Chapter 246: A Lucky Hand, Anyone?
Runt didn’t exactly know how to process the information that everyone was completely fine with the Boss missing and was actually happy about it. While he was eternally grateful to his Boss, it wasn’t like he was going to give up his life or all his time to find him. So, it was just a little weird for Runt to actually understand just how much the Boss was hated by his friends.
“We’ll save him eventually.” Jie had no problem with Hu Tao being gone for the moment.
With Hu Tao gone, she could use this time to restore her sanity, get that training from Jing, and not worry about trouble befalling her once she is recognized as Hu Tao’s woman. Once her training is complete, she’ll be more than happy to find out where Hu Tao is and save him by herself if need be. Just to lock a chain around his neck and make him understand just how much she’s held back in disciplining him after they had their first night together. Excitement filled her body as she thought of all the ways to give it to the jerk.
“Yeah, eventually.” Ying laughed.
She planned to do the absolute bare minimum in finding out what happened to Hu Tao. If it was up to her, she’d leave him to rot wherever the hell he was now for centuries! That would also give her some time to increase her strength to the point where she’ll be able to overpower and finally teach that perverted asshole a lesson. It was only because of Jing’s order that she was going to do anything at all.
“We are also going to properly introduce ourselves as Heaven’s Angels sometime in the future. It would be for the best if Hu Tao isn’t around when we do that because he has amassed a lot of enemies...” Bing shared.
“Our image would indeed look more promising if Hu Tao is missing at the time.” Lei Zhi agreed.
“You don’t have to convince me how not having the Boss around is better. I get it.” Runt explained. Boss wasn’t liked at all.
“I knew you were a smart kid.” Ying ruffled his hair as a shiver ran through his body.
Runt hasn’t forgotten the threat given to him by this big sister. She was willing to kill him if he said anything about her perverted feelings for Bing. He also has not forgotten how crazy strong she was either. It would take some time before he could live peacefully with the knowledge he holds. Maybe if he becomes stronger than her...
“You saw nothing. You say nothing, remember?” Ying whispered into Runt’s ear.
“Mhpmh...” Runt rapidly nodded as he felt his hair getting scarily warm.
“You really are a smart kid.” Ying gave off a bright smile as she kissed his cheek.
The kiss seemed to sizzle and burn but Runt didn’t give a single indication that he was in pain. He put on a foolish smile as it was his greatest grace to be shown kindness by Ying. The kiss mark soon vanished without a trace seconds later. Runt immediately took this as Ying reminding him that she could do much worse and leave even less of a trace.
“I didn’t know you two were so close.” Bing noticed.
“We’re not that close.” Ying shut his claim down immediately. “I’m just surprised Hu Tao’s student isn’t anything at all like him.”
“Yes, Lei is quite mature and intelligent for his age.” Lei Zhi complimented. “But I do have to ask, are you all sure you want to continue following me? You can leave me behind to finish this portion of the test. It's not like I can actually win in the final portion of the test, so it doesn’t matter if I go or not.” Lei asked as he led the group around the ancient palace.
Ying, Bing, Jie, and Shang were fine with following Lei Zhi around instead of escaping the Endless Plains of Yin. He didn’t quite understand why but he felt happy about it. Not saying that he would be sad if they did choose to leave, just that them deciding to stick around with him made him happy. It's not often that one can be happy just being around others. Well, technically, Lei Zhi is happy all the time because of Xiao Xiang on his shoulder. Even when Xiang wasn’t physically touching him, he had a real smile etched on his face. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that his determination and willpower to continue healing all of these not-so-good disciples on the off chance that they’ll change for the better was only because of Xiang. Xiang always managed to prevent him from losing all hope even when his belief hit rock bottom and he was met with constant disappointment.
“I’m not in a hurry to leave.” Bing replied with a strange smile on his face.
“Are you trying to get rid of us, Lei?” Ying snarked with an unusual grin on her face.
