Fierce Battle with Zhang Tong

"You killed him?" A flash of severity crossed Zhang Tong’s face when he saw Zhang Xuan return.

Zhang Xuan ignored Zhang Tong and turned to the Japanese mutants trembling all over, his tone slightly cold. "You want to protect them?"

Zhang Tong’s aqua-green robe fluttered lightly in the night wind, and a stern smile rested on his face. "I told you, now isn’t the time to kill them."

"Zhang Tong, go home and keep dreaming your grand dreams!" Zhang Xuan cursed. Flames surged from his entire body as he bypassed Zhang Tong, who stood in his way, and instantly appeared among the Japanese mutants. Towering flames swiftly swept toward the Japanese on the verge of madness, intending to engulf them all.

"I told you, now isn’t the time to kill them!" Zhang Tong snorted and stomped his right foot fiercely. Countless talismans suddenly rose from the ground, their yellowed paper covered in strange runes that seemed to be Taoist runes.

Zhang Xuan found it strange, and a sudden sense of alarm rose within him. Without a second thought, he used Teleportation to evade.

The facts proved Zhang Xuan’s instincts to be remarkably accurate. The moment he left, the talismans stuck to three Japanese mutants in the center. The three mutants seemed somewhat knowledgeable and tried to dodge as well, but they were slightly too slow and were struck by the talismans. Then, to Zhang Xuan’s surprise, the three mutants became stiff as statues, frozen in place without moving an inch.

"Something’s wrong!" Zhang Xuan’s expression changed several times, and his gaze toward Zhang Tong gained a trace of wariness.

"I thought about it for a while and came up with a good idea." Zhang Tong was quite satisfied with the effect of his talismans. Smiling, he nodded and turned toward Zhang Xuan, who had retreated into the distance. "Zhang Xuan, you’re a lot like me—capable and ambitious. Why don’t we work together?"

"Work together?" Zhang Xuan sneered and pointed at the Japanese mutants who had just escaped death. "Working together means sparing those dogs and letting them continue harming our compatriots?" The more Zhang Xuan spoke, the angrier he became. Finally, he pointed at Zhang Tong and cursed, "You’re so powerful, so why didn’t you stop the Japanese? For years, you’ve just stood by and watched them butcher our compatriots?"

"You’re Chinese too. You should understand the nature of the Chinese people." Zhang Tong lightly brushed back the long hair that had drifted over his shoulder, a faintly mocking look on his face. "If they don’t witness the Japanese people’s strength and cruelty, will they rise up? Will they unite?"

Zhang Xuan froze at those words. Zhang Tong was right—if Japan had not invaded, China would still have fallen into chaos and war. Who knew how long the civil war would have lasted? But could that serve as Zhang Tong’s excuse for standing by?

"They’re all our compatriots. I can’t watch them become pawns in your plan!"

"Then there can only be a battle between us!" Zhang Tong casually raised a hand, a helpless smile on his face.

Zhang Xuan immediately tensed, his eyes fixed firmly on Zhang Tong. Against Zhang Tong, he had no confidence of certain victory, especially after witnessing his bizarre talisman techniques.

After facing off for a moment, Zhang Xuan could no longer bear the increasingly stifling atmosphere and made the first move.

Because he did not know much about Zhang Tong’s abilities, Zhang Xuan did not choose close combat. Blazing flames ignited around him and, under his control, formed a massive fire dragon that charged at Zhang Tong with bared fangs. Zhang Xuan himself concealed himself in the shadows, lightly twirling the dagger he had recovered from Yoshida Shiro, ready to launch a surprise attack at any moment.

As the fire dragon drew nearer, a serious look flashed across Zhang Tong’s face. His ten fingers twisted rapidly like phantoms, while his lips moved as though chanting an incantation. Along with the chant, yellow paper talismans flew one after another from beneath Zhang Tong’s green robe as if guided by something, forming a huge paper shield before him.

"Now!" A cold glint flashed through Zhang Xuan’s eyes. He suddenly vanished from where he stood and instantly appeared behind Zhang Tong, the dagger in his hand swiftly slashing toward the back of Zhang Tong’s head.

To Zhang Xuan’s surprise, Zhang Tong seemed to have known all along. He abruptly turned around, an indistinct smile on his face. "You fell for it!"

Before Zhang Xuan could react, a strange force suddenly surged in from all directions and forcibly restrained him.

Realizing things were bad, Zhang Xuan immediately activated Teleportation, only to find that it seemed to have failed. He could not move at all.

"This is a Taoist immobilization spell. Once you’re restrained, no matter how many methods you possess, you won’t be able to escape." Zhang Tong wore a triumphant smile, as though victory were already in his grasp.

Zhang Xuan snorted. Flames burst from his body, but they did not ignite. Instead, they were pressed tightly against the surface of his skin, making him look as though he had been coated in red paint.

"Don’t even think about struggling!" Zhang Tong chuckled, seemingly still intending to persuade Zhang Xuan. "I’ll give you one more chance. Follow me, and I’ll spare your life!"

"Break!" Zhang Xuan suddenly roared. His muscles bulged explosively, stretching his clothes taut, while the flames around him abruptly shifted from red to purple. A series of crackling sounds followed.

"How is that possible?" Zhang Tong’s expression changed abruptly. He retreated at high speed while throwing out more than a dozen talismans in succession, seemingly trying to suppress Zhang Xuan’s sudden outburst.

Unfortunately, Zhang Tong failed.

With that roar, Zhang Xuan’s restrained body suddenly loosened. The Teleportation that had failed repeatedly activated at once, and in an instant, he caught up to the rapidly retreating Zhang Tong, purple flames blazing fiercely around him.

Seeing Zhang Xuan break free of the immobilization spell, Zhang Tong could not hide the shock on his face. Yet his hands did not slow, and he completed a new spell in the blink of an eye. "Wind, rise!"

The moment Zhang Tong finished speaking, a violent gale abruptly arose around him, transforming into a towering tornado. The fierce winds sent even the newly teleported Zhang Xuan flying away.

"You have wind, and I have fire. Let’s see whose is stronger!" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes and shouted softly. Flames around his body surged upward, forming a firestorm no weaker than the tornado.

The tornado and firestorm collided, erupting into even more brilliant flames. Scattered fire fell among the Japanese mutants nearby, instantly burning two of the weaker mutants into ashes.

Having witnessed its power, the mutants exchanged glances, fear growing deeper in their eyes. They wanted to flee, but Zhang Tong had brutally taught them a lesson, and they did not dare run. They could only desperately dodge.

Zhang Xuan and Zhang Tong, locked in battle, had no concern for whether they lived or died. The tornado and firestorm ultimately merged. The wind fed the fire, and the fire strengthened the wind; both grew larger and larger, their destructive power increasing without end. The ancient city walls of Nanjing, which had stood for a thousand years, were gradually weathered and weakened. Stone peeled away bit by bit until the walls were completely reduced to ashes.

The Japanese mutants scrambling to evade danger could no longer worry about anything else. They only wanted to save their own lives and surged toward the city gates. Unfortunately, before they could even step outside the city, the suddenly swelling flaming tornado swept them into the sky, where they turned to ash beneath the towering flames.

P.S. Thanks to Da Feng Huihuang for the donation! Also, Scorpion wasn’t in good condition today, so the make-up chapter might not come until late tonight. Scorpion will try to get the second update out before midnight.