Chapter 171: 171. One roar defeats three people!

“Damn! You’ve got a lot of nerve!”

“Look at this temper of mine! If it weren’t for a direct order from the higher-ups, I’d have beaten the shit out of you!”

“Ying Bufan! Don’t you dare say the four of us are ganging up on you. If you’ve got the guts, take us on one-on-one!”

As their words fell, Zhang Ao opened his mouth but found himself powerless to retort, only managing to hang his head in silence. In contrast, the expressions on Huang Liu and the other two soured as they started cursing and swearing. But for all their bluster, not a single one of them dared to make the first move. A dense fear was palpable in their eyes.

“Fine. One-on-one it is,” Lin Fan said, an eyebrow raising as he cast a slightly surprised glance at Sima Qin. He then offered, “I’ll even fight you without using my hands.”

This guy is ranked fourth, yet he’s the one with the most guts?

Lin Fan immediately clasped his hands behind his back and gave a casual nod. “Come on!”

“Uh…” Sima Qin’s mouth twitched, his heart trembling as he met Lin Fan’s eyes, which were now brimming with fighting spirit. He wanted nothing more than to raise a hand and slap himself across the face.

I knew I shouldn’t have talked so tough. Now he’s put me in an impossible situation. If I don’t dare to fight, how can I ever show my face in the Imperial Capital War Zone again? Not to mention, Mr. Xia Sr. and that dense crowd of warriors are all watching!

“Sima Qin, stop dawdling and get on with it!” Huang Liu and Ye Qiu were also speechless, glaring at him with annoyance. “Don’t you drop the ball and bring shame on the four of us!”

Just spouting a few empty threats would have been fine. Did you really have to go and challenge him to a one-on-one, you idiot? He just showed his hand to warn us to back down, not to escalate things! Even if we win, he’ll have done it without using his hands while we’re taking turns. There’d be nothing to brag about. But if we lose, it would bring eternal infamy, making us the shame of the Imperial Capital War Zone! We wouldn’t just fail the mission from our superiors; the bigwigs would chew us out! Everyone knows that while Lin Fan is officially a dead man, he’s still considered part of Mr. Xia Sr.’s faction. If we lose to Lin Fan, it’s the same as the leaders of the Imperial Capital War Zone losing to Mr. Xia Sr.!

“…Fine! Ying Bufan, you’re the one who said you wouldn’t use your hands. I’m not forcing you!” Sima Qin gritted his teeth and took two steps forward, hardening his resolve as he shouted. He was already in too deep to back down. Even if he wanted to surrender, the higher-ups from the Imperial Capital War Zone who were quietly watching would never allow it.

“In front of the Old Commander, I, Lin Fan, will not go back on my word.” Lin Fan glanced at the stern-faced Mr. Xia Sr. before nodding at Sima Qin.

It’s clear the Old Commander’s prestige in the Imperial Capital has slipped quite a bit. Even punks like these four dare to be so disrespectful to him? Fine. I’ll let the world see once more what it means for a tiger to retain its might even in death!

“You arrogant fool! This is the price for your insolence!”

The next moment, Sima Qin’s expression darkened as he charged at Lin Fan. The torrential aura of the Qi Condensation Early Stage erupted, sweeping across the field like a gale. The surrounding people squinted, their eyes stinging from the blast, raising their hands just to try and make out what was happening. However, no matter how hard they stared, not daring to blink, they couldn’t follow Lin Fan’s movements. He was too fast, like a bolt of lightning!

CRACK!

A pained scream cut through the air. Sima Qin, who had been charging forward with such ferocity, was sent flying backward, vomiting blood. He crashed heavily at the feet of Zhang Ao and his two comrades.

“Sima Qin!”

THUD!

The man’s body hit the ground, causing the other three to cry out in unison, their expressions changing drastically. Their eyes met, pupils shaking violently with terror. If Lin Fan had gotten the better of them before through their own carelessness, that was one thing. But this time, he hadn’t even used his hands. A single, casual kick was all it took to send Sima Qin, a warrior at the Qi Condensation Early Stage, flying.

The four of them were all of roughly equal strength. If Lin Fan could defeat Sima Qin in one move, he could just as easily crush the other three without breaking a sweat.

“Ye Qiu, you’re up!” Zhang Ao said, swallowing hard as he looked at Ye Qiu, whose face was a shifting palette of emotions.

“Ah… Let Second Brother go instead. I… I…” Ye Qiu’s mouth was dry. He shook his head desperately, turning to the pale-faced Huang Liu.

“Damn it, what are you scared of?” Huang Liu’s face twitched as he urged in a low voice. “Even if you lose, you still have me and old Zhang, don’t you?”

“Ye Qiu, be careful!” Sima Qin warned, clutching his chest where several ribs were broken as the others helped him up. “He’s far too strong! He was definitely hiding his true strength to bait us!”

