Chapter 97 - Meeting Fang Rui Again!

Leng Mo immediately understood Wang Han’s intentions. Although he hadn’t undergone soul fusion and wasn’t a match for Wang Han, he still had a way to intercept him. With a flick of his hand, ten Fiend Thunders directly sealed off Wang Han’s path.

Wang Han didn’t know what these were, but he could sense their danger. He abruptly halted his quickened pace and hurriedly retreated.

Just as he stepped back, the ten Fiend Thunders exploded simultaneously, their immense force pushing Wang Han back a hundred meters, surrounding him once again.

Seeing this, Wang Han was in utter urgency. Cold sweat poured down his forehead as a sense of despair began to form and spread…

The hand gripping his sword started to tremble, and the shadow of death loomed over Wang Han. He had never felt such fear. In the sect, he was deemed a prodigy, receiving respect even from many true disciples. But ever since encountering Leng Yan, his brilliance had been overshadowed. Even the Luo Yu Peak, a reward from the sect, became Leng Yan’s possession.

He hated it, hated Leng Yan for taking what was his. He wanted to kill Leng Yan and reclaim everything. But it seemed heaven had abandoned him. His previously smooth journey now became filled with obstacles. Even Leng Yan, this newcomer to the main sect, could toy with him easily, pushing him to the brink of life and death.

“What? Don’t you like the resting place I’ve chosen for you?” At this moment, Leng Yan’s voice sounded behind him. This voice, like a soul-reaping call, made him feel death approaching.

With difficulty, he turned around to see Leng Yan emerging amidst the “farewell” of lightning. Wang Han was already in despair. As if dealing with Leng Yan alone wasn’t enough for him, there were now also eight unification realm queen bees.

“Li Nan… where is he?” Wang Han’s face was covered in cold sweat, his frightened expression making his voice tremble.

“Him?” Leng Yan smiled, toying with a golden relic particle. “He liked it here so much that he now sleeps eternally. Of course, he hoped you’d join him!”

“Dead!” Wang Han took two steps back. He had already guessed this outcome when Leng Yan appeared, but hearing it confirmed by Leng Yan extinguished his last hope.

“He isn’t exactly dead. To be precise, his soul has been utterly destroyed!” Leng Yan’s eyes emitted a cold glint as he looked at Wang Han.

“Please don’t kill me! I’m willing to serve you as a servant. As long as you spare my life… I’ll do anything… I can even give you this supreme-grade treasure tool!” The desire to survive made Wang Han weak, causing him to lose the will to resist. He had abandoned his dignity as long as he could live.

“A servant?! You’re not qualified!” Leng Yan sneered at Wang Han, coldly saying, “Once I kill you, all your belongings will naturally become mine, including this supreme-grade treasure tool!”

“No… listen to me… you need to keep me alive. I… I can help you deal with Sun Hao. Then you’ll be the top genius among the newcomers of the Five Elements Sect!” Wang Han desperately grasped at reasons to save his life. Unfortunately, his fate was already sealed.

“Sun Hao? Are you referring to him?” Leng Yan flicked his hand, revealing the blood seal orb. Inside, Sun Hao was being scorched by flames, uttering miserable screams. “Leng Yan, if you have the guts, kill me… Ah~ Please kill me! I beg you… make it quick… I’m in agony… kill me! Ah…”

“Sun Hao! You’ve already killed Sun Hao… This…” Watching Sun Hao’s agonizing screams, Wang Han’s last line of mental defense crumbled. He knew his strength paled compared to Sun Hao’s; if Leng Yan could kill Sun Hao, he could certainly kill him.

“At least I want a quick death!” Wang Han suddenly rose, unwilling to fall into Leng Yan’s hands, ending up like Sun Hao, in a fate worse than death.

Seeing Wang Han’s body begin to swell, Leng Yan smiled and retreated several meters to avoid being caught in the blast. Without the spirit-fixing needle, Leng Yan was unable to stop Wang Han’s self-destruction.

“Boom!”

The scent of blood filled his nostrils. Leng Yan waved his hand to disperse the smell, then reached out to grab the azure shuttle, imprinting it with his mark. The shuttle became Leng Yan’s possession.

However, he couldn’t imprint the relic particle; it seemed to have a powerful seal inside. Nonetheless, Leng Yan could use it for protection, just like Li Nan did!

Sun Hao, Li Nan, Wang Han-these three obstacles among the newcomers had all been cleared. But the enemies ahead were even stronger and posed greater dangers to him.

