Nine Nether Dragon Emperor-Chapter 30: This child is ferocious; better to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight!
On the long street, the crowd that had witnessed the battle was struck silent, completely at a loss for words.
"You little bastard, you can’t escape!"
When Exploding Bear’s roar reached them, they snapped back to reality, their eyes filled with disbelief. The youth had actually escaped!
With only a Spiritual Realm Cultivation, he had clashed with Exploding Bear—a man famous for his abundant Element Force and a cultivation at the Profound Realm’s Fifth Layer Heavens. To not only survive but also retreat with ease was nothing short of a miracle!
"Where did this kid come from? Could he be a disciple from a Hidden Clan out on an expedition?"
"As far as I know, no Hidden Clan in our Dong Cang Country trains its disciples like this!"
The crowd was stunned by Ning Xuan’s power, but even after much speculation, they couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
Among them, Old Wang was just as astonished.
"I thought my so-called sworn brother was just a sword prodigy," he murmured softly, his expression dazed. "Who knew his Physical Body was tempered to such a degree!"
He had seen the exchange of fists between the two with perfect clarity. Exploding Bear’s Element Force was pure and potent, his Cultivation infinitesimally close to the Profound Realm’s Sixth Layer Heavens. Even though Ning Xuan had achieved a breakthrough at the last moment, he was still in the Spiritual Realm. It was simply incredible that his body could withstand such a ferocious blow!
"Everyone respects me as some kind of genius... Damn it, this is too humiliating! Comparing myself to him is just asking for a painful death!" Old Wang chuckled bitterly, his pride taking a massive hit.
Convinced that Ning Xuan was, at worst, only injured, he abandoned any thought of searching for him. To do otherwise would only lead to another blow to his pride, and he was self-aware enough to admit that. Besides, Ning Xuan’s regenerative abilities were simply too astonishing.
Meanwhile, Ning Xuan had been sent smashing into a wooden building by Exploding Bear’s punch. The bear’s violent Element Force, possessing the power to annihilate anything in its path, had surged into his body. Activating his Xuan Wu Divine Meridian, he instantly neutralized the majority of the rampaging energy—energy that could have easily obliterated a typical Profound Realm expert. Relying on his powerful Physical Body, Ning Xuan had immediately made his escape, calling out to Exploding Bear as he fled.
By the time Exploding Bear gave chase, Ning Xuan was already several kilometers away.
「In an abandoned room near the docks of Destiny City.」
He retched, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.
"A Profound Realm Fifth Layer Heavens... I’m still no match for an enemy of that level," he sighed, wiping the blood from his lips.
If Exploding Bear heard this, he would surely be driven mad with rage. A mere Spiritual Realm cultivator wasn’t thinking about fleeing from an expert like him but was actually trying to fight him head-on!
Ning Xuan sat cross-legged, rapidly devouring the energy from the Element Crystals. The crystals he had looted from the Chang Le Gambling Den were the very source of his confidence, the reason he had dared to trade blows with Exploding Bear in the first place!
With Old Wang absent, Ning Xuan recovered in far less time than before. He didn’t stop there, however, and continued to absorb the energy.
Once he’d devoured these, he’d just go patronize the other branch pavilions! The most pressing matter was to raise his Cultivation Realm as quickly as possible. If the manager of a single gambling house had a Cultivation at the Profound Realm’s Fifth Layer Heavens, the true ruling families of Destiny City must possess an even more astonishing foundation!
And the Brotherhood still hasn’t made a move.
Just as he was pondering this, a voice drifted in from outside, growing steadily closer.
"Hall Master, I swear I saw someone come this way! I think it’s the man the Fifth Leader is looking for!"
"Go get reinforcements," the one addressed as Hall Master ordered in a deep voice. "I’ll keep an eye on things here."
The subordinate acknowledged the order and departed.
Ning Xuan held his breath, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. His opponent, however, was far more cunning and cautious than he had anticipated. Even when Ning Xuan heard the chaotic sound of approaching footsteps, the Hall Master remained silent.
Before long, a lit torch was tossed into the room.
