"Captain!"
"Captain!"
Seeing Rosie Ning sent flying, Wes Wei and the female teammate both tensed up, unable to hold back their cries of alarm. Their faces were full of worry and concern.
While still airborne, Rosie Ning sensed someone behind her. She tried to twist her body midair, but Mason Wang was chasing her relentlessly like a shadow, raising his fist and repeatedly aiming strikes at her abdomen.
Rosie Ning had no choice but to grit her teeth against the stabbing pain in her shoulder and kick out twice in succession.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two consecutive collisions sent tidal waves of force crashing into her, making it even harder for Rosie Ning to control her body as she hurtled toward Ian Song at even greater speed.
Helpless, Rosie Ning could only call out urgently, "Get out of the way!"
Hearing this, Ian Song stopped in his tracks, then raised his hand and struck out with a palm, landing squarely on Rosie Ning's back. He completely neutralized the force within her body. With a soft thud, she fell directly into Ian Song's arms.
A warm, fragrant beauty landed in his arms, but Ian Song didn't take advantage of the moment—he simply helped her to her feet.
Just then, Mason Wang came after them again.
A cold, fierce light flashed in his eyes as his fists became a blur of afterimages. The terrifying force of his blows made the air crackle, and his attack swept toward Rosie Ning like a tidal wave, faintly enveloping Ian Song in its momentum as well.
"Young Master, look out!"
Rosie Ning let out a soft cry and moved forward to meet the attack.
Her right shoulder bone was almost completely shattered, leaving her right arm useless in battle. She could only force herself to swing her left arm, striking out repeatedly.
At that moment, a streak of finger-force shot out ahead of her.
"Pfft!"
A tiny streak of finger-force collided with Mason Wang's fist-shadows, producing a miraculous reaction—the fist-shadows instantly dissolved, while the finger-force kept going, its speed undiminished.
It shot forward...
"Bang!"
The finger-force struck him square in the chest, and Mason Wang let out a muffled grunt as he was sent flying, crashing to the ground more than ten meters away in utter disgrace.
This sudden turn of events stunned everyone present.
Right then, Wes Wei's excited voice rang out: "I knew it, I knew my bro was an expert!"
But Drake Li's expression grew cold.
Mason Wang climbed up from the ground, wanting to charge at Ian Song again.
"You're no match for him. Stand down!"
Drake Li's voice rang out.
"Yes, sir!"
Mason Wang let out a sigh of relief and quickly backed off. If someone could flick him away with a single finger, even by surprise, their cultivation far surpassed his—most likely a Sigilforge expert. He'd just been putting on a show earlier anyway. Now that Drake Li had given him an out, he wasn't stupid enough to challenge someone who might be Sigilforge Realm.
The next moment, Drake Li stepped forward, watching Ian Song with wary, cold, and slightly angry eyes. He cupped his fists and said, "I am Drake Li of the Madfish Crew. Who might you be, and why are you interfering in our dispute with the Rose-Sea Crew?"
Faced with Drake Li's questioning, Ian Song just smiled, totally unconcerned: "So what if I interfere? So what if I don't?"
Drake Li's face grew even colder at that. "If you leave now, next time we meet I'll treat you as a friend. But if you insist on interfering—hmph—my Madfish Crew isn't just for show!"
Clang!
Shing!
As soon as Drake Li finished speaking, his followers all drew their blades, fixing Ian Song with hostile stares.
Seeing this, Wes Wei couldn't help but tense up and quickly shouted, "Bro, as long as you help us, we can give you all six Fire‑Marrow Crystals as payment!"
He'd rather give the Fire‑Marrow Crystals to an outsider than let Drake Li have them.
Hearing Wes Wei's words, Drake Li was furious. He glared at Wes with murderous intent, then looked back at Ian Song. "Fire‑Marrow Crystals are nice, but you need to be alive to enjoy them. You're Sigilforge, but so am I—and I've got plenty of Origin Core experts on my side. Don't let a few measly crystals cloud your judgment!"
"Young Master, you should just go!"
Rosie Ning, having stabilized her injuries a bit, showed a hint of struggle in her eyes. She spoke to Ian Song; though he was their last hope, she wasn't willing to drag an innocent person into their mess.
Wes Wei looked at Rosie Ning in confusion. "Captain, you...!"
Rosie Ning cut him off. "This young master has nothing to do with all this—why drag him into our mess?"
"But—"
Wes Wei started to say more, but Rosie Ning shot him a glare, and he could only shut his mouth.
Seeing this, Drake Li looked much more pleased. "See? They don't even want your help. You'd better get going!"
Ian Song shrugged, totally unconcerned. "You tell me to come, I come; you tell me to leave, I leave? Wouldn't that be kind of lame?" He glanced at Rosie Ning. "Do you have any gold on you?"
Rosie Ning was stunned for a moment, then nodded in confusion. "Yes, I do!"
Ian Song said, "Give me one ounce of gold, and I'll teach these bastards a lesson for you!"
Rosie Ning: "..."
Drake Li: "..."
Everyone: "..."
Suddenly, Ray Zhou stepped forward, pointing at Ian Song and cursing, "You pretty-boy—are you looking for trouble? Who the hell do you think you—"
Smack!
A crisp slap rang out, and Ray Zhou screamed as he was sent flying. Midair, he spat out a mouthful of blood—along with a few pale yellow teeth.
Everyone instinctively looked at Ian Song, only to find that he hadn't moved an inch.
Only Rosie Ning, standing nearby, seemed to catch his body swaying ever so slightly. She was inwardly shocked: "If he really sent Ray Zhou flying with that slap, his speed is terrifying!"
"Well? Willing to spend an ounce of gold to let me handle your trouble?" Ian Song asked again.
"Deal! Not just one ounce—I'd give you ten thousand if you asked!" Rosie Ning didn't hesitate this time. She was certain this seemingly frail young man was a peerless expert.
"So, you really intend to go against me?"
With a roar, Drake Li unleashed his full aura. Behind him, a phantom image of a wild fish appeared, and everyone present felt a powerful pressure.
"Go against you?" Ian Song shook his head. "You're giving yourself too much credit."
As he spoke, Ian Song stepped forward.
With Ian Song's step, the incoming pressure instantly rebounded.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Hit by his own backlash, Drake Li's internal energy instantly spiraled out of control, rampaging through his body. Even with all his effort, he couldn't suppress the chaos, and ended up vomiting several mouthfuls of blood, collapsing completely.
For a moment, his gaze toward Ian Song was filled with shock. He realized he'd run into a brick wall—this guy wasn't just early Sigilforge, maybe not even late Sigilforge could compare.
Thinking of this, he hurriedly said, "Sir, we admit defeat. Please, just let us go!"
Boring!
Ian Song shrugged. "Each of you slap yourselves ten times, and I'll let you off."
Hearing this, Drake Li was furious, coughing up another mouthful of blood. "Aren't you going too far?"
Ian Song replied, "That's right—I'm bullying you!"
Drake Li: "...You...!"
Ian Song grinned. "I'll give you ten breaths to decide. If you don't slap yourselves, I'll do it myself—and trust me, you won't like that!"
"Captain, let's fight him!"
One of the Origin Core guys in the crew shouted.
"Yeah! Let's fight him!"
Hearing the two of them, Drake Li wanted to strangle those idiots. The guy hadn't even really made a move yet, and he was already half-crippled—how were they supposed to fight?
Meanwhile, Wes Wei and the female teammate were loving every second of it. This was karma in action—the arrogant Madfish Crew had just become someone else's prey.
"Time's up. Are you slapping yourselves or not?" Ian Song pressed.