The man in the Daoist robe sneered, “Look at him—probably even his source of Qi is damaged. How strange. On Penglai Island, apart from us, who else could wound Bai Chan like this?”
The peerless beauty only covered her mouth and laughed softly, her gaze flicking over Bai Chan but she said nothing.
Only the hulking, burly man remained expressionless. He slowly sat up, pushed the woman aside, and fixed Bai Chan with a pair of cold, tangible stares. His voice was low and full of pressure: “Explain.”
Under those eyes—especially the hulking man’s—Bai Chan trembled ever so slightly.
Swallowing his humiliation, he stepped forward, dropped to one knee, bowed his head, and recited, in full, everything that had occurred: from being roused by Li Wenxing and the others, to slaying mortals on a whim, being stopped by Dustin, losing the spiritual contest, and finally being counter-killed by the thunder strike—forcing him to use a life-saving secret art to reconstruct his body.
As he spoke, the mocking laughs of the androgynous man and the Daoist faded. Even the beauty’s smile vanished, replaced by surprise. Clearly, they had not expected such a troublesome figure to arrive from outside the island.
No sooner had Bai Chan finished than the burly man slammed his palm onto the arm of his white jade chair!
Boom!
The entire hall seemed to tremble. Waves lapped across the wine pool; the revelers fell silent, terrified.
“Trash!” the tall man roared like thunder. “You couldn’t even deal with an outsider—nearly letting him reduce you to nothing! You’ve shamed us all!”
Before his words even finished, he sent out a kick through the void.
An invisible colossus of force struck Bai Chan square in the chest.
Pft! The weakened Bai Chan could not resist. Like a kite with its string cut, he was hurled backward, slamming into a thick jade pillar. He spat blood and collapsed to the ground in disgrace.
Prone, coughing violently, his chest burning, what hurt most was the humiliation. A flicker of poisonous resentment crossed his eyes, but he dared not show it. He forced himself back to his knees, bowed his head lower.
Who stood before him—an opponent he could never match even at his prime—let alone now?
“Brother, calm yourself,” the androgynous man said, attempting to appease. “From Bai Chan’s tale, that man truly has tricks… he seems to be of the same tier.”
The Daoist-robed man frowned. “To defeat Bai Chan at his peak—his strength must not be underestimated. Looks like this ‘blood feast’ may have a big fish among its catch.”
The burly man glanced coldly at Bai Chan. The anger in his eyes cooled and turned icier. After a moment’s silence, he snapped his fingers.
A streak of golden light shot toward Bai Chan.
Bai Chan instinctively caught it. In his palm rested a pill the size of a longan—round, warm, pulsing with vibrant life and immense spiritual energy. Its surface bore faint dragon-scale patterns.
“This is the ‘Dragon-Blood Revival Pill.’ It will restore about seventy to eighty percent of your strength,” the tall man said flatly. “Take it and get out. Find that man—and the group that disturbed our peace—and eliminate them all.”
He paused, voice darkening: “If you fail again… don’t bother returning. Find a place and disappear forever.”
Clutching the warm pill and feeling its vast power, Bai Chan’s emotions churned—relief at survival, hunger for strength, and burning hatred toward Dustin and Li Wenxing.
He kowtowed heavily, voice hoarse but resolute: “Yes, Brother! Bai Chan will not disgrace your orders. I will bring that man’s head!”
Having said this, he could not stay another moment. He staggered to his feet, bowed his head, and hurried from the oppressive, luxurious hall.
Watching him go, the beauty purred seductively, “Brother, why waste a Dragon-Blood Pill? Let me go—perhaps I could be twice as effective.”
The hulking man reclined and closed his eyes, as if the episode were nothing more than a trifle.
He murmured, “Bai Chan is weak, yet he knows our foe’s methods. One pill for one chance to learn the enemy’s bottom—worth it. If he fails again… hm, then we shall fish this one out ourselves. For now, play music, let them dance.”
The decadent music resumed. The revelry around the wine pool and flesh forest continued as if nothing had happened—only now, mingled with the rich scents of wine and meat, there lingered a faint, barely perceptible tang of blood drifting in from outside. - Marinien
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