Chapter 70: Night of Fire II

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When the attack hits, Xiao Zheng’s first reaction is to protect the Xiao Sect.

The Xiao Sect’s compound is more than a collection of buildings. It is more than impenetrable walls and imposing gates. Multiple types of defenses have been layered into the structure over the centuries, and all it takes is a single push of Xiao Zheng’s will for a translucent barrier to come into existence around the compound. As fire rains from the sky, not a single spark touches the Xiao Sect.

Xiao Zheng’s second reaction is to zero in on the one he believes is the most likely culprit, Yun Peng.

That is a mistake.

Xiao Zheng is acting on instinct. When faced with an attack of this magnitude, it is only natural for his mind to immediately assign blame to his biggest rival. Even so, it is the wrong conclusion, something Xiao Zheng is quick to discover. The moment in which his consciousness reaches out to Yun Peng is the moment in which he feels Yun Peng doing the same as him. Just like Xiao Zheng, Yun Peng is trying to verify who the culprit is.

At that moment, the leaders of the two most powerful Sects in Eastern Port City experience shock and bewilderment in equal measures.

If neither the Xiao Sect nor the Yun Sect is behind the attack, then this must be the work of an outsider. It is a revelation that has several implications, none of which are good. Both leaders come to the same conclusion at the same moment and turn away from each other, their momentary connection severed.

The entire exchange lasts no more than a few seconds, yet in those precious seconds, Eastern Port City is left suffering the brunt of the attack. Indignation rises within Xiao Zheng. Eastern Port City is his.

An insult like this shall not go unpunished.

Void Fist!

The power of Xiao Zheng’s Void Fist is far beyond that of his son’s. It engulfs the skies and extinguishes the flames in the blink of an eye.

It would be good, Xiao Zheng muses, if the rest of the night could be as simple as this. However, he does not believe he will be that lucky.

“Xiao Nan,” Xiao Zheng’s mind calls out to his nephew as he rises to his feet. “We are under attack by outsiders.”

“What shall you have me to do?”

Xiao Nan’s reply is quick and resolute. He has grasped the situation and is ready to carry out his orders. Not for the first time Xiao Zheng feels proud of his nephew. If Xiao Zheng weren’t so certain Xiao Nan would be thoroughly miserable in the position, he’d have made him his successor already. Alas, it is not to be. Xiao Nan would make a good Patriarch. Of that, there has never been any doubt, but the mental state the position would place him in would prevent Xiao Nan from reaching his full potential. A pity, but cases like Xiao Nan’s are not unheard of. One just needs to look at the Eternal Raging Valley’s Wandering Wind.

“I am giving you command of the disciples. Organize them as you see fit. The Elders will act at their own discretion.”

“Understood!”

No doubt. No hesitation. As expected of his nephew. Xiao Zheng cuts off the mental link before sending out specific instructions to each of the Elders.

Then he breaks through the ceilings.

Not just one ceiling, but every single ceiling on his way out of the main house. Xiao Zheng’s body rises into the night’s sky with unmatched speed, crossing tens of miles in less than a second. Just in time too. Xiao Zheng’s eyes narrow as he feels deadly intent aimed at Eastern Port City. Then they narrow further when he feels the power behind that intent.

It is the power of a cultivator in the Emperor Realm.

Void Step.

In an instant, the space separating Xiao Zheng from his foe is cast into the void. Xiao Zheng barely has a moment to see the attacker’s eyes widen in surprise before he strikes.

Xiao Zheng’s punch is backed by the power of someone in the Second Level of the Emperor Realm. The ensuing shockwave would have flattened every building in Eastern Port City had they not been so many miles above the ground.

Yet, the only thing Xiao Zheng’s punch accomplishes is knocking his opponent back a few yards.

“Good! Good! Good!” The outsider, a giant man dressed in a black and gold armor that looks ill-suited to contain his mighty muscles, shouts. His lips are pulled back in a wide grin, visible in spite of his thick, black beard and prominent mustache which have joined together in an attempt to take over the rest of his face. “That’s how it should be! It would be disappointing if this city couldn’t put at least this much of a fight!”

The man’s Qi blazes around him, and just like that, Xiao Zheng realizes the situation is far more dangerous than he could have imagined.

“Fierce God Raging Whip!”

A lash of white-hot flames several miles long erupts in the sky and is swung down with merciless force. If Xiao Zheng dodges, the attack will strike the city. Against that level of power, even the barrier surrounding the Xiao Sect’s compound won’t be enough. The only option Xiao Zheng has is to counter the attack.

“Engulfing Void!”

Unlike Void Fist, which distorts the space around an opponent to cause damage, Engulfing Void is a primarily defensive technique that seeks to engulf the enemy’s attacks to reduce them to nothing. It is among the Xiao Sect’s best defensive moves and requires a tremendous level of skill to use. Even someone as talented as Xiao Nan needed a long time to learn the technique.

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Against the Fierce God Raging Whip, Xiao Zheng’s Engulfing Void is not enough.

Over three-fourths of the attack are negated, yet the rest spills over and continues its path down towards the city.

“Severing Palm!”

Space is severed in a microsecond. The attack which only needed to travel in a straight line to hit the city suddenly finds itself without a route forward. A path towards its target no longer exists because it has been severed.

“Nine-Fold Severed World!”

The technique is one that Xiao Zheng has seen twice before in his life, yet this is the first time he has ever felt grateful for it. By completely cutting off an area from the rest of the world, an alternate space is created. That is the Yun Sect’s Nine-Fold Severed World.

They will not need to worry about collateral damage while in this space.

“I must admit some surprise. I was not counting on your support.”

Yun Peng snorts as he flies over to Xiao Zheng’s side. “Good. I had no intention of giving it. Nothing would make me happier than your death. However, the destruction of Eastern Port City is not something I wish for. Clearly, you cannot guarantee that.”

Xiao Zheng failed to stop the Fierce God Raging Whip completely. Thus, Yun Peng had acted.

However, even Yun Peng’s intervention had been unable to stop the attack entirely. A minor fraction of it had overcome the speed of his Severing Palm. Doubtlessly, Eastern Port City has been struck by it already. The damage it has caused is something they can only speculate.