Wutian looked back in amazement. He saw light shining out of the portal, and two legs stepped on air.
Next, the entire lower body of the figure emerged. But it was still blurred by the dazzling light.
“You killed my disciple and murdered my young clan master. You shall deserve a thousand deaths!”
“It is you all, the Fire Cloud Clan, who deserve a thousand deaths!”
A forceful voice, almost ear-shattering, sounded throughout the mountain range all of a sudden.
“How dare you attack my clan and steal my students, Huo Yunzi. This is provocation to the Yan Clan!
A white shadow came from afar like a streak of lightning. The void shocked and cracked like a mirror as he went past. The most shocking thing was, he was flying without the aid of Power of Wind or any magic tool. He was a real powerful one who could walk on air.
“It is you, Chi Yanzi!” The voice inside the portal sounded surprised with a hint of seriousness. Apparently, the voice was quite wary of Chi Yanzi.
Chi Yanzi, dressed in white, approached in the blink of an eye. He was in his senior age, hair gray, not giving out any hint of his level of strength. He just looked like any other old folks. The thing was, he was sanguine, energetic and his voice forceful and loud.
“I don’t have time for you. Get the hell out of here!”
His entire aura changed. His white robe fluttered. Terrifying like a heavenly immortal, he struck out a palm in midair and the galaxy shook. A piece of shining silk dropped from the sky, setting everything on fire like the divine fire from Nine Heavens.
A mountain peak shattered, pulverizing in the blink of an eye, and lava was flowing everywhere. It was a terrifying scene.
“Beat it!”
The hoarse voice roared angrily inside the portal. Huo Yunzi was furious. Light of brilliant colors shot out, spouting Essence elixirs. Shock waves spread in all directions, sending the earth cracking in rumble and spurting with magma.
The red silk’s terrifying energy crushed over everything. The brilliant-color light dissipated and disappeared into thin air.
Boom!
As the shiny silk dropped, the portal shook with dazzling golden light, the brilliant-color divine light flaring up. Huo Yunzi was forced to step back into the portal.
He was absolutely furious. As the portal was a passage hewed out from a dimension, there were no Essence elixirs for Huo Yunzi to perform his most powerful attack move. He was being suppressed by Chi Yanzi.
As the great elders of their respective clans, both of them were equally matched. If Huo Yunzi were to be outside the portal, Chi Yanzi could not have forced him back so easily.
“After the War of the Sects in ten years, I will come to settle all the scores with you.” Chi Yanzi flicked the red shiny silk down again with the wave of his hand. It plunged like a falling sun. The portal exploded at once, the light from the explosion illuminated the surroundings.
“The murderer of my beloved disciples, no matter where you are, I will tear you into pieces to avenge their death…”
Huo Yunzi disappeared along with the portal, leaving behind his angry voice reverberating in the air.
Wutian was breathing difficult, drenched in sweat. These two figures were well too powerful than he was. They seemed to summon Heaven to their service and send the earth into destruction with the flick of their hands.
“Huo Yunzi is the great elder of the Fire Cloud Clan.”
Wutian’s face was grave as he was not done yet. Killing Huoshi and Liuyan was not the end. He wanted to see the destruction of the Fire Cloud Clan to avenge the tragic death of the villages and his grandpa. And that Huo Yunzi was going to be his biggest enemy.
He clenched his fists. He had never craved power so badly. Only with enough strength could he fight an enemy like this and avenge his grandpa’s death.
Chi Yanzi appeared in front of in a flash; his dominant aura was replaced by an avuncular face. He looked at Wutian for a while, then nodded in a compliment. “Not half bad!”
“I couldn’t thank you enough for saving me!” Wutian cupped his hand. If not for this elder’s help, he would have died right here.
Chi Yanzi did not have the typical flair of an eminent figure. “I should be the one to say thank you. If not for your help and that stinky rascal screwing things up, those recruits would have gone to the Fire Cloud Clan,” said Chi Yanzi with a smile.
“I couldn’t agree more.” Wutian nodded, not pretending to be humble at all. It just showed Han Tian was a coward when he abandoned his partner in a dangerous time.
“What do you mean, you old man? When did I screw things up? You know how badass Huo Yunzi is, don’t you? You expect me to stay and get slaughtered for nothing? I am not a tortoise that could live a thousand years, damn it! And don’t forget that if I were to die, your granddaughter would become a widow!”
Seeing the arrival of the great elder, Han Tian turned back. This was the time to claim credits; he must not let Wutian have it all. But when he approached, he heard the great elder belittling him, and he became indignant.
“You thankless wretch, Wutian. Had I not kept Zhao He and others busy, how could you have killed Elder Wu? Yet you still have the nerve to badmouth me.” Han Tian suddenly regretted it. He just gave the biggest credit to Wutian.
Some donkey must have kicked his brain; it was stupid of him.
Chi Yanzi was used to his tomfoolery and shrugged it off. He did not even bat an eyelid when Han Tian got his granddaughter involved in his folly. That spoke volume of how spoiled Han Tian was in the clan.
