I Shall Steal The Heavens 230 Chapter 229: Darkest Despair

Halfway up Flame Volcano, a couple of girls managed to peek out from the windows of the ma.s.sive shelter where the surviving civilians were seeking refuge in.

Ling Yu Mei and Ling Yu Xuan had climbed up to the platform next to the huge windows and were peering down at the b.l.o.o.d.y conflict unfolding in Nine-Tailed Fox Sect plaza right now.

Below them, the civilians milled about restlessly and anxiously, glancing around in fear and trepidation. Earlier, they had felt the ma.s.sive vibrations and terrible tremors that resulted from the explosions of the seven Sunburst bombs, and wondered if an earthquake had occurred. Children cried and wept, women huddled, and even the men crouched down with their eyes shut, praying to the heavens for deliverance.

The two sisters, having trained in martial arts, were more curious than fearful, and thus wanted to know what was going on. That was why they hurried up the stairway and onto the platform, where the windows were. Despite the violent tremors and the fearsome shaking of the shelter, the gla.s.s remained intact, the windows not shattering from the immense force.

There was no one to stop them. At the moment, every single martial artist of Blood Blades had a.s.sembled in the plaza for their final stand. Thus the civilians and the Ling Sisters were left on their own. Aware of that, Ling Yu Mei and Ling Yu Xuan scrambled up to watch the inevitable demise of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect.

It was then they heard Jiu Liu Yu's ghastly and horrifying shriek.

"It's Master!"

Ling Yu Xuan cried out and hastily scanned the foot of Flame Volcano. There, they spotted the burned out remains of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect and the seven colossal craters that had replaced what was left of the city.

"…no way…"

Ling Yu Mei whispered to herself, her eyes widening in horror. Both she and her sister were shuddering at the h.e.l.lish scene, unable to comprehend what they were seeing. Swallowing, Ling Yu Mei clenched her fists as she trembled uncontrollably from fear.

"Good Heavens…what just happened? How did it become like this?!"

"So many people died. What horrifying destruction…the whole city has vanished! I can't even see their bodies! There's nothing left! Where is Dark Fiend Valley Sect!? Where are the Seven Valley Sects?!" Ling Yu Xuan was crying at the horrific sight.

"Master! Where is Master?!"

The two sisters began searching for some sign of Jiu Liu Yu from the window.

"Fei Wu! I will hack you into a thousand pieces, peel off your skin, pluck your sinews, and drink your blood everyday!"

Well, I wasn't going to repeat the whole scene from the last chapter, but needless to say, the Ling Sisters could only watch helplessly as their master went insane and threw herself at the surviving martial artists of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect.

They also witnessed with their own eyes Jiu Liu Yu's ruthless murder of Tang Qi Hong, when the latter sacrificed her life to save mine.

"Master…no…you can't…"

Ling Yu Mei dropped to her knees and shook her head, tears streaming down her eyes.

"Please stop…you've gone too far."

"Master!" Ling Yu Xuan screamed. "Stop it! So many people have already died! What will more killing achieve?!"

There was no answer. Their voices would never reach their master, not this far up Flame Volcano.

Not that she would listen. It wasn't just Jiu Liu Yu. Ji Liu, Fu Chang, and many survivors of the thirteen sects were murderously closing in on the survivors of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, determined to butcher every last one of us to death (ironic, given how they called us butchers…).

"f.u.c.king b.i.t.c.h!"

Zi Shou De bellowed as he swung his Thunder Hammer, unleas.h.i.+ng a devastating web of lightning that crackled between them. Jiu Liu Yu retreated, s.h.i.+elding herself with her arms. Dark, ominous yin qi surrounded her arms as she used her famous Nine Yin Demonic Claws to tear the destructive electricity apart.

"You think you can defeat me?"

Giggling hysterically, the sect leader of Dark Fiend Valley Sect threw herself forward and slashed at Zi Shou De. Even though she was severely hurt by the Sunburst explosion, she was still able to move freely and deliver lethal strikes of her own.

"!!"

Realizing that he couldn't underestimate her, Zi Shou De skidded to a stop and swung his hammer about defensively. Jiu Liu Yu managed to back away, staying just out of reach of his wildly swinging hammer, and danced around agilely despite her blackened body trembling. It seemed that she was running entirely on adrenaline and endorphins right now – it might stave the pain away for now, but she was going to pay for it later.

However, as long as she could achieve her objective – vengeance – she didn't care if she died later. She was desperate to drag us into h.e.l.l with her.

