Chapter 4609 — A Short Rest
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
An extremely fine crack spread beneath Wei Zhao's feet in an instant. Anyone without extraordinary eyesight would never have noticed it even on close inspection. Yet though the fissure was fine, the commotion it raised was anything but small—a rumbling peal of thunder that seemed to detonate underground, enough to seize the heart from one's chest.
The crowd of onlookers outside the door were thrown into alarm and scattered for cover wherever they could find it. Though the ground had not yet begun to heave and the hills had not yet begun to shake, everyone knew a storm was coming. Ma Dangfeng had so far only locked his technique onto its target; once its full power erupted, it would likely level this place to flat ground in an instant. After all, this was a clash between two Yuan Ying cultivators of real skill—for bystanders, even a brush with the residual shockwave could cost them their lives.
"One last thing I'll tell you: this move of mine is called Earth Dragon Emerges. The last time I used it, a mid-stage Yuan Ying master died. So if you have any last words, you'd best get them out now—no point dying with your eyes open." Even now, Ma Dangfeng still had the leisure to talk. "Of course, there's no need to run. You're already locked onto by my divine sense. Wherever you flee, the earth dragon will rise beneath your feet. So I don't mind telling you—this move cannot be dodged. Hahahaha!"
"Earth dragon?" At that, the corners of Wei Zhao's mouth curved into an amused arc. "What a coincidence. My move is a dragon too. I just wonder whether your earth dragon can withstand this dragon of mine."
"A dragon? Dragon my ass! Still talking tough when death's at your door!" Ma Dangfeng laughed and laughed, then his eyes suddenly narrowed. The rumbling din grew more shocking still, giving the impression that some peerless savage beast was about to burst from beneath the earth and devour everything in sight. The weaker ones nearby were scared flat on the spot. The fearsome might of a full-power strike from a mid-stage Yuan Ying master was truly more than ordinary people could bear.
The spectators, so eager a moment ago, hurried to retreat farther and farther. At this terrifying rate, Ma Dangfeng's Earth Dragon Emerges would probably flatten everything within ten li at the very least. Even with true qi shielding their bodies, standing this close, they could not escape being caught in the blast.
Lu Bianren and the others, however, did not flee like everyone else. They stood behind Wei Zhao just as before. Unless Wei Zhao told them to retreat, they would share his fate—even if that fate was death.
That trace of amusement still hung at the corner of Wei Zhao's mouth. He showed no sign of any countermove, simply standing there quietly (and don't ask me who Quietly is—Quietly is Han Jingyi), watching Ma Dangfeng, who was so sure victory was already in his grasp.
"Oh ho, as expected of the former rookie king. Say what you like, at least you know when you're beaten—you realize you can't run, so you've simply stopped trying, is that it? Haha, guts. A pity your life isn't long enough!" Ma Dangfeng seized every chance to keep mocking. In his eyes, Wei Zhao was already a dead man.
"You say my life isn't long enough? Then I'll just wait and see. Perhaps the heavens will favor me and not let me die so soon." Wei Zhao smiled faintly, then suddenly turned his head toward the guild steward cowering nervously off to the side. "Be so good as to fetch me a stool, would you? I've come a long way through wind and dust—a perfect moment to rest my legs."