Chapter 266
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The Heavenly Venom King, Sha Chen, was caught in a loop of memories.
…no, never mind. Any more than this and I would be ripping off Gosu too much. I might as well say this is fanfiction instead of Original. So let's change things up a little. Besides, how the hell would I know what kind of memories Sha Chen was having? Was I supposed to know he was dreaming about that fateful battle he had against Mu Shen Ma, the head of the Devil's Legion, or something? And that he got betrayed by two of the Twelve Heavenly Generals after the battle? And after he was forced to kill them, three more powerful martial artists attacked him without bothering to find out the truth? And then he got even worse injuries?
And he started whining about how those guys would never stand a chance against him if he wasn't injured in the previous fight?
Dudes…if I was going to do that, why bother writing my own story? Just go read Gosu instead. It is a far better webcomic than anything I can write.
"Ha ha ha ha ha…"
A bloody gargle escaped Sha Chen's lips, which allowed me to finally find him. I caught sight of his battered face, blood flowing off his lips, nose and eyes. He also caught sight of me, and slowly leaned his head back to watch me.
I was still holding my swords, but I made no move to finish him off. There was no need to. I could feel his qi and spirit fast fading. He didn't have long before he left this world.
Instead, I respectfully bowed my head. As much as I hated him, he was the most formidable opponent I had ever faced in my life.
"So it's true," the dying Dark Sage murmured as he looked up at me, the light in his eyes slowly fading away.
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"?"
I stared at him blankly, not sure what he was talking about. Was he referring to me being the disciple of the Absolute One, Tian Mo?
"Listen, kid…" Sha Chen croaked, and smiled. "As a…reward for defeating me, I figure I should give you some advice. As an elder." He closed his eyes briefly, and then opened them again. "There's no such thing as absolute strength. No such thing as invincibility. I…learned that the hard way."
He coughed, and his head sank further into the stone that served as a hard pillow.
"Even your master is not invincible."
"…I know."
"…good." Sha Chen's breathing was growing shallower. "When engaged in a life-and-death struggle, the result can change any moment. It doesn't matter how much stronger you are, how much more qi you have. If you make a mistake, if you become careless, if your opponent is more determined than you, or perhaps even an unpredictable coincidence or accident…the result will change against your favor. It matters not if you're stronger or more skilled."
He sighed, an unsteady breath escaping his lips.
"When that happens, what you need is not more power. Or you'll end up like me."
"Yeah, you've to remain calm and be flexible." I nodded.
"Hmph." Sha Chen snorted. "Look at you now, preaching toward me? Don't get cocky, brat." He coughed out some blood. "If my Ultiimate Explosion was at its full strength, you would have been dead long ago."
"If you had your right arm, you would have won at the end with a counterattack. If you weren't injured, you would have wiped out your pursuers from the Martial Arts Alliance. If you had fully recovered, you would have won against my master."
Sha Chen's eyes widened briefly, and he nodded.
"So you do know of my full strength," he muttered gruffly. I smiled and shrugged.
"But…aren't that all excuses?"
"Excuse me?!" Sha Chen snarled.
I pushed my battered glasses up my nose and looked at him. "If this, if that. The world isn't always so kind as to let everything go your way. If I didn't have a One Star Constitution, I might have been more powerful than I am right now. If I didn't join Nine-Tailed Fox, I would have escaped the disaster that befell it when the Martial Arts Alliance invaded us. If I hadn't learned Heaven and Earth Formula, I would have succumbed to your poisons."
I spread my hands.
"But all of those happened, and I ended up here today. I hate Fate…I hate the Heavens as much as you do, but I'm forced to deal with the hand they gave me. What's the use of thinking about what-ifs and what would have happened?"
"Huff…" Sha Chen heaved as he glowered at me, and he then snorted derisively. "You say that, brat, but you don't look very well either."
"No," I admitted. "You did a number on me."
But considering what I went through, I would say I was lucky. Currently, I could see the gigantic bloody hole in Sha Chen's chest. The bulk of his body was gone, having disintegrated when I unleashed Heaven and Earth Strike inside him. He had been obliterated. As I said, his heart was gone, as was one and a half lungs. So was his liver.
That was why both of us knew he had not much longer left. It was a miracle that he was still holding on to talk to me.
"…your master was right." Sha Chen chuckled wetly, blood still streaming down his mouth. "I should have focused on my fire skills. I should never have left Incendiary Ifrit Sect. I wonder, would I have been the current sect leader of that? It turns out that poison skills aren't that sure-kill, after all."
"Have you alreay forgotten what I said about what-ifs?" I pointed out. "You chose this path. Make sure you stick to it until the very end."
"…and this is the result." Sha Chen slumped against the ground. "…I paid for my mistake with my life."
And just like that, he was gone. Dead. The last life-signs faded away, and his qi dispersed and dissipated. It was as if…a robot had ceased its movements, the electricity in its system having been shut down. I wasn't sure how to describe it.
"Hey," I muttered softly. "It's not that bad. Compared to most martial artists, you've lived for quite a long time. Most martial artists only live for several decades, dying on the battlefield within hours." I shrugged. "You seem to have lived to quite the ripe old age. No doubt because of your poison skills, I bet. So don't dismiss them so easily."
There was no reply. Sha Chen was dead.
"Ugh…"
I staggered away, feeling pain jolt through my chest. Despite my best attempts to remain on my feet, I swayed unsteadily, on the verge of toppling over. Sucking in deep breaths, I ended up coughing out a good amount of blood.
Splatter.
"…oh. That's not good."
Huffing, I grabbed hold of outcrops of rock, slowly making my way back toward the edge of Sen Lin Forest. My glasses still worked and highlighted the path back to Duchun Town, but each step was growing heavier. I was aware that I would collapse before I made it very far.
