In the midst of the grand array, Xie Cailin looked at Zhuang Qinghua in disappointment, shouting, "Shut up! You colluded with the Demon Fiend and betrayed us. Donât call me your elder brother, I canât bear it!"
He never expected that the friend for whom he risked his life to lend a hand would betray him by colluding with the Demon Fiend.
He wasnât afraid to die; if he were, he wouldnât have come to help. This betrayal was more painful than death itself.
Zhou Wenli glared menacingly, his fear finding a channel of release: "Zhuang Qinghua, you beast! Colluding with the Demon Fiend is a crime worthy of extermination. Your son died, so he died! You can have another, but youâve caused the deaths of so many Martial Venerables. Youâre a traitor to the Human Race."
Zhuang Qinghua ignored Zhou Wenli and continued speaking to Xie Cailin: "I only have this one son. Would I just watch him be killed by the Demon Fiends? Heâs only ten, hasnât even started practicing martial arts, hasnât married or had children...
Brother, tell me, if it were you, what would you do in this situation?"
Xie Cailin shouted, "Youâre confused! Is this your first time dealing with Demon Fiends? Do you even trust their words?"
In his place, he would rather his son die because he knew Demon Fiends couldnât be trusted.
There are countless instances where Demon Fiends threaten by abducting the offspring of Human Race strongmen, but facts have repeatedly proven that, once you get dragged in, the Demon Fiends will turn their back on you.
"They wonât do that. The name of the Five-Colored Demon Bull Clan Leader Niu Dingtian is famous. Just a ten-year-old child; letting him go wonât affect him much..."
He wore a sneer, as the child in the hands of the Five-Colored Demon Bull Clan Leader Niu Dingtian hadnât moved at all.
As he spoke, his eyes turned blood-red, looking across, "Iâve brought you the person you wanted; now give me back my son!"
The opposite Five-Colored Demon Bull Clan Leader Niu Dingtian grinned, "Which one is it?"
Zhuang Qinghua pointed towards Wei Fan, "I guessed it right, you must be Wei Fan!"
Zhou Wenliâs eyes widened as he looked at Wei Fan. Was this arrogant-looking person the notorious Wei Fan?
Wei Fan nodded without expression, his facial muscles twitching as he returned to his original appearance.
Xie Cailin showed an expression of pain again, "You disappoint me so much. I owe you a life, and I can repay it, but Brother Wei has no grudge against you. Why harm him?"
He became a henchman for Zhuang Qinghua, even though he had voluntarily invited Wei Fan to help. But betrayal and manipulation are two different things.
He looked at Wei Fan with guilt, "Brother Wei, I dragged you into this!"
Since the target was Wei Fan, the Demon Fiends must have prepared thoroughly, thinking that even for Wei Fan, things didnât look good.
Wei Fan shook his head, "No worries, I knew all along he was in league with the Demon Fiends!"
From the first time he saw Zhuang Qinghua, the panel gave him a hint, but he couldnât be bothered to expose him.
Set up an ambush for him?
Unless a Demon King came, ordinary Demon Venerables coming in however many would only provide him with power. He wished for more such things.
Five Golden Body Ninth Forging Demon Venerables meant a hundred thousand years of Ordinary Power and over four hundred years of Golden Body Power. Letting him search the mountains wouldnât find so many Demon Venerables to kill.
"Stop bringing him up!"
Zhuang Qinghua angrily interrupted Wei Fan and Xie Cailin: "Itâs because he killed the Double-headed Elephant Venerable, killed too many Demon Fiends. If not for him, how would my son have been captured?
If you hadnât had dealings with him, they wouldnât have targeted me!"
His emotions erupted too, as he was entirely implicated.
If Wei Fan hadnât killed too many Demon Fiends and disciples of the Profound Crane Sect, how would the Demon Fiends have targeted him, capturing his son, and planned a trap for Wei Fan through his relationship with Xie Cailin?
"Give me back my son. Wei Fan is here; whatever you do next, it has nothing to do with me!" He looked at the Five-Colored Demon Bull Clan Leader Niu Dingtian.
Niu Dingtian grinned again, "Donât worry, I, Niu Dingtian, stick to my word!"
As he spoke, he threw Zhuang Xiaojun over.
Zhuang Qinghua was delighted as his gentle power caught his son, only to discover it was already a cold corpse.
His eyes bulged, body trembling: "You beast, didnât you say you wouldnât harm my son?"
He betrayed the Human Race, betrayed his friends, yet all he got in return was a corpse, and his heart spirit nearly collapsed.
Xie Cailinâs eyes turned red too, "Beast!"
He was angered by Zhuang Qinghuaâs betrayal, but even more so by the current situation.
The dignified General, protector of Hezhouâs millions of people for hundreds of years, destroyed his reputation just to save his son.
He came here prepared to die. Death wouldnât matter if he could save this nephew and awaken Zhuang Qinghuaâs conscience once more. But now, this was the outcome.
Niu Dingtian shrugged, "I didnât harm him. Itâs just that your son is too timid; he was scared to death by my appearance."
Indeed terrifying, his body was pitch black, over two meters tall, with a massive bullâs head that occasionally spewed two thick white vapors.
"Ah..."
Zhuang Qinghuaâs aura turned violent, his whole body shining with golden light, his eyes emitting tangible killing intent: "Beast, give me back my sonâs life!"
With a flick of the wrist, he suddenly held a Great Halberd in his hand.
