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Chapter 719 - Saving the Siblings
Chapter 719 - Saving the Siblings
Liu Wuxie gathered the gist of their feud from their heated exchange. A month earlier, the siblings had passed through Mercenary City and witnessed Chou Ba’s vile acts of bullying the weak. Unable to turn a blind eye, they intervened, thwarting his actions.
Outnumbered and overwhelmed, Chou Ba had lost an arm to the siblings. However, ten days ago, Chou Ba had broken through to the Nascent Transformation Realm, dramatically boosting his strength. Meanwhile, the siblings were still at the pinnacle of the Astral River Realm, leaving them at a severe disadvantage. The tables had turned, with Chou Ba using his misfortune as fuel to push himself beyond his limits.
Such was the story Liu Wuxie had pieced together based on their conversation.
"I will consider giving you a painless death if you kneel before me," Chou Ba said coldly, his aura seething with murderous intent. The disparity between their cultivation levels was glaring—the difference between the Astral River Realm and the Nascent Transformation Realm was akin to heaven and earth. Unlike prodigies like Liu Wuxie, most cultivators were ordinary and bound by their limitations.
"Dream on! We won't beg for your mercy even in death!" The siblings declared in an unwavering tone. They had steeled themselves for the worst.
"Very well, I’ll grant you the deaths you so desperately seek!" Chou Ba sneered as his aura surged forward like a tidal wave, sweeping through the area. The suffocating pressure lifted dried leaves from the ground, swirling them into a storm that engulfed a radius of over a dozen meters.
It was a spectacular scene, and Chou Ba was notorious since he could make a living in the Mercenary City. Otherwise, he wouldn't have earned his place as the mercenary group's captain.
"Sister, are you afraid?" The man looked at his younger sister, and a hint of pain reflected in his eyes as if he had failed to protect her.
"I'm not afraid!" the woman replied resolutely, her expression unwavering and filled with determination.
With no further words exchanged, the siblings wielded their swords and attacked Chou Ba together, wanting to perish with him.
"Die!" Chou Ba roared. The iron hook on his left arm shot forward with lightning speed, propelled by a hidden mechanism. The siblings were caught off guard, and with the suppression of Chou Ba’s Nascent Transformation Realm aura, they had no room to retreat.
Just when the hook was about to pierce into the young man's chest, a cold ray shot over out of nowhere. The surrounding temperature plummeted, and the hook was frozen in mid-air before anyone could react, encased in a glistening block of ice.
"Who is it? Who dares interfere?!" Chou Ba's eyes gleamed with rage as he sensed someone nearby. The other mercenaries quickly drew their weapons and scoured the area.
Liu Wuxie descended gracefully from a giant tree. Since he would be discovered sooner or later, he revealed himself first.
The siblings were taken aback to see him. Though they had shared the same teleportation array to Mercenary City, they had never spoken before.
"Young man, you dare interfere in our captain's business? Are you tired of living?!" The mercenaries rushed over to surround Liu Wuxie after seeing his cultivation. They didn't know where Liu Wuxie got the confidence to intervene based on his cultivation.
"These two are my friends, so let them go," said Liu Wuxie. He didn't want to kill anyone, nor did he want to interfere in their feud. He wished to save the siblings, and what happened to them in the future had nothing to do with him.
"How dare you?! Since they're your friends, we will also kill you!" Rumbling true essence gushed out from Chou Ba, shattering the ice encasing the hook.
However, he didn't know Liu Wuxie had merely used one-hundredth of his ice-attribute energy. If he had used his full strength, everyone would have been turned into corpses.
But in the next moment, Chou Ba realized the grave mistake. He wasn't fighting an ordinary person but a deity who ruled life and death.
"You can die now!" Liu Wuxie said. He didn't want to waste his time here as he still had to head to Prosper City. With a finger tap, he unleashed a cold ray that froze the incoming hook. But it didn't stop there as a chill crept along the metal, spread toward Chou Ba's arm, and engulfed him in ice.
In a fraction of a second, Chou Ba's body slowly became stiff until he was frozen in ice.
The smug expressions on the remaining mercenaries’ faces froze, gradually replaced by pure terror. Everything had happened too quickly—Chou Ba was dead before they could even react.
The siblings also looked at each other with deep shock. They began to wonder if Liu Wuxie was even human, as it was impossible for any ordinary being to achieve such feats.
The remaining mercenaries didn't hesitate to flee for their lives, abandoning Chou Ba's frozen corpse. They were fast, but Liu Wuxie's attacks were faster. Cold rays shot like fine needles stabbing into their bodies, freezing them as they crumbled into nothingness.
The entire battle had ended in just a single breath, and killing such flies couldn't pique Liu Wuxie's interest. He had only acted for the siblings’ sake, seeing them as decent people deserving of help.
Three breaths later, the siblings finally recovered from their stupor as they hurried over to Liu Wuxie, their faces brimming with reverence.
"Thank you for saving us. We owe you our lives!" The young man gave Liu Wuxie a bow, and his words contained his heartfelt gratitude. If Liu Wuxie hadn't intervened today, they would've met a gruesome ending.
"No need for thanks," Liu Wuxie replied, waving off their gratitude as though it were a trivial matter. He hadn’t even expended a wisp of his true essence.
"My name is Wang Rui, and this is my younger sister, Wang Lan!" the man introduced himself and even dragged his younger sister over to give Liu Wuxie a bow.
"Liu Wuxie," Liu Wuxie replied. Through a simple conversation, he learned that the siblings were heading to Prosper City, where their clan resided. It was a coincidence as the trio decided to journey together.
With Wang Rui’s familiarity with the Genflame Mountain Range, Liu Wuxie was able to avoid unnecessary detours, making his journey smoother. The trio reached Prosper City on the fifth day without incident.
When they entered the city, Wang Rui offered to be the tour guide upon learning that this was Liu Wuxie's first time in Prosper City, pointing out the notable features of the city.
Liu Wuxie listened quietly, absorbing the information. The Central Plains held many complexities, and this was a valuable opportunity to broaden his understanding.
When dusk arrived, Wang Rui invited Liu Wuxie to visit their clan, which he politely declined. Their connection was fleeting, and they were unlikely to meet again. And so, they bid their farewell on the street.
Wang Rui saw that he couldn't convince Liu Wuxie and could only arrange an inn for the latter to stay, promising to visit the next day.
Upon entering the room, Liu Wuxie asked for a hot bath to wash away the fatigue of the journey. The journey across the Genflame Mountain Range was relatively safe, but Liu Wuxie had to remain on high alert throughout the trip, his nerves taut with vigilance. He could finally relax now.
He planned to take the teleportation array to Astral Glory City the next day, though his expectations of finding answers were low. From Wang Rui’s descriptions, Astral Glory City was a thriving hub filled with countless cultivators and experts.