Chapter 246 The Plot
Darkness shrouded itself over the crests and peaks of mountains like a sinister cloak of enigma and gloom.
“Do you seek death?”
A voice clamored from amongst the crowd.
“Arrogant fool. You’ll weep when you’ve tasted Death yourself. Now begone before you regret!”
“Impudence! Charge!”
For the sake of the best position, fights and brawls broke out.
The frown on Chu Xun’s forehead creased deeper, more so, the foreboding dread swelling inside him.
Even Jiu You could not resist being silent with grim apprehension.
For the want of getting closer to the mountain, more battles sparked off.
Boom!
The mountain shook.
“Look!” screamed a voice, “The light’s dying.”
Everyone froze and the battle died as quickly as it erupted and everyone rushed like a stampede for the mountainside.
Three columns of lights shot up into the sky from the mountainside like three colored pillars, tall and majestic to all and sundry.
“What about us, my Lord?” asked Yan Chong.
Chu Xun took a beat to ponder. What happened? Why did the lights go dark suddenly? And what was that strange, unnatural aura?
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Jiu You’s babyish voice rang up, “I don’t think we should get ourselves involved.”
A hint of doubt stirred in Chu Xun’s eyes. He would never have believed in those words, if it was uttered by any other person.
“Wait here,” said he, “I’ll go to have a look.”
He vanished, racing uphill as quickly as he could.
Yan Chong and the others shared curious looks, waiting as they were told to.
“What are you doing,” scowled Chu Xun, when he realized Jiu You coming along, “Go back.”
Jiu You’s pretty eyes blinked adorably, although it could do little to melt Chu Xun’s frostiness. He seized her and tossed her down the hill.
Despite her outstanding strength, she was no match at all for Chu Xun. With one simple toss, she landed right back where she started: just in front of Yan Chong and the others.
Knowing that it might not have been appropriate, Yan Chong and the others could still hardly hold back from bursting into laughter.
Jiu You’s grimacing expression immediately wiped off, replaced by a cold and deathly stare. “You want a beating, don’t you?”
All three of them immediately stopped laughing and pretended to develop a sudden interest at the people clambering up the mountainside.
Thousands of warriors swarmed up the mountainside, a huge devouring mass that looked as if it was trying to engulf the mountain whole like ants. It was only due to its sheer size or not everyone would have been able to go up together.
In just mere moments, Yan Chong and his comrades were all that were left waiting at the foot.
It did not take long for the horde of warriors to find the cave from whence the three-colored pillars of light came from; it was a cavern more than ten meters wide, its entrance guarded by a strange black wall of light.
All thanks to the derring-do of some foolhardy folks, the mob immediately realized the wall of dark light would kill anyone who dares to walk inside.
With that, everyone could do nothing but wait outside the entrance, hoping for the strange wall of dark light to just disappear so that they could rush inside to plunder whatever treasures they could find inside.
About a half-hour later, a dull hum reverberated through the air, and the wall of light dissipated away.
A pear tree, looming more than ten meters tall, with boughs, branches, trunks, and fruits of gold appeared right in front of everyone in all its splendor, its pear fruits burnished with a soft golden luster as it swayed gently to the mountain breeze that brushed by idly.
“That must be some magical fruit! Quick, get some!”
“GET AWAY, ALL OF YOU! THIS MAGICAL FRUIT IS PROPERTY OF THE NIRVANA SECT! WE’LL KILL ANYONE WHO DARES TO TOUCH IT!”
“You can shove your threats up your arse for all we care, Nirvana Sect, my eye! It’s finders, keepers. Everyone has a claim!”
Blinded by greed, the warriors fell into a frenzy of greed. No one knew what magical effects could come after ingesting the strange golden fruit, only that consuming it could bring some unforeseeable boon.
Puff!
Blood splattered everywhere; someone had cleaved the warrior in front of him into halves.
Thud!
The head of the warrior rolled to the ground and a geyser of fresh, hot blood sprayed out of the poor man’s severed neck.
The cold glint of a blade shone and came arcing at Chu Xun’s lower back. It was a Ninth-Grade Grandmaster and it was only because Chu Xun was in his way.
That infuriated Chu Xun and he flailed an arm, delivering a powerful shock that sent his assailant flying.
“Get off,” another snarl came and Chu Xun sensed a fist coming right at his chest.
Frost formed in Chu Xun’s eyes at the unprovoked display of aggression. The warrior before might have chosen to strike him because he was in the way. But this unknown stranger stood in front of him and yet he attacked him.
