Chapter 127 - Broken-hearted
The raging flames lit up the sky, the splendid radiance illuminating near and far to be as bright as daytime, even as far as hundred miles beyond, booms and rumbles could still be heard.
Looking at that flickering red coloured fireballs’ collisions from a distance, the group stopped and stared.
FenXiang Valley with ShangGuan Ce leading them, bringing Li Xun, LuShun and several others, as well as Qing Yun Sect Lu XueQi, Tian Yin Temple FaXiang, standing on the ancient path more than hundred miles away from Seven Mile Cave, watching that madly flickering scene.
Li Xun frowned and said, “Seems like there is trouble.”
FaXiang gazed far, with a deep voice said, “That firelight’s evil aura fills up the sky, it is very abnormal, I’m afraid evil spirits are causing trouble.”
Li Xun turned his head around, glanced at Lu XueQi who was standing at a side, saw the girl with her face impassive, unspeaking, he then went up to report to ShangGuan Ce, “ShangGuan teacher uncle, what shall we do?”
FaXiang and the rest all looked towards ShangGuan Ce, saw ShangGuan Ce raising his eyes looking afar, his expression suddenly became extremely peculiar, as if bewildered, as if dumbfounded.
After hearing Li Xun’s question, like being startled, his body shook and his expression back to normal, after a slight moment of hesitation, he said, “Since it’s from the evil way, we are duty-bound and naturally should go forward. There is no time to lose, let’s hurry, looking at that demonic flames soaring up high, I’m afraid the evil sorcerer’s skill is not low, the suffering would be greater. The earlier we arrive, the more lives we can save.”
FaXiang brought his palms together and said, “ShangGuan teacher uncle is right.”
ShangGuan Ce nodded and said, “As such, I will make my way first, all of you quickly catch up!”
After speaking, without waiting for their replies, he waved his hand, grey light flashed and the figure transformed into a stream of bright light streaking across the sky, speeding towards the Seven Mile Cave.
“Humpf!”
A cold snort was heard from the group, everyone was stunned, it was LuShun who was looking disapprovingly.
LiXun felt embarrassed, after all both of them were his own seniors and he felt he should not comment anything, he turned around and spoke to FaXiang and Lu XueQi, said, “Then let’s quickly head over too!”
FaXiang and Lu XueQi nodded and soared up at the same time, Li Xun followed after. LuShun looked very unwilling but as ShangGuan Ce’s status among the group was evidently very much higher than him and furthermore Li Xun had also spoken, the rest of the disciples started to follow, leaving only LuShun, in the end he could only complained a few words under his breath and then flew up.
At the front, FaXiang and Lu XueQi flew side by side, Li Xun who started out slightly later than them, was gradually catching up with them.
Just when Li Xun was about more than one zhang away from them, Lu XueQi suddenly muttered to herself, “ShangGuan Ce left in such a rush!”
FaXiang beside her, shrouded in the magical weapon, Reincarnation Pearl’s golden light, his pale blue monk robe flapped strongly against the wind, he glanced sideways at Lu XueQi, her clothes as white as snow, her face as cold as frost, like a delicate beautiful fairy from the nine heavens soaring in the night sky.
His eyes gleamed, a meaningful smile emerged from his lips, quietly said, “Yes! He really left in a hurry…”
[Si!] A sound and Li Xun caught up with them and flew with them, after a while, LuShun also caught up, at that moment, presumably ShangGuan Ce’s skills were really enigmatic, ahead of them, ShangGuan Ce’s figure had already disappeared.
In the Seven Mile Cave, the sounds of battle intensified. Although the great shaman at the platform halfway up the mountain was struggling but under the enigmatic shaman’s conjuring, that black staff set with Jade Bone projected stronger and stronger red light, enveloping the entire upper half of the Seven Mile Cave, under the terrible assaults of the huge fireballs from the sky, still struggling to hold on.
The red screen trembled violently quite a few times, looking as if it was going to collapse under the fireballs assaults but the great shaman gestured and danced, making peculiar movements and again withstood it. Just that nobody stood near him, if not, one would see that on the creased face of the great shaman, blood was flowing out of his face seven apertures, most likely he was at the end of his limit.
