Volume Two: No Way Forward Amid Mountains and Rivers Chapter Nine: Fierce Battle

Outside the main altar of the Sun-Worshipping Sect, the city gate was already engulfed in deafening shouts and cries of battle. Raging flames lit up the entire valley as brightly as day.

Old Yao hurriedly asked, “Lord Yuan, it looks like someone is attacking the city.”

Zhuo Hua closed his eyes, expanding his spiritual sense to feel the flow of energy around them. After a moment, he opened his eyes and said to Old Yao, “The two sides are already entangled. I just sensed there must be over ten thousand fighting, and aside from that master surnamed Yuan we saw earlier, there are four or five other masters at the level of the Heavenly Tribulation.”

“So, do we just watch from the sidelines, or do we join in?” Old Yao asked, rolling up his sleeves.

Zhuo Hua pointed to a broken cliff to the east. “Let’s go up there and see what’s happening before we decide.” With that, he lifted himself into the air.

Zhuo Hua and Old Yao stood one behind the other, watching the fierce battle below with great interest.

Old Yao pointed at the city gate. “Lord Yuan, look, that’s the third time they’ve charged the city wall. They’re fighting fiercely!”

Zhuo Hua nodded and gestured toward a large banner bearing the character Xiao beneath the city gate. “The Xiao banner—could it be Brother Xiao Sui, whom we befriended the other day? They’re attacking so bravely despite unfavorable conditions.”

Old Yao agreed, “Indeed. The Sun-Worshipping Sect has fortified this gate like an iron bastion. The arrow slits and moats are perfectly arranged, and the use of fire oil is just right. The other side failed the first two times because they didn’t anticipate the sudden fire oil attacks.”

Zhuo Hua said, “No matter how ingenious, it’s still just a battle of mortals.”

Old Yao sighed. “True. In the eyes of cultivators at the level of the Heavenly Tribulation, any blade or spear is a futile attack. Still, the courage and fearlessness of these mortals are truly admirable.”

Zhuo Hua nodded, then took a white block from his Infinite Cosmos Pouch. Without a word, he rode the wind into the air, crushed the object into powder with a squeeze, and scattered it into the clouds above. Then he returned to the cliff.

Old Yao quickly asked, “Lord Yuan, did you just summon rain?”

Zhuo Hua replied, “Yes. I hope it can help General Xiao.”

Just as he finished speaking, raindrops as large as beans began to pour from the sky. The flames on the valley floor and the city gate were quickly doused in many places. The soldiers beneath the Xiao banner cheered, their morale surging. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Sun-Worshipping Sect’s defenders on the gate were nearly wiped out. The red banner with the black sun was thrown from the ramparts, and the flag of Changshan Kingdom now flew over the battered city wall.

Just as the Changshan army was chasing the routed enemy, a sudden thunderclap sounded. Two figures, one tall and one short, flew out from the central hall.

Zhuo Hua fixed his gaze and saw that the tall one was Yuan Kang, the master with whom he had just crossed swords. Their flight path was aimed directly at the vanguard beneath the Xiao banner.

Without hesitation, Zhuo Hua leapt from the mountain, heading straight for the Xiao banner as well.

In two breaths, Zhuo Hua could already see the face of the general leading under the Xiao banner—it was unmistakably Xiao Sui. At this moment, Yuan Kang’s fists had already felled several shield-bearers blocking Xiao Sui’s way, and he was only an arm’s length away from striking Xiao Sui.

Seeing that he could not possibly reach Xiao Sui in time to save him from this deadly blow, Zhuo Hua could only activate the White Steed Star once more. With his left hand forming a seal, he mimed a turning motion with his right wrist in mid-air.

Yuan Kang, in the midst of his attack, also caught sight of Zhuo Hua. When he saw the White Steed Star glow on Zhuo Hua’s finger, he knew his strike would fail. Thinking quickly, he kicked forward with all his might, sending a two-inch dagger from his shoe straight at Xiao Sui.

At that instant, Zhuo Hua’s wrist completed its rotation, and Yuan Kang withdrew his fists, his whole body flying in the opposite direction.

Just as Zhuo Hua felt a stone lifted from his heart, Xiao Sui’s body convulsed violently. A dagger burst from his back, dragging the two soldiers behind him several steps backward.

