Chapter 423: Dominance

Chapter 423: Dominance

8th District, Feng Xiu's Base.

With a single, overwhelmingly powerful punch, Lin Jianying was knocked to the ground right before Feng Xiu. The force of the blow was so intense that it severed Lin Jianying's limbs, but surprisingly, the attack did not cause any damage to the surrounding structures. This was not due to either party holding back; rather, the space before them had already merged with Feng Xiu's domain. As long as his domain remained intact, the base would not sustain any damage.

Of course, Lin Jianying had no time to notice this peculiarity. He had just been outmaneuvered by Feng Xiu and was forced to sever his own limbs to escape.

As he channeled the power of the fragment, Lin Jianying rushed forward and almost succeeded in capturing Feng Xiu. However, unexpectedly, another 'Cheng Yaojin' appeared mid-way. This Cheng Yaojin was none other than the Thirteenth Apostle, who had seemingly died earlier.

But the current Thirteenth Apostle was vastly different from his previous self. Gone was the timid and subservient demeanor; now, he exuded an aura of dominance and confidence in both his appearance and actions.

His strength was beyond comprehension, as he had reached the Epic 1-Star rank. With a mighty punch, he struck Lin Jianying down, and with a swift movement, he caught up and grabbed Lin Jianying by the head, smashing him violently into the ground.

The collision of the Thirteenth Apostle's power and Feng Xiu's domain was almost too much for Lin Jianying to bear. The Apostle showed no mercy, reaching out to break Lin Jianying's remaining limbs. With a swift motion, he patted Lin Jianying's body and skillfully retrieved a fragment from his body, tossing Lin Jianying aside.

At that moment, Feng Xiu took action, snapping his fingers. Black chains lashed out, binding the limbless Lin Jianying tightly.

"Will you behave now?" Feng Xiu asked, a smirk on his face as he relaxed.

Approaching Lin Jianying, Feng Xiu taunted, "Should I call you Old Five or Lin Jianying?"

Lin Jianying glared at him, refusing to answer. His stubborn and angry demeanor prompted Feng Xiu to slap him.

"You're as foolish as the intelligence reports suggested. But even in your stupidity, you should recognize the current situation," Feng Xiu said.

"Go ahead and kill or torture me if you want. I'm not afraid!" Lin Jianying retorted, showing some growth over the past few years. He faced adversity with more courage and resilience, no longer trembling in fear like before, which only made him seem more foolish in Feng Xiu's eyes.

"Killing and torture are definitely on the agenda, but before I do that, there's something I need to take care of," Feng Xiu said, stepping forward and beginning to search Lin Jianying's body.

"What are you doing?" Lin Jianying asked, his face contorting in pain. He struggled, but to no avail.

"Don't bother. You can't escape, and I don't plan to kill you just yet. I'm looking for something," Feng Xiu replied, pulling out a small object from Lin Jianying's body.

Lin Jianying's expression changed upon seeing the item, but he seemed to recall something and forced himself to calm down, maintaining a neutral expression.

"What are you going to do with that trinket?" he asked.

"Stop with the silly gestures and tricks. Since I've taken it out, I know what it's for," Feng Xiu said, and with a twist of malevolent energy, the jade-like trinket he had taken from Lin Jianying began to glow.

Lin Jianying's calm facade shattered.

Just then, Li Wu's voice came through the trinket.

"Hey! What's going on?" Li Wu asked.

Lin Jianying's eyes widened in shock, and as he opened his mouth to shout, the black chains tightened, causing him excruciating pain.

The black chains forced their way into his mouth, silencing Lin Jianying.

At that moment, Feng Xiu spoke, but it was Lin Jianying's voice that came out.

"I've successfully reached Feng Xiu's base. He's preparing for the revival ritual, and I have some news. It seems Tie Hong has just visited this base! Be careful."

Lin Jianying's face paled, and he was even more terrified to hear no suspicion in Li Wu's voice.

"I understand. I'll probably need about two hours to get there. Get ready; once I arrive, we'll strike together and destroy Feng Xiu's base!"

Feng Xiu smirked, his face full of mockery. "Alright, I'll wait for you!"

Ending the communication, Feng Xiu turned to Lin Jianying, his expression still mocking. "I wonder if he figured out your trick?"