And in the valley, Miao, Li the two tribes warriors fought in close combat, the situation was also not favourable to the Miao tribe. The Miao warriors who revered the great shaman like a deity, saw that the great shaman was actually being repressed by that evil demon in the sky and including the bark made by the Dog Deity after a thousand years, an ominous omen, despair thoughts resounded in everyone’s hearts. On the contrary, the Li tribe warriors morale were running high, even their eyes had turned red from killing.
Ghost Li stood afar, frowning tightly, the sorcery performed by that mysterious person in the sky, was extremely unique and weird, especially traces of strange black fires within the flames, he had never seen or heard of it before, not even recorded in the ancient books collection of Ghost King Sect.
The southern border, actually had such a person, in the huge wide world, hidden dragons and crouching tigers, there was nothing that it did not have.
Ghost Li watched as the great shaman gradually weakened and was about to fly up and assist when he heard miserable cries suddenly from somewhere distant, most of them women and children’s. Turning his head to look, the nearby mountain top where the Miao women and children were hiding, had been discovered by a group of Li tribe warriors and immediately like a wolf entering a sheep flock, blood sprayed like rain and the smell of blood heavy in the wind.
Ghost Li’s body trembled, these ten years he had experienced countless of bloody scenes but those killed were not the helpless and innocent commoners. For some reason, right now, those crying sounds of the women and children, suddenly like a sharp sword stabbed deep into his heart.
In his adolescence, the sight of mountains of bodies piled up, sea of blood, that tragic scene of GrassTemple Village, the relatives and neighbours who had watched him since young, did they too died like that...
Xiao Bai standing beside, suddenly turned her head, a thick malevolent smell of blood, from this man beside her, wafted out.
His eyes, suddenly had turned all red.
In the Miao crowd, a woman cried out miserably while being struck by a Li soldier, a child behind her had a terrified expression, his mouth was opened wide and he ran with big strides but there was no sound, it was because he was the mute child who had delivered food to Ghost Li.
That murderer whose face was splattered with blood laughed maliciously and pursued, in a few steps he had reached the child’s back, raising his sharp stone axe, he hacked down heavily. That child fell down helplessly, at the last moment of his life, watched in despair with his mouth wide opened.
[Pong!]
Blood sprayed everywhere, burst forth suddenly in the night sky. A sturdy body in an instant fell apart, landed like rain, Ghost Li drenched in blood and wind, his eyes red, breathing deeply.
His face facing the sky, a long howl!
The cry was so mournful, like a despair shout made by an evil spirit, ten years of struggle from descension into depravity, straight to the sky.
The crowd were startled!
That child’s entire body trembled, looking at that evil black stick lighted up in an instant in Ghost Li’s hand, gleaming with a strange light of avaricious for blood. In the next moment, the surrounding several Li warriors who were pursuing the women and children and now stood dumbfounded, were torn apart by an invisible sinister power, copious amount of blood flew up to the sky, gathered in mid-air like a flood, encircled that mad and despondent figure, swiftly flowed and then slowly being absorbed into the sinister orb in Ghost Li’s hand.
All of the people there, stood in shock, watching this monster-like person, their eyes filled with fear.
The sinister orb glowed brighter and brighter, the familiar icy-cold feeling travelled around his body incessantly, right now after absorbing several humans’ blood essence, the sinister orb like being bathed in new life, its evil power increased greatly, the strange red light became brighter and brighter, reflecting Ghost Li’s eyes, like a ghost fire.
Xiao Bai stood at a distance, stared dumbfoundedly at that figure who was slowly turning into someone who was mad with blood, abruptly turned her head over, unwilling to continue watching, in the blood-rain-night-wind, she seemed to sigh softly.
The lust that had long disappeared, the shout buried deep inside his heart, the obstination which throughout time had once appeared briefly and died away, suddenly leapt up again.
He shouted crazily.
Heaven and Earth answered.
The fire flames in the sky, the red screen on earth, both trembled at the same time.
In that blood light, an otherworldly hideous laughter was heard.
One foot, stepped out!
The bloody smell immediately filled the surrounding air, numerous people scattered and escaped, they could not understand why this person who had came to save them, suddenly turned into a demon.