My mind was already blacking out, the darkness scrambling and clawing at the edges of my consciousness. My body was shutting down, my limbs growing more defiant and stubborn, refusing to obey my mind. Even my brain was becoming sluggish, with my thoughts struggling to form a coherent sequence.
Bam!
"…"
Instinctively, I turned my head and caught sight of a gigantic rock slamming into the ground a few centimeters away from me. Then another. And another.
There was an avalanche raining down on me, a powerful rain of rocks that were pelting the ground like a lethal hail.
And they were huge, large enough to crush a grown man, never mind a teenager like me.
"I have to get out of here now," I mumbled, vaguely registering the threat. However, my body didn't seem to care. I had pushed it past its limits, it seemed to say, and now it had no energy left, no reserves.
And I collapsed.
Even as darkness consumed my consciousness, a gigantic debris of rock smashed into me, burying me under tons of rubble.
The mountain was enacting its vengeance upon me and Sha Chen for destroying it.
The last thing I knew was tons of rock blocking out my sight and weighing down upon me.
*
At Duchun Town, Tong Xue and the rest watched as one of the mountains disappeared. They had been aware of the catastrophic duel between me and Sha Chen this entire time, and even from a distance they could sense the enormous clash of qi and spot the obliteration of a single mountain. Not to mention all the mushroom clouds and whatnot.
"Is it finally over?" he asked.
"Seems like it," Lian Rou agreed.
"Who won?" one of the Imperial Guardsmen who had mobilized asked. There was an entire regiment stationed right at the edge of the town, their weapons ready just in case the battle spilled over to the town. Fortunately, the duel remained kilometers away, and no one could actually see me or Sha Chen – all they could see were the explosions and apocalyptic damage.
"The Heavenly Venom King's qi is fading away…is he…dead?"
"So is the kid's."
"Fei Wu!" Tong Xue gasped in horror. He turned on the Imperial Guard. "We've to save him!"
"Are you kidding us? How?" the sergeant gestured frantically toward the avalanche. One of the mountains had disappeared, replaced by raining rock. "If we go into there now, we'll only get buried alive along with them!"
"We'll just wait a while before we commence rescue operations," the young lieutenant offered. Tong Xue clenched his fists, but he nodded. The veteran sergeant had a point. It was currently too dangerous to go in there.
I mean, they could just blast the rocks away with martial arts and whatever, but if the goal is to rescue them, they might inadvertently cause more damage and accidentally kill whoever was buried beneath all that rubble.
No, best to wait out. As much as it frustrated Tong Xue, he knew he couldn't force the Imperial Guardsmen into throwing away their lives.
"Fei Wu will be all right," Lian Rou assured him as she reached out and grasped his hand tightly. "He's the protagonist. He has plot armor, after all."
Tong Xue gave her a dry stare. "Breaking the fourth wall is supposed to be his job."
"Perhaps…but what's the alternative? If the writer decides to kill him off now, then what's going to happen to the story?" Lian Rou grimaced. "Will Zhu Jiao take over as the new narrator? The new protagonist? Hell no, I would rather die."
"…okay, now you're creeping me out." Tong Xue couldn't help but smile in amusement, however. "But that reminds me. How are Yi Ding Si and Song Ting Yu? And all those who had been poisoned by the Black Venom Toxin?"
"Ah, right." Lian Rou nodded. "Thanks to the sample you brought back, I was able to come up with an antidote quickly. I've treated them with a hurriedly synthesized antidote, and it seems to be working. Their conditions are stabilized. They're still not out of danger yet, but they are rapidly improving. The hospital is monitoring them right now, and they will take care of any changes. Since that's no longer poison stuff, it's out of my expertise."
Lian Rou might be an expert at poison and toxins, but she wasn't a healer. Far from it, in fact. That was why there was no longer any point in her sticking around in the hospital. The medical staff stationed there were more than capable of taking care of anything.
"Thank you. You've worked hard." Tong Xue squeezed her hand affectionately. Lian Rou nodded with a smile.
"You and Fei Wu too. If it weren't for the both of you, Song Ting Yu and Yi Ding Si would have died. The both of you saved their lives."
"And Fei Wu saved my life. If he didn't stay behind to buy time and delay the Heavenly Venom King, I fear…" Tong Xue sighed heavily. "You idiot. You had better be alive."
"He will be," Lian Rou assured him. "There's nothing in this world that can kill him."
…well, there was, but I didn't tell them that. Not that I could, given how I was buried under tons of rock, but that was beside the point. After all, there was every chance I got sick of this story and decided to kill off the protagonist so that I could concentrate on another story. So my protagonist did not necessarily have the ironclad plot armor that Lian Rou was so confident that he did. It would probably piss off many readers, but this story had gone on for too long. Perhaps it would be time to let it go.
On the other hand, there were still quite a few avenues I wanted to explore. There was still the inevitable clash against the Tian Sha Sect. I wanted to wrap that arc up at least.
I mean, people were wondering what was the deal with the prologue and what it had to do with the main story. That was to introduce the archenemy, Tian Sha Tian Zun of the Heavenly Fiend Sect! An inevitable showdown between me and Tian Sha Tian Zun! Or Li Tian Zun. I was building up to an eventual confrontation against the final boss for the Great Zhou Empire. Or something to that effect. Yes, it took almost three hundred chapters, but…yeah.
And then there was the part where I would go overseas after that.
…but all those plans would be for naught if I died here. Oh well. Looked like I couldn't die yet. Not until I tied up all loose threads. The point was that I had no plot armor, and could easily be killed off by the author's whim at any time. Right now, as long as he still had a story to tell and a desire to tie up those loose threads, then I would remain alive at his discretion. Otherwise I would be killed off so that he could end the story as soon as possible. Fortunately, it seemed like he wanted to reach those plot points he had planned.
The problem was how to get to that point from here…
First, I had to be rescued. As much as I wanted to be a God Mode Mary Sue who could solo the story on my own, reality did not work out that way.
