Chapter 419 - The Stronger Grudge

The battle came to another standstill with both sides retreating back to their lines. The guardian of the Ridge, Elder Long ran hurriedly to the Great Immortal and whispered into his ears, “We cannot afford to have this ruckus to continue, Grand Elder! We have only six days until the awakening of the Divine Corpse. Fort Raksasa and the other two evil orders are our true enemies here and they could well be hiding, biding their time to strike a critical blow upon us! Don’t you think we should…”

But he was stopped short by the Great Immortal who held up an arm frantically, his face as hard as stone. “No. We’ll hold them off however we must. Under no circumstances must any of the former High Chieftains be disturbed by this. Go to Ye Wuxin. See if he is ready. These people will be nothing but vermin if he is successful in taming that Corpse King.”

He swiveled and turned to the army of invaders and shouted, “Who among you is the one leading this attack?” A figure broke ranks from the crowd and responded icily, “Perfected Immortal Feng Lan, the Twenty-third Leader of the Divine Mist Sect.”

There was hardly any utterance of objection from everyone else. The Divine Mist Sect had always prided itself as one of the mightiest sects or schools of the Orthodox Path.

“Right!” The Great Immortal snorted through narrowed eyes, “Prolonging this fight is doing more harm than good for all of us. We’ll only weaken ourselves while others wait and lurk to feast on what remains of us. I have a proposal: we’ll decide this war in single combat. We’ll each elect a champion to fight in single combat. If your champion wins, the Corpse Refinery Sect will dissolve and destroy all its Corpse Puppets in seven days. What say you?”

A chorus of hushed murmurs and anxious whispers rose from within the formation of the defenders as the members of the Sect eyed each other with disbelief and trepidation of what could come. On the other side, the proposal seemed to have restored some hope to many of the mages of the Orthodox Path; they have seen enough blood being spilled and a great many of them had lost the will to continue the fight. But it was simply too obvious to miss. This was merely a ruse by the Corpse Refinery Sect to bide for more time. They were only trying to buy more time for the awakening of the Divine Corpse which no one could then be able to defeat once it walks the earth.

Perfected Immortal Feng Lan understood this full well himself. But the forces of the Orthodox Path have badly miscalculated the strength of the Corpse Refinery Sect. With their reinforcements nowhere in sight, the invaders could ill afford any more casualties. Not only they would lose this battle if the remaining three of the evil sects choose to pounce on them, everyone here would die and the Orthodox Path would suffer a blow so perilous that it would be eternally weakened for a good many generations to come.

Then again, could he order a retreat now? Of all times, when the awakening of the Divine Corpse could well be at hand? He would never forgive himself if the Divine Corpse were to arise and lay waste to every inch of earth it walks.

A frown creased deeply on the gnarly forehead of the old mage as he weighed his options. If only we have more power, he brooded quietly, And the discord that severs us is hardly helping. Everyone is having an agenda of his own! What was more, the League was still having its hands tied with the investigations of the mystery of the Soul-consuming Evil Flowers and the damages around Tianyuan City at Xiao Chen’s hand’s the year before which had culminated in the deterioration of the Spiritual Meridian of the land.

For that brief moment, the mage, despite his powers of the Apotheosis Realm, felt truly powerless and despondent, looking wearier than before. The strength of the Orthodox Path wanes by the days, he thought, Yet its four greatest orders still choose to remain oblivious even in the face of such perilous times! The Thousand Feathers Sect sent only Xiaoyue while the order of Kunlun wishes only to remain in peace, cowering in its Mystic Lands! As if it could not be any more worst, nothing of the Shushan Sect and the Taiqing Sect remains now. Would that they still exist, no Evil would dare trample us with impunity!

Even from afar, the shift on Perfected Immortal Feng Lan’s expression hardly went unnoticed by the Great Immortal. “So, how is it, my friend? Do we have a deal? I’m dare say not even many of your order would remain standing if this battle were to prolong.”

The Perfected Immortal rubbed his hands anxiously. Despite the many tumults swelling within the ranks of the Orthodox Path in the world today, all no thanks to the bad apples, the Orthodox Path remained the beacon of hope for all mortals around the world, providing peace and order to the lands.

A wry grin broke across Su Lianyue’s face suddenly. “Look, Master Xiao,” she said softly, “Would you go to their aid? In their most dire hour of need?”

