He raised his hand, dark red light gathered at his fingertips again, pulling the surrounding light toward it.
After witnessing Lu Ding use this eerie move alone to blast away Cha Yuanzheng, who was at the Fifth Layer of Si Ming Realm, Bai Baolian hurriedly opened her mouth to explain.
The Qi-Devouring Death Ray erupted violently, and the dark red glow lit up the world in an instant.
The Golden Bell Bai Baolian had raised was instantly blasted into dust.
Her whole body was sent flying backward.
Lu Ding replied just in time: “Next time, say ‘I was just’ before you make a move.”
You already made a move, and now you want to say ‘I was just’?
Can’t beat me, and now you want to say ‘I was just’?
Cha Yuanzheng, who was the first to be blasted away, flew back and caught the injured and bleeding Bai Baolian mid-air.
A sense of sharp danger struck—so sharp it made skin feel like it was being pierced.
“I gave you permission to catch her?”
Cha Yuanzheng twisted mid-air, shielding Bai Baolian, but precisely because he shielded her, he couldn’t fully dodge with his back.
A chunk of flesh was sliced clean off, blood pouring down, the wound deep enough to expose bone.
Cha Yuanzheng lifted his hand to switch techniques, unleashing a giant burning palm, his words following right after:
“We came looking for Bai Baoce. If we offended you, please forgive us. The Bai Family will make amends for today’s mistake.”
He rattled off the whole thing in one breath, afraid that any pause would give Lu Ding an excuse to strike again.
Two consecutive bizarre spells—he could barely cope.
The stinging pain in his back was a reminder: the man in front of him was not someone he could overpower.
And this man—his personality was domineering.
If he didn’t get the words out fast enough, chances were they’d die here today.
Who would’ve thought, just as the palm strike went out, Lu Ding's voice sounded from behind him.
“You should’ve said you were looking for Bai Baoce earlier.”
When did he get there?!
Cha Yuanzheng’s heart was seized with fear. He hadn’t even landed yet, wasn’t the guy right in front of him just a second ago!?
Half of his body suddenly froze over—he raised his hand and summoned an ice wall.
Bang bang bang bang bang bang…….
A chain of explosions rang out in rapid succession.
Until the final ice wall was shattered in a blink, and that terrifyingly powerful fist landed square on Cha Yuanzheng’s face.
His figure shot down from the sky like a meteor.
Slammed into the massive pit the Bai Family was digging, kicking up a cloud of dust.
A breeze swept through, quickly clearing the smoke and dust.
Cha Yuanzheng’s sunken face landed right in front of Bai Baolian, who looked like she was made of gold paper.
Right now, half his body was covered in frost, and the other half was cloaked in blazing fire.
Having recovered slightly, Bai Baolian’s heart was still gripped with terror from the brush with death. If it hadn’t been for the Golden Bell earlier—
She might’ve died in that explosion.
But even now, she still had a question to ask:
“Where’s my brother!?”
Lu Ding laughed: “Alright, alright. I’m moved by your persistence. If your brother is Bai Baoce, then just like you, he attacked a 749 Investigator. So I killed him.”
Hearing that, Bai Baolian struggled to her feet, scanning the surrounding Bai Family cultivators in disbelief.
Indeed, Bai Baoce was nowhere to be seen.
Rage burned in her heart, but as she looked up to the sky, reality poured cold water all over her fury.
She had personally experienced how terrifying this man was.
With a bitter laugh: “Then where’s my brother’s body?”
“Blasted to pieces. I didn’t bother picking it up. If nothing unexpected happened, the mountain animals probably got a nice feast from heaven last night.”
Bai Baolian’s vision blurred—she staggered back several steps before barely managing to stay upright.
Her heart was heavy with grief, but reason crept in.
Charging in headfirst, screaming, would only lead her to the same end as Baoce.
What she needed now was to bring this news back.
But her phone had been destroyed just moments ago.
Bai Baolian spoke coldly: “Cover me as I retreat.”
Just as she was about to leap out of the pit, she saw Bai Hemen standing at the edge, arms crossed, staring down expressionlessly.
“Him, against Lu Ding, is nothing more than a weakling. He can’t cover you.”
“And you, to me, are just someone begging to be executed. So you’re not getting away.”
Seeing the current situation, Bai Baolian’s heart tightened. She shouted toward the people she had brought: “Send out a message! Call for backup!!!”
Wang Qingge, holding her blood-stained wooden plaque, walked up to the pit’s edge.
She raised the plaque high.
【What the h*ll are you saying? Can’t understand. Type it out.】
There’s no way Lu Ding would make such a rookie mistake.
Back when he made his move earlier, Wang Qingge had already headed out too.
But her target—was the subordinates Bai Baolian had brought.
Lu Ding’s exact words: “Just knock them out. Don’t kill them.”
So Wang Qingge went around holding her little wooden plaque, bopping each of them on the back of the head.
Sounds cute—was actually brutal.
Bai Baolian looked at the three of them blocking all three escape routes.
Her heart couldn’t accept it.
Since when… since when did Tongxi have such savage investigators?
Are they… really investigators?
With that kind of stance and aura, anyone would think they were outlaws or ruthless bandits from god-knows-where.
“Miss, I’ll hold off the strongest one. You look for a chance to escape,” Cha Yuanzheng whispered.
No one knew when Lu Ding had appeared in front of him—he lashed out with a kick.
That overwhelming force sent Cha Yuanzheng flying again.
“You seem to be disrespecting me. Plotting loudly in front of my face.”
“He’s got sharp ears, after all,” Bai Hemen chimed in.
Lu Ding turned to lock eyes with Bai Baolian.
In a warm tone, he said, “I hope you’ll let my friend see what the Bai Family’s current generation is made of.”
“A piece of advice: go all out. Don’t even think about running. Don’t show your back to my friend—if he wins that way, it won’t be an honorable victory.”
Cha Yuanzheng came flying back again.
“Your opponent is me!!!!”
Cold and heat surged in a strange harmony.
Lu Ding raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The Sha Suppression Rebirth Stele appeared out of nowhere, dropping down and pinning Cha Yuanzheng instantly.
Without even looking back, he said, “Relax. I’ll play with you in a bit.”
Lu Ding continued addressing Bai Baolian.
“Otherwise, I’ll be really upset. And then I’ll beat you to a pulp, just like your brother—blasted to bits. The charge will be attacking a 749 Investigator and obstructing a 749 Investigator in the line of duty.”
The warmth on Lu Ding’s face, to Bai Baolian, felt as cold as a deep winter frost.
Her heart filled with humiliation, but she could only nod.
In that moment, Bai Baolian even felt a trace of regret—why hadn’t she come with the Xitong 749 people in the first place?
“Good. Hope you enjoy yourselves.”
Lu Ding stepped forward, brushing past her. The scene, frozen in that instant, looked like the closing shot of a movie.
Bai Baolian’s body was stiff as she heard Lu Ding’s voice from behind her.
“Come on. Let me see how you’re going to fight me to the death.”