Chapter 453 Acrimony
Bang!
Any one of the rippling shock waves from Chu Xun’s blow could easily crush rocks into little stones.
Chu Xun’s leg slammed into Lang Mu’s waist, knocking him off his feet. The Lycan champion crashed far away, knocking down several strong trees on his way down.
Chu Xun was delighted. His bones were popping merrily like popcorn and he was glowing so brightly like a bulb. His insides were resonating with a vibrant hum and his heart was beating strongly. He never felt any better before.
Using his fight against the three Lost Races’ champions had helped him attune to his newly-forged physical body and he could literally feel power emanating from every vein, every tendon, and every cell inside him.
Huang Hai, Hei Zong, and Lang Mu all grimaced darkly with anguish and shame.
“Since when could the humans produce such a scary monstrosity?!”
The forces of the Lost Races quaked with trepidation. Even against the uneven odds, this human had prevailed and had defeated all three of their champions!
At Jiu You’s rally, human warriors cheered for Chu Xun.
Not far away on a mountain peak were two stern-looking middle-aged men standing together. They had been watching the fight since the beginning.
Behind them stood a troop of high-tiered Human Kings. All of them held their hands behind their backs quietly like a group of dutiful subordinates who held the two leaders in high esteem.
“To think that we humans have such an extraordinary figure aside from the infamous Devil,” observed Liu Jiuyuan, chieftain of a millennium-old order that had only just recently emerged.
“The Devil is only a Human King at best. He’d pale in comparison to this stranger,” said the other man, “I guess this bodes well for us humans.”
“Do you really mean what you just said, Gao?” Liu Jiuyuan chuckled, his eyes flashing oddly. “This man is remarkable. With his fighting skills, he could be a threat to us come the opening of the ancient ruins.”
Gao Mohan gave him a look and said, “It’s all down to luck when it comes to treasure hunting. And skills too. If he really succeeds in winning the prize, I’d say he had made his own chances.”
Liu Jiuyuan’s eyes emitted a fierce look even though it quickly vanished a split-second later. “Let’s hope that he’s not voracious enough to deny you and me our just desserts.”
Gao Mohan chuckled. “If that is the outcome, then I’d lament on our inferior skills, not him.”
“You’re a generous one, aren’t you?” Liu Jiuyuan said with a wry tone bordering on a jab.
“Why do I get the feeling that you see this Samsara person as an enemy, Liu? You both share some bad blood?” asked Gao Mohan with mild curiosity.
“I’ve never seen him before,” said Liu Jiuyuan flatly, not willing to concede more.
That ended the conversation and they both redirected their focuses back to Chu Xun.
Chu Xun stared at Hei Zong, Lang Mu, and Huang Hai, still eager for more thrill. No. These are Immortal-level champions. They’re surely better than this!
“Come on. Get up,” taunted Chu Xun.
The fight had far outstripped usual proportions, but even so, the combatants were still very far from unleashing their hidden aces.
Huang Hai and the champions looked on darkly, wondering if they should start showing their hand. They were reluctant too, but they could not afford to give in to Chu Xun.
“The ruins are still yet to open, friend,” said Kong Liqun, champion of the Peacock race suddenly. “I daresay nothing good would come if this fight prolongs and any injury that might occur would be a boon to other contestants of the prize. I implore that this fight shall be adjourned for now.”
Chu Xun had long sensed several powerful strangers watching him during the fight.
“Very well. Another time then,” said Chu Xun lightly and he turned around to leave.
That surprised every man and beast around. None of them expected that Chu Xun would so easily withdraw.
But Chu Xun knew full well that Kong Liqun was right; if the fight prolonged and Huang Hai and the others were forced to fight to their utmost, he might still win, but he would undoubtedly be injured. At the very least, he had learned enough from his fight against them to know that killing Immortal-level champions was easier said than done.
He could not afford to be wounded. Not before Soul-curing Flower had been secured in his keeping. And for this reason, he would never jeopardize the chance to resuscitate Hua Qingwu at a whim.
