The ground vibrated as a semi-transparent layer of light surged from beneath, merging with the void.
What?
Sensing the surrounding space had instantly become like thick mud, tightly binding him, Gu Lao's expression changed drastically, alarm flashing in his eyes.
He hadn't expected Chu Fan to have silently set up other measures around him without his awareness.
Crisis loomed.
Watching the approaching fist, Gu Lao grunted, daring not to hold back. He immediately mobilized his full strength to break free from the invisible restraints.
For he knew very well that if Chu Fan's punch landed on him, he would be almost certainly doomed today.
However.
Never having encountered formations or restrictions, he had no idea of their true power, nor how deep the Demon God's calculations ran.
Would Chu Fan, without absolute certainty, risk setting up a killing move while fighting?
In battles between the strong, the decisive factor was often a momentary mistake.
Chu Fan's previous aggressive attacks, which seemed like a cornered beast's desperate fight, consuming immense energy, were in fact a ruse. He had secretly been channeling power into forming formations with each step.
His goal was to gain even a second.
Bang bang bang...
As Gu Lao fully mobilized his strength to struggle, the void seemed unable to bear the strain, emitting cracking sounds.
Still an Eighth Grade Grandmaster, his full power gradually broke through the formation's restriction on his body, his arm slowly beginning to lift.
Chu Fan seemed to ignore this.
From beginning to end, all he wanted was one second.
One second was enough to determine the course of events.
By the time Gu Lao broke free from the formation's shackles, Chu Fan's fist, infused with all his usable power, landed precisely on his head.
Whoosh...
Gu Lao was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into a concrete pillar.
The pillar cracked, debris flying.
Gu Lao spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground, his forehead indented by half a fist's depth.
For an ordinary person, a head caved in like that would mean instant death.
But a Grandmaster was like a centipede, dying but not stiff.
Chu Fan's punch had indeed severely injured Gu Lao, but it hadn't taken his life.
After unleashing his punch, the greatly depleted Chu Fan panted heavily.
"Still not dead?"
Seeing Gu Lao struggling to rise, Chu Fan, despite feeling extremely weak, gritted his teeth and lunged towards Gu Lao, intending to finish him off while he was down.
However, Chu Fan, whose body was severely depleted and had no extra energy to expend besides what was used to suppress the foreign poison, was ultimately slower than in his prime.
"Brat, you die!"
Heavily wounded by the scheme, Gu Lao, at this moment, ignored his own injuries and unleashed a kick at the charging Chu Fan.
Chu Fan did not want to die and could not mobilize the power to suppress the foreign poison, while Gu Lao had completely thrown caution to the wind.
In such a situation, Chu Fan naturally could not hold Gu Lao back any longer, and was sent flying nearly a hundred meters.
As he fell to the ground and tried to get up, a mouthful of blood surged from his throat, and a wave of weakness washed over him.
"You deserve to die!"
"You must die!"
Gu Lao staggered step by step, as if driven mad, muttering to himself as he stumbled towards Chu Fan.
At this moment, he had the chance to turn and flee, find a quiet place to recuperate and save his life, but he refused it.
His mind was now filled with only one thought: mutual destruction.
Already severely wounded, even if he found a place to rest temporarily, he would never return to his peak, and might even die within a few years.
Gu Lao was unwilling to merely survive.
Originally, killing Chu Fan was just a mission, but now it had become his personal undertaking.
The primary reason was the humiliation.
Earlier, seeing Chu Fan's offensive suddenly intensify, he had calculated everything perfectly, planning to wait until Chu Fan was nearly exhausted before he would begin to torment him.
He had never expected Chu Fan to have deeper schemes hidden.
After living for over ninety years, to be outmaneuvered by a young man who had only lived for twenty-something years, Gu Lao felt deeply humiliated.
Since he was already so severely injured and wouldn't live much longer, he might as well reclaim his dignity.
Facing Gu Lao, who walked step by step, clearly intending to take him down with him, Chu Fan remained unfazed.
He fumbled inside his clothes and soon produced a small bottle.
Chu Fan had always carried the pills he obtained from the Forbidden Land of the Dharma Sect.
He believed in using good steel on the blade.
At this moment, Chu Fan felt it was the right time to use these pills.
"You... you..."
As Gu Lao approached, seeing Chu Fan actually take out a pill, his eyes widened.
He had thought Chu Fan was already at his limit.
But he had not expected Chu Fan to still have something hidden.
Retreat!
Gu Lao, who had been prepared for mutual destruction, did not hesitate for a moment and turned to leave.
The opponent possessed pills to replenish his strength, and with them, killing him would be effortless. How could mutual destruction still be possible?
"Hmph!"
Having already swallowed the pill, Chu Fan snorted as he saw Gu Lao suddenly change his mind and try to flee, but he did not immediately pursue.
Gu Lao now was no different from a normal old man, his steps unsteady, and he couldn't run far even if he tried.
"Mmm..."
Pills were still pills, good for saving one's life at critical moments.
A surge of power coursed through Chu Fan's body, causing him to involuntarily hum with comfort.
This single pill not only replenished his expended strength but also possessed healing properties.
Chu Fan's internal injuries were rapidly repaired.
A minute later, he opened his eyes and vanished from his spot with a single step.
Concurrently.
Gu Lao, who had already reached the construction site entrance, suddenly stopped.
He looked up at the sky, his eyes slowly dimming.
Knowing he couldn't escape, he ceased his futile struggles.
Gulp...
A head rolled onto the ground.
Chu Fan let out a long sigh and slumped onto the ground.
At this moment, although his body was filled with power, he was still extremely fatigued.
The pills could replenish the body's physical exhaustion, but not the mental drain.
Tiredness was evident on Chu Fan's face.
He hadn't felt this tired in a very, very long time. All he wanted now was a good bath and a long sleep.
However, reality did not allow Chu Fan this luxury.
After a brief recovery, he stood up, tore a piece of cloth from the headless corpse on the ground, and wrapped the head.
After calling someone to handle the body, Chu Fan slowly walked out of the construction site.
Meanwhile.
Nan Baixuan, who had been searching near the restaurant, was feeling dejected as she hadn't found Chu Fan and was preparing to go upstairs.
"Mmm?"
Halfway there, Nan Baixuan, sensing something, looked up and saw someone slowly approaching.
Her eyes lit up, and she immediately ran towards him.
Seeing Nan Baixuan running towards him, Chu Fan immediately changed direction, intending to avoid her.
He really didn't have the heart to talk much with this little girl right now.
"Stop!"
Seeing Chu Fan trying to leave, Nan Baixuan quickened her pace.