The burly male cultivator stared at Wang Yan in horror.
Wang Yan stared back in shock, his eyes widening in disbelief. This burly fellow wasn't dead? Or even unconscious?
But!
Wang Yan spotted it a moment later.
The skin over the burly cultivator's chest was covered in cracks, looking like earth and giving off a faint orange glow.
Suddenly!
Crash! The skin covering the burly cultivator split apart, earth crumbling off him in a rattling shower. Clearly, he had used a defensive spell or some defensive treasure. As the earth fell away, the leather armor beneath it glowed faintly orange. That armor was evidently a defensive treasure as well.
"Hm? Earth Armor Spell!" Card Fairy's voice instantly rang out in Wang Yan's mind.
Earth Armor Spell? Wang Yan's thoughts stirred at her words, and he suddenly understood. The burly cultivator hadn't been killed or knocked unconscious at all. He had merely feigned unconsciousness to fool the Fang Bear Beast. Still, the trace of blood at the corner of his mouth made it clear that he was injured...
Just then!
"You... you killed Junior Sister Ma?" the burly cultivator asked, his eyes widening in disbelief. He suddenly glanced toward where the Fang Bear Beast had chased the robed cultivator, then looked back at Wang Yan. Realizing that Wang Yan had only reached Minor Completion of the Cultivation Realm, he roared, "You damned bastard! Do you know who you killed? That was Elder Ma's granddaughter!"
"Hmph! Everyone in the Ma Family deserves to die!" Killing the female cultivator had left Wang Yan feeling sick to his stomach, but the burly cultivator's sudden appearance had startled that feeling out of him. Instead, he grew calm. Remembering his hatred, he gritted his teeth and snapped coldly, raising his bone blade toward the burly cultivator...
Wang Yan could tell that the burly cultivator had at least reached Major Completion of the Cultivation Realm. Although his leather armor and Earth Armor Spell had blocked the Fang Bear Beast's attack, his aura had weakened considerably. Wang Yan had come to pick up easy spoils in the first place. The female cultivator's bow and the burly cultivator's saber were both fine things. Besides, they belonged to the Ma Family, so he naturally couldn't let them off easily.
Still, now that the burly cultivator had seen his face, Wang Yan certainly couldn't let him go.
Damn it, Junior Sister Ma's been killed. I'll be finished when I get back. My only choice is to kill this fellow...! Seeing Wang Yan point a blade at him, the burly cultivator thought to himself. He gritted his teeth, and his saber hummed as orange light surged over it. A powerful fluctuation of magical energy erupted from the blade...
Suddenly!
"Die!" Orange light swirled fiercely around the saber in the burly cultivator's hand, and he hurled it toward Wang Yan!
Whoosh! A piercing rush of air rang out. The saber was clearly a fine magic artifact. It sliced through the air like a streak of brilliant light, shooting straight toward Wang Yan at astonishing speed.
"Hah!" Wang Yan knew the burly cultivator wouldn't be easy to handle either. With a furious shout, red light burst from his feet, followed by a booming eruption of flame. Rather than retreating, he charged toward the burly cultivator and ducked low in the flash of a spark.
Whoosh! Amid a fierce rush of air, Wang Yan instantly dodged the Longblade Magic Artifact the burly cultivator had unleashed...
But!
"Hah!" The burly cultivator charged forward as well, his heavy footsteps pounding thunderously. He clenched his large hands into fists, orange light surging around them as earth gathered with a series of cracks. His fists actually became like rocks, and he rushed right up to Wang Yan.
"Die!" the burly cultivator roared, driving a fist down toward Wang Yan's head.
Even more alarming!
Whoosh! With a rush of air, orange waves of light swirled around the Longblade Magic Artifact Wang Yan had dodged. It reversed direction and shot straight toward his back.
In an instant, it formed a pincer attack with the burly cultivator, striking at Wang Yan from front and rear.
Whether the Longblade Magic Artifact hit him or the burly cultivator's earth-energy-infused fist struck home, Wang Yan would suffer badly. The life he had only just snatched from death's jaws might well be lost again!
And at that hair's-breadth moment!
"Go!" Red light abruptly surged around Wang Yan's hands, swirling into rings of Red-Light Flame. With a furious shout, he slammed both hands toward the ground. Boom! Boom! Two fist-sized fireballs blasted out and struck the earth, exploding with two tremendous reports. Dirt and flames flew everywhere... Using the force of the Fireball Spell's impact, Wang Yan launched himself off the ground and into the air...
Just in time!
