Chapter 1342 — Coming to Kill at the Door

Old Hei could only smile bitterly, while a sharp, cold light flashed in Lord Hao's eyes — this male thief truly did not know what was good for him!

Night in the barren mountains was silent. There were no plants here, only rock, and so almost no animals either; by day it had not seemed like much, but at night it was a stillness like death itself, quiet enough to make a man's hair stand on end.

Chen Yutian and Qiu Lingshan were resting, while Wei Zhao sat cross-legged, cultivating diligently.

General Mighty lay quietly at Wei Zhao's side; whether it was asleep or awake, no one could tell.

Suddenly Wei Zhao's eyes opened, and beside him General Mighty lifted its head as well.

"Don't go out. Hide in the tent and wait for me." Wei Zhao stroked General Mighty, giving it its instructions.

This was the card Wei Zhao kept to save his life; it could not be allowed to throw itself into battle at will.

The next moment Wei Zhao stepped out of the tent, without rousing Chen Yutian or Qiu Lingshan. The two of them were too weak to be of any help; their presence would only make him feel hobbled.

"Since you've come, there's no point hiding. Come out." Wei Zhao spoke mildly to the empty ground before the tent.

There was no sound.

"I don't suppose I need to drag you out myself?" Wei Zhao smiled faintly. "The color on your body is a shade different from the rock underfoot."

No sooner had the words left Wei Zhao's mouth than a man rose up from the ground not far away. "Not bad — the little whelp has an eye. Since that's so, you must know why this old man has come looking for you?"

"That Mr. Qiu today — you killed him?" Wei Zhao did not answer the man's question, only asked his own.

"No harm in telling you: I killed him. But what I've come for this time is to kill you." The man who called himself this old man laughed heartily, utterly brazen.

"Plenty of people want to kill me." Wei Zhao smiled. "And what brings you?"

"Before you die, I'll tell you." With that the man lunged at Wei Zhao, the vast true qi in his body churning into motion — and for the first time Wei Zhao saw this man's cultivation level!

He was indeed an Earth Rank expert. Though only at the early Earth Rank, the gulf between him and Wei Zhao was anything but small.

"Early Earth Rank?" Wei Zhao drew a deep breath, not daring to slacken in the slightest. This was an Earth Rank expert, unlike the experts he had faced before; he had never fought an enemy whose power so far outstripped his own, so he could not afford to be anything but cautious.

"You have an eye. To die at this old man's hand — you may consider that a fitting end!" The Earth Rank expert burst into laughter.

In a tent not far off sat two men, both wearing looks of anxious waiting.

"Little Simpleton, why do you think this Elder Yu wants to help me? What is in this ancient tomb that so moves them?" Inside the tent, the man who seemed the master frowned and asked.

"Boss, the Yu family is great and wealthy. Whatever in this ancient tomb catches their eye must be a treasure of the first order. But didn't they say as much? They'll take only one item and leave the rest — all of it ours..." Little Simpleton said cautiously.

"Yes, let us hope so. After this business, I'm afraid I'll be wanted by the Thief Sect. Having done such a thing, I'll have no face to stay in the sect any longer..." The boss sighed somewhat helplessly. "It's all my own greed. It's too late to turn back now, and the Yu family are not men who take kindly to words. If I go back on my word, they'd likely cut me down without a second thought!"

"Boss, we're only partners with the Yu family. If this business goes well, the treasures in the tomb will be enough for you to live on for the rest of your days. Then you can wash your hands of it all and go into honest business — that wouldn't be bad at all!" Little Simpleton said. "And with the Yu family's backing and care, things might even be better than they are now!"

"That's true... for now I can only look on the bright side. I wonder whether that boy Wei Zhao is dead yet — the meddling brat!" the boss said hatefully. "If not for him, today's business would already be done!"

"Yes, but with Mr. Yu making his move, the boy is fated never to see tomorrow's sun!" Little Simpleton nodded in agreement.

Wei Zhao did not dare meet Elder Yu's attacks head-on — he had no wish to die — and could only rely on his swift body to evade Elder Yu's strikes.

"Eh? You little whelp have some skill!" Previously Elder Yu had not given Wei Zhao a second glance. When he had killed Mr. Qiu in an instant, it had cost him hardly any effort at all; a man of Elder Yu's stature regarded such lowly practitioners with contempt.

So when Wei Zhao dodged one of his blows, Elder Yu cried out in some astonishment.

Wei Zhao said nothing, only waited for his moment. Against an Earth Rank expert there was no room for luck; it had to be one strike to the mark, to end the threat for good. Otherwise, if he failed to kill the man, he would be the one beaten to death first.

Even so, Elder Yu still did not take Wei Zhao seriously, toying with him as he would a low-grade martial artist, his moves arrogant, as though granting Wei Zhao death were a great honor.

Wei Zhao dodged again, but a wisp of Elder Yu's true qi grazed his right cheek, and at once the right side of his face swelled red.

Wei Zhao was startled. That had been no more than a brush of true qi; if Elder Yu landed a punch on him, he would be lucky to come away with his life — at best he would be gravely wounded.

"Little whelp, you're too weak. There's no use dodging — killing you is easier than turning my hand!" Seeing Wei Zhao's right cheek swollen, Elder Yu laughed. "Well? Hurts like hell, doesn't it?"

"Hmph!" Wei Zhao gave a cold snort and said nothing, but inwardly he grew more and more alarmed. It seemed he must use the energy bomb sooner rather than later! An Earth Rank expert was far harder to deal with than he had imagined. Those he had faced before were mostly of his own level; even when stronger than him, they were of the same stage. This man was a full rank above him.

Wei Zhao made his decision at once. He circulated the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art and began compressing the true qi within his body. He did have the jade pendant space, but in the middle of an enemy's attack, how would he dare enter it to fetch energy? So for now he could only make do with the energy in his own body.

Seeing that Wei Zhao did not flee, only stood there watching him coldly, Elder Yu suddenly found it dull. He had wanted Wei Zhao to run first, so that he could strike him down from behind — that would have been a bit more satisfying. But this boy before him seemed not to be playing along.

"Boring. Enough — little whelp, give me your life!" Elder Yu had had his fun and was ready to finish Wei Zhao with a single move. In his eyes, in truth, Wei Zhao was a one-blow affair.

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