Chapter 1082 Striking with the Thunderbolt Crocodile
The King of Elves looked rather undecided. He figured that the trajectory of today’s event was different from what he had imagined.
Marrying Nina into a foreign clan was his last resort. There was nothing he could do about it. He had also privately conversed with the Tiger Talisman Royal Family about this matter.
After a good 10 minutes of bombardment, Pang Zhanlong was on the verge of losing his temper.
But the old man surnamed Guang sitting by himself frowned.
He then muttered, “This is odd.”
At first, he thought he had sensed a certain kind of faint energy and could roughly locate the one pulling the trick. However, since Pang Zhanlong began to perform all kinds of secret soul sense skills, he could no longer feel the energy. But the embroidered b.a.l.l.s were still exploding one after another.
Seeing the King of Elves covered in a cold sweat, the old man was sure that this was not his doing.
If the King of Elves had intended to resist, he wouldn’t have been so cowardly since the beginning.
This was exactly what the people around were wondering.
“Could it be that Senior Zhang has really made his move?”
Li Mu’s eyes became increasingly brighter. He looked around but didn’t see a trace of Zhang Han or his people.
Therefore, he became puzzled as well.
“Or is some super-powerful master playing a prank?”
“You, come here.”
Li Mu turned to look at the elf standing behind him. It was Irene.
“You’re in charge of attending to all the guests today, right? Check if there is any guest named Zhang Hanyang.”
Irene’s eyes glittered. She quickly nodded and said, “Sure. I’m on it.”
After doing a perfunctory check, she replied, “No, there is not.”
At this time, she had no nerve to tell others that Zhang Hanyang was here.
“All right.”
Just as Li Mu was about to give up, he noticed Mo Wen’s excited expression, who was in the group behind the King of Elves.
“Huh?
“Could he know something?”
Li Mu frowned and spoke to Mo Wen through the Designated Voice-transmitting Technique.
“Mo Wen, Senior Zhang and the others are here, right?”
“How did you find out?” Mo Wen was taken aback. He then replied with the Designated Voice-transmitting Technique.
“Sure enough!”
Li Mu also revealed a hint of excitement on his face.
“There is no need for further contemplation. It’s definitely Senior Zhang who did this.”
“Where are they?” asked Li Mu with the Designated Voice-transmitting Technique.
“I don’t know either,” Mo Wen replied.
“Got it, thank you.”
Li Mu sat bolt upright, his eyes sweeping the entire field.
“What will be will be.
“Tiger Talisman Royal Family, our Cloud Shadow Sky is going to take a side as well.”
Little did they know that while the two of them were communicating with the Designated Voice-transmitting Technique, the old man surnamed Guang p.r.i.c.ked up his ears, and a cyan light fleet across his eyes.
“Senior Zhang?” He mused.
Finally, someone began to uncover the truth.
But most people were still kept in the dark.
Zhong An was still anxious and doubtful.
After pondering for moments, he said softly, “Could it be that they’ve come?”
“Who?” asked a person next to him.
“Zhang Hanyang and his people…”
“Hiss…”
The several people beside him instantly livened up.
“I have a feeling that the best part of the show is coming. However… Hall Master Zhong, Zhang Hanyang and his people are only a small team. If they show their faces here, they certainly can’t be a match for the Tiger Talisman Royal Family. There is an alliance composed of more than 20 forces led by the Tiger Talisman Royal Family. This is no joking matter. Even us have to lay low and avoid getting on the wrong side of them for the time being.”
“Just wait and see.” Zhong An glanced at the Tiger Talisman Royal Family and said blandly, “Actually, it’s not impossible to contend against them. I like challenges.”
“But this can easily result in a war between us and the Tiger Talisman Royal Family.”
“The Sea Dragon Star Area has been peaceful for too long, don’t you think so?”
After saying that, Zhong An fell silent, giving people the impression that he was enthusiastic about war.
“Even if there will be a war, we should not be the one who starts it. Otherwise, if our head heard this and got mad, I’m afraid…” The man next to Zhong An turned a little pale.
