Chapter Ninety: Encountering a Formidable Foe Again

Chapter Ninety: Another Formidable Enemy

The master whose entire body was flushed red fixed his gaze on Shen An.

Though his voice sounded similar to theirs, there was still a subtle difference. The tone, cadence, and even the aura he exuded were unlike those of modern people; instead, it was reminiscent of the antique airs and mannerisms of bygone eras.

An outsider.

Hearing this, Shen An was finally certain that this man was the same as those he had encountered on Phoenix Mountain. Even now, Shen An dared not set foot on that mountain. The mere presence of a direct disciple there had been terrifying enough, let alone the others. If a sect master or leader had appeared, he would likely never have made it out alive.

Suddenly, Shen An turned and looked at Sun Li. He was sure Sun Li knew the truth behind all this. With this thought, Shen An decided to resolve the matter swiftly. Only by first defeating this foe could he interrogate Sun Li with peace of mind. For now, he saw no other way to extract more information.

The man before him seemed to loathe their kind, and Shen An could not be certain he could get answers. Should the foe be defeated, he would very likely commit suicide rather than speak. The pride emanating from him was palpable—such men were truly dangerous.

Shen An’s sudden change did not escape the other man’s notice.

“Outsider, I’ve come here today to kill you.”

Though he himself was an outsider, he addressed Shen An with the same term. It was almost laughable. Yet at this moment, not a soul found it amusing. He was indeed the strongest present; no matter how absurd his words, none dared question him.

“You want to kill me? You’re not worthy. If it were Li Yuanshan of the Lishan Sect, perhaps then it’d be another matter,” Shen An retorted imperiously, his voice rolling out like thunder. The wolf-toothed mace in his hand danced with formidable might, forcing the man back three meters before he could steady himself.

For so long, Shen An had kept his true strength hidden, but now he felt there was no need for restraint.

With a shout, the energy radiating from Shen An dispersed the chaos around them, and his body vanished in an instant. When he appeared again, he was already at his opponent’s side.

A flicker of alarm crossed the man’s face and he hurried to strike.

In his eyes, flames seemed about to burst forth. Suddenly, he froze. A tiny blaze ignited in his palm, and the next moment, he let out a bloodcurdling scream. In less than an instant, the fire consumed him utterly, leaving not even ashes behind.

Wang Yuan witnessed this scene, his face draining of color.

“Good heavens, the boss is terrifying! That flame just now is even stronger than mine. I must ask him about it later.”

Wang Yuan had long since set aside his so-called pride; the arrogance and need to compete had vanished. Yet when facing others, he still retained some measure of dignity. Just moments before, the two had seemed evenly matched, but in the blink of an eye, the other was reduced to nothing.

The abrupt turn of events left even Sun Li stunned. Only now did he recall that when Shen An had faced the Chen family, the records had mentioned this ability. Yet since that day, Shen An had not used fire again, causing many to forget about it. Now, with the eerie flames reappearing, Sun Li found himself utterly defeated.

“We underestimated you. You are indeed powerful,” Sun Li finally managed, regaining his composure. There was a trace of desolation and unwillingness in his eyes. “But don’t think that defeating us means it’s over. Having killed him, you won’t escape their wrath.”

Shen An stepped forward, his mace vanishing into his spatial storage.

“Who are ‘they’ that you speak of? Who else knows the truth?” he demanded, fixing Sun Li with a gaze as cold as if he were already a dead man, waiting for his last words.

“So, you’re truly unafraid,” Sun Li sighed. “It seems you’ve already crossed paths with them. Good—better to know your own limits sooner rather than later.”

His eyes brimmed with boundless sorrow.

“Awakened ones—how laughable, really. Any one of them could destroy everything with ease. You think he was a master? In truth, he was nothing but rubbish they had no use for. If you want as many of his kind as you like, they can provide them. They simply don’t care, just as they don’t care about the fate of ants like you and me.”

It seemed Sun Li had come to terms with his fate. Knowing his death was certain, he hadn’t intended to say so much, but at the end, a sudden melancholy overtook him. His original goal had been simple: to win his family’s approval and take the patriarch’s seat. He had striven for this all along.

But now…

Sun Li exhaled heavily. “Shen An, since you’re about to die, I might as well tell you who’s behind me!” He spoke almost like an elder sharing a heartfelt secret. “My real backer is Xu Tianming. He’s always operated from the shadows. Even the Chen family was propped up by him, including the involvement with forbidden drugs and more.”

Shen An cut him off, asking, “So, Xu Tianming’s backers are actually them?” He gestured toward the empty space where the man had been incinerated.

Sun Li’s pupils contracted; he clearly did not wish to discuss the subject.

“It’s better for you not to know. That’s my advice,” he said, then laughed. “But I suppose there’s no need to warn you. After all, you’ll be dead soon enough.”

With that, Sun Li burst into wild laughter, heedless of his dignity. As his laughter echoed, his head suddenly drooped, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

“He took his own life,” came the languid voice of Mu Linqiu, who had somehow appeared unnoticed.

“Sun Li of the Sun family—no wonder he wielded such power,” Wang Yuan muttered, quietly stepping forward to pry open Sun Li’s mouth.

“Don’t touch it. That kind of poison could kill you instantly,” Shen An warned just as Wang Yuan was about to reach in.

Wang Yuan hastily withdrew his hand, shuddering as he stared at the deadly toxin in Sun Li’s mouth.

By now, the battle outside was drawing to a close. Many had fled or been slain; Shen An’s side did not pursue. The enemy’s fighting force had been nearly wiped out, and those remaining had lost the will to resist.

Shen An saw that one newcomer on his side had died, while the others suffered serious but not fatal injuries. Jiang Meng was also badly hurt; he had fought with remarkable ferocity, managing to kill several opponents of similar rank, his courage evident to all. Even Wang Yuan gave Jiang Meng a thumbs-up.

Shen An instructed his men to bring the wounded back. Mu Linqiu remained by Shen An’s side.

“Boss, you seem troubled?” she asked softly, noting his furrowed brow.

“It’s nothing serious. Let’s go. We’ll leave the clean-up to the authorities.”

It was only a dilapidated factory, with nothing worth keeping, so Shen An saw no need to search further. With a sweeping glance, he took in all there was to see, shook his head in disappointment, and departed.