Chapter 2240 — The Eleventh Form of the Mad Fire Fist

"Then hurry up!" The Grand Protector naturally knew about Wei Zhao's injury, and hearing him say this, he found it reasonable enough, and nodded.

"Understood," Wei Zhao replied faintly, though in his heart certain suspicions had hardened. This man was almost certainly someone Tagan Long had brought here! And as for why he had appeared at this moment, Wei Zhao had his own calculations: yesterday, only Tagan Long and Lazi had known of his injury—everyone else was dead.

And just now, when Wei Zhao mentioned being injured yesterday, the Grand Protector had shown no surprise at all, only an expression of one who already knew—indirect proof that he was privy to the news.

Now the only thing Wei Zhao was unsure of was this: what relation did this Grand Protector bear to the Tagan family? In Wei Zhao's view, the Tagan family could not possibly possess the power to wipe out the ancient sect where Uncle Qing belonged—they could not even handle a single little Fire Lion, let alone a vast ancient sect.

But if it was not they who had destroyed Uncle Qing's sect, then where had this Grand Protector come from? And how did he know about the treasure?

The only explanation that made sense was that the Tagan family was inextricably linked to Uncle Qing's enemies.

The Grand Protector waited another ten minutes or so, and finally his patience ran out. "Boy, are you ever going to finish? If you don't make your move soon, this old man will personally send you on your way!"

Wei Zhao sighed inwardly. He was still far from ready—he had only condensed a third of the energy. This energy bomb might deal fatal damage to the Fifth Protector of yesterday, but against the man before him now, Wei Zhao had not the slightest confidence.

On the surface, however, Wei Zhao nodded gravely and said, "Here it comes—take this... the first form of the Mad Fire Fist!"

With that, Wei Zhao unleashed the first form of the Mad Fire Fist—but this form he merely performed in the air, practicing it against nothing, never attacking the Grand Protector at all!

Moreover, without affecting the Mad Fire Fist's progression or power, Wei Zhao slowed the speed of his punches as much as he could, while in his left hand he ceaselessly compressed the energy bomb.

Hearing that Wei Zhao was about to unleash a martial technique, the Grand Protector did not strike back; he simply shielded his body with true qi. Five moves were five moves—how could a dignified Heaven-rank expert, and one from that place besides, go back on his word to a mere Earth-rank mid-stage expert?

So the Grand Protector had no intention of counterattacking at all; he meant to take Wei Zhao's move head-on.

But he was ready—and Wei Zhao simply punched the air, leaving the Grand Protector speechless. Was this fellow sick? He had built up for so long, only to practice a move by himself against thin air?

Even so, the Grand Protector paid him no mind. With a cold snort, he kept his true qi wrapped around his body.

"The second form of the Mad Fire Fist..." Wei Zhao continued to unleash the technique, but this time too it was practiced against nothing at all—not the slightest intention of attacking the Grand Protector!

Boy, you mean to numb me and then sneak in a surprise attack, do you? The Grand Protector reasoned and conjectured about Wei Zhao's intent. He supposed that Wei Zhao lacked the confidence to face him squarely and was therefore looking for an opening—practicing in the air to confuse him, so that when he let down his guard, Wei Zhao could strike by surprise.

That was the only explanation the Grand Protector could find; otherwise, why would Wei Zhao unleash one form after another without ever truly striking?

"The third form of the Mad Fire Fist..." While the Grand Protector was still pondering, Wei Zhao had already unleashed the third form. Even though Wei Zhao had slowed the speed, unleashing a martial technique demanded continuity—only by layering one form upon another, completing them in one breath, could the final form's power be brought to its utmost!

Wei Zhao had previously unleashed the fifth form of the Mad Fire Fist together with a small true qi bomb, and it had done nothing to the Grand Protector. So this time, Wei Zhao meant to give him something even more vicious! Of course, if even the more vicious version failed, then Wei Zhao could only study his escape routes...

"The fourth form of the Mad Fire Fist..." Wei Zhao had unleashed the fourth form.

The Grand Protector frowned. "That's four moves already. There's only the last one left—if you don't use it, I'll count it as used!"

He had to remind Wei Zhao, lest after finishing the fifth form Wei Zhao declare, 'This was only a warm-up, I never struck you, so it doesn't count as a move'—and the Grand Protector would surely go mad.

"Oh... I know. The fifth form of the Mad Fire Fist..." As Wei Zhao spoke, he unleashed the fifth form of the Mad Fire Fist—and in that instant, Wei Zhao's figure moved...

The Grand Protector's gaze sharpened, a fierce light flashing across it, and he sneered inwardly: just as I thought—the first four forms were all feints, and only the last was the true final strike, held in reserve until now! But what of a final strike? Even if the first four were feints and Wei Zhao had spent half a day gathering his strength before unleashing this final move, in the Grand Protector's eyes Wei Zhao was nothing but an arrow at the end of its flight. From Tagan Long's and Lazi's accounts, Wei Zhao had surely been gravely wounded by the Fifth Protector's kick!

Yet even having guessed Wei Zhao's purpose, the Grand Protector still stood there carelessly. He was confident that with his true qi shielding his body, Wei Zhao could not harm him in the slightest; once he took this move, Wei Zhao would obediently hand over the treasure, sparing the Grand Protector the trouble of acting himself.

"Bang, bang—"

As Wei Zhao's figure darted through the air, two great booms rang out—the true qi bomb and the fifth form of the Mad Fire Fist combined with the Fire-Flow Divine Bomb to unleash an even mightier eleventh form!

"Pff—" A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed from the Grand Protector's mouth! He stared at Wei Zhao in disbelief, unable to accept that he had been wounded by a mere Earth-rank mid-stage expert! To break through his true qi shield—even an ordinary expert of the same rank would find that difficult!

Yet Wei Zhao had succeeded in breaking through his true qi defense and had actually wounded him!

After this strike, Wei Zhao did not stop; he unleashed the fifth form of the Forest of Trees Phantom Thousand Changes. His two fists became ten, and every one of them slammed squarely into the opening in the Grand Protector's chest, torn open by Wei Zhao's true qi bomb!

These ten punches, though not as formidable as the fifth form of the Mad Fire Fist combined with the Fire-Flow Divine Bomb, were still considerable—for the Mad Fire Fist could display its immense power only when completed in one breath; used alone, it might not produce as great an effect as the Forest of Trees Phantom Thousand Changes!

As for the Fire-Flow Divine Bomb, only one remained, and Wei Zhao did not want to waste it. The first had already been wasted, doing no harm to the Grand Protector; the second had some effect, but had not achieved the result Wei Zhao expected.

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