Chapter 377 Bird Shooting
The cold voice stabbed through the darkened alleyway as keenly as a blade.
It was one simple sentence, but it paralyzed the Broken Souls Cultists with panic.
“WHO ARE YOU!”
The stranger said nothing. What came instead as a response was a gigantic monolith crashing down on him.
A monolith that came down with an ancient and indomitable presence.
Panicking, Bao Tianxiang and his comrades hectically summoned their powers to defend themselves, screaming at the top of their voices as they struggled, but to no avail; the monolith was just too heavy and powerful.
And the narrow space in the alley deprived them of any way to avoid the blast.
BOOM!
The powerful explosion threatening to rip the ground asunder erupted like a bomb blast, scattering bits and pieces of flesh and viscera everywhere while killing more than a dozen Cultists who died being reduced into minced meat.
“Are you a mercenary hired by the Rock Sect? What price did they pay? The Broken Souls Cult is happy to double that price!” Bao Tianxiang yelled hastily.
That prompted Chu Xun to stop, his lips curling with amusement.
“Pay up now and I might let you go.”
“Why not,” thought Chu Xun, who would never complain against any chance to skim more benefit for himself. These men would never live to see the next day and he might as well relieve them of anything useful before sending them on their way to their doom.
“Let us go, good sir, and the Broken Souls Cult will never refuse any demands you make!” cried Bao Tianxiang.
“Empty promises, eh?” hissed Chu Xun contemptuously, “Hmph, off you go then.”
Chu Xun strode forward with piecemeal steps, approaching the Cultists while his mind activated his magic.
The Formula of Kill!
The atmosphere in the alley turned tense with a stench of blood and malice filling the air and a “sha” glyph materialized in mid-air, barreling forward like a cannonball.
BOOM!
The fiery eruption from the blast illuminated every corner of the alley and the first few Cultists at the front were blown to smithereens.
Energy bolts shaped like fists rained like a deluge of purplish rays down on the men, hurling death and destruction upon the men trapped inside the alley.
Cracks and crevices burst open because of the pounding impacts and blood was everywhere on the ground bestrewn with broken limbs and torn-off extremities.
The glowing silhouette of a dragon in purple appeared. The dragon hovered in mid-air before Chu Xun, roaring and baring its fangs at his foes as its purplish strands of glitters that outlined its girth resembled a string of amethysts shimmering brightly in the darkness.
The dragon let loose another deafening roar and charged, diving into the midst of the Cultist like a fox before everyone could react and detonated itself.
Blood splashed on the walls of the alleyway and more broken limbs fell on the ground in plops sickening enough to scare the living daylights out of anyone.
Out of the forty-men-strong cadre handpicked for this invasion on the Rock Sect, none save the five Eighth-grade Human Kings survived.
All five of them exchanged quick looks and darted off in the other direction to escape from the other exit of the alleyway.
Chu Xun scoffed with disdain. He took one step. It was all he needed and he reappeared right before their eyes, barring their escape.
The five men screeched to a panicking halt. “How on earth did he reach here so fast?!”
“Where’s the rest of the Cult now?”
It was the question Chu Xun was most eager to know. Out of fear for Chu Xun, the Cult had evacuated their stronghold and no one yet knew their whereabouts.
A vehicle passed by the alleyway, briefly lighting up the alleyway with light from its headlamps and it was all the five men needed to see who it was: Chu Xun.
“The Devil.”
They gasped as one.
“I suppose I should be flattered that you remember my face even after three years,” muttered Chu Xun dryly.
Bao Tianxiang and his cohorts could hardly move an inch. Shivering so much that they stood like stones, they cursed themselves for not believing it really was Chu Xun when he first appeared to cut off their exit.
“Tell me where lies the rest of the Cult now and I might show you mercy,” said Chu Xun.
Their eyes flickered with uncertainty as both men shared worried and hesitant looks despite the obvious decision.
Whoosh!
Chu Xun fired a ray of purple light. The death ray perforated one of the five men as easily as a hot knife through butter and blasted a hole right through his heart and the man crumbled to the ground.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Another two purplish rays of light shot and killed another two, killing them instantly.
“Wait! I’ll speak!”
Bao Tianxiang shivered like a prey before a predator. Eighth-grade Human King, an existence that could easily conquer almost everything and everyone. Yet their powers held as much significance as a speck of dirt in the eyes of the Devil, Chu Xun.
