1532 G.o.d Metropolis on the verge of Collapse, Ma.s.s Gathering of Forces!
Law Expert Blaze had been killed!
The Fire Gibbon who had ruled Planet Three was decapitated!
Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha had struck again, severely damaging the sapient beasts!
For a moment, the upper echelons of G.o.d Metropolis were rocked by the news. This was different from when Xia Fan had flattened Planet Four; though they were similarly a territory of the beasts, the latter lacked any famous experts.
Meanwhile, the Fire Gibbon had been an expert acknowledged by the Four Great Clans. These two young men had worked together to slay the Fire Gibbon, which directly unsettled the equilibrium between the beasts and the humans.
!!
Though the humans and beasts did not interfere with one another, and even cooperated on a higher level, the saying ‘those who are not of my race are sure to have a different heart’ held true. If the humans could vanquish the sapient beasts, they would definitely not relent. The so-called cooperation they shared was nothing more than a truce under the condition that neither could eliminate the other, so everyone temporarily played nice with one another.
That was why the humans were not annoyed by Traveling Buddha and Xia Fan’s killing of the Fire Gibbon, and were even rather a little proud of their feat.
—–
Hidden Water’s roasted meat was slightly charred on the outside, but tender on the inside, and the meat broth was delicious. Traveling Buddha and Xia Fan feasted eagerly on everything. After they were done with their meal, everyone sat outside the wooden hut and drank the tea that Traveling Buddha had brewed, discussing the planet fission that had happened once more this evening.
Bright Pearl scoffed at Hidden Water’s cooking skills. She repeatedly lauded the deliciousness of the delicacies found on Earth, things like roasted meat buns, cold noodles, boiled porridge, and spicy crayfish that Xia Fan could only imagine. It was too bad that Xia Fan was here in Ashen Moon, which had no connection whatsoever with the Skywing Clan. There was no way for him to taste any of those delicious foods that he could only hear tales about.
“The planet might not be able to hold on anymore.” Hidden Wind had come to this rather pessimistic conclusion and said, “So far, you two have yet to meet the peak expert of the Four Great Clans, which is because they are all on Planet One, where the strongest sapient beasts are also located.
“From what I can gather, the moment they are in trouble there, there is a very high possibility that they will recruit people from G.o.d Metropolis immediately. Given the exemplary performance you’ve recently shown, I’m afraid your names will be added to the list.”
Traveling Buddha and Xia Fan exchanged looks. They were still slightly hesitant, unable to make sense of just what could be going on with Planet One.
“Planet 1 was a meteor that broke through the s.p.a.ce barrier, becoming Planet One after it was extinguished upon entry.
“So many years have pa.s.sed, and Planet 1 is still emitting energy to the outside world, as well as a very mysterious signal. The experts are doing everything they can to prevent those energy emissions and energy fluctuations, which is causing spatial collapse.
“As for what’s on Planet One, all I can say is that it’s very shocking. You’ll understand if you two ever have a chance to go there. It is a super fission phenomena that can’t be described with words; it’s as if the planet has come alive and become a huge living organism.”
A planet that became a living organism?
Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha were speechless. They could not imagine mountains, rivers and the very land itself coming alive, nor could they imagine how a planet could breathe or think. If what Hidden Wind said was true, then the existence of Planet One would surely be an existence that shocked the world.
…
“Four thousand!”
“Five thousand!”
“It’s already six thousand, and still increasing!”
“A speed of eight thousand meters per second! That’s nearly Star River rank!”
“He has officially broken into Star River rank!”
“His final speed is 9752 meters per second!”
Under the sunlight, a black shadow flitted around in a flash of light, disappearing into the distance in an instant, just like a bolt of lightning.
Hidden Water, Traveling Buddha, and HIdden Wind were staring at the screen and its speed readout. Xia Fan’s speed finally stabilized at 9700 meters per second, giving the three of them quite the shock.
Xia Fan returned back to the wooden hut and asked, “So what are the results?”
Hidden Wind relayed the results to Xia Fan, who nodded. He was not too surprised. Having broken through the Law Barrier and successfully integrating with the mysterious crystals, Xia Fan’s speed had soared, and he could easily reach nearly 10,000 meters per second if he also used Yggdragon’s Blood.
