Chapter 37 – Slay
Zhang Ping used the Nether Mist to form a small knife and carved Zeng Xiaofan's identity and his evil deeds on the ground before leaving the Su family.
He came with a light heart, but left with a complex one.
Originally, he thought it was just a lecherous thief who needed a minor punishment. Who knew he would encounter a vicious dog, forcing him to kill it.
Killing someone only takes one strike.
But after killing, he didn't feel good.
Even though he knew some people had to die and his belief remained firm, killing was never a joyful thing.
Though he didn't regret it, he would still reflect on whether the person deserved to die.
"He definitely deserved it!"
Zhang Ping thought as he walked back, finally reaching a conclusion.
He tried to relax and not think about unpleasant things, but hadn't gone far when the raspy voice of the Wind Whisperer came: "Old man, tell me... where is Zhang Ping?"
"Zhang Ping? Who is Zhang Ping? Where is Dashan? My Dashan?" Liu Tiefeng, held by the collar by the Tianchang Fox, struggled to keep his feet on the ground, looking bewildered.
The Tianchang Fox's patience was wearing thin. It sneered, grabbed Liu Tiefeng's arm, and tore it off. Liu Tiefeng trembled all over, shouting, "It hurts, it hurts, Dashan, it hurts so much, where are you?"
"If you don't talk, I'll tear off your other arm. If you still don't talk, I'll tear off your legs, and finally, I'll twist your head off," the Tianchang Fox said coldly, squinting its eyes.
Blood flowed continuously from Liu Tiefeng's severed arm. He trembled, still pretending to be confused, repeatedly calling Dashan's name.
"Hmph, courting death!"
Seeing Liu Tiefeng still playing dumb, the Tianchang Fox reached out to grab his other hand.
Just as it was about to tear, a stream of water shot in from outside the door. Startled, it used Liu Tiefeng as a shield, but the water whip curved and slashed at its arm.
Danger!
Sensing the danger, the Tianchang Fox threw Liu Tiefeng towards the door and quickly retreated.
A stream of water rushed in from outside, catching Liu Tiefeng. The water then split into three whips, slicing towards the Tianchang Fox, forcing it to retreat through the window.
In an instant, one of the tails moving in the sky stopped, and countless eyes focused on the Tianchang Fox.
Inside, Liu Sishan controlled the Pure Water to open the door. She glanced at the window, then quickly checked Liu Tiefeng's injuries.
Liu Tiefeng's arm had been torn off by the Tianchang Fox, the injury was severe. Given his age and declining health, the pain and blood loss had caused him to pass out.
She quickly bandaged his wound and poured a healing potion into his mouth.
"Cough, cough."
Liu Tiefeng coughed and woke up after drinking the potion.
As a former investigator, he immediately understood his situation upon seeing Liu Sishan and whispered, "Miss, is that person gone? If not, deal with him first, he's after Zhang Ping."
If that person isn't dead, Zhang Ping will be in danger.
"Yes."
Liu Sishan nodded, stood up, and walked to the window, but couldn't find any trace of the Tianchang Fox.
Hundreds of meters away, the Tianchang Fox trembled as it headed towards the City Lord's mansion. When the Moon Prince's gaze fell on it, its fur stood on end, and its tail and ears drooped, losing most of its strength.
This indicated the Moon Prince was displeased with it; otherwise, being watched wouldn't have caused such a reaction.
Though it could still fight, staying in its current state would be courting death.
So, it decisively chose to retreat for now, planning to return when Zhang Ping was at Iron Soul.
"Why is His Highness displeased with me?"
As it walked back, it pondered the reason for the Moon Prince's anger.
Was it because it acted on its own?
"Beast, are you tired of living?"
Suddenly, the surroundings turned black and white, and a sinister voice boomed.
The Tianchang Fox looked towards the voice, seeing a reaper shrouded in black mist wielding a scythe, slashing towards it. It raised its hands to block, but the scythe cut off its arms.
Boom!
Before Zhang Ping could pursue, the Moon Prince's tail descended from the sky, nearly hitting him.
The Moon Prince had been watching the Tianchang Fox, but it suddenly disappeared. Unsure if it was teleported or pulled into an unseen barrier, the Moon Prince chose to attack the area around it.
Within the Ghost Lantern's range, everything was black and white. The Moon Prince's tail, covered in countless eyes, finally saw the attacker—a reaper in a black robe shrouded in mist.
