Chapter 258 - 245: Not So Fast—!!
SLAP!
The hollow-eyed "Mr. Qian" wasted no words, landing a backhanded slap across Mr. Huohua’s face.
Inside the coffin, Lin Qingfeng and Su Ling’er both sucked in a sharp breath.
HISS—
’So this is... sect protection? It wasn’t very damaging, but the humiliation was off the charts!’
"Senior, I—" SPLAT! Mr. Huohua was met with another slap.
"Sen—" SPLAT! Mr. Huohua clutched his face, furious but not daring to speak.
’This guy is impossible to communicate with!!!!’
Left with no choice, Mr. Huohua once again activated a Secret Technique, burning his blood essence to unleash an even more powerful attack.
"Ten Thousand Flames Return to the Origin: Flame Prison Beast Emperor Strike!" A Flame Beast Emperor, more solid and ferocious than the last, roared into existence. Even the surrounding canyon walls began to show signs of carbonizing under the intense heat!
However, the invincible "Mr. Qian" still responded with just a single slap.
SLAP! The Flame Beast Emperor was once again swatted into nothingness.
Mr. Huohua was completely dumbfounded.
’What in the world is the background of this Guixi Sect?!’
He instantly thought of Ye Longtao, who had been personally executed by Xuanyuan.
’If that piece of trash from Qingxu Temple could send intelligence back, there’s no reason we from the Celestial Furnace Sect can’t! But the prerequisite for all of this is... I have to get back alive!’
At this thought, Mr. Huohua lost all will to fight. The only thing on his mind was escape!
He gritted his teeth, his entire body transforming into a ball of raging beast-fire. At the cost of burning his own origin essence, he cast the Fire Escape Skill and shot off in the opposite direction of "Mr. Qian," preparing to flee!
His speed was blindingly fast; he appeared at the end of the canyon in a near-instant!
However, just as he was about to burst out of the canyon, a hand reached out from behind him and grabbed his ankle. It was Mr. Qian, his eyes still just as hollow.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Before Mr. Huohua could even react, "Mr. Qian" had grabbed him by the ankle and smashed him back into the center of the canyon, right in front of Lin Qingfeng’s line of sight!
The ground trembled violently once more as dust and smoke filled the air.
"Fellow Daoist! We can talk about this! My Celestial Furnace Sect..." Mr. Huohua struggled to open his mouth to negotiate, but "Mr. Qian" gave him no such opportunity.
Grab, swing, smash.
Grab, swing, smash.
...
There was no flashy Magic, no exquisite techniques—only the most primitive, brutal, and unreasonable physical beatdown.
Mr. Huohua, a dignified Nascent Soul Cultivator, was being thrashed around by "Mr. Qian" in a manner utterly devoid of any aesthetic appeal, right in the very valley he’d scorched black with beast-fire.
Every time he tried to transform into a streak of fire to escape, he would be dragged back the very next second to face a new round of thrashing.
The vital energy and blood in his body roiled, and trickles of blood seeped from all seven of his orifices. Countless bones in his body were broken, and he was covered in wounds.
Though the injuries were agonizing, they had all cleverly avoided his vital points, leaving his Dao Foundation completely unharmed.
...
Inside the coffin, the pair watched the scene unfold through a crack.
Su Ling’er really couldn’t hold back anymore and quietly poked Lin Qingfeng beside her.
"Eldest Brother..."
"Hm?"
"Our sect’s... Sect Leader."
"His attack moves... don’t they have... a more Cultivation-like feel to them? Isn’t this a bit... too..."
Lin Qingfeng nodded in firm agreement.
"It’s definitely crude."
"This fighting style is a little too down-to-earth. It lacks aesthetic appeal, but it’s extremely humiliating."
’I’ll have to complain to the admins later. This Sect Leader NPC’s attack animation set is way too simple. They need to put more effort into the art direction!’
While the two of them were observing the battle, "Mr. Qian" continued to smash Mr. Huohua against the ground for a full three minutes.
Suddenly, a system window popped up before Lin Qingfeng’s eyes.
[Dear President and Eldest Brother of the Guixi Sect, greetings! Thank you for using the "Novice Protection" service. To help us better improve our service quality, please rate your experience.]
[☆☆☆☆☆]
[Friendly Reminder: Submit a five-star review to receive a "New Year’s Gift Pack" and a chance to get priority customer service feedback!~]
Seeing the promise of a "New Year’s Gift Pack," Lin Qingfeng unhesitatingly tapped the fifth star.
Immediately after.
[Feedback: Great! Excellent! Absolutely fantastic! Five-star review! Although it was already very aesthetically pleasing, I feel there’s still room for improvement in that department. I hope the admins can optimize the Sect Leader NPC’s combat animations and strive to do better and better!]
Then, he hit submit.
The moment he submitted the positive review, "Mr. Qian" outside also stopped his thrashing.
He lifted Mr. Huohua, who was now beaten black and blue, spun him around a few times, and then, with a powerful heave of his arm, hurled him into the sky!
WHOOSH—!
Mr. Huohua turned into a shooting star, thrown directly past the horizon until he finally disappeared into the clouds.
Lin Qingfeng immediately switched his view to the map. The death marker representing Mr. Huohua, shared by the sacrificial altar, was rapidly moving across the map toward the northwest corner.
Finally, after flying past the eight-hundred-li sect exploration range, the marker plunged into the black, unexplored territory. After moving some distance further, it finally stopped.
Lin Qingfeng looked at the coordinates, mentally estimating the landing position. Seeing no other threats in the vicinity, he finally climbed out of the coffin.
Then... with a CLANG, he shut the coffin lid on Su Ling’er again.
Su Ling’er was stunned. ’Hey, why’d he lock me in again? Isn’t it safe outside now?’