Eternal Heavenly Emperor-Chapter 301 - 291: Scapegoat

Chu Hao casually hooked his finger in a very laid-back manner, though his eyes clearly displayed his confusion.

However he looked at Feng Haizhong, it didn’t seem like his strength had greatly increased. Why then would he dare challenge him? No one would be so foolish to come back for a second beating. Could it be that he had some secret weapon?

Whoosh, Feng Haizhong lightly tapped his foot, attacking Chu Hao.

Chu Hao, unable to grasp Feng Haizhong’s true capabilities at that moment, chose to dodge, moving his feet to avoid clashing directly, curious to see what this secret weapon was.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh, both men were moving quickly, showcasing rapid movement techniques.

In just a short while, they had exchanged over a dozen moves. But in those exchanges, it was always Feng Haizhong attacking, while Chu Hao continually dodged.

Feng Haizhong couldn’t help but coldly chuckle, thinking that Chu Hao not even daring to block a single move meant something—naturally, it meant that the effects of the Soul-Loss Powder had taken hold. Seeing the confusion in Chu Hao’s eyes, he mistakenly thought his opponent was puzzled by his own diminishing strength, prompting Feng Haizhong’s cold chuckle to emerge.

Being a natural genius, his reputation hadn’t suffered in the slightest even after pledging allegiance to Yue Feng; on the contrary, it had lent him considerable leverage. In the ranks of the Spirit Spring Sect, who would dare look down upon him? Even many True Disciples treated him as a close brother, their relationship nearly unbreakable.

Chu Hao daring to strike him publicly was a humiliation to him, filling him with a deep-seated hatred towards Chu Hao.

Unable to contain his smugness, he lowered his voice, "Chu Hao, are you puzzled by the drop in your strength?"

Chu Hao couldn’t help but look baffled. Feng Haizhong, without any apparent increase in his own strength, daring to challenge him was puzzling enough, but now his opponent had blurted out this bizarre assertion—his strength had dropped? That wasn’t true at all.

However, he was incredibly clever and immediately began to speculate.

—Feng Haizhong daring to challenge him again wasn’t because Feng had significantly improved or acquired some secret weapon, but because he believed Chu Hao’s strength had diminished.

His opponent wasn’t a fool to make such a baseless guess without reason. But then, where could this have originated?

The Han brothers.

Chu Hao thought inwardly, Han Zongxin was Yue Feng’s junior brother, and yet, the very night after they had apologized and entertained him, Feng Haizhong issued a challenge. How could this be a coincidence?

Could these brothers have tampered with the food and drinks?

Yet, his Star Force flowed smoothly, his physique was robust, showing no signs of being poisoned or a drastic loss in strength.

Incorrect!

Chu Hao suddenly recalled that, to be cautious, he had swallowed a Detoxification Pill given to him by Xiaocao.

Could it be that the pill neutralized the poison lurking within him?

Desiring clarity, Chu Hao deliberately used only 20% of his Star Force to strike against Feng Haizhong. His Star Force was only three times that of Feng Haizhong’s, now drastically reduced by five times, naturally, he was no match and hastily retreated.

Yet his physique was incredibly formidable, leaving him without even a blush from the impact.

Feng Haizhong, however, was unconcerned. He knew Chu Hao practiced Dual Cultivation of star and physical energies. If the energy levels drop, then regardless of how strong the physique, there would inevitably be a time it could be breached by continuous attacks.

"What on earth have you done to me?" Chu Hao feigned panic and anger.

Feng Haizhong couldn’t help but relish in his triumph, the other’s expression delighting him immensely. He whispered so only Chu Hao could hear, "You’ve been hit by Soul-Loss Powder. Your strength will drop significantly within two hours, and later, the effects will vanish entirely, undetectable by anyone. Moreover, the Soul-Loss Powder comes from ancient times, currently impossible to find. Even if you spoke out, no one would believe it."

Chu Hao feigned anger, asking, "Was it the Han brothers last night?"

"Hahaha, indeed, why else would they have apologized? Han Zongxin, heh, since when does he have such generosity?" Feng Haizhong laughed coldly, since only Chu Hao could hear him, he wasn’t worried about Han Zongxin’s reaction.

Just as expected.

Chu Hao nodded inwardly, yet spoke, "Even if you win this way, aren’t you afraid of my revenge later?"

"Afraid, of course I’m afraid!" Feng Haizhong scoffed, "That’s why today I must cripple one of your arms to see how you continue as a True Disciple."

How vicious!

Chu Hao’s expression chilled, murderous intent surfacing in his eyes.

Not just towards Feng Haizhong, but also the Han brothers. Yet in this matter, what role was Yue Feng really playing? Was he truly unaware, merely coming to cheer his subordinate, or was he an active participant in the conspiracy?

Chu Hao was not one to kill indiscriminately; he demanded clarity, exclaiming, "I never thought Yue Feng would be such a despicable and shameless person!"

"Wrong, wrong, wrong, Lord Yue was unaware. Someone of your insignificance is hardly worthy of his attention!" Feng Haizhong sneered, "You think you’re qualified?"

Good, he knew all he needed to know now.

No need to continue this charade any longer, a chill flashed through Chu Hao’s eyes.

And around them, the onlookers were utterly baffled. How could Chu Hao be so weak?

