BOOM!
The Fire Demon was knocked back.
Wu Sheng said calmly, "Mu Hao, your cultivation is insufficient. Why force it? If I weren't here, you'd be the one killed by the Fire Demon, not the other way around."
He stood with his hands behind his back, the perfect image of an expert.
Mu Hao had called out "Brother" in a moment of panic. He wasn't boasting, but he believed Wu Sheng's strength was comparable to his own.
However, seeing Wu Sheng repel the Fire Demon with a single move…
He was truly shocked.
Unbelievable.
"You…"
Mu Hao stared at him in astonishment. He hadn't been able to handle the Fire Demon, yet Wu Sheng had suppressed it with ease. It seemed impossible.
"Surprised?" Wu Sheng asked, then charged towards the Fire Demon. His palms moved in a blur, each strike landing on the Fire Demon with a resounding boom.
The Fire Demon roared in fury.
Realizing that this opponent was formidable, it retreated, vanishing without a trace.
"Indeed, quite powerful." During the brief exchange, Wu Sheng sensed the Fire Demon's strength. It was definitely at the Divine Soul Realm, and close to the Three Radiances stage. Otherwise, with Wu Sheng's current power, he would be unmatched in the Divine Soul Realm.
"Wu Sheng, why didn't you pursue it?" Mu Hao shouted. He had overestimated himself and been taught a lesson by the Fire Demon, losing face considerably.
Wu Sheng said indifferently, "Are you telling me what to do?"
His voice was cold, his expression haughty.
Mu Hao was stunned, as if subdued by Wu Sheng. He then shook his head, dismissing such an absurd notion. He was a young master of a great clan, equal in status to Wu Sheng. Why was Wu Sheng speaking to him so rudely?
"I'm just saying, if you miss this opportunity, there might not be another," Mu Hao said.
Wu Sheng replied, "Whether we encounter it again or not doesn't matter. Your strength is a bit weak. If you encounter the Fire Demon again, I advise you to run. Otherwise, you might not be so lucky as to have me around to save you."
These words made Mu Hao feel ashamed.
"I remember your strength being similar to mine. Why have you become so powerful?" Mu Hao asked. This was what he was most curious about.
Wu Sheng said, "I've always been powerful. As for you saying my strength was similar to yours, you're overthinking it. Did you really think I was the same as you?"
His words were harsh, and Mu Hao could barely stand to listen. Anger burned within him, but he managed to restrain himself. There were others around, and he didn't want to make too much of a scene.
If Wu Sheng retaliated, he wouldn't be able to handle it in his current state.
Ignoring Wu Sheng, Mu Hao left. He needed to reassess the situation. With Wu Sheng's increased strength, it would be difficult for him to obtain any treasures if they stayed together. He had to act alone to have any chance.
June 30th!
Morning.
Old Zhang rubbed his eyes. Not seeing Lin Fan beside him, he got up and looked around. He then saw Lin Fan standing there, seemingly observing something.
"Lin Fan, what are you looking at?" Old Zhang asked.
Lin Fan said, "Look, there's a bird's nest over there, with baby birds inside."
"Ah, really?" Old Zhang showed great curiosity about the nest, standing shoulder to shoulder with Lin Fan, both of them looking up at the nest in the tree.
Chirp! Chirp!
"Listen to that, that's the sound of birds chirping."
Old Zhang kept his voice low, as if afraid of startling the birds. If they weren't standing so close, it would be hard to hear him.
Lin Fan said, "Yes, it sounds quite pleasant."
The two stood under the tree, quietly watching.
The evil chicken crouched there with its wings tucked in, feeling somewhat annoyed. These ungrateful humans! It laid eggs for them, and they chose to watch birds instead. And even worse, the eggs it laid had been eaten by someone else.
Master Yongxin asked, "What are they doing?"
He was simply curious. He desperately wanted to get on Lin Fan's good side, but it wasn't easy. He was constantly looking for opportunities.
One-Eyed Man glanced over, then looked away. It was normal behavior. If they made a fuss over this, it would show a lack of worldliness.
"What should we do next?" Liu Haichan asked.
They had already obtained some treasures in Changbai Mountain, but they didn't know their exact purpose yet. They needed to go back and study them carefully.
But honestly, Liu Haichan wanted to consume them right away. Regardless of their specific effects, they would definitely increase his strength. There was no doubt about that.
