Chapter 494: You Shameless Couple, a Mixture of Anger and Hatred, Tantai Qing's Twisted Taste

“It’s useless. If you have any other tricks up your sleeve, use them now.”

Helian Wen’s fists swung wide, like a Demon God descending upon the world. Though his moves were simple, they were infused with a terrifying killing intent.

This was a deadly martial art honed in the crucible of life-and-death battles. Each punch carried a killing intent as immense as a raging river. Anyone with a weak will would have been trembling on the ground by now.

Tantai Qing’s brow furrowed. Seeing Helian Wen was dead set on killing her, she stopped retreating and met his attack head-on.

Her body began to glow, her skin turning whiter than jade. But in the next moment, layer upon layer of fine scales appeared, shimmering and contracting like a snake’s, glowing with an eerie, copper-like sheen.

Behind her, the massive phantom of a human-headed, snake-bodied figure appeared. It held a seal in one hand and a vase in the other, floating upon several acres of five-colored auspicious clouds.

“The Snake God’s inheritance? It seems you’ve had your own share of great fortune, Tantai Qing…”

Helian Wen was fearless. He charged forward, and the two clashed in a fierce battle. One was as ethereal as an immortal, the other as ferocious as a Demon God. Energy surged between them, erupting in one brilliant flash of divine light after another.

In a flash, they exchanged dozens of blows, locked in an inseparable struggle.

With his wild hair flying and an aura that could swallow mountains, Helian Wen let out a roar. He seemed to have found an opening in Tantai Qing’s defense. Switching from fists to palms, he traced a circle before him, forming a yin-yang pattern. One palm was dark, the other pure, and as they intertwined, they faintly evoked the Supreme creation of the yellow earth and azure heavens.

“Yellow Heaven Creation Palm…”

He let out a low growl, killing intent flashing in his eyes. This was the Lifebound Divine Technique he had comprehended in the Demon Abyss, a creative force born from desperation, capable of endless generation.

“Gah…”

The two palms merged, unleashing boundless power. A torrent of Palm Seals rained down, blotting out the sky and seeming vast enough to overturn the very earth.

One of the palms struck Tantai Qing. A sharp pain shot through her abdomen. She let out a muffled grunt from the impact, a trickle of black blood spilling from her lips as she was sent flying.

Seeing this, Helian Wen sneered with undisguised glee. “Tantai Qing, is this the end of the road for you? I thought you’d made great progress these past few years, but it seems your fame is unearned. You hypocritical woman. You should’ve spent less time building your reputation and more time improving your strength…”

The night wind whipped his robes as he strode forward. Deep, ink-black Runes flickered in his palm once more as he moved to seize the opportunity and end Tantai Qing’s life.

Tantai Qing steadied herself. Though her aura was rapidly fading and her injuries were severe, she casually wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth as if it were nothing.

She glanced at the black energy coiling around her arm, then clutched her aching stomach. A flash of realization and ridicule crossed her eyes before she shouted angrily, “How much longer are you going to stand there and watch?”

“Hm?”

Hearing this, Helian Wen froze. He stopped in his tracks, his expression instantly turning sharp and wary.

‘He’d been so careful when he arrived, scouting the area to make sure Tantai Qing was alone before revealing himself.’

‘Did she secretly call for backup? An Elder from the Elder Pavilion, perhaps? Her grandfather?’

‘But her tone didn’t sound like she was talking to her grandfather.’

At this thought, Helian Wen sneered. “Bluffing. Tantai Qing, have you really fallen this far? Are you trying to stall for time, waiting for someone to rescue you?”

Tantai Qing ignored him. Her lovely face was an icy mask as she clenched her fists and spat through gritted teeth, “Jiang Lan…”

Helian Wen froze again at the name, just as he was about to let out a derisive laugh.

But a calm, unhurried voice materialized behind him. “No need to shout. I’m right here, aren’t I?”

A chilling cold shot up Helian Wen’s spine, as if he’d been blasted by a wave of frigid air.

He whipped around to see a slender, white-robed figure had materialized behind him, sizing him up with a look of mild interest.

Helian Wen was, of course, all too familiar with this young man. For the past few days, there wasn’t a soul on Immortal Ascension Island who didn’t recognize him.

Of course, he was also incredibly easy to identify. Few men in the entire world could match his bearing and appearance.

“Jiang Lan…”

Helian Wen stared intently at Jiang Lan.

‘He had considered every possibility, but he never imagined Jiang Lan would show up here. What’s more, he hadn’t detected the slightest trace of his aura. It was as if he’d materialized from nothing.’

‘Could it be true what my master, Huangfu Hao, said? Is Jiang Lan’s power really greater and more profound than my own?’

‘But Helian Wen was more inclined to believe that Jiang Lan possessed some Exotic Treasure that concealed his aura, allowing him to evade detection.’

“Sixth Young Master Helian recognizes me? In that case, things should be much simpler,” Jiang Lan said with a smile, walking over at a leisurely pace.

Helian Wen, however, tensed as if facing a formidable foe. He stared intently at Jiang Lan, a terrifying aura beginning to emanate from him.

If Jiang Lan made the slightest move, he would strike with the force of a thunderbolt, holding nothing back.

“Jiang Lan, are you here to help Tantai Qing?” he asked coldly. He watched Jiang Lan walk toward Tantai Qing, not stopping him, but his gaze was frigid and laced with killing intent.

‘Others might fear the power behind Jiang Lan, but he didn’t care. What did someone with nothing to lose have to fear from those with everything?’

‘Worse comes to worst, he’d just bury Jiang Lan here, too. Who would ever know? In the eyes of the world, he was already a dead man.’

“And what if I do? What if I don’t?” Jiang Lan reached Tantai Qing’s side and gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

Tantai Qing just glared at him, still angry, clearly displeased that he had taken so long to appear.

Seeing their intimate gesture, Helian Wen’s eyes grew even colder.

‘Although he hated Tantai Qing to the bone and wanted nothing more than to kill her, she was, after all, the fiancée he had once deeply loved—the woman to whom he had been betrothed.’