Chapter 53: Wei Kuangdao

Just then, an old man with a goatee in white robes appeared; it was Elder Bai.

"You watched for so long, and now that you've finally come out, don't you think it's too late?" Lu Fan narrowed his eyes, his expression gloomy. His movements didn't slow down in the slightest, as seal techniques surged into the Art Refining Crystal Furnace.

At this moment, the Art Refining Crystal Furnace had already transformed into a giant tripod the height of a man, imposing and steaming with heat.

Nie Xing was the first to regain his senses. He had seen the scene in front of Lu Fan's residence with his own eyes. Even the palm strike of the Sixth-Tier Martial Venerable Liu Changsheng could be blocked; how could he be a match?

Without thinking, he slowed his pace. He glanced at Liu Yang with gloomy eyes, a mocking smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

This scene was caught by Lu Fan. This Nie Xing was quite calculating; he clearly wanted Liu Yang to come over and die.

Liu Yang was oblivious. He had been in seclusion for days, but he had seen this crystal furnace. The day he advanced to the Tendon Refining Realm, he had fought with Lu Fan. He had some experience with this Art Refining Crystal Furnace and assumed Lu Fan was relying on the power of a Profound Artifact, while his own strength was mediocre.

Seeing Nie Xing slow down, he assumed the other party was listening to Elder Bai's words, and couldn't help but feel happy.

"Such a Profound Artifact can only unleash its true power in my hands; what right do you, Lu Fan, have to possess such a treasure!"

Greed arose, and he became excited, his speed increasing by several notches. He threw out a white-bladed saber, dodged around the Art Refining Crystal Furnace, and slashed toward Lu Fan.

"Lu Fan, go to hell! I'll take this Profound Artifact for you!"

Liu Yang looked ferocious, his eyes filled with blood-red. He had been in bitter seclusion for days; his cultivation hadn't improved much, but his True Qi had stabilized completely. Now that it was unleashed, the momentum was astonishing.

The surrounding students' expressions changed drastically. Their original high spirits, wanting to make a splash at the year-end competition, instantly dimmed. With Liu Yang's strength, besides those in the Tendon Refining Realm, who else could resist?

"Not good! Stop at once!" Elder Bai's expression changed drastically. He had assumed that by appearing, Lu Fan and the others would stop. He hadn't expected Liu Yang to be so bold; he truly didn't know how to write the word 'death'.

At this moment, Liu Yang certainly couldn't stop in time. Elder Bai could only roar at Lu Fan, hoping the other party would show mercy: "Lu Fan, don't hurt anyone!"

Lu Fan smiled coldly. Elder Bai had been at odds with him and had been hiding in the shadows just now. He hadn't come out when he was "at a disadvantage," but now that he was getting serious, he put on this act—it was too shameless.

"We already had a grudge, yet you insist on courting death and delivering yourself to my door. There is a path to heaven you didn't take, but you broke into a hell with no door!"

Before he finished speaking, Lu Fan rose from the ground, waved his large hand, and a spiritual storm rolled out, turning into a net that instantly intercepted Liu Yang.

"Whoosh, whoosh!"

Liu Yang's expression changed drastically. He felt as if he had fallen into a quagmire, unable to use his strength at all. No matter how he swung his saber, it was useless.

"Liu Yang, I'll give you a hand!"

Nie Xing roared, arriving late. He had already reached the Art Refining Crystal Furnace, and his blood-evil horse-chopping saber slashed down with a boom.

With a loud "clang," metal clashed, shaking the soul. Ye Lu Fan wasn't controlling the Art Refining Crystal Furnace at all, but under the immense force, the Profound Artifact slid toward Liu Yang.

A "rumbling" sound crossed the void, its momentum blowing through Lu's spiritual storm, causing it to collapse in disorder.

Liu Yang seized the opening, but instead of advancing, he retreated. His True Qi surged, and he slapped the Art Refining Crystal Furnace.

With a "bang," the crystal furnace stopped spinning, its surface shining with light, True Qi flowing.

"Haha! Lu Fan, your Profound Artifact is not bad; I'll take it!" Liu Yang was smug, not sparing a bit of his True Qi, pouring it into the Art Refining Crystal Furnace.