Just that, just that, that sweet fresh blood was just in front, making one revel in and unable to resist, he breathed deeply and panted heavily, in his manic state, was there still a trace of anguish…
Was it loneliness because of madness?
Or was it madness because of loneliness?
The Sinister Orb was just beside his hand, accompanying and depending on each other, faithful and steadfast, just that that flickering red light, seemed to be mocking the mortals.
Descend into depravity, descend into depravity!
The thousands of living things like ants,
life was by nature lonely!
Stretching out his hand to grab, blood still dripping by the side of the finger, that mute boy underneath his palm, trembling and unable to move, watching that red screen sweeping over and blotting out the sky and sun, was, that, the moment of death….
…
“Zhang! Xiao! Fan…”
In the horizon, the voice suddenly rang out, like cutting through ice and snow, like a phoenix cry in the nine heavens, filled with infinite fury, filled with infinite grief!
Lu XueQi, with her snow-white clothes, broke through the blood-light, her TianYa Sword unsheathed suddenly, blue light shone out, illuminating her face, her eyes, her anger and grief.
The red light suddenly rose to meet, a thunderous boom, instantly a radius of ten zhangs of land entirely split and cracked, the distant river which was dyed red spurted upwards, dying the entire horizon red.
In the rain of blood, the great shaman in the distant was already beginning to falter, the red screen gradually weakened, huge fireballs started to slip through the screen, crashing into the Seven Mile Cave below, in the explosions and miserable cries, the fire raged and burned, like an apocalyptic scene.
In the sea of fire, the red and blue clashed and then separated, the white attired girl slowly landed, her face with no trace of blood.
In front of her, that quietly panting person, shrouded in the ominous blood fire, holding the Sinister Orb evil stick…
Hot wind, fluttered her clothes and hair. In the fire light, her body was clearly trembling.
Only the hand that was holding TianYa, because of the effort it took, it did not move a slightest bit.
Sharp sounds and FaXiang, Li Xun and the rest also landed behind Lu XueQi, the only person not seen in the group was ShangGuan Ce. The group saw Ghost Li, who looked like a fiend, blood all over his body, and his expression looking even more terrible and savage, all that had previously knew him, not one was not shocked, Li Xun was at least better but in FaXiang eyes, an inconsolable anguish flashed by, his body also quivered, chanting quietly.
“You, you…” Lu XueQi’s expression, could no longer maintain her composure, grief and anger, at that moment, she could not even continue speaking.
Li Xun stood aside and saw Lu XueQi’s expression, he was of course an intelligent man and naturally would not assume that Lu XueQi losing her composure was just because she was angry.
“Zhang Xiao Fan!” Li Xun bellowed, his expression stern and angry, said, “The southern border tribe in this valley has always been neutral with Central Plains, what enmity did you have with them to kill them like this?”
Ghost Li and Lu XueQi’s bodies, almost at the same time trembled once.
Ghost Li who was shrouded in Sinister Orb’s red glow, slowly looked at the surroundings, Miao, Li tribes after battling for a long while, both tribes which already had deep enmities, right now could only fight until only one party goes down, their attacks merciless, dead bodies spewed everywhere, most unbearable to look at, their deaths tragic; and the mass group of women and children who were pursued out from their hiding place by the Li soldiers, scattered disorderly, dead or injured.
Li and Miao tribes were archenemies, even to the women and children they were also merciless, the tragic scene, including the surrounding raging fire flames, formed a living hell on earth.
And Ghost Li drenched in blood, right now, no matter in whose eyes, was the killer who created all of these!
He was just like a devouring blood evil king, standing on this carnage scene.
Greedy and evil, cruel and frenzied!
Maybe, there was a deeply hidden despair.
The delayed pure strong Yang energy, as if being repressed immobile by the evil power of the Sinister Orb, until then, drip by drip released out, dispersing little by little the heavy icy cold energy twining deep inside his heart.
But he suddenly laughed miserably, maybe he would rather not wake up.
Through the raging burning fire, that white attired girl’s broken-hearted eyes looked through all of the obstacles in the world and whose heart did it directly pierce through?
She slowly raised the sword in her hand, TianYa’s light like autumn waters.