"…"
And so I was forced to wait until the avalanche stopped before the Imperial Guard could mount any sort of rescue.
*
Far, far away, a hooded figure froze.
He was massive, almost three meters tall. Cocking his head to the side, a deep voice rumbled out from underneath the cloak.
"…so, it is done, Heavenly Fiend Crow?"
"Indeed, Brother."
A woman with long, black hair and a crow mounted atop her shoulder swooped down, and cackled cruelly.
"Our forces are prepared. They're restless, impatiently waiting for your order."
"Of course." Li Tian Zun nodded. "But they might have to wait a bit longer. I have a feeling that this meeting with the Blazing Sun Sect and Lunar Moon Sect isn't as simple."
"You think those fools will suggest an alliance?" the lady asked, her lips curled into a disdainful sneer.
"The orthodox sects are all grouped up in a Martial Arts Alliance. If we don't show similar unity, we'll be picked off one by one and destroyed. Just like the vaunted Heaven and Earth Sect." Li Tian Zun shook his head at the memory. "What a waste."
"…this one understands, Brother." Tian Sha Crow bowed her head deferentially and did not elaborate more on her protests. She had witnessed the demise of the Heaven and Earth Sect herself, and had no wish to see it repeated for her Heavenly Fiend Sect.
"Blazing Sun and Lunar Moon must be thinking the same thing." Underneath the hood, there was a devilish smile. "Recently the Martial Arts Alliance is undergoing some sort of turmoil. They had attempted to invade Nine-Tailed Fox Sect and failed, and at least two of the eight major sects had broken away after that. Three, if we include Nine-Tailed Fox Sect. They are considerably weakened. Now is the best time to strike."
"…the Martial Arts Alliance? But I heard the target this time will be... Wu Ling City." Tian Sha Crow shrugged. "Just rumors, you understand, but…"
"Wu Ling City is a bastion and stronghold of the Martial Arts Alliance," Li Tian Zun explained. "It makes sense to destroy them first and establish a foothold in the Great Zhou Empire. Once we turn that into our base, we can branch out from there and launch assaults on other parts of the empire, and retreat safely to it if the Martial Arts Alliance pursue us. Its position is strategic as well as symbolic. For thousands of years, the walls of Wu Ling City have not fallen. If we bring them low, then it would shake the people's belief in the Martial Arts Alliance."
Tian Sha Crow bowed her head, conceding the point. Indeed, in its long, prestigious history, Wu Ling City had not fallen, not even once. That was why it was one of the most prestigious cities in the Great Zhou Empire, and that was also why Wu Ling Academy was among the preeminent martial arts academy in the empire.
"Furthermore, they also have an academy there that trains young martial artists. If we can massacre them and deprive them of their brightest hopes and future, and extinguish the threat of such youngsters with potential, we'll be able to deal them a massive blow."
"Exactly." Li Tian Zun nodded in agreement. "Not to mention their monopoly on artificial qi renders Wu Ling Academy as the number one threat to the demonic sects in the future. We cannot allow them to develop any further."
"This one understands." Tian Sha Crow smiled malevolently. "I'll personally lead the attack myself."
"Good." The hooded figure favored her with an approving gaze. The lady was about to turn and leave, but he stopped her with a question. "What of the investigation I've tasked you with? Have you found out the culprit who murdered my son?"
"Oh…I'm still trying to find out the precise identity of the person who killed Nephew Xue Wu, but I haven't gotten anything concrete so far." Tian Sha Crow bowed her head. "But rumors have it that…the person might be from Wu Ling Academy. I have a few eyewitnesses reports that state that the last time somebody saw Nephw Xue Wu and his entourage, they were…pursuing a couple of students from Wu Ling Academy."
Crack!
Li Tian Zun gripped the armrest of his throne so tightly that he crushed the stone into powder. A thunderous laughter rumbled from his huge chest.
"I see! Very good! Excellent!" he roared with laughter. Then he calmed down and stared at Tian Sha Crow. "This means we've to attack Wu Ling Academy, no matter the cost."
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The Heavenly Venom King, Sha Chen, was caught in a loop of memories.
…no, never mind. Any more than this and I would be ripping off Gosu too much. I might as well say this is fanfiction instead of Original. So let's change things up a little. Besides, how the hell would I know what kind of memories Sha Chen was having? Was I supposed to know he was dreaming about that fateful battle he had against Mu Shen Ma, the head of the Devil's Legion, or something? And that he got betrayed by two of the Twelve Heavenly Generals after the battle? And after he was forced to kill them, three more powerful martial artists attacked him without bothering to find out the truth? And then he got even worse injuries?
And he started whining about how those guys would never stand a chance against him if he wasn't injured in the previous fight?
Dudes…if I was going to do that, why bother writing my own story? Just go read Gosu instead. It is a far better webcomic than anything I can write.
"Ha ha ha ha ha…"
A bloody gargle escaped Sha Chen's lips, which allowed me to finally find him. I caught sight of his battered face, blood flowing off his lips, nose and eyes. He also caught sight of me, and slowly leaned his head back to watch me.
I was still holding my swords, but I made no move to finish him off. There was no need to. I could feel his qi and spirit fast fading. He didn't have long before he left this world.
Instead, I respectfully bowed my head. As much as I hated him, he was the most formidable opponent I had ever faced in my life.
"So it's true," the dying Dark Sage murmured as he looked up at me, the light in his eyes slowly fading away.
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"?"
I stared at him blankly, not sure what he was talking about. Was he referring to me being the disciple of the Absolute One, Tian Mo?
"Listen, kid…" Sha Chen croaked, and smiled. "As a…reward for defeating me, I figure I should give you some advice. As an elder." He closed his eyes briefly, and then opened them again. "There's no such thing as absolute strength. No such thing as invincibility. I…learned that the hard way."
