Chapter 2298 — Alarmed and Afraid

Wei Zhao let out a breath of relief. He had been on the verge of erupting, killing the man before him outright and then simply fleeing—but then the situation had turned around entirely. The one who had sent this man to fetch the books was none other than Tagan Long. And better still, having failed to get the books, Tagan Long was actually coming here in person. It gave Wei Zhao the feeling of finding, without any effort at all, what he had been searching for everywhere in vain. Truly, this thing was walking right into his hands to die!

At that thought, Wei Zhao had nothing left to hold himself back for. He silently crawled out from beneath the table, stood up, and walked over to stand behind the newcomer...

Wei Zhao was a fighter of the mid-stage Earth Rank, far stronger than the newcomer, and skilled besides at concealing his strength. Thus he reached the man's back without a sound, and the man noticed nothing. But just as Wei Zhao was about to strike and finish him off silently, the man seemed to be seized by some instinct of the sixth sense. All at once he felt that something behind him was not right, and whirled around—and there beheld Wei Zhao standing behind him!

"Ah..." He let out a cry of disbelief, his eyes brimming with astonishment, but not fear—for as he saw it, how could an enemy possibly intrude into the Tagan clan? Such a thing had never happened before!

So although the newcomer's face was unfamiliar, he merely assumed the man might have been sent by someone else to fetch books. He was just about to ask why he had made no sound, and moved like a ghost, when a sudden, sharp pain lanced through his chest. An instant later his body was sent flying backward, landing heavily on a bookshelf not far away with a tremendous crash. The bookshelf toppled over, and the books upon it scattered across the floor!

Against a fighter of the early-stage Mystic Rank—especially one caught off guard—Wei Zhao naturally had him at his mercy. And so the newcomer, in a state of utter bewilderment, met his end, and to his dying breath he never knew how he had died, nor who this Wei Zhao was, that he should dare kill a man here!

Having finished off the newcomer, Wei Zhao turned and concealed himself at the entrance of the Library Pavilion. This was not a very good hiding place, for anyone entering the pavilion had only to turn his head to see Wei Zhao standing behind the door. But it was an excellent place for a surprise attack.

Wei Zhao did not intend to avoid Tagan Long. Rather, he meant to wait until Tagan Long had entered the Library Pavilion and beheld the horrifying scene within—and then strike him unawares!

Tagan Long was a fighter of the early-stage Earth Rank. Though this creature seemed utterly good-for-nothing, his strength having apparently been heaped up with spiritual elixirs, Wei Zhao would not underestimate him too much. Though there was a gap between early-stage Earth Rank and mid-stage Earth Rank, that gap was not especially pronounced, and it could well be made up for by superior martial techniques and mental cultivation methods.

Not long after Wei Zhao had hidden himself, footsteps came again from the entrance of the Library Pavilion. It should be Tagan Long. Wei Zhao had already sensed the newcomer's strength—early-stage Earth Rank.

Tagan Long had never imagined that a gruesome scene would await him in the Library Pavilion, yet a cultivator is born with a sensitivity to the smell of blood. As he reached the doorway he still sensed something unusual. His footsteps paused slightly, and all at once he became aware of the disturbance within the Library Pavilion!

The subordinate he had sent to fetch the books for him now lay dead upon the ground, and the bookshelf of the Library Pavilion had been smashed down by his corpse!

"Who goes there!" Tagan Long instinctively went on guard and shouted.

Wei Zhao had not expected this fool Tagan Long to be so alert, discovering the problem before he had even stepped into the Library Pavilion. Originally Wei Zhao had meant to strike from behind once Tagan Long had entered. But now that seemed impossible; Wei Zhao would have to show himself!

For Wei Zhao feared that Tagan Long might turn and leave this place to go seek reinforcements. Once the Tagan clan's other fighters arrived, then never mind finishing off Tagan Long—whether Wei Zhao could even leave the Library Pavilion in one piece would become a question!

"Young Master Tagan. Trust you have been well!" With that thought, Wei Zhao flashed out from behind the door and stood before Tagan Long.

"Zhang Naipao?" Tagan Long's gaze sharpened. "What are you doing here?"

"Here to kill you!" As Wei Zhao spoke, he silently unleashed the third form of the Frenzied Fire Fist and drove it at Tagan Long!

Within the Tagan clan, Wei Zhao did not want to raise too great a commotion. And in Wei Zhao's estimation, the third form of the Frenzied Fire Fist was about equal to the fourth form of an ordinary martial technique—more than enough to finish off this good-for-nothing young master Tagan Long. Wei Zhao could unleash even higher techniques, but he feared that would create too great a disturbance and bring trouble down upon himself!

Above all he could not use a true qi bomb; the sound of that explosion would be far too loud, and would likely shake even the old ancestors in seclusion out of their retreat. Then when the time came, Wei Zhao would not be able to escape even if he wanted to.

Tagan Long smiled coldly, as though he had known all along that Wei Zhao meant to strike. He leaned slightly to one side and nimbly evaded this third form of the Frenzied Fire Fist. Coming to a stop not far from Wei Zhao's side, he suddenly raised both hands, and a strange radiance flashed across his palms: "Five Elements Eight Trigrams Palm—first form..."

But when Tagan Long thrust both palms toward Wei Zhao, Wei Zhao's heart lurched in alarm—and the jade pendant at his chest actually sent out a violent warning signal! When he had exchanged blows with enemies before, the pendant had also given warning, but such an intense warning had only ever appeared when he had fought the Fifth Protector and the First Protector.

Yet now it appeared in this clash between him and Tagan Long, which filled Wei Zhao with both alarm and dread!

The momentum was immensely powerful, and uncanny besides. Those two palms Tagan Long pushed forward, seemingly so plain and mild, carried an indescribable menace—so much so that Wei Zhao could hardly even tell the attribute of Tagan Long's mental cultivation method. Was it of the fire element or the water element? Or perhaps wood? Metal? Earth?

The palms bearing that uncanny radiance came striking toward Wei Zhao's chest. Wei Zhao felt a reluctance to meet them head-on, yet the arrow was on the string and must be loosed. He had no choice but to unleash his strongest martial technique: "Frenzied Fire Fist—fifth form!"

"Boom!" "Boom!"

Wei Zhao's twin fists met Tagan Long's twin palms. The next moment, Wei Zhao felt a force like mountains toppling and seas overturning surge from Tagan Long's palms. He was shaken back two steps—yet Tagan Long had clearly gained no advantage either. Struck by Wei Zhao's Frenzied Fire Fist, he too staggered back several steps, his face turning slightly pale!

But in Wei Zhao's eyes, though Tagan Long had likewise come off badly, he had certainly not suffered any grave injury. This realization left Wei Zhao alarmed and afraid! (To be continued) RQ