Ch.236: Bloody Sought Flower; Vicious Battle Against White No-Face
Right then, the three felt at the same time a wave of surging heat coming from below, and they all cried together, “WATCH OUT!” and their feet moved faster. Seven to eight pillars of fire charged to the skies, and looking down, there were now even more molten resentful spirits!
“Feng Xin, give Mu Qing to me!” Xie Lian called out.
Without another word, Feng Xin tossed Mu Qing to him from his back, and once on Xie Lian’s back, Mu Qing exclaimed, “Put them down quick! What a nuisance!”
“I don’t need you to tell me!” Feng Xin replied, and pulled the bowstring back, shooting multiple rounds at once. The attacking area of his weapon was far wider than Xie Lian and Feng Xin blindly shooting blasts, and the arrows exploded the lava waves, the surges erupting high into the air, and screams came all around. “Nice work!” Xie Lian complimented.
“It’s alright, I guess!” Mu Qing commented from his back.
The resentful spirits were full of rancor, and after huddling, they swam much further ahead, working together to blow flames. After several rumblings, Xie Lian said, “The stretch of the bridge ahead had been burnt through by them, they want to block our way out!”
Feng Xin cursed, “Fucking god, look at them huddling like that working so hard together, why can’t they go do something else instead of harming people! I doubt any of you will be able to receive absolution and escape the lava for another eight thousand years if you keep that up!”
The moment he raised his bow, those molten resentful spirits all scattered again. Xie Lian spoke up, “Alright, don’t yell anymore, get ready! We’re gonna jump! One, two, three–!!”
On the count of one they started to increase power and speeding up, on the count of two they calculated the number of steps, and on three, their feet pushed off and jumped – three figures leapt into the air, passing through the broken gap between the bridge, and landed on the other side, then they continued their mad dash. That bridge was made for “crossing to the heavens”, so naturally it would gradually slope up, but Xie Lian was becoming as light as a swallow the more he ran, “It’s been a long time since the three of us did something like this, huh!”
“Do you mean fighting side by side, or running for our lives?” Mu Qing questioned.
“Both!” Xie Lian said.
“We clearly do this all the time!” Feng Xin exclaimed.
“Really?” Xie Lian wondered.
But, when some things come out into the open, the mindset would be completely different. Xie Lian laughed for a moment, but his eyes had been watching carefully down below, yet there was still never a sight of a red silhouette, so he couldn’t help but be a little on edge, “SAN LANG!”
His call echoed in the expansive and empty underground cave, but no one answered. Xie Lian’s lips were going dry, and he licked them. On his back, Mu Qing watched him looking all over the area, and after a moment of silence, he said, “Your Highness, you really like him, huh?”
“…”
Xie Lian hadn’t expected him to suddenly ask this, “Ah. Ah? … Ah.”
While his face was completely blank, the tips of his ears were slowly turning red. Seeing him like this, Mu Qing was speechless, and only spoke up after a moment of hesitation, “I’m not trying to scare you on purpose or anything, but I have to remind you. Have you ever thought… maybe we were the only two sent to the bridge, and Crimson Rain Sought Flower… wasn’t?”
“Isn’t that completely rubbish?” Feng Xin said, “Since there’s only the two of you here, then of course he was sent elsewhere…”
He had talked to this point before he realized what Mu Qing was trying to say. He wasn’t saying that Hua Cheng was sent elsewhere, but… maybe, Hua Cheng had fallen into the lava pool.
Xie Lian licked his lips, “H-How is that possible?”
“Don’t think it impossible.” Mu Qing said, “Crimson Rain Sought Flower is a Supreme Ghost King, no doubt about that, but White No-Face is one too. Besides, he’s the first generation of Supreme Ghost Kings, the master of Mount TongLu. This place is his territory, the domain where his spiritual powers are the strongest.”
Feng Xin glared madly at Mu Qing and scolded, “Shut your mouth! What’s wrong with you?
Can’t you say something good at a time like this? He’s the Crimson Rain Sought Flower, I’m telling you!” Mu Qing indeed stopped that subject, but still had to rebut, “I just think we have to consider what to do in case of anything.”
Before Xie Lian’s eyes that abnormally bright red dot in Hua Cheng’s pale palm appeared, and he didn’t know what to say either. Just as he was going to speak, he suddenly came to an abrupt stop, and Feng Xin who was behind him almost slammed into him, “WHAT IS IT?”
The moment the words left his lips he found there was no need to ask.
Ahead of them, enveloping the air all around was millions of shimmering silver sparkles, twinkling like the stars. It was as if someone had toppled a treasure box full of silver powder.
Xie Lian put Mu Qing down and walked forward. He reached out a hand, and gently felt a piece of silver light that was slightly bigger than the rest. After touching it, he then closed his palm and slowly brought it before his own eyes.
The other two approached to look too, and Feng Xin muttered, “This, this is…”
Mu Qing said it straightforwardly, “It’s the fragment of… a wraith butterfly?”
Feng Xin glared at him in rage again, probably scornful that Mu Qing was being overly straightforward. Xie Lian’s hand trembled a little, and he clenched that broken piece of a silver butterfly wing that was still emitting a faint light, then exhaled a long breath.
Feng Xin scratched his head, “Think on the bright side, at least he didn’t actually fall into the lava pool. He must’ve been here, right?”
Mu Qing pointed to the side, “Then fought with someone here. A major fight.”
Xie Lian’s gaze followed the direction he was pointing and slightly widened his eyes.
The rocks in all directions were covered with countless terrifying gash marks of sharp blades.
It was the blade mark of E-Ming.
