Chapter 405 So Falls the Broken Souls Cult
Li Kun hurtled through the air and crashed more than a hundred meters away. There he laid, still and motionless, after a couple of transitory spasms.
Everything went deathly silent.
The incredible blow Chu Xun inflicted had cut off the hopes that Li Kun maintained for his triumph.
Through fortuitous chance, Li Kun stumbled upon the Pith of Blood magic that bestowed him the ability to regenerate from his wounds and too much confidence as he thought Chu Xun would never be able to kill him.
Yet now, there he laid, lifeless and dead.
Chu Xun glared at Li Kun’s body from his spot. “The Pith of Blood? Some useless parlor tricks. Try regenerating your heart after that.”
He strode to Li Kun’s corpse and slid the Storage Ring off his finger and inside, he found the manuscript for the Pith of Blood, inscribed on a piece of animal hide.
Purplish flames burst to life in his palms and slowly engulfed the piece of skin. “Perhaps the world would be better not having anything like this ever again,” Chu Xun mused.
The surviving presbyters and acolytes of the Cult all left aghast with dismay, and their spirits utterly crumbled at the demise of their chief.
Although a terrible and brutal leader that already had them all disappointed in him, Li Kun’s presence nevertheless commanded hope that so long as he lived, so endured the Cult. Yet he was gone – dead and defeated, and that utterly drained every Cultist of any more will to resist.
Chu Xun stared at them all, malice swirled in his eyes as the idea of slaying them all dwelled in his mind. He really wanted to kill them all.
“Go! All of you!”
Chu Xun sighed. He just couldn’t. The better part of him had just succeeded in making him merciful.
None of the Cultists could believe what they were hearing. None of them could comprehend that the Devil was showing them mercy.
“Do you not want to go?” Chu Xun glowered.
The sudden remark sent a jolt of shiver through the Cultists.
“Thank you, Immortal Chu! Thank you for your mercy!”
“We shall never stand against you again, so we swear! Let Heaven strike us down if we break this promise!”
The scythe of Death was as good as held up against their throats, but the notoriously callous and ruthless Devil had decided to let them go.
Hence, their disbelief when they heard Chu Xun asking them to leave. No one could simply believe it.
But it was true. The Devil was letting them go!
“Promise the moon and stars all you want, but they’re like pie crusts to me; made so that they can be broken. Like Heaven would care if you break your word,” remarked Chu Xun dryly, “But so long as I walk this earth, rest assured that I will come for you if you don’t repent. Heaven might overlook specks of filth like you but not me. I’ll come for you even to the ends of the world.”
The message struck the fear of Heaven into the surviving Cultists. There was no reason to doubt what Chu Xun had said, for he had never once broken any promise before.
No one even dared to question if Chu Xun was willing to traverse great lengths to dispense justice. To question Chu Xun’s resolve was a folly upon itself.
“We bid you farewell then, Devil!”
The remaining presbyters of the now-defunct cult knew there was nothing more to be said. The Devil would never fall for simple sophistry.
The Cultists bowed deeply as one and turned to leave, their backs shuffling gradually away miserably.
More than half of the Cult did not survive and most of the casualties were caused by none other than Li Kun himself. The Broken Souls Cult would never recover from such a loss.
What was more, the demise of Li Kun marked the end of the Cult and with it, any quarrel that the surviving members might have with Chu Xun.
Crunch!
Blood poured out like a spring as Li Kun’s lifeless head rolled off. Chu Xun had hewed off the head from his carcass.
Chu Xun made good on his promise to Li Kun: no more Broken Souls Cult from this day hence.
With his Divine Sense, Chu Xun quickly found the secret vault of the Cult – the one thing he cared for the most.
“Wait for me here,” muttered Chu Xun, before racing off on his own.
He came back not long later, looking rather jubilant. The secret vault of the Cult had been filled to the gunnels with riches and supplies.
And all of them now belonged to Chu Xun.
Chu Xun led the Silver Dragon Guard to the enchantment he conjured to keep Wu Busi safe and had each of the Guard carry every member of the wounded in there.
Before leaving, Chu Xun cast a spell that razed every inch of the hideout to the ground. When it was done, he blasted into pieces the huge rock outside inscribed with the glyphs that said “Broken Souls Cult” for good measure.
He whisked out his cell phone and took a picture which he uploaded to the Martial Tao forum on the Internet with a caption that said: So Falls the Broken Souls Cult.
