176: Chapter 175 The Two Sides in a Standoff

Even though he had already fled dozens of miles away, Tian Hong's voice still reached Jian Wuhen's ears with absolute clarity.

"What bloody awful luck!! Entering this so-called Thunder Pool trial only to end up being hunted down! No, once I get back, I have to find something to wash away this bad luck!!" Jian Wuhen said with a dark expression, spitting to the side.

Meanwhile, seeing that his opponent had fled far away, Tian Hong shouldered his Pitch-black Iron Staff and crouched slightly.

In the next instant,

The entire ground beneath his feet collapsed with a boom. Centered on Tian Hong's feet, the ground for dozens of yards around cracked like a spiderweb. His figure shot out directly like a cannonball.

"How is this guy's speed so fast? I won't actually be caught, will I!" Jian Wuhen suddenly felt the other's aura rapidly closing in on him, getting nearer and nearer, causing his heart to tighten.

Still not fast enough!

He gritted his teeth, a look of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. Without any hesitation, he bit his fingers, and the essence blood within his body surged out frantically as he pressed down hard toward the front.

Buzz!

A palm-sized red sword light suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Go!! Whether I can escape today depends entirely on you!!" The palm-sized Blood Sword before Jian Wuhen seemed to feel his determination and sliced through the airwaves ahead, causing his speed to surge once again in a short time.

With the red sword light clearing the way, Jian Wuhen's figure pulled out a long, blood-colored trail of flame through the thick fog.

Fast!

Faster!

I must be faster!

Jian Wuhen did not feel fortunate about his constantly increasing speed; instead, his heart grew heavier. He could feel that the aura behind him was actually getting closer and closer, as if the opponent's speed was always superior to his own.

He didn't know how much time had passed.

Suddenly, a cold voice reached his ears.

"I say, have you run enough? If you've run enough, then prepare to die!"

Jian Wuhen's heart sank.

It was Tian Hong! He had caught up!

Sure enough, as soon as he turned his head, he found that the figure holding the iron staff had already appeared less than a hundred yards behind him, looking at him with a cold smirk.

"What should I do now!?" In an instant, many thoughts flashed through Jian Wuhen's mind, but not a single one could help him escape his current predicament. Finally, he could only shout out helplessly, "Don't forget the rules of the Temple—fellow disciples are forbidden from killing each other!!"

His words were both a reminder and a test.

Tian Hong's expression didn't fluctuate at all upon hearing Jian Wuhen's words because he didn't care in the slightest: "This is the Thunder Pool, not anywhere else. If you die, will anyone know it was me who killed you? And even if someone finds out, who would offend us of the Tianqi Continent for the sake of a person from the East Xuan Continent?"

After speaking, Tian Hong swung the Pitch-black Iron Staff with one hand and smashed it through the air toward Jian Wuhen's direction.

A massive staff shadow appeared out of thin air. The shadow was a full hundred yards long, blotting out the sun as it crashed down toward Jian Wuhen's head.

Wherever the staff shadow passed, the thick fog dissipated and the lightning was annihilated. This entire area emitted an ear-piercing explosion under the force of this strike.

Jian Wuhen's face instantly became extremely ugly; he had been locked onto by the opponent's aura.

This strike was unavoidable.

He couldn't escape, and it seemed he couldn't block it either!

"Damn you, I don't believe it!" He gritted his teeth and forced himself to raise the Iron Sword in his hand. The Sword Intent within his body surged out frantically, condensing into an incomparably dazzling sword light above his head.

But he knew in his heart that even if he could take this strike, he would surely be heavily injured.

The gap between the Creation Realm and the ninth level of the Tongshen Realm was like a natural chasm, even if it was just a single realm's difference.

The staff shadow drew closer, the pressure growing stronger. Jian Wuhen could even feel a stinging pain starting to prick his skin.

"Am I really going to fall here today? Brother Xia, Miaodi, which one of you hurry up and lend a hand!! I'll call you my big brother from now on!!"

"Amitabha~!"

A Buddhist chant suddenly rang out between heaven and earth.

It reached Jian Wuhen's ears, and naturally, it reached Tian Hong's ears as well.

"This voice... it really is Venerable Miaodi!!" The moment he heard this voice, Jian Wuhen's expression switched directly from great sorrow to great joy.

He was all too familiar with this voice!

"Venerable, save me!!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, using all his strength.

A brilliant Buddhist light suddenly lit up.

A massive golden handprint emerged from the depths of the thick fog, its five fingers spread wide as it lightly slapped against the hundred-yard staff shadow.

Boom!

A world-shaking explosion rang out.

The golden handprint and the hundred-yard staff shadow collided violently. A wild airwave swept out in all directions, and the surrounding thick fog was instantly cleared away, revealing several miles of clarity.

Immediately after, a figure slowly walked out of the fog and landed beside Jian Wuhen.

The newcomer was shrouded in a layer of faint Buddhist light, his aura as vast as the sea and unfathomably deep.

Indeed, it was Jian Wuhen's old acquaintance, Venerable Miaodi.

"Venerable! You've finally come! If you were a minute later, I'm afraid you would have had to collect my corpse today!!"

Jian Wuhen let out a long breath, looking as if he were completely exhausted, nearly collapsing to the ground. The way he looked at Venerable Miaodi was like looking at a savior.

Venerable Miaodi nodded slightly to Jian Wuhen, but his gaze soon fell upon Tian Hong nearby, a trace of solemnity flashing in his eyes.

"Benefactor, when it is possible to let someone go, one should do so. Why must you be so bent on slaughter?"

At this moment, Tian Hong's expression also changed from his previous contempt to one of seriousness.

He stared fixedly at Venerable Miaodi, a hint of wariness in his eyes. As a powerhouse of the Creation Realm, and from that brief clash just now, he could clearly feel that the strength of this monk before him was definitely on the same level as his own.

"And who are you? Could it be you are also from the East Xuan Continent!?" After a moment of silence, Tian Hong pointed his iron staff directly at Venerable Miaodi, looking as if he would strike immediately if things didn't go his way.

"This poor monk is Miaodi, a person of the East Xuan Continent." Venerable Miaodi pressed his palms together, his face showing neither joy nor sorrow, but a faint golden light flowed within his eyes.

Tian Hong frowned; he really was from the East Xuan Continent. How was it that this batch of newcomers from the East Xuan Continent entering the Temple was becoming more troublesome one after another!!

And to have such strength? How was this possible?

The two of them stood in confrontation like that, neither making the first move.