Chapter 116: Vengeful Fist
In a shadowed mountain alley descending from the Hanz Clan Stronghold on Twin Peak Hill valley, Donovan Valdez led his Dominator Squad—six white-robed cultivators, their strides cutting through the mist like blades, their faces carved with resolve. Each step echoed with purpose, their grim determination a silent vow to crush any obstacle.
Ghostly figures flickered along the edges of the path, their spectral forms weaving through the mist, but the seven high-phase Qi Refinement cultivators ignored these apparitions. Only when a malice-driven spirit dared block their way did they act. Normally, seven or eight martial spells erupted in unison, a torrent of vicious energy that reduced the evil spirit to ash before its shriek could fade.
The Dominator Squad ascended through the alley, reaching a small hill crowned by an exquisite courtyard. A stone path, lined with vibrant flowers, led to its gate. They entered beneath a sprawling wisteria canopy. At the courtyard’s heart stood a small stone pond, its fountain long dry. Beside it, a single clay pot held a cluster of vivid koi fish, their scales glinting unnaturally.
As the squad approached, the fish sensed their murderous aura and went berserk. They thrashed, leaping from the water with snapping jaws, aiming to tear flesh from the intruders.
Donovan didn’t glance back. With a flick of his sleeve, the pot’s water quaked. The koi fish exploded into bloody pulp, their remains sinking in a crimson haze. The pot erupted next, the stink water painted the stone floor red.
The squad passed through a moon-shaped gate, confronting a moss-covered stone path winding up Twin Peak Hill. Driven by vengeance for Zach Wright and bolstered by the confidence in their strength, they scorned the path’s meander. Donovan activated his footwork art, leading the team in a direct, lightning-swift ascent toward the Hanz Clan’s Ancestral Shrine.
They reached the mountainside swiftly. From the hill’s crest, a figure stumbled, careened down the slope toward them, panic twisting his mustached face. Cloaked in blood-red light, that’s a male cultivatior fled using the Blood Burning Technique.
"Carl Murphy of Soar Skull Peak," Zoe Wright, Zach’s sister, hissed, her voice venomous. Her tattooed hand clenched as she glared at the approaching cultivator. "He’s tight with Garrick Blackthorn. Thorn Squad scum."
"Senior Brother Valdez! Hey!" Eyes widened, Carl spotted the Dominator Squad with joy, veering toward them, his voice frantic. "The Hanz. Clan Ancestral Shrine was—"