Chapter 192: Death of Captain Wang (III)
Chapter 192: Death of Captain Wang (III)
“Ahhhh!”
Surprisingly, the Captain Wang below seemed not to recognize Tang Jinbiao; he merely shrieked with strange, distorted cries.
To describe his current state accurately, he resembled an enraged beast overwhelmed by terror. Though instinct screamed that Tang Jinbiao was terrifying, his will insisted Tang Jinbiao was the enemy.
“Hmm?”
Tang Jinbiao watched Captain Wang’s deranged state on the ground, his brow furrowing slightly. This was something he hadn’t noticed previously, nor had he expected it.
He had only observed Captain Wang reaching the Mid Core Formation Stage and sensed his intent to ambush. As to whether Captain Wang retained his sanity, Teng Jinbiao genuinely hadn’t paid attention.
Thud!
Suddenly, Tang Jinbiao’s heart skipped a beat. An intense feeling of dread washed over him. He swiftly glanced toward the southern direction.
“Ah!”
Abruptly, Captain Wang seemed to shatter the grip of fear. He let out a deafening roar and, channeling Spiritual Energy, hurled five or six Giant Boulders beside him toward Tang Jinbiao.
“Hmph, doesn’t matter what’s wrong with you!”
Seeing the Giant Boulders shooting toward him, Tang Jinbiao dismissed further contemplation. That split second before, he’d sensed a terrifying presence fast approaching from the south.
Bang!
Gripping his Frost Silver Spear tightly, and without the concealment of the boulder-strewn ground, Tang Jinbiao charged downward. He aimed to end Captain Wang as swiftly as possible.
Just as he dove toward Captain Wang, the voice of the Azure Dragon abruptly echoed in Tang Jinbiao’s mind: “Master, danger! A large force approaches.”
“What?”
Hearing the Azure Dragon’s telepathic warning, Tang Jinbiao’s heart trembled. This confirmed his premonition.
Crash!
Distracted momentarily, a Giant Boulder flew straight at his face.
“Hmph!”
Tang Jinbiao snorted coldly. Instead of blocking with the Frost Silver Spear, he raised his left fist and punched directly.
Thoom!
A dull impact echoed as cracks instantly spiderwebbed across the stone. The instant those cracks appeared, Frost Qi burst from within Tang Jinbiao’s body, surging along the fractures deep into the boulder’s core.
Bang!
Once the Frost Qi permeated its interior, the stone exploded with a tremendous crack, shattering into countless fist-sized fragments.
“Master, the approaching force is strong! Finish this quickly. We flee immediately afterward. I’ll buy us some time now!”
The Azure Dragon’s voice sounded again in Tang Jinbiao’s mind. Immediately after, the dragon transformed into a streak of yellow light, shooting fiercely toward the south.
“Damnation! Did I attract other Cultivators?”
Tang Jinbiao inwardly cursed. He’d thought all Cultivators had gone to the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Mountain deep within the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Never did he expect an encounter here.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Cursing silently, Tang Jinbiao casually smashed three more Giant Boulders into rubble.
“Arghhh!”
Captain Wang on the ground seemed petrified, uttering strange cries filled with both fury and terror.
“Damn it! I wanted to question why he ambushed me, but judging by his state, he’s already insane! Hmph, blame fate for dealing you a bad hand!”
The unease within Tang Jinbiao intensified. He abandoned his plan to interrogate Captain Wang about the earlier betrayal upon seeing the man had lost his sanity.
Buzzzz!
Raising the Frost Silver Spear, a clear hum resonated—the harbinger of its thirst for blood.
As Tang Jinbiao channeled his Qi Energy into the weapon, a white radiance shimmered along its length. Waves of cold emanated from it, causing his right hand to tremble despite his acclimation to the chill.
Water vapor in the air crystallized into tiny Frost Crystals, shimmering like diamonds under the sunlight.
“Arghhh!”
Sensing the spear’s transformation, Captain Wang fell to his knees, shrieking helplessly.
Within moments, the Frost Silver Spear shed its metallic sheen, turning semi-transparent like an icicle.
Buzzzz!
It trembled violently again, nearly wrenching itself from Tang Jinbiao’s grasp.
“Die!”
Determined to strike lethally, Tang Jinbiao poured nearly a third of his Qi Energy into the spear. Sensing its intent to break free, he solemnly raised it high.
Whoosh!
His right arm propelled the spear forward in a streak of light, launching it from his hand.
“Waaah!”
Though paralyzed with fear and desperate to flee, Captain Wang remained rooted on his knees, howling.
Sssss!
The Frost Silver Spear hurtled toward him at blinding speed, piercing the air faster than vapor could solidify.
“Heh.”
A cold smile spread across Tang Jinbiao’s lips as the spear flew.
“Ah—”
Captain Wang’s world shrank to the spear’s lethal white gleam.
Time froze.
Thump.
As Tang Jinbiao’s heart surged, his smirk deepened.
He was certain this strike would annihilate Captain Wang. Against a Mid Core Formation Stage Cultivator—or even a Nascent Soul Cultivator—the Frost Silver Spear would pierce true at this range.
“Ugh!”
Captain Wang’s throat convulsed mid-scream. White consumed his vision…
…just as a crimson flash erupted from his chest, colliding with the spear. Red flooded his sight.
Clang!