“Don’t worry, I won’t do anything stupid. Zhang Hanyang and Li Mu are merely my nodding acquaintances. I’m not on very friendly terms with them. We can just watch this show. What I was trying to say is that if there is a dispute in the future, I’m very willing to be involved. As for today, if Zhang Hanyang has really come, I’d like to see how he will turn the tides even though he is at such a huge disadvantage,” Zhong An said in a low voice.
It was rare for him to make such a long speech.
That was partly because he wanted to rea.s.sure the man beside him.
“Okay, we’ll just sit back and watch.”
The hubbub in the hall grew louder and louder.
At this time, the sun was setting in the west. Only the tip of the sun was still above the horizon, giving off its last rays of brilliance.
The night was on the way. The breeze seemed to have become bitter. The plants kept swaying as if they were tempted to disclose some secret.
Finally, the King of Elves tossed another embroidered ball and said bitterly, “We’ve run out of embroidered b.a.l.l.s. How about this? Let’s announce the result. Anyway, the other nine champions have all withdrawn from the compet.i.tion.”
Pang Zhanlong was aggrieved, but he couldn’t find a target to vent it on. Thus, he spoke coldly to the King of Elves, “There are no more b.a.l.l.s? Hahaha, you tossed b.a.l.l.s at me for so long, and now you want to wrap up the game with a few words?”
“Uncle Pang, don’t get worked up. When this is over, we’ll investigate all the people here one by one. We’ll definitely catch the culprit. King of Elves, just announce the result. It’s already nighttime.”
Hu Qi was also a little staggered. He had remained quiet from the start till now. However, now that the King of Elves had no more embroidered b.a.l.l.s to continue with the game, he figured it was time to get down to business. He hated to let anything hold him and Nina up from spending the night alone.
Seeing his l.u.s.tful expression, Nina’s face turned slightly pallid.
Still, Hu Qi was worried that Pang Zhanlong was too angry to let the King of Elves announce the result like this and would insist on asking for an explanation.
In that case, it would be troublesome. If the negotiation failed, he would not be able to reap any benefits today.
Thus, with a look of indignation, Hu Qi lashed out.
“D*mn it!
“Which sneaky dog is stirring up trouble? Do you look down on the Elf Clan or the Tiger Talisman Royal Family?
“Although you have some clever tricks, you’re still a scaredy-cat. We all hold you in contempt. If you have some guts, show yourself. I, Hu Qi, am right here. If you have the ability, try destroying the ball in front of me!
“I…”
Hu Qi still had more to say.
Yet, all of a sudden, an aloof voice came from the field.
“You’ve got one thing correct. I do look down on the Elf Clan and the Tiger Talisman Royal Family.”
“Rumble!”
Nina trembled violently.
“Uncle Zhang… why did you choose to show yourself? Do you think it’s worth taking such a risk for me?”
Nina was both touched and a little rueful.
Although she was in the territory of the Elemental Elf Clan, it was not the King of Elves but an outsider who was protecting her.
This was also a shock to Nina.
“Senior Zhang!”
Li Mu suddenly jumped to his feet, looking slightly nervous and excited.
Next, they would probably have to face the wrath of the Tiger Talisman Royal Family. He wondered whether he and Senior Zhang joined forces would be able to hold up if they joined forces.
At the moment when Zhang Han spoke, Yue Wuwei waved his hand and dispelled the enchanted cover around them.
“Swis.h.!.+”
They revealed their real appearances.
The sudden change attracted the attention of everyone on the scene.
It was as if there had been a group of spectators sitting in a blurry corner just now. Suddenly, the view became distinct, and others could see clearly their faces and who each of them was.
“Zhang Hanyang!
“It’s really you!”
Zhong An’s pupils contracted.
He never thought that he and his people had been sitting there in an above-board manner the whole time.
“How daring are they?”
“Now I’ve shown my face.”
Zhang Han looked at Hu Qi standoffishly and asked, “You have a problem with that?”
“You’re the one messing with the game?”
When Hu Qi found that the other party was a young man, he was stunned. He cast his eyes over those people at that table, but he couldn’t recognize a single one of them. Thus, he took the initiative to ask. “Who are you?”
“Hahahaha!”
