Chapter 4229 — Someone Cuts In

Before he could finish, Cheng Qitian's voice cut off short, like a duck suddenly seized by the neck—not a single word more could come out. It was not that he did not want to speak; the situation had shifted so abruptly that he truly could not.

The reason was simple. Just as he was strutting and throwing his weight around, Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao—the two weaklings he had taken for fish on the chopping block, utterly incapable of striking back—had suddenly and boldly made their move.

What he never could have expected was that the targets Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao now aimed at were not him at all, but none other than his attendant Old Kong, whose strength reached the Nascent Soul stage!

Two early-stage Golden Core cultivators daring to strike at a Nascent Soul expert—was that not the height of absurdity?

Not only Cheng Qitian himself, but even the onlookers gathered around could not help but feel a sense of derision mingled with disbelief. Even a cornered dog leaping over the wall did not leap like that.

Even Old Kong himself could not help but be astonished. He truly had never imagined these two would dare attack him—this was unprecedented. Even if he had been completely off guard, there was still no chance whatsoever these two could harm him!

This was not arrogance on his part. The vast gulf in strength between them was plain as day, an ironclad fact no one could change.

Yet in the next instant, Old Kong's expression changed drastically—two blazing-fire Eight Trigrams Combined Palms, bearing the intricate Eight Trigrams pattern, slammed into his chest simultaneously, one from each side!

Bang! Caught utterly off guard, Old Kong spat out a mouthful of glaring blood and was sent flying backward on the spot, a full several dozen zhang, smashing through several thick walls of the sea region dock before he finally came to a wretched halt.

This astonishing spectacle nearly blinded everyone present. The two scantily clad women clinging to Cheng Qitian's side went pale with fright and screamed in panic, while Cheng Qitian himself was so shocked he nearly bit through his own tongue and for a long while could not utter a word.

A deathly silence fell over the whole scene—until Old Kong, in sorry shape, climbed to his feet from the rubble and dust. He fixed his gaze on Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao, his face contorted with savagery.

With his strength, had they been merely two ordinary early-stage Golden Core cultivators, they could never have hit him in the first place; and even if they had, they could never have reduced him to such a sorry state.

In truth, even before the blows landed, with the strength of a Nascent Soul expert he had, despite his momentary carelessness, still reacted in time. Yet what he never expected was that even after summoning his protective true qi at the very last moment, he would still end up like this.

Two insignificant early-stage Golden Core ants—yet the power of this single martial technique, once joined together, could rival the peak of the late Golden Core stage! This was truly unheard of and never before seen. No wonder these two dared to be so brazen as to attack him of their own accord!

At this very moment, the killing intent in Old Kong finally surged skyward without the slightest concealment. A dignified Nascent Soul expert, wounded by two early-stage Golden Core ants—if word of this got out, he would be laughed at for the rest of his life!

Seeing this, Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao felt their hearts turn cold. The opportunity just now had been excellent, and their blazing-fire Eight Trigrams Combined Palms had indeed unleashed their full might. To wound this Nascent Soul expert as grievously as possible, they had not dared divide their firepower, directing both their palms squarely at Old Kong.

Even if a single blow could not be fatal, it should at least have left him gravely wounded, unable to fight again for some time. Yet judging by Old Kong's bearing now, though he was injured, the wounds were far from leaving him incapable of battle.

This man was likely at least a peak early-stage Nascent Soul expert!

With Wei Zhao's current strength—even as a perfect-breakthrough early-stage Golden Core cultivator, even joining hands with Huang Xiaotao—there was absolutely no chance of matching someone like this.

"Old Kong, kill that man for me, now! Keep the woman alive—bring her back!" Cheng Qitian stamped his feet and cursed in a fury of shame.

Yet he himself did not dare make a move for the moment. Furious as he was, he had been thoroughly frightened by Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao's earlier display. Even Old Kong's strength seemed to have taken no small injury—if that blow had landed on him, would he not have died on the spot?

"Yes!" Old Kong answered at once, brimming with killing intent. In truth, he needed no orders from Cheng Qitian—he was absolutely determined to hack this ant Wei Zhao to pieces to vent the hatred in his heart.

Seeing this, Wei Zhao's heart sank. Even wounded, with the man now on his guard, he and Huang Xiaotao together would stand no chance; and if the late-stage Golden Core Cheng Qitian joined in, one misstep today and they would truly die here.

Wei Zhao gritted his teeth. Their only sliver of survival lay in seizing the moment while the enemy was still wary—hoisting Huang Xiaotao onto his shoulder and, if they could reach the back of the spirit bird before the other side reacted, taking off amid the chaos and fleeing. Only then was there a faint hope.

Even so, that hope was desperately slim. The spirit bird had just been led away by the servant; Wei Zhao had noted its position earlier, so it would be easy enough to find—but the problem was that even after taking flight, the enemy had flying spirit beasts of their own, and could even goad them into a berserk frenzy, faster than the spirit bird on their side. Even if the enemy reacted a beat late, they could still give chase.

Wei Zhao could not help cursing their ill luck. This trip to the Wei Arc sea region had barely begun, and already they had run into such an unforeseen crisis—a truly inauspicious start.

But it was too late for regrets now, and Wei Zhao had never been one for regrets anyway. All that remained was to fight desperately and carve a bloody path out. He had weathered many a storm; this was nothing to be afraid of.

Yet just as Wei Zhao was about to risk everything in a desperate gambit, a mocking voice suddenly rang out from somewhere nearby.

"Tsk, if it isn't young Master Cheng? What brings you out here today, showing off with your two little stepmothers again? Tut tut, how did Old Kong get beaten until he's puking blood? Don't tell me the showing off failed and the whole thing came crashing down? Oh, how delightful, hahahaha!" The owner of the voice was a man dressed in a black training robe.

Hearing this undisguised mockery—especially those grating words "little stepmothers"—Cheng Qitian's already ugly expression flushed crimson, while the onlookers all burst into knowing laughter, pointing and whispering among themselves. (To be continued..) R527