Chapter Forty-Six: Your Mother Is Calling You Home for Dinner!

Zhou Yu was shocked to discover that the once massive body of the Sacred Qilin was gradually shrinking, a gentle white light emanating from its surface and growing stronger. This scene felt strangely familiar to him. After a brief moment of stupefaction, Zhou Yu suddenly shouted, “Run! It’s going to explode!” No sooner had he cried out than he grabbed the old man and bolted, dashing away at full speed.

Nan Fenglang, who was splattered with mud and snow by Zhou Yu’s frantic flight, stared blankly at Zhou Yu, now more than ten yards ahead. Then, recalling a certain possibility, he was startled, bit his lip, and quickly formed a wind spell with one hand, following Zhou Yu by riding the wind. As he passed Zhou Yu’s side, he affixed a Swift Wind Talisman to him.

“Didn’t you know this would happen?” Liu Wujian watched the Sacred Qilin, now transformed into a gigantic white sphere, through the swirling snow.

Tian Xing gently stroked his belly, which resembled a ball, then slapped it heavily, producing a loud “pia” as the rolls of fat quivered thrice. With a satisfied sigh, he said, “I knew.”

Hearing the noise, Liu Wujian glanced at Tian Xing out of the corner of his eye, his expression softening a little. He sighed and said, “After all these years, you still haven’t changed that disgusting habit of yours.”

“Why are you wasting words? Get lost already!” Tian Xing suddenly roared, his bloated belly wobbling as he strode forward, surpassing Liu Wujian and leaving only his back behind.

Watching Tian Xing’s silhouette gradually obscured by wind and snow, Liu Wujian sighed again. “If you wished to stop me, why not battle me? Must you force me to leave in this way?”

He turned and walked off into the distance. With a single step, his figure was already ten yards away.

Amidst the snowstorm, Tian Xing glanced back, speaking softly: “I am giving you one last chance. Next time we meet, I will destroy you.”

The cultivators who had come to their senses began fleeing once more—the Sacred Beast was about to self-destruct!

Hua Queyue and Jin Buhuan circled around the black-robed demon and headed towards Tian Xing. They knew what Tian Xing intended, knew that he could not do this alone, so they went to support him.

The black-robed demon did not block Hua Queyue and Jin Buhuan. He turned towards the approaching Liu Wujian and sneered, “Tsk, tsk... so what now?”

“Leave.”

“Tsk, tsk... You’re bearing this alone? None of my business.”

“I bear this with one sword.” As Liu Wujian spoke, he walked past the black-robed demon without another word, disappearing into the snowstorm.

The black-robed demon glanced back at the white sphere formed by the Sacred Qilin and at Tian Xing’s retreating figure, muttering, “Tsk, tsk... I’ll come back for you.” Thick black mist billowed from his robe, enveloping him as he floated away.

“Stand back!” Tian Xing shouted at the approaching Hua Queyue and Jin Buhuan, his fat trembling with the force.

“But—”

“You must guard against Liu Wujian and the demon. I alone am enough here.” Tian Xing cut Hua Queyue off.

Jin Buhuan bowed to Tian Xing’s back and said respectfully, “Elder Tian Xing, please be careful and act within your limits. We will protect the disciples ourselves.”

He then dragged Hua Queyue away.

Zhou Yu, having sprinted first, was now ahead with the old man and Nan Fenglang.

“How did you know the Sacred Qilin would self-destruct?” Nan Fenglang asked, running alongside Zhou Yu.

“Huff... Movies always show it like this... huff...” Zhou Yu replied between breaths.

Nan Fenglang frowned. “Movies?”

“Damn! Someone’s catching up! Who’s that up ahead? So fast? Hey! Your mom’s calling you home for dinner, why run so fast?” Suddenly, someone overtook Zhou Yu, who shouted angrily.

Nan Fenglang looked ahead, and when she saw who had passed them, her mouth fell open in astonishment.

The old man rubbed his eyes and said, “I told you, kid, you’re such a country bumpkin! You don’t even recognize the handsome, suave, ever-charming, peerless, unmatched hero Liu Wujian? Haven’t you always said he’s your absolute idol? Today you finally see him, and you’re blind as a bat? Luckily, Liu Wujian is truly a great hero—he has the grace and magnanimity of a real hero and won’t stoop to your level…”

Zhou Yu's heart raced with fear; he realized he had foolishly insulted Liu Wujian. By all accounts, he was courting disaster.

The old man's tirade was meant to shield Zhou Yu.

Liu Wujian suddenly stopped walking.

Zhou Yu quickly slowed down, but even with his best effort, sheer momentum carried him right up to Liu Wujian’s side.

Liu Wujian turned and glanced at Zhou Yu, then at the watch on Zhou Yu’s wrist, and said, “You should be careful.”

Zhou Yu was startled, then relieved. Someone as powerful as Liu Wujian, if he wanted to kill him, would not bother with words. The fact that Liu Wujian bothered to warn him made Zhou Yu feel completely safe. He let out a long sigh and said, “Traveling is urgent, please lead the way, hero.”

Liu Wujian paused at Zhou Yu’s reaction, then smiled. “Interesting.”

If he said “interesting,” then it truly was interesting. Such playful words—who had ever spoken so to Liu Wujian?

After finishing, Liu Wujian turned away. Without any visible movement, his figure was already ten yards ahead.

Zhou Yu quietly unclenched the fist hidden inside his left sleeve, his palm slick with sweat and faint blood seeping from the imprints of his nails. In truth, Zhou Yu had been terrified a moment ago, but he refused to show it. Or rather, he would not allow himself to show it. Even faced with someone like Liu Wujian, Zhou Yu would not beg for mercy.

Suddenly, the snow and wind whirled violently, slapping Zhou Yu’s body, face, and exposed skin so fiercely that the snowflakes stung.

Before the pain faded, the fierce western wind abruptly halted and vanished completely. The swirling snowflakes that once danced madly now froze in place. There was no longer a sound of wind, nor the slightest touch of snowflakes upon his skin.

At that moment, Zhou Yu felt as if the entire world had come to a standstill. The thing he had feared most was happening.

Far behind, the Sacred Qilin, now a gigantic glowing white sphere, suddenly contracted, emitting several blinding beams of white light. These beams grew larger and brighter, and in just a few breaths, the entire sphere shattered, unleashing an overwhelming torrent of energy in every direction.

Tian Xing gently stroked his chubby belly, slapped it hard with a “pia,” then stretched out his sturdy, yet short and pudgy arms, and, facing the exploding sphere, shouted loudly, raising a transparent barrier.