Chapter 59: The Mysterious Third Party

"Ah? What is this!"

Soon, as the dust settled, Rong Shan and Zhang Lingyu were both utterly shocked, their faces a mask of disbelief.

The fellow who had been standing there just moments before had undergone a complete transformation. His body had ballooned to nearly three meters tall, muscles writhing and bulging like knotted roots, his exposed skin stained a uniform, bloody crimson, and even...

Had he grown an extra pair of arms?!

"What kind of hard-qigong technique is this?"

"No, that's impossible!"

In an instant, countless questions flooded their minds. They searched the deepest recesses of their memories, yet could find no match for this bizarre method.

Before they could even react, the figure opposite them vanished in a flash. A sudden tightness gripped their chests, and an overwhelming pressure bore down from directly above!

Boom!

The next moment, a pair of bloody, colossal palms descended upon them. The ferocious gales generated by the strikes formed twin tempests that enveloped them completely, locking them firmly in place.

"High priests of Longhu Mountain, direct disciples of the Celestial Master—is that truly the extent of your abilities?"

A voice laced with disappointment echoed in their ears, igniting a surge of fury within them. Both men instantly unleashed their true qi to its absolute limit, and thunder crackled violently through the air!

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

"Summon the lightning!"

Without a moment's hesitation, as the two of them forcefully burst through the barrier of wind pressure using their thunder-qi, Rong Shan let out a roar, utilizing his personal thunder technique to commune with the electrical might of the heavens.

Under normal circumstances, his cultivation level would certainly have fallen short of this feat. But with the heavenly lightning already brewing and surging like a torrential flood, he was able to borrow the majestic might of heaven and earth!

Crack—

In a flash, a bolt of lightning split off from the thunderclouds above and plummeted downward, striking Xiao Zizai with pinpoint accuracy, sending a jolt of tingling numbness through his entire frame.

"So this is heavenly lightning... Not bad."

Naturally, a single bolt of lightning was far from enough to subdue him. He simply spread his four arms wide and lunged toward the two of them simultaneously!

"Dragon Draws Water!"

Whoosh—

At this point, Xiao Zizai had no intention of wasting any more time lingering with them. He could clearly see that they had exhausted their strongest methods, and at most, they could only summon a few more bolts of lightning.

His mission this time was simple: dispose of these two first, then block the stray fish attempting to rush forward and vie for the prize. The disciples of Longhu Mountain were merely appetizers; the main event was still yet to come!

"If this is all you've got, you might as well take a little nap..."

Thud!

In the blink of an eye, their heads were seized in his grasp. Controlling his strength precisely, he smashed them together in the middle, rendering them unconscious in an instant.

Swish—

With a casual toss, he hurled the two of them out of the lightning's range. Their bodies traced a graceful parabola through the air before plunging into the thicket beside them.

Clap, clap!

Xiao Zizai dusted off his palms.

"Just what on earth is that fellow?!"

Having witnessed the entire spectacle from the shadows, several fox immortals could not hide their astonishment. In their long and ancient years, they had witnessed countless extraordinary people and strange techniques, yet they had never laid eyes on anyone capable of such a grotesque physical metamorphosis.

Regardless of his identity, his strength undoubtedly ranked among the absolute pinnacle of humankind. The old foxes exchanged a series of knowing glances, silently guessing at his true background and motives.

"Judging by his appearance, this fellow isn't someone from the Company, nor, as far as I know, is he hired by the Gao family boy. That means... he's a third-party player?" Hu Tianbiao analyzed immediately.

"Even though he can transform, he still appears to be human. Returning the immortal essence to his kind yields no benefit. So why would he..."

Even with the sharp wits of the old foxes, this conundrum defied simple logic. Ultimately, they could only narrow it down to two plausible conclusions:

First, a lingering grudge from the pugilistic world, though he hadn't dealt fatal blows, making this less likely.

Second, this fellow was after something specific from Liu Tianhong, which explained his abrupt appearance at such a juncture.

Yet...

"What on earth is he trying to get?"

They were left completely in the dark.

Not only the old foxes, but the Company, the Gao family, and even Gao Lian—who was still observing from a distance—had noticed this bizarre, sudden apparition, their gazes narrowing sharply.

"Where did this fellow crawl out from?"

At the same time, a ripple of unease stirred within Gao Lian's heart, a sudden premonition of disaster blooming in his chest. He knew this unexpected variable required immediate intervention, but the chaotic situation, coupled with the terrifying display of power from that stranger, left him paralyzed for options.

With no other choice, his figure flickered as he entered the fray himself. He would assess the circumstances on the fly; if necessary, he would immediately invite Grandpa Hu to possess his body, which should be sufficient to handle the crisis...

In any case, the Hu family maintained strong internal solidarity, and their senior ancestors of the Tian generation would willingly share the twenty percent share they managed to seize. The moment one of them managed to break through first, the outcome would be sealed.

Meanwhile, what heightened everyone's vigilance was that after dealing with Zhang Lingyu and his senior brother, the "monstrous" entity simply stood completely motionless, as if quietly waiting for something.

Without a doubt, he, much like them, was biding his time until the heavenly tribulation came to an end. This only served to validate the old foxes' suspicions, causing them to scheme and calculate in secret.

However, it was not long before the attention of both mortals and immortals was once again drawn back to Liu Tianhong. At this moment, battered by the relentless bombardment of heavenly lightning, the innate qi within its body was nearly depleted, pushing it to the brink of death at any second.

As if to confirm their judgment, the thunderous might in the skies began to gradually recede, eventually acting like a silken thread being drawn out, stripping away Liu Tianhong's final remnants of innate qi strand by strand.

A few minutes later...

Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble—

The lightning subsided, and the patter of rain returned, as though mourning the crimson giant serpent, or perhaps striving to wash away its past and scrub away the traces of its very existence.

Amidst this rainstorm representing finality, the last sliver of innate qi deep within the serpent's body flickered like a candle in the wind, drenched in water. The faint spark sat less than a hair's breadth away from the water's surface, its glow rapidly fading.

And at that exact fraction of a second...

"!!!"

Every single immortal in the vicinity felt their blood boil, their eyes blazing like fire. Without a single moment of hesitation, they unleashed their respective arts and charged forward...

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The Company operatives and Gao family members tasked with blocking them knew that the true battle of attrition had finally arrived. Aside from a few employees rushing over to check on Zhang Lingyu and his senior brother while frantically trying to revive them, everyone else erupted with their true qi, holding nothing back!

"Step aside! All of you, get out of my way!"

"Are you brats tired of living?!"

"People from the Company, what on earth are you trying to pull?"

"You Gao family pups—very well, the old Hu family won't forget this!"

In an instant, an overwhelming wave of fury and shouts erupted across the valley. The advancing immortals were intercepted one by one, glaring with murderous rage yet unable to take another step forward.

Even the senior ancestors of the Tian generation from the Huang, Liu, Gray, and Bai families found themselves blocked. The moment they made to move, a phalanx of Gao family members materialized before them, hands forming seals in unison...

"The disciples humbly invite the immortal!"