Chapter Ninety-Eight: Zeng Quan

"Hmph, how pathetic!" Zeng Quan let out a contemptuous snort at Le Dong.

He truly looked down on cowards like Le Dong, the sort of wretch who only knew how to hide behind others.

Le Dong, however, showed no shame at all. He only continued to cower behind Lin Yanghao.

"Cut the nonsense. Come at me if you've got the guts!" Le Dong shouted.

Seeing such despicable behavior, Lin Yanghao's disgust for him only deepened.

By now, Le Dong's shamelessness could already be counted as the greatest disgrace Lin Yanghao had ever witnessed.

He thought to himself that following Le Dong to the Heaven Martial Sect had probably not been a wise decision.

With character like Le Dong's, his father and the sect members could hardly be any better.

As the saying goes, a son's failure to be taught is the father's fault.

With such a brood of petty villains, how could any sect possibly flourish?

Still, at least he had never agreed to join the Heaven Martial Sect, and he could leave whenever he wished.

"Hmph. Even if you bring helpers, it still won't change your fate," Zeng Quan said, staring hard at Lin Yanghao.

Only then did Zeng Quan truly begin to regard the man beside Le Dong.

At first, he had assumed Lin Yanghao was merely an ordinary disciple of the Heaven Martial Sect, one of Le Dong's underlings.

He had not expected that a closer look would reveal a master at the pseudo-core realm, and it was clear that Lin Yanghao was not Le Dong's subordinate at all.

If anything, it seemed to be Le Dong who held Lin Yanghao in a measure of awe.

But Zeng Quan still did not place Lin Yanghao in his eyes. Though they were both at the pseudo-core realm, he had full confidence in himself.

Like Le Dong, he was the young master of a small sect, the Supreme Origin Sect.

But unlike Le Dong, Zeng Quan possessed a rare and powerful spiritual root talent: thunder and fire.

A dual spiritual root was already enough to earn the title of a cultivation genius, though it still could not compare with a heavenly spiritual root. Yet heavenly spiritual roots were so rare as to be almost legendary.

Among his dual roots, Zeng Quan also possessed a mutated thunder root, making his talent even stronger than that of an ordinary dual-root cultivator.

At only thirty years of age, he had already cultivated to the pseudo-core realm, and with a thunder-based technique at his command, he could indeed be called a genius.

Ordinary pseudo-core cultivators were no match for him, and he could even contend with a core-forming cultivator for a time.

So naturally, he thought even less of Lin Yanghao.

Lin Yanghao did not want conflict with Zeng Quan. He was an outsider to begin with, forced into this mess by that damned Le Dong.

When Zeng Quan attacked, Lin Yanghao had no choice but to counter.

"Zeng Quan really is no ordinary opponent. His thunder techniques are superbly refined. If it were anyone else, they would certainly not be his match." After just one exchange, Lin Yanghao had already learned so much.

The reputation of the mutated thunder root was indeed well deserved; it was far beyond what ordinary spiritual roots could compare with.

Yet although Zeng Quan appeared calm on the surface, his heart had already become a stormy sea.

He scarcely dared believe it. Lin Yanghao's strength had far exceeded his expectations.

"Thunder Slaughter of Spirit Accumulation!" Zeng Quan roared, unleashing this move while a trace of contempt flashed in his eyes.

This Thunder Slaughter had been acquired only after untold hardship.

Countless cultivators had fallen beneath Zeng Quan's Thunder Slaughter.

So he did not believe for a moment that Lin Yanghao could escape his grasp, no matter how strong he might be.

"Hmph, you really are underestimating me," Lin Yanghao thought, taking in every move with perfect clarity. Though he had not even used the Divine Combat Art, Zeng Quan still was no match for him.

After several more exchanges, Zeng Quan's power surged when he unleashed Thunder Slaughter of Spirit Accumulation, but how could he compare with Lin Yanghao's monstrous strength? In the end, he was still defeated.

Even at the moment of defeat, Zeng Quan refused to believe that he had lost to someone of the same realm.

His entire body seemed dazed, still unwilling to accept the reality of his failure.

"Go. We have no grudge between us, and I will not kill you," Lin Yanghao said calmly, glancing at Zeng Quan on the ground.

Lin Yanghao had only just arrived and did not wish to make enemies right away. Besides, Zeng Quan at least fought openly and aboveboard, far better than Le Dong's vile conduct.

When he had first entered the Southern Region, it was precisely because he had fallen into enmity with the Wang Family that so many later troubles had arisen. In the end, it had all been due to his own youthful impetuosity.

"You're really letting me go?" Zeng Quan asked in disbelief.

He had already prepared himself for death, so when he heard that Lin Yanghao intended to spare him, he could hardly believe it.

He looked at Lin Yanghao with gratitude, thinking that his earlier judgment had indeed been correct. Lin Yanghao was truly different from Le Dong.

"Lin Yanghao, how can you let him go? You should kill him to prevent future trouble!" Seeing that Lin Yanghao truly intended to release Zeng Quan, how could Le Dong possibly let it rest?

From childhood onward, Le Dong and Zeng Quan had been sworn enemies. Later, when Le Dong found himself far inferior to Zeng Quan, his jealousy drove him to the point that he had longed for Zeng Quan's death.

But how could Lin Yanghao possibly obey Le Dong's command?

By now, Lin Yanghao had already decided that it would be best to leave Le Dong behind. Traveling with such a villain filled him with disgust.

"Hmph. Once you return with me to the sect, with my father taking charge, won't your techniques, along with everything else you have, become mine? By then, you will pay for everything you have done today," Le Dong thought darkly.

If Lin Yanghao knew what Le Dong was thinking, he would probably strike him dead on the spot.

"Thank you. You are different from Le Dong. You are an upright man. I advise you to leave Le Dong as soon as possible, or one day he may devour you until not even your bones remain. I will remember today's kindness, and if I have the chance, I will surely repay it in the future," Zeng Quan said, struggling to his feet and cupping his hands toward Lin Yanghao.

At the same time, he resolved that once he returned, he would train even more diligently and strive to defeat Lin Yanghao the next time they met.

If Zeng Quan knew that Lin Yanghao had not even used his full strength in their battle, he would likely have been devastated.

This farce had come swiftly and gone just as quickly; before long, Zeng Quan had vanished from Lin Yanghao's sight.

Lin Yanghao turned back and saw the unmistakable anger on Le Dong's face.

"Hmph." Lin Yanghao sneered inwardly. He had now decided to find out exactly what Le Dong was hiding. Even Lu Chen and Zeng Quan wanted it so badly, it had to be something extraordinary.

Since that was the case, Lin Yanghao had every reason to take an interest in it.

He might as well regard it as repayment for saving your life.