Xiao Chen drew a long breath and muttered, “I have nothing to do with these people. They can all die to their last man for all I care.”

Back on the field of battle, Zuoqiu Yang noticed the melancholy and indecision of his mentor. He rushed forward and urged, “Why are you bartering words with these evil men, Teacher! Spare them no mercy, just kill them all and be done with it!” His robes were heavy and greasy with blood but he paid no mind to them, keeping his angry glare on the Great Immortal standing opposite.

They were interrupted by a cry coming up the slopes of the Ridge. “Oh no!” An acolyte of the Sect, his face and attire stained with blood, scrambled up, howling like a deranged animal at the top of his voice, “They are coming! The Elders of the External Sect are no more! All of them, no more!”

The grim news sent a wave of panic through the defenders that even the Elders of the Internal Sect grew pale. None of them were ready for such devastation and their crumbling confidence only made the acolytes and students all the more skittish with fear. The same could not be said for the invaders, whose morale was renewed with the news of the battle raging below, “They’re here! Our reinforcements must be here!”

Unperturbed, the Great Immortal from Hell was the only single man amongst the defenders who remained calm. He spun to face the rest of the members of the Sect and cried, “Have faith, all of you! We must hold on! The awakening of the Divine Corpse is at hand! And once he’s arisen, he’ll destroy our foes to kingdom come!”

Hearing that the Divine Corpse would be rising any moment seemed to rekindle the courage in the men. It was their most secret weapon, their defensive stalwart, the object of their worship and their final hope. With their mettle steeled once more, the defenders reformed their ranks and lines, readying their Corpse Puppet for another assault.

More and more people clambered up the slopes to join the formation of the invaders by the piecemeal. But no one dared to break ranks and charge. Not while the Corpse Puppets marched at the front of the defenders. The invaders needed a better plan to advance.

But just before the battle could erupt anew, a figure dashed to the center of the barren field: Yu Yifeng. He stood tall and correct before the Great Immortal, hardly betraying any fear, and he hissed, “I don’t care what you’re up to. I only want my Junior Sister. She was taken by you lot five nights ago and I want her now!”

“And who are you, boy?” The Great Immortal held Yu Yifeng in a long, searching look, “What is the name of this Junior Sister of yours? Many of our blood you lot have spilled, yet you dare make demands of me?”

Deep in the woods, Xiao Chen heard every word they said. Wait a minute… The Junior Sister Brother Yifeng is talking about… No… It can’t be… He felt himself trembling. Before he knew it, he dashed ahead at breakneck speed, rushing out of the thickets and towards the open field.

“Master Xiao!” Su Lianyue cried vainly. But it was no use. Xiao Chen was well out of the brushes when she saw him moving and she could not risk being seen by anyone of the Orthodox Path at the battlefield.

In just a brief flicker of a second, Xiao Chen reached Yu Yifeng’s side, to everyone’s amazement and surprise with his extraordinarily otherworldly speed. For a moment, his wraithlike appearance almost had everyone thinking that Yu Yifeng was being ambushed by one of the evil folk.

“Lil Chen?! Why are you here?!” Yu Yifeng yelped with shock. Not far away behind, Luo Shangyan and the rest were gasping with consternation themselves. For several months, Xiao Chen had vanished off the face of the earth and no one was hardly startled by his untimely appearance.

Wordless shock filled the rest of the invaders from the front to the back; Xiaoyue, Zuoqiu Yang, Su Zimu, the Elders Zi Mo and Qingfeng and Su Yue among them. They were all aware about Xiao Chen escape from the Devil Repressed Tower but never did they expect to see him here. A presence that hardly boded well for anyone as much as himself.

But there was no man even more surprised than Qi Heng of the Order of the Divine Fire. Standing at a mere few yards away, he could positively feel the power of the Nirvana Realm radiating from within Xiao Chen. There was hardly any doubt that Xiao Chen was now one of the most powerful of the younger mages in the lands.

“Who was it who was taken? Was it Muxue?” Xiao Chen asked Yu Yifeng tersely with a hand on the latter’s shoulder.

“Sister Muxue was complaining about the cold that night and so I went off collecting more fuel for the fire,” Yu Yifeng nodded gravely with great difficulty, “But when I came back, she was taken. By Ye Wuxin. Seniors Xiaoyao Zi and Qing Feng tried to pursue him, but he was just too fast…”

Xiao Chen could only feel the shaking of his body intensifying as quickly as the dread in him swelled. It’s Muxue… It really is her! The Mystic Yin Body born on the seventh day of the seventh month that Red Sleeve was referring to… it is her!