Nie Xing was stunned, snorting coldly. Staring at Liu Yang's smug look, he felt a bit of annoyance. He had wanted Liu Yang to test Lu Fan's strength, but he hadn't expected this.

This crystal furnace was a Fourth-Tier Profound Artifact, capable of blocking even a palm strike from Dean Liu Changsheng; it was truly an incredible treasure. Without this treasure, Lu Fan would be no threat. But in Liu Yang's hands, it was truly a waste; he would find a way to snatch it later.

Before his thought could finish, Elder Bai flashed over, shouting urgently: "Liu Yang, move away quickly, this Profound Artifact is not something you can take!"

Liu Yang was currently excited and thrilled. With a Profound Artifact in hand, his strength would skyrocket, and no young disciple in the academy would be his match. How could he stop?

"Hmph! Greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Originally, I only wanted to cripple your cultivation, but now that you are seeking your own death, you won't even have a corpse left!"

Lu Fan shook his head, looking at him as if he were a dead man. Liu Yang assumed the other party was trying to disturb his mind and was about to retort, when a heat surged from the furnace and instantly entered his meridians.

"Ah!"

A scream rang out. The hand pressing on the furnace instantly turned red, and a scorching heat erupted, turning into a wave of fire that engulfed Liu Yang.

Lu Fan waved his sleeve, covering Xiao Ling'er's eyes, not wanting her to see this tragic sight.

Before the shrill sound could fade, Liu Yang had already turned into charred remains, his ashes scattering. In the blink of an eye, even his skeleton had vanished. Only a burnt smell remained in the air, along with a trace of soul-shaking heat.

Elder Bai landed ten zhang away, his face extremely ugly. Every Tendon Refining Realm martial master student in the academy was precious, yet he had turned to ashes in the blink of an eye. He found it hard to believe, his body trembling slightly.

With a light "puff," Lu Fan performed a seal and took back the Art Refining Crystal Furnace, saying indifferently: "Except for me, no one can drive this Profound Artifact. Liu Yang's greed was his own undoing!"

His light words fell into the ears of those around, making them shiver uncontrollably. A living Tendon Refining Realm martial master had turned to ashes in the blink of an eye; this way of dying made people shudder and their hair stand on end.

Nie Xing's eyes widened in horror. He had kept his guard up, wanting Liu Yang to test Lu Fan's skills. He had been jealous and greedy about Liu Yang "taking" the furnace, but now that was gone, replaced by a cold chill in his heart.

"Ah! I'm furious!" Elder Bai finally regained his senses, his face full of anger, roaring: "Lu Fan, you have such guts, publicly killing a fellow student in the academy; you have committed a capital crime, why don't you surrender!"

Lu Fan looked at him with the gaze of someone looking at an idiot, narrowing his eyes: "Elder Bai, stop pinning big labels on me. Liu Yang brought this on himself, he was backlashed by the Profound Artifact; what does that have to do with me!"

"Sophistry!" Elder Bai's face was as cold as ice, staring fixedly at Lu Fan, his whole body trembling slightly. He was clearly at his limit, yet he didn't dare to make a move.

If momentum and resentment could kill, Lu Fan would have been torn to pieces by him long ago. But the other party was too strange; even Dean Liu Changsheng hadn't been able to do anything to him with a fierce palm strike. Elder Bai, though he thought highly of himself, didn't dare to act rashly.

Lu Fan chuckled, seeing through him instantly, and said indifferently: "Liu Yang and I had a life-and-death bet; he overestimated himself, and now that he's dead, don't you dare blame me."

Elder Bai was so angry he was fuming, but he couldn't do anything about Lu Fan. Resentment rose in his heart, and his muddy old eyes scanned the area, pausing for a moment in some inconspicuous corners, his expression gloomy.

The surrounding disciples were stunned. Although Lu Fan's furnace was powerful, it couldn't possibly be a match for Elder Bai. But in this situation, it seemed Elder Bai was wary and could only resort to verbal threats.

