Chapter 61: The Last Bullet

The Fang family ancestral hall stood protected by formations, though they were not deployed lightly. Each activation consumed precious Dao Yuan stones, and the Fang clan held but a meager store of these treasures; every stone was a loss.

Yet, facing the infamous Heart-Eating Demon, even in death, the white-haired elder could not bear to close his eyes.

He couldn't fathom how long the remaining members of the Fang family could endure when he, a cultivator of his standing, had been slain in an instant. Would those cultivators, reliant on the Fang family's patronage, truly risk their lives in defense?

Within this very ancestral hall, the ancestors of the Fang clan were enshrined, the very roots of their lineage.

Thus, even as death claimed him, he had to act before his spirit completely faded.

He placed his final hope on the Crane Spirit Array, which had guarded the Fang ancestral hall for generations, praying it could ensnare Xiong Wen.

Ideally, it would hold him until the Dao Yuan stones' energy was depleted.

Then, inevitably, news would reach the City Lord's Mansion.

He believed that though Wei Quji was stern, even bordering on harshness, he would not stand idly by in a matter of such grave import.

The Fang family would be saved!

The white-haired elder, his heart torn from his chest, perished with his gaze fixed on the night sky, his eyes refusing to close.

Xiong Wen seethed with rage, yet his mind was rattled.

His name was synonymous with infamy, and he had endured countless pursuits. Randomly changing his hiding places was a deeply ingrained habit; by keeping his next location unknown, he offered his pursuers no logical path to follow.

He had never imagined that a simple act of changing his hiding spot would, on this occasion, lead to such repeated encounters.

The face of the young man with the sword flashed in his memory, but for now, he resolved to withdraw.

In Fenglin City, his killing intent had to be suppressed.

However, the Crane Spirit Array cared naught for his intentions. Within its protective embrace, only Xiong Wen possessed such aggressive power. The phantasmal Crane Spirit, perched atop the shimmering light, vibrated its wings and shrieked directly at Xiong Wen.

Instantly, Xiong Wen's body was enveloped in a layer of blood mist.

He rose from the ground, blood flames igniting on his fists.

Wherever the blood mist touched, the earth blackened and fallen leaves withered. Where the blood flames burned, the very air seemed to dissolve.

With fists wreathed in blood flames, he clashed fiercely and directly with the Crane Spirit's razor-sharp beak!

The phantasmal Crane Spirit dissipated in an instant, and the clear light shielding the Fang ancestral hall also vanished.

The commotion within the ancestral hall alerted many.

The first to arrive were the two cultivators supported by the Fang family, both at the ninth stage of the Traveling Pulse realm, followed by the Fang family guards from nearby.

Yet, all stood at a distance, intimidated by the figure who had vanquished the Crane Spirit in mid-air, daring not to move.

The powerful man, shrouded in blood mist with blood flames on his fists, merely glanced at them, his eyes suppressed but fierce and brutal.

According to his nature, Xiong Wen would have slaughtered all in his sight. But he understood the gravity of the situation, so the blood flames suddenly scattered, the blood mist dissipated, and he plummeted like a stone, vanishing into the shadows and out of everyone's sight.

Near the Fang family ancestral hall, a profound silence settled. Not even a whisper of a shout dared to break the stillness.

Fang Zehou and his son naturally arrived at the scene, but they too stood as silent as statues.

The Fang family, one of the three prominent clans in Fenglin City, possessed their own standing and dignity. But against a powerhouse like Xiong Wen, they were fragile and vulnerable.

Xiong Wen had breached their clan's ancestral hall, killed their protector, and shattered their protective array, and they could only watch.

This night was a humiliation, a vast expanse of ink staining the sky, and everyone became a silent backdrop.

Then, a spark appeared.

The spark was incredibly faint, like a piece of firewood in a roaring fire suddenly crackling and spitting out an ember.

But it brought a touch of color to the night.

Then came a deafening roar.

Only then did everyone see that the spark was no mere ember, but the tip of a spear.

The entire spear pierced through the night, its tail held in a long, powerful hand, pulling forth a man with hair as black as ink and a face so sharp it was difficult to meet his gaze.

