Chapter 592 A Stunning Strike
The Gai Clan in the northeast was one of the most powerful and influential forces.
The main reason was that Gai Xingkong was a man of calmness, principle, and heroic spirit. If he were a narrow-minded man, the development of the clan would be quite limited, no matter how powerful he was as a leader.
Being influential didn’t mean everything in the martial arts world. One’s real power always came first, but the influence could help the clan to expand smoothly.
The mechanism was a bit complicated.
However, if Gai Xingkong made a move, many top martial artists from different powers would follow him.
That was also why Gai s.h.i.+kong was so confident. He would watch by the side if those people were fighting with Zhang Han one by one. Now that they were fighting together against Zhang Han, Gai s.h.i.+kong wouldn’t mind breaking the rule.
Gai s.h.i.+kong had made up his mind, and he didn’t rush to get prepared because he still had three days before the fight started.
In the interim, a high-tech office on the top floor of a skysc.r.a.per in Shang Jing was ablaze with lights.
This building was called the National Security Agency.
It was the headquarters of the National Security Agency of Hua nation. It was located in the western downtown area of central Shang Jing City, near the famous Xifeng Road, which was the common residential area of the nation’s n.o.ble officials.
The top floor of the National Security Agency was covered with the most advanced materials that could isolate the place from the detecting signals outside. The floor-to-ceiling windows were equipped with gla.s.s that prevented people to see through or detect the inside from outside. The decorations in the office were of modern style. On the right side of the round hall, there were many screens, under which there were some rows of computer desks. Those computers were the most top-of-line types. There was even a supercomputer named “Number 5”. Only those top computer experts could use it.
All the people in this room were the top talents in their own fields, no matter if they were hackers, white hats, and so on.
They were working together now.
There was a round table behind their back, on which many people were sitting. On the other side of the table, four people were leaning on the table restfully.
The first man had a long face and seemed cold. He was the captain of the Azure Dragon Branch Team, so people called him by the name of his team. Now he had a cigarette in his mouth, breathing smoke in and out.
The second man had smalls eyes and single eyelids. He was handsome. His short hair made him look like a Korean idol.
The third one was Vermilion Bird Jiang Yanlan that Zhang Hao had met once. She had a ladies’ cigarette in her mouth, and she was looking at the screens in front of her.
The fourth one was a fat guy. He was about 1.6 meters tall but weighed more than 100 kilograms. He was the captain of the Black Tortoise Branch. People called him the most solid s.h.i.+eld of the country!
Most people in this room were his subordinates.
“When will the result come out? We’ve been waiting for you and your broken machines for more than one hour!” Azure Dragon finished his cigarette and urged the technicians. He then looked at the fat guy.
“Don’t worry. It takes time,” said the fat guy who grinned a smile. “Even the satellites can make mistakes sometimes. We’re now relying on these people to calculate it for us.”
“I don’t think they can do that. You can tell them to leave,” Jiang Yanlan breathed out some smoke and said.
“It won’t take long…” As soon as the fat guy said that, a technician in front of them suddenly stood up and ran over with an A4 paper in his hand.
“Sir! I’ve done it! The error rate of the test report is less than 1 in 10,000.”
“Ok.”
The fat guy took over the paper and read it with his puffy eyes. Then his facial expression changed.
“That’s not good.”
“What is it?” White Tiger asked calmly.
“The results show that at 13:27:30 today, on Mount Donglai in Lin Hai City, the power of the Roaring Flame Saber strike exceeded the power limit of a Wu Dao Grand Master. It was twice as powerful as that of a Divine Realm martial artist.”
The fat guy seemed grim when he covered that.
He then added, “I’ve got three speculations. First, he had reached the Divine Realm; second, his divine weapon, the Roaring Flame Saber has been refined again; third, he had learned other powerful martial skills. No matter which one is true, that can’t be good for Zhang Hanyang.”
Azure Dragon also frowned when he heard that. White Tiger hesitated but his face didn’t change much. Vermilion Bird seemed concerned.
She was worried because she had seen Mengmeng, and for some reason, she didn’t want the cute little girl to lose her happy life.
“The boss said last time that Zhang Hanyang is almost invincible among all the Wu Dao Grand Masters, but he was still no match for those G.o.d State Strongs, let alone Gu Donglai, who holds the Roaring Flame Saber. If they had to fight, Zhang Hanyang, the new king of the martial arts world, has a high chance to fall,” White Tiger mumbled in a low voice.
