Chapter 160: Explosion
The factory was filled with people, all in a state of utter panic. Some rushed the edge of the Array, attempting to break through the Trapping Array. Others hid, preparing to endure the blast behind obstacles. A few simply cried and prayed.
Chen Dong couldn't protect so many people individually; he could only solve the problem at its source. Time was short. As a few people watched in horror, Chen Dong's projected giant hand plunged straight into the ground and instantly pulled out a pile of explosives.
This wasn't all the explosives, but the detonator was right on top of this pile.
Huang Yongfeng had used an electrical detonation system, wired throughout the entire factory. With only two seconds left, it was impossible to clear out all the explosives, and there was no time to dismantle his device. The only option was to minimize the power of the explosion.
The pile of explosives weighed about half a ton. Chen Dong's two projected giant hands closed tightly around it, smothering the explosives within their grasp.
One second!
Immense light and heat erupted from within the projected hands. An unstoppable shockwave slammed against Chen Dong's projected giant hands, and the powerful recoil caused his aura to stutter.
BOOM—RUMBLE!
The very ground shook!
The tremendous roar of the explosion deafened the Martial Artists present. Even though Chen Dong's projection had blocked the brunt of the blast, the aftershock still made them all violently spit up blood. The main reason was that they were simply too close to the epicenter.
The dilapidated factory began to collapse! Amidst the powerful tremors, the Trapping Array also began to fail. Everyone scrambled outside.
Having escaped the factory, the True Qi Realm Martial Artists, though they had kept their lives, had all suffered internal injuries to varying degrees. Those at the Grandmaster Realm were much better off, merely pale-faced with slightly unstable auras. As for the three Celestial Spirit masters, they were completely unharmed. Even though it had been difficult for them to circulate their True Qi at that moment, the gap in their physical fortitude was immense.
This was all thanks to Chen Dong's projection, which had absorbed ninety-nine percent of the blast's force. Furthermore, only a quarter of the explosives had actually detonated; the remaining three-quarters were still buried beneath the factory floor. When Chen Dong had dug out the main pile, he had simultaneously ripped out the wiring to the rest.
If the full two tons of explosives had detonated simultaneously, even with Chen Dong's projection to block it, few of the True Qi Realm practitioners would have survived at such a close range.
Thanks to Chen Dong's special attention, Huang Yongfeng, who had no True Qi whatsoever, also survived.
His expression was grim as he asked Chen Dong, "Why did you do this?"
Chen Dong's face was cold, his own aura in turmoil. The explosion hadn't injured him, but it had sent his True Qi into a violent upheaval.
"Because I wanted to."
Huang Yongfeng cursed, "Aren't you incredible? So high and mighty!"
He had plotted for over a decade. Everything had been going according to his plan, save for a slight miscalculation regarding the final Array Talisman. He had even been perfectly clear on Huang Xiaoyu's attitude and choices. Even if he couldn't ensure Huang Xiaoyu's escape, her dying with him in the factory had been one of his contingency plans.
But Chen Dong's appearance had sent his revenge down the drain. Without the Trapping Array and the Suppressing Fragrance, it would now be child's play for Wu Xing and the others to kill him.
Sure enough, the twelve Grandmasters and three Celestial Spirit masters formed a tight circle around the two of them.
A mixture of emotions played across Wu Xing's savage face: the relief of having survived a catastrophe and astonishment at Chen Dong's power. He sneered, "Wu Liu, oh, Wu Liu! It seems I was not fated to die. Looks like you've lost yet again!"
Huang Yongfeng looked to the heavens and sighed, his eyes filled with nothing but helplessness and desolate sorrow.
"No need to despair just yet. The real despair is still to come," Wu Xing continued to taunt. "With such intricate planning, it seems Huang Cheng joining the Star-Picking Sect was your doing. Then Luo Tengfei, and then the four Guardians... all of it was for today, wasn't it? What a pity! Such a pity!"
Chen Dong spoke in a cold voice, "Since I stepped in to keep him from blowing you to bits, I'm not about to let you kill him either. Now, scram!"
A sinister glint flashed in Wu Xing's eyes. "My friend," he began, "I wonder, just how much of your strength do you have left?"
Chen Dong scoffed. "What? You still have designs on me?"
Wu Xing laughed. "I imagine that bomb didn't feel too good. Even for someone who can use projections, you must be seriously injured! Hand over the Mingxi Grass obediently, and maybe, out of gratitude for saving our lives, we'll leave your corpse intact!"
Chen Dong wasn't the least bit surprised by Wu Xing's reaction; he had anticipated this outcome the moment he decided to save them. He had, however, expected Wu Xing to at least test the waters first, to gauge his true condition. He hadn't thought the man would be so quick to make a move.
Chen Dong laughed, amused by Wu Xing's confidence. "So, you think my health bar is empty and you're trying to snag an easy kill?"
The members of the Star-Picking Sect sneered but said nothing, their intentions perfectly clear.
Chen Dong slowly shook his head. A sharp brow arched as he coldly asked the crowd, "How would you all like to die?"
The Celestial Spirit around Wu Xing instantly condensed. A giant hand materialized from the energy, reaching out to grab Chen Dong.
At the same time, he roared, "If I'm not mistaken, your True Qi is in turmoil! You can't even condense your Celestial Spirit, can you!" He was clearly aiming to strike while Chen Dong was vulnerable.
Faced with the Celestial Spirit Giant Hand and its hidden technique, inscriptions began to float around Chen Dong's body. They linked together, head to tail, instantly forming a projected giant hand of his own to meet the attack.
The members of the Star-Picking Sect were utterly horrified!
'How could he still be able to manifest his projection after an explosion that violent!?'