Chapter 191 Purger of Power
Before Xiao Nian could react, she hurriedly covered her ears and shut her eyes.
In the next instant, a sound more powerful than the last exploded through the air, sending tremors through the withered trees surrounding the square.
Xu Liunian clenched her eyes shut, her head spinning. Even as the sound began to dissipate, the dizziness lingered, refusing to fade.
Chu Tianqiu, disregarding his own discomfort, fixed his gaze on the screen, his eyes wide as he slowly stood. "What in the world is this…?" He took a step forward, his eyes locked on the glowing text on the screen. "I have to find this person..."
Xu Liunian lifted her head in confusion, only to find another line of radiant text flashing on the screen.
"I hear the reverberation of {Purge All Power}!"
Chu Tianqiu took slow, deliberate steps toward the screen, muttering under his breath, "Purge All Power... wonderful... How wonderful... With this person's power, I’d be... but who exactly are you?"
Xiao Nian, standing nearby, sensed an indescribable aura from Chu Tianqiu.
A gentle breeze swept across the rooftop.
With a series of loud {cracks}, Zhang Shan's body seemed to come alive. Pushing with his hands, he managed to rise, lifting the enormous weight of the boulder as if it were nothing more than a light blanket lifted in the morning, letting the massive rock fall into the void below.
The massive boulder shattered a portion of the hemp rope before crashing forcefully into the ground, producing an ear-splitting sound.
Qiao Jiajin's body trembled slightly, and the stones binding him seemed to disintegrate like dandelion seeds, scattering into countless shimmering specks of light.
Both men rose at the same time, standing side by side. An aura of imminent danger radiated from them, palpable and overwhelming.
Xiao Xiao took a cautious step back.
What did those two tolls mean just now?
Had these two just activated their {Reverberation}?
Both men were already formidable fighters in their own right. If {Reverberation} had been added to their power...
"Ole Sun!" Xiao Xiao turned around and slapped him hard across the face. "Wake up!"
The slap was forceful enough to bring a slight clarity to Ole Sun's dazed gaze.
"Eh? W–What happened?" Ole Sun asked, still confused.
"We've got trouble! Get ready to act!"
Ole Sun snapped to attention and noticed that the two previously restrained individuals were now standing in front of them, perfectly unharmed.
"How’re they fine?!" Ole Sun shook his head in disbelief. "Don’t worry... leave it to me."
His eyes locked onto Qiao Jiajin, as he tried to psyche himself up for the task. "This bloke can’t move... he’s a monster stuck in stone... he can’t move..." Repeating the mantra to himself, something strange began to manifest around Qiao Jiajin.
Qiao Jiajin paid no attention to them, slowly extending his hand, his voice cold as he spoke, "Hey, don't cheat. Come over and settle this justly, determine the winner squarely."
As his words fell, spots of flashing light began to appear around him, gathering in an almost deliberate fashion. These spots seemed intent on gathering around his hands and feet, but each time they nearly succeeded, they scattered like dandelion fluff, drifting away.
"What's going on..." Ole Sun looked at Qiao Jiajin in disbelief, his gaze locked on him. "Why ain’t the stones grown on yer?"
"I told you," Qiao Jiajin repeated, his tone steady, "Let's settle this justly."
"You can dismiss others’ {Reverberations}...?" Xiao Xiao hesitated slightly, a strange sense of familiarity creeping over her as she observed the scene.
Her mind flashed back to the last time she personally went to {persuade} Qi Xia, when she had killed the tattooed man before her. She had added a large dose of metronidazole to her own soup bowl, rendering Qi Xia and his companions temporarily immobile. However, when she drove the nail-studded wooden plank into the tattooed man's skull, Qi Xia inexplicably regained his ability to move.
At that moment, Xiao Xiao had believed Qi Xia was powerful enough to disregard her {Reverberation}, but it now seemed that it wasn't Qi Xia's strength at all—it was the thug's. In his final moments, he seemed to release a faint surge of his {Reverberation}, but he died before he could hear the {bell's toll}, so he wasn’t able to retain his memories.
"So, the most dangerous person was you..." Xiao Xiao's gaze turned cold. "Truly terrifying..."