The Internet was still simmering with discussions about Chu Xun’s recent exploits against the Wingeds when the photo appeared online and everyone who saw it went so mad that the image was reposted at least tens of thousand times.
More riotous uproars erupted in cyberspace.
Hardly anyone could keep their excitement restrained at the fiery inferno raging in the picture’s background. Chu Xun had quietly decimated the Broken Souls Cult!
“Good Heavens, to think that even so mighty an order like the Broken Souls Cult could crumble beneath the invincibility of Immortal Chu. Is there really no one who could rival him?”
“Immortal Chu, the most invincible man in the world.”
“What do you think? Has he achieved that step yet?”
The Internet boiled with gossip and conjecture.
But as most of the world reveled in celebration, there were others too who were none too happy about the status quo, namely the Sifang Sword Sect and the Tianlong Fort among them.
The news of the Broken Souls Cult’s destruction by Chu Xun came like a lightning bolt out of the blue, rendering them cold and shaking all over with trepidation, wondering with dread and dismay the day when their turn would come.
Chu Xun led everyone out of Silent Hill and they found the peacock still unconscious. Chu Xun patted it at the head to awaken it.
Bearing Chu Xun and everyone on its back, the gigantic bird flapped its wings as furiously as possible, heading straight for Qingcheng.
When they came, it carried only eleven men including Chu Xun. But now with more than twice the number on its back, the peacock was struggling to even remain afloat in the air that beads of sweat poured like rain down its brows.
Wu Busi and his men were all badly wounded. Chu Xun’s first aid might have helped save them, but it would be some time before they could fight once more.
Along the highway to Gujiang, four men were flipping through the news on their phones when they saw the story of what happened.
“Good Heavens Almighty!” yelped one of them with shock.
They were the same four warriors who had informed Chu Xun that the Broken Souls Cult was behind the invasion of the Tianwu Sect at the hotel cafeteria.
They were on their way to Gujiang to join the Rock Sect and become part of the Chu Mansion.
All four men stared at each other with silence and amazement.
“Isn’t that a tad too fast?!” muttered one of them under his breath.
His companions bobbed their heads blankly in agreement. After just a few hours after parting with Chu Xun, he had destroyed the Broken Souls Cult!
“Heavens, do you think he’s actually a deity from above?” one of them breathed heavily.
“What difference does it make? I’m joining the Chu Mansion no matter what. I’d ride to war with the Devil himself,” said Zhou, vehemently passionate.
“Spoken like you’re the only one,” scowled one of his friends, picking up his pace.
They shared a laugh and decided to put in more speed. At any rate, Chu Xun’s latest act of derring-do had solidified the men’s resolve to the Chu Mansion.
At the Sanctuary of Tetrarchy, Yue Fandie beamed with such pride when he heard Chu Xun’s glorious victory that he immediately ordered for a feast to celebrate.
“Well done indeed! I expect no less from you, Brother!” the Lord of the Sanctuary roared with laughter.
Jing Hong, Yan Wushuang, and all four Yue Brothers were present too.
A displeased Yan Wushuang complained, “You’re a lousy one, you know that? How could you not ask me along when you’re in for such fun!”
“You coming along would only do more harm than good,” jeered Yue Jingchou.
Yan Wushuang rolled his eyes at how spiteful Yue Jingchou turned out to be. It had been so long since Yue Fandie’s walloping and still until today, Yue Jingchou still had it for him for the terrible joke Yan Wushuang played on him and Jing Hong.
“By right of seniority, I’m an uncle to you. So listen up, you should be generous and forgiving as a gentleman! If you’re so petty and spiteful, even ordinary women would keep a distance from you, nevermind one with such beauty and qualities as Jing Hong!”
Yue Jingchou’s face turned so red like a tomato as he glared venomously at Yan Wushuang, thinking, “How dare he bring this up now! Jing Hong’s just beside us for crying out loud! Does he not know any manners at all!?”
“But Master Yan, word has it that you’ve pursued Yao Baiyue’s hand in marriage for more than decades yet to no avail, haven’t you?” remarked Jing Hong suddenly, the softness of her tone belied the devastating damage of those words that almost had Yan Wushuang suffering an aneurysm.
“Wow! Pursuing a woman for decades?! I suppose that makes Bratty Yan a foolishly lovelorn Romeo after all! Yao Baiyue, eh? The name itself illustrates how beautiful she must look! I must meet her!” muttered Yue Jingchou, visibly thrilled.
