Chapter 122: The Promise

"Bang!"

Before Zhao Junhong had even finished his charge, the Snake King appeared before him like a phantom, swatting him away with a single blow.

The techniques that hadn't worked on Fang Qingyun were far from useless against him.

As for Xiao Hei...

The Snake King materialized gracefully above it and brought his foot down.

"Bang!"

Xiao Hei's skull shattered instantly! It died on the spot!

"Hiss!"

The sight made Zhao Junhong, who was just struggling to his feet, gasp in cold air. Xiao Hei's strength had been proven time and again, yet it had been killed in an instant by the Snake King.

This was a true monster.

To kill a peak General-rank fighter in a single strike—could even a God-rank fighter possess such power?

The Snake King turned his cold, eerie gaze toward them and said in a sinister tone, "Actually, your strength isn't bad. The three of you combined might even be able to put up a fight against an ordinary God-General. It’s a pity that I, Liu Hen, am no ordinary God-General!"

*Right!*

Zhao Junhong realized with a start, his mind reeling from the beating. He had forgotten that the man before him was the Deputy Commander of the front lines, a God-General soon to be promoted to Commander-in-Chief.

He was a powerhouse among God-Generals!

Fang Qingyun raised an eyebrow. "Is that meant to be encouragement? Are you worried that you've beaten us into a stupor and that we'll lose our drive?"

"Think whatever you like!" The Snake King smiled faintly. "Two geniuses, have you woken up from your dreams yet? If so, come back with me."

Fang Qingyun flexed his arms. "This has only just begun, Snake King. Why the rush?"

"You should know..."

"I beat Hu Shisong until he was nothing more than a dead dog!"

"BOOM!!!"

A scarlet energy erupted from Fang Qingyun's body. The bloody, tyrannical power was enough to make even the Snake King frown. A flicker of shock crossed his eyes.

"The Slaughter Manual? You haven't changed your cultivation technique, but have been pushing the Slaughter Manual the entire time?"

Even he had assumed that Fang Qingyun would eventually switch to a different, more specialized technique in his later stages. Who could have imagined he would keep pushing the Slaughter Manual?

"Change?" Fang Qingyun smiled, his expression twisted and menacing under the influence of the blood-red energy. "Why would I change? I feel this technique suits me perfectly!"

Staring at Fang Qingyun, the Snake King muttered, "The Slaughter Manual at over twenty cycles? This little brat..."

The Snake King’s expression finally turned grave, laced with a hint of anger: "Foolish!"

"Foolish?" Fang Qingyun sneered. "In my view, those who think it's foolish are the ones who are wrong. Several of humanity’s top experts created this, and even spent enormous resources to refine it. There must be merit to this technique."

The Snake King’s face darkened further.

Merit?

He knew far more than Fang Qingyun. Of course he knew the technique had merit. But at that time, humanity was in a desperate situation. Those great experts had created this "quick-success" technique out of sheer necessity, with the sole purpose of churning out more cannon fodder in the shortest time possible.

Was someone misleading Fang Qingyun?

Damn it!

At this level of the Slaughter Manual, he didn't know if it could even be reversed. If it couldn't, then Fang Qingyun...

The Snake King suppressed his anger, his gaze turning icy. Too many things had exceeded his expectations. He would have to rectify this quickly; he could not let things continue to develop beyond his control.

Opposite him, Fang Qingyun’s aura reached its limit. He glanced at his system interface.

[Host: Fang Qingyun]
[Class: Martial Artist]
[Level: Fifth Tier]
[Strength: 40 (+)]
[Speed: 40 (+)]
[Constitution: 40 (+)]
[Spirit: 50 (+)]
[Spirit Energy: 400 (+)]
[Shooting: Intermediate (+)]
[Blade Mastery: Primary (+)]
[Sword Mastery: Intermediate (+)]
[Spirit Energy Control: Primary (+)]
[Technique: Slaughter Manual (20 Cycles) (+)]
[Summon: Dragon King Lion]
[Source Points: 8236]

Fang Qingyun was now, without a doubt, at the peak of the General-rank. And among peak Generals, he was far from weak. However, there was clearly a massive gap between different peak Generals.

Facing the Snake King, he had to act. A flash of determination crossed his eyes.

[Source Points -5000]
[Source Points: 3236]
[Sword Mastery: Advanced]

In an instant, a deluge of knowledge regarding swordsmanship flooded Fang Qingyun's mind. His body began to shift slightly; his bones and flesh adapted to accommodate the mastery. Driven by the breakthrough to Advanced Sword Mastery, his other attributes began to shift as well.

[Constitution +2]
[Strength +2]
[Speed +2]
...

"Huff!"

