Chapter Eighty-Six: Take Down That Bastard of Mist Hide

Amid the thunderous cheers of the crowd, the wretch reeking of foul sweat strode toward the white-clad fighter. Seeing the motionless figure before him, the burly brute gave a snide laugh, swung a heavy fist, and smashed it hard into the white-clad fighter’s face, knocking him flat to the ground. Then this man, who possessed not the slightest sportsmanship, went after him again and drove a vicious kick into his waist, sending him rolling across the platform. He was treating the white-clad fighter like a human punching bag. Truly despicable.

The white-clad fighter is down! Please back away, Mountain Mist! The count begins now, one... two... three...

Miss Luo Xi, who had been flung aside by the brute, somehow appeared once more at the edge of the arena. Gripping the platform’s rim, she shouted up at the hulking man, evidently unable to stand his filthy conduct. As the sole referee designated for this match, she was responsible for fairness, and to protect the fallen white-clad fighter, she loudly ordered the vile fellow to retreat and began counting at once.

...four... five... six...

“What? A count? Are you making a mistake, miss?” The disfigured giant, glaring coldly at the referee at the edge of the platform, actually let out a sneer. “You think you can just count to ten and declare him beaten? Ask the audience whether they agree. Besides—”

...seven... eight... nine...

When she reached nine, the shameless brute actually walked up to the white-clad fighter and yanked him upright with one hand. “Heh, that doesn’t count as being down anymore, does it? The match has to continue, ahahahaha!”

“Bastard!!!”

Watching Mountain Mist raise his fist toward the white-clad fighter, Qin Xiaochuan was utterly enraged.

“Stop, you idiot!!!”

Just as the dim-witted giant was lifting his fist for another blow, a member of the Demon Realm Envoys’ team barked at him.

“Earth Envoy, what are you doing? Why are you stopping me?”

“Look behind you, fool. Keep this up, and your life is over!”

At those words, Mountain Mist glanced behind him and saw that Qin Xiaochuan had somehow raised his right hand. His right index finger’s spirit bullet was already in firing position. He knew full well how terrifying Qin Xiaochuan’s spirit bullet was; he had been present when Qin Xiaochuan fought his decisive battle with Zhuo. If that shot landed in his back while he was unguarded, it would surely be fatal. Thinking of that, he slowly lowered his fist.

Seeing him do so, the Earth Envoy went on, “He means it. Just look at his eyes and you’ll know. He wouldn’t hesitate even if it meant making an enemy of everyone in this tournament. If you dare continue, he really will fire that spirit bullet at you. Our purpose in entering this tournament is to win in the end. There’s no need for pointless killing.”

“Hmph, you’re far too merciful, Earth Envoy. The Artist Envoy, Frost, Yuan—you’re all the same. Utterly naive. Why not just butcher them all and be done with it? Such a nuisance. Forget it, I’m in a good mood today, so I won’t bother quarreling with you.” With that, the giant tossed the white-clad fighter’s body down to Qin Xiaochuan below. If that shot from Qin Xiaochuan really hit him, he would be in for a world of pain. Still, he wasn’t stupid; he took the opportunity to step down from the ledge the Earth Envoy had handed him. Yet after thinking it over, he still felt unwilling and shouted down at Qin Xiaochuan once more, “Fine, then you take his place, kid!”

Casting a hard glare at the giant on the platform, Qin Xiaochuan carried the white-clad fighter to a concrete wall beneath the spectators’ seats and laid him down carefully. Then he leaped back onto the arena. Facing this scarred, disfigured man, Qin Xiaochuan said nothing, only watched him coldly. For a fellow like this, Qin Xiaochuan did not even deign to trade words. The best way to deal with him was to cripple him utterly on the platform, so he could never again be so arrogant and vile.

“Qin Xiaochuan versus Mountain Mist. The match begins!”

At the referee’s announcement, Mountain Mist began to evaporate the sweat from his body in great quantities, turning it into wisps of fog. Before long, the entire platform was shrouded in the mist he exuded.

“Mountain Mist is releasing a massive amount of fog from his body, enveloping the entire arena. Qin Xiaochuan’s figure can no longer be seen. Under this dense mist, how will Qin Xiaochuan respond?”

Watching the fog around him, Qin Xiaochuan did not move. He merely stood quietly, sensing the currents in the air. Then, all at once, Mountain Mist appeared on his left and swung at Qin Xiaochuan’s left cheek. Qin Xiaochuan took the blow squarely on the cheek, then slid several meters sideways before stopping. Touching the struck cheek, Qin Xiaochuan said nothing, only smiled.

“Hahaha, how is it, kid? You can’t see me at all in here, can you? You and that white-clad fellow are the same—nothing but my punching bags. Now just wait for me to fix you, ahahahaha!”