“If there isn’t anything out of the ordinary, I believe your speed should be in the top three of all Ashen Moon. I wouldn’t even be surprised if someone were to state that you’re the fastest being alive,” Hidden Wind concluded.
Xia Fan nodded slightly. The feeling of his body just bursting with energy was quite miraculous. The biggest change he had observed after breaking through his Law Barrier was not just his increased speed, but in his understanding and awareness.
Furthermore, after he had broken past the Law Barrier, Speed had become Xia Fan’s talent, something innate inside him that was akin to his own existence. His special ability and his combat strength had all been combined into one, where Xia Fan was Speed, and Speed was Xia Fan!
On top of that, Xia Fan also had a second Law power, the Law of Gold! According to what Pearl had told him, the Law of Gold was not a primary Law power, but a small support-type Law. It provided Xia Fan with some bonuses to his vision and hearing, and was completely different from the Law of Speed. With one breaking through the heavens and the other solidifying his foundation, it created the effect of rapid advancement in strength.
“Let me give it a try, too!”
Traveling Buddha saw that his old partner had nearly broken the 10,000 m/s mark already, and he felt restless inside, eager to also test out his Law power.
*Huuu*
Drawing in a long breath, with a light raise of his hand he promptly conjured out a beam of Golden Light that shot forth with unstoppable momentum. It penetrated right through a mountain, leaving a hole the size of a fist. The lethality of the blow could not be denied, comparable to a high performance laser weapon!
“Truly you live up to the name of Battle Buddha’s Golden Light. A peak-grade Light special ability mixed with peak-grade protection, creating the greatest Holy Buddha of his generation,” Hidden Wind sighed. “Both of you have already reached the Legendary rank, while Xia Fan has attained unprecedented heights. The two of you will surely play an unimaginable role in the disaster to come.”
Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha were startled. With how pessimistic Hidden Wind was, it seemed like G.o.d Metropolis and this sealed s.p.a.ce would surely come to an end soon!
…
Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha stayed for several more days at Hidden Wind’s and then returned to Dragon Dou’s residence. The moment their foot crossed the transom, they were immediately called to the living room.
Dragon Dou and his parents were all present, and the room itself was arranged in a rather strange manner. Dragon Dou and his family were seated on the left side, while Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha were arranged to sit on the right. Both parties were seated as equals, which went to show that Dragon Dou and his family did not view Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha as merely their clan’s bodyguards, but were treating them with the courtesy of guests.
Dragon Dou’s father was called Dragon Foremountain, a fat middle-aged man. He was the publicly acknowledged great wastrel among the Four Great Clans, but he was lucky to have married a strong and shrewd woman, who was none other than Dragon Dou’s mother, Zhang Mei!
According to the rumors, Zhang Mei was originally a servant of the Dragon Clan, and had feelings for Dragon Foremountain, but given her status, was not fit to marry into the Dragon Clan.
Dragon Foremountain had first married a lady from the Ashen Clan, but not long after, she had ended up dying of sickness. Then Dragon Foremountain had found himself becoming a son-in-law to the Moon Clan.
After three years of marriage to the lady from the Moon Clan, the six miscarriages she had caused her to suffer from a mental illness. She would often hide herself alone in her room, letting out mournful wails and clawing at the walls with her fingers, which caused her nails to break off. In the span of three months, she lost over fifty kilograms and became as shriveled and worn as a corpse.
In their fourth year, Dragon Foremountain’s second wife finally died. The servants all claimed that this was a sort of relief for everyone, because she had been in too much pain while she was alive, and death was the best outcome she could ask for.
Rumors swirled around G.o.d Metropolis that due to a genetic mutation, Dragon Foremountain had a barbed lower appendage, so anyone who married him would end up dead. Dragon Foremountain was already viewed as a loser of the Four Great Clans, but now that such rumors began to spread, it made him even more of an embarra.s.sment, and no one was willing to let their daughter marry him.
It was about that time when he married the servant girl, Zhang Mei. And the strange thing was, very soon after they were married, they very quickly had a son, Dragon Dou. With the family being happy and harmonious, the rumors slowly dissipated.
However, there was another set of whispered rumors that the servants of the Dragon Clan uttered, that Zhang Mei was actually involved in the deaths of the two previous ex-wives.