“Don’t worry, Zhi. It's safer if we travel together rather than splitting up.” Jie explained with the looks of an innocent young maiden.
Shang, Runt, and Lei all knew that something wasn’t right with their responses. Shang couldn’t believe a group like this could be so close and friendly with one another without some sort of benefits. Runt just had a hunch that something wasn’t right with how they were smiling. Lei Zhi shared Runt’s observations as he straightened up his back and kept an eye on the trio. With his blindsight, he could see in all directions around him even if he was facing one direction with his eyes.
Lei’s suspicions only grew heavier once he heard the three giggling together as he traveled throughout the ancient palace doing his best to save as many disciples as he could. It took around thirty minutes before Bing, Ying, and Jie’s efforts paid off. A gigantic explosion erupted from the other side of the palace. The three suspicious youth immediately took off at that noise as if it was the sign they were waiting for all along.
“Come on!” Ying yelled at the confused three standing still.
Lei, Runt, and Shang had no idea what was happening but nevertheless, followed behind the three. Bing, Ying, and Jie managed to see the two causes of that explosion flying through the air. The roof was blown off and this gave Heaven’s Angels the perfect view of the two cultivators fighting. One was a hulking monstrosity that resembled Bing in his transformed state but even more muscular and huge. The other was one of the sect’s Rising Dragons, Gong Jun! A look of pure hatred and madness filled his eyes as the sight of countless green swords hovered behind him.
The sea of swords went flying towards the beast in human skin from all directions. Top, bottom, left, right, there was no way he could defend an attack like this just by blocking! As the swords flew toward him pierce him full of holes, he unleashed a bestial roar that seemed to come from one’s own heart. This shout temporarily halted the progression of the infinite blades but it did not stop Gong Jun.
Gong Jun came speeding in with a strangely-shaped sword in his hand that honed in specifically on the youth’s thick veiny neck. The youth wouldn’t accept dying a death like this. He harnessed all the power flowing throughout his body and manifested a golden dragon coiling around his arm all the way to his fist. His fist effortlessly decimated Gong Jun into a splatter of blood rain.
Or at least, what a splatter of blood was supposed to look like... Those watching realized that instead of droplets of blood falling down, the splatter stayed hovered in the air and the color of it was green not red. Green just like the weird sword held by Gong Jun. No one could react once the frozen droplets suddenly shaped into longswords and flew toward the muscled youth.
He was impaled from all sides and blood leaked from him to the ground below. Eventually, the laws of gravity decided that the two were hanging in the sky far longer than they should. The youth crashed outside the ancient palace with the green swords still lodged within his body. Those interested in the fight looked out the window or smashed a wall apart from the inside to continue watching the outcome of the fight.
The green swords slowly began to lose their solidity as they lost shape and became a formless mass of bright green goo. This goo soon started to form a human shape before revealing that it was actually Gong Jun that somehow transformed into that goo! His eyes lacked any semblance of sanity and his body radiated nothing but complete killing intent. If a high-ranked elder of the sect were watching, they’d say that Gong Jun was the perfect example of a disciple from the Golden Serpent Sect.
Gong Jun pressed the tip of his sword against the boy’s throat. A boy that a certain someone was confident that she killed already... Everyone expected the ferocious youth to strike the final blow but he did something quite unexpected. Instead of piercing through the helpless boy’s throat, Gong’s sword enveloped his body completely. It wrapped him in some sort of green semi-solid, semi-liquid container and floated above Gong’s head.
“I won’t let you die so easily after what you’ve done to me. Fu Kang.” He muttered. “Now, to deal with my adulterous fiancée.” He hopped back through the hole in the palace only to see his junior brother incapacitated somehow and his fiancée knocked out.
“Don’t worry! We only came for the good stuff! They’re still alive and well!” Ying happily shouted as Heaven’s Angels took off with the valuable loot and sped off into the clear and fogless forest.