Boom!
The earth trembled and the soil surged as he shot up into the sky like a cannonball, raising the Great Halberd high, striking at Niu Dingtian.
Niu Dingtian sneered coldly: "Overestimating yourself. Originally, if you had known better, I planned to keep you for further use, but since youâre seeking death, Iâll fulfill you!"
He lightly raised his massive palm, and his body erupted in a blinding golden light. In an instant, a six-colored halo appeared behind him.
Whoosh!
Niu Dingtian pressed down in the void, and his power surged like a mountain, shaking the Grand Array so much that ripples appeared on its light screen, as if it could hardly withstand his power.
Zhuang Qinghuaâs weapon shattered in his hand, his chest exploded, and cracks like a spider web spread over his entire body instantly, sending him flying backward even faster than before.
Crackling...
In mid-air, his body quickly disintegrated, turning into a pile of flesh in the blink of an eye.
Zhou Wenli felt a chill down his spine; the Five-Colored Demon Bull Clan Leader seemed even more terrifying now. Zhuang Qinghua, renowned for his Five-Colored Golden Body Ninth Forging, was blown apart with a single remote attack. Thereâs no doubt, he thought, he was doomed today.
"Beast!"
Xie Cailinâs eyes were wide with rage, and he wished he could swallow Niu Dingtian alive, but he held back the impulse to rush over and fight to the death.
Zhuang Qinghua was crushed with a mere remote strike, how could he withstand it?
Moreover, Niu Dingtian was not the only expert. If he guessed correctly, the man with the craneâs beak should be from the Holy Sect, specifically the Profound Crane Sect, possibly even more terrifying than Niu Dingtian.
"Brother Wei, itâs my fault for getting you involved. I have an ancestral item that can buy us three seconds. Iâll hold off these beasts, you take Miss Ji and escape!"
His voice transmitted to Wei Fanâs ear, at the same time, a dazzling Jade Token appeared in his hand.
Xie Cailin was about to fly up when he felt his body sink, a large hand weighing heavily on his shoulder.
Wei Fan flashed a bright smile: "Donât you trust me? Iâve known about Zhuang Qinghuaâs collusion with the Demon Fiend for a long time. If I didnât expose him, do you think I came here to die? Fall back!"
"Be careful!"
Xie Cailin and the others retreated, feeling somewhat reassured by Wei Fanâs words, while Ji Qingyue remained calm throughout.
Zhou Wenli transmitted to Xie Cailin and Ji Qingyue, "Letâs escape first; theyâre after Wei Fan. Letâs not get in the way here!"
He noticed that when the three of them retreated, the Five-Colored Demon Bull Clan Leader and the other demons didnât focus on them, their eyes fixed only on Wei Fan, indicating a rare opportunity to escape.
Of course, he wasnât kindly reminding Ji Qingyue and Xie Cailin, rather alone he couldnât break through the Grand Array that sealed the world.
If the three of them worked together, or used the item in Xie Cailinâs possession, perhaps there was hope to break the array.
Xie Cailin shot him a glare: "If you want to run, run by yourself!"
Feeling unappreciated, Zhou Wenli didnât say much. Under normal circumstances, he would have rebuked him, but now he couldnât afford to. He ran to the back and started attacking the Grand Array.
Wei Fan ignored Zhou Wenli; if he could break the array, Niu Dingtian and the demons wouldnât have set it up.
He stepped forward: "Going through all this trouble just to kill me? Itâs unnecessary. In the future, if you want me dead, just set the time and place in Jianghu!"
Niu Dingtian, with horns as thick as arms, resembling the Celestial Saber, snorted white smoke from his nostrils: "Youâre arrogant! I used to be like you when I was younger, killing whoever I wanted, unafraid of traps. If you werenât part of the Human Race, Iâd want to be friends with you!"
He flicked his wrist, and a massive Steel Fork appeared in his hand: "But your Seven-Colored Golden Body does give you the right to be cocky. Come then, weâve mobilized so many experts today, even if you die, it wonât disgrace your Seven-Colored Golden Body identity!"
Wei Fan shook his head: "Experts? Just some worthless fools. If you were truly experts, you wouldnât bring so many helpers and set up a Grand Array. You show fear even before the fight!"
"Arrogant, just worried youâd escape!"
A booming voice, it was He Jiuling who finally spoke: "The Seven-Colored Golden Body is formidable, but so are we disciples of the Holy Sect."
Caw...
A sharp bird cry echoed, and its terrifying sound waves sent ripples through the Grand Arrayâs light.
He Jiuling pecked in the void, and a phantom bird beak, like a sharp sword, flew toward Wei Fan, the ground cracking and dust rising like dragons where it passed.
The sharp dragonâs roar resounded, and with a pointed finger, Wei Fan caused a dragon-headed finger to manifest, blasting He Jiulingâs beak apart with a boom.
"Is this all youâve got? Not much different from the Double-headed Elephant Venerable I slayed. His Karmic Fire Tribulation Golden Body was worth a look, what about yours?"
With Wei Fanâs casual sleeve flick, He Jiulingâs face turned sullen.
How could he be no different than the Double-headed Elephant Venerable? He was a Direct Disciple of the Profound Crane Sect, bearing the blood of the Crane Ancestor who founded the sect, incomparable to outer disciples like the Double-headed Elephant Venerable.
"Then watch carefully!"
With an angry howl, He Jiuling transformed into a streak of light, flying at him.