Bab 274: Chapter 274: Preaching to the Deaf; What are you talking about?
Auclair City.
Aureum stared cautiously at the black fog, then glanced behind him. A black dot in the distance gradually grew larger. Squinting, he finally made out what it was.
Someone was coming.
As he pondered, a booming sound echoed.
Lin Fan landed.
His descent from the sky was, as always, incredibly stylish, although the impact was a bit much. The ground rumbled, and a cloud of dust billowed outwards.
"Who is he?"
Aureum was extremely nervous, hoping against hope that, as he suspected, this was the reinforcement called for by the highest authority.
"Really sorry about cracking your pavement. Might need some patching up. If you need compensation, I'm probably broke."
Lin Fan's voice carried over.
Hearing this, Aureum stared, stunned, at the figure who had landed.
He was nervous.
He was excited.
There was no mistaking it.
It was him.
He had actually come.
"Are you Lin Fan from Longguo? Are you here to help us?" Aureum could barely contain his excitement. His chiseled features seemed to warp with the intensity of his emotion.
He was truly too excited.
So excited he didn't know what to say.
If he could, he would have knelt down, embraced Lin Fan's legs, and kissed his shoes.
An angel!
A savior descending from the heavens!
"Hmm, if you haven't mistaken me for someone else, then yes, I am."
Lin Fan looked at him with a smile.
In Aureum's eyes, he saw expectation and hope.
He believed in him.
Lin Fan liked it when people believed in him. Just like back in Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital, he believed in Old Zhang, Old Zhang believed in him, and the other patients believed in him too.
It was unconditional trust.
It gave him a good feeling.
Aureum excitedly grabbed Lin Fan's hand and roared to the crowd:
"Everyone, this is Lin Fan from Longguo! He's the one who can suppress the Sea God! Don't worry, we'll live!"
His voice was resonant, echoing throughout Auclair City.
The panicked citizens, hearing this, paused, then looked at each other.
"Is it true?"
Someone muttered, as if in disbelief.
A large man declared, "Lord Aureum said it himself, how could it be fake?"
He widened his eyes, his expression intimidating those around him into silence. No one dared to refute him.
A young man, an avid internet user, suddenly felt like a prophet, privy to insider news.
"It's true! I've seen the videos! He's really powerful! The Sea God he suppressed before could create storms and tsunamis with a wave of his hand! That's the power of a god!"
"But even the Sea God, with his god-like power, was no match for him!"
The surrounding people weren't very familiar with the internet.
To them, being able to access the internet was already a remarkable feat. So, they readily believed the young man's words. Smiles bloomed on their faces, as if hope was just within reach.
Seeing everyone looking at him with admiration, the young man raised his chin.
Pride.
Satisfaction.
He had never experienced this feeling before. It seemed his time online hadn't been wasted; it had some merit after all.
Aureum said, "The God of Death is in the black fog, but the fog is dangerous. Anyone who touches it becomes a mindless zombie."
His vocabulary was quite extensive, allowing him to converse with Lin Fan without any issues.
After all, he was a foreigner.
Speaking Longguo's language was something to be proud of.
"I'm looking forward to it," Lin Fan said.
Then, under Aureum's astonished gaze, Lin Fan leaped onto the city wall. Looking up, he called out:
"Hey! Are you the God of Death? I can sense you're very powerful."
The stagnant black fog shifted, parting to both sides.
Anubis, the God of Death, appeared. Wathed in black energy, Anubis didn't look like a friendly entity.
"Darkness descends!"
The God of Death's raspy voice echoed.
But to Lin Fan's ears, it was an unintelligible language.
"What did you say?" Lin Fan asked.
The God of Death repeated, "Darkness descends!"
Lin Fan, completely bewildered, looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Although I don't know what you're saying, I'm guessing you're saying hello."
"Hello, my name is Lin Fan."
The God of Death said, "Insignificant human, you dare obstruct the great god's creation of the kingdom of death? Are you challenging a god's authority?"
More incomprehensible words.
Lin Fan smiled. "I've heard you're very strong, so I came to see for myself. Honestly, you really are strong. I'm very interested in you."
The God of Death asked, "What are you saying?"