Fang Qingyun let out a heavy breath, a trace of shock in his eyes. Upgrading his sword mastery had triggered a chain reaction. Of course, the consumption of Source Points was equally heart-wrenching.

5,000!

A full 5,000 points. The jump from Primary to Intermediate had only cost 300; the gap between these tiers was immense. More than ten times the cost! Naturally, the boost to his strength was equally significant.

[Host: Fang Qingyun]
[Class: Martial Artist]
[Level: Fifth Tier]
[Strength: 42 (+)]
[Speed: 42 (+)]
[Constitution: 42 (+)]
[Spirit: 50 (+)]
[Spirit Energy: 400 (+)]
[Shooting: Intermediate (+)]
[Blade Mastery: Primary (+)]
[Sword Mastery: Advanced]
[Spirit Energy Control: Primary (+)]
[Technique: Slaughter Manual (20 Cycles) (+)]
[Summon: Dragon King Lion]
[Source Points: 3236]

Sword mastery could no longer be upgraded, likely due to a lack of Source Points.

*Time to court death again!*

Of course, the prerequisite was to kick the poisonous snake in front of him aside. Fang Qingyun focused his gaze on the Snake King, his eyes sharp.

The Snake King wore a look of rare shock. "What did you do?"

In his perception, Fang Qingyun had changed in an instant. His aura had become profound and vast, his breathing like that of a giant beast. Was he approaching the level of a God-General?

"What exactly did you do?"

Fang Qingyun grinned, revealing white teeth that shimmered with a cold light. "Guess!"

The Snake King’s expression turned cold. "Still playing games? In that case..."

"Kill!"

Fang Qingyun roared, charging at the Snake King with his heavy sword. As he ran, he could feel the changes clearly. Endless power surged toward him—power vast enough to shatter mountains and crush stone!

*I can do it! I can fight this snake!*

With that thought, silver light began to flicker in Fang Qingyun's eyes. He pushed his mental energy to its absolute limit.

"Swish!"

The Snake King vanished. When he reappeared, he was right before Fang Qingyun.

"I see you!" Fang Qingyun shouted, relying almost entirely on instinct as he swung his greatsword down with all his might.

"Bang!"

A single gun barrel blocked Fang Qingyun's blade. The Snake King stared at Fang Qingyun with a look of surprise on his cold face.

*He forced me to use my weapon?*

Fang Qingyun’s heart sank. *A gun? The Snake King specializes in firearms?*

The Slaughter Manual flowed; blood-red energy permeated the air, eventually crystallizing into sharp arrows that pierced toward the Snake King.

"Bang!"

With a wave of his hand, the Snake King shattered all the arrows and reached out to grab Fang Qingyun. In the next heartbeat, his hand was clamped around Fang Qingyun’s throat.

Fang Qingyun pushed his body to its limit, breaking free from the Snake King's grip like a bolt of lightning, and retaliated with a sword strike. The Snake King frowned slightly; this time, he chose to retreat rather than meet the blow head-on.

"Now!"

The Devil's Eye in Fang Qingyun's palm flickered with light.

"ROAR!"

With a thunderous cry, Xiao Hei descended from the sky, slamming heavily into the retreating Snake King.

"BOOM!"

"My turn!"

Seeing this, Zhao Junhong bellowed, his aura surging once more, pushing him to the threshold of the high-level General rank.

"Slash! Slash! Slash!"

Zhao Junhong frantically unleashed blade waves, one after another.

"Rumble!"

Suddenly, the location where the Snake King stood erupted in an even larger explosion.

"Go!"

Seeing this, Fang Qingyun didn't hesitate. He grabbed Zhao Junhong, summoned Xiao Hei, and turned to flee.

*Are you kidding?* The Snake King had held the Beacon Fortress for decades, fighting the Demon race for just as long. What kind of battle hadn't he seen? It was said he once survived an ambush by three God-Generals and walked away unscathed.

For the two of them, their attacks were at most a surprise. Why stay and wait for death?

"ROAR!"

As Fang Qingyun’s power increased, Xiao Hei’s strength undoubtedly grew rapidly as well. It had clearly undergone another transformation. Its speed was immense, covering over a thousand meters in the blink of an eye.

"Huff!"

Zhao Junhong took a deep breath, his aura beginning to subside. Unsurprisingly, his level had broken through. He was now a first-tier General-rank martial artist. This was why, after his berserk state, his power was nearing the high-level General rank.

"How was it?" Zhao Junhong asked excitedly. "Our attacks must have had some effect, right?"

"Indeed, they had some effect."

A cold voice echoed above them.

The Snake King was flying in the air, staring down at them with icy eyes. "You've angered me. How should I reward you?"

"Damn it!" Zhao Junhong shuddered and immediately triggered his berserk state again.