“I will speak too.”
Finally, even his last remaining colleague gave in too. Understandably so, or another purplish ray of light could be the last thing he would ever see.
“Li Kun and the rest of the Broken Souls Cult. Where are they?”
“You’ll promise to spare us if we tell you?”
Chu Xun nodded.
“Very well. You are the world-renowned Devil. I only hope you’re a man of your word,” said Bao Tianxiang. But it hardly mattered. With his life now in Chu Xun’s hands, the statement meant no more to Chu Xun than to himself.
“The rest of the Cult has regrouped at Silent Hill in Qingcheng,” said Bao Tianxiang.
“And Li Kun is there too?” asked Chu Xun.
“He is,” attested the other Cultist.
“That is all you’ll require of us, Immortal Chu. We ask only mercy from you. We’ll be hermits from this day hence to avoid your wrath,” said Bao Tianxiang.
“So be it then,” said Chu Xun.
“Our thanks to you, Immortal Chu,” said Bao Tianxiang, and with his colleague, they turned around to leave towards the entrance of the alleyway.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Two purplish death rays blasted through them.
With what remaining strength in him, Bao Tianxiang turned feebly around and hissed feebly but bitterly, “Y-you… Y-you’ll pay for this… D-Devil…”
Chu Xun smirked as the two Cultists slid to the ground lifelessly.
“Well, I’ve never claimed to be an honorable person, have I? Why else am I called the Devil?”
Chu Xun muttered dryly before he wheeled around and vanished.
Chu Xun arrived at the stronghold of the Rock Sect to find the battle still ongoing.
The battle had long ended, but not for Jiu You.
“Ninety-eight,” she counted aloud, plunging her halberd into her incapacitated enemy.
“Ninety-nine.”
“That’s enough, Jiu You. Just kill him!” cried Tang Rou, finding Jiu You’s actions too bloody for her taste.
“One hundred.”
The halberd stabbed through the man’s throat for the hundredth hole.
Chu Xun shook his head with exasperation. The hole-ridden corpse bled so much like a sieve.
“I told you that I’ll poke a hundred holes on you! That’s me making good on my promise!” said Jiu You to the fallen man now as dead as a doornail before ending with a disdainful spit.
“Master!” Yan Yi greeted him, pleased that they finally avenged themselves, “What of the rest of the Cultists?”
“All dead,” said Chu Xun flatly, “Clean up things here and do not let anyone know that I’ve returned.”
Yan Yi acknowledged the order with dawning comprehension, nodding his head.
Back into the great hall of the stronghold, everyone sat down.
“Are you leaving, Big Brother?” asked Tang Rou, who had cleverly guessed the reason Chu Xun wanted Yan Yi to keep the news of his return under wraps.
Chu Xun nodded. “The Fire Dragon Palace is being assailed by the race of Angels. I’m only worried that Yan Chong and the others might not be able to hold on longer, that’s why I need to get there quickly.”
“I’m going with you,” volunteered Jiu You.
Chu Xun stroked the hair of her little head, “Nope. You’re staying here. I need you to help keep your Big Sister Tang Rou safe.”
Jiu You pouted her lips at him, looking visibly annoyed.
“But Big Brother, aren’t you going back to Qianlong Mountain for a look?” asked Tang Rou.
“Qianlong Mountain is still safe because of the enchantment. So I guess not yet. With Palace now besieged, I’m more needed there now.”
Chu Xun finalized his arrangements before his departure. At last, despite his reluctance, he left the Rock Sect in the middle of the night and sped straight towards the capital.
Chu Xun traveled as fast as he could. As he journeyed through jungles and forest, he could hear wild beasts roaring and growling when they felt him. But thanks to his formidable presence, they only kept to the shadows and none showed themselves.
Owing to the anomalies still ongoing around Earth, the tectonic shift had furthered the distance between Gujiang and the capital and the gap was still growing.
All the way, Chu Xun did not slow down at all, and only chose to when his skin was beginning to burn.
It was morning on the following day when Chu Xun finally made it to the capital.
On his way to the Fire Dragon Palace, he really encountered Angels.
Handsome and beautiful, Angels looked like humans but with milky-white wings on their backs. Clad in armor and mail and each emanating powerful auras, they appeared to be remarkable warriors.