He coughed, and his head sank further into the stone that served as a hard pillow.
"Even your master is not invincible."
"…I know."
"…good." Sha Chen's breathing was growing shallower. "When engaged in a life-and-death struggle, the result can change any moment. It doesn't matter how much stronger you are, how much more qi you have. If you make a mistake, if you become careless, if your opponent is more determined than you, or perhaps even an unpredictable coincidence or accident…the result will change against your favor. It matters not if you're stronger or more skilled."
He sighed, an unsteady breath escaping his lips.
"When that happens, what you need is not more power. Or you'll end up like me."
"Yeah, you've to remain calm and be flexible." I nodded.
"Hmph." Sha Chen snorted. "Look at you now, preaching toward me? Don't get cocky, brat." He coughed out some blood. "If my Ultiimate Explosion was at its full strength, you would have been dead long ago."
"If you had your right arm, you would have won at the end with a counterattack. If you weren't injured, you would have wiped out your pursuers from the Martial Arts Alliance. If you had fully recovered, you would have won against my master."
Sha Chen's eyes widened briefly, and he nodded.
"So you do know of my full strength," he muttered gruffly. I smiled and shrugged.
"But…aren't that all excuses?"
"Excuse me?!" Sha Chen snarled.
I pushed my battered glasses up my nose and looked at him. "If this, if that. The world isn't always so kind as to let everything go your way. If I didn't have a One Star Constitution, I might have been more powerful than I am right now. If I didn't join Nine-Tailed Fox, I would have escaped the disaster that befell it when the Martial Arts Alliance invaded us. If I hadn't learned Heaven and Earth Formula, I would have succumbed to your poisons."
I spread my hands.
"But all of those happened, and I ended up here today. I hate Fate…I hate the Heavens as much as you do, but I'm forced to deal with the hand they gave me. What's the use of thinking about what-ifs and what would have happened?"
"Huff…" Sha Chen heaved as he glowered at me, and he then snorted derisively. "You say that, brat, but you don't look very well either."
"No," I admitted. "You did a number on me."
But considering what I went through, I would say I was lucky. Currently, I could see the gigantic bloody hole in Sha Chen's chest. The bulk of his body was gone, having disintegrated when I unleashed Heaven and Earth Strike inside him. He had been obliterated. As I said, his heart was gone, as was one and a half lungs. So was his liver.
That was why both of us knew he had not much longer left. It was a miracle that he was still holding on to talk to me.
"…your master was right." Sha Chen chuckled wetly, blood still streaming down his mouth. "I should have focused on my fire skills. I should never have left Incendiary Ifrit Sect. I wonder, would I have been the current sect leader of that? It turns out that poison skills aren't that sure-kill, after all."
"Have you alreay forgotten what I said about what-ifs?" I pointed out. "You chose this path. Make sure you stick to it until the very end."
"…and this is the result." Sha Chen slumped against the ground. "…I paid for my mistake with my life."
And just like that, he was gone. Dead. The last life-signs faded away, and his qi dispersed and dissipated. It was as if…a robot had ceased its movements, the electricity in its system having been shut down. I wasn't sure how to describe it.
"Hey," I muttered softly. "It's not that bad. Compared to most martial artists, you've lived for quite a long time. Most martial artists only live for several decades, dying on the battlefield within hours." I shrugged. "You seem to have lived to quite the ripe old age. No doubt because of your poison skills, I bet. So don't dismiss them so easily."
There was no reply. Sha Chen was dead.
"Ugh…"
I staggered away, feeling pain jolt through my chest. Despite my best attempts to remain on my feet, I swayed unsteadily, on the verge of toppling over. Sucking in deep breaths, I ended up coughing out a good amount of blood.
Splatter.
"…oh. That's not good."
Huffing, I grabbed hold of outcrops of rock, slowly making my way back toward the edge of Sen Lin Forest. My glasses still worked and highlighted the path back to Duchun Town, but each step was growing heavier. I was aware that I would collapse before I made it very far.
My mind was already blacking out, the darkness scrambling and clawing at the edges of my consciousness. My body was shutting down, my limbs growing more defiant and stubborn, refusing to obey my mind. Even my brain was becoming sluggish, with my thoughts struggling to form a coherent sequence.
Bam!
"…"
Instinctively, I turned my head and caught sight of a gigantic rock slamming into the ground a few centimeters away from me. Then another. And another.
There was an avalanche raining down on me, a powerful rain of rocks that were pelting the ground like a lethal hail.
And they were huge, large enough to crush a grown man, never mind a teenager like me.
"I have to get out of here now," I mumbled, vaguely registering the threat. However, my body didn't seem to care. I had pushed it past its limits, it seemed to say, and now it had no energy left, no reserves.
And I collapsed.
Even as darkness consumed my consciousness, a gigantic debris of rock smashed into me, burying me under tons of rubble.
The mountain was enacting its vengeance upon me and Sha Chen for destroying it.
The last thing I knew was tons of rock blocking out my sight and weighing down upon me.
*
At Duchun Town, Tong Xue and the rest watched as one of the mountains disappeared. They had been aware of the catastrophic duel between me and Sha Chen this entire time, and even from a distance they could sense the enormous clash of qi and spot the obliteration of a single mountain. Not to mention all the mushroom clouds and whatnot.
"Is it finally over?" he asked.
"Seems like it," Lian Rou agreed.
"Who won?" one of the Imperial Guardsmen who had mobilized asked. There was an entire regiment stationed right at the edge of the town, their weapons ready just in case the battle spilled over to the town. Fortunately, the duel remained kilometers away, and no one could actually see me or Sha Chen – all they could see were the explosions and apocalyptic damage.
"The Heavenly Venom King's qi is fading away…is he…dead?"
"So is the kid's."
"Fei Wu!" Tong Xue gasped in horror. He turned on the Imperial Guard. "We've to save him!"