No matter the words, Dragon Dou’s mother was now a controversial and powerful figure. Everything that happened in the family, no matter how big or small they were, would all go through her. That included when Dragon Dou previously opened up their storage and retrieved two peak grade weapons as gifts for Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha. Actually, this was done with express authorization from Zhang Mei, who perhaps had already realized that Traveling Buddha and Xia Fan were no ordinary people.
As Xia Fan was lost in his thoughts, Zhang Mei finally opened her mouth to speak, “The two of you have returned from Hidden Wind’s abode. Is the old man still doing alright?”
Xia Fan answered truthfully, and Zhang Mei nodded her head repeatedly, “So I see. Hidden Wind is a famed legendary expert among the Four Great Clans, and it is your good fortune to have befriended him.”
Changing the topic, Zhang Mei finally broached the main issue at hand, “I will not deny, my husband and I asked to meet you two because of two important matters. I actually need to make a request of you two.
“First, the Four Great Clans have just sent word that in three days’ time, every expert will gather before the patriarchs. As for where they will end up going, though no one mentioned it explicitly, I dare predict it must be a trip to Planet One, to meet the Elders.”
Xia Fan was slightly startled. Though this was rather sudden, he was not particularly shocked. After all, Hidden Wind had already warned them beforehand, and given how severe the planetary fission has become, there would surely be a large-scale mobilization to Planet One.
After a pause, Zhang Mei continued, “Dragon Dou, stand up.”
Her foolish son was clueless, but as he had been afraid of his mother his whole life, he did not dare to be disobedient, and came over to face Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha at Zhang Mei’s instructions.
“Bow,” Zhang Mei said in an even voice.
The moment these words were uttered, everyone in the room was stunned. In terms of t.i.tle, Dragon Dou was the master, and Xia Fan, Traveling Buddha were his bodyguards. Did Zhang Mei actually intend to ask Dragon Dou to bow to his servants? That was completely illogical.
Dragon Dou hesitated slightly, and quickly glanced at his mother. Her eyes exploded in a cold glimmer that made Dragon Dou tremble. With a loud thud, the boy fell to his knees and put his hands on the ground and bowed deeply, as was dictated by ancient Ashen Moon etiquette.
Traveling Buddha was nonchalant; he was the Little Old Buddha, someone who would not care to give face to anyone. On the other hand, Xia Fan could already guess what Zhang Mei was thinking, and he calmly accepted Dragon Dou’s bow.
“We only have one son, and if anything terrible were to happen to him, I hope the two of you would take care of Dragon Dou accordingly. We don’t ask for much, and only hope he can lead a safe and normal life.
“On top of that, this is the key to our family’s underground storage. From today onward, it shall belong to you two.”
Dragon Dou could not understand what was happening, but he took the key with the encrypted genetic code from his mother and handed it over to Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha.
Xia Fan thought about it for a second before smiling, and accepted the key, storing it into his spatial ring.
At the same time, Zhang Mei heaved a long sigh. Her entire person seemed to relax in that instant. She believed in Xia Fan’s personality, and since he had accepted the key from them, that naturally meant he would uphold his promise to the agreement, and do everything in his power to take care of Dragon Dou.
——
Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha left the main room, just as a glaring light happened to flash across the sky at the same time. The rumbling sound echoed in their ears as an intense quake shook the entire compound. Several bluestone floor slabs were lifted by the tremors, and the servants hurriedly rushed over to repave the stone slabs with much effort.
There was no doubt that G.o.d Metropolis was experiencing some major changes. The rate of the planet fission had increased over time, it had reached the point where it was happening thrice or more a day, and it was still increasing.
Traveling Buddha shrugged, “Looks like this place really won’t be holding out any longer. Dragon Dou’s mother has clearly just entrusted her idiot son Dragon Dou to us.”
Xia Fan chuckled, “So you actually understood what was happening, yet your expression remained as aloof as ever just now.”
Xia Fan answered, “Nonsense, how could I not tell what that woman was thinking? This Buddha simply just doesn’t care. In three days’ time, we’ll be headed to Planet One, then what do we do next?”
Xia Fan mulled over the question. “First, let’s head to Four Kings City and look for Grint and Jane, then recover Black Egg.”