Chapter 371 Doom!
The stranger never ceased the channeling of his power and Chu Xun voraciously soaked every ounce of it with his Firmament Chains assimilating them immediately while increasing Chu Xun’s powers too.
The stranger grinned. He was pleased with the progress. Any longer and the poison in his body would be utterly gone.
Apparently, so was Chu Xun. His soul was gaining power steadily.
This went on for five days
The strange hermit looked utterly different now. His dried grassy mat of hair had regained back its black and glossy luster and his aura now more powerful and rich. Even his scrawny midriff and torso now looked as if they had inflated into larger proportions, looking more muscular and sinewy.
Much had Chu Xun gained as well. His astral projection might not have ascended the Third Stage of his Divine Sense, but he reached the peak of the Second Stage with his ethereal form looking very real and corporeal.
“One more day,” said Chu Xun, “And the Poison of Fire shall be utterly expelled.”
The stranger hermit no longer looked like the demented beggar-like disheveled mess he once was. His entire self emanated a soft white glow with a pristine whiff of pure aura and skin now as smooth and supple as milk.
“I really do owe you a big favor – for all this,” said the hermit sincerely.
“Don’t mention it,” said Chu Xun, nodding, “For starters, how about letting me go?”
The hermit chuckled. “I would have if you had not angered me.”
Chu Xun narrowed his eyes at him, seriously doubting what he heard.
“Right, my name is Wen Yuchen. What is yours?”
“Chu Xun.”
“Well, Chu Xun. You have quaint and remarkable powers, despite your age. I must say that I’m impressed,” said Wen Yuchen.
Chu Xun pursed his lips.
By noon the following day, Wen Yuchen’s body was finally free from the torment of the Poison of Fire.
He let loose an ear-splitting roar of triumph.
“The poison’s all expelled. What would you do now?” asked Chu Xun.
“Do?” Wen Yuchen muttered with a blank face, turning morose soon after. “Nothing. I can survive, but that’s all. I cannot leave,” he yanked his chains as if to demonstrate his point.
Chu Xun held a chain and felt its chill prickling his skin. Summoning his powers, he gave the chain a hefty pull, still, it refused to bulge.
“It’s no use,” said Wen Yuchen, “These chains are forged using Stygian Iron. Nothing can break them.”
“Is there no other way to free you?”
“There is. The key lies with the next person to take my place.”
“And that’s the only way?”
“The only way,” confirmed Wu Yuchen, smiling to himself weakly, “Hardly anything can destroy these chains unless you’re an Empyrean Immortal.
Chu Xun never heard of that term before. All he knew beyond the Human King Stage were the Human-Immortal Realm, the Earth Immortal Realm, and the Gold Immortal Realm.
“What’s after the Gold Immortal Realm?” he asked.
“You know nothing about that?” Wen Yucheng gasped incredulously.
“The bunch of Earth’s mightiest are only Human Kings. Without even a Human Immortal, I can’t say I’d know anything more, can I?”
Wen Yuchen fell into contemplative silence. As if in a trance, he murmured, “Is this it? Is the once glorious and indomitable Earth now so decadent and impoverished? Is this the result of the departure of the Assembly of Immortals?”
He recovered himself quickly and told Chu Xun about what came after the Gold Immortal Realm: one ascends into a High Immortal, then a Prime Immortal, then an Empyrean Immortal, an Immortal Sage, and so forth.
“How far could Emperor Ao go, I wonder?” Chu Xun thought quietly.
“Friend Chu Xun. I will remember this kindness,” said Wen Yuchen soberly, “I shall return this favor.” He took out a stone – the Keystone – and gave it to Chu Xun, “Go. Come see me if you have the time. It’s awfully lonely here.”
Chu Xun took the stone, peering at Wen Yuchen. “Who is supposed to come to take your place? I might be able to get the key from him and free you if I’m able to find him.”
Instead of answering, Wen Yuchen stared at Chu Xun quietly before bending into a deep bow. “Thank you, my friend. Rest assured that if, if I manage to get out, you have my unyielding and eternal support and friendship.”
Chu Xun nodded and said, “Well, can’t say I’ll be expecting any repayment from you, but I only hope that we won’t be enemies if and when you manage to return to the Assembly of Immortals. I hope that you won’t be my enemy – or Earth’s.”