Each sabre strike slashed to the bone. It wasn’t like Xie Lian had never seen Hua Cheng use the sabre before in the past, but his style had always been easy and leisurely, nonchalant and casual. Rather than say he was handling a weapon, it was more like he was toying with a small knife. Yet those blade marks were filled with killing intent. It was easy to imagine just how skilled the one exchanging blows with him was, and how perilous this battle.
Without saying a word, Xie Lian fell to the ground to check. There was no trace on the bridge of anyone having fallen, and there were no cheering resentful spirits gathered below the bridge either, so Xie Lian finally somewhat relaxed and crawled to his feet, sprinting forward resolutely on his own. Behind him, Feng Xin carried Mu Qing on his back and caught up, “Your Highness!”
Xie Lian held his breath, because he didn’t want to hear his own harsh, anxious breathing.
Messing up breathing was a great taboo for one who practiced martial arts, since not only did it add unnecessary burdens to the body, it would also derange the rhythm of the heart. But even holding his breath was useless; his hands arms and legs were all shaking, and as he ran and ran, he even tripped, falling and tumbling, rolling a dozen times, even nearly rolling off the bridge. Feng Xin and Mu Qing both started yelling, telling him to be careful. Suddenly, Xie Lian spoke up, “What’s that sound?”
Xie Lian stood steady on his feet again and turned back, “Do you guys hear something? Is that the sound of something?”
Feng Xin and Mu Qing both cried, “Yes! YES!”
It was the cracking and rumbling sounds of weapons clashing and spiritual powers colliding.
Even the bridge body of the Heaven Crossing Bridge was faintly shaking. In the darkness of the path ahead, there was light going on and off.
There’s people ahead fighting!
Xie Lian half crawled half stumbled as he charged forward. Behind him Feng Xin muttered, “Dear fucking god, may all the gods and buddhas grant their blessings, that better absolutely be Crimson Rain Sought Flower, otherwise he’s gonna go mad!”
“Stop your rubbish,” Mu Qing berated, “We’re all the gods and buddhas ourselves and we can’t grant shit, just keep up with him! Look at the stumbling way he’s running, he’s gonna trip and fall to his bloody death before he even sees the man!”
Xie Lian had completely forgotten about holding his breath, and just listened to his own disorderly panting for five, six miles, and after rounding a few giant winding paths, finally, after turning the last corner, bright white light abruptly filled his vision.
At the end of the hanging Heaven Crossing Bridge, a red clad man and a white clad man were engaged in a vicious battle.
That red clad man wielded a slender and long silvery white scimitar, his form beguiling, flashing in and out like lightning – it was Hua Cheng. He wasn’t smiling anymore, completely focused, his expression sharp, a smear of a bloody mark on his handsome and pale cheek, adding vivid brightness to his biting frost. That white clad man was of course White No-Face, and he was wielding a sword that came from who knows where, that half smiling, half crying cry-smiling mask still on his face. Only, that mask and what Xie Lian had seen before were now somewhat different.
It was cracked in the middle.
That crack was significant, unable to be ignored, and it went from the heart of the forehead all the way down to the cheek below the eye, like it was going to break any moment!
Both were exceedingly light on their feet, tipping before blitzing in seconds, the aura of evil erupting in the air, yet each of their strikes were heavy like a thousand tonnes, their force blasting through the skies. The aura of the blade against the winds of the sabre, a maniacal dance, a chaotic flight, and the wraith butterflies above were also matching with the molten resentful spirits below, shrieking at one another, like the mountains collapsing and the seas toppling. Every time they clashed, the molten lava and blazing fires within the pool would explode, the terrifying waves surging meters high, and no one could get close at all!
Feng Xin and Mu Qing both came around afterwards, and were both shaken by the scene, nailed to the ground by their shock, unable to move a single step.
Not a single martial god could watch a battle such as this and not feel excitement!
To see Hua Cheng perfectly fine, Xie Lian’s highly strung heart could finally rest, and he immediately wanted to collapsed onto the ground and scream and yell, but he forced himself to hold it in. When skilled fighters clashed, any instance of disturbance could determine victory and defeat. Besides, this was the battle between the two Supreme Ghost Kings of their time!
In the far distance on White No-Face’s side, there was another figure standing, and it was Guoshi. Naturally, he was brought here by White No-Face. Seeing Xie Lian and company had come, he breathed in relief, but didn’t dare to recklessly make any noise either. Yet who knew, Hua Cheng had already noticed newcomers, and his frozen, frost-like focus melted slightly, a grin finally widening on his face, “It seems, you’ve lost again. His Highness has come, and not a single person is missing from the ones he had brought with him.”
Xie Lian couldn’t hold back any longer and shouted, “SAN LANG!”
Hua Cheng inclined his head and answered, “Gege.” Then, his tone turned to one of warning again, “Gege, next time you make yourself fall like that again, I’m going to get mad.”
Xie Lian responded too, “Next time you jump down with me again, I’ll get even more mad!”
“…” Hearing this, Hua Cheng’s expression seemed to stiffen for a second, as if Xie Lian’s words really did make him wary for a moment. Even when facing White No-Face he had never showed such a wary expression. White No-Face crushed in, the one he struck at was Hua Cheng, but the one he spoke to was Xie Lian, “Xian Le, aren’t you two enjoying your spring tailwinds too much, and over-underestimating me?”
The eyeball on the hilt of E-Ming noticed Xie Lian, and started madly spinning in crackles. Hua Cheng flipped his hand and thrusted, and Xie Lian heard a CRACK!
And his heart lurched.
————
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