A flash of anger blazed across his face and he regarded the Great Immortal with a seething glare. “I don’t care what is happening here. You can all destroy each other to bits for all I care. Give me back Muxue or I’ll flatten this mountain today!”

The Great Immortal studied Xiao Chen, his eyes squinting before they opened into a hard stare, “Remarkable. Extraordinary physical properties. You must be Xiao Chen, are you not? Small wonder Ye Wuxin is interested in you… You’re perfect… Just simply perfect…”

“I’ll say again: release Li Muxue…” Xiao Chen growled again, ignoring the sally. His breath was slowly pacing and his chest heaved and puffed for more air as his powers churned and his eyes slowly becoming red.

But the rest of the invaders behind him grappled with shock as they felt the extent of his strength: the Nirvana Realm!

“Give me back Muxue!” Xiao Chen snarled, brandishing the Blood Lotus Demon Blade. He lunged at the Great Immortal like a feral beast, much to Elders Zi Mo and Qingfeng’s horror and Yu Yifeng only managed cry, “Wait, Xiao Chen!” But it was too late.

With a careless wave, the Great Immortal summoned for help. A Blood Corpse, a Corpse Puppet with more than three centuries’ worth of Malicious Grudge, threw itself in Xiao Chen’s way. With its strength, the Blood Corpse could have easily slain any other mage of the Nascent Soul Realm, but Xiao Chen effortlessly lanced his weapon through its midsection like a simple slab of meat.

With a deafening roar, Xiao Chen yanked his saber free and hacked down with all his weight, cleaving the monster into halves.

No one had expected to see this, least of all the defenders of the Corpse Refinery Sect. A wave of despair swept through them that even the Great Immortal was aghast to see one of his most powerful weapons being easily destroyed. Most, if not all Nirvana Realm mages would never be able to destroy his Blood Corpses, especially with only one single stroke, to say the least. And the Great Immortal was sure that the cursed weapon Xiao Chen was wielding had nothing to do with it!

“You… what are you!? The Pure Yang… No, wait! That’s impossible! I can feel a strong Malicious Grudge in you! It would have nullified the… No… It can’t be… You must be… It must be…”

The Great Immortal spewed a jumble of terrified gibberish in his panicked consternation. Even the Orthodox Path invaders could hardly believe what they were seeing. They had experienced firsthand the diabolical might and endurance of the Corpse Puppets of the Corpse Refinery Sect. But here was Xiao Chen who had easily dispatched it in one fell stroke!

“ARGGHH!” Xiao Chen howled with the hysteria of a rampaging beast. The visions of the icy pits of water, the flotsam of female corpses floating idly like glaciers on the still surface, and the excruciating torments of the Ice Keep assailed his mind. Muxue… He almost said her name aloud. These people have taken her and they have subjected her to such pain and agony! A fit of anger and hatred rose in him, threatening to burst like a furnace waiting to explode!

“I’ll have your head!” Xiao Chen spat viciously, his eyes flaring red as he swung his saber down on the head of the Great Immortal again. The scythe of a magic bolt, stretching for several yards, effortlessly hewed more than a dozen of Corpse Puppets asunder.

Everyone held their breaths. With hardly any difficulty, Xiao Chen had cut down the Corpse Puppets like a hot knife through butter! This is impossible! Some of them thought, When their bodies could even dent our swords and spears!

Recovering from his shock, the Great Immortal frantically summoned his powers to deflect Xiao Chen’s blow. But it was so powerful that he was staggering many steps backward despite having parried the bolt. The rest of the seven or eight Elders standing behind him were as stunned as he was, despite the oblivious looks on the faces of the lesser acolytes, and there was only one reason why.

Corpse Puppets were abominable monsters fueled by Malicious Grudge. To kill one would require the utter destruction of its soul, like how one would slay a mage of the Nascent Soul Realm. But Xiao Chen was able to kill the Puppets with hardly any trouble and this could only mean one thing: Xiao Chen must have more than ten times more Malicious Grudge than these Corpse Puppets put together!

But how could a living person possess a Malicious Grudge of such intensity and fury!?