Pang Zhanlong suddenly laughed wildly. Now the enemy had stepped into the light, he was no longer as furious as before. He stared at Zhang Han with cold eyes. He had decided to kill him with his own hands.
“Swoos.h.!.+”
There was a great stir among the 100,000 people around.
“Heavens, no way! He really dares to show himself?”
“c.r.a.p. Something big will definitely happen at this place today.”
“The Tiger Talisman Royal Family alone is already formidable enough. Now, there are more than a dozen forces on their side. It’s safe to say that the Tiger Talisman Royal Family’s alliance is the most powerful party present. I can’t believe Zhang Hanyang and his people dare to show up. Have they all prepared to fight to the death? Is Nina really worth all the trouble?”
“Hold on. Look, there are old people and children in this group, aren’t there? There are also several beautiful women. Could it be that Zhang Hanyang has brought his whole family out to see the world and then he caused trouble? Alas, there are always many idiots in this world. Maybe he still doesn’t know what kind of terrifying force he has provoked.”
“Since he dares to come out and confront Hu Qi, perhaps he really has some cards up his sleeve, don’t you think?”
“Could they be members of a hidden clan?”
“…”
All sorts of guesses could be heard from every part of the crowd. People were discussing the matter openly. In this situation, they didn’t even bother to use the Designated Voice-transmitting Technique. In fact, no matter what they said, those people in the central square couldn’t hear it.
Zhang Han ignored Hu Qi’s question.
Pang Zhanlong did not speak either.
He had already made his att.i.tude clear. Hu Yuan would know this from his previous laughter.
Pang Zhanlong was a Guardian Elder of the Tiger Talisman Royal Family. He could not take the liberty to make decisions under this kind of circ.u.mstance. How he would act was still up to Hu Yuan’s att.i.tude.
Those sitting at the other tables also had the same thought.
After they saw these interested parties come out, they were seized by astonishment, surprise, and confusion.
However, there was one thing that they all shared, that was, they were no longer anxious. Since the culprit had already been found, the next would be to sort the matter out.
“Swis.h.!.+”
Finally, Hu Yuan who had kept his eyes closed for a long time, reopened his eyes as if he was about to become the awakened lion again.
However, he did not unleash his overwhelming aura. He was still sitting there like an ordinary person.
In a calm and indifferent tone, he remarked, “It doesn’t matter who you are. What matters is that you brought shame to the Tiger Talisman Royal Family.”
In just three seconds, Hu Yuan had made up his mind not to let them off the hook.
With a sweep of his soul sense, he found that some of those people were at the Yuan Ying Realm Early-Stage. Only two of them were unfathomable. As for the rest, most of them were in the Elixir Realm. There were even several ordinary people.
“Are you kidding me?
“That’s all you’ve got? I wouldn’t even care to deal with such a small team.”
After all, when would a tiger bother to kill an ant?
“King of Elves, since they’re allowed to sit here, it seems that they have a quite profound relations.h.i.+p with your clan,” Hu Yuan said softly.
“Hiss!”
As soon as he said that, the King of Elves turned pale with fright.
“Brother Yuan, trust me, I don’t know who they are. If I colluded with some other force, how could I have waited for so long before asking them to make a move? Who is responsible for today’s security check in the pa.s.sageway? Get over here!”
With that said, the King of Elves whipped around to look at his clansmen with rage written on his face.
Seeing this, Mu Xue snorted and said, “Humph, how interesting! He grovels to foreign forces but yells at his own people. He is clearly a lord at home but a coward outside of it.”
“I wonder how he became the King of Elves,” the Black White Palace Master Lisa said lightly.
Her tone was full of disdain.
“You foreigners, how dare you to run amok on my Roland Star?” The King of Elves demanded with a nasty look on his face.
“So what if we dare?”
Mengmeng stared at him angrily and shouted, “You don’t deserve to be the King of Elves!”
The little girl must have been holding back her anger the whole time. Now, she finally let it out.
“Sister Mengmeng is right. You don’t deserve to be the King of Elves. Humph!” Seeing that Mengmeng had spoken up, Chen Chuan put his hands on his hips, stepped on the rattan chair, and voiced his opinion. He didn’t know what fear was. Of course, he would only do this when his help was around.