Throughout this battle, Leng Yan hadn’t used his full strength; it was purely through scheming that he managed to take down these two. However, he had expended some vital energy in the process. After storing the queen bee and Leng Mo away, he turned to enter the Thunder Marsh for some recuperation.

Just then, a chill ran up his back. Without turning, Leng Yan’s sun essence wheel already spun backward to meet the attack.

“Clang!”

With a crisp sound, the sun essence wheel blocked the attack from behind and returned to Leng Yan’s hand. Only then did he turn around, and upon seeing the person in the distance, his gaze turned as cold as the ice of winter. The cold smile at the corner of his mouth sent a shiver down one’s spine.

“Fang Rui, it’s you! It’s been a long time, and I didn’t expect you’d stoop to sneak attacks!” Leng Yan’s words dripped with murderous intent, his presence already boiling over.

Fang Rui had been Leng Yan’s rival since they were young. It was because of Fang Rui that Leng Yan chose the perilous path of cultivating the Dao. As the saying goes, when enemies meet, their eyes blaze with hatred! Leng Yan was ready to kill.

“Hehe… I wouldn’t call it a sneak attack. I was merely testing your skills. As expected, you didn’t disappoint me. You truly chose to cultivate the Dao and have achieved your current accomplishments. Impressive! Impressive!” Fang Rui, dressed in a white robe, had eyes as deep as the starry sky, revealing nothing of his emotions. The ethereal aura around him made it impossible for Leng Yan to discern his cultivation level.

“What do you mean by that? Not disappointing you? Could it be that this was all within your calculations?!” Leng Yan gripped the Azure Sky Sword tightly, a feeling rising within him that he might not be Fang Rui’s match. However, Leng Yan was not afraid; at worst, he would die fighting. There was no room for cowardice or retreat in Leng Yan’s vocabulary!

“Hehe… as you’ve said, you’re my pawn. Indeed, you are still my pawn and a very important one at that,” Fang Rui’s smile was bright, but his words carried an air of arrogant dominance.

“So you’re saying that day you purposely let me go!” A heavy realization struck Leng Yan, weighing him down.

“No, the Fang Rui of that time was rather naive, and besides, I didn’t know as much back then. But the Fang Rui today is not the same as before, and yet you are still my pawn! That’s something that makes me quite happy!” Fang Rui said with a slight smile.

Leng Yan fell silent for a moment, then looked up, offering a faint, cold smile. “So, it seems you are the reincarnation of an important figure and have now unsealed your memories.”

“An important figure! I suppose I do count as one,” Fang Rui said, gazing at the sky as if lost in memories. Then he added, “When my memories were unsealed, I wanted to find you immediately to cleanse the shame of my past. However, I was hopeful that you were still my pawn! That way, I could continue to control you. You truly haven’t disappointed me; you are indeed my pawn. Hehe… now I have a bit of an understanding of what karma is!”

“Should I then kill myself to end this fate of being controlled by someone, or should I kill you, the one playing the game?” Leng Yan, unexpectedly, felt a sense of calm wash over him, and even his intent to kill dissipated without a trace.

“Suicide? You wouldn’t! You’re not someone who gives up easily. Killing me would be your choice. But right now, you’re not my match. In the future, as long as you’re still within my calculations, you won’t be a match either! You’ll just be the fruit of my victory,” Fang Rui said with a confident smile.

Leng Yan hadn’t realized he had been living under Fang Rui’s manipulation all along. Indeed, as Fang Rui said, he wasn’t someone to admit defeat easily. As long as there’s a sliver of hope, Leng Yan would fight for it.

“You really do know me well. But, human calculations are no match for heavenly calculations; even the most precise plans have flaws. Once a tiny flaw appears, I can turn the tables and snatch victory from defeat. I hope your calculations don’t deviate in the slightest!” A glimmer of light flickered in Leng Yan’s eyes, filled with defiance and a strong sense of rebellion.

“I’ve prepared for this plan for tens of thousands of years, putting in so much effort-how could I let it deviate?” Fang Rui replied.

“Tens of thousands of years of preparation? I’m very curious what kind of plan this is, and what your true identity is?”

“Do you think I would tell you?” Fang Rui looked at Leng Yan as if seeing the future of his own success, smiling as he spoke. “When you stand at the pinnacle of cultivating Dao, you’ll know that everything you’ve done has been in service to me! Haha…”

“Fang Rui, are you aware of the saying, If you calculate against others, they will also calculate against you?” Leng Yan, having gradually come to terms with the situation, spoke with a calm heart.