Ning Xuan raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected them to resort to setting the building on fire. Composed, he rose to his feet and chose to walk out the main door openly.
Outside, his pursuers were equally surprised to see him emerge so calmly. After a moment of stunned silence, one of them pointed at Ning Xuan and shouted, "Hall Master, that’s him! He’s the one who killed Hou San!"
I thought being near the waterway would give me an extra escape route, but it turns out I’ve walked straight into a trap.
Ning Xuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He had only just arrived in Destiny City and had no idea the Brotherhood controlled its waterways.
"This must be what they call ’shunning the path to Heaven and barging through the gates of Hell’!" a middle-aged man opposite him jeered.
"Hall Master, I just got news! This kid tore up a Branch Pavilion of the Chang Le Gambling Den and killed Lone Wolf, one of their Four Great Protectors!"
The members of the Brotherhood who had surrounded the building swallowed hard at the news.
"What’s more, he traded a punch with Exploding Bear and got away clean."
It was another bombshell. Upon hearing this, some of them were already considering deserting. The Four Great Protectors of the Chang Le Gambling Den were all exceptionally powerful. All of these men combined wouldn’t last a single round against one of them. This youth had killed one protector and escaped from another. How could they possibly stand against him? 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
The Hall Master was also startled, but he recovered quickly. "He’s hiding here, so he must be injured! If we capture him, we can claim rewards from both the Fifth Leader *and* the Chang Le Gambling Den!"
He then sneered at Ning Xuan. "An extra escape route? Let me tell you, the Brotherhood controls these waterways. Never mind a person, not even a fish can slip through our grasp! Brothers, get him!"
With that, he drew his saber and charged.
Seeing their leader act, the others followed suit, not wanting to seem like cowards. The cold glint of steel flashed from all directions.
Ning Xuan’s gaze turned icy. Ignoring the attacks from all sides, he fixed his eyes solely on the Hall Master.
PSST!
A single flash of his sword, and the man was dead. Ning Xuan had killed a Hall Master of the Brotherhood with just one strike!
His eyes flashed like lightning as he swept his gaze across the area. The remaining gang members scattered in terror like frightened strays.
"You, stop," Ning Xuan commanded. "Who is this Fifth Leader you mentioned?"
Those who had been too slow to flee immediately dropped to their knees.
"Young Hero, we... I mean... the Brotherhood’s Fifth Leader is named Hou Fangyu. The Hou San you killed was his cousin," one of them stammered.
No one dared to hide anything, spilling every detail they knew—and some they didn’t.
"Where can I find him? Take me there."
At Ning Xuan’s command, one man hesitantly raised his hand.
「Half an hour later, inside a boat cabin at the docks.」
"You’re Hou Fangyu?"
"Yes, and you’re... ugh..."
With one clean sword strike, Ning Xuan departed as calmly as he had arrived.
"The... the Fifth Leader’s been killed!" a cry of alarm rang out, and a crowd quickly gathered.
"Who dares to cause trouble on Brotherhood turf?!" a furious roar shook the air.
The Brotherhood disciples who had been part of the earlier siege gradually stepped forward and fearfully recounted everything that had happened.
"Boss, that kid has gone too far! I’ll go drag him back here myself!" the hot-tempered Third Leader declared, seething with killing intent.
The Boss, puffing on a long-stemmed pipe, exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Drop the matter," he stated.
Everyone was bewildered.
"The Fifth Leader’s Cultivation was far greater than the boy’s, yet he didn’t even have time to dodge. This kid is ruthless. Since the Chang Le Gambling Den is after him, let them deal with it."
"Sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight... The Boss is wise!"
"The Boss is wise!" the other members, who hadn’t fully grasped the situation, reflexively cheered along.
Their voices thundered through the night.
Ning Xuan, already a great distance away, heard the shouts and looked back in confusion. What’s going on?
After finding a new hiding spot and devouring the last of his Element Crystals, Ning Xuan disguised himself. He was just preparing to ask around about the other Branch Pavilions of the Chang Le Gambling Den when he stopped short in utter bewilderment.
