362: Battle with the Tongxuan Realm

For a long time, the inexplicable disappearance of his talent had been a scar in Xiao Ran's heart. He had pondered countless times in the dead of night, wondering what exactly caused him to fall from a gifted genius to a good-for-nothing in everyone's eyes.

He never expected that the culprit behind all of this was none other than the Jiang City Lord, who usually held himself in such high regard.

At this moment, besides anger, Xiao Ran felt more of a sense of humiliation from being deceived and toyed with.

He clenched his fists tightly, and the battle armor's gauntlets couldn't help but emit a sizzling, rubbing sound.

"That's right, it was me."

Jiang Bei looked triumphant, not bothering to hide his actions.

"Ever since you injured my son, I've harbored resentment. I specifically arranged for a confidant to secretly poison the cultivation resources provided to you at school. This poison is extremely subtle, colorless and odorless. As long as you ingest it long-term, your talent will gradually weaken, like a corroded tall building, until it completely disappears..."

Jiang Bei slowly paced, every word like salt rubbed into Xiao Ran's wound.

"Aren't you a genius in everyone's eyes? Since you so cruelly injured my son's martial arts foundation and ruined his martial arts future, then I too will let you experience the taste of losing your talent, of falling from the clouds to the bottom of the valley! I'll let you feel what despair is!"

As Jiang Bei spoke, a twisted smile appeared on his face, filled with the exhilaration of revenge.

Xiao Ran, however, seemed to have been drained of all sound at this moment. He gritted his teeth, unable to utter a single word, only staring intently at Jiang Bei, his gaze seemingly able to shoot fire, the rage in his heart having burned to its peak, almost consuming him whole.

"Hmph, what a pity, what a pity. You really are an ungrateful brat."

Jiang Bei withdrew his smile, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.

"Without your talent, I originally thought you would honestly remain a cripple, but I never expected you to come up with such a strange battle armor. This battle armor clearly isn't simple, and it might bring me trouble in the future. So, I'm truly sorry, but I cannot allow an hidden danger like you to live."

After Jiang Bei finished speaking, he waved his hand slightly backward, and the Black-Robed Persons behind him immediately fanned out, surrounding Xiao Ran. A fierce battle was about to erupt.

To be honest, at first, Jiang Bei's only intention was to make Xiao Ran fall from the high altar of genius, to become a complete cripple, spending the rest of his life in endless decadence and destitution, thereby retaliating for Xiao Ran's harm to his son.

In his imagination, a person who lost his talent was like a bird with broken wings, unable to stir up any more trouble.

However, things are unpredictable. Who would have thought that Xiao Ran would be like an unkillable cockroach? Even after losing his talent, he still had unexpected trump cards.

He actually managed to successfully kill a first-rank high-grade fierce beast like the Armored Bear through some mysterious means, and he also possessed a mysterious battle armor.

This greatly shocked and intimidated Jiang Bei.

How powerful is a first-rank high-grade fierce beast? Even a Profound Penetration Realm expert would have to be extremely careful when facing it, and might even lose his life.

But Xiao Ran did it. This immense potential hidden within him was like a ticking time bomb, making it impossible for Jiang Bei to spare his life.

In Jiang Bei's view, Xiao Ran was like a potential threat that could erupt at any time. If he wasn't eliminated early, he would surely bring endless trouble in the future.

He knew that for such a person, he must nip the problem in the bud to truly feel at ease.

Thinking of this, a hint of determination flashed in Jiang Bei's eyes. He slowly raised his hand again and waved it forcefully.

With his movement, one of the surrounding Black-Robed Persons, like a phantom, swiftly attacked Xiao Ran.

The Black-Robed Person's speed was extremely fast, his figure flickering in the night, bringing with it a whistling wind.

At this moment, Xiao Ran's heart was already burning with rage, like a volcano about to erupt.

Seeing another person attack, how could he retreat even half a step?

He stared with wide eyes, flames of anger burning within them, and let out a furious roar, like an enraged lion, charging straight at the Black-Robed Person.

In an instant, the two became entangled in combat.

Under the moonlight, fists and feet intertwined, and the wind whistled.

The Black-Robed Person's attacks were sharp and swift, each punch carrying immense force, attempting to defeat him in one move. Xiao Ran, however, showed no weakness. With the aid of his battle armor, he flexibly dodged the opponent's attacks, while also seizing opportunities to retaliate, exchanging punches and kicks, fighting to a standstill.

The other Black-Robed Persons merely surrounded them, preventing Xiao Ran from escaping.

The entire mountaintop echoed with the sounds of their fierce struggle, dust flying, the atmosphere tense to the extreme.

The two's fierce battle grew even more intense, the surrounding air seemingly unable to withstand this powerful force, emitting dull sonic booms, like dense drumbeats, pounding on the silence of the night.

Each clash of fists and palms erupted with a powerful current of air, blowing sand and dust everywhere.

"This battle armor is truly amazing!"

Jiang Bei, watching the fight, couldn't help but frown, a hint of surprise and greed flashing in his eyes.

He had originally thought that the mysterious battle armor on Xiao Ran could at most withstand the attacks of an Inner Breath Realm expert, but the scene before him far exceeded his expectations.

The Profound Penetration Realm sixth-layer Black-Robed expert before him couldn't take down Xiao Ran for a while; the two went back and forth, in a stalemate.

Jiang Bei mused to himself that if he could claim this battle armor for himself, it would undoubtedly be like adding wings to a tiger, and his influence in this area would surely rise to a new level.

This temptation intensified his desire for the battle armor.

"Damn it, all of you go to hell!"

The rage in Xiao Ran's heart burned fiercely, like surging magma about to erupt.

With the added boost of his anger and the power of his battle armor, he fought with increasing ferocity, each move containing an overwhelming momentum.

His figure moved like lightning, his fists whistling, his attacks growing sharper.

As the battle escalated, the shockwaves generated by their fight spread out like raging hurricanes, centered on them.

The powerful force directly impacted the mountaintop beneath their feet. The once-hard mountaintop was instantly shorn away by an invisible giant blade, a layer of it removed, rubble rolling, dust flying, creating a breathtaking scene.

This fierce battle between Xiao Ran and the Black-Robed Person had already become a contest of strength and will, and the entire mountaintop was engulfed in this intense storm.

In this thrilling and intense battle, Xiao Ran, relying on the continuous energy provided by his battle armor, gradually gained the upper hand.

Although the Profound Penetration Realm Black-Robed Person resisted with all his might, he ultimately found it difficult to sustain under Xiao Ran's storm-like attacks.

Gradually, the Black-Robed Person's body became covered in wounds of various sizes, blood continuously gushing from them, staining his black robe crimson.

Finally, he could no longer bear it, and with a "thud," he collapsed to the ground, covered in blood, his fate unknown.