father figure as much as he was a master.
It was inevitable that they would be heartbroken by this turn of events.
After a while,
when everyone had left and only he remained,
Hu Qi looked at the tombstone.
He spoke faintly.
"Master, may your journey be peaceful."
After speaking, he turned to leave.
However,
he hadn’t taken two steps before a figure blocked his path.
"Third Junior Brother, what can I do for you?"
Hu Qi glanced at the person before him and said indifferently.
Helinta’s expression was just like this.
There was no need to make any other expression.
He just had to keep a cold face; there was no difficulty in playing the part.
In a way, Helinta was actually quite similar to Hu Qi.
The only difference was that the former was cold both inside and out, while Hu Qi was gentle on the outside but cold on the inside.
The person blocking him right now was none other than Han Yuan, his third senior brother.
’No, he should be my third junior brother now,’ he thought.
Han Yuan had a very strong build. A black suit was stretched taut over his body, complementing his chiseled face.
He gave off an indescribable pressure.
At this moment, a pair of sinister eyes stared at Helinta before him.
"Second Senior Sister, now that Master is dead and Eldest Senior Brother is in seclusion, logically speaking, the Shexin Sect should be in your hands. However..."
He paused here, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Second Senior Sister, you know as well as I do. Regarding the Ghost Slaying Saber you practice, Master said more than once that your killing intent is too strong and that you are easily swayed and influenced by it.
In my humble opinion as your junior brother, you are not fit to control the Shexin Sect in your current state.
Why not let your junior brother take over for now? Once you’ve recovered, Senior Sister, I will return control to you. What do you think?"
Although Han Yuan’s words were phrased this way, basically anyone could understand his true intentions.
He wanted to seize power.
He had harbored such ambitions before,
but due to his limited strength, and the presence of Master Jiang Zuo and Eldest Senior Brother Du Wang,
he could only suppress this ambition.
But now things were different. Master was dead, and Eldest Senior Brother was severely injured and in death-door seclusion, with no telling when he would emerge.
How could he possibly miss such a perfect opportunity?
Of course, the most important point
was that perhaps due to the stimulus from the gray fog a few days ago,
his Cultivation had actually broken through again. He successfully cultivated the Red Snake Secret Martial Arts to the Ninth Layer of the Essence Element Chapter, and his strength reached the Late Stage Qi Blood Condensation.
He was just one step away from opening his Qi Vein Divine Treasure and becoming a Qi Meridian Grandmaster.
This also caused his ambition to swell rapidly.
He was naturally aware that Helinta’s Cultivation had been stagnant for many years.
The two of them had sparred in the past.
Although he lost every time,
the gap was not so large as to be infinite.
Now that his Cultivation had broken through, he was confident that she could not possibly be his match.
Hence his current actions.
Hearing this, Hu Qi’s eyes twitched slightly.
’Although I don’t know what this idiot is thinking, I can see that Han Yuan’s strength has increased considerably.
His aura is a bit unstable, though. He must have just broken through.
A pity!
To me, it makes no real difference.
He’s still just some trash I can kill with a wave of my hand.’
Therefore, there was no need for any more nonsense.
Immediately, Hu Qi let out a cold sneer.
"Is that so?"
The instant the words left his mouth, his figure flickered, as if using Shrinking Inches.
He appeared directly in front of Han Yuan, his hand formed into a claw, tearing through the air as it suddenly struck downward!
Seeing this, Han Yuan’s expression changed drastically. Qi Blood True Strength erupted from his body.
In that flash of lightning and flint, it was too late to dodge. He could only cross his arms in front of him to block.
KRAK!
The moment they collided, the sound of cracking bone echoed.
Han Yuan’s two arms were twisted at an unnatural angle!
The intense pain, however, only stimulated Han Yuan’s ferocity.
A cold glint flashed across his face. He didn’t advance; instead, he lashed out, his right leg shooting out like a bolt of lightning in a kick.
However, his kick was only halfway to its target
when his vision went black.
Accompanied by a dull BANG, a sharp pain erupted from his face.
Under the immense force of the impact, his nasal bone broke and his head snapped back.
The violent concussion momentarily numbed his head, and his consciousness went blank for a few moments.
By the time he came to, he found that Hu Qi had him by the throat, lifted into the air.
The immense force was like an iron pincer, almost crushing his neck.
"I really don’t understand. You’re so weak. Where did you get the confidence to come and provoke me?"
Hu Qi spoke faintly.
At the same time, a vast and bloody killing intent erupted from his body.
It surged forward like a sea of blood, suffocating in its intensity.
Not to mention he was now a Qi Dao Grandmaster; even before his breakthrough, killing this man would have been effortless.
"Ugh... you... how could you..."
Veins bulged on Han Yuan’s face.
He was horrified, unable to understand why the Helinta before him was so powerful.
The Qi Blood True Strength surged within his body.
He wanted to struggle, but he felt the hand gripping his neck suddenly tighten.
Under the immense pressure, his cervical vertebrae emitted a series of soft CRACKS.
Then, spurred on by the bone-chilling killing intent radiating from Hu Qi,
it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, instantly calming him down.
Because he had a premonition.
If he remained stubborn and tried to struggle, the other party would absolutely kill him without a shred of mercy.
On top of that, there was another point.
His opponent’s speed just now had been too fast, so fast that he hadn’t even seen it clearly.
Right now, if not for the fact that the person before him had the same aura as Helinta, plus a similar appearance,
Han Yuan would have suspected he was an imposter.
It wasn’t as if he had never fought Helinta before.
Even if he was no match for her, he shouldn’t have been defeated in a single move.
However, no matter what he thought,
faced with Hu Qi’s icy gaze,
the fear of death ultimately made him lower his head.
"...Cough, cough... I... I... was just joking. Please... don’t take it seriously..."
Han Yuan barely managed to force out these few words before he felt the hand on his neck loosen.
His figure staggered a few steps before he managed to steady himself.
"I’m not one for jokes. If there is a next time... I will kill you!"
Hu Qi shot him a glance, then turned and walked away.
Han Yuan stared at Hu Qi’s retreating back.
His face was as dark as water, and his teeth ground together with an audible CRUNCH.
But he didn’t dare to make another move.
The brief exchange just now had made him understand that the gap between them was too great.
They weren’t even on the same level.
In the end,
no matter where you were, it was only natural for the strong to humiliate the weak.