(Chapter End)

"Lin Jianying struggled, but he couldn't speak a word.

'Oh, I forgot you can't talk right now, but it doesn't matter. It's better that you remain silent.'

As for the other side, I guess he might have sensed something amiss. After all, I can mimic your voice, but not your tone and attitude. With his vigilance, he must have guessed that something's wrong on your end.

So, let's speculate further. In a situation where he suspects there might be an issue on your side, do you think he'll come over?"

Feng Xiu looked at Lin Jianying, seemingly anticipating his response.

But Lin Jianying remained restrained and couldn't break free.

Seeing the other side's helpless rage, Feng Xiu felt delighted. He patted Lin Jianying's face and continued, "Rest assured, he will definitely come.

Because he believes he has the winning hand!

Even if I've captured you, he still has a card to play, as that card of yours is actually a useless one in his hand."

"Do you think that the reason he could stir up trouble on my turf last time was because you were backing him up? If that's the case, you're underestimating him.

To be honest, even without your help, he could still create some chaos. This guy does have some tricks up his sleeve."

As Feng Xiu spoke, his face grew colder.

'But the same trick won't work on my side again.'

After saying this, Feng Xiu fell silent, patiently awaiting Lu Wu's arrival.

On Lu Wu's side, he was exceptionally punctual. Two hours, and not a minute more.

The moment the two hours were up, the item in Feng Xiu's hand lit up again.

"I've arrived!"

"I'm with Feng Xiu at the center of the base. Come in."

Feng Xiu paused, a playful smirk forming on his lips.

"Do you need me to guide you in?"

The item remained silent for a moment, then a calm voice sounded.

"No need, I'm already here!"

This time, the voice didn't come from the item but from behind Feng Xiu.

Along with the voice, a sword energy approached.

A sharp sword energy surged forward, but Feng Xiu remained unmoved. One of the 13 Apostles beside him sprang into action, blocking the sword with both hands.

After blocking the sword, Feng Xiu turned around and saw Lu Wu, who had appeared behind him at some point, with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, well, it's been a while since we last formally met!"

"You shouldn't be smiling; you should be crying because this isn't a meeting that will bring you joy."

Lu Wu glanced at him indifferently.

Feng Xiu's smile widened at Lu Wu's words.

"So confident? No wonder, you have an ace up your sleeve.

Look, isn't this your ace?"

As Feng Xiu spoke, he snapped his fingers lightly.

The next moment, a group of people emerged from Feng Xiu's base, being escorted out.

Lin Jianying watched this scene, utterly bewildered.

Lu Wu took a brief look, his face expressionless, while Feng Xiu's smile grew brighter. "I must say, you do have some tricks up your sleeve. In such a short time, encountering so many things, and despite being so busy, you still managed to create a secret organization.

Moreover, you've planted so many spies in my base, which is truly astonishing.

Although these spies might be useless in a fight, they can influence my base's facilities and rituals, providing unimaginable assistance at critical moments.

This card of yours is indeed impressive, but it's gone now!"

Feng Xiu waved his hand, and his subordinates took action. The captured individuals were executed right in front of Lu Wu.

Over a dozen heads fell, but Lu Wu didn't even flinch, which made Feng Xiu sigh.

"I must say, you've grown significantly.

So many pawns dead, yet you don't even frown. This composure wasn't in you a year ago.

Indeed, only a woman can make a man grow so quickly."

As Feng Xiu mentioned Pang Dudu, Lu Wu's previously calm expression changed, and his eyebrows twitched.

"Shut up!"

For the first time, Lu Wu's emotions stirred.

Feng Xiu took pleasure in this reaction.

Just as he was about to say something more, an indescribable sense of fear suddenly surged, and Feng Xiu's face changed.

"How...?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Feng Xiu's entire body stiffened, frozen in place.

And frozen alongside him was the Thirteenth Apostle, who stood by his side.

"What you just said is correct. I do have the confidence and the trump card, but my trump card and confidence are not hidden; they are my own strength."

As Li Wu spoke, he took a step towards Feng Xiu.

With each step, a stronger and deeper pressure bore down on Feng Xiu, striking his heart and shaking his domain.

Each step Li Wu took, Feng Xiu trembled and moved, and in his eyes, Li Wu seemed like a divine demon.

