Chapter 890: Demise (2/2)
Whoosh.
An enormous illusory Sal Tree of Life and Death appeared in the sky, enveloping the premises as hellfire blazed to life. Rearbow in hand, Lu Yun appeared and speared Dijiang with a cold glare.
A huge hole had opened in Rushou’s chest from the sudden attack and his great dao had been shattered. His life was hanging by a thread.
“Don’t worry, you won’t die. I can save you.” Lu Yun nodded gently at Rushou.
“Don’t.” The demon god shook his head. “The doomsday of demon gods is upon us, and only with my death will the Jin nation be spared from it. I thought I would die in the hands of the realm monsters, but to think it’d be because of Dijiang instead!”
“What about Bai Zhaoju?” Lu Yun wanted to clear up the lingering doubts in the air.
“Bai Zhaoju is my disciple, so of course I had to protect him. I allowed word to circulate that I would be using him as a cauldron for a replica, so that the other demon gods wouldn’t dare do anything to him,” Rushou sighed.
How inhumanely cruel must one be to refine their own disciple, to use him as a cauldron and strip everything from him? It was precisely this ruthlessness and cold-blooded regard of Bai Zhaoju as a tool that had saved the budding White Emperor. Otherwise, he never would’ve returned safely from the stars after he obtained the Taiyi true feather.
Anyone who thought of making a move on him had to consider the very real possibility of retaliation for coveting one of Rushou’s possessions. Dijiang had had designs on Bai Zhaoju as well, but hadn’t dared do anything out of reservation of Rushou’s wrath.
It wasn’t until he obtained the Bell of Chaos that he dared show his true face to Rushou, but he, too, had been surprised that Rushou had covered Bai Zhaoju’s escape at the cost of his own life!
“What a thing to ask of you. Go in peace, I will take good care of the Jin nation and Bai Zhaoju.” Lu Yun nodded.
Rushou’s lips quirked upwards and his eyes slowly drifted shut, his soul scattering on the wind.
“Bai Zhaoju is my friend. I naturally have to take revenge for you killing his master.” Lu Yun stowed Rushou’s corpse safely away. “The little fox is one of my closest confidantes. You killed her once and took her treasure. I must also take revenge for that. So this time, there will be no quarter for you.”
“Hahahaha!!” Dijiang roared with laughter from the human’s declarations. “Lie Shan, you really are too full of yourself. Do you think you’ll be able to defeat me just because you defeated a crippled Asura?”
“Some things are only known when tested!” Lu Yun lifted Rearbow to a ready position, turning it into a streak of black light that settled on his body. Hellfire jumped with increasing ferocity in the air, poised to set the very air aflame.
……
“I… I see… so I thought wrongly of him.” In the Mu nation, sorrow flashed through Goumang’s face when he saw Rushou die. “Bai Zhaoju believed him, but as his long-time fellow daoist, I… I chose not to…”
……
The Mu nation of wood to the east, Jin nation of metal to the west, Huo nation of fire to the south, and Shui nation of water to the north—these nations stood in the cardinal directions of the great wilderness and were its four pillars.
Mu ruler Goumang, Jin ruler Rushou, Huo ruler Zhurong, and Shui ruler Gonggong were among the greatest masters in the land. Rushou’s death shook the great wilderness, and the Jin nation started trembling at the precise moment of its ruler’s demise.
Abject sorrow wrapped around the country and rays of blinding brilliance shone out from the mysterious Goldflare Mountain at the heart of the nation, enveloping the kingdom.
No one had thought that Rushou would die at the hands of Dijiang. They were both residents of the west and had supported each other against other demon gods when they’d first taken form.