Chapter 141: The Death of Wu Yong

"Swish! Swish!"

Shortly after the crowd dispersed, two figures sped toward the scene.

They were none other than Lu Han and the mysterious woman.

Earlier, upon hearing that the Bloodthirsty Mercenary Group had given chase, Lu Han had been worrying over what to do when suddenly a colossal handprint descended from the sky right behind them, followed by a deafening boom and a billowing cloud of dust.

Though unaware of what exactly had happened, Lu Han decided to come and take a look. Yet, upon arriving, the sight before his eyes left him utterly dumbfounded.

A giant handprint, dozens of zhang wide, lay right at his feet. The center of the imprint was a pool of crimson, amidst which faint patches of clothing could be discerned. Staring closer, he could vaguely make out the uniform of the Bloodthirsty Mercenary Group.

"This?" The massive handprint genuinely shocked Lu Han.

It seemed the pursuing Bloodthirsty Mercenary Group had been completely wiped out!

"Master, when martial artists cultivate to the pinnacle, they can sever rivers with a snap of their fingers and cleave mountains with a wave of their hands. It turns out to be true."

In the past, Earth Kings were the strongest beings Lu Han had ever known, yet he had never heard of an Earth King possessing the power to sever mountains and rivers. It was only later, upon receiving the inheritance of Ming Wu, that he learned Earth Kings were not the limit—there were True Sovereigns, Heavenly Venerables, and even legendary Great Emperors, a fact now reinforced by everything before his eyes.

"I truly was a frog at the bottom of a well," Lu Han said with a self-deprecating smile.

"Just who on earth could it be?" Lu Han instinctively glanced at the mysterious woman beside him. To say that none of this had anything to do with her was something Lu Han would never believe. However, he chose not to press the matter, knowing that asking would yield no answers anyway.

Lu Han shrugged. Since the Bloodthirsty Mercenary Group had been dealt with, he could continue his journey in peace. Seeing Lu Han set off, the mysterious woman glanced once toward the distant clouds before following closely behind him.

"I am heading home. Are you coming with me too?" Lu Han turned his head to ask.

The mysterious woman nodded slightly without uttering a word.

She was growing increasingly intrigued by Lu Han—his remarkable cultivation techniques, his extraordinary martial skills, the inheritance of Ming Wu, and the fact that even *that* object had acknowledged him. She wanted to see just how many secrets Lu Han harbored and what kind of environment he lived in.

"Do you not need to go home? Won't your family worry?" Lu Han asked.

The mysterious woman ignored him. Met with a cold shoulder, Lu Han had no choice but to drop the subject.

High up among the clouds.

A woman sat cross-legged, clad in tight black garments that accentuated her breathtaking figure and radiated an air of formidable heroism.

"I was almost discovered," the woman murmured softly.

"Hehe, Fang'er, did you really think it hadn't noticed you?" An elderly voice sounded. With a ripple-like distortion in space, an old man leaning on a cane materialized out of thin air.

"Elder Wu, why are you here?" The woman did not seem the least bit surprised by the elder's sudden appearance.

"In truth, you didn't need to act. Don't you trust that girl?" The old man asked without answering her question.

"It's not that. It's just that the man earlier actually dared to flirt with the Young Master. If there were innocent people in that tavern, how could any of them have lived to this day?" The woman furrowed her brows, deeply indignant.

"Hehe, from now on, you shouldn't get involved in such matters. It's good for that girl to undergo some tempering out in the world," the old man said.

"Understood, Elder Wu. But that fellow called Lu Han..." the woman began.

"You need not concern yourself with him. Come to think of it, that kid has some ties to me. Remember, unless it is a matter of life and death, do not intervene in the future, or you will only harm that girl." With those words, the old man caused space to ripple once more and vanished without a trace.

***

Back in the tavern of the Fierce Beast Town.

Li Wei was drinking with a few friends when a voice suddenly echoed from outside.

"Li... Brother Li, they're back, they're back!" The man seemed utterly terrified, his speech somewhat incoherent.