Moreover, he was aware that, aside from Kong Liqun, there were still other champions of the Lost Races who had yet to appear: the champions of the Macro-primates and the Zombies among them.
Another bout of skirmish and they might jump in to interfere while Chu Xun could count on no one else but himself; Chu Xun never expected any help from any human Immortal-level champions.
Huang Hai, Lang Mu, Hei Zong watched Chu Xun grudgingly, but they proffered no protests on his willingness to call it a day.
Chu Xun led Jiu You and the Sky Dragon Guard and selected another nearby plateau. It was occupied by another powerful group of people, but Chu Xun’s display of his invincible might earlier was enough to have them surrender the place to them quietly without resistance.
“That was magnificent, Immortal Chu,” said the tiger mutant, still exuberant and excited.
“Magnificent is an understatement. I wonder if Immortal Chu should go on fighting them. Imagine if he kills Huang Hai? He would have been the first man to slay an Immortal-level being!” cried the lion mutant, failing to contain his thrill as well.
“Slaying an Immortal-level being is easier said than done, you know,” chuckled Chu Xun.
“Were you concerned about the human champions, Immortal Chu?” asked the elephant mutant suddenly.
Chu Xun stared at him. True to his character, the quiet and reticent elephant mutant seemed to have a very clear grasp of things.
“Indeed,” Chu Xun nodded. During the fight, Chu Xun had felt a strong sense of acrimony coming from the human champions.
“Then we’ll need to tread more carefully then,” said the captain of the Sky Dragon Guard, “It’s apparent that the Lost Races are no friends of ours, but we need to be warier of the human champions whose loyalties are still not known.”
The lion mutant was about to say something else when Chu Xun’s hand shot up to point somewhere.
The figure of a newcomer was drawing near.
Lean and tall, handsome and dashing, the man emanated the powers of a Ninth-grade Human King, although he appeared to be unusually aloof.
“Samsara, the master of my house wishes to have a word.”
Chu Xun frowned. With only a cursory glance that saw all his interest diminished, Chu Xun averted his eyes and ignored him.
Infuriated, the man opened his mouth as if to speak, but the elephant mutant stepped up to him, “And the master of your house is?”
“You don’t have to know about that. You only need to come with me,” said the man proudly, not masking his impatience at all.
“From which hole did this fool come from? Just begone, for the love of Heaven,” said the tiger mutant scornfully, not liking the messenger’s attitude at all.
“You have three seconds before I slaughter you. Call that master of yours to come himself if he wishes to speak to Master Samsara!” bellowed the lion mutant.
“Who do you think you are? The bloody king of the goddamned world?” the eagle mutant scoffed loudly, showing any semblance of a backbone for the first time.
The messenger glowered darkly at Chu Xun and his companions. Disgusted and affronted, he spat, “As if the likes of you deserve our master to grace you with his personal appearance?!”
That was enough to have the lion mutant and the others go berserk.
Swoosh!
Jiu You was the first to spring into action. She shot forward like a lunging serpent, her halberd thrusting forward before her. Myriads of lights accompanied her every movement and her shiny, purplish head of hair shook as she moved, her halberd giving off trails of golden glitters behind every swing and pierce.
“HOW DARE YOU!” the messenger bellowed, summoning his Internal Breath and he fired a blast at Jiu You.
Rumble!
Unnatural winds raged around them as the Internal Breath bolt came screaming at Jiu You. She stabbed her halberd at it and shook her polearm wildly, dissipating the energy bolt easily.
“I KILL YOU!”
Jiu You shrieked with rancor. She brandished her weapon and attacked, every point of impact causing ripples of seismic waves that grounded rocks into stones.
Rumble! Rumble!
Explosions burst out around the two combatants in the gritting whirl of battle and the commotion caught everyone’s attention.
The messenger began to feel daunted the more blows he exchanged with Jiu You. He was fighting against an Eighth-grade Human King, yet still, he appeared to be the one losing ground.
“Wait. Is that… Queen Jiu You?!”
