Chapter 35: I Am the Successor of the Earth Deity
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When the members of the Clear River Bamboo Creek Squad arrived, they were dumbfounded.
The area before the Earth God Temple was a complete wreck. Craters of every size pocked the ground, trees had been severed at the waist, and mangled chunks of flesh lay scattered in pools of blood.
Yet the dilapidated Earth God Temple still stood before them, untouched. A snow-white sword mark scarred the second stone step.
Spirit Elder Zhang Qi crouched down and ran his fingers over the steps. As he studied the sword mark that had cleaved through the stone, a strange glint flickered in his eyes.
“They’re actually still alive—and they killed every single Face-Touching Monster. The disciples of the Heavenly Balance Sect haven’t even reached the Golden Core stage. That’s utterly impossible. Could that little girl already be at the Golden Core Grand Completion?”
“Elder Zhang, even someone at Golden Core Grand Completion might not have been able to do this,” Qi Zuiyu added. “By my estimate, there were more than three hundred Face-Touching Monsters, and that pile of corpses outside was the result of a single move—a fatal strike to the throat.”
“What? A Nascent Soul cultivator of twelve or thirteen years old? Brother Qi, do you really believe that?” Li Yi laughed, clearly unconvinced. “Unless she began cultivating before she was even conceived. A teenager at the peak of Foundation Establishment is already a once-in-a-thousand-years genius. Perhaps some passing cultivator saw injustice and lent them a hand.”
Qi Zuiyu ignored Li Yi’s argument and continued to state his own view. “Besides, I examined the area behind the forest. There are traces of a teleportation array that can shrink a thousand miles into an inch.”
At those words, everyone fell silent. They stopped discussing the girl’s cultivation and all looked up at Qi Zuiyu.
“You mean someone deliberately created a disturbance, transported the anomalies here, and used them to mislead us?”
“Exactly. If I’m not mistaken, they intend to tie us down here and then harvest the fear in the city,” Qi Zuiyu said slowly.
“A fine feint to the east while attacking the west! The higher Immortal Alliance will blame us for not taking this seriously.” Li Yi scratched his head in frustration. “I just hope the unlucky people in the city are fortunate enough to hold out until we return to rescue them.”
“I should have listened to Old Qi and split us into two groups, leaving three people in the city in case something went wrong.” Zhang Qi looked somewhat remorseful.
“No, that doesn’t make sense. If an anomaly appeared, why didn’t the Ghost-God Coins react? They should have.”
“Mo Wei is right! The Ghost-God Coins are famous for detecting anomalies.”
...
The members soon noticed the problem. One after another, they fiddled with the Ghost-God Coins around their left wrists, trying repeatedly, but there was still no response.
“We’ll split into two groups. Li Yi and I will head to the village west of the city. The rest of you will guard the eastern side of Bamboo Creek City. Follow Qi Zuiyu’s orders throughout.
“Report immediately if anything unusual happens.
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“I’ve already contacted the people from the Clear River Immortal Alliance. If things become more than you can handle, send a voice transmission or launch a signal flare.
“Is that clear?”
“Clear!”
The four men answered in unison, their voices ringing with force.
Five figures split in two directions. Their afterimages flashed through the night as they raced toward their respective destinations.
—
Zhong Yi climbed out of the human-shaped crater once again. His body swayed unsteadily, his black robes were torn beyond recognition, and his iron sword was riddled with dents. His ink-black hair had become a mottled tangle resembling withered grass.
The image of the handsome middle-aged man had vanished completely, replaced by that of a dying old man.
Without hesitation, he extended his left hand. His palm was crisscrossed with sword cuts, the skin torn and ragged, pale wounds gaping open through the flesh.
He swung his hand several times, constantly adjusting its position. At last, a thin stream of blood appeared and trickled between his wrinkled fingers.
“Senior Brother, stop struggling. No matter how much of your lifespan you sacrifice, you still can’t defeat me. Time is almost up.
“If you still refuse to move, I’ll have no choice but to send you on your way!”
A trace of pain flashed through You Fengying’s eyes. She drew the sword in her hand. Its blade shimmered with white light, brighter and more dazzling than starlight, while the tassel at its pommel swayed with the motion.