"Are you kidding us? How?" the sergeant gestured frantically toward the avalanche. One of the mountains had disappeared, replaced by raining rock. "If we go into there now, we'll only get buried alive along with them!"
"We'll just wait a while before we commence rescue operations," the young lieutenant offered. Tong Xue clenched his fists, but he nodded. The veteran sergeant had a point. It was currently too dangerous to go in there.
I mean, they could just blast the rocks away with martial arts and whatever, but if the goal is to rescue them, they might inadvertently cause more damage and accidentally kill whoever was buried beneath all that rubble.
No, best to wait out. As much as it frustrated Tong Xue, he knew he couldn't force the Imperial Guardsmen into throwing away their lives.
"Fei Wu will be all right," Lian Rou assured him as she reached out and grasped his hand tightly. "He's the protagonist. He has plot armor, after all."
Tong Xue gave her a dry stare. "Breaking the fourth wall is supposed to be his job."
"Perhaps…but what's the alternative? If the writer decides to kill him off now, then what's going to happen to the story?" Lian Rou grimaced. "Will Zhu Jiao take over as the new narrator? The new protagonist? Hell no, I would rather die."
"…okay, now you're creeping me out." Tong Xue couldn't help but smile in amusement, however. "But that reminds me. How are Yi Ding Si and Song Ting Yu? And all those who had been poisoned by the Black Venom Toxin?"
"Ah, right." Lian Rou nodded. "Thanks to the sample you brought back, I was able to come up with an antidote quickly. I've treated them with a hurriedly synthesized antidote, and it seems to be working. Their conditions are stabilized. They're still not out of danger yet, but they are rapidly improving. The hospital is monitoring them right now, and they will take care of any changes. Since that's no longer poison stuff, it's out of my expertise."
Lian Rou might be an expert at poison and toxins, but she wasn't a healer. Far from it, in fact. That was why there was no longer any point in her sticking around in the hospital. The medical staff stationed there were more than capable of taking care of anything.
"Thank you. You've worked hard." Tong Xue squeezed her hand affectionately. Lian Rou nodded with a smile.
"You and Fei Wu too. If it weren't for the both of you, Song Ting Yu and Yi Ding Si would have died. The both of you saved their lives."
"And Fei Wu saved my life. If he didn't stay behind to buy time and delay the Heavenly Venom King, I fear…" Tong Xue sighed heavily. "You idiot. You had better be alive."
"He will be," Lian Rou assured him. "There's nothing in this world that can kill him."
…well, there was, but I didn't tell them that. Not that I could, given how I was buried under tons of rock, but that was beside the point. After all, there was every chance I got sick of this story and decided to kill off the protagonist so that I could concentrate on another story. So my protagonist did not necessarily have the ironclad plot armor that Lian Rou was so confident that he did. It would probably piss off many readers, but this story had gone on for too long. Perhaps it would be time to let it go.
On the other hand, there were still quite a few avenues I wanted to explore. There was still the inevitable clash against the Tian Sha Sect. I wanted to wrap that arc up at least.
I mean, people were wondering what was the deal with the prologue and what it had to do with the main story. That was to introduce the archenemy, Tian Sha Tian Zun of the Heavenly Fiend Sect! An inevitable showdown between me and Tian Sha Tian Zun! Or Li Tian Zun. I was building up to an eventual confrontation against the final boss for the Great Zhou Empire. Or something to that effect. Yes, it took almost three hundred chapters, but…yeah.
And then there was the part where I would go overseas after that.
…but all those plans would be for naught if I died here. Oh well. Looked like I couldn't die yet. Not until I tied up all loose threads. The point was that I had no plot armor, and could easily be killed off by the author's whim at any time. Right now, as long as he still had a story to tell and a desire to tie up those loose threads, then I would remain alive at his discretion. Otherwise I would be killed off so that he could end the story as soon as possible. Fortunately, it seemed like he wanted to reach those plot points he had planned.
The problem was how to get to that point from here…
First, I had to be rescued. As much as I wanted to be a God Mode Mary Sue who could solo the story on my own, reality did not work out that way.
"…"
And so I was forced to wait until the avalanche stopped before the Imperial Guard could mount any sort of rescue.
*
Far, far away, a hooded figure froze.
He was massive, almost three meters tall. Cocking his head to the side, a deep voice rumbled out from underneath the cloak.
"…so, it is done, Heavenly Fiend Crow?"
"Indeed, Brother."
A woman with long, black hair and a crow mounted atop her shoulder swooped down, and cackled cruelly.
"Our forces are prepared. They're restless, impatiently waiting for your order."
"Of course." Li Tian Zun nodded. "But they might have to wait a bit longer. I have a feeling that this meeting with the Blazing Sun Sect and Lunar Moon Sect isn't as simple."
"You think those fools will suggest an alliance?" the lady asked, her lips curled into a disdainful sneer.
"The orthodox sects are all grouped up in a Martial Arts Alliance. If we don't show similar unity, we'll be picked off one by one and destroyed. Just like the vaunted Heaven and Earth Sect." Li Tian Zun shook his head at the memory. "What a waste."
"…this one understands, Brother." Tian Sha Crow bowed her head deferentially and did not elaborate more on her protests. She had witnessed the demise of the Heaven and Earth Sect herself, and had no wish to see it repeated for her Heavenly Fiend Sect.
"Blazing Sun and Lunar Moon must be thinking the same thing." Underneath the hood, there was a devilish smile. "Recently the Martial Arts Alliance is undergoing some sort of turmoil. They had attempted to invade Nine-Tailed Fox Sect and failed, and at least two of the eight major sects had broken away after that. Three, if we include Nine-Tailed Fox Sect. They are considerably weakened. Now is the best time to strike."
