Chapter 149: The Blue and Red Crossed Scythe

Tang Tian, who was fast asleep, was woken up by some sort of noise.

He dazedly opened his eyes to find his face pressed directly against the ground, the hard bluestone slabs trembling slightly. Huh? Tang Tian instantly snapped to his attention. Such ground tremors could only mean one thing: a large crowd was running and stampeding.

Subconsciously following the bluestone pavement, his gaze stretched far into the distance. A tall, bronze-colored back came into his field of vision.

Tang Tian froze.

That is... the Saber-Toothed Tiger!

"Southern Cross Corps, advance!"

Bing’s hoarse, desperate shout echoed across the sky. Amidst the countless roars and battle cries, it sounded utterly desolate and lonely.

Uncle Bing... Tang Tian stared blankly at that retreating figure, a sudden ache gripping his heart.

With arms wide open, Bing seemed to tread upon the drumbeats of an indomitable charge, rushing headfirst into the torrent. Every push of his legs against the ground was executed with immense force. Within just a few strides, his speed exploded, and his silhouette abruptly blurred.

Swish, swish, swish!

The temperature of the tiger claws slicing through the high-speed air rose sharply, turning a glowing crimson. Immediately after, this fiery red spread rapidly from the palms along his outstretched bronze arms.

Tang Tian possessed astonishing visual acuity; he could clearly capture how the Saber-Toothed Tiger’s body maintained a breathtaking stability amidst the high-speed charge, straight as a spear. Suddenly, he gave a violent start—what was that?

A cyan glow erupted abruptly from the Saber-Toothed Tiger's body, growing brighter and brighter.

At that exact moment, the Saber-Toothed Tiger’s right leg stomped fiercely onto the ground. This step was unimaginably heavy, sinking the tiger's paws deep into the hard bluestone slabs as an astonishing burst of power erupted!

The Saber-Toothed Tiger’s figure completely vanished.

In Tang Tian's field of vision, nothing remained except a bizarre cross formed by a vertical cyan line and a horizontal red line!

The Cyan-Red Cross Sickle!

The cyan-red cross plunged directly into the oncoming, surging torrent.

Hiss!

The sound of tearing fabric remained clearly audible even amidst such a chaotic environment.

Tang Tian stared blankly at everything unfolding before him. The cyan-red cross was like a razor-sharp scythe that could sever a hair blown against its blade, silently piercing through the crowd as if cutting tofu.

Wherever the red blade and cyan blade swept, nothing could stop them for even a single moment; they passed through everything as easily as cleaving empty air.

Amidst the roars and screams, the cyan-red cross was quiet, without a sound.

It pierced silently through the entire street and came to a halt at the far end.

The Saber-Toothed Tiger’s outstretched, cross-shaped silhouette stood eternal as the ancients!

Thud, thud, thud!

Behind him, the entire street was like a giant blood vessel that had been slashed open, countless gushes of blood exploding in unison. The low walls and civilian houses on both sides collapsed from the middle, leaving behind smooth, neatly severed foundations. Screams of agony erupted abruptly within the chaos, sounding like a belated dirge.

Blood flowed like a river, and corpses littered the ground.

Along this long street, not a single warrior remained standing. Right down the middle of the bluestone pavement, a straight, deep slash wound sinuously from the starting point of the Saber-Toothed Tiger’s charge all the way to his current feet.

Everyone who witnessed this battle was destined to carry an unerasable nightmare in their hearts for the rest of their lives.

Clank, clank...

Heavy metallic footsteps trod through the debris and blood as he moved slowly forward.

Commander... the things you taught me, I haven't forgotten...

Inside the Saber-Toothed Tiger, Bing was weeping tears of grief.

***

The Battle of the Long Street shook Planet Feline.

The Wah brothers, ranked in the top fifty of Planet Feline, were slain by two unknown youths. Furthermore, a puppet warrior who single-handedly and with a single move wiped out two hundred and sixty-two warriors emerged onto the world stage.

Any single one of these three feats would have been enough to cause a sensation on Planet Feline, but combined, they directly detonated the entire planet. Needless to say, the Wah brothers had been famous for a long time with stable statuses; to be killed in one-on-one combat meant the opponent's strength must certainly rank within the top fifty.

To wipe out two hundred and sixty-two warriors single-handedly was also unquestionably the strength of a top-tier powerhouse on Planet Feline. Moreover, this was accomplished using the extremely niche puppet martial arts!

As soon as this news spread, it instantly threw the puppeteers and puppet warriors of Planet Feline into wild jubilation—puppet warriors finally possessed a top-tier powerhouse!

However, people's attention was focused even more on Tang Tian and Ling Xu.

Especially Tang Tian.

Wah Sha's strength surpassed that of Wah Rong, and since Tang Tian defeated Wah Sha, his strength and future prospects were naturally even more anticipated.

The one who received the least attention was Bing. Despite the shocking display of the Cyan-Red Cross Sickle, puppet martial arts were simply too niche. Furthermore, limited by the technological level of puppet battle armor, it was even harder for puppet warriors to advance. In comparison, people believed Tang Tian and Ling Xu had much greater room for growth and naturally attracted more attention.

Yet, with three top-tier powerhouses simultaneously appearing in Black Mountain City, the Gu family's prestige increased rather than diminished. Everyone knew these three had deep ties with Gu Xue. Although Gu Anxiong and the Great Elder's actions nearly led to the destruction of those two branches, for the Gu family as a whole, such a loss was an incredible bargain in exchange for the assistance of three top-tier powerhouses.

Without any suspense, the other branches immediately elected Gu Xue as the head of the family, and they obediently surrendered all authority.

