Dalton's eyes narrowed as he recognized Darren. He walked forward, approaching Darren and Elsa.
"Bastard, you're damn lucky. I can't believe you're still alive," Dalton said, as his pupils turned black and heavy murderous intent radiated from them. "But it's alright. I'll solve that problem right now."
"Dalton! Who do you think you are? If you kill him in the sect, your father won't even be able to protect you from punishment!"
Elsa stared at Dalton coldly and stood beside Darren.
Elsa's words were true. The official rule dictated that the disciples of Ilmen Sect were forbidden to kill each other. However, if they both voluntarily agreed to battle in the Life and Death Valley, an outcome of death was permitted.
"Hmph. Elsa, you're only right if I leave behind a witness. But I won't be punished if I kill you as well. It's midnight, but you are still with him. Everyone will think you two have an intimate relationship. If I kill you, I'll be fine. Don't you know this bastard's identity?" Instead of feeling threatened by Elsa's words, Dalton became enraged.
"Identity? What slanderous suggestion are you making? He's a disciple, what else could he be?" Elsa believed that Dalton was trying to come up with an excuse to kill Darren.
Darren had already discerned what Dalton was going to say next. That day in the Barren Wasteland, Dalton had seen Darren's body take on fiendish characteristics, so he would use the excuse that Darren had turned into a fiend to kill him publicly.
As Darren had the very thought, Dalton stepped forward and said, "This bastard, he transformed into a fi..."
Before he could finish his words, Darren made his move to seal Dalton's mouth.
Why did he attack so hastily?
Because Darren had already sensed a stronger aura coming from the figure hidden in the distance behind Dalton.
If Dalton had been alone, Darren was confident he could kill him with his strength and not worry about his secret from getting out. Worst case scenario, he'd have to swear Elsa to secrecy. But the figure behind Dalton was hiding his presence and his strength was far more powerful than Darren's.
If he couldn't kill the stronger martial artist, the news that he had transformed into a fiend would spread through the sect. Then it would attract the attention of superior martial artists to investigate whether the news was real. If they discovered he had made the transformation, he would undoubtedly be killed as a fiend.
Therefore, just as Dalton was about to blurt out that fact, Darren made the first move to prevent the truth from leaving his mind. He collected his internal energy and sent it out at Dalton with a single thrust of the palm.
Dalton blocked the attack easily, but Darren succeeded in his goal. Dalton did not finish his sentence. "How dare you attack me!" he said.
Dalton cursed Darren internally because in his view, anyone who dared to attack him first was looking for a brutal death.
But unbeknownst to Dalton, Darren had not used his real strength to attack Dalton as his purpose was first and foremost to stop him from revealing his transformation.
As they began to exchange blows, Darren retreated backward and bit his lips to pretend that he had spit blood, giving the appearance of suffering a serious blow to his internal organs. But it was a ruse for Dalton to relax his onslaught. It worked.
"Ha-ha," Dalton said, coming to a stop before Darren. "I thought you made some progress in cultivation after you returned. But it turns out that you are still as weak as before. Today, I will send you to hell." Dalton thought he won the first bout, so became more arrogant.
Dalton had originally thought Darren had grown stronger because that day in the Barren Wasteland, he had to team up with another disciple at the ninth stage of the Spirit Realm in order to throw Darren out of the cave. But now it seemed that the reason why Darren was so powerful that day was due to the fiendish aura he emitted after he turned into a fiend. 'He must have been saved by a master of the Wonder Realm who also made his fiend-like body revert to a normal one, so his fiendish aura also disappeared, ' Dalton thought to himself.
"Dalton, you're out of line," Elsa said. "I don't know the grudge between you and Darren, but if you kill him, I will definitely report it to the sect." Elsa hoped that she could still talk him out of killing Darren.
"Ha-ha. Report to the sect? Your threats do not scare me. Elsa, I just heard that you possess a treasure. Give it to me, and I'll let you walk away with your life. Otherwise, after I've killed this bastard, I'll kill you next!"
Dalton decided that if Elsa stood up to him and refused to hand over her treasure, he would end her life too and tell the sect that she was killed by Darren who had transformed into a fiend. Without witnesses, no one would know what truly happened.
As for Elsa's father Thomas Gongsun, who was the Elder of the sect, he was also not afraid of him because his father's uncle had reached the sect quietly. "If the Five Schools Competition is rescheduled to three months later, our scheme could be carried out, ' Dalton thought.
He then released all his vital energy, and instantly a murderous aura enveloped Elsa and Darren.
Elsa's face turned pale as she sensed the killing aura. She had hoped that Dalton was just bluffing. But to her shock, he indeed had the intention to murder the two of them in cold blood.
After thinking for a few moments, Elsa decided to give in to Dalton's demands. Perhaps it would be enough to save their lives.
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