"…the Martial Arts Alliance? But I heard the target this time will be... Wu Ling City." Tian Sha Crow shrugged. "Just rumors, you understand, but…"
"Wu Ling City is a bastion and stronghold of the Martial Arts Alliance," Li Tian Zun explained. "It makes sense to destroy them first and establish a foothold in the Great Zhou Empire. Once we turn that into our base, we can branch out from there and launch assaults on other parts of the empire, and retreat safely to it if the Martial Arts Alliance pursue us. Its position is strategic as well as symbolic. For thousands of years, the walls of Wu Ling City have not fallen. If we bring them low, then it would shake the people's belief in the Martial Arts Alliance."
Tian Sha Crow bowed her head, conceding the point. Indeed, in its long, prestigious history, Wu Ling City had not fallen, not even once. That was why it was one of the most prestigious cities in the Great Zhou Empire, and that was also why Wu Ling Academy was among the preeminent martial arts academy in the empire.
"Furthermore, they also have an academy there that trains young martial artists. If we can massacre them and deprive them of their brightest hopes and future, and extinguish the threat of such youngsters with potential, we'll be able to deal them a massive blow."
"Exactly." Li Tian Zun nodded in agreement. "Not to mention their monopoly on artificial qi renders Wu Ling Academy as the number one threat to the demonic sects in the future. We cannot allow them to develop any further."
"This one understands." Tian Sha Crow smiled malevolently. "I'll personally lead the attack myself."
"Good." The hooded figure favored her with an approving gaze. The lady was about to turn and leave, but he stopped her with a question. "What of the investigation I've tasked you with? Have you found out the culprit who murdered my son?"
"Oh…I'm still trying to find out the precise identity of the person who killed Nephew Xue Wu, but I haven't gotten anything concrete so far." Tian Sha Crow bowed her head. "But rumors have it that…the person might be from Wu Ling Academy. I have a few eyewitnesses reports that state that the last time somebody saw Nephw Xue Wu and his entourage, they were…pursuing a couple of students from Wu Ling Academy."
Crack!
Li Tian Zun gripped the armrest of his throne so tightly that he crushed the stone into powder. A thunderous laughter rumbled from his huge chest.
"I see! Very good! Excellent!" he roared with laughter. Then he calmed down and stared at Tian Sha Crow. "This means we've to attack Wu Ling Academy, no matter the cost."
The Heavenly Venom King, Sha Chen, was caught in a loop of memories.no, never mind. Any more than this and I would be ripping off Gosu too much. I might as well say this is fanfiction instead of Original. So let's change things up a little. Besides, how the hell would I know what kind of memories Sha Chen was having? Was I supposed to know he was dreaming about that fateful battle he had against Mu Shen Ma, the head of the Devil's Legion, or something? And that he got betrayed by two of the Twelve Heavenly Generals after the battle? And after he was forced to kill them, three more powerful martial artists attacked him without bothering to find out the truth? And then he got even worse injuries?And he started whining about how those guys would never stand a chance against him if he wasn't injured in the previous fight?Dudesif I was going to do that, why bother writing my own story? Just go read Gosu instead. It is a far better webcomic than anything I can write."Ha ha ha ha ha"A bloody gargle escaped Sha Chen's lips, which allowed me to finally find him. I caught sight of his battered face, blood flowing off his lips, nose and eyes. He also caught sight of me, and slowly leaned his head back to watch me.I was still holding my swords, but I made no move to finish him off. There was no need to. I could feel his qi and spirit fast fading. He didn't have long before he left this world.Instead, I respectfully bowed my head. As much as I hated him, he was the most formidable opponent I had ever faced in my life."So it's true," the dying Dark Sage murmured as he looked up at me, the light in his eyes slowly fading away. Find authorized novels in Webnovelfaster updates, better experiencePlease click www.webnovel.com for visiting. "?"I stared at him blankly, not sure what he was talking about. Was he referring to me being the disciple of the Absolute One, Tian Mo?"Listen, kid" Sha Chen croaked, and smiled. "As areward for defeating me, I figure I should give you some advice. As an elder." He closed his eyes briefly, and then opened them again. "There's no such thing as absolute strength. No such thing as invincibility. Ilearned that the hard way."He coughed, and his head sank further into the stone that served as a hard pillow."Even your master is not invincible.""I know.""good." Sha Chen's breathing was growing shallower. "When engaged in a life-and-death struggle, the result can change any moment. It doesn't matter how much stronger you are, how much more qi you have. If you make a mistake, if you become careless, if your opponent is more determined than you, or perhaps even an unpredictable coincidence or accidentthe result will change against your favor. It matters not if you're stronger or more skilled."He sighed, an unsteady breath escaping his lips."When that happens, what you need is not more power. Or you'll end up like me.""Yeah, you've to remain calm and be flexible." I nodded."Hmph." Sha Chen snorted. "Look at you now, preaching toward me? Don't get cocky, brat." He coughed out some blood. "If my Ultiimate Explosion was at its full strength, you would have been dead long ago.""If you had your right arm, you would have won at the end with a counterattack. If you weren't injured, you would have wiped out your pursuers from the Martial Arts Alliance. If you had fully recovered, you would have won against my master."Sha Chen's eyes widened briefly, and he nodded."So you do know of my full strength," he muttered gruffly. I smiled and shrugged."Butaren't that all excuses?""Excuse me?!" Sha Chen snarled.I pushed my battered glasses up my nose and looked at him. "If this, if that. The world isn't always so kind as to let everything go your way. If I didn't have a One Star Constitution, I might have been more powerful than I am right now. If I didn't join Nine-Tailed Fox, I would have escaped the disaster that befell it when the Martial Arts Alliance invaded us. If I hadn't learned Heaven and Earth Formula, I would have succumbed to your poisons."I spread my hands."But all of those happened, and I ended up here today. I hate FateI hate the Heavens as much as you do, but