Tearing the boy apart
Century Boy tells himself that if he only defends and avoids recklessness he can survive, reasoning that Fang Yuan’s edge over Tie Ba Xiu came from flight rather than raw strength, but he cannot avoid the fight in front of this crowd without ruining a reputation built over many years. He also notices, watching his own godsons and goddaughters, that the ones who spoke bravest earlier are the least reliable now, and that Xue San Si, the most accomplished of them all, is already dead by Fang Yuan’s hand. He walks out taunting that today he will teach the young man that age brings wisdom, and Fang Yuan answers by charging like a tiger down a mountain, all-out effort Gu summoning beast phantoms that spike his strength. ch. 368
The two close-range fighters trade blow for blow, and within moments they have fought a hundred steps from the cave, breaking rock, toppling trees and scattering dust while the banquet’s guests spill outside to watch. Fang Yuan invokes bitter strength Gu, abandoning defense so that every wound he takes drives his own strength higher, and a bull phantom twice the size of an elephant, the mutated beast kunlun bull, roars above his head and lands a blow that sends Century Boy crashing through more than ten trees before he stops, coughing blood. ch. 368
Fang Yuan mocks him with Xue San Si’s death and attacks again, but Century Boy, red with fury and smoking at the brows, finally commits his full strength as a demonic figure of over two hundred years’ experience, and Fang Yuan begins to feel pressured, close to a real disadvantage. Strength qi Gu turns the tide back. Fang Yuan fires a solidifying charge into a thunder boar phantom, and Century Boy dodges it; Fang Yuan follows right behind with a flurry Century Boy cannot answer, his months of coordinating body and beast phantoms in close combat finally paying off. Thunder boar, rock crocodile and kunlun bull each keep their own trait: the boar batters through rock, the crocodile lashes with a tail like a steel whip and teeth like razors, the bull gores with brute horn strength, and any phantom destroyed only reverts to strength qi that Fang Yuan can call solid again. Fang Yuan’s all-out effort Gu is still only rank three and cannot summon all three rank four phantoms at will, only through luck, unless he someday obtains undefeated hundred battles Gu from King Xin’s inheritance to raise it to rank four; sensing that limit, Century Boy takes secret comfort in it. ch. 368
Outside, Century Boy’s godchildren debate joining the fight and talk themselves out of it, certain that stepping in now would only turn them into meat paste, and reassure each other that their godfather still has trump cards left. These months Fang Yuan has also finished essence iron bone Gu, roughly doubling or tripling his bone toughness, and golden steel tendon Gu, hardening his tendons to steel; combined with ancient bronze skin and golden shield Gu, the four now hold against the full strength of a rank four peak stage Gu Master. ch. 368
Century Boy, increasingly rattled that a fighter who looks barely twenty could be this seasoned, realizes Fang Yuan overcame Tie Ba Xiu without ever needing the bone wings Gu he still hasn’t drawn on tonight, and decides to retreat toward the cave. Fang Yuan gives chase with charging crash Gu. Bai Ning Bing springs into his path from the side he isn’t watching, and the blind hit knocks him off balance just as Fang Yuan’s luck turns: thunder boar, rock crocodile and kunlun bull all appear together, and the combined strength floods over Century Boy like a wave from the sea. Fang Yuan grabs both legs and tears him in half before he can scream. Blood, broken bone and spilled organs cover the ground as the crowd screams; Fang Yuan raises his bloodied face, laughing with extreme arrogance, then shouts that Century Boy ran like a timid rat at the end, a disgrace to the strength path who deserved to die. ch. 368
His mood eases at once, and he praises the crowd for not helping this shameless rat, inviting everyone back inside to drink; the onlookers feel shock at a demonic god incarnate showing off ever greater strength, unease that he kills so casually and then jokes about it, not caring for human life at all, and curiosity about the three kings inheritance secrets he has just offered to trade with Li Xian. He walks in with Bai Ning Bing, takes Century Boy’s own seat as host, and warns that anyone who leaves is disrespecting him; the room sits back down in cold silence. He then freely shares information about a life-saving token hidden within the three kings inheritance, and everyone commits it to memory. ch. 368