Bang!
Chu Xun’s fist came quicker and far stronger. Unleashing a terrifying force, he blasted the stranger into a mist of blood, scaring any other would-be assailants away as the warriors around him gave him a wide berth.
“CHARGE!” a voice shrieked.
“These magical fruits can help one become Human King! Quick, get one!” said a hoarse voice, bent on stirring the mob.
Chu Xun followed the voice and saw a hooded man cloaked in jet-black robes and his face obscured to mask his appearance.
The Broken Souls Cult? Whoever the stranger was, his appearance and garb matched what Yan Yi had described to him before.
Clearly, this stranger was trying to stir up the crowd when he apparently has no intention of fighting for the magical fruit.
Tongues of Immortal Qi swirled around Chu Xun as he mustered his power. The burgeoning force stunned everyone within inches of him, sending them crashing away, then he lunged at the man in black. He needed to take him down. Only, the man in black was extremely vigilant. With hardly any difficulty, he slipped into the boisterous mob and disappeared.
Chu Xun cast forth his divine senses, locking on to the fleeing stranger. But the mob of warriors around him had gone mad. Raving with greed and bloodlust, they attacked Chu Xun and he had had to set loose more than a dozen punches in a blurry rage, swatting the warriors away, each of them coughing blood and froth.
The sight of Chu Xun like a savage demon in a destructive binge appalled the warriors and they quickly retreated away. All of the magical fruits in the world would only be useless if they were to die now.
With no one eager to obstruct him, Chu Xun sped after the man in black.
An excruciating howl resounded across the air and the warriors drew back suddenly.
Chu Xun turned and what he saw made his pupils constricted with shock.
Bang! Bang...!
Mists of blood sprayed into the air like fireworks, scattering the scarlet warm liquid that came from the warriors who had rushed into the cave to fight for the magical fruits, only to have perished senselessly.
Tens of warriors died in just an instant, their blood spilled across every inch of the cave.
Horrified, the mob of warriors withdrew frantically, their faces aghast with fright and panic swept across their ranks.
Then, a loud whistle pierced through the hubbub emitted by the horde of confused and fearful warriors.
FWEET!
Terrified screams ensued.
Out of nowhere, more hooded men in black cloaks appeared. With their weapons and fists, they attacked the warriors without any warning, slaughtering them mercilessly.
In just the blink of an eye, more ten of them fell tragically.
The bloodbath came so suddenly that everyone was caught unawares, stunned, before panic swept through the horde of warriors and in their fright, they completely lost the wits to even defend themselves.
“I’LL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!”
A voice roared with rage and a man swung his saber at one of the black-cloaked strangers who had killed his comrade.
The stranger slapped forth a palm, and his terrifyingly-vast Inner Breath surged like a jet, delivering a power jet of magical energy that shattered the saber and quivered even the air, before he drove a fist through the helpless warrior’s chest.
A Human King?!
Fear and disbelief gripped the warriors. The hooded strangers in black cloaks were all Human Kings, and they brazenly displayed the entirety of their powers with hardly any reservations, ruthlessly murdering any warrior within their sights.
It did not take long for blood to flow like a brook.
Strangely, the blood did not seep into the soil nor did it flow down the slopes; as if drawn by an invisible force, they instead flowed towards the mouth of the cave.
“KILL THEM ALL!”
One of the men in black roared, his voice steely cold, and emanating the full might of a Human King, he struck at every warrior he could find.
“You lot of the Broken Souls Cult! Do you wish to suffer the anger of the masses!?”
It was another Human King who had snarled. Enraged at watching his students being massacred, he lost control of his temper and threw himself at one of the men in black.
There was no shortage of Human Kings among the congregation of warriors. In fact, their number greatly outnumbered the men in black.
“WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?” Chu Xun took the chance to yell at the warriors.
The bewildered warriors jerked themselves awake from the stupor and they scrambled desperately for their lives, racing downhill with all the speed they could muster.
Chu Xun spied a man in black and charged. He weaved several hand seals, and slammed a powerful blow into the stranger.
Boom!
With a powerful explosion, Chu Xun barreled two punches into his quarry, sending him careening directly through the threshold of the cave’s entrance with blood spewing from his mouth.
“Arrghhh!”
A disembodied scream of horror came from inside the darkened recesses of the cave; the man in black who Chu Xun had hurled inside yelling as if he had encountered something terrible. With another dull bang, he burst into vapors of blood.
Even Human Kings, nevermind Grandmasters, could not help feeling a sinister numbing sensation of something prickly behind their backs at the dread of Death. What lurked inside the cave?
