In the cave, there were only Qin Fang and Tang Xin, neither of whom belonged to Tang Nan's group. The only one considered part of his group, Tang Wei, had been long ago turned into a lifeless corpse by Tang Nan's treachery.

Now, Tang Nan was almost in the same boat, severely wounded. Without prompt medical treatment, even if he was lucky enough not to die, he would practically become a useless cripple.

Qin Fang's face remained calm, as if everything happening before him was very natural, a matter of course. Even when he looked at Tang Nan, who lay still on the ground as if dead, there was not the slightest change in his expression.

At this moment, Tang Xin, who had gradually regained some strength, had her eyes completely blank with shock. Hidden behind her mask, her little mouth was slightly open, betraying utter astonishment, almost beyond description.

Because the one who punched mid-master level martial artist Tang Nan into such severe injury was not Qin Fang, who had saved her in peril, but the statue that had destroyed one of the Tang Sect's Ten Great Hidden Weapons, the Storm Pear Blossom!

Yes, that statue!

Just now, the statue moved like a living person. From its initial stillness as if a lifeless object, it suddenly launched an attack with incredibly fast reflexes. Along with that seemingly indestructible fist, it easily broke Tang Nan's short sword forged from Hundred Refined Fine Steel and then with another punch inflicted grave injuries on Tang Nan, leaving him with barely half a life...

These short swords were uniformly forged by the Tang Sect, and every disciple had one, including her. The Tang Sect dominated the martial world with their hidden weapons, and the forging of such weapons required extremely skilled blacksmiths; hence, the level of Swordsmiths in the Tang Sect was quite high.

With materials being Hundred Refined Fine Steel and the high level of blacksmithing skill, these short swords should, in theory, be of excellent quality, likely facing defeat only from divine weapons.

However, the problematic statue hadn't used any weapon from beginning to end. It settled everything with just its fist, breaking the short sword and nearly piercing through Tang Nan's body, causing blood to spray and severe injuries... The power of this punch speaks for itself.

Such might was probably comparable to that of a divine weapon.

"Thinking of escaping from my hands in this lifetime... you can give up on that hope..."

Qin Fang stepped slowly towards Tang Nan, holding a military spike in his hand, looking at Tang Nan with ill intent, as if choosing where to strike for a fatal blow.

Seeing Qin Fang's motion, Tang Xin grew tense too. By now, her body had almost fully recovered, and she was able to move freely.

"Qin Fang, could you possibly..."

In her heart, Tang Xin couldn't bear it. Although Tang Nan had been hostile to her, even driving her to the brink of suicide, at the end of the day, he was still from the Tang Sect, her fellow disciple.

Considering the face of being fellow disciples for over a decade, Tang Xin couldn't bear to watch Tang Nan die just like that.

Only, Tang Xin also understood something—that her relationship with Qin Fang wasn't particularly close. Qin Fang's rescue was a great kindness to her, but now, she had to plead for her enemy, which truly put her in a difficult position. Thus, the words she wanted to say halted at her lips, and her expression was filled with difficulty.

"Don't... don't kill me..."

Tang Nan heard Tang Xin's words and noticed her expression, immediately realizing that she was about to speak on his behalf, to plea for his life. Even though his heart was filled with deep hatred for Qin Fang and he secretly vowed to have his father Tang Yuantao come out of seclusion to seek revenge...

But on the surface, in order to survive, Tang Nan could only force himself to swallow his humiliation and beg Qin Fang for mercy...

"Do you really want to let the tiger return to its mountain?"

Qin Fang's expression remained unchanged as he stared at Tang Xin, asking as if the decision lay solely in Tang Xin's hands, "You must not forget, if it weren't for my timely arrival, what would have happened to you? Also, take a look at how he treats his own sect members..."

As he spoke, Qin Fang pointed to the already cold body of Tang Wei nearby, the bloody dagger still lodged within it. Tang Wei had been utterly loyal to Tang Nan, but what had his end become...

"This..."

Hearing Qin Fang's words and seeing Tang Wei's corpse, Tang Xin began to hesitate even more. It was undeniable that Tang Nan was indeed a maniac capable of unspeakable evil.

If Tang Nan were not from the Tang Sect but rather some villain committing atrocities, Tang Xin would definitely have executed him without a moment's hesitation, not caught in indecision like now.

Tang Nan naturally heard the conversation between Qin Fang and Tang Xin. The sliver of hope in his heart was immediately shrouded in darkness. He harbored a deep-seated hatred for his enemy Qin Fang, and the venomous loathing in his eyes seemed ready to erupt.

Inside, he cursed Qin Fang up and down, his immense hatred radiating an endless aura of grudges... even though he was bowing his head at the time, not showing his face to either Qin Fang or Tang Xin.

However, he could have never imagined that Qin Fang's capabilities were far greater than he presumed, using the Mind Reading Technique all this while to probe the thoughts in Tang Nan's innermost depths.

Qin Fang was well aware of this boundless hatred, the profound jealousy towards Qin Fang, and the deep resentment toward Tang Xin.

What made Qin Fang's expression change was that Tang Nan had actually planned to report to the Tang Sect about Qin Fang possessing the Puppet person and intended for his father, Tang Yuantao, to come out and attempt to seize it.

After all, a Puppet person impervious to blades and guns with incredible power, if controlled by him and his father, would mean seizing the position of Sect Leader of the Tang Sect was not impossible.

With this news, Qin Fang's expression darkened slightly. He himself had been hesitating about whether he must eliminate Tang Nan, but now Qin Fang had no more doubts.

The secret of the Puppet person could not be leaked at any cost; it was Qin Fang's most vital trump card for survival, even now seeming more significant than the groups of Baozi in his Props Box.

Should the Tang Sect learn of this news, Qin Fang couldn't rest easy, seemingly destined to spend his days dealing with those from the Tang Sect who coveted his treasure.

The Tang Sect held a unique position in the Martial World, existing somewhere between righteousness and evil with hidden weapons and poison, not counted among the orthodox and always catching others off-guard.

Having offended such a sect, peaceful days ahead were impossible... Precisely because if the secret of the Puppet person were to spread, many would covet it, and the Tang Sect's people would certainly not let it go.

"No need to think so much, there's no need for you to act, I will do it myself..."

This secret could not be disclosed, and Tang Nan had always been brimming with murderous intent towards Qin Fang. Since it was unavoidable that one of them wouldn't survive the confrontation, even if Qin Fang truly didn't want to cross the Tang Sect, he could no longer back down now.

Seeing Tang Xin still tangled in indecision, Qin Fang couldn't be bothered to talk anymore, his hand flicked the Military Spike, which immediately plunged into Tang Nan's heart under his bewildered gaze...

Blood spurted out generously, nearly splashing Qin Fang's face and body, but Qin Fang seemed to feel nothing, gripping the Military Spike embedded in Tang Nan's heart, feeling the throbbing heart gradually come to a halt, until it was completely silent...

Just like that, Tang Nan was thoroughly dead, and Qin Fang finally exhaled a sigh of relief, at least the secret of the Puppet person wouldn't be disclosed... (To be continued. If you like this work, you're welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation.)

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