At this point, Zhang Shan slowly advanced, bypassing Qiao Jiajin, and stood directly before Xiao Xiao.
Qiao Jiajin sensed a gust of wind emanating from Zhang Shan, and the man's presence shifted in a strange way.
"No need to waste time with this woman..." Zhang Shan took a step forward, swinging his fist violently toward Xiao Xiao.
Seeing this, Xiao Xiao quickly steadied her breath and gathered all her focus to unleash {Adversity Shift}.
A massive, muffled sound echoed through the air. Xiao Xiao remained rooted to the spot, but Zhang Shan was sent flying a great distance.
The flight was nothing short of shocking—he soared a full eight meters before crashing heavily to the ground.
Such a dramatic flight was something only seen in movies.
A thin layer of cold sweat began to bead on Xiao Xiao's forehead. How could such a strength be real? Had her {Adversity Shift} failed just now, she would undoubtedly be dead.
"Ha—Hahahaha!" Regaining her composure, Xiao Xiao pointed at the distant Zhang Shan, her expression twisted into a manic grin as she laughed, "Lift a stone only to smash your own foot!"
She knew that even someone like Zhang Shan would be doomed if struck by such a powerful force.
"You brought this upon yourself, you—"
Before she could finish, Zhang Shan brushed the dust off his clothes and stood up.
His chest had been crushed in, yet now, the injury was visibly healing at an astonishing rate.
"If one punch doesn't do the trick, then two," Zhang Shan continued, unfazed, as he stepped forward again. "Let's see how many punches you can withstand."
"Damn..." Qiao Jiajin couldn't help but curse. "Buff lou, what are you..."
"Be careful, don't accidentally hurt yourself," Zhang Shan waved at Qiao Jiajin dismissively.
Qiao Jiajin instinctively stepped aside.
With that, Zhang Shan swung his fist once more. This punch cut through the air with such speed that it crackled with the sound of thunder.
"With this punch, it won't be me who dies...!" Xiao Xiao shouted, "It will be that thug!!"
Qiao Jiajin stood motionless, yet when Zhang Shan's fist collided with Xiao Xiao, his body erupted with countless flashing white sparks.
Xiao Xiao was stunned. She had clearly used Adversity Shift on that thug, yet somehow, he was unharmed.
"If two punches don't do the job, then three," Zhang Shan said calmly. "Go ahead, Adversity Shift away, and let's see who ends up the fool."
Xiao Xiao quickly scanned her surroundings. There were only four people on the bridge—who could she Adversity Shift this punch to?
Adversity Shift to Ole Sun?!
If he dies, wouldn't that make her even more vulnerable?
"Ole Sun! Raw Object!!" Xiao Xiao shouted.
Seeing Zhang Shan advance once more, Xiao Xiao was so terrified that she took several steps back.
Ole Sun hurriedly extended both hands and waved them at Zhang Shan. He closed his eyes, muttering incantations under his breath. "Crush you... crush you to death... the sky is full of stones... turn you into a pulp..."
"Hey!" Qiao Jiajin yelled, "Didn't I tell you not to cheat?!"
As the words left his mouth, countless glowing white flashes rained down from the sky, transforming the entire area into a dazzling starry expanse. Though the spectacle was grand, not a single stone appeared among the flashes of light.
"Oh... my ‘eavens..." Ole Sun opened his eyes in disbelief. He had expected a rain of stones, but all he saw were white sparks. "Wot in the world’s this?!"
"Ole Sun!!!" Xiao Xiao screamed again, her voice now hoarse.
Ole Sun immediately turned his head and reached out towards Xiao Xiao.
Muttering a few words, it took only a moment before Xiao Xiao's body was covered in a stone armor.
Zhang Shan paid no attention to Ole Sun, instead arching his torso and using every ounce of his strength to throw a punch.
Xiao Xiao squeezed her eyes shut and mobilized her belief once more. But the wind from Zhang Shan's punch howled around her, making it impossible for her to concentrate.
Who was she supposed to redirect this punch to?!
A muffled crash rang out again, but this time, it wasn't someone else who flew—Xiao Xiao was sent flying.