novelraw Chapter 186 - 184: The Fisherman
Chapter 186 - 184: The Fisherman
As he spoke, a series of images flashed through his eyes.
Before the words had even faded, the throne beneath him shattered.
His figure vanished completely, leaving only an echo reverberating through the vast, empty hall.
...
At that same moment in Black Stone City, the ground split open.
A beam of black light shot toward the heavens.
Above, endless dark clouds converged like a surging tide.
The clouds piled layer upon layer, seemingly without end, gradually forming a deep, pitch-black vortex.
The vortex resembled a bottomless black hole.
"Die!"
A voice like rolling thunder echoed across the sky.
Before the sound had faded, a massive, pitch-black, scale-covered claw emerged from the vortex.
The claw was immense, like a pillar holding up the sky, and it descended with unstoppable, cataclysmic force.
Wherever the giant claw passed, the compressed air erupted in a series of sonic booms, as if it could not bear the strain.
It shot straight for Changzhu, as if to annihilate everything in its path.
The surrounding air roared under the immense pressure, groaning as if it would break.
The earth trembled, and dust and rubble danced upon its surface.
"Go, now!"
After unleashing that attack, the white phantom’s form had visibly faded, a clear sign of the immense energy he had just expended.
Now, seeing the giant claw descend, he let out a low growl.
In the next instant, a gentle force enveloped Changzhu and his companion, sending them flying into the distance.
After doing this, the phantom’s figure grew fainter still.
He raised his head, holding his Longsword vertically before his eyes.
He thrust his sword straight toward the giant claw in the sky.
"Heaven Opening!"
VMMMM!
In an instant, the hum of ten thousand swords filled the air, reverberating between heaven and earth.
Countless white phantoms of swords materialized—short swords, Longswords, rapiers, broadswords, and more.
The moment they appeared, the innumerable sword phantoms converged on the Longsword in his hand, as if it were the king of the Sword Dao.
The blade instantly swelled, growing nearly a hundredfold in size until it became a Giant Sword that could prop up the heavens, and it smashed directly into the descending claw.
Sword and claw met. Collided.
After a moment of silence, a deafening BOOM erupted!
Rings of invisible shockwaves spread in every direction. The ground shook and split apart, terrifying fissures tearing across the land.
Even dozens of miles away, the commotion still affected Black Stone City.
The magnificent city walls, which towered over the landscape and were built from Black Stone, were now covered in countless cracks, like a piece of porcelain on the verge of shattering.
If the sturdy walls fared so poorly, the buildings within the city were in even worse shape.
Vast swaths of buildings collapsed, and sinkholes appeared in the streets. Countless people fled in every direction, their screams and wails filling the air.
Even from such a great distance, the mere aftershocks possessed such terrifying destructive power.
An ordinary person caught in such a cataclysmic shockwave could die at any moment.
’Ordinary people... they’re just too fragile in the end.’
Hu Qi, of course, had no desire to share their fate.
This was the very reason he constantly sought to become stronger.
He glanced at the tragic scene in the city but didn’t spare it a second thought.
’Even if I could rescue some people, could I possibly save them all?’
’Besides, I have more important things to do right now.’
His gaze shifted to the distant horizon. The mountain-sized giant claw that had descended from the sky had vanished without a trace.
Only the faint, grayish-white phantom remained, standing between heaven and earth.
However, compared to before, its form had now faded to the point of near transparency.
The next moment, it burst like a bubble and vanished completely.
Witnessing this, Hu Qi’s eyes flickered. He was a little surprised. ’Looks like I didn’t fully devour Black Stone, which is why I didn’t get all of its memories.’
’I had no idea there was a contingency plan left by that Food Master hidden beneath Black Stone City.’
Clearly, neither the Food Master nor the Refining God Venerable had their true bodies here.
’However, if I’m not mistaken, that Food Master should be on its way here now.’
’Even though the Dense Forest Realm is vast, it won’t take long for the Food Master to arrive at its speed.’
’I need to hurry.’
"Finally, I can begin!" A smile touched the corners of his lips.
A gentle breeze blew past, sending a dry leaf tumbling across the ground.
But Hu Qi’s figure was already gone, as if he had never been there at all.
...
「At the site of the battle between the phantom and the giant claw outside the city」
A massive crater scarred the earth, as if gouged out by a meteorite.
The soil at the bottom of the crater was scorched red from the intense heat.
The crater’s edge was jagged, with earth and stone peeled back to reveal fresh soil beneath.
The vegetation that once grew here had been instantly obliterated in the violent clash, leaving only shattered branches and tattered leaves scattered around the crater’s edge.
Not far from the crater, within a patch of forest flattened by the shockwave, a deathly pale arm burst from the soil, its hand clutching a few plant roots.
The next moment, a figure dragged itself out.
It was a man with an effeminate face, dressed in a red gown.
Bizarrely, however, only the upper half of his body remained.
This was none other than the Blood Lizard.
Intestines spilled from his severed torso, and he casually stuffed them back into his abdominal cavity.
Black mist roiled, trying to mend the wound, but the residual Sword Energy slowed the healing process to a crawl.
Intense pain wracked his body, twisting the Blood Lizard’s face into a savage mask.
"Damn it! To think that prey would have a ward left by a Refining God Venerable."
As he spoke, a wave of residual fear washed over him.
’I was so close. If that Sword Energy had hit my head, I would have died here today.’
At this thought, a savage urge filled him, a desire to rip Wu Yu and Changzhu to shreds.
’But I know that’s impossible now,’ he thought.
"Damn that Black Stone! If it weren’t for him, how could we have ended up like this?"
The Blood Lizard’s eyes turned cold as a thought occurred to him.
He secretly resolved to find that Black Stone and demand an explanation once he had recovered.
’No matter what, this is all his fault.’
"Truly an ungrateful wolf. I graciously invited you all here to taste some exquisite prey, but you proved incompetent and now you dare to blame me."
Hearing the voice, the Blood Lizard’s heart leaped in shock, and he whipped his head around.
A tall, burly figure was slowly approaching. Each step was steady and powerful, radiating an invisible, oppressive aura.
As he drew closer, fallen branches on the path were crushed to splinters under his feet, the sharp CRACKS echoing in the silence.
In the quiet surroundings, the sound was unnervingly clear, as if each step was stomping on the Blood Lizard’s heart, filling him with a sense of dread.