Lin Fan replied, "I'd like to have a match with you later. You might lose, but isn't battling a strong opponent your dream as well?"
Anubis, the God of Death, found it difficult to maintain his composure while talking to Lin Fan. He couldn't understand a word Lin Fan was saying.
He did, however, notice something.
This human was acting as if he understood what Anubis was saying.
For Lin Fan, whatever the other party said wasn't important.
Aureum realized something was very wrong.
Damn it!
He noticed that the God of Death and Lin Fan's exchange was completely disjointed, a series of non-sequiturs. He desperately wanted to act as Lin Fan's translator, to tell him what the God of Death was saying.
But seeing Lin Fan chatting away with such relish and enjoyment, he knew things had to proceed as they were.
Anubis, the God of Death, stopped wasting his breath.
He knew.
This human in front of him didn't understand a thing he was saying.
Or rather, even he didn't understand what this human was talking about.
Lin Fan looked at the people outside the city who had become mindless zombies, his face darkening with anger.
"Your actions are truly excessive. These are ordinary people! How could you do this?"
Seeing these humans who had lost their minds, he felt heartache and regret.
It was truly too much.
Anubis, the God of Death, said, "I sense anger within you. Your emotions betray you. A human with emotions, unable to control their anger, has already lost the moment they meet my gaze."
Lin Fan said, "I know you're strong, but strength isn't meant to be used to bully others. That will make you lose your way."
"Do you even understand what I'm saying?!" Anubis roared.
"Sigh, never mind. Maybe you'll never understand what I'm saying because I sense a coldness in you, an emotionless coldness," Lin Fan said calmly.
He felt a sense of regret.
This God of Death before him was even more powerful than the Sea God, yet he was always like this. He realized a serious problem: those he considered strong didn't seem to be very friendly.
Aureum wanted to tell Lin Fan, "How about I translate for you? Look, you've even made the God of Death lose his patience."
Perhaps if they could communicate in a common language, they might be able to reach some sort of understanding. But in the current situation, forget understanding, it was enough to make someone with a weaker constitution cough up blood.
"Enough. After all this, you still haven't repented. I don't want to waste any more words on you."
Lin Fan shook his head, too lazy to say anything more.
Then, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.
"I am Lin Fan. I wish to have a spar with you. To the death."
"Please!"
The God of Death, completely clueless about what Lin Fan was saying, roared, "Insignificant human! The gods bestowed language upon you, yet you are unable to use it. This is blasphemy against the gods! Find someone who understands the language of the gods to speak with me!"
Lin Fan waited.
A duel was about giving the opponent a chance, so he waited for the other party to make the first move.
But after waiting for a long time, the opponent still didn't move.
"Impressive. As expected of a strong individual, you disdain taking the first move. Then I won't hold back."
Lin Fan praised him. Indeed, this God of Death was extraordinary, far more powerful than the Sea God.
And it was precisely because of this strength that Lin Fan was excited.
Mutual respect between strong opponents didn't exist in Lin Fan's world.
Victory was paramount.
At this moment, Lin Fan ignored the situation below and charged towards the God of Death. The God of Death watched him intently. As Lin Fan approached, he raised his scepter high and brought it down forcefully.
The scepter glowed, enveloped in black fog, as if filled with the roars of vengeful spirits.
A soul-reaping strike.
One that would destroy everything.
The scepter landed on Lin Fan's head, making his head ring. He stumbled back a few steps.
"That hurt."
Lin Fan rubbed his head, staring at the God of Death in astonishment.
"Such a powerful move! It was clearly slow, but it felt impossible to dodge. How did you do that?"
He was truly amazed.
What just happened was very strange.
When the God of Death swung the scepter, it was truly slow, but in the blink of an eye, the scepter appeared right in front of him, as if it could traverse space.
There was nowhere to hide.
"Huh?"
The God of Death was astonished, staring at his scepter in disbelief.
That blow should have killed the human outright. It was imbued with the power of death, designed to reap souls. Even if it couldn't shatter the body, it should have shattered the soul.
But now…
He saw the human simply rubbing his head.
Completely unharmed.
"Again."
Lin Fan didn't use any techniques. He wanted to see how the God of Death wielded the scepter. It was clearly slow, yet it ended up being so fast.