Zhang Ping held the scythe in one hand and the Ghost Lantern in the other. As the Moon Prince saw him, he quickly used the Appraisal Skill, but failed three times in a row.
He looked at the Tianchang Fox with severed arms and used the skill again.
[Appraisal Successful]
[Mutated Beast: Tianchang Fox]
[Race: Mutated Fox]
[Faction: Moon Clan]
[Potential: None]
[Lifespan: 100]
[Rank: Top-tier Mutated Beast]
[Level: 37]
[Talents]
[Cognitive Distortion: You can alter the target's perception.]
[Defiance of Common Sense: When performing actions that defy common sense, you can force the target to be unaware of the anomaly.]
[Transcendent Strength: Increases physical strength twentyfold.]
...
This Tianchang Fox was strong.
If Zhang Ping hadn't ambushed it, it wouldn't have been so easily injured.
"Your Highness, he is likely the human who ambushed our Moon Clan!" The Tianchang Fox, bleeding from its severed arm, glared at Zhang Ping with bloodshot eyes, screeching hoarsely.
The Moon Prince's tail slowly rose from the ground, splitting into countless smaller tails, each bristling with bone spurs.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ping exhaled deeply, his gaze becoming resolute.
He was furious but extremely clear-headed, knowing exactly what he was doing.
Though he never called Liu Tiefeng his teacher, in his heart, Liu Tiefeng was his mentor.
This time, he had clearly implicated Liu Tiefeng, yet Liu Tiefeng still protected him, thinking of his safety first upon waking.
At that moment, Zhang Ping felt both moved and guilty.
So he spared no effort, flying back from the Su family to seek revenge.
Fortunately, before killing Zeng Xiaofan, Zeng had provided him with a great deal of fear.
Between life and death, hope and despair, Zeng Xiaofan's emotions were like a roller coaster. In his final moments, he unleashed an immense amount of fear.
This was why Zhang Ping could fly all the way back. He was still converting that fear, with Nether Mist continuously emanating from him.
Suddenly, the Moon Prince's tails shot out, moving at incredible speed.
Remembering the masked man's lesson, Zhang Ping didn't dare use the Pure Water Body to block the attack. Instead, he used the Nether Mist, which morphed under the assault of the tails.
"Blocked?"
Seeing this, the Tianchang Fox's pupils contracted, and it slowly retreated.
It knew how powerful the Moon Prince's tails were. Even the walls of Mingzhu City, fortified by countless barrier masters and enhancers, could be pierced by those tails.
The Moon Prince had once left a mark on the city wall with its tail, believing it could penetrate it.
Not only was the Tianchang Fox shocked, but the Moon Prince at the City Lord's mansion was also surprised.
It immediately got serious, directing its remaining tails to converge and attack Zhang Ping furiously.
To the Moon Prince and the Tianchang Fox, Zhang Ping was undoubtedly powerful, but he was struggling. The Nether Mist was depleting rapidly under the high-frequency attacks.
Every second, he endured at least fifty powerful attacks, each as strong as a cannonball from his previous life.
In just ten seconds, five percent of the Nether Mist was consumed. If this continued, once it was exhausted, he would be instantly killed by the Moon Prince, with the Pure Water Body unable to save him.
He appraised the Moon Prince while locking onto the retreating Tianchang Fox.
"Zhang, seize this opportunity. I'll give you one chance to strike!" Situ Shibai's voice suddenly sounded in Zhang Ping's ear, invigorating him. He put away the Ghost Lantern and gripped the Fear War Scythe tightly.
Five hundred meters away, a beam of light descended from the sky, hitting the Moon Prince's tails.
The tails lost control and fell to the ground, motionless.
"Not good!"
Seeing this, the Tianchang Fox turned to flee.
But Zhang Ping had been waiting for this moment. In an instant, he appeared behind the Tianchang Fox and slashed with the Fear War Scythe.
One strike.
The Tianchang Fox was cut in half at the waist.
Its vitality was strong; even with its upper body on the ground, it howled and crawled forward. But Zhang Ping's second strike severed its head, sending it rolling.
Zhang Ping took out the Ghost Lantern and flew away.
He hadn't gone far when countless tails spread from the City Lord's mansion, forming a massive net.
But he turned into Pure Water, entered a nearby water channel, and quickly escaped as water flow.