Chapter 123 – "You Did This?"

“Did you do that?”

“Huh?”

The sudden sound of something cutting through the air might have gone unnoticed by others, but Gao Xu detected it immediately.

His hand, which had been reaching for Xu Qianqian, abruptly paused before he swiftly turned around to face the direction from which the sound had originated.

There, a figure descended from the sky, accompanied by an increasingly loud sonic boom, stirring up waves of Qi in its wake.

“Boom—!”

A thunderous roar erupted without any warning, causing violent gusts of wind mixed with sand and dust to transform into a sandstorm that swept across the area.

Xu Qianqian was blown away.

The Family Hunters closing in from all sides were also sent flying.

Xu Yanyan, who had just recovered from her severe injuries and risen to her feet, was immediately thrown off balance by the oncoming sandstorm.

For a moment, the entire area enclosed by a thin, transparent barrier was filled with swirling dust and howling winds.

At the center of the storm and the fierce winds were two fists.

Two fists colliding with each other.

“Thud!”

With a dull thud, the two figures who had exchanged blows were pushed apart, creating distance between them.

In that instant, the sandstorm dissipated, allowing everyone present to clearly see the scene before them.

“Who is that…?”

Xu Yanyan was the first to lift her head, looking somewhat disheveled as she stared ahead, then froze in surprise.

The others followed suit, their expressions turning to astonishment.

Especially Xu Qianqian, who had been ready to resign herself to her fate. The moment she forced her eyes open, she immediately saw a figure standing with its back to her.

“Whoosh!”

A fierce gale swept past, causing the figure’s cloak to flutter and snap loudly in the wind.

Black clothing.

A cloak.

A mask.

A hood.

This was a mysterious individual whose appearance was completely obscured.

“…Who are you?”

Gao Xu stood opposite the newcomer, his expression cold and stern.

It was a look he had never shown, not even when facing Xu Qianqian or the hordes of Phantom Demons assaulting the Defense Line.

And it was no wonder.

Upon closer inspection, one of Gao Xu’s hands hung behind his back, trembling slightly.

Yes.

In that earlier exchange of blows, Gao Xu had not gained any advantage.

That alone made it clear to Gao Xu that this newcomer was no ordinary individual, and he had no choice but to treat the situation with utmost caution.

Yet, the other party did not respond with a single word. Instead, he slightly lifted his hooded head, and his eyes, hidden behind the mask, turned toward Xu Qianqian, gazing at the young woman.

The young woman was still staring at him in a daze, her body covered in blood, her abdomen severely wounded. Her pitiable state was even more tragic than on that night when they had first crossed paths.

Without a doubt, the newcomer was Su Ming.

(It seems I barely made it in time.)

Su Ming breathed a quiet sigh of relief in his heart.

Ever since his last meeting with Lie Heyin, Su Ming had secretly placed two small alchemical spiders on them.

Unlike the scorpions he had used before, these two alchemical spiders were not offensive; they only served as alarms.

When attached to a person, the corresponding device would vibrate immediately if a dangerous situation arose in their vicinity.

Though the effect was simple, the alchemical spiders possessed remarkable stealth capabilities, making them difficult to detect under normal circumstances—perfect for covert setups.

It was thanks to this that Su Ming had been able to sense Xu Qianqian’s perilous situation the moment she was attacked and rush to her aid in time.(Fortunately, the transparent barrier enveloping the area didn’t seem to prevent outsiders from entering.)

Su Ming glanced briefly at the surrounding transparent barrier before shifting his gaze to Gao Xu.

Seeing Gao Xu’s stern and cold expression, Su Ming felt a peculiar sense of wonder.

After all, during their first encounter, the overwhelming presence and aloofness radiating from Gao Xu had left an indelible impression on him.

Back then, Su Ming had yet to alter his Bloodline, awaken his Vision Mark, and was merely a struggling Three-Star Sorcerer.

Who could have imagined that just two days later, facing Gao Xu again, he was no longer the same person he once was.

Though Gao Xu’s presence remained as intense as ever, for some reason, Su Ming no longer felt as threatened.

With this mindset, Su Ming cast another glance at Xu Qianqian, who was drenched in blood.

His expression turning cold, Su Ming turned to face Gao Xu.

“Did you do this?”

A low voice emerged from beneath Su Ming’s hood.

“Who are you?”

Ignoring Su Ming’s question, Gao Xu frowned deeply and coldly repeated his inquiry.

“Did you do this?”

Su Ming paid no heed to Gao Xu’s question either, pressing on with his own.

His voice grew even deeper than before.

Gao Xu’s frown deepened further.

He was not one to explain himself unnecessarily.

Nor was he skilled at engaging in empty pleasantries or idle chatter.

Naturally, he was also not someone who would easily back down.

Thus, in response to Su Ming’s questioning, Gao Xu replied with a simple phrase:

“None of your business.”

With those few words, the tense standoff between them shattered completely.

Boom!

Su Ming abruptly erupted into motion, his cloak billowing as he shattered the ground beneath his feet. Amidst the roaring gale and thunderous cracks of the earth, he lunged toward Gao Xu.

Bang—!

