Chapter 80 - 71: Demon Spirit Possession (Part 1)
"What? That’s Nie Yang... Elder Nie Xin... You... you killed them?" Seeing the floor covered in corpses, Nie Haotian trembled all over, on the verge of madness.
Just a moment ago, he had been full of confidence. But now, he was staring at not only his son’s severed head but also a pile of his clansmen’s bodies. The intense visual shock left him trembling, unable to believe his eyes.
"You dare to lay a hand on a clan Elder and the clan’s first heir! Your crimes are unforgivable! You will die today!"
Nie Haotian quickly regained his composure and let out a roar.
"Die? Heh. You don’t seem to grasp the situation. Since we dared to come for you, do you really think you’ll be leaving here alive?" Nie Yun looked at Nie Haotian as if he were a fool.
’This guy is a complete moron. I killed his son and delivered his head. Would I have done that if I wasn’t completely confident?’
"With scum like you? Did you really think reaching the Peak of Gang Formation Realm would make you my opponent? Heh. Let me tell you, the Gang Formation Realm and the Armor Realm are on two completely different levels. You are dying today!"
After sizing up Nie Yun and confirming he was only at the Peak of Gang Formation Realm, Nie Haotian breathed a sigh of relief.
"He’s right, at the Peak of Gang Formation Realm, he is no match for you. But what if you add me to the equation?"
The moment Nie Haotian’s shout faded, a soft voice spoke up as Nie Xiaotian took a step forward.
"You? A cripple like you? Stop putting on an act in front of me. Your Qi Sea was destroyed long ago, and you want to fight me? Do you still think you’re the same genius you once were? Dream on! Forget killing a person—I doubt you could even kill a chicken!"
Nie Haotian was no fool. Despite his confident words, he had been on guard, wondering what trump card Nie Yun might have to explain his fearlessness. When he saw that the supposed trump card was Nie Xiaotian, he laughed so hard he nearly got a cramp.
’For a Qi Sea Cultivator, a broken Qi Sea is like a car without wheels or a bow without its string. Fighting? Killing? He can only do that in his dreams!’
’I’m the one who crippled him. His Qi Sea can never be repaired. How dare he act all high and mighty in front of me? Does he really think he’s still that peerless genius I once had to look up to?’
"Kill a chicken? Heh. I have no interest in killing chickens. Killing you will do just fine."
Seeing his cousin’s crazed laughter, Nie Xiaotian sighed. The aura he had kept hidden suddenly erupted from him. Powerful True Qi flooded the grand hall like a tidal wave. His entire being felt like a deep, unfathomable ocean, beyond all imagination!
"What? This... this is the aura of a Qi Sect Powerhouse!"
"Nie Xiaotian is a Qi Sect Powerhouse?"
"How is that possible..."
Feeling the aura radiating from Nie Xiaotian, Feng Tianxing, Chen Tongsheng, and Yangg Tiecheng felt the world spin. Their jaws nearly hit the floor!
’We actually teamed up with Nie Haotian to go against a Qi Sect Powerhouse? Are we out of our minds?!’
’A Qi Sect Powerhouse, a Grandmaster among Qi Sea Cultivators! There are only a handful of such supreme figures in the entire Divine Wind Empire. People would be desperate for a chance to curry favor with him, and we were trying to attack him? Heavens, can someone please tell me what in the world is happening?’
’But wasn’t Nie Xiaotian’s Qi Sea destroyed? Wasn’t he unable to cultivate?’
It wasn’t just the three Clan Leaders who were reeling. Nie Haotian himself nearly bit his own tongue in shock. Nie Xiaotian having suddenly reached the Qi Sect Realm was beyond his wildest imagination!
"So what if he’s a Qi Sect Powerhouse? If the four of us, all Peak Powerhouses of the Armor Realm, join forces, we might just stand a chance! Tianxing, Tongsheng, Tiecheng, our backs are against the wall! It’s either him or us! Let’s attack together!"
After a moment of hesitation, Nie Haotian couldn’t help but roar.
He knew that after all the years he had made Nie Xiaotian suffer, the man would never let him go. There was no point in putting up a facade. He looked to the other three Clan Leaders, hoping they would join him.
’Although the gap between the Armor Realm and the Qi Sect Realm is immense, four cultivators at the Peak of Armor Realm might just be able to win!’
"Join forces?" Hearing Nie Haotian’s roar, Feng Tianxing and the others hesitated for a moment before nodding in unison. "Right. If the four of us work together, we might not lose! Let’s risk it all!"