Suddenly, just as Tang Jinbiao believed Captain Wang was surely doomed to die, that mysterious Talisman appeared and blocked the fatal blow for Captain Wang.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
Not only did the Talisman negate the attack of the Frost Silver Spear, but it also repelled the spear. It remained completely unaffected itself, let out a soft hum, circled for a moment, and finally stopped about a foot above Captain Wang’s head. It hovered in the air, emitting an eerie red glow.
“What?”
Seeing that thing actually block the attack of the Frost Silver Spear just now, Tang Jinbiao’s smile instantly vanished, turning gloomy.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
Similarly, the Frost Silver Spear emitted a mournful sound, flew back to Tang Jinbiao’s side, and Tang Jinbiao firmly grasped it.
“How is this possible? The Frost Silver Spear cannot match it!”
Tang Jinbiao could sense that after clashing with the Talisman, the Frost Silver Spear developed an instinctual fear, feeling somewhat unwilling to fight again.
Captain Wang, who had been wailing on the ground moments earlier, suddenly froze in place.
However, in just an instant, his eyes shifted from their original dullness to crimson red, and a presence completely foreign to Captain Wang slowly awakened.
“Tsk, tsk!”
A bone-chilling voice came from “Captain Wang’s” mouth. He looked at Tang Jinbiao with an emotionless gaze, as if already considering him dead.
Thump!
After Tang Jinbiao sensed the change in Captain Wang, his heart shuddered faintly, and a life-or-death crisis immediately flashed through his mind.
“Soul Possession!”
After seeing Captain Wang’s transformation, Tang Jinbiao’s heart raced wildly. He inexplicably recalled the term Soul Possession.
“Run!”
He didn’t know exactly what Captain Wang had endured over the years, but his instincts told him he must run immediately—otherwise, his death was certain.
Thinking this way, Tang Jinbiao immediately retracted his Wings of Frost, landed on the ground, spread his legs, and sprinted wildly toward the west. At a moment like this, he dared not fly; it would be sheer suicide.
“Ah Huang, stop dealing with those others! Follow me quickly!”
Tang Jinbiao knew how to use the Divine Confinement Seal. With just a thought, he could sense Azure Dragon’s location and immediately communicated via telepathy.
“Brother Tang!”
But just as Tang Jinbiao dashed out about thirty feet, a familiar voice came from behind him.
“What?”
The instant Tang Jinbiao heard the voice, he froze—it was Captain Wang’s voice. He involuntarily turned around, yet when he clearly saw the scene behind him, he nearly vomited.
Captain Wang’s body flickered with bursts of crimson light and was accompanied by a foul stench that made one retch.
Most terrifyingly, on the crown of Captain Wang’s head, the Talisman that had hovered about a foot above him was now transformed into a red worm as thick as a thumb.
Squeak, squeak, squeak!
Like a leech, the red worm already had one-third of its body burrowed into Captain Wang’s head. Its remaining part wriggled constantly, straining to push deeper.
However, Captain Wang’s eyes were no longer crimson from before—they were now black and clear, showing their true identity as Captain Wang’s gaze.
“Brother Tang, kill me! Hurry and kill me!”
Seeing Tang Jinbiao stop, Captain Wang’s face showed a rare trace of pain as he bellowed at Tang Jinbiao.
“Captain Wang, is that truly you?”
Tang Jinbiao was dazed; this was unmistakably the gaze of that iron-willed man, Captain Wang. Though their time together had been brief, Tang Jinbiao had held him in high admiration.
Decisive and loyal!
These eight words were Tang Jinbiao’s evaluation of Captain Wang. Yet he had never understood why Captain Wang attacked him during their parting—now, he seemed to grasp something.
That Talisman given by Tang Bi was no Talisman at all—it was plainly a murderous devil!
“Brother Tang, kill me! Kill me now!”
Captain Wang seemed unable to act on his own and knew he lacked time for explanations. He just roared frantically.
“No, no! Captain Wang, tell me—why has all this happened?”
Tang Jinbiao’s conscience stirred. Roaring in confusion, he demanded clarity.
“Ah!”
However, in that brief delay, the red worm burrowed another third deeper—now only a portion remained outside. Captain Wang erupted in agonized screams.
Simultaneously, the clarity in Captain Wang’s eyes slowly faded, giving way to crimson red.
Yet the crimson had barely surfaced when Captain Wang’s will immediately suppressed it. He bellowed maniacally at Tang Jinbiao, “Brother Tang, don’t worry about me! The Young Lady is dead! I have no hope left to survive! Hurry, kill me! This is a Demon Creature! It’s been nourishing itself with my body for three years! Even if you hadn’t encountered me today, it would seize my body soon anyway! Quick, now is the time! It’s incredibly fragile now and lacks all resistance! Quit hesitating! Grab your Long Spear and kill me! Kill me!”
Captain Wang’s face had distorted grotesquely, losing its former noble bearing.
“Brother Tang, that time you came to aid me—I’ve remembered it always! But a Demon Creature possessed me then! My mind went awry—I lost control of my body and attacked you! If reincarnation exists, I’ll repay you! Now! Use the weapon you just wielded to kill me! Kill me!”
Captain Wang roared frantically, fearing Tang Jinbiao’s reluctance to act.
“Damn it! Curses!”
At that moment, Tang Jinbiao felt another surge of helplessness. Once more, he realized the pain of lacking absolute power.
If he were like Huang Biaozi, he knew this wouldn’t be happening. But life has no ifs!
“Ah!”
A frenzied look appeared in Tang Jinbiao’s eyes. He tightened his grip on the Frost Silver Spear and raised it…