Chapter 00197: Settling Old Scores
# Settling Old Scores
Chapter 197
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 197: Settling Old Scores
Haiyang Seven Sounds Tower.
This place belonged to the Great Universe AI Corporation.
The Zhenhu Trade Company was merely a small gang under its flag.
However, after the spiritual energy burst forth on Earth, the emergence of monsters and an increasing number of martial artists led to Zhenhu's status rising rapidly.
It soon became the leading industry under the AI’s domain, turning into a highly profitable venture.
Even among Zhenhu's ranks, those at the Meridian Opening Realm were considered vital.
There weren't many of them, and only half a month ago, two had gone missing.
One of them, Shen Yutao, was the most prominent among them and a disciple of Shang Wei.
The news drove Zhenhu into a frenzy, issuing an elite martial arts wanted poster for the capture of Shen Yutao’s murderer.
Over half a month had passed, but there was no progress on this case.
Today, a shocking piece of news spread like wildfire across Zhenhu.
Someone stepped forward claiming responsibility for Shen Yutao’s death, boldly announcing that he would come to Haiyang Zhenhu's lair that very night.
At this moment, the seventh floor of Seven Sounds Tower was packed with almost all Zhenhu’s powerhouses.
Surrounding the main hall were snipers, ready for any situation.
Zhen, the founder of Great Universe AI, sat in the main seat, utterly incredulous that anyone would dare challenge Seven Sounds.
Seven Sounds managed numerous businesses, and no one had ever dared to speak against them.
The air in the hall was tense, everyone was waiting for Lan Xiaobu.
They were eager to know who this audacious figure challenging Seven Sounds could possibly be.
"Are you all waiting for me?" The voice of Lan Xiaobu interrupted the heavy silence.
Zhen stood abruptly, stunned as he looked at Lan Xiaobu.
Although his consciousness pervaded through the Seven Sounds Tower, he had not sensed when or how Lan Xiaobu had arrived.
A chill crept down his spine; he could not perceive anything about this person, which only implied one thing—Lan Xiaobu was far stronger than him.
On Earth, besides his junior brother Yu, even his own master wouldn’t dare claim to be much stronger; how could such a powerful person suddenly appear?
"Who are you?" Zhen couldn't immediately recognize Lan Xiaobu.
"Lan Xiaobu. It seems you put a bounty on me over a decade ago."
Lan Xiaobu casually walked toward Zhen.
"It's you?" Zhen came to his senses and raised a hand to grab at Lan Xiaobu.
But as his hand extended, it froze mid-air.
Terror appeared in his eyes.
While others might be unaware, he knew all too well.
His instincts were right—Lan Xiaobu was indeed a cultivator, and one whose strength crushed his own.
With a flick of his hand, Lan Xiaobu conjured a massive palm made of true essence, gripping Zhen’s neck and lifting him into the air, tossing him into the center of the hall.
“Lan Xiaobu, my master is also a cultivator beyond the Golden Core stage. We walk similar paths…” Zhen landed in the middle of the hall and, instead of calling others to attack, sought a peaceful resolution with Lan Xiaobu.
As a Golden Core cultivator, he understood that confronting someone capable of wielding true essence was futile, no matter how many people he had with him.
“My father is the one you killed?” Lan Xiaobu took the seat Zhen had just occupied, his tone laced with frost.
Zhen shivered and quickly replied, "It has nothing to do with me! I didn’t kill your father; he just went missing…”
“Bang! Bang!” Two gunshots rang out, and Zhen closed his eyes in despair.
If a sniper could take out a cultivator surpassing the Golden Core stage, then cultivation was all for naught.
Both shots struck Zhen's seat, leaving everyone shocked to find that Lan Xiaobu had vanished.
Zhen stood in confusion and then realized Lan Xiaobu had indeed left.
He hesitated and began to think about escaping, rushing back to Seven Sounds Mountain to tell his master, Gong.
Lan Xiaobu’s power was likely beyond even that of his former junior brother, Yu.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a wave of overwhelming heat surged towards him, and he was horrified to see the Seven Sounds Tower begin to melt away.
There were no cries for help, no attempts to flee; the Tower was engulfed in flames the likes of which he had never seen before, reducing it to mere ashes.
In that moment, not a single being within the Seven Sounds Tower, even an ant, would find a way to survive.
What an overwhelming force… This was Zhen’s final thought.
The Seven Sounds Tower, under the Great Universe AI Corporation, became yet another unintelligible event to science.
The entire building was reduced to ash, seeming like it had been caused by intense heat.
Strangely, everything around the Seven Sounds Tower, even the roads, remained untouched.
…
At Seven Sounds Mountain, Gong emerged from the training room again, sighing after failing to break through to the Spirit Refining Realm.
“Master.” Seeing Gong come out, two middle-aged men immediately approached him.
These were Gong's eldest disciple, Shang Wei, and his second disciple, Jiao.
“Has Zhen not returned?” Gong's mood was downcast.
His disciples had all crossed into the Spirit Refining Realm, yet he remained stuck.
He suspected his inability to advance was linked to his past injuries on Kunlun Mountain.
Back then, a brute named Lan Xiaobu had secretly severed one of his hands.
Although it had been reattached, subsequent cultivation had gone awry.
Jiao spoke up, “There was a situation with Zhen's Zhenhu. Someone killed my disciple at the Meridian Opening Realm, Shen Yutao, and said they would seek Zhenhu’s retribution at Seven Sounds Tower tonight. Zhen and many of Zhenhu's powerhouses have gone there. I intended to join them, but with you emerging from seclusion today, I and Brother Shang remained behind.” Gong was unconcerned until he heard that the one who killed Shen Yutao was coming to find Zhenhu.