“No! I have to go there once more,” said Jiang Yanlan. She was wearing a leather jacket and left in no time.
“Eh! Do you really have to leave in such a rush?” asked Azure Dragon, who was surprised at how soon Jiang Yanlan left. His surprised face continued to look even longer.
“Does she have a crush on him?” the fat guy murmured.
That made White Tiger a little unhappy. He looked even colder and scoffed.
“She’s too proud to fall in love with a married man.”
White Tiger then walked away.
The other two had bitter smiles on their faces.
Their boss was right in the first place, but all of them ignored the fact that martial artists could make breakthroughs.
At the same time…
Deep in the Lianran Mountains of Xichuan Province was the blessed region of the Blood Saber Sect. There was a cultivator’s abode behind the sect.
In the yard of the adobe, there were five people sitting and chatting.
“Mr. Ye, we only have three days left before Zhang Hanyang and Gu Donglai…” said the master of the sect, frowning. “I know one of Gu Donglai’s acquaintances, he told me that Gu Donglai has reached the Divine Realm. I’m afraid that Zhang Hanyang will be killed this time. Mr. Ye, Zhang Hanyang still has your Golden Armor in his hand.”
“He just can’t bear to be idle,” Ye Longyuan snorted. “It’s a pity that I won’t be able to kill Zhang Hanyang myself. I’ll go watch the two fighting this time. And if he dies, I can get my Golden Armor back.”
At a remote corner of Longshui Beach, Mu Xue was enjoying cold drinks and a gentle breeze on a deck chair under the shade of an umbrella. She looked so relaxed.
“Whoos.h.!.+”
A young woman in her 20s was running over.
“My lady, Zhang Hanyang and Gu Donglai are going to fight on Jinsha Island in three days, but it’s said that Gu Donglai has just reached the Divine Realm. Zhang Hanyang now stands very little chance to win. My lady, your Demon Dancing Sword is in his hand.”
“Huh?” Mu Xue’s hand, which was holding the cold drink, shook a little.
She then tossed it away and asked coldly, “He’s dying sooner than I imagined. That’s so boring. What time will the fight start?”
“One o’clock in the afternoon.”
“Then book a flight ticket at eight o’clock in the morning. We’ll go and take the Demon Dancing Sword back. Before they start to fight, I want to ask him how to cancel the d.a.m.n spell he cast on me,” Mu Xue said through teeth clenched.
At that time of every month, the mark would show up on her forehead for half a day. The more she cared about her appearance, the more she resented the mark.
The two talents from the small world had been aware of the news as well.
s.h.i.+ Fenghou of the Wind Snow School heard the news soon.
“Ha!”
s.h.i.+ Fenghou sneered, “Zhang Hanyang was so short-sighted. Does he really think himself to be invincible? He still has a long way to go before he could be so arrogant. He may lose his life for it. That’s fine, my attendance as an audience member would be an honor for him, even if it means he’s killed by his opponent.”
Many other people had also heard the news.
The most shocked ones were those in Hong Kong.
Lei Tiannan screamed out loud when he heard the news, then he informed Ji Wushuang.
Ji Wushuang had kept silent ever since he had heard the news. His grim face made Lei Tiannan and other people anxious. Lei Tiannan called Zhang Han, but what he heard on the phone made him feel so confused.
“It’s just Gu Donglai, you don’t need to worry about it.”
“PaPa, this toy is fun.”
“I’m coming… Toot, toot…”
The phone was hung up.
Lei Tiannan checked the time and booked air tickets for the next day.
That news caught the eyes of people from the martial arts world. The whole world was looking forward to what was going to take place in Lin Hai City.
Many of them didn’t have the chance to be there. They just wanted to follow it closely.
That included some remaining forces.
Members of the He Family had been hiding in Macao. When their the Grand Master Early-stage family patriarch heard the news, he laughed nonstop for more than 30 seconds.
“That is just terrific! I have to be there and watch Zhang Hanyang’s miserable death personally!”
He Qingtian was the most powerful one in his family. After he died, the family was attacked several times by its opponents. They left Shenzhen for Hong Kong to hide. They blamed all of it on Zhang Han.
