Chapter 447: Three Lotus Seeds
As the heart in his hand pulsed slightly, a trace of warmth spread to his palm. Xiao Ming's face twisted into a mocking expression.
"Who would've thought, you wicked beings from the Hun Clan, that your blood would also be warm! Although I've slain the Hall of Souls' First Tianzun before, I've never had the pleasure of ripping out his heart directly."
The moment the heart was extracted, even with a resilient life force befitting a Dou Saint, Hun Shang felt his strength wane, his power rapidly dissipating.
After being slapped away by the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint's tail, Hun Shang flew a distance before regaining his balance. Clutching his throbbing head, he managed to clearly identify the assailant behind the attack. Upon hearing Xiao Ming's voice, a furious and resentful shout erupted from his mouth, resonating throughout the heavens and earth.
"Xiao! Ming! You little bastard dared to ambush the old me!"
Hun Shang never anticipated that Xiao Ming would appear in the Wind and Snow Sacred Temple. Wasn't he supposed to be heading to the Fallen Spirit Abyss in the west?
His previous arrogance had clouded his judgment, causing him to neglect sensing the presence within the Wind and Snow Sacred Temple.
Now, regret gnawed at Hun Shang's gut. Had he known Xiao Ming was here, he wouldn't have so carelessly fallen into an ambush.
He knew all too well that Xiao Ming, a remnant of the Xiao Clan, possessed a diverse set of tactics. This compelled Hun Mie Sheng to contact the Clan in order to send him out for assistance.
"Heh heh, what else could I do? After all, you are an esteemed four-star Dou Saint. I am simply too insignificant before you. Utilizing strategic means it's only natural, isn't it?"
Catching a glimpse of the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint subtly sealing off the space, a faint smile curved upon Xiao Ming's lips as he said nonchalantly.
Hun Shang was nearly driven to madness. Just as he was about to retort, Xiao Ming's voice echoed in his ears once again.
"Well, your last words have come to an end. Prepare to meet your demise!"
As these words reverberated, Hun Shang finally realized that the space around him had become incredibly solidified in a short time. Xiao Ming and the others intended to leave him no room to escape!
Just a quarter of an hour ago, he could have effortlessly shattered such a blockade. However, with his heart now removed, he clung to life by a thread, and breaking through the space had become a huge challenge.
"You little bastard! Today, I'll take you down with me!"
A glint of blood flashed in Hun Shang's eyes. Suddenly, blood spewed from his pores, and his body rapidly expanded in a grotesque manner.
Beside him, even the Soul Gu Frog swelled like an air-filled balloon, rapidly inflating.
"This old coot is going to self-destruct!"
Upon seeing this, the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint's expression changed abruptly, quickly retreating.
Bang!
Under the gaze of those astonished eyes, Hun Shang's body rapidly swelled. In an instant, with a loud bang, he exploded like a powder keg, unleashing a terrifying energy storm that swept out, shattering the solidified space around him.
Xiao Ming gazed coldly at the expanding energy storm. His hand formed seals, creating a fissure in the space. Then, a horrifying suction force erupted, swallowing up the energy storm as if devouring prey.
Whoosh!
In the moment the energy storm vanished, a faint, dim radiance suddenly shot out silently.
However, it didn't rush toward the spatial fissure. Instead, it discreetly darted toward a disciple of the Wind and Snow Sacred Temple.
"Such despicable methods are too crude and useless against me."
However, just as the radiance was about to enter the body of the Wind and Snow disciple, the surrounding space suddenly solidified, and an indifferent voice echoed down.
As this cold voice resounded, a fist-sized pillar of white flame descended from the sky.
It struck the dim radiance, and immediately, the latter emitted a desperate and agonizing scream. Eventually, the scream faded away, leaving the Wind and Snow disciple drenched in cold sweat, his consciousness fading...
When the dim radiance was completely dispersed, everyone understood that a four-star Dou Saint had fallen!
Effortless! Mighty!
These two words emerged in the minds of the onlookers as they gazed at Xiao Ming unscathed above.
From the moment Xiao Ming made his move to the end of the battle, only one or two minutes had passed.
Recalling their Temple Ancestor's performance, the crowd swallowed nervously, labeling Xiao Ming as untouchable in their minds.
Xiao Ming's realm might not be as high as the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint's, but his strength was undoubtedly formidable.
Otherwise, could a low-strength individual successfully ambush and kill a four-star Dou Saint with just one move?
Xiao Ming and the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint descended from the sky, and Xiong Ba and the others quickly approached.
"Fox Saint, Mr. Xiao Ming, are you both alright?"
This question was primarily directed at the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint. After all, Xiao Ming appeared entirely unscathed, without a speck of dust, and didn't show any signs of injury.
On the other hand, the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint, who had been engaged in battle for quite some time, looked less composed. His clothing bore several torn spots, leaving him somewhat disheveled.
Facing the gazes of the assembled crowd, the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint waved his hand.
"I've sustained minor injuries, but nothing serious."
"We must thank Alliance Leader Xiao for his assistance."
After responding to the others, the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint expressed his gratitude for Xiao Ming's intervention.
"Haha, Fox Saint, please don't blame me for intervening a bit late," Xiao Ming waved his hand, being modest.
"You're being too humble, Alliance Leader Xiao. Your timing was calculated," the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint recognized Xiao Ming's calculated approach.
Surveying the surroundings and realizing that the Wind and Snow Sacred Temple's higher-ups were present, the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint suddenly recalled the reason for Xiao Ming's visit to the temple.
Understanding that without Xiao Ming's help, their situation could have taken a dire turn, he decided to return the favor.
"Cough, speaking of today, Mr. Xiao Ming has already come to the aid of our Wind and Snow Sacred Temple twice. Earlier, the Glass Serpent Clan had targeted Yu'er, and if it weren't for accidentally encountering Alliance Leader Xiao, I fear..."
"There's this matter too?!"
"Has the Glass Serpent Clan grown so audacious? How dare they plot against our Wind and Snow Sacred Temple!"
The high-ranking members of the Wind and Snow Sacred Temple had just learned Xiao Ming's name through Hu Yu. They hadn't expected such a story behind.
In their regular interactions, the Glass Serpent Clan and the Wind and Snow Sacred Temple coexisted peacefully. What were those Glass Serpent Clan thinking, daring to target their people?
"We'll address the matter concerning the Glass Serpent Clan later."
"As a token of our gratitude for Alliance Leader Xiao saving Yu'er, I have promised to provide him with a core lotus seed as a reward."
Upon hearing this, Xiong Ba exchanged a glance with the others. They understood that the core lotus seed referred to the Eleven-Grade Snow Leaf White Lotus.
The group didn't oppose the idea, although it was a bit painful; it was still within an acceptable range.
As the absolute heir of the Wind and Snow Sacred Temple, Hu Yu possessed exceptional talent and the potential to become a Dou Saint. Offering a lotus seed wasn't a big deal.
"Just a single core lotus seed; Fox Saint can make the decision himself."
The Nine-Tailed Fox Saint nodded slightly, then shifted the topic.
"For saving Yu'er, we've given one core lotus seed. This time, Alliance Leader Xiao has essentially saved our entire temple. What do you all think would be appropriate?"
Xiong Ba and the others sensed something amiss and cautiously asked.
"What does the Fox Saint have in mind?"
"I think we should give Alliance Leader Xiao the other two core lotus seeds as well."
Xiong Ba and the others: ...
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//I'm in the final stages of a cold, and I haven't been able to spend much time on the computer since yesterday. There may be some irregular updates depending on how I progress this week.