“Zhang, Xiao, Fan…”
The faint voice, over at the raging burning fire, quietly travelled over. She bit broken her lips, tears flowing.
The tears mixed together with the blood droplets, dripped gently on TianYa Sword, quietly, dripping past, when it landed, it had already turned into blood water.
Who, had hurt whose heart…
“Ah!”
Ghost Li screamed at the sky, in the sea of blood and fire, although his heart was clear and bright, he was instead crazy.
Severed it! Severed it!
Cut the past away cleanly!
He laughed hideously in the firelight, using his madness to cover the pain, the Sinister Orb projected out boundless blood light, accompanying its master, towards the Good Faction - charging!
Someone, distantly, sighed gently but in the end, nobody could hear it.
That despondent figure, as if vaguely from the past, Good Faction men angrily shouted and prepared to defend, reflecting in Lu XueQi’s eyes, was that figure.
Her lips, quivering, muttering to herself, that person madly charging over…
“Zhang Xiao Fan…” Using a voice that nobody could hear, quietly, the third time, calling.
Then, she wielded her sword and charged up, white clothes like snow, like a withered yet still beautiful lily in the fire.
[Zheng!]
In the sharp sound, TianYa Celestial Sword’s thousands of light rays, covered the sky, the Sinister Orb’s red light like forces of evil, faintly discernible in the blue light, even how brilliant the blue light became, it could not be totally suppressed.
Rumble, the huge fireballs from the sky descended, two figures came together and again intertwined, in this living hell, the two people, finally again battled.
Even though, the two figures, looked so desolate in the firelight.
Ah HeTai could not focus somehow, initially things were going on so well, unexpectedly things changed, strange things happened one after another in Seven Mile Cave, strangers appeared one after another and all of them were all cultivated martial people, among them were also some highly-skilled people that even he was also wary of.
Just that those people below were all very strange, exchanging not even a few words, they started fighting among themselves and ignored him. And the Li tribe who were in a highly advantageous position, after those people attacked, were all shocked and paled like the Miao tribe, started to back away.
Ah HeTai cursed in his heart and could not be bothered about it anymore, before he left the mountain, that devil king’s cold words reverberated in his ear -- “As long as you take back your Li tribe sacred weapon Jade Bone and also take away the Miao tribe sacred weapon Black Staff, then Li tribe taking over Miao tribe would be irreversible…”
He breathed deeply and again concentrated his attention onto the great shaman who was still holding on, with a loud roar, he suddenly spread open both arms, instantly from the fourteen joints on both of his hands blood spurted out, almost at the same time, numerous huge fireballs with black flames increased in intensity, each rolling out from the clouds and headed towards the great shaman.
The weak red screen finally could not sustain, under the constant attacks of the fireballs with black flames, after a while, collapsed.
Instantly, the entire Seven Mile Cave turned into a sea of fire, and the great shaman, after crying out, fell onto the ground.
Ah HeTai was exulted, swiftly flew down from the sky, in an instant was at the levelled platform beside the great shaman.
The great shaman struggled to stand up with the support of the black staff, cried out, “You, you are mad, you actually went to beseech the evil beast…”
Ah HeTai without waiting for him to finish, with one kick kicked the already frail old man down and snatched the Black Staff at the same time, looked carefully at the tip of the staff, it was really the sacred weapon Jade Bone that the Li tribe had pinned for a total of two hundred years.
“Ha ha ha ha…”
He was extremely conceited and wasting no time, he was about to add on a fatal blow to the nemesis of Li tribe nemesis for several hundred years but a glint flashed at the side of his eyes, he saw that the outsiders had already noticed what he was doing and all had started to rise and head over.
Ah HeTai was alarmed and immediately decided not to meddle more, anyway after this battle, the great shaman under the evil power of the demon king, was already like an invalid, not a threat at all to the Li tribe.
He made up his mind and hugged the Black Staff in front of his chest, his mouth chanting the mysterious incantations, and the next moment fire descended from the sky, enveloped him within it, and then he charged up to the sky, in the raging fire flames, he disappeared.
Leaving a hell-like Seven Mile Cave and a haggard old man on the platform, dejectedly panting softly, shouting, “Evil Beast! That is the Evil Beast! How could you dare to…”