"Back? Haha, Brother Li, it seems your guess was wrong this time. They've returned so quickly; I'm afraid those two have already been captured by the Bloodthirsty Mercenary Group," remarked someone sitting next to Li Wei.

"Could it be... that I guessed incorrectly?" Li Wei muttered, a trace of doubt in his voice.

"No, no, it's not like that!" The man rushed in, gasping for breath.

"Glug, glug..." He snatched the teapot from the table and gulped down several mouthfuls.

"Well, what actually happened? Spit it out!" The others watched him continuously chug tea and urged him impatiently.

"Guess what happened to the Bloodthirsty Mercenary Group?" The man let out a burp and smiled mysteriously.

"Brother, stop keeping us in suspense," urged one of them anxiously.

"Hehe, the entire contingent of the Bloodthirsty Mercenary Group that went after them has been completely wiped out, including their leader, Wu Qing," the man dropped a bombshell.

"How is that possible! Wasn't Wu Qing a martial artist at the Mysterious Monarch realm? Could another expert of the Mysterious Monarch realm have intervened?" Someone exclaimed in disbelief.

"How long has it been since they left? Even a Mysterious Monarch couldn't possibly wipe out over a hundred of them in the blink of an eye, could they?"

"Cough cough, I've been running for so long, I'm a bit hungry. This..." The man rubbed his hands together suggestively.

Li Wei smiled, instantly grasping his intent. "Waiter, bring out a few fine dishes, put them on my tab."
The man sat down and recounted, "I heard from the people who just returned that right as they were about to catch up to that young couple, a gigantic handprint descended from the sky. It was dozens of zhang wide and directly flattened the entire Bloodthirsty Mercenary Group into the earth. Even those who had followed closely behind didn't escape their doom."

"Dozen of zhang? Can the peak experts of our Great Xia Empire, the Earth Kings, even pull off such a feat?" Someone murmured.

"Hey, brother, you aren't pulling our leg, are you?" Someone couldn't help asking.

"Why would I make things up to fool you? I heard it from the returning folks at the town gate myself. You'll know whether it's true or false soon enough," the man replied with a hint of displeasure.

"No, I reckon there's an eighty percent chance this is true," Li Wei said thoughtfully.

"It seems the origins of those two are far more terrifying than I imagined," Li Wei added faintly.

The tavern patrons wiped cold sweat from their brows. Fortunately, they had heeded Li Wei's advice. Had they joined the crowd to chase after the excitement back then, they probably wouldn't be sitting here drinking and feasting right now.

"Many thanks, Brother Li."

"Many thanks, Brother Li."

"Wait, something's not right. If everyone from the Bloodthirsty Mercenary Group, including leader Wu Qing, is dead, doesn't that mean their stronghold is completely undefended right now?" Someone piped up.

"Right! How much wealth has the Bloodthirsty Mercenary Group amassed over the years? Relying on sheer numbers in the Fierce Beast Mountain Range, they've plundered so much from us. This time, we're going to make them spit it all back out!" With that, someone bolted out of the tavern.

"Damn it, Wu Yong is probably still at the stronghold nursing his wounds. Normally, you have your Mysterious Monarch father to protect you, but let's see who can save you this time. I've loathed him for a long time." Another man, wielding a large golden sabre, stormed out of the tavern as well.

"The Bloodthirsty Mercenary Group is utterly finished."

Li Wei watched the departing crowd and murmured.

Before long, a raging fire engulfed the entire stronghold of the Bloodthirsty Mercenary Group. All of their accumulated treasures were looted clean by the townsfolk, leaving nothing for those who arrived too late.

As for Wu Yong, he was still lying in bed recovering from his injuries, daydreaming about his father capturing Lu Han and his companion so he could torture them to his heart's content. Unfortunately, what awaited him was a sharp blade that pierced straight through his heart. Up until his final dying breath, he could not comprehend why anyone would dare to attack him within the very stronghold of the Bloodthirsty Mercenary Group.