Chapter 121 Do You Wish to Become Stronger?

"It won't be that easy to kill me!"

Facing the charging Ning Xiu, Leng Ying let out a bleak, low laugh and suddenly jerked his head up. Seeing the sudden change, Ning Xiu’s pupils constricted violently; a strange, sinister black mist had appeared on Leng Ying’s face.

It was far more dense and potent than the mist seen on Pan Long and Fu Feng. The uncanny black vapor writhed and clawed across his features, making his expression look all the more hideous. Simultaneously, the aura radiating from Leng Ying surged dramatically.

In the blink of an eye, it reached the level of a Red-Clothed entity, and only then did the rapid escalation finally slow and come to a complete halt. As his aura underwent this transformation, his body shifted as well. If his arms had only looked inhuman before, now it was difficult to find any recognizable human characteristics left on him at all. Anyone unaware of the truth would have certainly mistaken this Leng Ying for a terrifying aberration.

"Go to hell!"

With his strength bolstered, Leng Ying glared at Ning Xiu with venomous hatred. He roared and lunged forward, refusing to retreat. He slammed his right foot into the ground, bent his knees, and launched himself like a cannonball toward Ning Xiu. As he rushed forward, his grotesque claws dragged along the floor, carving five deep, shocking furrows into the solid bluestone.

On the altar, Fu Feng, who had regained his senses, watched the scene with a horrified expression. Recalling his own recent experiences, he was overcome with inexplicable panic; his legs turned to jelly, and he collapsed to the ground.

Ning Xiu’s expression remained unchanged as he looked into Leng Ying’s bloodshot eyes. In his view, Leng Ying had already lost his sanity and degenerated into a monster that knew only slaughter. But so what?

Two unstoppable trains slammed into each other.

"Kill!"

Leng Ying roared ferociously. The moment he reached Ning Xiu, he raised his terrifying claws and brought them down with lethal force. The savage blades tore through the air, creating a series of sharp, piercing screeches. Even a slab of tempered steel would have been shredded to pieces before him. Unfortunately, the man standing before him was a hundred, no, a thousand times harder than tempered steel.

An ancient, golden bell manifested around Ning Xiu’s body. Ignoring the horrific claw strikes, he didn't bother with any defensive maneuvers and simply charged straight into his opponent.

Boom!

A thunderous sound echoed through the depths of the great hall. Shockwaves rippled out, and the sturdy bluestone floor began to crack into pieces under the terrifying recoil. Leng Ying’s hideous iron claws scraped against the Golden Bell Shield, sending sparks flying, yet they managed only to leave five faint white marks on the surface.

Seeing this, a look of profound, human-like disbelief flickered in Leng Ying's crimson pupils. The next moment, his entire body was sent tumbling to the ground.

Boom!

Leng Ying’s massive frame slammed into the earth. Ning Xiu stood over him, looking down coldly, and brought his right fist down without a shred of mercy. The force of his Ox-Crushing Fist, amplified by the energy of the Golden Bell, manifested as golden spectral bulls that repeatedly rammed into Leng Ying.

At the Bamboo Forest Association’s library, the "Great Ox-Crushing Fist" had only been a two-star technique, but in Ning Xiu’s hands, it shone with new brilliance. Under the infusion of the Golden Bell’s energy, it had undergone a qualitative change, evolving into an entirely different martial art—one that Ning Xiu had cultivated himself during this time.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The terrifying fist force rained down like a violent storm. The entire bluestone floor buckled, and a massive crater formed, consuming nearly a quarter of the hall’s expanse. In the center of the pit, Leng Ying had been reduced to a mangled, unrecognizable mess. Yet, even so, the pile of unidentifiable flesh continued to twitch and writhe, a testament to the sheer tenacity of his vitality.

This reminded Ning Xiu of the Great Families; the two were quite similar. While "Aberrations" also possessed astonishing vitality, there was a distinction: the ones Ning Xiu had encountered lacked true physical bodies, their regenerative capabilities tied to their "source essence." As long as that essence remained intact, they could theoretically resurrect indefinitely, provided there was enough dark energy to sustain them. But the Great Families, and this Leng Ying before him, derived such inhuman vitality from something else entirely.

Ning Xiu frowned and stepped onto the mound of flesh, crushing it into oblivion. Having slain a Red-Clothed entity, he had gathered enough essence to break through to the tenth level of the Golden Bell Shield. His internal energy was now returning to its source, leaving only a single inch of vulnerability. He was far stronger than when he had killed the previous Red-Clothed entity; Leng Ying’s death was well-deserved.

"Haha, well killed, Brother Ning!"

"This Leng Ying lured us here with ulterior motives. This so-called divine power infusion to improve our cultivation was nothing but a scam."

"Now that you’ve killed him, Brother Ning, you are my savior, Fu Feng’s benefactor. Wherever you go, I follow. Let’s leave the Six Fan School right now; the world is vast, surely there is a place for us to stand?"

Fu Feng had climbed down from the altar at some point and walked over to Ning Xiu, laughing loudly. Ning Xiu looked up at him but remained silent. The atmosphere immediately grew awkward.

Fu Feng, as if oblivious, continued to heap praise upon Ning Xiu while cursing the Six Fan School and Leng Ying. Still unsatisfied, he stomped several times on the pile of shredded meat. Throughout the entire display, Ning Xiu’s expression never shifted; he simply watched Fu Feng perform.

As Fu Feng continued his tirade, he suddenly knelt before Ning Xiu, crying out, "Brother Ning, I swear I will never speak a word of what happened today. Please, spare my life! I will leave the Six Fan School immediately and retire to the mountains."

Ning Xiu glanced at him, lowering his head in contemplation as if seriously considering the request.

Just then, a biting, cold light flashed.

Fu Feng pulled a dagger from his robes and lunged at Ning Xiu’s chest. The sharp blade glimmered with a sinister, haunting light, reflecting the狰狞 look on Fu Feng’s face. But the next moment, Fu Feng’s expression froze.

The dagger stopped dead in front of Ning Xiu. No matter how hard Fu Feng pushed, he could not advance even a fraction of an inch. Ning Xiu looked down at him, observing him closely, then slowly shook his head and brought his right fist down in a brutal strike.

Blood splattered everywhere. Ning Xiu had never intended to let him live from the very beginning.

Ning Xiu looked at the carnage and prepared to leave, when a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

"Do you wish to become stronger?"

He paused, froze in place, and turned around to look. The "Xiezhi" statue atop the altar was looking down at him.