Chapter 45: Ruthless Betrayal in the Snowstorm
by xennovelA gigantic head shot up into the sky, with jet-black hair soaked by rain, rolling rapidly and splashing water everywhere.
Those furious eyes never blinked!
Guo Zhan, a warrior perfected in the Blood Exchange technique, though his aging body had begun to weaken and his hope of reaching the Tongmai realm was dim, never imagined he would die like this!
At first, when he and Ogre exchanged crossbow bolts, it seemed like a contest between mechanical crossbows and a divine archer—a battle that would last until the last arrow was spent.
But no one expected Ogre to forgo all honor.
That sudden, fearsome burst of hidden weaponry nearly claimed half his life—even a perfected Blood Exchange warrior like him, when hit at close range, suffered as searing flames burned his body, instantly evaporating the moisture on his skin.
Then came the explosion-induced shockwave that battered his untempered organs, leaving him grievously wounded.
And if that wasn’t enough, there was also the poisonous needle…
The relentless chain of hidden, toxic attacks left Guo Zhan with no choice but to fall, his head ultimately severed by razor-sharp blades!
His cold, lifeless body collapsed to the ground, his torn neck spurting blood in a gruesome shower—though eventually, even the blood ran dry.
Guo Zhan’s death was as complete as it was tragic.
No matter how robust a Blood Exchange warrior might be, once the head is sliced off, there’s no coming back.
Li Che, his imposing frame surrounded by swirling silver hair, cast a complex glance at the fallen warrior.
His heart surged with myriad emotions, and his caution only deepened.
In these disorderly times, even the strongest fighters face the threat of death…
In battle, one must always be prepared for every underhanded trick.
Amidst the carnage, Li Che realized something profound…
Only if I counter their sneaky tactics with my own vigilance—and make sure they never get the drop on me—can I prevail.
The rain above had turned icy once more, beginning to freeze into a layer of frost.
Perhaps the city’s source of scorching heat had finally stopped releasing its intense light and warmth.
The raindrops coalesced into soft snowflakes, drifting down gracefully.
It was as if the brutal scent of blood from the fallen Blood Exchange warrior had been perfectly preserved in ice—enough to make anyone queasy.
In a quiet corner of Xu Ji Courtyard, a deathly silence reigned, broken only by the soft whisper of snow hitting the ground.
Three top masters of the Lingying Sect, experts in the Blood Exchange technique, halted in their tracks; even beneath their masks, their eyes stared in disbelief at the dead Guo Zhan.
In just a flash, in the blink of an eye… had Guo Zhan already died?
It was over too quickly!
It was unbearably ruthless!
A shiver ran through the three as they realized that the celebrated hero of Feilei City, Ogre, was nothing more than a vicious killer!
Hidden weapons, toxins, ambushes… tactic after tactic emerged without end!
What kind of hero is that?!
“Now that Guo Zhan is dead, there’s no way to explain ourselves to Si Mu Bai!”
The three Lingying Sect experts felt their temples throb, their minds on the verge of exploding.
Zhao Chuanxiong, often used as bait, witnessed Guo Zhan—the divine archer—having his head cleanly lopped off by Ogre, right before their eyes…
Behind them, two celestial cultivators stood guard.
“Attack!”
“We have to kill Ogre!”
The three experts roared, “Block his hidden weapons, get close and fight, and be alert for his poison—and that weird flaming bird!”
Guo Zhan’s death wasn’t a matter of insufficient strength; it was entirely due to Ogre’s underhanded tactics.
In a direct confrontation, how could a perfected Blood Exchange warrior like Ogre be defeated by three opponents?
Boom!!!
The frozen puddles on the ground exploded as the temperature dropped sharply.
Enraged, the three Blood Exchange warriors charged forward—one wielding a gun, another a blade, and the third a chain sword—their weapons flashing as they swung with fury.
Their speed increased as they blocked off every route, leaving Ogre no chance to slip away.
Meanwhile, Li Che—who had just ended Guo Zhan’s life—felt the Dao Fruit 【Dragon Elephant Vajra】 in his chest pounding like a heart after intense exercise!
Every beat sounded like a chorus of booming drums exploding in his ears!
Before him, an ancient tree on the vast, barren land trembled violently, its branches thrashing like an unruly tide.
【Dao Fruit: Dragon Elephant Vajra (Lv1 98%)】
Li Che was momentarily stunned.
“So it still falls short… All that talk of last-minute breakthroughs is nothing but fairy tales.”
He sighed inwardly.