A strange foreboding dread told Chu Xun that somewhere in the future, the Assembly of Immortals would be at odds with Earth.
“The Assembly?” uttered Wen Yuchen suddenly, his gaze turning unbelievably cold, “Don’t worry about that. If I get free, I’ll bring fire and war to the Assembly.”
“What actually happened here?” asked Chu Xun inquisitively, “What imprisoned you here?”
Wen Yuchen did not answer at first as if he was wrestling whether to speak. Then, slowly, he said, “Years ago, four clans from the Assembly of Immortals – Clans Yuan, Ma, Gu, and Wen – joined hands to defeat the Subterranean Devils and sealed them here. But the enchantment is not impregnable. The Subterranean Devils have their own fair share of mavens and geniuses adept in the magic of enchantment and seals. For this reason, the site of this enchantment needs to be manned at all times. The four clans decided that the clans will take turns every five hundred years to send forth one man to guard the enchantment.”
“So you’ve been here for what? Tens of million years? And no one came to relieve you?”
“Yes, and it’s all thanks to these chains forged from Stygian Iron. On the other hand, it is also a Sacred Relic that has helped to control the spread of the Poison of Fire.”
Chu Xun nodded quietly. It was true, he mused. The Stygian Iron-made chains were so cold that they could have easily frozen anything.
“You’ve been here for almost a month, Chu Xun. The passing of time is different here than it is outside. By my estimation, it has been almost two years out there. Heaven knows what might have happened out there, so you should go,” said Wen Yuchen, “And while you’re finding the key to my salvation, I’ll use the time to regain my powers. After more than ten million years, this poison has eroded much of my powers.”
“I shall rely on you to keep on watching the Subterranean Devils then,” said Chu Xun.
“Don’t worry. They will not cause any trouble so long as I’m here.”
...
Far outside, three years had passed since Chu Xun left and the world underwent a massive transformation.
More races appeared from nowhere: the race of Angels, the race of gigantic apes, the race of peacock monsters, and so forth.
For three years, the Devil had vanished without any news, leaving the world lurching with apprehension and his enemies stirring with anticipation.
The Fire Dragon Palace had weathered sieges and raids for one too many times.
In Chu Xun’s absence, the Broken Souls Cult and the Sifang Sword Sect had rallied their allies to attack the Palace.
Several times, Yan Chong and the others nearly perished and if not for the intervention of the army by the Chief Official’s command, the Fire Dragon Palace would have long been reduced into a heap of ruins.
The Rock Sect of Gujiang too suffered many attacks resulting in heavy casualties. Tang Rou, Jiu You, Yan Yi, and the others garrisoned would have lost their lives too if Emperor Ao had not provided help.
Meanwhile, the Tianwu Sect was destroyed and Wu Busi became missing in action.
Even Qianlong Mountain was not spared; but fortunately, none of the invaders’ onslaught managed to penetrate the magical barrier that guarded the mountain.
Fire and chaos too came to the Sanctuary of Tetrarchy. The race of Zombies launched their biggest offensive yet in full force. Despite having Jing Hong and Yan Wushuang to help shore up their ranks, that did not prevent Mu Tian and Lin Qingfeng from falling in battle.
Pandemonium ravaged Earth as more anomalies occurred. Wild beasts began gaining sentience and the ability of speech of their own and some even demanded humans to surrender to them cities and forts.
One such beast, a gargantuan wolf with a coat of emerald-green fur could speak in the human tongue and demanded a town full of people to evacuate for its occupation.
The people living there naturally chose to defend their homes. This angered the wolf and it massacred everyone in the town before bringing its pack in to capture it.
This turned from a precedent into a norm. More beasts began invading cities and towns. The race of peacock monsters invaded one for themselves with one of its largest baring its beak and effortlessly devoured more than a thousand inhabitants.
The race of Angels turned out to be even more brazen. They demanded that the forces of the Fire Dragon Palace withdraw from the capital city and the country seat be surrendered to them.
At the Hall of Tetrarchy, Yan Wushuang was hurling yells and insults at Chu Xun – or more precisely, his body which Jing Hong had preserved using a magical field.