“Hey, old man. Don’t blame it all on me. You should reflect on yourself; what took you so long to come? Was it because you are too old and useless? Probably you should consider retiring early and let me be the great elder instead.”
Han Tian squawked, then he toned down. “Sigh, look! We have done our best to stop the Fire Cloud Clan. We are so beat-up now. At least compensate and reward us.”
So the key point was the last part of the sentence, apparently.
Chi Yanzi squinted at him. “What kind of reward are you expecting?”
“Hmmm…”
Han Tian put his hand to his chin thoughtfully. “What about 1-million Essence elixirs as compensation for bodily injury, a set of premium Magic Maxim for mental trauma, a Nine-Star divine weapon as appreciation, and a hundred divine herbs as recognition? If you think this isn’t enough, let your granddaughter marry me. Don’t worry, I will take her no matter how ugly she is.”
While trying to wring as much benefits as he could, he did not realize how dark the face of Chi Yanzi had become. When he finally noticed it, it was too late. He jumped up and down in pain and got a mother of all bumps on his head after being knocked angrily by the great elder.
“Wutian!”
Right then, a white figure appeared from the cave halfway up the cliff. The figure rapidly slid down and landed safely. She was not hurt, but looking worried.
“A Light Being?” Chi Yanzi’s heart skipped a beat. He appeared to be captivated. But he frowned when he saw the little beast she carried in her arms. “A Gobbler.” He mumbled in amazement.
“Are you okay, Wutian?” Shishi immediately plunged into his arms, not minding how dirty and stinky he was as tears flowed out of her eyes.
Wutian was startled, forgetting how painful his body was. “You didn’t leave?”
He grabbed Little Tian up with a not-too-friendly face. Little Tian spread out its hands and gave him a helpless shrug.
“It was me who insisted not to leave. It was not Little Thing’s fault. I was worried about you; I didn’t want to leave you.” Tears were rolling in her eyes, making her deserve more love from him.
Right then, Wutian gritted his teeth as the pain suddenly came back, tearing him apart. He gently pulled away from her. “I am fine. Don’t worry about me. It’s over. Don’t you cry anymore. You look a sight.”
“Do I really look a sight?” Shishi was naïve and breaking into laughter.
Han Tian waved his hands. “Hey, I am wounded too, Little Rascal. Why don’t you show me some love, too? Don’t just look at your brother; that’s very impolite, you know?”
“Do I know you, uncle?” Shishi looked up, her soft hair cascading down her shoulder, her big round eyes glittering.
“Uncle? What the…”
Han Tian was struck dumb. This little chic was too naïve. Had no one known about their relationship, he would have thought they did not know each other.
“Who is this old man? Why didn’t you stay at home? What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here; it is too dangerous in this place,” said Shishi.
Wutian and Han Tian looked at each other. An old man? You’ve got to be kidding me!
“How could you call him an old man, you little rascal? He lives as long as a divine tortoise, a very important person. Don’t you offend him, or he will eat you for lunch. Remember that!” Han Tian chided.
“Is he really going to eat me?” Shishi hid behind Wutian and peeked at the man curiously.
Chi Yanzi was furious, nearly wanting to give her a good slap. But he fought back this urge. He told himself he should have the demeanor as a senior and person of his stature. “What are you waiting for? Get this young man the antidote now. You will be held responsible for anything that happens to him,” said Chi Yanzi to Han Tian, his face darkening.
“But…” Han Tian fiddled with his fingers and hesitated. “What—what about my compensation and rewards? Don’t—don’t forget about your granddaughter… You haven’t given me an answer.”
Chi Yanzi’s darkened face turned into a smile. Everyone knew that he was more influential than the clan master in the clan, and everyone had more respect for him. Yet this clueless rascal kept asking for compensation and reward and even trying to target his most beloved granddaughter.
“By the sounds of you, you met my granddaughter before?” He looked at Han Tian with a strange expression.
“I wish I did. But Master locked me away inside the dark little house. He didn’t allow me to go out.” Han Tian shook his head.
He paused for a second, then continued. “You look pretty handsome. Of course, not as handsome as I am. I reckon your granddaughter should be pretty okay in the looks department, too. But don’t you worry, so long as her face isn’t full of freckles, I am more than happy to accept her. Take it as my duty to the clan.”
Chi Yanzi’s face could not have darkened more. He glared at Han Tian with a look that demanded respect.
What kind of person is he? He is coveting my granddaughter, yet still has the nerve to make up such a ridiculous excuse! What did he mean by ‘duty to the clan’? Is my granddaughter that undesirable?
He had decided it; he would go back and ask that old fag to teach this rascal a lesson by locking him back inside that little dark room.
“Hey, old man. A fine-looking, talented young man like me is your ideal choice for an in-law, don’t you think so? Female disciples in the clan have been admiring me for a while. It will be her honor to be with me, and you will be really proud of me. So, please think about it. See ya!”
Seeing the situation not right, Han Tian quickly disappeared out of sight. He had better leave before this most senior figure of the clan got angry.