Du Wu’s face turned ashen instantly. He hadn’t expected someone to sabotage his Blood Refining Array at this critical moment. The array, which he had spent decades researching and setting up, was meant to help him break through to the Innate Realm.
Now, with the array destroyed, not only were his decades of effort wasted, but his chance to reach the Innate Realm was gone.
To Du Wu, this was worse than death itself.
Decades ago, he had failed to kill Du Wen and was instead gravely injured by him, damaging his foundation. Over the years, he had tirelessly sought rare treasures to heal his wounds, but his dantian was ruined, his foundation shattered.
Despite his efforts, sending people to the Hundred Thousand Mountains to find treasures, he could only suppress his injuries. This had kept his martial path stuck at the peak of the Acquired Realm for decades.
Now in his sixties, if he didn’t break through to the Innate Realm soon, he would succumb to death’s grasp.
The Blood Refining Array was his only hope for reaching the Innate Realm. He had found its blueprint in a ruin in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, along with a book on array fundamentals.
To set up the array, he had painstakingly gathered resources and made countless promises to others.
In just two more days, the array would have activated, allowing him to break through to the Innate Realm, granting at least two hundred years of life to heal his injuries.
But at this critical juncture, someone had destroyed the array, shattering his hopes.
Rage burned within him, and Du Wu roared like an enraged lion.
“What? The Blood Refining Array was destroyed?” Wild Leopard was equally horrified. As Du Wu’s confidant, he knew the array’s importance. With Du Wu guarding the core, he hadn’t worried about it being sabotaged. But hearing Du Wu’s words, he knew it was true.
Wild Leopard didn’t doubt Du Wu; such a matter was no joke. But who had destroyed the array?
Suddenly, a name flashed in Wild Leopard’s mind.
Li Feng.
Yes, Li Feng.
Distracted by the battle between Du Wu and Zheng Xiaoyang, he had forgotten about Li Feng.
Damn it!
Wild Leopard’s expression darkened. He should have realised sooner. Zheng Xiaoyang must have been stalling the old master here while Li Feng destroyed the array.
Unprecedented fury surged within him. He prided himself on manipulating others, yet someone had outplayed him—an unforgivable offence.
Worse, it was Li Feng, the one who had severed his arm.
Looking up at Zheng Xiaoyang, Wild Leopard’s eyes blazed with cold killing intent.
These people had indeed planned this meticulously. Had he known, he would have risked the entire Du Sect to kill them earlier.
But now, with the array destroyed, it was too late. Rebuilding it would be nearly impossible.
All he could do was kill these people to vent his rage.
“What Blood Refining Array? Playing tricks,” Zheng Xiaoyang sneered. He knew nothing of the array, but the earlier tremor suggested something significant had happened, causing the Du Sect’s distress. This was exactly what he wanted; chaos gave him a chance to survive.
“Did you send someone to do it?” Du Wu glared at Zheng Xiaoyang, his eyes flashing with icy light.
“What are you talking about? Nonsense,” Zheng Xiaoyang sneered, locking eyes with Du Wu. “I don’t know or care about your Blood Refining Array. Old man, I’ll spare you today, but I’ll take your life another time.”
Zheng Xiaoyang prepared to leave. After fighting this long, he knew he couldn’t kill Du Wu and risked dying himself. He was ready to retreat. Moreover, Du Wu’s earlier reaction suggested something major had happened in the Du Sect, likely requiring his attention, giving Zheng Xiaoyang a chance to escape.
“Outrageous! You think you can leave now?” Du Wu roared, flashing in front of Zheng Xiaoyang, his gaze cold.
“Old man, your array’s been destroyed. Why aren’t you dealing with that instead of stopping me?” Zheng Xiaoyang hadn’t expected Du Wu to block him. Feeling Du Wu’s increasingly terrifying aura, he panicked slightly.
