At the last possible moment, he narrowly dodged Yue Guan and Gui Mei's attacks.
Behind him, Lan Minghua's pupils contracted. He couldn't understand why the person in front of him had attacked him.
In the blink of an eye, a golden beam and a black beam shot straight toward him.
"What the hell?!"
"System, use the Wretched Fate Hua Peak Combat Strength Experience Card!"
In an instant, an imposing aura surged from Lan Minghua.
The golden and black beams crashed into him.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out, and the air filled with the stench of something burning.
The energy shock wave that followed swept outward like a raging sea, mercilessly spreading in every direction.
The forest below looked as though it had been struck by a natural disaster. Towering trees were ripped out by their roots and strewn haphazardly across the ground.
Dust billowed across a hundred-meter radius.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei had been aiming to kill Tang Hao, so their attacks were naturally extremely powerful.
If Lan Minghua hadn't used the Experience Card, that blow would have left him seriously injured.
But before Wretched Fate Hua at his peak, their attacks had only raised a little dust.
Just as he was wondering why the people in front of him had attacked, a strangely feminine voice reached his ears.
"Damn it! Where did that bastard Tang Hao run off to?"
"That voice... Could it be Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan?"
Lan Minghua tore through the smoke in front of him with one claw and fixed his gaze on the two figures nearby.
His stare was intensely predatory, making Yue Guan and Gui Mei shudder at once.
Yue Guan felt a chill run down his spine. "Old Ghost, why do I have this ominous feeling?"
While he was still puzzled, Gui Mei was already staring at Lan Minghua with a grave expression.
"Stop looking. He's right in front of us. Looks like we've run into a tough opponent!"
Gui Mei felt an inexplicable fear deep in his heart as he looked at Lan Minghua, who stood there with openings all over his guard.
Only then did Yue Guan follow Gui Mei's gaze and finally spot Lan Minghua.
He'd been focused almost entirely on Tang Hao just now, so he hadn't noticed Lan Minghua at all.
Lan Minghua was very unhappy to see that the ones who'd ambushed him were a chrysanthemum and a little ghost.
Those two had actually forced him to use an Experience Card.
Now he had only one left in reserve. That was going to make him feel very insecure!
"I know Tang Hao used you, but you made me waste an Experience Card. How are you going to pay me back?!"
Lan Minghua gave them a hostile look and took a step forward, appearing in front of Yue Guan and Gui Mei almost instantaneously.
His sudden arrival startled them.
"Who are you? Why are you interfering with Spirit Hall's pursuit of Tang Hao?" Yue Guan demanded, taking the initiative to speak.
Lan Minghua replied evenly, "Interfering with you? You're the ones interfering with my pursuit of Tang Hao."
"On top of that, you attacked me. What, do you want a fight?"
Pursuing Tang Hao?!
At those words, Yue Guan and Gui Mei's pupils contracted sharply as they realized something.
The man before them, who looked like a vagrant, was the one who had defeated Tang Hao!
Anyone capable of defeating Tang Hao head-on had to be incredibly powerful.
Lan Minghua stood right in front of them, his guard riddled with openings, yet they still felt an invisible pressure bearing down on them.
They'd only ever felt that way around the Great Enshrined, Qian Daoliu.
The Great Enshrined, Qian Daoliu, was one of only three Level 99 Limit Douluo on the continent.
That meant there were only two people on the continent who could stand as his equals.
Yet Lan Minghua's pressure was no weaker than Qian Daoliu's.
How could they not be shocked?
They'd assumed that Tang Hao, who had been out of sight for more than a decade, was simply too weak, and that was why Lan Minghua had defeated him with a single move.
They hadn't expected that it wasn't Tang Hao who was too weak, but Lan Minghua who was too strong!
Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged a glance, both of them visibly shocked.
"Old Ghost, what do we do? Did we make him angry?"
"Obviously! Tang Hao tricked us, and our attack hit him! Wouldn't you be angry if you were in his shoes?!"
Lan Minghua watched the two of them exchanging meaningful glances, his narrowed eyes flashing with a cold light.
He knew Tang Hao had set them up, but they'd been careless. Once something went wrong, it became their responsibility.
If he hadn't used Wretched Fate Hua's Experience Card, he would have been injured by that attack—possibly badly.
Even though he knew the truth, he decided to act as if he didn't. "Tell me. Why did you attack me?"
Yue Guan's throat bobbed as he swallowed. "Senior, we meant no offense. For the sake of Spirit Hall, could we let this matter go?"
"If you're willing, we can even introduce you to His Holiness the Pope and help you join Spirit Hall."
At that, Yue Guan felt quite confident.
After all, Spirit Hall was the most powerful faction on the continent. Not even the Two Great Empires could stand against it.
Spirit Hall's control over the low-level Soul Hunting Forests alone showed that it stood above the Two Great Empires.
So Yue Guan believed Lan Minghua wouldn't refuse to join Spirit Hall and become one of its Elders.
But that was only what he believed.
Lan Minghua had already sent people to establish the Heaven Dragon Gang. Why would he go join Spirit Hall?
"Hmph. Never mind all that. It's easy enough to let this go: just take one of my attacks."
Sensing that Tang Hao was getting farther away, Lan Minghua no longer felt like wasting time on Yue Guan and Gui Mei.
"Senior, are you really going to hold this against us? Making an enemy of Spirit Hall isn't a wise choice!"
Seeing that persuasion wasn't working, Yue Guan decided to try force instead.
Lan Minghua was powerful, but they weren't weak either—and they had a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
"Enough chatter. If you don't want to take one of my attacks, then fight me seriously!"
In an instant, his terrifying pressure crashed down on Yue Guan and Gui Mei.
The Soul Beasts in the forest sensed the danger and fled in every direction.
The forest's king, the Titan Giant Ape, had already reached the outskirts after receiving a message from Xiao Wu.
It felt the aura in the distance and froze. It didn't even dare to roar.
It knew full well that the owner of that aura could crush it with ease.
Nor was it alone. Deep in the Star Dou Great Forest, the Sky Azure Bull Python lifted its head from the lake.
It stared fixedly toward the outskirts, its eyes full of worry.
At the same time, Wu Song, who was dragging the corpse of a fifty-thousand-year-old Swordback Tiger through the forest, came to a halt.
"Huh, is that the Sect Master's aura? Whoever provoked him is out of luck."
Wu Song casually tore a leg from the Swordback Tiger and started roasting it.
He didn't think there was anyone on the continent who could truly threaten Lan Minghua.
At the same time, Lan Minghua's aura sent Yue Guan and Gui Mei flying hundreds of meters.
"Choose one. Otherwise, I'll choose for you. And if you regret it later, don't blame me for not giving you a chance."
At his words, Yue Guan and Gui Mei's hearts sank.
They knew that even if they joined forces, they wouldn't be a match for Lan Minghua.
But if they only had to withstand one attack, they still had a chance.
"Fine. We choose the first option. We'll take one attack from you! After that, this matter is settled!"
Lan Minghua glanced at them and said calmly, "Since you've made your choice, then take my attack!"
His gaze burned as golden light flowed from his raised hand, almost like liquid made solid.
It gathered rapidly in his palm, taking shape.
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