“That’s right. The rumors about her are true, I guess. She really can fight against foes beyond her levels.”
“I suppose that nothing to be surprised of if you factor in her relationship with the Devil.”
More onlookers exchanged hushed whispers.
Many thought Jiu You’s incredible prowess in battle came from Chu Xun, but in truth, Jiu You possessed a demonic physical body of the order. That made her more powerful than most men.
Rumble!
A terrible explosion saw both Jiu You and the messenger hurtled backward from the blast. But in the turbulence, Jiu You opened her mouth wide open and an arrow of ice shot out, streaking through the sand storm tossed up by the eruption and speared through the messenger’s calf.
He howled with pain and panic; despite his efforts to prevent the spread of the frostbite, it was growing like cancer, only faster.
This was no ordinary ice, but ice wrought of magic that could shatter even steel and iron. This was Jiu You’s innate ability as a demonic serpent but she could not yet use it to greater efficacy. If she could ever reach Emperor Ao’s level, a mere breath from her could easily cast areas more than a thousand miles into a tundra.
The messenger screamed and screamed hysterically. The magical frostbite extended all the way up to his calf and right before it passed his knee, he unflinchingly sliced off his calf before any more damage could be done.
The severed calf fell to the ground and shattered into countless shards like a slab of glass.
The messenger glared bitterly at Jiu You before he spun around and with his only remaining leg, he stomped hard and launched himself into the distance.
“Escaping, eh?” Jiu You snorted and she gave chase immediately.
Everyone held their breaths. “How callous and cruel! She shows no mercy to her enemies at all!”
“That’s enough, come back,” called Chu Xun.
Jiu You’s petite figure stopped in her tracks and she swiveled around with a dissatisfied last look at the messenger limping away with one leg and she pouted.
“Why did you stop me?” Jiu You asked sourly.
“The chance will come,” chuckled Chu Xun, stroking her hair into a mess.
She glared at him, annoyed, and slapped his hand away.
The Sky Dragon Guard all shared hesitant stares. Only in Chu Xun’s presence did Jiu You behaved like a little child.
The messenger finally made it back to the summit there his master awaited.
Makeshift tents scattered around the elevated mesa.
He dashed into one of the tents and crashed down, spinning like a rolling barrel on the ground.
Inside the tent were Liu Jiuyuan and Gao Mohan and two other middle-aged men who possessed similarly enormous auras too.
The Immortal-level champions of the human race had assembled.
“Save me, Master!” wailed the messenger pitifully.
Liu Jiuyuan leaped to his feet in a rage. He rushed to his maimed subordinate and sealed his meridian points before channeling some of his powers into the man to help him heal.
That helped to stabilize the messenger’s injury.
“What in Heaven’s name had happened?!” Liu Jiuyuan demanded.
“It was Samsara. By your order, Master, I went to him and invited him to a meeting. But not only did he responded disrespectfully, but he had also even hurled insults at you. In my anger, I tried reasoning with them but he had Queen Jiu You attacked me,” wailed the messenger between sobs and tears.
Gao Mohan and the rest of the two human champions shared wary looks.
“That’s too much,” Liu Jiuyuan growled. He got up to walk out of the tent; he would settle the score with Chu Xun himself.
“Wait, Liu,” called Gao Mohan before Liu Jiuyuan reached the entrance.
“You wish to stop me?” Liu Jiuyuan turned back and shot a scathing glare at Gao Mohan.
“Peace, Liu. I only implore for patience. We should first investigate,” said Gao Mohan.
The human champions present were no strangers to cunning and manipulation.
That Samsara, a champion of the Immortal levels like they were, would easily display animosity at the notion of just a simple invitation to a parlay sounded awfully ludicrous.
What was more, the messenger would have already been killed if Chu Xun willed it so. He could have easily obliterated the Human King messenger into nothingness with just the lift of a finger.
“It’s as clear as day,” responded Liu Jiuyuan angrily, “Samsara is behaving too highhandedly and he should pay! What else is there to investigate!?”
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