Return of the Celestial King

This person was none other than Qin Tuo, who had arrived just in the nick of time.

When Qin Tuo arrived at the headquarters, he found it deserted. Following the directions of a few of the Elders, he made his way to this pavilion.

Sure enough, he had sensed a poisonous miasma from a great distance, which led him to the scene before him.

If he hadn't released his killing intent as a timely warning, Yan Hongliang would have likely killed all these girls.

Looking at the poor girls, the killing intent in Qin Tuo's heart surged even more violently.

When Yan Hongliang saw Qin Tuo, his face filled with confusion. He asked,

"Kid, who are you?"

Qin Tuo replied slowly, his face devoid of expression,

"I am Qin Tuo."

"What! It's you?"

Yan Hongliang was thoroughly shocked. He finally realized this was the very Qin Tuo he had been trying so desperately to find.

"You've got some nerve, kid. I've been looking for you for so long, and you actually dared to come to the Blood Moon Pavilion in person. You're practically begging to die!"

Yan Hongliang sneered.

Qin Tuo shook his head and replied,

"I came today to take your life!"

"Hahaha! What a bold claim, kid!"

Yan Hongliang acted as if Qin Tuo was nothing, but deep down, he remained secretly on guard.

Just then, the four Elders appeared one by one behind Qin Tuo.

When the four Elders saw Yan Hongliang again, their previously respectful expressions had vanished completely, replaced by eyes full of hatred.

For years, Yan Hongliang had used Gu Insects to force them to do many things against their will. Now, the time for reckoning had come.

Seeing that the four Elders were somehow still alive, Yan Hongliang was both shocked and furious. He quickly demanded,

"What's going on? Aren't the four of you dead?"

The four Elders exchanged glances and sneered, no longer treating Yan Hongliang as the Pavilion Master of the Blood Moon Pavilion.

Seeing their expressions, Yan Hongliang's heart sank. A dreadful suspicion began to form in his mind.

He waved a hand dismissively, pointed at Qin Tuo, and said,

"Since the four of you aren't dead, why haven't you captured him yet? What are you standing there for?"

The Grand Elder stepped forward and said gravely,

"Yan Hongliang, today is the day you die!"

Hearing this, Yan Hongliang's face flooded with disbelief.

"What did you say? Say it again!"

The Third Elder stepped forward as well, sneering as he spoke,

"Yan Hongliang, you don't know yet, do you? Mr. Qin has already helped us break free from the Gu Insects' control. We no longer have to help you do these wicked things!"

Yan Hongliang's eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.

It was only then that he finally understood: Qin Tuo was responsible for the death of his Gu Insects!

"Impossible! My Gu Insects are from the Southern Border. How could anyone in this world possibly break their control by force, especially a young brat like you?"

Staring at Qin Tuo, Yan Hongliang's heart was filled with endless doubt and simmering rage.

The four Elders took a simultaneous step forward, making their allegiance clear. They declared loudly,

"Yan Hongliang, your retribution has come today! We will avenge those who died!"

With his hands clasped behind his back, Qin Tuo led the four Elders as they slowly advanced on him.

Just then, Sun Haicheng, Zhu Zifeng, and the others arrived as well, completely surrounding Yan Hongliang and trapping him inside the pavilion.

From the looks of it, Yan Hongliang was cornered with no hope of escape.

Yan Hongliang's face contorted with rage, veins popping on his forehead. For a long moment, he was rendered speechless.

Seeing all his subordinates betray him and bring in an outsider, he was on the verge of going completely insane.

Then Yan Hongliang threw his head back and roared,

"Fine! In that case, I'll make sure all of you die here today!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he quickly formed another set of Magic Formulas, and a massive swarm of venomous insects emerged from the shadows.

The insects were numberless, surging forward like a black tide!

Yan Hongliang's target was clear: he was aiming first and foremost for Qin Tuo.

He knew that only by eliminating Qin Tuo would the four Elders be too afraid to act against him.

Facing the tide of venomous insects rushing toward him, Qin Tuo remained expressionless and utterly unafraid.

When the ghastly insects were right upon him, Qin Tuo let out a sharp cry, channeled his power, and thrust his palms forward.

A surging wave of immense Spiritual Power erupted, instantly sweeping all the venomous insects aside.

The insects were blasted into the air and scattered like dust, a sight that left Yan Hongliang so stunned his jaw nearly hit the floor.

Immediately after, a powerful palm strike shot past the insects and slammed viciously into his face.

Yan Hongliang tried to dodge, but it was too late!

WHOOSH...

Yan Hongliang stumbled back two steps as the force of the blow ripped the human-skin mask clean off his face.

GASP!

A collective gasp echoed through the room.

Because with the human-skin mask gone, a horrifying, scarred face was revealed, crisscrossed with mangled flesh.

Seeing Yan Hongliang's true face, Qin Tuo immediately recalled what Zeng Changkong had told him.

Yan Hongliang had once willingly destroyed his own face in an attempt to obtain Zeng Changkong's Face Reading Technique!

'Now I see it's true,' Qin Tuo thought. 'With a face that mangled, even someone as skilled as Zeng Changkong wouldn't be able to discern a thing from it.'

"Yan Hongliang, let's see where you can run to today!"

Qin Tuo sneered, slowly advancing.

He had killed all the venomous insects with his Spiritual Power, and the CRUNCHING sound as he stepped on their carapaces was horrifying to Yan Hongliang.

Watching Qin Tuo draw closer step by step, Yan Hongliang knew he was in deep trouble.

Suddenly, he slammed both hands onto the ground, and a cloud of eerie green smoke burst from his sleeves.

"Not good!"

Realizing something was wrong, Qin Tuo immediately charged into the smoke.

But Yan Hongliang had vanished without a trace, his whereabouts unknown.

Without a second thought, Qin Tuo prepared to give chase, but the Grand Elder rushed to block his path.

"Mr. Qin, be careful! Do not pursue a desperate foe!"

Qin Tuo frowned in confusion.

"But if he escapes, it'll be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains—the consequences will be endless."

The Grand Elder knew this as well. He said with a hint of regret,

"Mr. Qin, you may not know, but this mountain is filled with poisonous traps and mechanisms. A single wrong step could lead to a gruesome death!"

Qin Tuo shook his head in frustration.

"Even so, we can't just let him get away like this, can we?"

The poor girls here were recounting Yan Hongliang's bloody, gruesome sins. How could Qin Tuo possibly let this monster leave?

The Grand Elder thought for a moment before saying slowly,

"Mr. Qin, there is only one place Yan Hongliang would go right now. We can just go straight there!"