Dustin stood on the stage with his sword in hand. He alone was enough to intimidate all the other martial artists. They all stood around hesitantly, not daring to be the first ones to make a move.But such a reaction from them angered Woody to no end."Hey! What are you all afraid of? Powerful as he may be, he's just one person!"If you all attacked at once, you can easily slash him into pieces!"Seeing that he failed to stir a reaction among them, Woody turned his attention to the leaders of the various guilds. He started calling them out one by one, "Sir Crane, Sir Williams, Father Orson, Sir Rosen, and Sir Bilmet."As leaders of the martial arts scene, you should stand up and be role models for the rest. Lead your disciples and get rid of the criminal!""Uh …" When they heard what Woody said, Theodore and the rest looked around awkwardly.They could hype others up and support the Martial Arts Union verbally. But they'd think twice about putting their lives on the line an
Woody was not the only one surprised. Even Theodore and all the other martial artists present were shocked by what the one-eyed old man did.Several of them were grandmasters with extraordinarily heightened senses. Nothing that went on around them went by undetected.However, none of them noticed the old man until he appeared before their eyes. It was beguiling indeed!And the most terrifying part was that they did not sense the slightest energy waves coming from him. He looked just like any other old man.But how could an ordinary old man intercept Woody's shot? That was clearly impossible!There was only one possibility as to why they could not sense his powers.And that was because the old man's powers were way beyond theirs!"Who are you? How dare you meddle in the affairs of the Martial Arts Union?" Woody's brow was knitted as he roared.It was bad enough for them to have to deal with Dustin. It would only get increasingly difficult for them to deal with this elite expert
Woody was scared out of his wits. He trembled in fear.The Drunken Maniac's appearance had unleashed his deepest, darkest fear.Ten years ago, he was just a small fry in the Martial Arts Union.He was full of fighting spirit the night he received the mission to capture the criminals. Beyond excited, he thought that would be his one chance to prove himself. He was going to make a name for himself.But it wasn't until they reached the battlefield that he realized how cruel reality was. He saw with his own eyes how his comrades were shredded into pieces.He saw how his leader was beheaded.And he saw how all the experts he had looked up to were murdered. They had all been utterly defenseless against their opponents and were killed upon contact.He was thoroughly traumatized by the bloody and gory scenes that had unfolded before his eyes. To this very day, those scenes still haunt his every nightmare. He would shake involuntarily every time he was reminded of what happened.
His absent-minded actions carried a certain sense of authority. After all, that piece of booger held enough power to give a grandmaster a lethal blow."Lord Drunken Maniac, it was all a misunderstanding. We do not mean to offend you."The guildmaster of the Deathly Hurricane was quick to react. He quickly showed his respect."He's right! We were only taking orders from the Martial Arts Union! We had no choice!"Please forgive us, Lord Drunken Maniac," the leader of the Starry Arches immediately followed suit and apologized."Hey! Why are you all just standing there? Put your weapons down! I'll make you pay if you hurt Rhys in any way!"The leader of the Nephrite Sun took things to another level. He berated all the martial artists around him, pretending to protect Dustin.The rest of them finally snapped back to the present as they put their weapons away. All the tension in the air instantly dissipated.Even the leader of the Martial Arts Union had run away. Who else dared to ac
The Drunken Maniac's presence brought about a major change of events.Just the previous second, Dustin had been the collective enemy of the entire alliance. And the next second, he was nominated as the alliance leader, to be revered by all. For a moment, things seemed to be looking up for him.But Dustin remained expressionless. He looked on coldly at all the martial artists who were acting respectfully to him. There was not the slightest hint of excitement or joy in his eyes. It all looked ridiculously ironic to him how things were.Apart from a handful of righteous ones among them, most of the remaining martial artists were fence-sitters who shifted their allegiance based on the circumstances.They had just been clamoring to slay him moments ago. And now, they were all cheering for him. Their instant change in attitude was ridiculous to him.As for the position of the alliance leader, he had absolutely no interest in it. He had challenged Ronald solely for revenge and to see
"Let's go, Drunken Maniac. Let's get a drink together."After putting the Celestial Pearl away safely, Dustin ignored the rest of them and walked down the stage with the Celestial Blade in hand.The crowd made way for him wherever he went.Dustin's incredible performance today had gained everyone's respect. Many of them could not understand why he refused to be the leader of the alliance. But, for now, it seemed like a good thing.That was especially so with all the guildmasters dying and ready to fight for the position.An upheaval was bound to happen in the martial world. And it will happen soon."Oh, right …"Dustin stopped in his tracks at the thought of something. He turned to look straight at Quincey. "I almost forgot. I've got this pain to deal with.""You … What do you want?" Quincey's expression changed immediately as panic flashed in his eyes."From the moment I set foot here, you've been dying to kill me. I'm afraid I won't be able to get any sleep knowing that such
"Hey kid, how was it? I came at just the right time, didn't I?"On the car ride back, the Drunken Maniac crossed his legs leisurely while chugging on a bottle of alcohol."They couldn't have done anything to me even if you hadn't come." Dustin shrugged."Oh, come on. Quit acting strong." The Drunken Maniac gave him a quick once over before he pursed his lips. "You used the secret Rhys technique to forcibly boost your cultivation. Now that the time is up, there's bound to be a recoil. Had I not shown up in time, you'd probably have died here today."Though the secret Rhys technique allowed one to forcibly boost their cultivation, there was a huge price to pay for it.It could deplete one's vitality or greatly weaken the person's body. If the person who used it was captured by his foes in his weakest state, it was highly likely that he might die."Pretty observant, old man."Dustin chuckled. Seeing that there was no point hiding things any longer, he pulled a silver needle out o
"Old man! What nonsense! You're the one incapable in that area! I am a champion at that!" Dustin was a little flustered.He got too emotional, and as a result, he started gasping heavily as he spoke. With his pale face, he was the very picture of being weak."Fine, you're the champion. I know that already. Don't get too excited." The Drunken Maniac nodded his head indifferently in an attempt to pacify him. "Regardless, this is a very rare piece of treasure. Just keep it for emergencies, alright?" He slid the bottle of medicine into Dustin's pocket as he spoke."You—" Dustin felt insulted. As he was about to explode, he started coughing violently."It's alright. Stop talking. I get what you're trying to say." The Drunken Maniac gave Dustin a pat on the back. He then turned and said, "I have to leave now. I still have a flight to catch. Remember to take the medicine on time so you'll have a child soon!"With that said, the Drunken Maniac disappeared in a flash."Take care, old