With three top-tier powerhouses as their backing, the Gu family's prestige would reach a pinnacle. Moreover, Gu Xue possessed the recessive Snow Rainbow bloodline, meaning her offspring had an extremely high probability of inheriting it. The next family head would bring the Snow Rainbow Saber back to the Gu family!

Such a bright future led everyone to choose submission under Gu Xue.

"Ah!" Tang Tian looked shocked. "You still want to awaken your bloodline? Why? It's very dangerous! Aren't you already the family head now?"

Ling Xu glanced at Gu Xue with a look of sudden realization, then glanced at Tang Tian.

"You two are going to leave eventually, after all." A soft smile hung on Gu Xue's face, as if this were a very simple decision. "If I awaken my bloodline, I will have the ability to protect myself."

"Didn't they say if you give birth to a son, he'll have the Snow Rainbow bloodline? Then you might as well just have a son and let him protect you!" Tang Tian felt his idea was brilliant and laughed heartily. "After this battle, I'm sure no one will dare to come looking for trouble with you for the next ten years. Ten years later, he'll be all grown up!"

Gu Xue gazed at Tang Tian's sharp-angled face, unable to look away for a moment. Suddenly realizing her lack of composure, she quickly lowered her head to conceal it. The successive hardships had caused her to mature rapidly.

She raised her head again and smiled sweetly. "It's still better to rely on oneself."

"Hey, why are you so stubborn?" Tang Tian couldn't help but say. Having gone through these hardships together, their bonds were naturally different from before. Tang Tian already regarded Gu Xue as a friend, and he couldn't help but feel anxious for her.

"Idiot!" Ling Xu couldn't bear to watch any longer. He rolled his eyes, hoisted his silver spear, and walked straight out.

"Hey, who are you calling names? You actually dare to use that tone with your boss! Kid, tired of living?" Tang Tian glared angrily.

Ling Xu ignored him, leaving only his retreating back.

A blush rose to Gu Xue's cheeks. Knowing that her inner thoughts had been seen through by Ling Xu, she felt a brief surge of panic. However, hearing Tang Tian's reprimand, she couldn't help but burst into a chuckle.

"What are you laughing at?" Tang Tian turned his face, looking puzzled.

Gu Xue covered her mouth with a light laugh. After a moment, she managed to suppress her mirth and said, "Right, this year the Gu family has two quotas. I've already registered the two of you. With your strength, you will definitely pass the Star Gate Trials, and then you'll be able to leave Planet Feline."

"Aha! That's great!" Overjoyed, Tang Tian raised his arms and cheered.

Watching Tang Tian's happy expression, Gu Xue just smiled quietly.

***

Ling Xu sat on the rooftop cradling his silver spear, lost in thought as the distant sunset was swallowed by the peaks.

Teacher, I've mastered it.

Did you see?

Yearning flooded Ling Xu's heart like a breached dam, and that aged figure surfaced before his eyes. That stern yet dignified face was so dear, so warm.

Teacher, how wonderful it would be if you could scold me some more...

Teacher, I miss you...

Ling Xu's vision instantly blurred.

"Hey, kid, time to split the loot! If you don't come over right now, I'm going to swallow it all myself!"

Tang Tian's booming voice rang out from below. Ling Xu snapped out of his reverie, reined in his emotions, wiped his eyes, steadied his breath, and leaped down from the rooftop.

Tang Tian had already laid out the spoils of war in the courtyard.

The loot this time was exceptionally lucrative.

As top-tier powerhouses of Planet Feline, the Wah brothers naturally possessed substantial fortunes, and the rewards just obtained from the Great Elder had also ended up benefiting Tang Tian and the others.

Ling Xu cradled his silver spear and sat down with a thud, though he clearly showed very little interest in the piles of treasure.

Yaya, on the other hand, stared eagerly at the pile of loot, its two chubby little hands rubbing continuously against its chest.

Tang Tian casually picked up a soul core and tossed it to Yaya: "Here, for you!"

Yaya's eyes instantly radiated a dazzling brilliance. With a "pa" sound, it sprang into the air, catching the soul core tightly in both hands. Upon landing, Yaya wobbled like a drunkard, dizzy with a silly grin plastered all over its face.

"Hey, hey, hey, show some restraint!" But Tang Tian's next sentence instantly dismissed it: "Alright, you can go off to the side and enjoy your feast."

Yaya hugged the soul core, swaying as it walked off to the side with an expression of utter satisfaction.

Tang Tian sorted through the loot—mostly soul cores and starlight stones—and split them evenly into two halves, pushing one half in front of Ling Xu: "This is your share!"

Ling Xu glanced at the small mountain of treasures, uttered an "oh," and said, "You can hold onto them for me."

Seeing Ling Xu's expression of treating wealth like dirt, Tang Tian froze: "Are you sure?"

Ling Xu said solemnly, "Teacher taught us that money is the root of all corruption!"

He then muttered under his breath, "Besides, if I run out of money, I'll just ask you for it anyway. Dragging so much stuff around is heavy and burdensome—it's annoying to death."

Hearing this, Tang Tian seized the pile of loot and swept it into his own storage pouch without the slightest hesitation; he certainly didn't mind the weight. With an air of righteousness, Tang Tian declared, "As the boss, let me bear the burden of these sins!"

After this battle, their purses had instantly bulged. Star coins alone totaled over a million, alongside thirty tier-6 soul cores and seventy tier-6 starlight stones.

"Aren't there any high-end items?" Ling Xu asked.

"Haha, yes there are!" Tang Tian immediately perked up in excitement.

He laid out a few items, and Ling Xu's gaze became firmly locked onto them, unable to pull away.

(To be continued)