With that, the three of them rose from their seats and moved to stand behind Nie Haotian.
"Good! Let’s attack together!"
Seeing the three Clan Leaders standing with him at this critical moment, Nie Haotian was deeply moved.
’True bonds are forged in adversity. It seems our long-standing alliance was the right choice. The Four Great Families of Luoshui City have always been united...’
"All right. Together... we strike!" Feng Tianxing replied, then suddenly, he, Chen Tongsheng, and Yangg Tiecheng all attacked at once!
But their target wasn’t Nie Xiaotian—it was Nie Haotian!
All three were at the Peak of Armor Realm. As they struck in unison, a powerful surge of True Qi erupted. Countless palm and fist afterimages rained down, completely enveloping Nie Haotian!
"You..." Nie Haotian clearly never expected the Clan Leaders who had just pledged their support to suddenly turn on him. He trembled with such fury he could barely breathe, almost fainting on the spot.
"Nie Haotian, can’t you see the situation clearly? Four of us against a Qi Sect Powerhouse? Do you take us for fools?!"
"Today is the day you die! Your life is forfeit!"
Fearing Nie Haotian might escape, the three Clan Leaders held nothing back. With a sickening series of CRACKS and CRUNCHES, Nie Haotian was thrown about like a broken sandbag, sent tumbling through the air before crashing heavily to the ground!
"You dared to move against the Nie Tian Branch? You must have a death wish!"
Feng Tianxing shot out a hand, grabbing Nie Haotian by the neck and dragging him before Nie Xiaotian. "Xiaotian, we were bewitched by this villain! We have captured him now. Please, dispose of him as you see fit!"
"You... you backstabbing traitors! You’ll all die horrible deaths...!"
Nie Haotian had never imagined that after all his scheming, he would be captured not by Nie Xiaotian, but by his own allies. The color drained from his face, leaving it ashen.
"Those who live by injustice will die by it! You brought this upon yourself!"
His father, Nie Xiaotian, looked at the cousin who had shattered his branch of the family, now kneeling before him like a pile of filth. With a cold snort, he raised his palm and slammed it down!
SPLAT!
Nie Haotian’s head instantly disintegrated into dust, and his corpse collapsed heavily to the ground.
’His father had once been called the number one genius of Luoshui City. To earn that title, he had killed his fair share of people and had been known for his ruthlessness. After this man had forced him to live in humiliation for so many years, how could he possibly be spared? Ending his life with a single slap was, if anything, letting him off easy!’
Having killed his nemesis, Nie Xiaotian let out a long breath, his gaze falling on his son with a look of immense pride.
’Honestly, without his son, forget about getting revenge... he would likely have been killed by Nie Haotian long ago, if he wasn’t on the verge of it already!’
"What should we do with these three?"
Pushing the thoughts from his mind, Nie Xiaotian pointed at the three trembling Clan Leaders: Feng Tianxing, Yangg Tiecheng, and Chen Tongsheng.
"Just kill them," Nie Yun said coldly.
"Young Master Nie Yun, we admit our mistake! We beg for your mercy!"
"We... we were just temporarily deluded..."
Feng Tianxing and the others jumped in fright at Nie Yun’s words.
"Nie Yun, my father was just temporarily bewitched. Could you..." Feng Xiao couldn’t stop himself from taking a step forward.
"Yes, please be lenient, Young Master Nie Yun!" Chen Xing added with a bow.
As for Yangg Yan, he felt little affection for his biological father, so it made no difference to him whether the man lived or died. He simply stood by quietly, awaiting Nie Yun’s decision.
"Anyone who can betray their allies can just as easily betray us. Keeping them around is a liability!"
Nie Yun said coolly, "However, since Feng Xiao and the others have pleaded on your behalf, I can spare your lives. But while you may escape death, you will not escape punishment..."
’Nie Yun knew that with Feng Xiao and the others present, killing their fathers would be difficult. His threat had just been to scare them; he already knew how he would deal with them.’
He was just about to announce their punishment when his expression suddenly changed.
"This is bad! Fall back!"
With that, he grabbed his father, Feng Xiao, and the others, and pulled them back!
"KYEHEHEH... You dare to betray me? The three of you can just die!"
The moment they retreated from the hall, a chilling laugh echoed from within. Immediately, the bodies of Feng Tianxing and the other two began to shrink rapidly, as if all their power was being drained away. With a wretched scream, they collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Behind the three bodies, a figure slowly rose to its feet. It was none other than Nie Haotian, the man they had just killed!