“Dammit, Chu Xun! Are you really dead or alive?! We can’t hold on any longer, you know!” Yan Wushuang had been fighting for days, picking up new wounds faster than his body could heal.
Boom!
The entire hall swayed as the ground shook.
Yan Wushuang’s face fell. The explosion came from somewhere near.
“Master Yan, His Lordship needs you! The Zombies are attacking!” cried an acolyte rushing in frantically.
Yan Wushuang reeled with horror. “The Zombies are here!? Is our doom already upon us?!”
“Can you hear me, Chu Xun? Wake up, dammit or this will be my last words to you,” grimaced Yan Wushuang sourly, “Anyway, I hope you can hear this too: please take care of my family if anything happens to me when you come back.”
The Yans were also attacked by a coalition of several factions led by the Zangs and Yan Wushuang did not go home to help with the defense, instead, he chose to stay at the Sanctuary to help repel the Zombies.
With one final glance at Chu Xun’s lifeless body, Yan Wushuang strode towards the gates.
“Hear my demands, forces of the Sanctuary of Tetrarchy! This is now the territory of the race of Zombies! You are henceforth exiled from this place!” It was a very, very powerful Zombie – its aura showed that it had reached Ninth-grade.
It stood at the head of a host of more than a hundred Zombies, each with their aura radiating strongly in black fume-like effervescence as a sign of their formidable strength.
Whereas the remaining forces of the Sanctuary could only boast the might of Yue Fandie, his four sons, Jing Hong, and Yan Wushuang. The rest of the defenders consisted of presbyters who made up the backbone of the resistance while the rest were acolytes who could never hope to survive once the aforementioned all perished.
With a nasty look, Yue Fandie growled coldly, “The Sanctuary of Tetrarchy has kept the peace in these lands for thousands of years. We’ll never stand down against foul creatures like you, much less allow you to conquer these sacred lands!”
“The rise of the Zombies is at hand, Yue Fandie. Nothing you do will stop that. At any rate, I’m changing my mind. You now have two options: you can either surrender and pledge fealty to us Zombies, or you can just die,” bellowed the leading Zombie pompously.
“Pledge fealty? Won’t that make us as shameless as you – a bunch of frozen meat as frigid as stone?” taunted Yan Wushuang. Zombies were foul creatures with stiffened muscles and flesh like rock.
The Zombie chieftain – a Ninth-grade Zombie King – fired a blast of black energy at Yan Wushuang in his rage. Yan Wushuang had ascended into Eighth-grade sometime during these three years, but it was still not enough.
Jing Hong’s hand shot up and a bolt of white cloth tore like a spear, destroying the jet of black light.
She too had ascended in Chu Xun’s absence, entering the Golden Core stage. That made her hypothetically on par with the Devil, although the latter’s battle power far outstripped hers.
The reason being Chu Xun possessing dual Golden Cores in addition to the invincible Hong Meng Scripture discipline of magic that he cultivated.
The impact of their blows colliding forced Jing Hong backward, but the Zombie chieftain hardly moved an inch. Her powers still paled in comparison to it.
“Intransigent fools! What a nuisance!” the Zombie chieftain grumbled contemptuously.
“You wish to conquer our lands, eh? We’ll never yield,” Jing Hong growled quietly, her aura emanating dangerously.
The chieftain chuckled. “I was told by my kinsmen about a tiresome whippersnapper here. Where is he?”
He must be referring to Chu Xun. The defenders fell silent with trepidation. For three years he had been gone, with no word whether he still lived.
“If he’s here, you won’t be here babbling your nonsense,” spat Jing Hong venomously.
The hard, chiseled face of the Zombie managed what seemed like a vile cackle. “Humans. A race of lies and deceit. If he’s not here, he must have deserted out of fear and cowardice!”
“Bumbling oaf,” smirked Yan Wushuang, “The Devil never shies away from a fight. You should count yourselves lucky he’s not here. Or else, he would have easily routed you all.” Despite his indiscipline and rebellious streak towards Chu Xun, he truly admired his strength and prowess in battle.
“Enough prattle. I see that you wish to fight to the end. So be it then. So falls the Sanctuary today,” declared the chieftain smugly, raising an arm and swinging it to signal the attack, “KILL THEM ALL!”
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