The sound of footsteps echoed as Li Wu finally reached Feng Xiu and stood before him.

"By now, you should have understood. In front of me, you don't even have the qualification to stand."

"Kneel down!" Li Wu's calm words carried an unimaginable pressure, causing Feng Xiu's face to turn pale. A mouthful of fresh blood slowly trickled from the corner of his mouth.

It was clear that his injuries were not minor.

But more severe than his physical wounds was the blow to Feng Xiu's psyche.

He couldn't fathom or accept the situation before him.

Li Wu's strength had broken through to the Epic Rank, a fact that Feng Xiu was aware of.

He also knew that Li Wu had once fought against Fei Yinghao's clone in Jiangnan.

Feng Xiu even knew how Li Wu had escaped from Fei Yinghao's clone.

The intelligence he possessed was incredibly detailed.

This was why Feng Xiu confidently believed that with the combined strength of the Thirteenth Apostle, empowered by the Second Messenger, and the modified base, they could defeat Li Wu.

However, at this moment, Li Wu's mere few steps were enough to make Feng Xiu realize the extent of Li Wu's power.

But he still couldn't bring himself to believe it.

"How can you be so strong? It's impossible!

You've only just broken through to the Epic Rank.

And if you're truly this powerful, why did you struggle so much against Fei Yinghao's clone, who only had a single layer of strength?"

"Who told you that Fei Yinghao's clone only had one layer of strength?" Li Wu asked.

Feng Xiu's face changed.

Normally, a clone should only possess around the same level of strength as its original body.

Additionally, Li Wu had just broken through, and during their fight, Fei Yinghao had mentioned that Li Wu's strength was far inferior to Pang Dudu's.

So, Feng Xiu had based his judgment of Li Wu's strength on this information.

He had thought that Li Wu was at most a beginner at the Epic 1 Star level, and with the advantage of the prepared base, defeating him should have been easy.

However, the strength Li Wu displayed now was far beyond the beginner's Epic 1 Star level; it hinted at a power approaching the Epic 2 Star level.

This terrifying strength had already surpassed Feng Xiu's expectations.

After all, at this moment, Feng Xiu, severely injured, could barely maintain the Epic 1 Star level, and the Thirteenth Apostle by his side, empowered by the Second Messenger, was of a similar caliber.

The only reason they had managed to capture Lin Jianying was due to Lin Jianying's lack of experience.

Even then, they had exhausted many of their resources, and attempting to deal with Li Wu would be a gross miscalculation of their abilities.

In the face of absolute strength, all of Feng Xiu's previous preparations and calculations became a joke.

Feng Xiu, who had just been full of arrogance, now found himself crushed by Li Wu, forced to kneel in the dust before him.

"Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve? Or any last words you'd like to say?" Li Wu looked down at Feng Xiu, whom he had slowly pushed down. "I'm being quite merciful, allowing you to wail before you die."

These words enraged Feng Xiu, who was already in shock.

"Li Wu, don't be too proud. Lin Jianying is still in my hands..."

"Pfft!"

Before Feng Xiu could finish his sentence, Li Wu's hand trembled, and a flash of sword light severed one of Feng Xiu's arms, permanently separating it from his body.

"Is this the one?" Li Wu mocked.

"You..." Feng Xiu's voice trailed off.

"Then it seems this one is next!"

Before Feng Xiu could respond, another flash of sword light appeared, and his other arm was also severed.

With both arms lost, Feng Xiu's face turned deathly pale.

Li Wu glanced at Lin Jianying, who was still bound nearby.

"The person hasn't been released yet? Then it seems it's not in those two arms.

Let's try cutting off the legs!"

Feng Xiu's face contorted in fear as he struggled to dodge, but it was too late.

Two more flashes of sword light, and his legs were also rendered useless.

Lin Jianying remained tied up where he was.

"This is giving me a headache. With all four limbs gone, the person is still not free. Let's cut off the fifth limb!"

As Li Wu spoke, another sword light appeared, aiming straight for Feng Xiu's fifth limb.

Just as it seemed Feng Xiu's bird's nest was about to be destroyed, a hand reached out and grabbed the sword light.

Simultaneously, a deep voice resonated.

"Kid, leave a way out for others, and you'll have a way out in the future!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end