Up on the crest of a mountain peak, Chu Xun stood beside Jing Hong.
“She doesn’t seem to like me,” observed Jing Hong from afar, watching Jiu You who was sitting in front of Hua Qingwu’s ice casket, talking to her.
That made Chu Xun felt awkward. He knew what Jiu You was trying to do – to keep a close watch on him on behalf of Hua Qingwu.
Owing to her intimacy with Hua Qingwu, Jiu You felt it her responsibility to keep all other women away from Chu Xun, especially one with such beauty as Jing Hong.
“Maybe you just need some time,” said Chu Xun, desperately hoping that this reasoning might sound more acceptable.
Jing Hong gave Chu Xun a piercing look with her bright eyes that seemed to look through him.
“She’s watching you for Little Wu’s sake.”
That remark made Chu Xun jumped. He did not expect Jing Hong to be so acutely observant.
“They used to spend some time together. That’s why Jiu You’s particularly fond of her,” said Chu Xun frankly, knowing full well that lying to the smart Jing Hong would only be futile.
She said nothing else, merely watching Jiu You pressing her cheek to the frosty surface of the casket and whispered something.
Softly, she drew a breath and said, “Don’t disappoint Little Wu.”
“Of course, I won’t,” replied Chu Xun firmly, remembering how he vowed to resuscitate Hua Qingwu no matter how.
“How many women do you have, Chu Xun?” Jing Hong asked suddenly a question that Chu Xun never thought he would have to answer.
Chu Xun pondered for seconds and answered, “Only you and Little Wu.”
She stared at him with silence for what seemed to be an eternity until his guilt made him sweat. “But I remember nothing about you – not now and perhaps even forever.”
“It’s fine. I’ll never let you go anyway. Not for a lifetime,” the words slipped out of his lips before he’d even knew it.
Jing Hong’s lovely brows furrowed with amused curiosity, “Were the scenes in the Little Wu’s Lovesickness Tear real? If I really am Jing Hong, won’t that mean I have been the one in love with you in the World of Cultivation?”
Chu Xun nodded quietly, savoring the tenderness of the reminiscences they shared. In fact, he felt pride – pride for having the greatest beauty of the World of Cultivation to fall in love with him.
Jing Hong covered her mouth to stifle her giggles, her eyes gleaming with diamond-like sparkles that invoked a strange foreboding sensation in Chu Xun.
“That reminds me, have you ascended to a new stage?” asked Chu Xun, “Ao said you’re expecting a breakthrough soon.”
Jing Hong shook her head.
Surprised, Chu Xun mumbled, “Damn. And here I was, thinking that Ao might prove to be an exceptional mentor.”
“He put a seal on me,” explained Jing Hong, “Teacher expects me to amass more experience in combat gradually as preparation.”
Chu Xun nodded and said then, “Rightly so. You’re still new here. Ascending too quickly might leave you with weak fundamentals. Can’t contradict Ao there.”
Jing Hong scowled at him, finding Chu Xun rude at how he addressed her teacher as “Ao”.
Chu Xun put on a straight face immediately and looked at her.
She stared at him strangely. “What is he trying to do?”
“You need to remember, Jing Hong. Emperor Ao’s only your Teacher, but I, am your man. So, no matter how, you should always stand on my side.”
Bewildered, Jing Hong could hardly utter anything before, much to Chu Xun’s amazement, she rolled her eyes and scowled jokingly, “That’s enough now!”
“All right, all right. I’ll come for you tomorrow then. We’re heading to the Sanctuary of Tetrarchy.” On that note, Chu Xun left Dragon’s Back with Jiu You in tow.
…
…
Jiu You pouted impudently all the way back, her chin lifted.
“What’s wrong with you?” asked Chu Xun dryly.
Jiu You said not a word, shooting him a piercing glare.
“Good Heavens Almighty! You’ve grown feistier after some time away, haven’t you?”
“Hmph! You two-timing creep!” Jiu You glowered at him in her babyish manner.
A shocked Chu Xun pinched and tugged at her cheeks, wrenching her face into myriads of odd shapes.
“Who taught you this?”
“The Internet. That’s how they call people like you – two-timing creep,” Jiu You mumbled as she tried in vain to slap away Chu Xun’s hands.
Another child afflicted by the influence of the Internet! Tang Rou and Jiu You must be banned from the Internet!