The sight made the Snake King’s eyelids twitch. If it weren't for Fang Qingyun, Zhao Junhong would be a peerless genius. To become a General-rank at such a young age with such a heaven-defying physique—his life was like a cheat code! What was even more baffling was how casually he entered his berserk state.

*Does this guy have no side effects?*

Of course, even with Fang Qingyun present, Zhao Junhong’s brilliance could not be obscured.

"You, you..." Zhao Junhong stammered, looking up at the Snake King.

Compared to a moment ago, the Snake King’s clothes were only slightly ruffled. Injured? How could he be injured? Not a single hair had been harmed! Was that really the result of their all-out assault?

"Are you finished yet?" the Snake King asked coldly.

"No!"

As Fang Qingyun finished speaking, a gun appeared in his hand.

"Goodbye, snake!"

"Bang!"

The gun fired! A bullet flew toward the Snake King.

A third-tier bullet! A third-tier spirit energy sniper rifle!

The Snake King’s expression shifted slightly before turning cold. To the astonishment of both Fang Qingyun and Zhao Junhong, he actually reached out and caught the bullet.

"Pfft!"

Like withered leaves, endless spirit energy radiance flowed from the Snake King’s hand. When he opened his palm, it was completely unscathed.

Fang Qingyun couldn't help but swallow hard.

*This monster!*

A third-tier bullet, a third-tier sniper rifle, and the bullet itself was crafted from the power of the Slaughter Manual. And he caught it with his bare hands? Was this guy even human?

"Get down!"

The Snake King barked a command, and a massive sonic wave slammed into them, flipping them over. As Xiao Hei continued to sprint at high speed, the two of them tumbled across the ground like rolling gourds.

"Scram!"

The Snake King landed. Xiao Hei roared and charged again. The Snake King, impatient, fired a single shot at it.

"Bang!"

The shot rang out, and the bullet pierced through Xiao Hei's head. It crumbled into ash on the spot.

"Gulp!"

Zhao Junhong stared at the Snake King, dumbfounded. If anyone ever called him a monster again, he’d break their teeth!

The Snake King looked down at them from above. "Now, are you clear-headed yet?"

"Awoooo!"

That sound came from Zhao Junhong, nothing to do with Xiao Hei. *Damn it, we really can't beat him.*

Fang Qingyun’s face twitched. *What now? The gap in strength is just too great.*

"Sigh."

Seeing the two of them in such a state, the Snake King sighed helplessly. "Is a single decision really having that much of an impact on you?"

Fang Qingyun said coldly, "Over three hundred school students died, and a secondary fortress was sabotaged. The final result is that we are forced to hand over the culprit and help the other side whitewash their crimes. How are we supposed to answer to those who died?"

The Snake King remained silent for a long time before saying, "If it were me, I would agree, and then, once the dust had settled, I would strike from the shadows and kill Yin Ming."

Fang Qingyun instantly understood the Snake King’s plan. The benefits would be gained, the face of Duke Song would be saved, the objective would be achieved, and Yin Ming would still die. Duke Song wouldn't say anything. Yin Ming was just a grandson the Duke didn't value much; even if he did, it wouldn't matter. As a powerful, high-ranking marshal, why would the Snake King fear a Duke of the same rank?

As for those who died in battle, their families could naturally be taken care of. With the Snake King’s status, he had plenty of room to maneuver.

Fang Qingyun retorted with sarcasm, "Truly a seasoned way of handling things!"

The Snake King stared at Fang Qingyun. "Is that your answer? You still refuse to bow your head?"

Fang Qingyun said calmly, "Many things require justice, not just results."

Besides, the Snake King was miscalculating this time—or rather, he had never interacted with Yin Ming. He didn't know that Yin Ming was hiding his true depth. It was only after Fang Qingyun’s last period of seclusion, when his power had surged, that he had realized something was wrong. Before that, he hadn't even noticed.

"Results?" The Snake King murmured to himself, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.

"In that case, you may leave."

The Snake King said calmly, "I will issue you a new task, ordering you to carry out a covert mission."

"A covert mission?"

"Yes!"

After a brief moment of hesitation, the Snake King said, "You are to go to the Storm Continent."

"What the hell!"

Zhao Junhong’s eyes widened instantly. "Old man, if you want to kill us, just say so! The Storm Continent? Isn't that one of the main continents of the Demon race? The Demons have held control over that continent for thousands of years."

The Storm Continent was one of the oldest continents of the Demon race. Along with the Thunder Continent, they were known as the two core continents of the Demon race. Even during the peak of the Demon race's era, no one had managed to gain any advantage on these two lands.

Humanity, needless to say, had never even managed to set foot on them. Sending two human kids to that continent was no different from sending them to their deaths. It wouldn't be long before they were discovered.

And what would be the consequences of being discovered by the Demon race?