The Li Family, residing in the eastern suburbs of Shenzhen, used to be the most powerful family in Hong Kong. They were now led by a Heaven-stage Master. Their old-time glory had been long gone. They booked tickets to Lin Hai City as soon as they heard the news.
Three days pa.s.sed quickly.
During the three days, Zhang Han had been accompanying Zi Yan and Mengmeng. They visited several tourist resorts in Lin Hai. They explored almost everywhere they had been to, which was their habit.
On that day, dozens of wars.h.i.+ps sailed into the East Sea, riding the wind and the waves. At the same time, numerous yachts were sailing toward the same spot.
Those sitting on the decks were all martial artists.
Besides those from the Hua Country, this fight had attracted people from all over the world. They were all here to watch how the fight would go.
They knew that the fight would be spectacular because the two were standing at the peak of the martial arts world.
That gave those officials of Lin Hai City quite a headache because those gathering martial artists would turn this place upside down if they went out of control. Fortunately, Jiang Yanlan had brought people from the National Security Agency to this place. With those people standing by, the place was currently peaceful.
At noon, at a port in Lin Hai City…
Zhang Han, w.a.n.g Zhanpeng, w.a.n.g Zhanhong, w.a.n.g Ming, Rong Jiaxin, Zhao Feng, Lei Tiannan, and many other people just boarded a yacht. They were standing on the deck and craned over.
All of them kept silent at that moment because they were running out of words.
Everyone was nervous except for Zhang Han.
“Where is Jinsha Island? How far is it from the port?” w.a.n.g Zhanhong asked, casting a glance at the seemingly boundless sea.
“Jinsha Island…”
w.a.n.g Ming sighed slightly and looked forward. Then he murmured slowly, “That’s the highest point of Lin Hai City.”
“The highest point of Lin Hai City?” asked w.a.n.g Zhanhong. He actually hesitated for a while.
“Yes,” Zhao Feng nodded and replied. “It’s an island, but its alt.i.tude is above 300 meters, which makes it the highest point in Lin Hai City. It’s about 40 minutes’ voyage to the East Port.”
“Wow, fighting at the highest point of the city. That’s impressive,” w.a.n.g Zhanpeng smiled and said. “Please rest a.s.sured, everyone, Han never claims anything that he’s not capable of.”
“How do you know me that well?” Zhang Han laughed.
“Uh, just a little bit. I don’t know you that well,” w.a.n.g Zhanpeng shook his head and said. “You have Zi Yan and Mengmeng to support. Everybody knows that. You wouldn’t put yourself in danger.”
“That’s right, but it’s said that Gu Donglai has reached the Divine Realm. Han, just yield if you know you can beat him!” said Rong Jiaxin, looking quite serious.
“Relax, Auntie,” said Zhang Han, relaxed.
He looked deep into the sea and continued, “Gu Donglai? I can kill him even if he has really reached the Divine Realm.”
Those words calmed the other people down a bit.
They hadn’t noticed that after they sailed off the coast, there was a man at the port sneering with binoculars in his hand. Then he took out his phone and dialed a number.
“Brother Wu Qi, Zhang Hanyang has left the port for Jinsha Island. You can make your move now.”
Instead of replying to him, the guy on the other end of the phone hung up.
Soon, it was almost 1 p.m.
Jinsha Island lay in the sea administrated by Lin Hai City. It was the biggest island and had the highest alt.i.tude in the city. The water around it was clear, and the sand shone like gold under the suns.h.i.+ne. That was how it got its name “Jinsha”, which meant “golden sand” in the local dialect.
Within 100 meters from the coast of Jinsha Island, the terrain began to go upward, so the whole island looked like a volcano.
Many trees grew lushly on that island.
At the same time, around the coast of the island, there were many spectators, many of whom were holding binoculars in their hands.
There were also martial artists standing on the beach and in the forest at the foot of the hill. On higher parts of the mountains, there were fewer spectators because there was a good chance that those places would be affected. Only those who were powerful and confident enough could stand there.
n.o.body had noticed Zhang Han and his yacht until they came closer to the beach. His arrival immediately caught the eyes of most people there.
“Zhang Hanyang!”
“Grand Master Zhang is here!”
“That awesome fight finally is about to start! Oh my gos.h.!.+ It’s giving me gooseb.u.mps!”