It was unclear whether the spear carried him or he gripped the spear, but together, man and weapon, they plunged towards the ground in a posture that rent the night!

The shadows shattered.

The Heart-Eating Demon, Xiong Wen, leaped from the broken shadows, blood mist surging violently around him, his voice a guttural growl: "Zhu Weiwo!"

It was Zhu Weiwo!

This spear was the Xin Jin Spear, renowned throughout Qinghe Prefecture.

Xiong Wen let out a bizarre howl, and suddenly, tears of blood streamed from his eyes.

From Sanshan City to Fenglin City, he had clashed with Zhu Weiwo over ten times. From initial contempt and disdain, to later caution and vigilance, and now, there was even a trace of fear he would never admit to himself.

This fellow's power grew too rapidly, almost a level stronger with each battle.

Otherwise, how could he, Xiong Wen, the Heart-Eating Demon, be forced into such a life of constant hiding?

At this moment, Zhu Weiwo had forced him out with a single spear, and he immediately chose to fight for his life.

Blood tears dripped, and the blood flames that had only enveloped his fists surged and consumed his entire body.

But Zhu Weiwo responded with only a confident smile: "Caught you!"

He stooped, and with a gentle shake of his right hand, the spear tip embedded in the ground was lifted.

The ground, with the spear tip as its origin, cracked, broken bricks and earth mingling to form a straight line, like a dragon turning over.

Xiong Wen stood suspended in the air, enveloped in blood flames, ignoring the earth-dragon tumbling towards him. The broken bricks and earth were corroded and vanished the moment they touched the blood flames.

The Blood River Sect's Soul-Eating Blood Flames were truly wicked and overbearing. Of course, their most terrifying aspect was the soul-eating. And Xiong Wen, at this moment, had added the mortal secret art of crying blood, boosting their power by seven points!

Facing Xiong Wen's full unleashed power, Zhu Weiwo did not dodge or evade.

He shook his hand, pointing the spear tip at Xiong Wen, facing the man directly.

"Such magnificent crying blood, and you call it so unpleasant!"

He charged forward instead!

In an instant, flames erupted with the spear tip as the center, a sea of fire born beneath the night sky.

Zhu Weiwo charged forward with the sea of fire.

Blood flames clashed with the sea of fire, spear tip met fist.

Zhu Weiwo and Xiong Wen fought with their full might!

Xiong Wen moved east and west, Zhu Weiwo moved west and east.

Xiong Wen swooped down from above, Zhu Weiwo thrust up from below.

Facing each other, they decided the outcome together!

Victory or defeat was but an instant away.

The blood flames were "extinguished" by the sea of fire, and the entire sea of fire was also largely eroded at the mere touch.

But ultimately, victory and defeat had been decided.

This battle, from the moment Xiong Wen chose to flee, had already sealed its ending.

The sea of fire rapidly surged forward, and Xiong Wen retreated.

He was singed by the flames, his black robe burned away, revealing his gleaming bald head.

His eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, all seven orifices, bled, making his already fierce face even more ferocious and terrifying.

He retreated with all his might, but his gaze remained fixed on Zhu Weiwo's eyes.

At this moment, he absolutely dared not turn his back.

He had caused a major disturbance in Sanshan City and escaped the Judicial Department, already seriously injured. But he was pursued by this single man with a single spear.

After a few skirmishes, he sensed something was amiss and resolved to flee first to recover. But Zhu Weiwo clung to him like a maggot to bone, impossible to shake off.

From Sanshan City, he had been fleeing, fleeing, without any time to recuperate. Old wounds remained unhealed as new ones were inflicted, finally leading to such severe injuries.

He resolved that if he escaped this time, he would no longer care about pride or freedom, and would definitely seek the boss's help to save his life. He would wash Fenglin City with blood, slaughter all eighteen generations of Zhu Weiwo's ancestors, and that cunning little thief with the sword too, their entire family must be annihilated!

His mind was in turmoil, his heart consumed by an unyielding hatred. Xiong Wen stared directly into Zhu Weiwo's eyes.

In those eyes, as bright as a spear, he saw a trace of purple.

Purple Qi from the East!

When the Son of Heaven draws his sword, purple Qi arises from the East, and the vassals look to the West!