Just then, more screams came from the mob of warriors swarming downhill.
The barriers of dark light had reappeared, cutting off their retreat.
Chaos and pandemonium washed through the warriors like a pandemic. More began to despair, afraid of dying and losing their composure like a pack of rabid dogs.
“Tsk tsk tsk tsk...” sneered one of the hooded Human Kings, his voice usually insidious, “You cannot run! Death shall come and embrace all of you!”
“Speak the truth, you knave of the Broken Souls Cult,” said one of the Human Kings, “Tell the truth and I’ll spare you.”
“Tsk tsk tsk tsk... The truth, you seek? Very well, here’s this: you are all going to die here today...”
Chu Xun’s body exuded a cold and murderous aura.
“Really? In that case, let me send you ahead of us!”
He tore after a hooded Human King and lashed out a fist as quickly as the wind itself, with sparks of electricity crackling gleefully.
Bang!
Despite his best efforts to repel Chu Xun’s attack, he failed. The sheer force of Chu Xun’s force smashed the bones of his arms and shocked his innards, causing him to cough up blood.
“ARRGGH!” screamed the hooded Human King in agony, his head tossed back as he screamed with wordless excruciation. Finally, when he regained what remained of his wits, he gasped, “Who are you!?”
“The one who shall kill you,” Chu Xun revealed frostily as he weaved another hand seal with one hand.
Boom!
The air around them roiled in resonance to his churning powers and winds screamed overhead. A strange and ancient aura manifested, and a gigantic pillar of magical energy fell from the sky with such force that would have brought anyone to heel.
The Demon-slain Finger! Shaking the Sky by the Fourth Finger!
Boom!
A gargantuan discharge of force shook the whole mountain and Chu Xun’s quarry was gone, utterly vaporized into mists of blood.
There was hardly anyone who could not yet remain unfazed by Chu Xun’s overwhelming might which easily bested a Human King.
One of the Human Kings held Chu Xun in a long stare until his pupils finally constricted with recognition. “My apologies,” he spoke, “Do I have the honor of addressing Chu the Devil?”
“Indeed, you do,” replied Chu Xun, clasping his fists together in salute.
Murmurs and whispers broke out. The name of Chu the Devil was only too notorious, although no one had ever seen him before.
“Su Qun of Fuluo Manor.”
“Wan Ziyun of the Qiankun Sect.”
“Qian Du of the Divine Sword Sect.”
“...”
Aside from the hooded Human Kings, the rest introduced themselves.
Maintaining his gesture of salute, Chu Xun growled, “Everything here appears to be some insidious plot of the Broken Souls Cult. Something foul must be lurking inside the cave. Lend me your strengths and let us break out of this place together.”
“So be it then, the Divine Sword Sect shall fight with you, Chu the Devil. We will gladly help you vanquish whatever foul contrivance the Cult shall throw at us and may we find a way out together.”
“It shall be an honor for the Qiankun Sect to stand alongside Chu the Devil in battle.”
With that, more warriors and people pledged their support.
Long had they heard of Chu Xun’s fame, and only on this day, they witnessed his might with their own eyes and no idiot would decline having one so powerful and mighty like Chu Xun as an ally.
“Very well, I hereby express my thanks for your support,” responded Chu Xun. His gaze shifted and rested on the remaining hooded Human Kings, the cultists of the Broken Souls Cult, “Let us cleave to the matter at hand and butcher the villainous filth of the Cult!”
The Broken Souls Cult had mobilized a total of fifteen First-Grade Human Kings. With two of their number expeditiously put down by Chu Xun, the remaining thirteen huddled together.
With their backs arched and their poise low, they readied themselves to fight. There was no margin for error; not when they were up against the infamous Chu Xun, one of the most ruthless slayers of men in the domain!
Chu Xun felt his Immortal Qi swirling all around him and the Hong Meng Immortal Qi boiling at the notion of battle. But before he could give the word to charge, the entire mountain shook again suddenly.
Roar...!
A blood-curdling roar emitted from inside the cave like a legendary monster of old rousing from its slumber. Thick foul air gushed out the yawning mouth of the cave, then there came the macabre stench of blood that could make any blood run cold.
The Cultists all fell to their knees, prostrating their heads in full submission towards the cave. In the loudest voice, they called, “We, the sons of Clan Wu, hereby welcome the Elder Ancestor on his return from his tribulations!”
Chu Xun stared intently at the cave. The aura coming out from the cave was enough to make his blood simmer.
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