He was only seven years old. His still childish voice resounded on the field, causing the whole place to quiet down.
Some people in the crowd had seen Zhang Han before. Their countenance changed slightly at this time.
Finally, someone close to the Tiger Talisman Royal Family said, “It’s actually Zhang Hanyang!”
As the whole square was very quiet at the moment, this sentence spread quite farther. Half of the field could hear it clearly.
“Swoos.h.!.+”
Hu Yuan’s imposing aura surged, which alarmed the heavens and shattered the earth. He suddenly rose to his feet and cast his ferocious eyes on Zhang Han.
“Are you Zhang Hanyang?”
“Rumble!”
Many people shuddered at those words.
They didn’t expect that Zhang Hanyang, the man who had killed Hu Bin and Hu Zhiqiang, would dare to show up here.
“Who?”
“Zhang Hanyang?”
The crowd sank into an uproar.
“Who is Zhang Hanyang?”
“Haven’t you heard of him? He is the one who killed Hu Zhiqiang and Hu Bin. Some time ago, he went to the Lost Continent, where there was a trial going on. Many people went there. It’s said that Zhang Hanyang had no rivals on the Lost Continent, and all the people the Tiger Talisman Royal Family sent there were dead. Their fleet consisting of 49 wars.h.i.+ps was also destroyed by an unknown force.”
“What the f*ck…”
The nearly 100,000 people around were deeply shocked.
However, an absurd silence had befallen the audience stand over the central square.
Hu Yuan locked his eyes on them as if he were looking at a group of dead people.
Being a cautious man, he didn’t attack immediately.
That was because no one in the Sea Dragon Star Area knew where Zhang Hanyang, who had abruptly barged into this Star Area, came from.
On top of that, there were two people in this group that Hu Yuan could not see through. Thus, he found it necessary to test their strength first.
“Zhang Hanyang?”
The King of Elves suddenly caught on.
“So they’ve really come to attend Nina’s Coming of Age Ceremony.
“What do I do now?”
His mind was in a muddle. He didn’t know what to do.
“Senior Zhang!”
Li Mu took a deep breath and glanced at the dozens of people behind him, who were his allies that were on good terms with him. Next, he leaped into the air and flew to Zhang Han’s side before giving him a hold fist salute.
“Okay.”
Zhang Han nodded slightly. “Have you prepared some fine wine?”
“Yes,” Li Mu replied, “my father has pulled some strings, too. I a.s.sure you the wine supply is more than sufficient.”
“You’re being too courteous.” Zhang Guangyou chuckled.
“Li Mu, are you sure you want to take their side?” Hu Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly, which was a signal for danger.
“Does the Cloud Shadow Sky also want to get involved in this matter?
“Li Mu, do you really think the Tiger Talisman Royal Family is afraid of you?”
Hu Yuan had made up his mind.
“If you’re really so insistent, then perhaps the most talented young man of the Cloud Shadow Sky will no longer exist in this world after today,” said Hu Yuan frostily.
Upon hearing these words, the hundreds of people beside Hu Yuan rose to their feet one after another.
The field was immediately filled with hostility.
It was as if a great battle was about to break out at any moment.
“Swoos.h.!.+”
Nina rapidly flew toward Zhang Han’s group.
“Mengmeng, Uncle Zhang, Aunt Zi, you…”
Nina looked sort of anguished. She blamed herself for causing so much trouble for them.
“We understand what you want to say.”
Zi Yan smiled and said, “You’re a good girl. You shouldn’t be treated like this. Don’t worry. Leave this to us.”
“Okay.”
Nina felt her heart jolt violently.
Tears welled up in her eyes. She seemed to have seen her own mother in Zi Yan.
She hadn’t experienced being looked after by someone else for a long time.
Tears rolled down out of hand. At this moment, Nina finally showed her fragile side.
Seeing the seventh princess crying in sorrow, the entire Elf Clan became silent.
So did the King of Elves.
He sighed deeply. His expression was a little dull and somewhat resigned.
He muttered softly, “I’ve also had my moment. In my day, I led my clan to glory. I cannot watch our clan go downhill. Nina, hope you won’t blame me.”