"Keep moving forward," One-Eyed Man said.
Liu Haichan said, "It's dangerous."
"We have Lin Fan."
Suddenly, the scene became quiet. They looked at each other, feeling that this was a valid point.
The reason they felt so at ease was Lin Fan's presence. No matter what they faced, they were fearless.
Gradually, One-Eyed Man and the others wanted to venture deeper into Changbai Mountain. However, Lin Fan and Old Zhang remained under the tree, quietly watching without moving. They didn't disturb them, wanting to see how long they would stay.
Without Lin Fan, they would have to be extremely cautious in Changbai Mountain, fearing encounters with insurmountable dangers. Now, they had nothing to worry about.
With Lin Fan, they were safe.
As they watched, the mother bird returned, hovering protectively around the nest, warily eyeing Lin Fan and Old Zhang, as if suspecting they would harm her children. Despite her small size, she glared fiercely.
Lin Fan said, "Old Zhang, it seems like she's afraid we'll hurt them. We shouldn't watch anymore."
"Okay, I'll listen to you," Old Zhang said.
Then, they walked towards the others, arms around each other's shoulders.
Lin Fan stopped in front of the evil chicken and stroked its head. "Hen, why didn't you lay any eggs today?"
The chicken, squatting there, abruptly looked up at Lin Fan with a dumbfounded expression, as if it had misheard. It even wanted to ask if those were even words a human should say.
No…
Or rather, he wasn't acting human at all.
This chicken had laid eggs, but he hadn't even looked at them, choosing to watch a bird's nest instead. And now he was asking for eggs…
Damn it!
Even bullying a chicken shouldn't be done like this.
As an undercover evil chicken, it understood the meaning of enduring humiliation. It mustn't panic, mustn't rush. It constantly reminded itself that as an undercover agent, it had long trampled its dignity underfoot.
No matter how excessive the other party's demands were, it had to endure.
"Cluck!"
The evil chicken stuck its rear end out, acting as if it were putting in a lot of effort, and several eggs rolled out.
"You're so good," Lin Fan praised.
The evil chicken sneered inwardly. Thanks a lot.
But even so, it couldn't express its anger. It still had to survive under his control, so it had to be obedient. There was no other way.
After Lin Fan and the others ate the evil chicken's eggs, they continued deeper into the mountain. For the time being, they didn't encounter any danger.
"Strange, since so many Starry Sky realm experts have come here, why haven't we encountered any?" One-Eyed Man pondered. He felt this was a serious issue.
And it wasn't just the Starry Sky realm experts.
Top experts from various countries had gathered here.
They all hoped to obtain treasures from Changbai Mountain to enhance their strength. It was like the beginning of a game, with everyone at the same starting line, and the Starry Sky realm experts were like bosses.
They could appear anywhere in Changbai Mountain.
Their strength was greater than theirs.
Encountering them would likely be disastrous, but if they were like Wu Sheng, they might be reasonable.
"Wait."
One-Eyed Man raised his hand and crouched down to examine the ground. There were scorch marks and signs of battle. Judging by the scene, a fierce battle had taken place.
"There's been a fight here."
Lin Daoming said, "Indeed. It seems much more dangerous than we thought."
"Ah!"
Just then, a scream echoed through the air.
They exchanged glances, expressions alert. Then, they nodded in agreement and ran towards the source of the scream.
When they arrived, they witnessed a shocking scene.
A holy knight was being held by the arms by a humanoid creature engulfed in flames. With a sudden, forceful pull, the creature ripped the knight's arms off. Blood splattered, staining the ground crimson.
"Save me."
The arrival of One-Eyed Man and the others gave the holy knight a glimmer of hope in his despair.
But the Fire Demon clearly didn't intend to let him live. Flames erupted from its body, instantly filling the knight's armor. The flames burned within the armor, and in the blink of an eye, the holy knight was reduced to black cinders.
The Fire Demon casually tossed the armor aside and looked at the newly arrived One-Eyed Man and the others.
Without a word, it charged towards them.
It was furious, as if something important had been stolen. Its expression was狰狞 and terrifying, and its body emanated a chilling aura.
"Careful!" One-Eyed Man shouted.
The Fire Demon was powerful. Even without engaging it, they could sense its terrifying strength.