I'm forced to deal with the hand they gave me. What's the use of thinking about what-ifs and what would have happened?""Huff" Sha Chen heaved as he glowered at me, and he then snorted derisively. "You say that, brat, but you don't look very well either.""No," I admitted. "You did a number on me."But considering what I went through, I would say I was lucky. Currently, I could see the gigantic bloody hole in Sha Chen's chest. The bulk of his body was gone, having disintegrated when I unleashed Heaven and Earth Strike inside him. He had been obliterated. As I said, his heart was gone, as was one and a half lungs. So was his liver.That was why both of us knew he had not much longer left. It was a miracle that he was still holding on to talk to me."your master was right." Sha Chen chuckled wetly, blood still streaming down his mouth. "I should have focused on my fire skills. I should never have left Incendiary Ifrit Sect. I wonder, would I have been the current sect leader of that? It turns out that poison skills aren't that sure-kill, after all.""Have you alreay forgotten what I said about what-ifs?" I pointed out. "You chose this path. Make sure you stick to it until the very end.""and this is the result." Sha Chen slumped against the ground. "I paid for my mistake with my life."And just like that, he was gone. Dead. The last life-signs faded away, and his qi dispersed and dissipated. It was as ifa robot had ceased its movements, the electricity in its system having been shut down. I wasn't sure how to describe it."Hey," I muttered softly. "It's not that bad. Compared to most martial artists, you've lived for quite a long time. Most martial artists only live for several decades, dying on the battlefield within hours." I shrugged. "You seem to have lived to quite the ripe old age. No doubt because of your poison skills, I bet. So don't dismiss them so easily."There was no reply. Sha Chen was dead."Ugh"I staggered away, feeling pain jolt through my chest. Despite my best attempts to remain on my feet, I swayed unsteadily, on the verge of toppling over. Sucking in deep breaths, I ended up coughing out a good amount of blood.Splatter."oh. That's not good."Huffing, I grabbed hold of outcrops of rock, slowly making my way back toward the edge of Sen Lin Forest. My glasses still worked and highlighted the path back to Duchun Town, but each step was growing heavier. I was aware that I would collapse before I made it very far.My mind was already blacking out, the darkness scrambling and clawing at the edges of my consciousness. My body was shutting down, my limbs growing more defiant and stubborn, refusing to obey my mind. Even my brain was becoming sluggish, with my thoughts struggling to form a coherent sequence.Bam!""Instinctively, I turned my head and caught sight of a gigantic rock slamming into the ground a few centimeters away from me. Then another. And another.There was an avalanche raining down on me, a powerful rain of rocks that were pelting the ground like a lethal hail.And they were huge, large enough to crush a grown man, never mind a teenager like me."I have to get out of here now," I mumbled, vaguely registering the threat. However, my body didn't seem to care. I had pushed it past its limits, it seemed to say, and now it had no energy left, no reserves.And I collapsed.Even as darkness consumed my consciousness, a gigantic debris of rock smashed into me, burying me under tons of rubble.The mountain was enacting its vengeance upon me and Sha Chen for destroying it.The last thing I knew was tons of rock blocking out my sight and weighing down upon me.*At Duchun Town, Tong Xue and the rest watched as one of the mountains disappeared. They had been aware of the catastrophic duel between me and Sha Chen this entire time, and even from a distance they could sense the enormous clash of qi and spot the obliteration of a single mountain. Not to mention all the mushroom clouds and whatnot."Is it finally over?" he asked."Seems like it," Lian Rou agreed."Who won?" one of the Imperial Guardsmen who had mobilized asked. There was an entire regiment stationed right at the edge of the town, their weapons ready just in case the battle spilled over to the town. Fortunately, the duel remained kilometers away, and no one could actually see me or Sha Chen all they could see were the explosions and apocalyptic damage."The Heavenly Venom King's qi is fading awayis hedead?""So is the kid's.""Fei Wu!" Tong Xue gasped in horror. He turned on the Imperial Guard. "We've to save him!""Are you kidding us? How?" the sergeant gestured frantically toward the avalanche. One of the mountains had disappeared, replaced by raining rock. "If we go into there now, we'll only get buried alive along with them!""We'll just wait a while before we commence rescue operations," the young lieutenant offered. Tong Xue clenched his fists, but he nodded. The veteran sergeant had a point. It was currently too dangerous to go in there.I mean, they could just blast the rocks away with martial arts and whatever, but if the goal is to rescue them, they might inadvertently cause more damage and accidentally kill whoever was buried beneath all that rubble.No, best to wait out. As much as it frustrated Tong Xue, he knew he couldn't force the Imperial Guardsmen into throwing away their lives."Fei Wu will be all right," Lian Rou assured him as she reached out and grasped his hand tightly. "He's the protagonist. He has plot armor, after all."Tong Xue gave her a dry stare. "Breaking the fourth wall is supposed to be his job.""Perhapsbut what's the alternative? If the writer decides to kill him off now, then what's going to happen to the story?" Lian Rou grimaced. "Will Zhu Jiao take over as the new narrator? The new protagonist? Hell no, I would rather die.""okay, now you're creeping me out." Tong Xue couldn't help but smile in amusement, however. "But that reminds me. How are Yi Ding Si and Song Ting Yu? And all those who had been poisoned by the Black Venom Toxin?""Ah, right." Lian Rou nodded. "Thanks to the sample you brought back, I was able to come up with an antidote quickly. I've treated them with a hurriedly synthesized antidote, and it seems to be working. Their conditions are stabilized. They're still not out of danger yet, but they are rapidly improving. The hospital is monitoring them right now, and they will take care of any changes. Since that's no longer poison stuff, it's out of my expertise."Lian Rou might be an expert at poison and toxins, but she wasn't a healer. Far from it, in fact. That was why there was no longer any point in her sticking around in the hospital. The medical staff stationed there were more than capable of taking care of