At Mountain Mist’s taunts, Qin Xiaochuan merely let out a cold smile.

“Heh...”

“What are you laughing at, kid? Did the great me knock you stupid?”

“I’m relieved. No matter how many times you throw those punches, they won’t hurt White Shadow.”

“What?!”

“And your power is far weaker than that guy called Yuan. This fog is just made from your filthy sweat; a single gust of his wind would scatter it, wouldn’t it? Besides, you’re trying to sneak up from behind right now, aren’t you? People like you are so filthy in their thinking that anyone can guess it at a glance. Why keep hiding at all?”

“Shut up, shut up! How dare you be so insolent, kid!! I’m going to kill you!!” Mountain Mist, who had been moving in behind Qin Xiaochuan for a surprise attack, flew into a rage when Qin Xiaochuan exposed his position. He had intended to strike from behind in the first place, and now that Qin Xiaochuan had called him out, he was mortified and enraged. He charged toward Qin Xiaochuan, determined to kill the boy who had insulted him, or else he would have no place left in the team.

But just as Mountain Mist was rushing in, Qin Xiaochuan suddenly fired a spirit bullet at the ground. The air burst from the impact instantly blew the stinking fog away in all directions. Mountain Mist, caught in the shockwave as he ran forward, had his eyes stung shut. When he rubbed them and opened them again, Qin Xiaochuan had already vanished. Where had he gone? Seeing Qin Xiaochuan disappear, the brute began looking left and right in confusion.

As he searched for Qin Xiaochuan, Qin Xiaochuan suddenly appeared behind him. Before the fool could even react, Qin Xiaochuan’s right fist had already slammed hard into the ribs at his waist. With a sharp crack, it seemed as though Qin Xiaochuan’s punch had shattered Mountain Mist’s ribs and driven straight into his organs.

“Aaaah!!!”

A howl like that of a wolf burst from Mountain Mist’s mouth. Clutching his right-side ribs, he waved frantically toward Qin Xiaochuan. “D-don’t... don’t hit me anymore... My ribs are broken, I can’t take any more... ahh! ...ow!!!”

“Can’t take any more? And you still have the nerve to say that! Have you already forgotten how you treated White Shadow just now?”

“I-I got a little carried away back then, s-sorry, I forgot...”

“Then I’ll make you remember right now!!! With your own body!!!”

Facing such a vile creature, Qin Xiaochuan unleashed the speed and power of his luminous fluctuation fist to the limit. Countless points of light struck the giant’s body all at once, battering the shameless bastard who had injured White Shadow into a mass of mangled flesh and blasting him out of the arena.

Seeing Mountain Mist tumble beyond the platform, Miss Luo Xi hurriedly announced to the crowd, “Mountain Mist has fallen out of the arena. The count begins now, one... two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight... nine... ten! He has not stood up. Qin Xiaochuan wins!”

She seemed to despise the Demon Realm Envoys’ giant quite a bit; the moment Qin Xiaochuan blasted him away, the referee began counting toward the out-of-bounds fall without delay.

Hearing the announcement of victory, Qin Xiaochuan walked down from the platform and came to White Shadow’s side. By then, White Shadow had already regained consciousness. Looking at Qin Xiaochuan, a look of understanding and gratitude appeared on his face.

“Sorry... I only took down two for you...”

“What are you saying, White Shadow? You already gave it your all. How are your injuries?”

“It’s nothing.” Lowering his gaze to his own arms, White Shadow gave a bitter smile. “A seed I sowed myself, I’ll have to weed out slowly myself, huh... Heh. The seeds of the Rootless Grass may have no roots, but once they sprout, it takes time and effort to make them wither away. It’s a pity I can’t help you more, Xiaochuan.”

Qin Xiaochuan glanced at White Shadow’s arm, then patted his shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry, White Shadow. Leave the rest to me. Just rest and recover. Once you’re healed, we’ll keep fighting those sons of bitches. The more they try to crush us, the more we’ll have to win for them to see. If I don’t piss them off to death, my name isn’t Qin Xiaochuan, heh!”

With that, he gave White Shadow a thumbs-up, his face bright with a sunny smile. Then he patted White Shadow’s shoulder and stood up. Casting a glance at the sealed Fire Flare in the distance and the masked fighter standing beside him, Qin Xiaochuan once again walked onto the arena.

At that moment, the barrier master, Liu Qing, was trembling slightly. She had already reinforced the barrier to its utmost strength, yet she could still feel wave after wave of invisible impact radiating from Fire Flare’s body. That power was continuous and growing ever stronger. If she did not resist with all her might, it would shatter the formation she had set in place. It was simply unbelievable. Since becoming a barrier master, she had never encountered such a situation before. If this was truly Fire Flare’s own power, then Fire Flare was terrifying indeed. She did not know how much longer her sealing arts would be able to hold him...