Chapter 1997 — Who Will Prevail?

At this point Wei Zhao's only reliance was the first three forms of the Wild Fire Fist, and he had no idea whether they would be enough to hold his own against this black-clad man of mid Earth Rank strength.

"Hmph!" The black-clad man at the peak of late Mystic Rank shot Wei Zhao a cold glance. When he saw that Wei Zhao was merely an expert at the peak of mid Mystic Rank, a trace of disdain flickered across the corner of his mouth. "Since you're in such a hurry to throw your life away," he said coldly, "I'll be the one to oblige you first!"

As he spoke, the Mystic Rank man's target shifted from Xu Shilan to Wei Zhao. He raised both palms slightly, as though waiting for Wei Zhao to come at him.

It was not arrogance on his part; in his eyes, Wei Zhao was merely an expert at the peak of mid Mystic Rank, while he himself stood at the peak of late Mystic Rank—a full two grades apart. If he still could not kill Wei Zhao under such circumstances, then the sun truly would rise in the west.

And so, watching Wei Zhao hurl himself forward with utter disregard for his own life, the Mystic Rank man's eyes were filled with pity. In his eyes, Wei Zhao was already a dead man.

Yet Wei Zhao seemed not to sense the danger in the slightest, and still charged straight at the Mystic Rank man.

Not good! A sudden chill gripped the Earth Rank man's heart, and he barked a warning at the Mystic Rank man: "Careful! Do not clash with him head-on!"

The Earth Rank man had also sensed Wei Zhao's peak mid Mystic Rank strength, which was why he had paid him no mind at first. But now a troubling thought occurred to him: if Wei Zhao could name his own mid Earth Rank strength in a single breath, how could he fail to see that the Mystic Rank man stood at the peak of late Mystic Rank?

If that were so, then for an expert at the peak of mid Mystic Rank to pit himself head-on against one at the peak of late Mystic Rank—was the man not addled in the head? Either that, or he was courting death!

And the most crucial question of all: how exactly had Feng Sanlei died? After all, Feng Sanhuang had not yet arrived in Donghai City at the time. Even if he had, it would have been impossible for him to cut Feng Sanlei down so easily.

They were both disciples of the Feng family; whatever Feng Sanhuang could do, Feng Sanlei could do as well. In such a matchup, victory was the hardest thing to decide, and even if one could not win, preserving one's life should have been no problem. Yet since Feng Sanlei had met his end here, there had to be a formidable fighter at Xu Shilan's side.

And since that formidable fighter was not Feng Sanhuang, the only one left was Wei Zhao.

Xu Shilan and Cheng Yiyi were two celebrities; there was no way they possessed any real strength.

So, sensing something amiss, the Earth Rank man warned the Mystic Rank man in time—but he spoke too late. From the moment the Mystic Rank man heard his words to the moment his brain could react, a certain interval was needed, and by then Wei Zhao's palm had already met the Mystic Rank man's palm...

"Too late!" Wei Zhao cried coldly. With a tremendous bang, the Mystic Rank man's body flew backward like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, hurtling through the air for some distance before smashing loudly into the wall at the edge of the alley not far away.

"You are not at the peak of mid Mystic Rank... you are at the early Earth Rank..." Those were the last words the Mystic Rank man spoke after sliding down the wall to the ground. Then he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his vision went black, and he died on the spot.

"Despicable—you actually resort to trickery!" A fury blazed in the Earth Rank man's eyes, as though he wished to burn Wei Zhao to ash. He had never expected Wei Zhao to conceal his strength and strike first, taking out one of his own men.

"Trickery?" Wei Zhao dusted off his hands and curled his lip. "He was simply too full of himself. You couldn't even see that?"

"You..." The Earth Rank man was momentarily at a loss for words, unable to refute Wei Zhao. Indeed, if trickery was to be named, it was the Mystic Rank man who had been too arrogant; had he been a little more careful, he would not have met such an end. At that thought, the Earth Rank man drew a deep breath and fixed Wei Zhao with a venomous stare. He raised a finger and pointed at him. "Whoever you are, since you wish to wade into these troubled waters, then do not think of leaving. You and your family will pay in blood for your meddling!"

"What did you say?" Wei Zhao frowned, a ruthless glint flashing through his eyes. The man had actually threatened him with his family, and a raging fury surged up in Wei Zhao's heart. No matter what, he had to keep this man here!

Not for anything else—if only for Gu Mengyao, Shen Yushu, and all his friends...

"Heh heh, once you're dead, I'll look into your identity myself. Your relatives and friends, I'll pay each of them a visit, one by one." The Earth Rank man smiled venomously. "That is the consequence of killing my man."

"In that case, today it is either your death or mine—no peace until one of us falls." Wei Zhao watched the black-clad man coldly, yet his heart was full of vigilance. This man's heart was too wicked; if Wei Zhao did not keep him here, then what awaited him would be a retaliation beyond bearing.

"No peace until one of us falls? As if you deserve that." As the Earth Rank man spoke, true qi surged wildly from within his body, laying bare his mid Earth Rank strength without reservation...

"It's too early to say who will prevail..." Wei Zhao drew a deep breath and likewise circulated the mnemonic of his own mental cultivation method, revealing his strength at the early Earth Rank—nearly at its peak.

Still, early was early; it could never be peak. And so, against the Earth Rank man's strength, he was still two minor grades behind.

The Earth Rank man's sinister gaze swept over Wei Zhao and Feng Sanhuang, and he fell into thought.

"Sanhuang, take the girls and hide in the back!" Wei Zhao had more or less guessed the Earth Rank man's intent. He shifted his feet slightly and, without a sound, placed himself in front of the spots the Earth Rank man could reach with his attacks.

But since Wei Zhao had seen through his plan, naturally he would not let it come to pass.

"This... all right!" Feng Sanhuang had no wish to be a deserter, but he also knew that the gap between his strength and his opponent's was simply too vast. Staying here would only make more trouble for Wei Zhao, who would then have to divide his attention to look after him and Xu Shilan—and that would leave no chance of victory at all.

So after only a moment's hesitation, Feng Sanhuang quickly pulled Xu Shilan and Cheng Yiyi back to a spot farther behind Wei Zhao.

"Hmph!" Having his plan seen through by Wei Zhao left the Earth Rank man rather displeased.

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