"Wah! So scary, Lin Fan, I'm scared." Old Zhang was timid. Seeing the Fire Demon tear the holy knight apart had frightened him. His face pale, he hid behind Lin Fan, trembling, not daring to make a sound.
"Don't be afraid, Old Zhang. I'll protect you," Lin Fan said.
Then, he looked seriously at the oncoming Fire Demon and said in a deep voice, "How could you scare my best friend?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Fan stood before everyone, facing the Fire Demon's charge without flinching. He raised his hands, as if locking onto the creature, and grabbed the Fire Demon's wrists.
He ignored the flames burning against his skin.
"You don't fear my flames?" The Fire Demon was shocked to see Lin Fan disregard the flames, as if it couldn't believe anyone could do such a thing.
Lin Fan said, "What's there to fear about your flames? Do you think you can bully others just because you have flames? You made my best friend cry. You need to apologize."
The Fire Demon was confused.
What did making him cry have to do with anything?
But the situation wasn't right. The Fire Demon couldn't think too much about it. It roared angrily, and the flames surged, intense enough to incinerate anything. Yet, they had no effect on Lin Fan.
"Don't think you're the only one who can make fire. I can too, but I just don't want to show you."
Lin Fan didn't care about the Fire Demon's flames. The flames he could produce were far hotter.
"Lin Fan, beat him up for me," Old Zhang shouted. "He scared me."
"Okay."
He would always fulfill Old Zhang's requests.
At that moment, Lin Fan raised his leg and slammed his knee into the Fire Demon's abdomen. A dull thud echoed. Lin Fan released the Fire Demon's wrists, and the creature stared wide-eyed, as if struck by a heavy blow. It hunched over and stumbled backward.
"Was that awesome or what?" Lin Fan turned and asked.
Old Zhang waved his arms and said, "Awesome!"
One-Eyed Man and the others exchanged glances, gaining a deeper understanding of Lin Fan's strength. He was truly too strong, strong to the point of being inhuman. When they faced the Fire Demon, they felt immense pressure.
It was the kind of pressure where numbers didn't matter.
Even if the four of them joined forces, they wouldn't be a match for the Fire Demon and would likely be brutally suppressed. But in front of Lin Fan, the Fire Demon seemed to have no chance of fighting back. It looked rather pathetic.
The Fire Demon was enraged.
Its expression darkened to the extreme, and the flames burning on its body changed color. It charged towards Lin Fan, each step leaving a burning footprint on the ground.
In an instant, the Fire Demon appeared before Lin Fan, raising its hand to strike. To it, humans were weaklings, and yet it was being bullied by a human. This was intolerable.
Lin Fan frowned, raised his hand, and punched the Fire Demon in the face. With a bang, the Fire Demon fell to the ground. The earth trembled as if an earthquake had struck, and countless cracks appeared.
A shocking wave of energy rippled outwards.
One-Eyed Man and the others were dumbfounded, as if they had seen a ghost.
"So strong," Lin Daoming exclaimed.
He couldn't even imagine it.
If he had received that punch, what would have happened? The thought was terrifying. He probably wouldn't even have a body left.
"Old Zhang, did you see that?" Lin Fan asked.
Old Zhang said excitedly, "I saw it."
Lin Fan said, "You're not scared anymore, right?"
"No, with you here, I'm not afraid of anything," Old Zhang said.
One-Eyed Man and the others looked at each other. What kind of bold words were those? The thought was somewhat frightening.
At this time, Lin Fan crouched beside the Fire Demon, observing its condition. "Hey, why aren't you talking? Wake up and apologize to Old Zhang, and I'll forgive you."
"Wake up, show some reaction."
He gently nudged the Fire Demon's shoulder, thinking about what had just happened. Did he really use that much force?
Maybe he did, maybe he didn't.
He was puzzled.
"Old Zhang, come and take a look. What happened to him?" Lin Fan called out.
Old Zhang cautiously approached Lin Fan and looked at the Fire Demon lying on the ground. He extended a finger towards the Fire Demon's nose and said slowly,
"He's not breathing."
Lin Fan said, "Does that mean he's dead?"
"Yes, he's dead. Although I could try to save him, he scared me, so I don't want to," Old Zhang said.
Lin Fan said, "Yes, I understand. Then let's not save him."
One-Eyed Man hadn't expected Lin Fan to kill the Fire Demon with one punch.
It was…too terrifying.