A thunderous explosion erupted once more, the resulting shockwave whipping up a sandstorm that swept across the entire area.

Su Ming and Gao Xu’s fists collided with immense force, just as before, unleashing a staggering commotion.

“Aaaaaaaah!”

The surrounding Family Hunters, who had just regained their footing, were once again sent flying by the violent winds before they could even comprehend what was happening.

“Damn it!”

Xu Yanyan barely managed to steady herself, swaying unsteadily in the turbulent winds as she gritted her teeth and retreated in disarray.

Xu Qianqian finally snapped back to reality. Despite her severe injuries and excruciating pain, she scrambled backward, putting distance between herself and the fray.

In an instant, the scene transformed into a battlefield dominated solely by Su Ming and Gao Xu.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!

In the next moment, a barrage of deafening explosions resounded.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, Su Ming and Gao Xu unleashed a relentless flurry of devastating punches at each other.

Fist after fist collided, canceling each other out, striking, and clashing. Each impact produced thunderous roars, whipping up howling winds and sending dust swirling in reverse—a spectacle of terrifying magnitude.

No further words were necessary.

No further confirmation was needed.

Driven by rage on one side and cold determination on the other, they launched merciless assaults, their fists moving at blinding speeds to form an unbroken stream of afterimages.

Such ferocious combat, such overwhelming intensity, made the earlier struggles of Xu Qianqian, Xu Yanyan, and the others seem like child’s play, leaving all who witnessed it utterly astounded and horrified.It was under such circumstances that both combatants came to a realization.

“I can do this!”

Su Ming understood that he now possessed the strength to confront an Upper-Rank Professional head-on.

“This is a formidable opponent!”

Gao Xu likewise recognized that this sudden intruder before him was no weaker than himself.

Their gazes collided in that moment, sparking intense friction.

“Boom—!”

The umpteenth collision of fists finally shifted the battle’s momentum.

Gao Xu seemed to finally buckle under the opposing force, his body shuddering as if struck by a critical blow, involuntarily retreating a step.

Seizing the advantage, Su Ming withdrew his left hand and clenched his right fist.

“Hah!”

With a low shout, Su Ming’s right fist surged forward like flames, violently hurtling toward Gao Xu.

That fist tore through the air with multiple sonic booms.

That fist compressed the atmosphere until it wailed in protest.

Far heavier and more terrifying than any previous strike, this punch made every hair on Gao Xu’s body stand on end.

“I can’t block this!”

Gao Xu instinctively understood this truth, finally forcing him to pivot sharply and retreat explosively.

“Kaboom—!”

Amid the roaring impact, the full force carried by Su Ming’s punch landed squarely on empty air, actually generating a visible shockwave.

The fist-wind howled like a tempest, assaulting the retreating Gao Xu who instinctively crossed his arms before his chest. Like a kite with severed strings, he was swept away by the gale and slammed against a massive rock.

The boulder shattered upon impact, fracturing into countless fragments that buried Gao Xu’s form.

“Sir!”

Witnessing this scene, Xu Yanyan turned pale, a startled cry escaping her lips.

Xu Qianqian couldn’t help but shift her gaze toward Su Ming.

“He actually repelled that Gao Xu?”

Her mind reeled with shock.

How could they have known?

The power of Su Ming’s right hand was incomparable to that of his left.

Gao Xu struggled free from the rubble, rising while staring at Su Ming with unsettled apprehension.

More precisely, he was staring at Su Ming’s right hand.

“That right hand…”

Gao Xu had detected the peculiarity in Su Ming’s right hand.

This was impossible to conceal.

The power Su Ming exhibited when using his left hand differed drastically from when he employed his right.

After exchanging so many blows, it would’ve been strange if Gao Xu hadn’t noticed the discrepancy.

“Who are you, really?”

Gao Xu’s gaze fixed on Su Ming, filled with grave intensity.

But would Su Ming obediently provide answers?

“If I were the type to dutifully announce my name, I wouldn’t be dressed like this, you idiot.”

Su Ming’s casually tossed remark instantly darkened Gao Xu’s expression.

Since becoming an Upper-Rank Professional, who hadn’t treated Gao Xu with utmost respect?

In all these years, Su Ming was the first person to directly call him an idiot to his face.

Being insulted by a mysterious stranger, even someone as composed as Gao Xu found it unbearable.

Or perhaps, the higher one’s status, the more they valued their dignity, tolerating not the slightest disrespect.

“Seeking death.”

Gao Xu’s expression turned icy as he reached back and grasped the saber slung across his shoulders.

His entire Aura underwent an abrupt transformation—becoming colder, sharper, and far more dangerous than before.Su Ming’s gaze almost instinctively shifted to the saber in Gao Xu’s hand.

It was a strikingly conspicuous war saber with a crimson blade and a hilt carved with the head of a Qilin.

This was the renowned alchemical weapon that had made Gao Xu famous—the Qilin Blade.

With this famed weapon drawn, Gao Xu’s presence felt entirely different.

His aura intensified at least tenfold.

His oppressive force surged exponentially.

All because this was the form he took when truly serious.

His greatest expertise lay in Blade Art, not fist techniques.

(End of Chapter)