“…”
Amidst the discussions of those onlookers, Zhang Han and his fellows leaped off the yacht. They didn’t stay on the beach for a moment before they started to climb the hill.
As they were about to arrive at the peak of the hill, w.a.n.g Zhanzong mumbled, “Be careful.”
“Han, remember what your auntie told you.”
“Relax.” Zhang Han turned around and smiled at everyone. When he turned back, he looked as calm and cold as usual.
They kept climbing until they were only 50 meters away from the top of the hill.
Zhang Han saw some acquaintances.
10 meters away from him in the east, Ye Longyuan was standing there with several fellows. Behind those people, s.h.i.+ Fenghou was standing there alone. On his right side, Mu Zue and another two maids were standing.
“Pfft.” That was the typical snort of s.h.i.+ Fenghou when he saw Zhang Han.
Ye Longyuan was a very proud man; he checked Zhang Han from head to toe and didn’t say anything.
Mu Xue was the only one smiling at Zhang Han. She greeted him.
“Zhang Hanyang, before you go up there, you should tell me how to break your weird spell. Or you shall not pa.s.s!”
Zhang Han knew that Mu Xue was being serious, so he answered, “Should I fail, the spell will lose efficacy by itself.”
That was exactly what Mu Xue was concerned about.
“Fine. Try to die gracefully then.” Mu Xue chuckled and covered her mouth with her hand. She didn’t try to stop Zhang Han.
Many people were standing close to them. Zhang Han had even seen Mo Chengfeng. 10 more people, including Jin Mu, were standing in the far corner, staring at Zhang Han with evil intention.
They looked up to the top of the hill.
A long-haired old man wearing a black robe was leaning on an ancient tree. He was looking at Zhang Han coldly.
“Boom!”
As soon as Zhang Han moved, his body broke the sound barrier and brought out a blast.
Soon, Zhang Han’s body turned into a light beam. He stopped at the top of the hill, looking into the eyes of Gu Donglai, who was about 30 meters away from him.
“Zhang Hanyang, I have been waiting for you for so long.” Gu Donglai squinted his eyes and greeted Zhang Han in low voice.
He no longer looked like a tired old man. He looked like a spirited middle-aged man, staring at Zhang Han with an intriguing smile, like a wolf eyeing its prey.
Then he said, “We’re standing at the highest point of Lin Hai City, and I admit that you are a worthy opponent of mine. I hope you can do your best in this fight, and I will kill you to honor my own cultivation career. I was told that you’re incredibly fast. I’ve made some preparations in case you want to escape. You can take it as a gift. Now you’d better call the one you love most.”
Those onlookers’ faces changed as soon as they heard that.
They wondered if Gu Donglai had sent someone to kill Zhang Hanyang’s family.
That would totally enrage Zhang Hanyang.
“Swis.h.!.+”
Many people moved their eyes and looked at Zhang Hanyang. They thought that Zhang Hanyang would be surprised.
Zhang Han was sneering. His eyes radiated cold lights and words came out of his mouth.
“You should check your phone first! You’re not alone today, because your whole family will accompany you on your way to h.e.l.l.”
Other people all gasped upon hearing that.
And they were even more curious about what the two were talking about.
They wondered if Gu Donglai had managed to plot against Zhang Hanyang, or had Zhang Hanyang defended himself successfully?
Other people saw Gu Donglai take out a phone.
“Ding!”
That clear ringing sound was a notification from the phone.
Gu Donglai opened a new video message.
The video showed that in front of the villa of the Rong Clan, 10 more martial artists of the clan were standing. Gu Donglai’s eldest disciple, Wu Qi, had more than 10 fellows with him.
They pulled out their swords in front of the opponents, and announced coldly, “Let their blood flow today!”
But before he finished talking, a strong voice came over.
“You are too ignorant!”
A figure popped out at the center of the field.
It was a middle-aged man. His right hand radiated and he thrust forward with a light beam.
Even the camera failed to catch up with him. A golden figure of a dragon popped out and rushed at Wu Qi.
Within less than a second…
“Clatter!”
The golden rays disappeared, so did Wu Qi and his fellows.
The mysterious figure finally stopped moving.
The middle-aged man was holding…
The Dragon-tiger Spear!
The stunning strike killed Wu Qi and all his fellows and ruined Gu Donglai’s plan.
He was the North Tiger, Gai Xing Kong!