Chapter 112 – Bang

"Sect master, be careful!" the disciples of Five Gods Summit suddenly shouted.

The sect master was startled and quickly turned around, only to see that the puppet, which had previously fallen to the ground, had somehow gotten back up and was now rushing at his back!

"Little thief, you deserve to die!" yelled the sect master furiously. He saw the female puppet extend its remaining good arm, fingers like the edge of a blade, with glinting nails aimed directly at his throat!

"Just a desperate struggle!" shouted the sect master. His hands showed no fear as he slightly squatted down, steadied his stance, and reached out a claw, aiming for the puppet's wrist, using the same technique as before.

The puppet's wrist was seized again in the blink of an eye. The sect master grinned wickedly.

"With such flashy and unrefined tricks, do you think you can succeed?"

"Heh. Do you like fireworks?"

Tang Jinnian slowly exhaled a puff of green smoke in the distance, his eyes filled with mockery.

"Fireworks?" The sect master seemed confused as to what fireworks had to do with their current fight, even slowing his movements in surprise.

The female puppet seized the moment of hesitation, flipping its palm to grip the sect master’s wrist and pull itself into his embrace.

The sect master hastily reacted, trying to push the puppet away. Unexpectedly, the puppet’s limbs twisted and tightly coiled around him!

The sect master seemed to realize something and abruptly turned to look at Tang Jinnian in the distance. He found him tilting his head back, the jade smoking pipe in his hand releasing particularly conspicuous curling smoke.

"You!"

The sect master gasped in shock, his expression suddenly turning to fear as he shouted loudly, "You, you little brat, how dare you!!"

A faint smile appeared on Tang Jinnian’s face, his brows relaxing as he lightly uttered a syllable.

"Bang—"

BOOM!!!

The flames painted half the sky red, and a violent shockwave blew Tang Jinnian’s hair and clothes back as they rustled wildly.

The shockwave made it difficult for Tang Jinnian to keep his eyes open. He squinted and looked over, seeing a crater that was densely surrounded by fallen disciples of Five Gods Summit.

Some managed to stand up, lucky enough to only be lightly injured, while others were missing limbs and either unconscious or on the ground moaning.

Among the elders at the center, one had directly died, another was severely injured, and the only one unscathed was hiding behind a disciple, having narrowly escaped.

As for the sect master at the epicenter of the explosion, only a half-destroyed body remained, lying in the charred ground.

The square fell into a deeper silence after the loud explosion.

Tang Jinnian frowned slightly, feeling that something was off.

The reactions of the disciples were very suspicious.

As soon as the conscious disciples got up, the first thing they did was to help their fellow disciples and elders.

Even the unharmed elder bent down to care for the severely injured one... However, there was not a single person who went to check on the sect master's body in the center. No one even called out for their charred sect master.

Tang Jinnian licked his slightly dry lips, frowning in thought.

Just as he was lost in thought, a terrifying roar suddenly came from behind!

"Die!!!"

This was clearly the voice of the sect master who he had targeted with the explosion!

As soon as the voice rang out, a tremendous sense of pressure followed, indicating that the person had stealthily approached from behind to deliver this thunderous strike.

Only from getting closer could one truly feel the depth of this person's internal strength. Tang Jinnian was shaken by this roar, his mind spinning, and he could no longer dodge in time. At the critical moment, he could only slightly turn to the side, barely avoiding the deathblow.

In the next moment, Tang Jinnian felt as if a lightning bolt had struck his back, sending his whole body flying far away.

He coughed out a mouthful of fresh blood that splattered on the ground.

Tang Jinnian propped himself up with one hand on the ground, gently wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. He looked up and saw that another person had taken the place where he had been standing.

It was a short figure who was cloaked in a hood.

***

Being accustomed to waiting and adapting to circumstances is the quintessential skill of an assassin.

Flowerless Butterfly considered herself a good assassin and a professional in this regard.

After she concealed her hatred for Tang Jinnian in the woods on the central peak, she had already entered a state of readiness.

Although she couldn’t defeat Tang Jinnian, Rao Shuang believed that that man was nowhere near her level in the art of concealment.

Hiding in the woods, Rao Shuang watched as Tang Jinnian strolled eastward. Before long, she heard the creaking of the suspension bridge collapsing down the cliff, which caused her to frown. She was unsure what Tang Jinnian was plotting.

Suddenly, a voice came from the main hall, startling Rao Shuang. However, she felt relieved when she realized that the voice was directed at Tang Jinnian and not her.

Then, there was a long silence. From her position, she had no idea what was happening with Tang Jinnian. Although she was curious, as a professional assassin, she knew to do only what was necessary and not to stir up unnecessary trouble.

But who would have thought that soon after, an identical crashing sound let her know that another suspension bridge had been rapidly destroyed.

Rao Shuang’s beautiful eyes were burning with rage, and she gritted her teeth, cursing Tang Jinnian inwardly.

That damned Forsaken Phoenix! He must have guessed that I might flee at the last moment, which is why he destroyed all the bridges. By cutting off my escape route, I have no choice but to help him! What a clever plan. How could there be such despicable people in this world?!

But regardless of how upset she was, Rao Shuang knew that she truly had no way out.

Patiently waiting, Rao Shuang knew that, according to the path Tang Jinnian was taking, his next destination would be the northern suspension bridge. It was not too far from her, allowing her to at least see what was happening there.

However, before she could see Tang Jinnian’s figure, she noticed shadows emerging from the main hall, hurriedly heading towards the northern suspension bridge.

There were quite a few people, and Rao Shuang’s heart involuntarily tightened. She secretly felt anxious for Tang Jinnian... She didn’t think she was worried about him, but rather that they were both in the same boat; if something happened to him, she feared she wouldn’t escape either.

However, what happened next made her widen her eyes. A few brief exchanges made Rao Shuang realize how incredibly strange Tang Jinnian's puppets were, and their skills were unfathomable. What she saw today made her realize that Tang Jinnian had ultimately shown her mercy.

Boom!!

The violent explosion made Rao Shuang's face turn red, and she gulped. She took the fan from her bosom to check it over, as she knew it was time to act.

The battlefield situation suddenly changed as Flowerless Butterfly was prepared to sneak out of the woods. A roar filled with boundless rage caused Rao Shuang to instinctively turn her head to see what was happening.

In that glance, she happened to see Tang Jinnian being knocked away by a short figure before finally rolling to a stop.

Rao Shuang gasped, the monster from the main hall had truly been drawn out now.

Beads of sweat formed as she tightly gripped the fan in her hand,

However, in this chaotic moment, Rao Shuang was more clear-headed than ever... her opportunity had finally arrived.