There was an air of pride and aloofness about their kind. By flapping their wings, they could easily take into the air and fly, or, they could churn up strong and fierce winds.
By controlling the air, they flew in the sky, overhead the common people and no warriors below could do anything to them.
The guards of the capital city yelled at them, forbidding them to fly.
But the Angels paid no heed to them. Instead, they smirked scornfully and flew off.
Chu Xun went up to them and identified himself.
The captain of the patrolling soldiers, a man called Jiang Tao, who could have sworn his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw Chu Xun’s identification.
Chu Xun. Major General Chu Xun.
Instinctively, his body reacted before he knew it, snapping to attention.
But Chu Xun quickly stopped him and he ripped the rifle from the captain’s hands.
Rata-tata-tata-tat!
The heavily-concentrated machine-gun fire caused quite a ruckus as it churned one pellet of lead after another with blinding succession. The bullets caught a good-looking male Angel flying in the air, ruffling his feathers as he plummeted face-first from the air.
Bang!
The taller he flew, the harder he fell. The male Angel fell face-first, striking earth with such force that even the bluestone flooring split.
Jiang Tao stared with disbelief at what just happened. So did the rest of his squad.
Even the warriors who saw what happened hung their jaws with shock.
Three Angels were flying in the air and with Chu Xun shooting down one of them, the remaining male and female Angels hovered in mid-air, paralyzed by startlement.
Touting the rifle, Chu Xun stepped closer and took aim at the male Angel still flying in the air. He pulled the trigger and fired another salvo of hot lead at him and the Angel had to duck and evade the bullets, causing some of his feathers to fall like confetti.
“Wait! Stop!” cried the Angels. The male one was seething so badly that his hands were shaking. Thrusting a finger at Chu Xun, “Y-you! How dare you! How dare you hurt a member of the Winged race!”
“Winged race?” muttered Chu Xun. He peered at Jiang Tao, “I thought they’re called Angels?”
Jiang Tao scurried forward and said into his ear, “They call themselves the Winged race. But many of the common folk mistook them to be angels from the fables and legends hence the misnomer.”
“Whatever,” muttered Chu Xun, nodding, “Wingeds or Angels, they are disobeying orders to not fly in the airspace of the capital. Just shoot them down like you would with birds.”
Jiang Tao opened his mouth as if to protest, but his voice failed him. “The Devil indeed as I live and breathe! He really is as imperious as the rumors go!”
“Ah, yes! I’m warning you. Tell no one about my identity or I’ll have you shot,” said Chu Xun sternly.
“Yes, sir!” exclaimed Jiang Tao hastily.
“Go on then! Get your men ready to shoot down some birds!” ordered Chu Xun.
With a blank face that quickly turned into that of elation, he acknowledged the order with brimming enthusiasm, “Yes, sir!”
The capital guards had suffered enough disdain and cold shoulder from warriors let alone these Wingeds.
Now with Chu Xun leading them, there was nothing to be afraid of. After all, this was the same Chu Xun who had slain a dragon and the very same who had caused such chaos and pandemonium that even the West feared him.
“All right, boys! Take aim and fire at those birds!” cried Jiang Tao to his men. With his rifle now in Chu Xun’s possession, he conveniently relieved one from another of his squadmates.
“FIRE!”
The muzzles of the rifles never stopped flaring as the triggers were depressed.
Bullets peppered every corner of the sky, aiming towards the Winged male and female.
“You vermin!”
Both members of the Winged race turned livid. They flapped their wings and their feathers glinted as white as steel and they fired their feathers like arrows at Chu Xun and the soldiers.
The steely feathers rained down on the men, striking the bullets before they could reach their target.
Warriors nearby who had been witnessing the spectacle immediately took it as their cue to escape to safety.
Jiang Tao and his men dreaded the worse as they kept up the onslaught, but their discipline as soldiers prevented them from cowering from battle, and their training steeled with enough resolve to follow their orders to carry on firing.
Hum!
A bright wall of light, glimmering with a deep shade of purple, shot up the sky and shielded the men from the arrow-like shafts.
The deluge of deadly feathers battered as harmlessly as rain on roof at Chu Xun’s enchantment, causing bright little sparkles of white whenever they hit the shield.
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