However, Zi Shou De was fueled by fury right now, presently intent on achieving revenge for his adopted daughter. With a yell, he smashed the hammer against the ground, throwing up gravel and rubble in Jiu Liu Yu's face and forcing her back. Clobbering past the flying debris, he then smashed the hammer into the old witch's chest.

"Little tricks."

Unfortunately, Jiu Liu Yu was a seasoned veteran and already antic.i.p.ated his move. In contrast, despite Zi Shou De's reputation as a legendary blacksmith second only to Hai Mo, he was not a skilled fighter. The only reason why he had managed to drive Jiu Liu Yu back so far was purely because she was severely injured and not fighting at 100 percent. Otherwise the match would have been over a long time ago.

Jiu Liu Yu still had several tricks up her sleeves, and she unleashed Nine Shadow Claws, the fiendish qi slicing through the concrete and slamming against Zi Shou De. The sect leader of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect just barely managed to parry the strike by lowering his hammer, but blood spurted out of his mouth and he crashed to the ground several meters away.

"I'll send you to join your daughter then," Jiu Liu Yu sneered as she closed in on him.

"Dear!" Zi Da Ji swooped down and struck at Jiu Liu Yu, only for Song Si Yuan to bar her path. He slashed with his saber, causing Zi Da Ji to block it with her spear and forcing her to back away. "Out of my way!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that. Our match isn't over yet." Song Si Yuan sighed heavily. "If the only way to end this fighting is to kill your husband, which means the end of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, then I will have no choice but to go along with it."

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"

However, Zi Shou De was not destined to die just yet.

"Kill them all!"

Hai Rong's voice suddenly flared up. The remaining martial artists of Blood Blades and the outer sect surrounded Zi Shou De at this moment, forming a protective circle around their sect leader. They raised their Spirit Weapons with a defiant howl.

After two waves, we had lost over forty percent of our forces, both in Blood Blades and the outer sect. Our defiance had cost a lot in blood and lives, with many of our fiercest and most talented martial artists falling to the cruelty and savagery of our invading enemies.

However, almost every single one of the remaining martial artists of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect gathered around Zi Shou De under Hai Rong's orders. The few that didn't obey were currently engaged in combat against Xie Zhi Zhang alongside Lang Xie. Hai Rong would have ordered them to stay by Lang Xie's side anyway.

"Protect Sect Leader with your lives! Ensure that Sect Leader does not die! Even if we are to be killed to the last man, Sect Leader and Nine-Tailed Fox Sect must survive!"

Hai Rong was gritting her teeth so hard that blood ran from her lips. She screamed out her order so hoa.r.s.ely that it revereberated throughout the smoldering remains of Tushan City.

"We obey Instructor Hai's orders!" all the martial artists of Blood Blades shouted resolutely, emitting their own horrifying killing intent.

"Kill!" Jiang Yuan ordered. "Kill them all!"

"Everyone, go!" Fu Zhuo Hui also instructed.

The remaining martial artists of the thirteen sects surged forward, crossing the colossal crater that had been blown into the outer sect districts of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, and leaped into the plaza. Joining up with Jiu Liu Yu, Ji Liu and Fu Chang, they began their slaughter. However, the martial artists of Blood Blades and the outer sect cut into their ranks with desperate fury and berserk rage, causing the enemy's charge to falter.

"Great Yin Earth Demonic Banner!"

Jiu Liu Yu screeched ferociously, like a f.u.c.king banshee, as she unleashed ominous-looking banners of corruptive qi from her blackened arms. The banners burned with creepy purple flames that washed across a squad of Blood Blades martial artists. They jumped away in reflex, but the couple of martial artists too slow to react wer hit by the flames.

They began screaming as they grasped desperately at their heads, even as disturbing purple flames began to burn out of their eyes, mouths, ears and noses, before they crashed lifelessly onto the ground.

"Old demonic b.i.t.c.h! I will kill you!"

Hai Rong, realizing the threat Jiu Liu Yu posed to our defensive formation, rushed out to confront her by herself.

"Divine Dagger!"

Drawing a ruby dagger, Hai Rong infused the short blade with her qi before unleas.h.i.+ng a scarlet stream of destructive qi that smashed against the ominous purple banner. For a moment, she succeeded in stalling the incendiary banner with her technique.

However, Jiu Liu Yu was far from alone.

"Out of the way!"

Cloud Sky Mountain's Ji Liu came barreling over, scowling in irritation. He sought to ram against Hai Rong, but he could close the distance between them, he unleashed a golden fist-shaped discharge that slammed into Hai Rong's qi blast like a freight train.

