“The Force of Deterrence… It is a skill of someone who has attained at least the Martial Guru level. Is this man a Martial Guru as well?”

“Ridiculous… It’s just ridiculous! A Martial Guru who is less than 30 years of age? What is going on with this world?”

“Pull back, quickly!”

The martial art exponents who attended the God Weapon Conference hurriedly retreated even further. They were in an area where a dangerous, ravaging sandstorm was brewing. Winds blew at them so hard from all directions that they lost their balance. Xiao Luo’s overwhelming power had them all in fear. Nobody had expected a person with a cultivation level far higher than any of them to show up at the conference.

Xiao Luo was infuriated, and the True Inner Force within his body surged uncontrollably. He glared at Lu Yang and sneered, “You say that I am a demon—then a demon, I shall be. What are you going to do about it?”

Then he thrust forward his hand and executed a destructive palm attack.

SCREECH!

The raging power from his palm morphed into a falcon with outstretched wings spanning ten feet. Screeching, it darted toward Lu Yang. Wherever it passed, the ground crumbled inch by inch, leaving a trail of swirling dirt and gravel.

Lu Yang was horrified. With his age-worn eyes wide open, he used all of his strength to execute a defensive counter-strike with his palm. The immense surging power from his palm transformed into a ray of green light that sped toward the falcon, baring fangs and brandishing claws. The two forces collided with substantial force.

KABOOM!

A loud, earth-shattering clap erupted. The ground beneath the collision caved in, and the blast created a large pit nearly two feet deep.

Lu Yang’s body quivered, and he staggered backward in rapid steps. He found his balance only after the other Dwarven Elders had gone to his aid. The blood from his chest surged to his throat, then he lost control and spat out a mouthful of thick blood.

The onlookers watched from afar, not daring to even step close to the edge of the battle. All those at the conference were in shock. They knew that Lu Yang was at the peak of the Martial Emperor stage. He was only a step away from being a Martial Guru. But there he was, injured after only a single strike from Xiao Luo. It was something beyond their imagination.

WHOOSH!

Xiao Luo vaporized into a phantom-like apparition. He immediately swept across tens of meters of space and lifted Lu Yang by the scruff of his neck with one hand. The other Dwarven Elders were relatively weaker in cultivation and got knocked down by the powerful aura emanated by Xiao Luo.

Lu Yang, who was some 1.2 to 1.3 meters tall, just like the Lord of the Soil and the Ground. He was powerless as he hung in mid-air with Xiao Luo’s firm grip around his neck.

“Those who triumph are the ones who write the history. It would seem they determine who is the righteous one, and who is evil. The winner will always be righteous, while the loser will forever be the evil one!” Xiao Luo said as he stared icily at Lu Yang.

Lu Yang stared back at him with fear in his eyes. He could not believe that Xiao Luo had reached such a terrifying level of strength.

“You are insane, young one!”

Lu De had originally been amiable and civil. But his demeanor had changed. In a commanding voice, he bellowed, “Release Elder Lu Yang!”

Suddenly, Lu De released a raging aura. To the surrounding spectators, it felt like a massive weight was pressing down on them. The pressure made it impossible for them to breathe normally.

“Should I help Luo or the Old Grandpa?”

Ghost was in a dilemma. Lu De had given her a god weapon she liked very much. Xiao Luo was the person she fancied and whom she constantly relied upon. It did not seem like a good idea to help either of them.

“What is there to help? Just stay here and watch. Help no one!” replied Duck Emperor.

Duck Emperor rolled his eyes up at her, then said with disdain, “Righteous… evil… anyone with a mouth can say those words. I can even say that I represent the Jade Emperor!”

He was mocking Lu Yang’s self-righteous remarks as if it was his right to determine righteousness from evil. It drove Duck Emperor mad every time Lu Yang opened his mouth.

Xiao Luo turned to face Lu De and replied, “What if I refuse?”