That put Yan Wushuang in a poor mood. How could Jing Hong split open this old wound of his!? And then there’s Yue Jingchou enjoying himself by pouring salt over it!
“That enough, you lousy brat. I’m as good as an uncle to you!” Yan Wushuang glowered at Yue Jingchou, “Aren’t you afraid that I might give you some much-needed walloping?”
“Quit calling yourself an uncle when no one here has made you one!” scowled Yue Jingchou contemptuously.
“You could really use some beating, boy!”
“Bring it on then!”
...
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Chu Xun had Wu Busi and the rest of the wounded settled at a hotel to recuperate and convalesce.
Being not very far from Yanxue City, Chu Xun decided to go have a look. He remembered hearing about how the Yans at Yanxue too were having troubles of their own and caught up with the defenses of the Sanctuary in his absence, Yan Wushuang had not been able to return home to help his kin.
Then there was the plot to poison the members of the Fire Dragon Palace by the Zangs before that almost claimed the lives of Yan Chong and the others. “Perhaps it was time that the debt is settled,” mused Chu Xun.
He brought only Long Yi and Long Er with him; the rest of the Silver Dragon Guard he left there to look after the wounded.
This time, Chu Xun decided to take a plane.
He had released the peacock as soon as they reached Qingcheng so they needed another mode of transportation.
But without their own airport, they needed to first land at its neighboring city, Linshi before traveling to Yanxue City.
As soon as they landed, the first thing Chu Xun did was to summon the local military garrison. He requisitioned a car and drove the car himself to Yanxue City.
It was the first time Long Yi and Long Er rode in a car, their first time on a plane was already a life-changing experience on its own.
They stared blankly with Chu Xun at the wheel, wondering how the huge piece of metal could generate enough power to move on its own.
“Wanna have a go?” Chu Xun asked Long Yi.
The latter shook his head furiously, “I know nothing about driving, sir.”
“Come on, it’s easy. Just keep your foot on the pedal.”
Chu Xun pulled over and exchanged seats with Long Yi and he instructed the latter on how to drive.
“With your right foot, step on the accelerator.”
“Yes, sir.”
VRROOM!
The engine of the military-issued car, a vehicle built with strong horsepower, roared and charged like a raging bull.
“Hit the brakes!” cried Chu Xun.
“Yes, sir.”
VRROOM!
The car revved louder as if in protest and charged gloriously into a tree more than a few arm’s lengths wide.
Fumbling with the steering, the sudden collision saw him being launched off his seat and out of the car through the windshield.
At the rear seat, the sudden jolt threw Long Er forward before he even knew what was going on and his face slammed into the headrest in front of him. He did not manage to summon his powers in time and nearly broke his nose and his mouth instantly filled with myriads of flavor from the mouthful of mucus he just inadvertently swallowed.
The huge tree shook and dead leaves fell off its bough, raining down slowly.
The entire hood of the car was utterly mangled from the impact with black angry fumes hissing out, accompanied by the occasional litany of crackling sparks.
Fortunately for Chu Xun, he knew something like this might happen and he had already conjured a sparkling purplish coat of protective aura to protect himself.
Then he heard the bubbling of liquid coming from somewhere around them. Then he realized that it was not water! The collision must have damaged the fuel tank and fuel was leaking out!
Bang!
Chu Xun’s hand shot up to blast a hole in the ceiling. He swiftly grabbed Long Er and shot out, landing quickly beside Long Yi and he quickly conjured with his mind a barrier to shield themselves.
VRROOM!
The wreckage exploded and flames shot up the sky with plumes of black smoke billowing upwards. The explosion caused further damage to the tree trunk and the tree came groaning its way down and finally hit the ground with a deafening crash that shook the earth.
Chu Xun raised up and summoned a gust of wind to blow away the smoke before undoing the magical barrier.
“I’m sorry, sir!” said Long Yi quickly, his head hanging and his face reddened in shame.
Chu Xun could only shake his head with an exasperated and weak smile. A Ninth-grade Human King who almost committed suicide via road accident.
“I left Silver Dragonsville, thinking I’d go to war alongside Master Chu Xun, Long Yi,” scowled a morose Long Er who was still nursing his nose, “Little did I realized instead of dying in battle, I nearly died here instead!” It was so painful that tears nearly came out.
That earned him a glare by Long Yi who could have not been any more embarrassed at the gravity of his blunder.
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