Feng Haizhong was indeed strong, but in the ranks of the Spirit Spring Sect, not to mention numerous, at least five could be counted better than him. Could all these six people end up as the top of the Fledgling Dragon List?

That’s impossible!

There was only one reason, not that Feng Haizhong was strong, but that Chu Hao had become weaker.

Soon, news spread that Chu Hao had gone out to drink with the Han brothers yesterday, and reportedly indulged recklessly, so much so that afterwards he took a dozen women to stay the night with him.

Martial Artists have abundant energy, and taking several women at night is not unusual, but there’s certainly a limit, a dozen... Although not enough to kill, it surely had a significant impact.

No wonder then.

Chu Hao was truly too arrogant. He had clearly exhausted his energy last night, yet today he still agreed to accept a decisive battle with Feng Haizhong. Wasn’t this seeking his own death? Served him right.

Of course, the Han brothers spread this news. They needed to find a reason for Chu Hao’s sudden drop in strength, and this also served to tarnish Chu Hao’s reputation—after all, what qualifications does a debauchee have to be favored by the top echelon?

These comments weren’t quiet, both Chu Hao and Feng Haizhong heard them clearly. Feng Haizhong almost laughed to death internally, but his attacks grew even more urgent.

Those brothers really were detestable!

Chu Hao felt angry. They were truly ruthless, not only aiming to cripple his arm but also to smear his reputation. Fine, let them count their chickens before they hatch, and then let them fight amongst themselves.

Whoosh, at that moment, Feng Haizhong’s palm was already heavily coming down.

Chu Hao did not dodge; he reached out with his right hand towards the opponent’s wrist.

"Seeking death!" Feng Haizhong bellowed.

Smack, Chu Hao just casually grabbed, and the opponent’s wrist was now in his hand.

What! 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Feng Haizhong was stunned, his eyes immediately showing bewilderment and shock. He suddenly discovered that the hand grasping him seemed to be made of Divine Iron, he couldn’t break free at all.

Wasn’t his strength supposed to have greatly decreased?

"Hahaha, I just played along with you, did you think the Han brothers would dare to strike me?" Chu Hao chuckled, "I am a True Disciple, and you’re just a lackey, why would they offend me to help you?"

"Impossible—" Feng Haizhong hadn’t finished speaking when he found himself being hoisted up.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, he was slammed left and right by Chu Hao like a punching bag, quickly forming two deep pits on the ground.

That move again.

Everyone was puzzled; hadn’t they said that Chu Hao overdid it last night, causing his combat power to plummet? How come he suddenly became fierce again?

Not to mention their confusion, even the Han brothers were at a loss. They had clearly sprinkled Soul-Loss Powder in the food, and to make Chu Hao feel at ease, they even ate it themselves.

True, now their strength had also declined, but strictly speaking, Soul-Loss Powder is not a poison. As long as one avoids combat within two hours after the drug takes effect, this suppressed strength will quickly recover as if nothing happened.

Why did Chu Hao seem unharmed?

Feng Haizhong now had nothing but mortification in his mind, besides Chu Hao’s last words: the Han brothers were actually deceiving him! He really didn’t want to believe this since Han Zongxin and Yue Feng were martial brothers, and his personal relationship with Han Zongxin was quite good. Why would he harm him?

But they had clearly told him that Chu Hao was affected by the Soul-Loss Powder, that he would be at his mercy for two hours. And what happened? Instead, he was used as a punching bag by Chu Hao and thrown around publicly. How could he face anyone after that?

To add to his misery, Yue Feng had flung his hands dismissively and turned to leave.

This was Yue Feng expressing his dissatisfaction.

Indeed, he was a Follower of Yue Feng, and him being injured also reflected badly on Yue Feng. The key point was, this time it was him who had willingly walked into Chu Hao’s trap, seemingly joining hands with Chu Hao to strip off Yue Feng’s dignity, how could Yue Feng not be angry?

Han Zongxin!

Feng Haizhong cursed in his mind, blaming him for this predicament. Would he have ended up like this if not for that guy’s instigation?

Chu Hao was certainly hateful, but Han Zongxin also couldn’t be let off. After going back, he must explain himself well to Yue Feng, lest being expelled by Yue Feng would ruin his future prospects.

Bang!

After having enough, Chu Hao nonchalantly kicked Feng Haizhong away.

"You, you crippled my arm!" Feng Haizhong got up, his left arm swinging in an unnaturally limp manner, as if boneless. His face was full of venomous resentment, as if he would eat Chu Hao alive.

"What, you want to cripple my arm, and I can’t cripple yours?" Chu Hao spoke indifferently, "You should thank me for not crippling your right hand."

"You’re ruthless, I acknowledge your ruthlessness!" Using his right hand to support his injured left arm, Feng Haizhong deeply looked at Chu Hao before turning around and leaving. As he squeezed through the crowd, he also glared sharply at the Han brothers, obviously holding a grudge against them as well.

Chu Hao also looked towards the Han brothers and shouted, "Thank you, both of you."

Thank your sister!

The Han brothers wanted to cry but had no tears, clearly becoming the targets of Feng Haizhong’s resentment. But the key point was, they really hadn’t colluded with Chu Hao, talk about being wronged.