With a single slash, spiritual energy surged from the blade and crashed into the sky. The wooden gate within the barrier clanged violently, the trees on either side shook madly, and heaven and earth trembled together.
“Is that so? Don’t forget—I am the inheritor of the Earth God!”
An aged voice emerged. Zhong Yi stroked the blade with his finger, a trace of amusement flashing in his eyes, then thrust the sword straight into his own dantian.
Thick blood poured from his abdomen, soaking through his black robes. Tiny beads of blood clung to the hem, glowing beneath the moonlight with dazzling spiritual radiance, redder than a beating heart.
The instant the iron sword was pulled free, its spiritual light surged. Golden brilliance coiled around the blade, making it seem nothing like an artifact of the mortal world.
His plain black robe stirred without wind. His snow-white hair streamed behind him. The wrinkles on Zhong Yi’s face smoothed away, restoring the countenance of a young man. The aura surrounding him climbed steadily until it drew close to You Fengying’s.
He swung the iron sword. Its radiance swept outward like a new moon. A deafening cry rang from the tip, while sword energy thundered forth like ten thousand galloping horses, releasing an overwhelming pressure and a majestic, righteous force.
“Senior...” The title caught in You Fengying’s throat. The grief in her voice could not be concealed. “You don’t value your life anymore! Can you use a deathbed resurgence whenever you please? You’ll never have another chance to come back to life!”
“And what of it? I’ll merely have my soul scattered and never enter the cycle of reincarnation!” Zhong Yi’s voice was resolute.
“What about Junior Brother Bai?”
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“The soul enters the cycle of reincarnation, free of all ties for three lifetimes, while after ten turns of love and hatred, everything is lost in a haze. What would it matter even if I saw him? By the time we met, we would already have forgotten one another. The Bai Yunfei I saw would no longer be the man he once was.
“I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to hold on. Seeing him is merely the longing and motivation I leave for myself.
“To put it plainly, I’ve been covering my ears while stealing a bell, deceiving myself. In the end, I am destined to die—to die in battle for the promise we once made. Though I perish, I shall live on.”
A smile flickered in his bright eyes. The sword in his hand blossomed into a whirl of steel, and its radiance raised waves upon waves of energy before hurtling forward with a howl.
You Fengying lost herself for the briefest instant. A sharp pain shot through her right arm. When she looked again, blood was pouring from her shoulder. It dripped onto the ground at her feet, dyeing the soil crimson as a thick smell of blood rose from the earth.
“Senior Brother, you’ve actually learned to launch sneak attacks,” You Fengying said, tugging at the corner of her mouth and forcing out a stiff smile.
“I have never attacked anyone by surprise.”
“It doesn’t matter. I gave you a chance, but you insisted on opposing me. I can no longer afford to hold back.”
The pain vanished from You Fengying’s face. Her voice turned cold, and a flash of dark-red light passed through her eyes. She swung the sword in her hand, and the blade erupted with blinding radiance.
The two fought with heaven-shaking force. Grass and trees trembled, while the houses swayed from side to side.
From a distance, all that could be seen was a black shadow battling a figure in white. Spiritual power churned sand and stone into the air, sword shadows scraped against one another, and sparks flew in every direction.
Spiritual energy raised waves of force as fierce winds roared across the land.
Clang!
The two blades collided. Sparks ignited the darkness, and the sharp stench of metal instantly filled the air.
Zhong Yi was sent flying more than a dozen meters. His back slammed into a boulder, shattering it into fragments, and he crashed to the ground.
A crack the size of a thumb split the iron sword. After spinning once through the air, it plunged upright into the ground beside him, kicking up a few flecks of dust.
His battered figure rose once more. Zhong Yi swept the corner of his eye over what lay behind him, his trembling fingers tightening around the hilt. Gritting his teeth, he charged forward again.
He could die—but he could not stand by and watch all living beings perish before his eyes.
He had sworn to the Earth God that protecting the people of this land was his mission.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Sheets of talismans flew out. Golden light blazed across half the sky as a powerful aura roiled, and spiritual energy struck directly at You Fengying’s vital points.
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