As he spoke, his fingers tightened around Lu Yang’s neck. The Elder flushed red as he felt his neck constrict. It was painful. A series of croaking noises came from his throat. Lu Yang felt as if his esophagus and trachea could no longer withstand the crushing grip and were about to burst apart.

“Then I shall destroy the Time-Space Bracelet!” Lu De shouted. He was frothing at the mouth and glared at Xiao Luo with rage. He was so furious his face was about to burst.

Xiao Luo froze when he heard that.

Fuming, Lu De added, “I have long noticed you care about this Time-Space Bracelet. To you, the Time-Space Bracelet is far more desirable than any other of our god weapons. Otherwise, you would never have only come forward when we introduced the Time-Space Bracelet. I will count to three. If you do not release Elder Lu Yang at the end of the count, you will never get the Time-Space Bracelet!”

Lu De held the Time-Space Bracelet in his palm. With his strength, he could destroy it with the greatest of ease.

Xiao Luo eyed him thoughtfully without responding.

“One…”

“Two…”

Lu De started counting down. Everyone had their hearts in their throats as he roared out the numbers. Lu De saw that Xiao Luo did not make any move to release Lu Yang after the count of two. He slowly clenched his fingers, preparing to destroy the Time-Space Bracelet.

“Mr. Lu De, if you dare to destroy the Time-Space Bracelet, I will slaughter all the dwarves in this entire city!”

Xiao Luo spoke in a voice steeped with murderous intent. Flickers of red flashes were pulsating deep within his eyes as a magnitude of bloodthirsty aura surged from his body.

At that moment, Xiao Luo did not appear to be a person but a dangerous and ferocious beast. In anger, Xiao Luo had unconsciously tightened his hold on Lu Yang. His fingers were like sharp blades piercing into Lu Yang’s throat. Lu Yang was struggling in misery as Xiao Luo was strangling him.

It was Lu De’s turn to be surprised. Even with his strength, he was not confident he could defeat this enigmatic and powerful young man standing before him. If the young man proceeded with the mass murder in Tarawa City, he would be powerless to stop him.

Lu De yelled, “You would not dare!”

“Why would I not? I am a demon in your eyes. Why would it be so surprising if I were to massacre an entire city?”

Xiao Luo felt very uncomfortable about holding the rage in his heart. He needed to vent it out. If Lu De destroyed the Time-Space Bracelet, he would surely turn Tarawa City into a sea of blood.

“You cursed thief!”

Lu De gritted his teeth. He slightly loosened the hand which was clenching the Time-Space Bracelet, fearing that he might accidentally crush the god weapon.

At that moment, Duck Emperor saw an opportunity. He flew out from Ghost’s pocket, turned into a flash of light, and shot toward Lu De. He grabbed the Time-Space Bracelet with his web feet and flew into the air.

“Darn kid, I got the Time-Space Bracelet. Hurry and praise me. Quack, quack…” Duck Emperor whooped, seeking credit from Xiao Luo.

Xiao Luo felt happy when he saw what Duck Emperor did. Then his expression quickly changed, and he shouted out a warning, “Move away!”

When Duck Emperor looked down, he was so unnerved that he flinched in surprise. Lu De had executed a palm attack. The energy force turned into blazing flames and swooped toward the duck like a fiery monster with its flaming mouth open.

He immediately tried to dodge, but it was too late. The fiery monster struck him. The feathers on his left-wing and abdomen instantly scorched, revealing charred flesh. Blood oozed from the wound, and his flesh looked severely burned.

“Duck Emperor!” screamed Ghost.

She quickly leaped forward to catch him as he plummeted from the sky.

Lu De flew up into the air in an attempt to retrieve the Time-Space Bracelet.

Xiao Luo immediately let Lu Yang go. He flew into the air swiftly to catch the Time-Space Bracelet as well.

His True Inner Force turned scarlet red. The scarlet was so dark in intensity that it looked black. When he flew up, he looked like a bolt of black lightning. Lu De was glowing green from head to toe. All the onlookers saw were two bolts of light shooting into the sky. One bolt was black and the other green. Both were competing to reach the Time-Space Bracelet before the other.