Boom! With a tremendous, muffled blast, the burly cultivator's orange-glowing fist missed Wang Yan and slammed into the ground. The earth shook violently, sending countless stones and grains of sand flying. Even the Red-Light Flame was scattered by the impact, and a crater several feet wide was blasted into the ground...
But the Longblade Magic Artifact struck with a muffled swish, leaving a bloody gash along Wang Yan's foot. He had clearly been a little too slow!
Just then!
"You're not getting away!" The burly cultivator's reactions were astonishingly quick. He snapped his head up, glaring viciously at Wang Yan, and moved abruptly, driving his enormous fist toward Wang Yan in midair.
At that very instant!
"Go!" Red light suddenly swirled around the airborne Wang Yan's hands. He thrust them down toward the burly cultivator's head. Boom! Boom! Two bursts of Red-Light Flame erupted, and two fist-sized fireballs shot straight down toward the burly cultivator's head, bringing a wave of searing heat with them!
"Impossible!" the burly cultivator cried. He was profoundly shocked. Cultivation Realm cultivators rarely cast spells in one-on-one combat. For one thing, spells consumed a great deal of magical energy. For another, chanting incantations and forming hand seals took too long; by the time a spell was released, it would be too late. They generally preferred reliable close-combat divine abilities, or fought using magic artifacts and talismans. Yet Wang Yan had cast the Fireball Spell several times in succession without any sign of using talismans, chanting, or forming seals. Naturally, this horrified him!
There was no time to think!
"Hah!" The burly cultivator didn't dare pit his head against the Fireball Spell. He hastily drew back his fists, rings of orange light surging around them as he shielded his head!
Boom! Boom! Two thunderous explosions rang out, and Red-Light Flame erupted...
"Urgh!" A cry escaped the burly cultivator's mouth as he was hurled several yards backward. Orange light surged around his feet, and his heavy steps thudded against the earth, stamping seven or eight deep footprints into it before he finally stopped...
Wang Yan fared little better. With a muffled thud, the burly cultivator's Longblade Magic Artifact struck his backside and sent him flying. Fortunately, being hit had disrupted the burly cultivator's control, so only the back of the blade struck Wang Yan. Otherwise, his entire backside would have been sliced off...
"Bastard! I won't spare you!" The burly cultivator looked rather bedraggled. Both arms were charred black, and much of his hair and eyebrows had been singed. He cursed at Wang Yan through gritted teeth.
Tch! This fellow's hard to deal with! Wang Yan landed on the ground and clutched his backside, the pain piercing right into his bones. Seeing the burly cultivator's sorry state, he suddenly sneered, "Hmph! You're lucky I didn't burn you to a crisp, you baked pancake!" Red light flashed beneath his feet as he turned and bolted, calling, "I'm done playing with you!"
"You're not getting away!" the burly cultivator cursed furiously. If Wang Yan escaped, how could he ever show his face in the Cultivation World again? How could he explain this to Elder Ma? Still cursing, he chased after Wang Yan at astonishing speed...
Clearly!
The burly cultivator's cultivation was far higher than Wang Yan's, so he was naturally much faster. Within a few bounds, he had closed to within several yards of Wang Yan.
"Die!" The burly cultivator jabbed a finger toward Wang Yan's back and shouted in a deep voice.
Whoosh! A piercing rush of air rang out as the Longblade Magic Artifact hurtled through the air, shooting straight toward Wang Yan's back.
Just then!
"Ah!" Wang Yan suddenly screamed. His feet tangled, and he tripped, plunging headfirst to the ground. The Longblade Magic Artifact instantly skimmed his shoulder, tearing open his clothes without actually striking him. It slammed into a large tree ahead and pierced clean through it...
The burly cultivator wasn't about to let Wang Yan off so easily. With a furious roar, brilliant orange light blazed around his fists, and he drove them down toward Wang Yan on the ground. If they struck, Wang Yan would certainly be smashed to pieces.
At that very instant!
Whoosh! Wang Yan, who had just fallen flat, suddenly rolled over. Brilliant red light flared around his hands, which were aimed squarely at the burly cultivator's thighs!
This is bad! The burly cultivator reacted instantly, remembering Wang Yan's ability to cast the Fireball Spell without delay!
But! It was already too late!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Four deafening explosions erupted. The burly cultivator's thighs were blasted apart, and his body went flying. Blood sprayed through the air amid the stench of scorched flesh, splattering all over Wang Yan...
"Urgh!" Wang Yan himself fared little better. He was sent flying, his body scorched black in places, and crashed heavily to the ground...
Just then!
"Roar!" A furious bellow rang out, accompanied by immensely heavy footsteps charging through the distant forest. It seemed the Fang Bear Beast had returned.
Before you continue