anything."Thank you. You've worked hard." Tong Xue squeezed her hand affectionately. Lian Rou nodded with a smile."You and Fei Wu too. If it weren't for the both of you, Song Ting Yu and Yi Ding Si would have died. The both of you saved their lives.""And Fei Wu saved my life. If he didn't stay behind to buy time and delay the Heavenly Venom King, I fear" Tong Xue sighed heavily. "You idiot. You had better be alive.""He will be," Lian Rou assured him. "There's nothing in this world that can kill him."well, there was, but I didn't tell them that. Not that I could, given how I was buried under tons of rock, but that was beside the point. After all, there was every chance I got sick of this story and decided to kill off the protagonist so that I could concentrate on another story. So my protagonist did not necessarily have the ironclad plot armor that Lian Rou was so confident that he did. It would probably piss off many readers, but this story had gone on for too long. Perhaps it would be time to let it go.On the other hand, there were still quite a few avenues I wanted to explore. There was still the inevitable clash against the Tian Sha Sect. I wanted to wrap that arc up at least.I mean, people were wondering what was the deal with the prologue and what it had to do with the main story. That was to introduce the archenemy, Tian Sha Tian Zun of the Heavenly Fiend Sect! An inevitable showdown between me and Tian Sha Tian Zun! Or Li Tian Zun. I was building up to an eventual confrontation against the final boss for the Great Zhou Empire. Or something to that effect. Yes, it took almost three hundred chapters, butyeah.And then there was the part where I would go overseas after that.but all those plans would be for naught if I died here. Oh well. Looked like I couldn't die yet. Not until I tied up all loose threads. The point was that I had no plot armor, and could easily be killed off by the author's whim at any time. Right now, as long as he still had a story to tell and a desire to tie up those loose threads, then I would remain alive at his discretion. Otherwise I would be killed off so that he could end the story as soon as possible. Fortunately, it seemed like he wanted to reach those plot points he had planned.The problem was how to get to that point from hereFirst, I had to be rescued. As much as I wanted to be a God Mode Mary Sue who could solo the story on my own, reality did not work out that way.""And so I was forced to wait until the avalanche stopped before the Imperial Guard could mount any sort of rescue.*Far, far away, a hooded figure froze.He was massive, almost three meters tall. Cocking his head to the side, a deep voice rumbled out from underneath the cloak."so, it is done, Heavenly Fiend Crow?""Indeed, Brother."A woman with long, black hair and a crow mounted atop her shoulder swooped down, and cackled cruelly."Our forces are prepared. They're restless, impatiently waiting for your order.""Of course." Li Tian Zun nodded. "But they might have to wait a bit longer. I have a feeling that this meeting with the Blazing Sun Sect and Lunar Moon Sect isn't as simple.""You think those fools will suggest an alliance?" the lady asked, her lips curled into a disdainful sneer."The orthodox sects are all grouped up in a Martial Arts Alliance. If we don't show similar unity, we'll be picked off one by one and destroyed. Just like the vaunted Heaven and Earth Sect." Li Tian Zun shook his head at the memory. "What a waste.""this one understands, Brother." Tian Sha Crow bowed her head deferentially and did not elaborate more on her protests. She had witnessed the demise of the Heaven and Earth Sect herself, and had no wish to see it repeated for her Heavenly Fiend Sect."Blazing Sun and Lunar Moon must be thinking the same thing." Underneath the hood, there was a devilish smile. "Recently the Martial Arts Alliance is undergoing some sort of turmoil. They had attempted to invade Nine-Tailed Fox Sect and failed, and at least two of the eight major sects had broken away after that. Three, if we include Nine-Tailed Fox Sect. They are considerably weakened. Now is the best time to strike.""the Martial Arts Alliance? But I heard the target this time will be... Wu Ling City." Tian Sha Crow shrugged. "Just rumors, you understand, but""Wu Ling City is a bastion and stronghold of the Martial Arts Alliance," Li Tian Zun explained. "It makes sense to destroy them first and establish a foothold in the Great Zhou Empire. Once we turn that into our base, we can branch out from there and launch assaults on other parts of the empire, and retreat safely to it if the Martial Arts Alliance pursue us. Its position is strategic as well as symbolic. For thousands of years, the walls of Wu Ling City have not fallen. If we bring them low, then it would shake the people's belief in the Martial Arts Alliance."Tian Sha Crow bowed her head, conceding the point. Indeed, in its long, prestigious history, Wu Ling City had not fallen, not even once. That was why it was one of the most prestigious cities in the Great Zhou Empire, and that was also why Wu Ling Academy was among the preeminent martial arts academy in the empire."Furthermore, they also have an academy there that trains young martial artists. If we can massacre them and deprive them of their brightest hopes and future, and extinguish the threat of such youngsters with potential, we'll be able to deal them a massive blow.""Exactly." Li Tian Zun nodded in agreement. "Not to mention their monopoly on artificial qi renders Wu Ling Academy as the number one threat to the demonic sects in the future. We cannot allow them to develop any further.""This one understands." Tian Sha Crow smiled malevolently. "I'll personally lead the attack myself.""Good." The hooded figure favored her with an approving gaze. The lady was about to turn and leave, but he stopped her with a question. "What of the investigation I've tasked you with? Have you found out the culprit who murdered my son?""OhI'm still trying to find out the precise identity of the person who killed Nephew Xue Wu, but I haven't gotten anything concrete so far." Tian Sha Crow bowed her head. "But rumors have it thatthe person might be from Wu Ling Academy. I have a few eyewitnesses reports that state that the last time somebody saw Nephw Xue Wu and his entourage, they werepursuing a couple of students from Wu Ling Academy."Crack!Li Tian Zun gripped the armrest of his throne so tightly that he crushed the stone into powder. A thunderous laughter rumbled from his huge chest."I see! Very good! Excellent!" he roared with laughter. Then he calmed down and stared at Tian Sha Crow. "This means we've to attack Wu Ling Academy, no matter the cost."