Since he had given up on Nina and she had already gone to Zhang Hanyang’s side, the King of Elves decided to let it be.
Even though some members of the Cloud Shadow Sky were also here present, he felt that considering how mighty the Tiger Talisman Royal Family was, to go against them would still be to throw an egg against a stone. The disparity between the two sides was simply too enormous.
By this time, only five seconds had pa.s.sed after Hu Yuan raised the question.
Li Mu became wordless.
The allies behind him looked at one another.
At last, an old man sighed and said, “Sorry, Young Master Li, an eye for an eye. You can take Zhang Hanyang’s side, but I can’t.”
Now one of them had boldly broached matter, another man stepped out and said, “Young Master Li, if you had Sect Leader Li’s instructions or orders, I would stand on your side. But if you only did this for personal reasons, excuse me for not being able to do the same.”
“I’m sorry, too.”
“…”
In a moment, after giving it a thought, Li Mu’s allies all chose to bail out.
Only Li Mu and dozens of his men were still with Zhang Hanyang.
“Ahem, this is kind of awkward.”
Li Mu scratched his head and said, “Senior, are you sure about this? I’ve put my humble life on the line for this.”
Zhang Han just smiled but said nothing.
Li Mu then looked at Hu Yuan, inhaled deeply, and said, “My strength is not as good as yours. Nor is my status or my position in the hierarchy of the Cultivation World. I have to admit that I’m a little stressed, haha. But today, I’ve been empowered to act for the Cloud Shadow Sky. Standing here, I will advance and retreat together with our Cloud Shadow Sky’s benefactor. Maybe… if you want to negotiate, I think it is also a solution.”
His words sounded a little una.s.sertive.
However, people could tell that he really meant what he said.
When the enemy was much too powerful, admitting one’s inferiority could be a way out.
“Do you think there is still room for negotiation?”
Hu Yuan’s tone was even more lukewarm. His majestic aura seemed to have been ready to burst out. He would subdue the group with his horrific attack.
“Uncle Yuan, I think there’s a need for negotiation,” Hu Qi remarked.
Seeing that a battle was unavoidable, Hu Qi grew haughty again.
He was no fool. He knew when he could speak unscrupulously and when to shut his mouth.
He had held his arrogance back until Hu Yuan made his choice. Since there would be a fight, why would he go easy on the other side?
The Tiger Talisman Royal Family would win this battle anyway.
He couldn’t think of any reason that could make them lose.
“We’re at an advantage in number. Our forces are very powerful. Moreover, Uncle Hu Yuan’s strength is close to the Yuan Ying Realm Last-Stage. In the entire Sea Dragon Star Area, few people are stronger than him.
“Besides, we still have Pang Zhanlong and a dozen other Yuan Ying Realm cultivators. On no account would we lose.”
Think of that, he became arrogant all of a sudden. Putting on a gleeful smile, he glanced at Nina, Zi Yan, Mu Xue, Jiang Yanlan, Liang Mengqi, Lisa, and the others and clicked his tongue.
“If they want to negotiate, I think they should send these pretty women over first and let me discipline them for a couple of days. If so, we can consider sparing their lives.”
He was basically insulting them.
He knew very well that even if the other party really sent these women over, Uncle Hu Yuan would not spare them. Even so, before the battle started, it wouldn’t hurt to shake the other party’s morale a bit. Besides, what if they agreed?
However, to his surprise, as soon as he said that, the faces of many people on the opposite side instantly darkened.
They were no longer in the mood to continue with the game.
“I…”
Yue Wuwei made to say that he would handle this. However, he was still too late.
“Clap!”
Zhang Han’s pupils suddenly turned into two Thunderbolt Marks. In an instant, the natural pressure emitted by the Taiyi Wood Thunder spread throughout the field.
“Thunderbolt Crocodile!”
Zhang Han extended his right hand and pointed toward Hu Qi.
“Rumble!”
A bolt of lightning that was dozens of feet long tore through the air and darted straight at Hu Qi.
In the blink of an eye, it arrived in front of him. The lightning transformed into a crocodile’s mouth. It opened widely. Then, its two rows of sharp fangs made a snap at him with great force.