Ling Xiao really did have extraordinary guts. Faced with One-Eye and his entire crew, not only did he show no fear, he even gave the man an ultimatum in an even more overbearing manner.
Either get lost, or die!
If this were the Divine Capital of the Celestial Dynasty, people might understand. That was Ling Xiao’s home territory, after all.
But this was Sin City. What on earth gave him such confidence?
“Are you out of your mind? You’re actually provoking him further?”
Hua Lüyying was utterly convinced now. This fellow was simply someone who did not fear death.
“Right, where’s your bodyguard Leng Mei? I’ll go fetch her. You alone stand no chance against One-Eye.”
She meant well. It wasn’t that she looked down on Ling Xiao, but One-Eye truly was far stronger than Mang Xiao or Mo Shaoyou.
Add that special protective treasure, and there was no way Ling Xiao could come out on top.
“No need to trouble Leng Mei with trash like this.”
Ling Xiao glanced back at her and said, “Relax. It’s not a big deal.”
“Good lad, you’ve got some guts. Even Mo Shaoyou and Mang Xiao have to call me uncle respectfully. Yet you, a brat who hasn’t even grown proper hair, dare threaten me in front of everyone? You’re courting death!”
One-Eye was now completely enraged. Not only had Ling Xiao refused to give him face, the boy had actually threatened him.
If he turned and left now, he could forget about ever showing his face around Sin City again.
“Courting death? Can you even kill me?”
Ling Xiao shot back.
“Heh heh, you’ll find out very soon.”
Before his voice faded, One-Eye stamped hard on the ground. His figure shot forward like an explosion, arriving instantly before Ling Xiao.
The spot where he had stood had been stomped into a deep crater, evidence of his terrifying strength.
As he moved, the air rang with continuous explosive booms.
Behind One-Eye, the phantom of a pitch-black serpent appeared. It bore some resemblance to the black python of the Black Python Clan.
But theirs was a bloodline.
His was a genuine martial soul.
The instant the martial soul emerged, his arms seemed to turn into supple snake bodies. They abruptly lengthened and stabbed straight at Ling Xiao’s throat.
Those arms were even faster than his body’s movement.
If they struck, even Ling Xiao’s defences would probably take injury.
Moreover, most serpent-type martial souls carried deadly venom. Ling Xiao could not afford to be careless.
“Terrifying! The moment One-Eye attacks, he goes for the kill!”
“Yes, Ling Xiao is probably done for. He’s still too young and doesn’t understand how treacherous the martial world can be.”
“Exactly. Against a lunatic like One-Eye, he should have just handed over the Gluttonous Martial Soul. What’s the point of being so stubborn? There’s no benefit in it.”
Aside from Princess Yunya, almost everyone present believed Ling Xiao was finished.
That included Hua Lüyying.
In her anxiety, she actually prepared to jump in and help, only to be stopped by Princess Yunya.
“Don’t interfere. He can handle it.”
Princess Yunya understood Ling Xiao far better than Hua Lüyying did.
Ling Xiao stood there calmly. In his eyes, One-Eye had turned into a long black insect, those two arms like the serpent’s tail.
He had to admit the man was strong. At the very least, in raw power he surpassed Mo Shaoyou and Mang Xiao by a wide margin. The pressure alone was greater than those two combined.
Old ginger really is spicier.
No matter how brilliant a genius, growth was still required. Against these old monsters, caution was necessary.
Of course, Ling Xiao was neither Mo Shaoyou nor Mang Xiao.
Today, One-Eye had truly run into misfortune.
Facing One-Eye’s explosive strike, Ling Xiao merely shifted his right foot half a step forward. Then a black spike swiftly formed at his fingertip.
The instant One-Eye’s attack arrived, Ling Xiao unleashed his own.
Boom!
The collision of energy exploded in the air. Ling Xiao involuntarily retreated several steps.
One-Eye flipped backward several times before steadying himself.
“Heh heh, your attack can’t breach my defence.”
He blew lightly on his arm. The tiny black mark there had only broken the skin slightly.
Essentially, Ling Xiao’s strike had been rendered ineffective.
Against anyone else, that spike would have pierced straight through the arm.
Even so, under those circumstances, Ling Xiao had accurately found the weak point in One-Eye’s assault and struck it precisely. That alone surprised One-Eye.
Looking at Ling Xiao, a tear had appeared in the clothing at his neck, the fabric clearly corroded. It proved One-Eye’s attack indeed contained deadly poison.
Ling Xiao’s judgement had been correct.
“Is that so?”
Ling Xiao glanced indifferently at the damaged clothes and said.
“Pretty calm, kid. But it’s useless. I’ve already gauged your strength. You’re certainly stronger than Mo Shaoyou and Mang Xiao, but against your grandpa One-Eye, you’ll still die all the same.”
One-Eye sneered coldly. “Stop being stubborn. Hand over the Gluttonous Martial Soul and I’ll give you a martial soul more suited to you. How’s that?”
“Are you scared?”
Ling Xiao smiled.
If the man weren’t afraid, he would never offer such terms now. Earlier he had demanded the Gluttonous Martial Soul unconditionally.
“Scared? I just don’t want to cause trouble in Sin City. The alchemy convention is about to start. Offending the Black Python Clan wouldn’t be wise.”
One-Eye replied, clearly displeased.
“Then stop wasting words. The Black Python Clan won’t trouble you,” Ling Xiao said.
“How do you know?”
“Simple. They won’t waste effort troubling a dead man. Even if they wanted to, they wouldn’t be able to.”
A mocking smile lifted the corner of Ling Xiao’s mouth.
“It seems you really are eager to die.”
One-Eye wasted no more words. He suddenly dropped to the ground. His body underwent a drastic change. His entire frame seemed to lose its bones, turning into a highly flexible black serpent.
Those triangular scarlet eyes gleamed with sinister, icy, malevolent light that sent chills through many onlookers.
From his mouth extended a forked tongue roughly two feet long, shimmering with eerie blue venom.
“Hiss~~ Hiss~~”
The hiss of a snake actually echoed through the air.
A sinister atmosphere enveloped the area where Ling Xiao stood.
“Die!”
Abruptly, One-Eye struck.
Faster than before.
Several black afterimages flickered through the air, making it impossible to tell which was real.
Illusion and reality intertwined, mysterious and unfathomable.
Everyone wondered how Ling Xiao would deal with this sudden assault.
Yet when they looked at him, they were all stunned.
Ling Xiao simply stood there with hands clasped behind his back, showing no intention of fighting back at all.