A sense of dread washed over Zhuo Hua. His position had not fully landed, and his White Steed Star had not completely controlled Yuan Kang’s body. The hidden weapon from Yuan Kang’s foot had continued on its original trajectory toward Xiao Sui.

Zhuo Hua swept Xiao Sui into his arms. By then, Xiao Sui was already coughing up blood, his abdomen sliced open by the spinning dagger. Xiao Sui looked up, saw Zhuo Hua holding him, and tried to speak but no words came out. Slowly, he raised his left hand toward Zhuo Hua, who reached out his right hand and gripped Xiao Sui’s tightly.

Xiao Sui’s eyes were filled with joy, gratitude, helplessness, and unwillingness. Then, as the final gleam faded from his gaze, his hand fell heavily to the ground.

At that moment, a young white-robed officer nearby, voice choked with sobs, cried out, “General Xiao!” and charged at Yuan Kang.

The white-robed officer wove and dodged, dispatching several guards who tried to block him—each strike of energy condensed into a blade, shattering them to dust. In two or three leaps, he was already upon Yuan Kang. Gathering his breath in his chest, he unleashed three strikes in rapid succession—one at Yuan Kang’s face, one at his chest, and one at his abdomen.

Yuan Kang raised a fist and smashed aside the first energy blade, which then flew askew into a stone pillar as thick as three men could embrace, splitting it in two and crushing several Sun-Worshipping Sect followers.

He took the second strike head-on with his protective energy, the impact whipping up a gale that sent two nearby men flying twenty feet.

The third strike hit Yuan Kang’s abdomen but had no effect on him. Yuan Kang kept absorbing the surrounding energy, trying to expel the energy blade lodged in his body.

The white-robed officer was shocked and unleashed two or three more strikes, which Yuan Kang absorbed without reaction.

Old Yao, having just finished off a team of Sun-Worshippers sneaking up on Zhuo Hua, arrived at the scene. Seeing this, he shouted to the white-robed officer, “Run! He’s about to condense his energy and summon the Heavenly Tribulation!” He called to the nearby Changshan soldiers as well: “Run, all of you! If you don’t go now, it’ll be too late!”

The wind around Yuan Kang grew ever fiercer, drawing lighter objects toward him. People fled in the opposite direction, but the gale made it almost impossible to stay upright. Meanwhile, the sky above began to twist with dark clouds and lightning, heralding the imminent arrival of the Heavenly Tribulation.

Zhuo Hua gently laid Xiao Sui’s lifeless body on the ground and whispered, “I’ll take you home.”

He stood and, as if no one else was present, walked toward Yuan Kang. Old Yao tried to grab him. “Lord Yuan, let’s go! The tribulation is coming. It’s not worth it—for their sake.”

Zhuo Hua shook off his hand and strode toward Yuan Kang. As he passed the white-robed officer clutching a large stone, he simply tossed him out of the storm’s center with a flick of his wrist.

Zhuo Hua drew closer, near enough to see the incredulity on Yuan Kang’s face.

He said calmly, “A minor tribulation is meaningless. Come, let me help you into the Auspicious Cloud Void.”

With that, he closed his eyes slightly, urging the Energy Stabilizing Pearl within him to spin. Instantly, a rival storm arose, rapidly suppressing Yuan Kang’s aura. This whirlwind bound Zhuo Hua and Yuan Kang together, locking them in its vortex.

Fear distorted Yuan Kang’s face, and his massive frame began to tremble uncontrollably. Zhuo Hua, eyes closed and lips curled in a faint smile, said, “Don’t be afraid—soon, you’ll see the most beautiful hell in this world.” Then, opening his eyes wide, he raised his hands and pushed toward the sky.

By now, the clouds above were no longer dark with lightning but instead suffused with a golden glow. The auspicious clouds radiated light.

Golden light poured down, bathing Zhuo Hua and Yuan Kang in a warm radiance. The wind had fully ceased. Zhuo Hua patted Yuan Kang’s shoulder with a gentle smile. “Are you ready?”

Yuan Kang, voice quivering, stammered, “Re—ready for what? What are you going to do?”

Zhuo Hua looked up at the sky. “I miss the last time this happened. Pity you won’t be able to mock me this time.”

As he spoke, a wide beam of golden light descended, enveloping Zhuo Hua and Yuan Kang in a holy glow. In a few heartbeats, the light faded, and the two figures who had stood in its midst had vanished without a trace.