At this moment, his regret was so deep it felt like it was twisting his insides. His heart filled with despair! I always thought Ying Bufan’s reputation was overblown and that he didn’t deserve it. Now that he’s severely injured me with a single kick, I finally understand what it means to gaze up at a mountain so high you can’t even fathom its peak!

“Gentlemen, I think we should stop here for today,” Mr. Xia Sr. said kindly as he and Tie Hao walked over. The old man shook his head. “If this continues, it won’t be easy for you to report back.”

“Old Xia, what are you trying to say? You think the soldier you trained has already won?” Zhang Ao shot back, his face flushing with shame and anger.

“You stay out of it!” Huang Liu’s expression was grim. He looked up at the sky and snorted. “This is a grudge between us and Ying Bufan. We have to settle this today!”

“Hmph! Mr. Xia Sr. is worried you’ll lose so badly you’ll get whipped when you return home!” Tie Hao’s face darkened, unable to hold back his anger any longer. “Not only do you not appreciate his concern, but you also dare to disrespect him?”

“Lose? How could we possibly lose?” Seeing that all pretenses were dropped, Ye Qiu also became furious, rolling his eyes. “Ying Bufan! You love showing off, don’t you? If you have the guts, try fighting without using your hands or your feet!” he yelled at the expressionless Lin Fan, forcing himself to appear calm.

A ripple of derisive laughter passed through the black-uniformed warriors, provoked by such a shameless demand.

“What are you laughing at? What’s so funny?!” the blue-uniformed warriors retorted, their faces beet-red with humiliated fury. “He’s the one who wanted to act tough! What’s the big deal if he doesn’t use his feet either?!” But any discerning eye could see the lack of conviction in their flickering gazes and weak voices.

“Hmph. You four really bring honor to the Imperial Capital War Zone,” Mr. Xia Sr. said, his anger finally showing. He stopped trying to persuade them and retreated to his original spot with an incensed Tie Hao.

“I’m tired of wasting time,” Lin Fan said, his eyes turning icy as he shook his head in disdain. “How about this: I won’t use my hands or my feet. I’ll just stand here and let you three wastes come at me all at once.”

“Good! You said it yourself! Don’t blame the three of us for attacking together!”

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Hearing this, Zhang Ao, Huang Liu, and Ye Qiu exchanged glances, their hearts filled with secret elation.

Damn. Show-offs really do get struck by lightning! Serves you right, you bastard. We’re going to teach you a proper lesson! Not using his hands or feet? How is that any different from just waiting to die?

In an instant, they let go of the heavily injured Sima Qin and, ignoring the strange looks from the crowd, charged toward Lin Fan like three speeding locomotives. The wind howled and sonic booms echoed! The three Qi Condensation Grandmasters moving in unison kicked up a veritable typhoon on the field. The crowd stumbled back in alarm, wincing as the gale-force winds stung their eyes. The hems of their clothes whipped about violently, refusing to settle.

“Is that all?”

From the heart of the chaotic assault, Lin Fan’s indifferent voice emerged.

“SCRAM!”

A deafening roar erupted like a thunderclap on a clear day.

“AH—!!”

“Aah… my ears! My ears!”

THUD! THUD! THUD!

The three formidable bodies, charging with astonishing momentum, froze abruptly three feet from Lin Fan. Then, all at once, they flew backward vomiting blood, their features twisted in agony as they writhed on the ground, blood streaming from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths.

HISS…!!

The sight left everyone, who were already clutching their ears in pain, completely and utterly dumbfounded. A wave of horrified, sharp intakes of breath swept through the crowd.

He defeated three War Gods with a single roar? What kind of terrifying, heaven-defying power was this?

As expected of the Heavenly Pride War God who once single-handedly suppressed an entire army. Only a figure of his caliber was worthy of a state funeral!

Seeing their former comrade display such divine might, the black-uniformed warriors were overcome, tears streaming down their faces as they dropped to one knee in a great, dark wave. They felt aggrieved for Lin Fan, filled with sorrow, helplessness, and a profound sense of desolation.

“This… this…” The blue-uniformed warriors exchanged glances, their faces filled with resignation. He was, after all, a great hero who had served his country with utter loyalty. Even though times had changed and his star had faded, what right did a mere mortal have to look down on a former god?

“Old Commander, I implore you to intervene! Let the Young Marshal stay in the Imperial Capital! Give him a chance!”

THUD!

Tie Hao could no longer restrain himself. With red-rimmed eyes, he knelt before the conflicted Mr. Xia Sr. and pleaded.

“We beg the Old Commander to give the Young Marshal a chance!” the sea of kneeling, black-uniformed warriors echoed in a thunderous chorus.

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