Another of the Three Stones of Cloud Sky Mountain, Fu Chang, laughed ruthlessly as he joined his comrade in ganging up on poor Hai Rong. He drew two silver swords and slashed at Hai Rong, releasing a sharp, silver blade qi that gouged concrete out of the plaza as they hurtled mercilessly toward the wounded Hai Rong.

Hai Rong quickly drew a ruby-colored s.h.i.+eld that parried the silver blade qi, and parried one of Fu Chang's two swords with her dagger. While she was distracted, her scarlet qi blast dissipated harmlessly when Ji Liu's golden fist smashed it apart.

"Ugh…!"

Hai Rong coughed out some blood as she staggered, even as she struggled to match Fu Chang blow for blow. Having yet to recover from her severe injuries earlier, she was unable to contend with two of the Three Stones of Cloud Sky Mountain by herself.

The two outer sect elders, Zhao s.h.i.+ and Cheng Ping, threw themselves forward and risked their lives to protect Hai Rong. Drawing their own high-grade Spirit Armaments, they flanked Fu Chang from opposite sides, driving him back.

"Don't get in the way!" Fu Chang bellowed and backed off, slas.h.i.+ng at them. Elder Zhao was able to defend himself, but Cheng Ping wasn't. Lacking luck or strength, or both, he stumbled back, the copper-colored sword he had drawn severed in half.

Fu Chang's silver sword ended up embedded in his chest, and Cheng Ping collapsed, blood spurting from his mouth and fatal wound.

"Old Cheng!" Elder Zhao yelled, but received no response.

"Kill all of them!" Jiang Yuan ordered.

Those who survived the Sunburst bombs' explosions were the elites among the elites, the most ruthless and vicious of the thirteen sects who had survived through all odds.

And it was these people who now surrounded Nine-Tailed Fox Sect and were ma.s.sacring a fair number of us.

Fortunately, the survivors of Blood Blades and the outer sects were also the strongest and the most intelligent, and we were able to hold our own. With just ten percent of the invaders left, the battle had swung slightly in our favor. If we hadn't sustained so many losses earlier, we might even have prevailed.

However, even our stalwart defense was unable to halt Jiu Liu Yu's berserk charge.

The old witch was the first to break through our defensive lines and charge toward the hapless Zi Shou De and me. She was now wielding multiple banners, which blazed an ominous purple and incinerated the few Nine-Tailed Fox Sect martial artists too slow to evade them.

She actually dismissed Zi Shou De for a moment and charged straight at me, mistakenly believing that I had done something unforgiveable to her two disciples, and also seeking revenge for the death of Lu Li.

"Zhao s.h.i.+! Go and join Cheng Ping!" Ji Liu laughed crazily as he fought his way through the line of outer sect martial artists, knocking them aside like bowling pins. Many of them fell back, aware that they lacked the strength to halt his rampage, and kept a safe distance from him.

"I'll deal with him!" Elder Zhao shouted to the scattering outer sect disciples. "All of you, fall back and protect Sect Leader!"

He was unaware that Jiu Liu Yu was aiming for me, but that was fine. The topmost priority should be protecting Sect Leader Zi Shou De, not me.

"Very good! Let's settle this here once and for all!" Ji Liu advanced toward a resolute Elder Zhao with a savage smile. His fingers twitched, as if he wanted to wrap them around Elder Zhao's neck and crush him with his bare hands.

While people were dying around me, I was still in a stupor.

"Qi Hong! Qi Hong! No!"

Lian Rou was weeping as she knelt by Tang Qi Hong's corpse. She was desperately trying to apply first aid to her best friend, even though she knew that it was useless. Tang Qi Hong's heart had literally been torn out and shredded into pieces. There was no technique, no magic, no technology in this world that could bring her back.

"Why?! Qi Hong…why?"

While Lian Rou sobbed hysterically, holding onto Tang Qi Hong's body, I merely cradled the girl who was my first love in my hands, staring blankly at her once beautiful face. Speechless, shocked, whatever. I just couldn't accept what was happening.

"Fei Wu, snap out of it!"

Tong Xue was yelling at me, trying to drag me out of my stupor. A Cloud Sky Mountain martial artist leaped at us, and Tong Xue knocked him back with his short sword. Panting, he tried to slit the enemy's throat, but the Cloud Sky Mountain martial artist wisely withdrew to safety before launching a counterattack that forced Tong Xue into the defensive.

"We need your help! The lines are collapsing!"

"…Fei Wu, please go. I'll take care of Qi Hong."

Lian Rou wiped the tears from her eyes, and gave me a slight push. But I refuse to budge, still cradling Tang Qi Hong in my hands.

"…my fault."

"Eh?"