He appeared before the God of Death again.
The God of Death swung his scepter. Lin Fan watched carefully. It was truly slow, easily tracked with the naked eye.
But in an instant, the scepter vanished.
In the blink of an eye, it reappeared.
It literally disappeared, then reappeared.
As the scepter descended, trailing long black flames, it landed on Lin Fan's head with a boom. Lin Fan clutched his head, staring at the God of Death in astonishment.
"How did you do that?"
He was truly shocked.
Such a powerful scepter, with incredible speed.
Aureum watched the scene in stunned silence.
Honestly, he was bewildered.
Seeing Lin Fan's head being bashed in by the God of Death, his heart almost exploded. Even the powerful individual who could suppress the Sea God couldn't withstand the God of Death?
But soon, he saw Lin Fan rubbing his head, acting as if nothing had happened.
There was no imagined head explosion.
This rekindled his hope.
But just as quickly, he saw Lin Fan's head being bashed in again by the God of Death's scepter.
His heart tightened again.
But then, damn it, Lin Fan was fine again.
What the hell?
Did it have to be like this?
His emotions were on a rollercoaster.
"Impossible," the God of Death growled. He didn't notice the cracks appearing on his scepter. The two heavy blows had taken a toll, but the subtle change went unnoticed.
If the God of Death knew his scepter was damaged, he would probably explode on the spot.
At that moment, the God of Death swung his scepter, and the black fog transformed into a giant dragon of death, lunging towards Lin Fan.
Lin Fan threw a punch, instantly dispersing the black fog.
To him, these attacks were harmless.
"Army of the dead, destroy him!"
The God of Death roared furiously. The zombies he had infected swarmed towards Lin Fan. Although these zombies weren't individually powerful, their sheer numbers were terrifying.
"Despicable tactics," Lin Fan scoffed at the God of Death's actions.
A battle should be fought on one's own merit.
Yet, he was resorting to external forces.
Lin Fan let out a low growl.
He threw a punch.
Force erupted, creating a chasm that stretched endlessly into the distance.
The zombies were instantly wiped out, pushed back by Lin Fan's overwhelming power.
But for Lin Fan, he had no interest in these zombies.
He charged directly towards the God of Death.
"This battle is between you and me. I don't want any third parties or other participants involved."
Before reaching the God of Death, Lin Fan clenched his fist and aimed a punch at his target. The purest form of power, once unleashed, was naturally world-shattering.
The God of Death's expression changed drastically.
Feeling the power erupting from Lin Fan, he felt immense pressure.
Terrifying.
The God of Death roared, a storm swirling around him. His body expanded, his eyes glowing with black light. He raised his scepter high and brought it down forcefully towards Lin Fan.
Scepter and fist collided.
Crack!
The God of Death's face contorted in shock.
He stared in disbelief at his cracking scepter, as if he had seen a ghost. His indestructible scepter, imbued with the power of destruction, was actually cracking. This was impossible, unbelievable.
"Boom!"
The force of the punch penetrated.
The God of Death's body trembled, clearly affected by the impact.
Lin Fan said, "The way you wield your scepter is impressive, but I have to say, it's not very sturdy. If it were stronger, I definitely wouldn't have been able to break it."
The God of Death stared with wide, dog-like eyes, looking down at the shattered fragments of his scepter.
Veins bulged on his forehead, like writhing dragons.
Aureum gasped, "The scepter, the symbol of the God of Death's power, has been shattered! How is this possible…"
In myths and legends, the scepter was the source of the God of Death's power.
The weapon that controlled the army of the dead.
Indestructible.
It was said that whoever possessed the God of Death's scepter could borrow power from him. These were the stories passed down through generations.
Aureum had grown up listening to these tales.
When myth became reality before his eyes, he was shocked.
More than that, he felt a primal fear.
Lin Fan didn't say much. He always fought according to his own principles. The shattered scepter had nothing to do with him. It was perfectly normal for things to get broken in a fight, wasn't it?
Although… the God of Death seemed quite angry about it.
But anger was also a way to unleash one's power.
"God of Death, I'm going to get serious now," Lin Fan said.
The God of Death was taken aback…
Serious?
Then what were you doing just now?
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone