Chapter 10 of Book 4: A Flash of Splendor

  By the time I arrived, the banks of the Fragrant River were already packed with people, and it was impossible to get through.

  In the distance, sword auras crisscrossed in the sky, and strange lights flashed. Two figures suddenly intersected, then violently collided, with a sound like thunder booming. At a glance, I recognized one of them as Yun Dalang.

  I recalled the warning of Chi Yan Huo and did not use the Blowing Air Wind skill to swagger through the streets. Instead, I honestly drilled into the crowd, using the Soft Bone Demon Skill to turn left and right from the gaps, slipping forward with a whoosh. Everyone was watching the battle with bated breath, no one noticed me. With one breath, I squeezed to the front row, added a cautious heart, bowed my head to tear off a corner of my clothes, covered my head and face, and then boldly revealed myself to take a look.

  By the riverbank, disciples of the Lion's Roar Secret Path, the Inverted Three and Four Axiom Sect, and the Vajra Secret Path had cleared out a large area. In the center were placed seven high-backed armchairs, four of which were empty, while three were occupied by He Ping, an old man with a wine-stained nose, and a man with a curly beard. He Ping looked dispirited, his hand on his chest, while the other two had serious expressions, their heads raised to watch the intense battle in mid-air.

  A tall, grey-robed man stood on a white cloud, holding a long sword that shone with cold light. He was leaping and bounding, exchanging blows with Cloud Big Brother. Water Six Rōnin and a group of monsters were standing far away on the opposite bank of the river, including Shell Three Rōnin and Earth Eight Rōnin, but there was no Red Practice Fire. After scanning the surrounding people, I didn't see Sea Princess either, and couldn't help but feel secretly worried.

  "You little scamp!" A soft and gentle voice whispered from behind, warm breath lightly blowing into my ear, making me feel ticklish. I was overjoyed in my heart and suddenly turned around. Hai Ji wore a thick and soft curtain hat, quietly walking to my side, heavily twisting my hand, softly scolding: "Heartless rascal, where did you go? You made me search for a whole night, I was worried to death."

  Seeing Haiji safe and sound, a huge stone fell from my heart. I briefly told her what had happened, and finally said with a smile: "You're quite capable, there are thousands of people and demons here, and I'm covering my face, but you can still find me. It seems that in your heart, even if I turn to ashes, you can recognize me."

  "Haha, silly, I don't have such great abilities. Hmm, if you don't take a look at her soon, she'll get angry and run away."

  I was stunned, and only then did I notice that there was another woman standing behind Haiji, also wearing a veil and a conical hat. She stood quietly, her white clothes as clean as snow, without a speck of dust, her long black hair fluttering with the faint scent of lotus flowers.

  Good heavens, it's really Gan Ning! I was so excited that my whole body was burning hot, and just as I was about to shout out loud, Hai Ji stretched out her hand and gently covered my mouth, shaking her head slightly. It wasn't until then that I came to my senses - since they were wearing veils and bamboo hats, it was clear that they didn't want to be recognized.

  I was overjoyed and scratched my head, for a moment, I didn't know what to say to Gan Ningzhen. The scene of her charging towards the Xuanbing Array without looking back kept replaying in my mind. At that moment, the dazzling light of the 3,000 Weak Water Swords was like fireworks falling from the sky, and her figure in the fireworks was resolute and proud, as if she was still whispering to me: "Lin Fei, I hope you can live well. You said it before, being alive means having hope."

  "No wonder you found me so quickly, Lotus Heart's eyes are really sharp." I managed to squeeze out this sentence after holding it in for half a day.

  Gan Xing didn't say anything, silently looking at me, and after a while, she just "uh-huh"ed. I was stunned for a moment, then said: "We're still missing Ju Danmei, but once we have her, we can all be reunited." Gan Xing "uh-huh"ed again.

  I thought for a moment and took out the "Free in Heaven and Earth" map from my bosom and handed it to her. Gan Ningzhen took the map, her hand trembling slightly, but she still didn't say anything.

  "Hai Ji pouted and laughed: 'What are you two staring at? Little scoundrel, aren't you good with sweet talk? Why have you become a mute now?'"

  I smiled wryly, with many words to say to Gan Ningzhen, but standing in front of her, I couldn't open my mouth, it was indeed a strange thing. Hai Ji also said that last night, Yin Wuxie told her that among the top ten famous sects of Luo Shengtian, most sects have decided not to intervene in the struggle between Mo Shaotian and the three major sects of Daqian City, including Mai Jinghai Temple, so she hopes she won't get involved either. Gan Ningzhen also heard that I was going to duel with Yun Dalang, so he rushed to Daqian City, and the two of them just contacted each other this morning.

  I sneered, "Among the ten great families of Luoshengtian, Yingliu and Fenglei Chi have already colluded with Moda Tian. The rest probably can't escape either. Heh heh, there must be some shady dealings between Luoshengtian and Moda Tian that they don't want to see the light of day."

  "Hai Ji said anxiously: 'I hope this is just your speculation, otherwise something big will happen in the North.'"

  Gan Ning suddenly said to me: "You absolutely cannot make a move today."

  Hai Ji sighed: "I mean the same thing. If, if everything is as you expected, then the enemy of Mo Sha Tian will also become the enemy of Luo Sheng Tian."

  I nodded listlessly, feeling extremely depressed. After rushing here by all means, I still had to become a turtle with my head shrunk in. Looking at He Ping in the distance, I could only say sorry.

  Cries rose, a mournful cry came from mid-air, I raised my head to look again, a white skeleton "thudded" and fell into the Fragrant River, Yun Dalang floated down calmly, his head bowed, slowly tying up the black silk ribbon on the black bundle.

  The scene was as dull as dead ashes, the old man with a wine nose and the burly man with a curly beard looked at each other, their faces heavy. Hai Ji said in a low voice: "This is the third trial between the two sides. In the first round, Jin Si Lang of Mo Xuan Tian killed Liu He Dong, the leader of Shi Hou Mi Dao Men; in the second round, Yan San Lang defeated He Ping; the gray-robed man just now was a master from Ji Xiang Tian, said to be Wei Tuo's father, who knew the legendary tendon cloud ultimate skill, but unexpectedly died miserably at the hands of Yun Da Lang. Alas, Mo Zhu has not appeared yet, and He Ping and his men have already been defeated."

  I forced a smile: "So the Demon Lord hasn't arrived yet. It's really terrifying, Wei Tuo is dead, Liu He Dong is also dead, and He Ping is injured again. The Great Thousand City will soon become the world of Mo Sha Tian."

  "It won't be long before the entire Red Dust Heaven belongs to them."

  At this time, the old man with a wine nose slowly stood up, lifted his thick eyelids, and his eyes shone brightly: "The demons of Mo Yue Tian are indeed extraordinary, but I, Hu Lao Jiu, want to pay my respects to your demon master in person."

  I suddenly said, "So he is Hu Lao Jiu, the leader of Hun Dun Jia Yu Pai. Heh heh, it seems that the other nine famous schools among Luo Sheng Tian's top ten have abandoned them, otherwise why would they ignore this?"

  "The relationships between the various gates are complex and intricate. Although they all belong to Luo Shengtian, there is also a clear struggle for power in the dark." Hai Ji let out a light sigh: "The burly man with the curly whiskers by his side is Liu Zongyuan, the great elder of Qingxu Tian's top ten famous gates, Yin Sha Sect."

  "Hu Lao's laughter echoed through the clouds: 'Where is your Demon Lord? Why hasn't he come out yet? Is it that the mighty Demon Lord of the Demon Slaying Heaven doesn't dare to show himself, and can only send some shrimp soldiers and crab generals to stir up trouble? Or perhaps he looks down on our Hun Dun Jia Yu Pai and is stingy with his guidance?'"

  Shui Liu Lang and his gang were furious, when suddenly a clear and cold voice came from the bottom of the Fragrant River: "Please forgive me, Master Hu. I was momentarily entranced by the strange phenomenon inside the Soul-Calming Tower at the river bottom and forgot about our appointment today."

  Ripples spread, the clear river water suddenly churned and surged, two streams of water slowly rose, surrounding the river surface, slowly flowing into a chair shape. A man in green leaned against the crystal-clear water chair, elegant and refined, with deep eyes, his body dripping with water, as the water chair slowly rose into the air.

  In an instant, I stiffened all over, cold sweat sticking to my forehead and rolling down to the tip of my nose. It was him! The one who killed Turpan! He was actually the Demon Lord!

  Yun Dalang, Shui Liulang and other monsters all knelt down, calling out "Master of Demons". Haiji and I looked at each other in dismay. My heart was as dead as ashes. I should have expected it earlier that he was the Master of Demons. Besides the Master of Demons, who else could drive a 6,000-year-old Tuloufan to desperation?

  "Halt in mid-air, the Demon Master said calmly: 'Since Grandmaster Hu and others can't wait any longer, I suppose Elder Liu is also the same. You all come up together, I have other matters to attend to and cannot accompany you two for long.'"

  The scene was in an uproar, no one had expected the Demon Master's tone to be so arrogant, actually wanting to take on two opponents at once, and they were Luo Shengtian and Qing Xutian, the masters and elders of the top ten famous sects. If it were someone else, they would have been ridiculed long ago. Only I and Haiji understood that he had the complete strength to say such words.

  "It's indeed the demon head that can make the entire Demon Realm submit, how bold! How daring!" Hu Lao Jiu was furious but couldn't help laughing, taking a step forward and looking straight at the demon lord with his head held high, his nose red and shiny. Liu Zongyuan didn't say a word, carefully sizing up the demon lord, seeming calm on the surface, but the veins on his hand bulging one by one.

  "In the beginning of heaven and earth, it was called Hundun, and later separated into yin and yang, and all things began to have order. Turning back to simplicity and returning to the disorderly heaven and earth, it is called Hundun Jiaoyu Shu." The Demon Master said lightly, and the water chair under him silently melted away. He walked down from mid-air, step by step, with a leisurely pace, as if he was stepping on tangible stairs.

  Hu Lao's expression changed suddenly: "How did you know the secret of Hun Dun Jia Yu Shu?"

  "I thought you had already understood, but it seems not." The Demon Lord stood calmly on the river surface, punching out a fist, and waves surged upwards, once again flowing into a rippling water throne.

  "Do you understand?"

  "Your Excellency doesn't need to show off your magic again!"

  "Sorcery? This is your sect's Chaotic Armor Technique." The Demon Lord shook his head lightly: "You should know that all things in the world follow the principles of chaos, including the gentle flowing water in this Fragrant River. Water has no fixed shape, but when it's contained in a vessel, it takes on form, this is the transformation between disorder and order, do you understand?" His expression was calm, just like a teacher instructing his student.

  My heart is racing, no mistake! The magic of turning water into a chair indeed follows the profound meaning of Chaos Axiom Magic! But this move by the Demon Lord, on the surface, doesn't show any signs of Chaos Axiom Magic.

  He has cultivated a brand new realm! Just like a beautiful butterfly emerging from its cocoon, it is completely different from the caterpillar of before.

  Hú Lǎo's whole body was drenched in cold sweat, and he stood stiffly for a long time before suddenly shouting: "No matter how beautifully you speak, it's useless! Let's fight!" He charged at the Demon Lord, his fists flying, and the wind from his punches emitted a fierce and powerful whistling sound.

  "The essence of the Chaotic Heavenly Fist is not to break the physical order, but to transform. So when you strike, it's essential to be gentle." The Demon Master smiled faintly and greeted Hu Lao with a punch, his movements light as a cloud in the breeze. His right hand didn't idle either, slapping towards Liu Zongyuan by his side, seemingly at a very slow speed, but in the blink of an eye, he was pressing close to Liu Zongyuan's face.

  Liu Zongyuan let out a loud roar, and his voice transformed into a tangible blue energy arrow, the body of which was as thick as a bucket.

  The arrow was sharp and emitted a dazzling green light as it shot towards the Demon Lord with an astonishing force.

  Everyone watched in silence. The Demon Master's fist and Hu Lao's fist collided, unexpectedly without a single sound. Hu Lao retreated, the Demon Master stood proudly still, his right hand fingers lightly plucked, deflecting Liu Zongyuan's energy arrow, his left fist struck Hu Lao again, his right palm continued to slap towards Liu Zongyuan.

  Liu Zongyuan let out a thunderous roar, as if a bolt of lightning had struck on a clear day, shaking the heavens and causing the winds to change color. His roars transformed into streaks of green energy that rapidly coalesced into a gigantic beast with a ferocious appearance, opening its massive jaws in mid-air to bite down on the Demon Lord. Meanwhile, Hu Lao had already exchanged sixteen blows with the Demon Lord and retreated sixteen steps!

  With another punch, Hu Laojiao suddenly stopped moving. Mo Zhuo let out a cold laugh and behind him appeared a strange rhombus-shaped mirror. A hand emerged from the mirror and grabbed the giant beast in mid-air, pulling it into the mirror. The beast struggled fiercely but was slowly pulled into the mirror, disappearing without a trace.

  "Hasn't Elder Liu ever heard that silence is better than sound?" The Demon Master's voice was soft, but it completely overpowered Liu Zongyuan's roar. His right palm passed through the dense green air and gently pressed onto Liu Zongyuan's head, causing him to collapse to the ground like a lump of mud. At the same time, Hu Laozhu remained standing still, with fresh blood flowing from his eyes, ears, and nostrils, having long stopped breathing.

  "Master!" He Ping cried out, rushing up to hug Hu Laozui tightly. The entire audience was silent, with everyone involuntarily trembling with fear. Eighteen punches had killed Hu Laozui, and a single palm strike had taken down Liu Zongyuan - such power, such a person... who in the entire Northern Territory could possibly rival him? Even Water Six Lang and his companions showed deep fear in their eyes.

  I finally understood Chi Yan's intentions, she was right, in front of Mo Zhu, I didn't have a single chance.

  "I, Chu Du, will take my leave if no one else has any further teachings to impart." The Demon Lord's gaze was calm as he spoke to Yun Dalao: "The matters that follow will be left in your hands." With a light flutter, he rose into the air like a drifting cloud and vanished into the horizon.

  The disciples of the Dian San Dao Pai, Shi Hou Mi Dao Men and Jin Gang Men were all stunned, suddenly let out a shout, scattered and fled, and in an instant they had disappeared without a trace. The empty space was left with only He Ping standing alone, holding Hu Lao's corpse, looking lost and dispirited. The surrounding crowd began to murmur and discuss, someone sighed: "The tree has fallen, the monkeys have scattered, these three major sects will be eliminated from the Northern Territory from now on."

  "Hey little rascal, what's wrong with you?" Haixi pushed me lightly, and I stared at her blankly, forcing a wry smile: "What did the Demon Lord say his name was just now?"

  Hai Qi looked at me strangely and replied: "He said his name is Chu Du."

  My whole body was icy cold, and my blood seemed to have frozen too. Chu Du, he really is Chu Du. The frozen blood suddenly boiled violently again, my lips kept trembling, he is Chu Du, the demon who ruined Shifu's life!

  "It's a good thing you didn't show up today." Haidi grasped my hand, still shaken. Gan Ning said calmly, "We should leave now."

  I stood still, staring blankly at Yun Dalang in the distance. He was still lowering his head, holding a black package and said in a low voice: "Has Lin Fei arrived? Please show up and fulfill the battle agreement from a month ago."

  No one around answered, the onlookers were in an uproar of discussion. Mizu Rokurō's eyes wildly swept over the crowd: "Big brother, who dares to come? The red dust world is full of gutless cowards!"

  Yun Dalang was silent for a moment, then said: "Lin Fei, I am willing to have a fair fight with you, and I guarantee that no one else will interfere."

  Mizu Rokurou sneered coldly: "This little brat is a sly and timid egg, must have long since greased his feet and become a turtle hiding in its shell. Now he's probably hiding in some corner, shaking with fear." He looked down on the crowd with disdain and shouted loudly: "From today onwards, Mazoku Heaven will take over Da Qian City completely! And from today onwards, we are the masters of this mundane world! You people, under our feet!"

  I was startled, and Gan Ning stared at me, saying: "Don't mind him, let's go." Hai Ji pulled my hand and started to back away.

  Yun Dalang let out a long sigh and muttered, "I thought he was someone of great character." After a pause, he said to himself, "Hongchen Tian, you've really disappointed me."

  "Lin Fei! Come out and fight!" Someone shouted, like a spark that had been splashed into an oil pan, igniting a raging fire. The people around me began to shout my name loudly. "Lin Fei! Lin Fei!" The voices converged into a majestic torrent, echoing in the air.

  "Come on, let's go find Ji Danmei. If she sees you, she'll be overjoyed. With all the commotion in Daqian City today, she's sure to come."

  I remained silent, anyway I've been used to being bullied since childhood. To offend Mo Xie Tian and Luo Sheng Tian for the sake of the unrelated He Ping Qiang is a foolish move. I nodded my head, then lowered it again, suddenly feeling a pang of bitter sorrow in my heart.

  I thought I had changed a bit from the past, but it turns out I'm still the same. Dressed in elegant clothes and having learned exquisite magic, I still end up bowing my head just like before.

  Silently, I followed Hai Ji and Gan Ning Zhen, my head lowered, step by step walking away. Step by step, I left the crowd behind. It was as if I were a beggar in Luoyang, who after snatching half a bowl of thin porridge, hastily ran down the Lion Bridge.

  "Lin Fei, Lin Fei!" The sound of my voice calling out to him still hadn't stopped, but we were getting farther and farther away from the crowd. However, the deafening sounds continued to reverberate in my ears. As the sun set in the west, a layer of dazzling golden light spread across the earth. I stopped in my tracks, staring blankly at the colorful clouds on the horizon. I remembered what Master had said: one's fate is chosen by oneself.

  "What's wrong?" Haidi looked at me with concern.

  "Must I always lower my head in this life?" After standing silently for a long time, I slowly said: "Yes, as long as you are alive, there is hope."

  "But living is not just for hope!" I gazed deeply at the fiery red clouds, turned around, tore off my face cloth, and walked back step by step.

  Hai Ji grabbed me in shock: "You little scoundrel, don't be foolish!"

  "Some things can't be avoided." I gently but firmly pushed her away, facing the sunset at the horizon, and walked towards the Fragrant River. The veil covering my face fell to the ground, trampled underfoot. The evening breeze lightly lifted my hem, the autumn air was cool and refreshing, and suddenly I realized that I had already turned twenty years old.

  I am no longer a young man.

  I shouldn't be a beggar anymore.

  When I can hold my head high, I will never bow down!

  "Good boy!" Yuè Hún suddenly exclaimed excitedly: "Indeed worthy of being the successor of Méi Wǔ! Fight on, what's there to fear?"

  Slowly raising my head, I strode forward with a flowing pace. Not to avenge Master, nor for anyone else. Only for myself, I too must settle this unfinished battle with Yun Dalang!

  Colorful clouds fill the sky, as resplendent as the mist in a mountain valley. I seem to see aphids wearing colorful clothes, dancing in the radiant light.

  Born with the rising sun, die with the setting sun!

  Yes, just for that moment of brilliance!

  The crowd's shouting gradually subsided, but another voice rang out loud and clear: "Yun Dalang, I'm over here!"

  I shouted loudly.

  (End of Volume 4)