His expression changed instantly as he ordered, “Call Zhen back at once; he must not meet that person alone.”
“Master…” Jiao looked at Gong in confusion, “Zhen has already entered the Golden Core stage. Who on Earth can harm him? Even if he can't defeat the other, a Golden Core cultivator can easily escape.”
Before Gong could retort, a loud rumble erupted from outside.
Was the formation broken? Besides him, who could break through his protective formation on Earth?
“Your disciple Zhen has already been killed by me. I’ve come to see you; it’s been a long time, Gong.” Lan Xiaobu walked in with a smile.
“Lan Xiaobu?” Gong immediately recognized him.
Over the years, he had longed to tear Lan Xiaobu into pieces.
He never imagined Lan Xiaobu would dare show up before him today.
“Not bad; it seems you’ve made some progress in these years.”
Before Lan Xiaobu finished speaking, Jiao and Shang charged at him from either side, their true essence concentrated in their fists as they attacked.
At the same time, Gong shot up, a long sword appearing in his hand, slicing through the air with a noise as he aimed to constrict Lan Xiaobu’s neck.
Boom! Boom! Lan Xiaobu simply kicked out twice, and both Shang and Jiao flew backward, blood spraying into the air.
They crashed against the wall and slid down to the ground, motionless.
Gong watched in shock as his disciples were sent flying.
He clearly saw blood holes appear in their chests, and he was helpless to do anything about it.
At that moment, he was struck down to the ground by a hand made of true essence, unable to move.
Clearly, Lan Xiaobu didn’t want him dead; if he had, then indeed, Gong and the others wouldn't have stood a chance.
"What realm are you in?" Gong looked at Lan Xiaobu with terror in his eyes.
He knew Lan Xiaobu was beyond the Spirit Refining Realm.
"I am in a realm unrelated to you. I have a few questions, and if your answers satisfy me, I will grant you a swift end. If your answers are unsatisfactory, do not blame me for my ruthlessness," Lan Xiaobu answered.
Gong lost all will to respond.
Since the establishment of Seven Sounds, he had always commanded others.
No one had ever dared issue commands to him.
In his view, anything he desired belonged to him and his Seven Sounds sect.
Lan Xiaobu didn’t bother to repeat himself.
A soul thorn burst forth, striking Gong’s Sea of Consciousness.
Gong let out a shrill scream.
Before Lan Xiaobu could launch a second attack, Gong tremblingly said, “Lan Xiaobu, for the sake of our shared path in cultivation, grant me a quick death. Ask what you wish, and I will answer.”
"Too late; I gave you a chance, but you squandered it. Who can you blame?" Lan Xiaobu chuckled.
“Seven Sounds has countless disciples. Even if you kill me, many will take revenge for me…” The torturous pain ripping through his soul made Gong lose the courage even to seek death.
Lan Xiaobu nodded, “What you say is true…”
His consciousness expanded, striking every individual adorned with the Five-Line Staff Emblem with soul thorns.
Yet within a mere few breaths, Lan Xiaobu withdrew his consciousness, his complexion turning pale.
There were just too many from Seven Sounds.
He couldn’t kill them all.
Even if he wiped out Gong and a number of his disciples, how would Seven Sounds amount to anything afterward?
After swallowing down a few pills, Lan Xiaobu approached Gong, pointing a finger at his forehead and beginning to search his soul.
Gong's cries grew even more wretched.
At this moment, he was overwhelmed with regret, wishing he had never sought that formula and regretting refusing to answer Lan Xiaobu’s questions.
But it was too late now.
What awaited him was endless, hellish torment.
After the incense burned down, Lan Xiaobu released his grip.
Gong crumpled to the ground like a lifeless sack.
Lan Xiaobu hated himself for not returning sooner to deal with this scoundrel.
This scoundrel had even hunted Luo Caisi until she reached the Golden Core stage before backing off.
Moreover, the Kunlun explosion had resulted from a hidden protective formation surrounding a teleportation array.
This formation was shattered by Gong and his men.
To put it precisely, when the Battle Disc of Kunlun descended, it coincidentally destroyed the heart of the formation, leading to its exposure.
The hidden formation protected a teleportation array, which could only be activated once one reached the Spirit Refining Realm.
Gong’s disciple, Yu, managed to leave through that very teleportation array due to having reached the Spirit Refining Realm.
Lan Xiaobu’s consciousness settled once more on Kunlun Mountain.
He realized that the teleportation array had been used, not knowing it had been activated by Gong's disciple, Yu.
To cultivate to the Spirit Refining Realm on Earth was truly a remarkable feat.
Kunlun Mountain had many monsters, but the area around the teleportation array had been thoroughly cleared.
It should now be in the hands of the country.
Lan Xiaobu withdrew his senses; he had no intention of using this teleportation array to leave.
If he couldn’t find Luo Caisi, he planned to control the Extreme Sea Cloud Boat to depart Earth.
With the spiritual energy gathering and the age of cultivation beginning, there was no need for him to set up any purification formations, not even protective arrays.
As the Earth entered the era of cultivation, even the most advanced technological civilization couldn’t do anything against a cultivation powerhouse.
(Today's update ends here, good night, friends! In this double ticket era, I still seek monthly tickets.)
(End of this chapter)