Lian Rou's eyes widened when she heard me speak for the first time since Tang Qi Hong's violent death.

"It's my fault that Qi Hong is dead."

"That's not true!" Lian Rou gritted her teeth and shook me. "Qi Hong saved your life! You mustn't let her die in vain!"

"Yeah! Stop wallowing in self-pity and help us, or everything will be for nothing!" Tong Xue added, frustration mounting.

I was still unable to respond, and refused to let go of Tang Qi Hong. Darkness was creeping around the edges of my consciousness, accompanied by murderous rage.

That's right. That b.i.t.c.h killed Tang Qi Hong. I couldn't falter here. I needed to take revenge.

Destroy. These f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.ds came into our sect, murdered our members, plundered and robbed our wealth and resources, then got all preachy and p.i.s.sy when we fought back. These vile f.u.c.ks. These b.i.t.c.hes and sons of b.i.t.c.hes…

They all deserved to die. Every single last one of them.

I should have created a more powerful version of Sunburst. Even with the power of a nuke, it wasn't enough. If it was a bit more powerful, perhaps that f.u.c.king demonic witch Jiu Liu Yu wouldn't have survived the blast.

And if she didn't survive, then Tang Qi Hong wouldn't have died.

Revenge. Kill. Kill that b.i.t.c.h who murdered Tang Qi Hong.

All my fault…all my fault that Tang Qi Hong is dead.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Gritting my teeth for a moment, I then howled in fury and despair.

"!"

"!!!!"

The sonic burst from my scream smashed across the entire plaza, knocking all the martial artists over, friend or foe.

"ARGH!!!"

It didn't matter who. Everyone had dropped to their knees, clutching their ears and shrieking from agony as my sonic a.s.sault lanced through their ears and straight into their brains.

"W…what is that?!"

Perspiring profusely, even Zi Da Ji was stunned from the sheer power of my howl.

"Kuuuh!"

Jiang Yuan, the remaining Two Stones and the surviving forces from the invading thirteen sects were stunned immobile by the yell.

"Whoa…what's going on?!"

Long Shen staggered back, buffeted by the sonic waves. He watched me in shock, his eyes wide and disbelieving.

"…"

Ancestral Master regarded me coldly, and even he had winced from the sonic scream, gingerly rubbing his ears.

"It can't be…that kid, he actually unleashed Roar of the Dragon?"

He then chuckled to himself, and shook his head, not daring to believe it, yet still amused by the unexpected development.

"I see…so once again I get to see the rise of yet another Demon King. No wonder Heavens chose to free me only after nine hundred years. Excellent!"
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After the sonic scream dispersed, the plaza quietened down again. The stunned martial artists slowly removed their hands from their bleeding ears and rose to their feet. A disquieted murmur buzzed over the battlefield as the bloodied combatants tried to make sense of what had just happened.

"It's gotten quiet again."

"J…just what the h.e.l.l is going on?"

"Fei Wu…"

Tong Xue turned to me, his opponent all forgotten. To be fair, his opponent was also stunned into immobility, his eyes riveted on me.

"Argh…" one of the Green Dragon Sect disciples groaned as he clutched his ears. "What was that sound earlier?"

The Heavenly Way Sect disciple next to him shook his head uncertainly.

"I think it was a sound technique," he replied as perspiration dripped down his pale face. "But this is the first time I've heard such a powerful..."

He fell silent when he watched me stand up. They all did.

Apparently I had taken on quite the monstrous visage. My eyes were bloodshot, and the temperature around me was plummeting drastically. Ice was rapidly expanding from my feet, and the water vapor condensed into a dense fog around me. Not just the surrounding air. Every breath I took was so chilling that it misted right in front of my mouth. A dark, shadowy qi, completely different from my usual azure aura, had descended upon me.

When they saw the darkness shrouding around me, whether friend or foe, everyone shuddered in fear. They almost thought they were staring at the Grim Reaper himself.

Only Tian Yu Di was amused rather than afraid. No, he was actually delighted, a smile spreading across his face.

"All hail Sect Leader!" he shouted.

"F…Fei Wu!" Tong Xue cried out.

"Fei Wu!" Lian Rou shouted.

"!!!"

The martial artists from the thirteen sects all froze and involuntarily took a step back when they caught sight of my murderous gaze sweeping over them. Jiang Yuan actually dropped to his knees and trembled uncontrollably, p.i.s.sing himself.

"S…Sect Leader?!" one of his subordinates said shakily, when they realized what had happened to him.

"I…I…" he stammered, but was unable to say anything more.

His subordinates didn't press him for details, knowing that he could no longer speak. None of them could either.

