Chapter Forty-Six: The Wrath of the People

“Ha ha…” Laughter erupted from below. The youths from the capital, in particular, laughed the loudest—they would never let go of an opportunity to strike at their rivals.

On the stage, the furious Mu Tong was momentarily stunned, at a complete loss. Then, gripping his heavy sword, he turned to face the group from the capital and shouted, “Who is Ye Feng? Step forward if you dare!”

“He is not here. If you’re not in a hurry to die, wait until I’ve slain him, then I’ll fight you!” Garo stood like an unsheathed sword, fighting spirit surging from his body.

“Arrogant fool! We’ll see who slays whom!”

“Kill you? There’s nothing to discuss!”

In a flash—a mere blur—the Second Holy Son charged forward, unleashing his full strength without reservation. He struck out with an unparalleled finger technique inherited from his sacred lineage!

This finger technique was deemed taboo by all the younger generation within the Holy Land. It was by virtue of this technique that Felton, as he was truly named, had been elevated to the status of Second Holy Son.

The Second Holy Son’s middle finger bent, tucked beneath his thumb. Circles of spiritual energy rippled outward, spreading like waves across a tranquil lake.

Go…

In the next instant, finger-swords imbued with terrifying spiritual energy shot toward Garo like bullets. The rippling waves grew suddenly ominous, each ring of energy surging forth in a mighty tide.

“Hmph!”

Garo snorted coldly, raising his sword in a defensive stance, his entire body pulsing with spiritual power. He did not dare take lightly a technique deemed forbidden.

Bang, bang, bang…

The iron sword swept aside the incoming spiritual bullets, each one deflected. Using the force of the rebounds, Garo retreated swiftly.

Boom…

As Garo dodged to the side, a spiritual bullet whistled past him and crashed into a thick stone pillar behind. With a thunderous roar, the pillar shattered instantly, fragments flying in all directions. In the startled cries from below, several unlucky onlookers were struck and wounded by the flying debris.

Earthsplitter…

Garo murmured, spiritual energy surging through him. A sword aura, several yards long, slashed through the air toward the Second Holy Son.

But…

Around the Second Holy Son, the rippling waves of spiritual energy rose and fell without pause. Each time the sword aura breached a wave, its force was diminished.

Those ripples seemed to endlessly emanate from the Second Holy Son’s fingertips.

By the time the sword aura broke through dozens of those rings, its power was nearly spent. Before the next wave, it shattered and dissolved into nothingness.

Immovable King…

Garo stood firm once more, then sat cross-legged in a flash, forming a series of hand seals in rapid succession.

A moment later, a golden Buddha, nearly ten feet tall, appeared—a phantom image, seated cross-legged just as Garo was. Garo’s figure sat at the very heart of this golden Buddha.

Bang, bang, bang…

Spiritual bullets struck the golden Buddha, sparks flaring as if bullets struck a steel plate, ricocheting harmlessly away.

Voidshatter…

Eyes closed, Garo sent his iron sword slashing through the air once more. Amidst the undulating sword waves, the iron blade shot toward the Second Holy Son like a gale.

Seeing this, the Second Holy Son moved quickly as well, forming seals with both hands. Waves of spiritual fingers halted the approaching sword, while surging ripples of energy rushed toward Garo and his golden Buddha.

Clang, clang, clang…

Clear, metallic sounds rang from the iron sword. To the Second Holy Son’s disbelief, the ancient, unremarkable iron sword was only knocked askew by the devastating spiritual bullets—it suffered not a scratch.

With the spiritual bullets harassing the sword and his body moving with Kunpeng’s speed, the Second Holy Son reached Garo’s side in the blink of an eye.

“Break for me!”

He circled the golden Buddha at blinding speed, firing spiritual bullets like rain, while waves of energy crashed relentlessly against the Buddha.

Clang, clang, clang…

The hammering continued, relentless. Relying entirely on his speed, the Second Holy Son evaded the iron sword and launched rapid attacks on the golden Buddha.

“Urgh…”

In just a few breaths, Garo, sitting within the Buddha, could endure no more. Under this violent onslaught, he spat a mouthful of blood.

At the same time, the golden Buddha, which had stood unmoved, now trembled under the barrage.

In the next moment, all traces of Garo’s former composure vanished. Blood streamed from his seven orifices as he roared in rage, gathering his spiritual energy and unleashing a punch.

King’s Wrath…

At the instant Garo’s fist lashed out, the passive golden Buddha also raised a massive, bucket-thick fist to strike.

“I was just waiting for you to show yourself! Spiritfinger!”

The Second Holy Son retreated swiftly, forming another seal. A sword-finger nearly a meter long condensed instantly, thrusting toward the golden Buddha’s fist.

“Ha ha… Felton, that fool! Using finger technique to meet a Buddha’s fist—he’s courting death!” Below, Lie Kuang, who had been watching the fight with tense excitement, slapped his thigh and laughed aloud.

“Idiot… Why are you slapping my leg?” Ao Yun snapped.

“Uh—sorry, got too excited… Wrong leg, forgive me, forgive me…”

“Enough! Garo’s in danger. The golden Buddha was already on the verge of collapse. After its punch is neutralized by those strange ripples, I doubt it can withstand the Spiritfinger!” Beside them, the baby-faced He Tao frowned, speaking in a low voice.

Boom…

As he spoke, the Spiritfinger and King’s Wrath collided. The world shook—under the tremendous force, the enormous golden Buddha shattered into fragments of spiritual energy, dissipating in the air.

“Now is the time—Sky Sever!”

As dust swirled, Garo roared furiously.

In the next instant, the Spiritfinger sent him flying from the smoke and debris. A gaping hole pierced his chest and abdomen, blood and mangled flesh pouring forth.

“Aaaah…”

Onstage, the Second Holy Son let out a wretched scream. The iron sword, which had been drifting through the void, struck with deadly fury at Garo’s final command. The remaining ripples of energy were swept aside; the iron sword, unstoppable, slashed deep into the Second Holy Son’s back.

A wound, cut to the bone, split his back from top to bottom.

Crying out in terror, the Second Holy Son tried to flee. But the iron sword, as if possessed, shot after him, aiming to finish the mortally wounded man…

“Bastard…” From the Holy Land’s camp, the leading youth intervened, firing a sword-finger that struck the iron sword, saving the Second Holy Son’s life at the last possible moment.

“Shameless! It was a fair duel—how dare you interfere?”

“This is outrageous! Is this your so-called honorable challenge?”

Below, countless young warriors flushed with anger, fists clenched, shouting their outrage. All were furious at the Holy Land’s conduct.

“Hmph! Garo has already fallen and left the stage. That sword continued its attack—how is it our fault for stopping it?” the young man argued, his words forced and unconvincing.

“Nonsense! Who said leaving the stage is a loss? When Felton was forced off earlier, you never admitted defeat. Shameless to the extreme…”

“Hmph! So this is the Holy Land—no better than beasts! You’re in the wrong, yet still argue. Utterly shameless.”

“If only I were stronger—I’d storm the temple and wash the Holy Land in blood!”

In this moment, all were incensed. The youth’s interference had ignited the fury of every young warrior of the Tianwu Empire.