“You are never again to watch any of those rubbish soap drama!” Chu Xun warned sternly.
A displeased Jiu You ballooned out her cheeks, fully demonstrating her indignation. Then again, only in front of Chu Xun she would show her childish side.
Chu Xun explained to her about Jing Hong’s past.
Jiu You blinked her round eyes blankly for seconds before her face twisted into one of disgust. “The World of Cultivation!? Traveling between dimensions?!”
“Are you taking me as a three-year-old?! As if I’d believe such a childish lie?! You should be the one who should watch less drama! Dramas about science fiction, especially!”
Chu Xun stared at her speechlessly. “What a troubled little child,” he mused.
As soon as they arrived at the Palace, Chu Xun summoned everyone where he officially authorized Tang Rou, Jiu You, and Winsome Widow to work together to reorganize the Chu Mansion.
At the same time, word was relayed to the subsidiaries of the Chu Mansion including the Tianwu Sect and the Rock Sect, informing them about the decision of the imminent reorganization and purge.
The three ladies rubbed their palms together with anticipation, eager to get things started.
The next day.
Chu Xun, Jing Hong, and Yan Wushuang readied themselves to head for the Sanctuary of Tetrarchy.
Night descended by the time their plane landed. Yue Fandie was not informed about his coming here.
All of Lanzhou became eerily quiet after dark, save only for the muffled banter and marching of the forces of the Sanctuary and sentries patrolling the city for any Zombies.
Halfway, they caught the clamor of battle and they veered off to see what it was.
Far away inside a darkened alley, a few men were fighting against three Zombies.
The men were all powerful warriors – Fifth-grade Human Kings and stronger.
But the three Zombies were no weaker themselves. Despite being outnumbered, they managed to hold their ground if not slowly gaining more.
“KILL THEM!”
It was a handsome young man who cried. Armed with a three-foot-long sword, he lashed his weapon furiously with masterful precision.
The men outnumbered the Zombies two-to-one.
Fist-like energy bolts and Sword Qi flashes zipped here and there like frantic bees darting back and forth in the fierce battle.
“Attack its head, Ba Lian!”
The young man barked orders as he fought, showing himself to be the leader of this troop.
The hulking, burly giant of a man called Ba Lian was a man with stout physical sturdiness and skilled in defensive Hard Cross Technique that helped him to weather the attacks of the monsters while he swung his fists at the monsters bravely.
But the Zombies were too powerful; even with the superior numbers of two against one, the warriors were slowly tiring out and the Zombies were gaining the upper hand.
“Hold on for me, Ba Lian!” cried the young man suddenly, “Zu Fei needs my help!”
“Go on then!” Ba Lian grunted as he parried away a punch from the Zombie and hissed through gritted teeth, “Leave this to me!”
With a curt reply of “Careful”, the young man darted after another Zombie.
He had come up with the plan of using three men to quickly defeating one Zombie before topping down the rest, showing an aptitude for tactics.
The young man activated his weapon and it hummed with a steely ring and he swung it in the direction of a Zombie, firing a Sword Qi bolt that screamed through the air.
Clang!
Sparks flew everywhere. The Zombie hastily raised an arm to deflect the Sword Qi bolt, but the force was enough to throw it back a few paces.
“KILL THEM!”
The young man roared a loud battle cry as he lunged.
The odds of three on one made it easier for the warriors. Within seconds, the young man sliced off the monster’s head as it let loose one final howl before his comrades easily quartered what was left of its corpse into pieces.
Boom!
At the same time, the tall, beefy warrior called Ba Lian cried in pain. The Zombie he was fighting against gave him one terrible swipe with its paw, sending him careening to the ground into a bloody heap with his heart nearly ripped out.
“Ba Lian!” cried the young leader as he darted after his falling comrade.
Quickly enough, he managed to reach Ba Lian before the Zombie could catch up and finish him off.
Roar!
The sight of their kin slaughtered before their eyes filled the remaining two Zombies with rage and they threw back their heads and howled into the black abyssal night sky.
The young leader’s face fell with dread and dismay, crying, “Good Heavens, kill them quick! This is a distress signal to call for help!”
But it was too late. Right after the Zombies’ roar, more angry howls could be heard in the distance.
A darkened figure, shrouded in a dark fume-like aura, flew through the air swiftly.