"You…you truly are a monster," Jiu Liu Yu whispered as she gulped, despite being rooted to the spot from dread.

Her voice caused me to look up and glare at her. Jiu Liu Yu felt an indescribable chill and moved on reflex.

That action saved her life. For the next few seconds, at least.

I disappeared from where I was standing, only to land on the spot where she was rooted to a millisecond ago.

The moment my foot touched the ground, the entire area disintegrated into rubble. Debris flew into the air as my Seismic Step carved a colossal crater into the ground.

That wasn't all. Right after I smashed a ma.s.sive hole into the ground, ice began spreading rapidly to cover the entire cracked surface of the crater, turning it into an icy h.e.l.l.

"!!!"

"Ugh!"

"Kuh!"

The surrounding martial artists were either blasted off their feet or jumped away in reflex. Rubble pelted them mercilessly, a shotgun hail that drew blood where they sc.r.a.ped the fleeing or falling martial artists' skin.

"Whoa!"

Song Si Yuan's jaw dropped.

"…"

Zi Shou De watched in a mixture of wonder and horror as he realized that Jiu Liu Yu had just unleashed a monster on us all. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Now you've doomed us all," he muttered softly.

The nearest martial artists – those from Cloud Sky Mountain – all backed away, trying to recover their balance as the terrible tremors resounded across the plaza.

"Whoa…!"

"Ugh!"

"No…!"

Some distance away, Ji Liu abandoned his attack against Elder Zhao and turned to stare at me in dreadful astonishment.

"Hey, Fu Chang," he called out to his fellow Stone. "Please tell me we are dreaming right now. That this whole thing is a nightmare."

"…"

Fu Chang shook his head as he drew his silver swords again and infused them with qi.

"He's just a kid. Just how powerful can he be?"

"…can't you feel that qi? That's not even the qi of a Pure Spirit Stage Pract.i.tioner right now." Ji Liu swallowed. "No…it's not even human qi."

"…monster…" someone from their sect whispered.

"Even so, he's still just a kid. I don't believe we can't beat him. Not if all of us join hands." Fu Chang tightened his grip on his swords. "Look, his attention is completely focused on that witch Jiu Liu Yu right now."

Ji Liu understood. "So if we attack him while his guard is down…"

"That's right. Go!"

While they were scheming, I was still concentrating on the frantically retreating Jiu Liu Yu. I didn't care what I had to do. There was nothing in Heaven or Earth that could stop me from killing her now. I would hunt her down and rampage to the ends of the earth even if I had to murder this vile, heartless, ruthless b.i.t.c.h.

"I'll kill you…" I growled. Jiu Liu Yu flinched, but she drew her banners and launched them at me. I merely swatted them away, and the ominous purple flames that had claimed the lives of my comrades in Blood Blades had no effect on me, merely freezing into purple ice that shattered around me. Jiu Liu Yu gaped.

"Impossible."

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

With an enraged howl, I leaped at her.

That was when Ji Liu and Fu Chang chose to strike. The remaining Two Stones flanked me and attacked from both directions, causing me to skid to a halt.

"You brat!" Fu Chang growled. "Don't start getting uppity and ignoring everyone else!"

Even though he said that, he was just trying to cover up for his and Ji Liu's failure to kill me with a surprise attack, and tried to sound as if they merely gave me a warning. Inside, he was quaking at how easily I escaped their ambush.

"There's no way we can overlook your atrocities, you monster!" Ji Liu added, raising his hand and conjuring a gigantic golden fist.

"Just who do you think you are, brat?!" Fu Chang shouted as he infused both his silver swords with super-sharp qi and slashed at me. "You think you can look down on your elders?! We'll have to teach you a lesson in manners!"

He never finished his swings. I smashed my knee into his face, pulverizing his skull and shattering it. His brain and eyeb.a.l.l.s ruptured and exploded into pulp from the tremendous impact, and his nearly headless corpse toppled onto the ground, all signs of life fleeing it.

Trembling and perspiring from fright, Ji Liu wasn't even able to turn around to watch the demise of his fellow Stone. He was still in the midst of conjuring his golden fist, which hovered useless above his shoulder, never released for the strike.

He felt fear grip his heart. More beads of sweat welled up on his pale face as he continued to stare ahead with wide eyes, not daring to turn around.

Thump.

Fu Chang's corpse made a dull sound as it hit the ground, and despite himself, Ji Liu finally dared to turn his head to look at me over his shoulder.

I didn't even bother to glance back to meet his terrified gaze. With a single backswing of my hand, I beheaded him with my Azure Lotus Sword.