“Hahaha…” Du Wu laughed coldly, staring at Zheng Xiaoyang. “Zheng Xiaoyang, Third Master Zheng, what a fine Third Master Zheng from the Central Plains Zheng family. Still playing dumb at this point? Do you take me for a fool?”
“What do you mean?” Zheng Xiaoyang asked warily.
“What do I mean? Do I need to spell it out, Third Master Zheng?” Du Wu said, each word dripping with hatred.
To Du Wu, Zheng Xiaoyang’s reaction confirmed he was complicit in destroying the array. If Zheng Xiaoyang hadn’t kept him occupied, he wouldn’t have left the chamber, and the array’s core wouldn’t have been destroyed.
Now, with the array just ruined, Zheng Xiaoyang wanted to leave. Du Wu refused to believe he wasn’t involved.
“Nonsense,” Zheng Xiaoyang cursed inwardly. He genuinely didn’t understand Du Wu, but since Du Wu wanted to kill him, he wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“Wild Leopard, take people to the chamber immediately and stop whoever destroyed the array. I’ll kill this Third Master Zheng and join you,” Du Wu said gravely to Wild Leopard.
“Don’t worry, Master. I’ll complete the task even if it costs my life,” Wild Leopard replied without hesitation, leading his men toward the chamber.
“Go die!”
Du Wu let out a low shout, lunging at Zheng Xiaoyang with a palm strike.
Boom!
The powerful palm force swept through, shaking surrounding trees and causing Du Sect members rushing to the chamber to stumble.
Bang.
In an instant, Du Wu’s palm strike crossed ten metres, making the air rumble.
“Fire Talisman!”
Zheng Xiaoyang slapped his spatial pouch, producing a fire talisman. With a wave, it shot toward Du Wu.
Fire talismans, like alchemists, array masters, and artificers, were products of talisman masters, a special martial profession.
Unlike the others, talisman master traditions had survived. The most famous were the Maoshan Taoists, whose talismans could exorcise ghosts and demons, renowned among ancient martial artists.
Zheng Xiaoyang’s fire talisman was a two-star talisman, crafted by a two-star talisman master.
Though talisman master traditions persisted, in this era of scarce martial artists, talisman masters were even rarer. A two-star talisman, trivial in ancient times, was now a lifesaving trump card for Zheng Xiaoyang.
As a prominent figure from the top-tier Central Plains Zheng family, his reliance on a mere two-star talisman showed their rarity.
Boom!
The fire talisman met Du Wu’s Qingming Palm, igniting in a blaze.
Bang!
A low sonic boom erupted as the talisman and palm clashed, sending spatial ripples spreading like an explosion’s shockwave.
Du Wu trembled violently, retreating rapidly. Each step cracked the ground. After several steps, he stomped heavily, shattering a rock to steady himself.
“Fire talisman, how is this possible…” Du Wu’s face changed, staring at Zheng Xiaoyang in disbelief. He hadn’t expected him to possess such a thing.
Zheng Xiaoyang had used several trump cards, but none were fire talismans. Du Wu thought his cards were exhausted, not expecting this.
As a martial artist, Du Wu knew of talismans, but with talisman masters so rare, few martial artists possessed them. He never imagined Zheng Xiaoyang would have one.
Though a mere two-star talisman was child’s play in ancient times, those children were Innate Realm experts. Du Wu, only at peak Acquired Realm, couldn’t withstand a talisman rivaling an Innate First Layer attack.
Zheng Xiaoyang was pushed back several steps by the shockwave but, prepared for the talisman’s power, was minimally affected.
Seeing Du Wu’s dishevelled state, Zheng Xiaoyang sneered, “Old man, didn’t you want to kill me? Can you still do it?”
Though he spoke confidently, his heart ached. The fire talisman, obtained during an expedition, was his only one. Using it hurt, but it had heavily injured Du Wu.
“Hmph, I don’t believe you have another. I’ll kill you today,” Du Wu snorted, stomping the ground and lunging at Zheng Xiaoyang.
