Chapter 419 - The Stronger Grudge (1/2)
The battle came to another standstill with both sides retreating back to their lines. The guardian of the Ridge, Elder Long ran hurriedly to the Great Immortal and whispered into his ears, “We cannot afford to have this ruckus to continue, Grand Elder! We have only six days until the awakening of the Divine Corpse. Fort Raksasa and the other two evil orders are our true enemies here and they could well be hiding, biding their time to strike a critical blow upon us! Don’t you think we should…”
But he was stopped short by the Great Immortal who held up an arm frantically, his face as hard as stone. “No. We’ll hold them off however we must. Under no circumstances must any of the former High Chieftains be disturbed by this. Go to Ye Wuxin. See if he is ready. These people will be nothing but vermin if he is successful in taming that Corpse King.”
He swiveled and turned to the army of invaders and shouted, “Who among you is the one leading this attack?” A figure broke ranks from the crowd and responded icily, “Perfected Immortal Feng Lan, the Twenty-third Leader of the Divine Mist Sect.”
There was hardly any utterance of objection from everyone else. The Divine Mist Sect had always prided itself as one of the mightiest sects or schools of the Orthodox Path.
“Right!” The Great Immortal snorted through narrowed eyes, “Prolonging this fight is doing more harm than good for all of us. We’ll only weaken ourselves while others wait and lurk to feast on what remains of us. I have a proposal: we’ll decide this war in single combat. We’ll each elect a champion to fight in single combat. If your champion wins, the Corpse Refinery Sect will dissolve and destroy all its Corpse Puppets in seven days. What say you?”
A chorus of hushed murmurs and anxious whispers rose from within the formation of the defenders as the members of the Sect eyed each other with disbelief and trepidation of what could come. On the other side, the proposal seemed to have restored some hope to many of the mages of the Orthodox Path; they have seen enough blood being spilled and a great many of them had lost the will to continue the fight. But it was simply too obvious to miss. This was merely a ruse by the Corpse Refinery Sect to bide for more time. They were only trying to buy more time for the awakening of the Divine Corpse which no one could then be able to defeat once it walks the earth.
Perfected Immortal Feng Lan understood this full well himself. But the forces of the Orthodox Path have badly miscalculated the strength of the Corpse Refinery Sect. With their reinforcements nowhere in sight, the invaders could ill afford any more casualties. Not only they would lose this battle if the remaining three of the evil sects choose to pounce on them, everyone here would die and the Orthodox Path would suffer a blow so perilous that it would be eternally weakened for a good many generations to come.
Then again, could he order a retreat now? Of all times, when the awakening of the Divine Corpse could well be at hand? He would never forgive himself if the Divine Corpse were to arise and lay waste to every inch of earth it walks.
A frown creased deeply on the gnarly forehead of the old mage as he weighed his options. If only we have more power, he brooded quietly, And the discord that severs us is hardly helping. Everyone is having an agenda of his own! What was more, the League was still having its hands tied with the investigations of the mystery of the Soul-consuming Evil Flowers and the damages around Tianyuan City at Xiao Chen’s hand’s the year before which had culminated in the deterioration of the Spiritual Meridian of the land.
For that brief moment, the mage, despite his powers of the Apotheosis Realm, felt truly powerless and despondent, looking wearier than before. The strength of the Orthodox Path wanes by the days, he thought, Yet its four greatest orders still choose to remain oblivious even in the face of such perilous times! The Thousand Feathers Sect sent only Xiaoyue while the order of Kunlun wishes only to remain in peace, cowering in its Mystic Lands! As if it could not be any more worst, nothing of the Shushan Sect and the Taiqing Sect remains now. Would that they still exist, no Evil would dare trample us with impunity!
Even from afar, the shift on Perfected Immortal Feng Lan’s expression hardly went unnoticed by the Great Immortal. “So, how is it, my friend? Do we have a deal? I’m dare say not even many of your order would remain standing if this battle were to prolong.”
The Perfected Immortal rubbed his hands anxiously. Despite the many tumults swelling within the ranks of the Orthodox Path in the world today, all no thanks to the bad apples, the Orthodox Path remained the beacon of hope for all mortals around the world, providing peace and order to the lands.
A wry grin broke across Su Lianyue’s face suddenly. “Look, Master Xiao,” she said softly, “Would you go to their aid? In their most dire hour of need?”
Xiao Chen drew a long breath and muttered, “I have nothing to do with these people. They can all die to their last man for all I care.”
Back on the field of battle, Zuoqiu Yang noticed the melancholy and indecision of his mentor. He rushed forward and urged, “Why are you bartering words with these evil men, Teacher! Spare them no mercy, just kill them all and be done with it!” His robes were heavy and greasy with blood but he paid no mind to them, keeping his angry glare on the Great Immortal standing opposite.
They were interrupted by a cry coming up the slopes of the Ridge. “Oh no!” An acolyte of the Sect, his face and attire stained with blood, scrambled up, howling like a deranged animal at the top of his voice, “They are coming! The Elders of the External Sect are no more! All of them, no more!”
The grim news sent a wave of panic through the defenders that even the Elders of the Internal Sect grew pale. None of them were ready for such devastation and their crumbling confidence only made the acolytes and students all the more skittish with fear. The same could not be said for the invaders, whose morale was renewed with the news of the battle raging below, “They’re here! Our reinforcements must be here!”
Unperturbed, the Great Immortal from Hell was the only single man amongst the defenders who remained calm. He spun to face the rest of the members of the Sect and cried, “Have faith, all of you! We must hold on! The awakening of the Divine Corpse is at hand! And once he’s arisen, he’ll destroy our foes to kingdom come!”
Hearing that the Divine Corpse would be rising any moment seemed to rekindle the courage in the men. It was their most secret weapon, their defensive stalwart, the object of their worship and their final hope. With their mettle steeled once more, the defenders reformed their ranks and lines, readying their Corpse Puppet for another assault.
More and more people clambered up the slopes to join the formation of the invaders by the piecemeal. But no one dared to break ranks and charge. Not while the Corpse Puppets marched at the front of the defenders. The invaders needed a better plan to advance.
But just before the battle could erupt anew, a figure dashed to the center of the barren field: Yu Yifeng. He stood tall and correct before the Great Immortal, hardly betraying any fear, and he hissed, “I don’t care what you’re up to. I only want my Junior Sister. She was taken by you lot five nights ago and I want her now!”
“And who are you, boy?” The Great Immortal held Yu Yifeng in a long, searching look, “What is the name of this Junior Sister of yours? Many of our blood you lot have spilled, yet you dare make demands of me?”
Deep in the woods, Xiao Chen heard every word they said. Wait a minute… The Junior Sister Brother Yifeng is talking about… No… It can’t be… He felt himself trembling. Before he knew it, he dashed ahead at breakneck speed, rushing out of the thickets and towards the open field.
“Master Xiao!” Su Lianyue cried vainly. But it was no use. Xiao Chen was well out of the brushes when she saw him moving and she could not risk being seen by anyone of the Orthodox Path at the battlefield.