Nie Xing's face was as gloomy as water; the situation exceeded his expectations. With a Fourth-Tier Profound Artifact in hand, Lu Fan was certainly not someone he could match. But looking at Xiao Ling'er, who was pitifully clinging to Lu Fan like a bird, he was furious, lost his reason, and roared at a corner:

"Leng Hanchao, Li Qingshan, how much longer are you going to hide?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a mysterious light extended, and Li Qingshan and Leng Hanchao stepped out, followed by a line of blood-armored guards as cold as water.

"Sacred Martial Hall, Punishment Hall!"

Elder Bai's pupils shrank, his face horrified. The Punishment Hall was the most powerful agency of the Sacred Martial Hall, filled with cold executioners who were bloodthirsty and cruel. Anyone labeled a heretic by the Sacred Hall would inevitably be blood-washed by the Punishment Hall.

It was said that these people used to wear silver armor, imposing and majestic, but they had killed so many that the blood had congealed on their bodies, turning them into this state.

"Elder Bai, we meet again!"

Li Qingshan's eyes were gloomy, and he gave a sinister laugh before heading toward Lu Fan, no longer looking at Elder Bai.

Elder Bai was so angry his teeth itched. The last time the Sacred Martial Hall came in, the Dean was furious. This time they had come in silently again. He commanded the Law Enforcement Guard; if he let these people run wild, the academy would lose face, and the Elder Council would likely hold him accountable.

"Where is the Law Enforcement Guard?" He roared, his Martial King momentum suddenly erupting, whirlwinds rising all around, imposing and majestic.

"Cackle! Are you talking about these pieces of trash?"

A cold, strange laugh rang out. The blood-armored guards cleared a path, and a fat, big-eared middle-aged man walked out, wearing a deep red blood robe, carrying two shriveled corpses in his hands. With two "slaps," he threw them directly in front of Elder Bai.

Elder Bai's face turned ashen, extremely ugly. The two most outstanding members of his Law Enforcement Hall had died so inexplicably.

Lu Fan stepped forward slowly, examined the two corpses slightly, and said with a solemn expression: "Their essence and blood are exhausted, but their bodies still have a trace of warmth. Such evil martial arts; I seem to have seen it somewhere before!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding students' expressions changed drastically, and Xiao Ling'er was also worried.

The Sacred Hall's Punishment Hall was always a presence that made everyone turn pale at the mention of its name. Once they appeared, even Elder Bai was silent, afraid to speak, fearing to provoke them. But Lu Fan was so casual, saying such things, deliberately provoking them—wasn't this courting death!

"Lord Kuangdao, this person is Lu Fan, the culprit who colluded with the Skull Society and killed the guards under my command!"

Leng Hanchao bowed to Wei Kuangdao. Beside him, Li Qingshan wore a sinister smile, as if Lu Fan were fish on a chopping block, ready to be devoured at any moment.

"Hmph! Just a hairy kid, and you two lost a whole team? Truly trash!"

Wei Kuangdao snorted coldly, extremely dissatisfied. The Hall Master had sent him out, and he had thought it was some big shot. Now that he saw him, he was extremely disappointed, and even Leng Hanchao and the other were dissatisfied.

Just then, Lu Fan spoke slowly: "Hmm! I remember now, this is the Blood Dragon Technique, which you scum and perverts of the Sacred Martial Hall love to practice the most." He wore a look of disdain, contemptuously saying: "You feed on human essence and blood; your progress is fast, but the hidden dangers are greater. I see your Peak Martial King cultivation will never improve by even a fraction!"

A sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth speaking to Wei Kuangdao like this, with such disdain and contempt—to others, he must be crazy.

Wei Kuangdao's expression changed, shocked and angry. First, the other party's words were an offense and a great disrespect to him. Second, the words just now matched his own situation perfectly; he truly couldn't understand it.

"Damn it! Colluding with heretical cults and killing Sacred Hall guards; I'll take you down now!"

With a fierce roar, everyone around felt as if thunder was rumbling, shocked to the core. Wei Kuangdao's fat hand had already swung out, and a sea of blood rolled toward Lu Fan. ===== CHAPTER 54 =====