“Human scum! How dare you kill my kin! You’ll pay for that!” Dark fumes rolled like tidal waves, heralding the arrival of the owner of the voice.
Boom! Boom…!
In several deep thuds, everyone crashed to the ground.
“Retreat!”
The young leader looked terrified. Whatever monster had come, it was beyond their ability to handle.
“Retreat?! I’ll have you stay to keep me company!”
Dark fumes rolled on menacingly, stretching for hundreds of meters across the darkened alleyway.
One of his men groaned as he flinched away. He had accidentally come in contact with the dark fumes and its corrosive properties scalded him badly.
“How dare you’ve been repeatedly trying to resist us, you lowly vermin! You deserve death!” bellowed the newly-arrived Zombie derisively, clearly stronger and more powerful than the warriors.
The young leader quickly took out a gold-colored whistle and he blew into it.
An ear-splitting note from the whistle almost burst their eardrums.
The young leader grimaced with horror. The sound of his whistle failed to reach outside.
“Calling for help, eh?” cackled the Zombie vilely, “You sniveling warriors. We only need the hearts of ordinary humans! There’s no reason to massacre us!”
“Nasty monsters like you don’t deserve to live in this world,” muttered the young leader coldly.
“Impudent humans, always thinking that the world belongs to you. Did you ever know that ten or even hundreds of million years ago, you humans are only lowly peons,” declared the Zombie smugly.
But the young leader attacked, firing a Sword Qi bolt. But his target was not the Zombie, but the night sky. The Sword Qi bolt tore through the dark smug enveloping them in, piercing out, and barreled up into the night sky, the glittering flash of light a streaking comet searing through the sky like a brightly-colored splash on a black canvas.
“Deceitful humans! You deserve death!” bellowed the Zombie furiously. The young leader was trying to call for help by using his Sword Qi bolt like a homing beacon!
Just as he had hoped, people began to notice the Sword Qi bolt lighting up the sky and they came as quickly as they could.
“Shouldn’t you start thinking about escaping?” smirked the young leader, his grip on the hilt of his weapon tightening.
“Hmph, unless it’s that witless old Yue Fandie, you speak as if there’s anyone who’s a match to me in battle?” scoffed the Zombie confidently, an Eighth-grade Human King.
Not far away, perched on the steeple of a building, Chu Xun and his companions had been watching quietly for quite some time.
“He’s strong alright, that monster,” observed Yan Wushuang.
“Let me deal with it then,” said Chu Xun, “Hopefully with its death, no other Zombie would dare step foot here ever again.”
Swoosh!
But Jing Hong threw herself off the roof before they knew it, falling with the grace of a fairy descending from the Heavens as she bore down on the Zombie.
Her silvery hair, shiny and lustrous, glimmering like a dash of white light in her wake, slashed through the darkness unhindered.
Her hand came up and two white flashes tore through the air and disappeared in an instant.
Puff! Puff!
Two ugly heads shot up into the air.
Of the three Zombies that were fighting earlier, two survived – but not for long with Jing Hong decapitating them with hardly any difficulty.
The Zombie facing off against the young leader, the Eighth-grade Human King, spun around with shock when he heard the sound just in time to see his headless kinsmen crumbling in unison to the ground.
“ROAR!” the Zombie threw its head off and let loose a savage and maniacal howl.
Meanwhile, the young leader and his men all exchanged disbelieving glances. This woman, a female with an impressive and divine air like that of a true goddess, had come out of nowhere and easily beheaded two Zombies – the very same two which had given them a hard time earlier!
White light churned about her like a storm and she was in the center of it and with a burst, the dark smog surrounding them dispelled.
“Stay back,” Jing Hong muttered succinctly.
Every man of the young leader’s squad immediately withdrew to a safe distance.
Swoosh!
A white bolt of cloth, tearing through the darkness like a white flash of light, shot at the Zombie.
It roared and more dark smog burst out of it in waves and it raised a clawed paw and swiped fiercely at the white cloth.
But the cloth easily avoided him and instead coiled around his arm like a serpent, snaking its way up to its shoulder with blinding speed.
Bong!
With a dull knock, the white bolt of cloth smacked on the monster right in its forehead.
Boom!
But the blow appeared to be so unbelievably heavy that the Zombie crashed to the ground as if a sledgehammer had crushed on him for even the ground cracked beneath him.