After dispatching Zhao Chuanxiong and another perfected Blood Exchange warrior, he still hadn’t pushed the maturity of Dragon Elephant Vajra to Lv2…
It was a pity, but the shortfall wasn’t too great.
Li Che had long been prepared for failure.
Stirred by this, another Dao Fruit, 【Pure Heart】, began to tremble.
It felt as though an invisible hand had suddenly clutched it tightly.
Then, in a contraction and burst, dense divine energy erupted, swallowed up by the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit.
And with that, the final surge was complete…
Boom—!
Standing quietly beside Guo Zhan’s corpse with his conical hat, Li Che heard a deep, roaring rumble in his ears.
It was as if something terrifying within his flesh had shattered its bonds and broken free!
A burst of scorching heat suddenly welled up from beneath his skin.
【Dao Fruit: Dragon Elephant Vajra (Lv2 0%)】
Crack crack crack…
As he activated it, it was like the shackles of his flesh snapped apart—searing, boiling energy burst forth from the nine bulging tendons along his back, from bones as strong as tiger femurs, and from his spine, from which an enraged dragon seemed to howl towards the sky!
His stature, once a modest 1.9 meters, soared even higher!
Muscles twisted like intertwined ropes; his stretchable battle attire reached its limit and shattered, revealing perfectly sculpted, intertwined fibers that, with the slightest motion, could set countless muscles in action—like a finely tuned machine!
Two meters—
Two point one—
Two point two meters!
The second transformation of Vajra elevated Li Che even further, unleashing boundless strength from his sinews and bones and perfecting every aspect of his Skin Polishing, Tendon Burst, and Bone Tempering.
Every inch of muscle now pulsed with the fearsome power of Dragon Elephant strength!
All the while, Li Che felt a towering anger erupt from his mind, though his fury kept his thoughts razor-sharp and controlled.
Beneath the Cute Cow Mask, his eyes blazed with fury!
Was this the touch of divine essence?
“Let’s call this state ‘Angry Vajra,'” he murmured.
Li Che whispered to himself.
From Vajra Transformation to Angry Vajra…
It was a revolutionary leap in his refinement!
Li Che felt that in this very moment he was…
Defiant against the heavens, defiant against the earth!
Amid biting winds and relentless snow, the chill was palpable!
The three Lingying Sect Blood Exchange warriors advanced in unison, encircling Ogre and preparing to deliver a joint, fatal blow!
When they saw Ogre standing calmly beside Guo Zhan’s corpse, they briefly rejoiced, thinking he must have exhausted himself after the kill.
They planned to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to finish off the wretched murderer!
But as they watched, Ogre’s body began to swell—the rising bulge of his abdomen, chest, and shoulders, muscles twisting like coiled serpents and great tendons quivering like an enraged boa!
Fear flashed in all their eyes!
A crushing surge of vitality crashed over them like a tidal wave, searing and boiling, accompanied by a fearsome, wrathful divine power that threatened to shake their very souls…
“What is this…?”
The three Blood Exchange warriors were utterly horrified!
At last, Ogre slowly raised his head; behind the Cute Cow Mask, his eyes burned like twin beacons piercing the dark, radiant as the sun!
Demonic… divine!
……
……
Zhao Xuan grit her teeth and, braving the wind and snow, crept closer.
Ogre had once been the hero in her eyes, but tonight she realized that the Lingying Sect had set a trap to eliminate their revered champion!
When Ogre clashed with the Lingying Sect experts, the explosive burst of vitality kept her at a distance.
Now that the surge had finally subsided,
her longing for the hero propelled Zhao Xuan to riskily approach the battlefield.
Her heart, for reasons she couldn’t explain, felt an unexpected sorrow.
As the four Blood Exchange warriors closed in for the kill…
Hero Ogre seemed destined for a tragic end, didn’t he?
She could only come to retrieve his body…
Suddenly,
The howling winds and falling snow parted, revealing a secluded corner of Xu Ji Courtyard where countless bricks lay shattered and intricate crack patterns sprawled like spider webs.
Zhao Xuan, her long legs carrying her gracefully, stood dumbfounded in the snow as she stared at the fragmented battlefield in disbelief.
There was no sign of Ogre’s body.
Only the headless corpse of Guo Zhan remained, and…
Three explosive bursts painted the snow with splatters of shredded flesh and blood-red blossoms!
PS: Good news—PK has advanced to the third round. Bad news—next week’s PK against Sanjiang looms. Though the odds are slim, we’re pushing forward. Let’s band together and give it our all! Please support with follows and monthly tickets!