Chapter 336: Laughter Loud and Clear, Like a Villain (Request Monthly Votes!)

Inside Danzao Valley, a series of thunderous sonic booms echoed as two figures flashed repeatedly across the valley, like twin phantoms entwined.

Their speed was too fast for the naked eye to track; only the flashes of light from their weapon clashes allowed a faint distinction of their forms—Wu Xian and Hong Haier.

From the moment they began fighting to now, less than a minute had passed, yet in that brief span, they had clashed countless times; in rhythm and speed, their duel was a hundredfold more perilous than their in-game performance.

Lightning-fast attacks poured forth, spewing dense sparks into the air, while the residual shockwaves from their collisions swept violently in all directions.

Crisscrossing cuts marred the ground and stone walls; even many disguised minor demons—Huolie Lie and Yan He He—never even had time to appear before being reduced to dust by the terrifying shockwaves.

“Bang————!!!”

After another fierce collision, Hong Haier’s crimson body was flung backward, embedding itself in the rock wall before bouncing back and landing clumsily on the ground.

Yet before he could even catch his breath, a sharp aura struck instantly.

Hong Haier sidestepped, but his shoulder flared with pain as the bone-white spear tip scraped off a chunk of flesh.

Blood streamed freely, but Hong Haier had no time to tend his wounds; he used flames to stanch the flow, gritted his teeth against exhaustion and the screaming protest of his muscles, and swung his Fire-Tipped Spear once more to fight the terrifying Mandate-Bearer.

But as before, no matter how hard he pushed himself, how deeply he dredged up his hidden potential, the monkey opposite stood firm like a reef in the ocean, his stamina seemingly endless.

Worse still, he tried using his Samadhi True Fire to threaten the opponent, but the other possessed terrifying fire resistance—even standing still and letting the flames scorch him, not a single hair on his head burned, and instead drew only mockery.

Angry?

No! Despair!

It wasn’t because his cherished divine arts and martial skills were utterly suppressed, nor because he was about to lose to the Mandate-Bearer before him—it was because he had done so much, all to avenge himself upon the Buddhas of Lingshan.

Yet in the end, he would die here without even getting a chance to face his enemies—how could he not feel despair?

“Disappointing! You’re truly disappointing me!”

At that moment, familiar taunts came from the opposite side, and the once-fierce, lightning-speed spear technique surged to another level.

“Your spear motion is weak, your technique crude, your stance loose, your reactions sluggish—not a single move is worthy of notice. With such pitiful skill, you dare seek my root essence and seek vengeance against Lingshan? Dream on!!”

Wu Xian spoke with utter contempt, his mouth rattling off insults.

After speaking, he threw his head back and let out a loud, hearty laugh—like a villain.

“Hehehehe————”

“You!!”

Enraged by these words, Hong Haier’s spear swings quickened by a third—but his rhythm shattered, exposing an opening.

True enough, the next instant, Hong Haier felt a sharp pain in his wrist; his Fire-Tipped Spear lost control and was violently knocked away.

“Boom————!!!”

Almost simultaneously, Hong Haier felt a searing pain in his abdomen—he was kicked hard by Wu Xian, flying like a severed kite, rolling over a dozen times before finally coming to a stop.

“Puh——!!”

Hong Haier’s throat convulsed; he collapsed onto the ground and spat out a large gout of black, clotted blood, followed by a gradual draining of strength, his vision beginning to blur.

Just as his eyelids trembled, threatening to shut him into sleep, an utterly unstoppable force pressed down upon his head, crushing his skull deeper into the earth.

At the same time, as the ground beneath his cheek cracked open, that voice he loathed so deeply echoed again: “Prince of the Yecha… tell me, how do you plan to avenge yourself? Do you intend to crawl like this and beg the gods and Buddhas to line up and slit their own throats?”

“!!!”

As if awakening from the deepest nightmare, his scattered gaze refocused.

The next instant, Hong Haier raised his torn, bloodied hands and seized the foot crushing his skull, unleashing a power greater than at any moment before.

“Aaaaaaaaaa————!!!”

Wu Xian’s brow twitched; before his left foot could be truly pried loose, he withdrew it voluntarily—but what awaited Hong Haier was not the dawn of a desperate counterattack, but deeper, more crushing darkness.

“Boom————————————!!!”

A deafening roar erupted, reverberating across half of Flame Mountain, centered on the shattered Danzao Valley.

Thus, one figure, traveling in a vertical trajectory, smashed through countless obstacles along the way, finally embedding itself deep within the Cuiyun Palace hundreds of miles away.

“What the hell just happened!”

A booming voice rang out inside Cuiyun Palace; Zhu Bajie stood ready with his rake, tense and alert, while Ma Tianba and Si Mei also stood guard, assuming Hong Haier had discovered them and come here deliberately.

But…

As the dust cleared, Hong Haier’s unrecognizable, mangled form lay before them, leaving them momentarily stunned, unsure what had transpired.

“Child!”

At that moment, a woman’s voice, filled with shock and sorrow, rang out.

Immediately, a beautiful woman in white robes and white hair stepped past them, stumbling to the ruins’ edge, gathering the blood-soaked crimson figure into her arms, weeping uncontrollably.

“He’s… Hong Haier?”

After a long silence, Si Mei—the only one among them who had never seen Hong Haier—asked hesitantly.

“Uh… probably.”

Zhu Bajie scratched his head, his expression odd.

To be honest, he wasn’t sure.

After all, they hadn't seen each other in a long time; the last time they met, he was still Shancai, the attendant of Guanyin Bodhisattva, disguised in another form—not the demonic Yecha appearance he had now.

More importantly, Hong Haier had been beaten so badly—his face bruised and swollen, his entire body bloated several times over—that even those familiar with him would struggle to recognize him.

“His condition suggests he’s just fought a fierce battle… Hmph! Nine times out of ten, it was that damn monkey.”

Si Mei shook her head, a faint smile curling her lips.

The group had used Zhu Bajie’s transformation art to sneak undetected to Cuiyun Palace, just as Tie Shan Princess was preparing to flee Flame Mountain, seeking out Niu Mowang’s old allies—like the Seven Holy Ones—to come to Hong Haier’s aid.

But after meeting Zhu Bajie and the others, learning of Wu Xian’s power, she had decided to stay.

Not only to help Niu Mowang escape, but also to save Hong Haier’s life at the critical moment, lest he be killed by the Mandate-Bearer’s staff.

Yet they never imagined Wu Xian would act faster than expected—just as they prepared to head to the Ruin Brick Pit, the final boss had already been delivered to their doorstep, at critical health, requiring only one more basic attack to clear the Flame Mountain dungeon.

“Don’t worry—I won’t kill him… not yet.”

Wu Xian’s calm voice echoed; they turned toward the palace entrance to see Wu Xian and Hao Fu Lishi arriving.

The former stepped into the hall, nodding politely to Si Mei and the others, then approached Tie Shan Princess under her wary gaze, looking down at her.

“Madam Niu, would you care to make a deal with me?”

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(End of Chapter)