Chapter 813 - Last Laugh?
The events at the Black Moon Divine Palace representative station in Falcon City caused everybody to be dumbfounded. They had thought of countless scenarios and outcomes, but they never could have imagined that the situation would turn out this way.
This was especially so for Master Zhu.
This lean-faced, middle-aged scholar with a hooked nose had even forgotten to wave his fan. He stood some distance away from the representative station and stared blankly at the fiery scenes in front of him. He suddenly felt a little bewildered because the situation had veered so far away from his plans. This was the first time he had failed so badly since he joined the Black Moon Divine Palace camp as their master schemer.
He could not figure out how things had ended up this way.
What drove him crazy was that when things had not gone according to plan in the past, he always had a way to bring things back on track in the shortest possible time and even turn the situation in his favor. However, he had spent the largest amount of resources, laid out his most detailed plan this time around, and given it his all to catch this small fry, putting in way more investment than the potential return would have yielded. He was absolutely sure that this plan would work but now that things were completely out of control, he suddenly could not think of a way to rectify the situation.
What do we do? What do we do?
Master Zhu found that he was unable to think straight.
He knew that this was the price of failure and he knew how cruel his master could be. Thus, he was utterly terrified as he watched the situation worsening. When he noticed that Great Saint Zhong Yuan had also been trapped within the [Red Lotus Hellfire] and was unable to escape, the thought of sneaking away suddenly crossed his mind.
When there is life, there is hope.
He clenched his jaw and turned to run.
At that moment—
Swish!
Ye Qingyu appeared beside him in a flash of light.
Ye Qingyu's white robes were now dyed in blood, as though he had been baptized in a bloody river. The murderous spirit and evil qi he exuded was so strong that it was just like they had taken on solid forms. The pressure these qi released was so real that it made breathing difficult. It was impossible to describe just how terrifying he seemed, but it was as though a killing god had descended onto this world.
For some reason, Master Zhu started to shake uncontrollably as he looked into the eyes of this young man.
"I… I am not…" Master Zhu stammered out.
This scene was extremely comical.
For someone as scheming as Master Zhu, his first thought was not to escape nor retaliate, but to try to provide an explanation for something. His ability to distort the truth with his eloquence had left him the moment he looked into those cold eyes filled with rage and killing intent. He could only stammer unintelligibly.
"Bah!"
Ye Qingyu spat a mouthful of blood on Master Zhu's face.
"I had already noticed your gloating expression as you stood beside that old dog, Zhong Yuan. You looked exactly like a villainous advisor, so I'm sure that the attack on the Heaven Wasteland envoy mission couldn't have happened without your instigation and plotting, am I right?" Ye Qingyu raised his hand and lifted up Master Zhu by his neck as if he was just a chick.
Master Zhu finally came to his senses.
When he tried to resist, he realized that a mysterious icy force had entered his body through Ye Qingyu's palm and sealed more than half of his strength. He could no longer escape from the hand that was like an iron shackle around his neck.
"Whether you live or die, this will be the result of the seeds you have sown, so I'll let the [Red Lotus Hellfire] determine your fate." Ye Qingyu casually threw Master Zhu into the blazing [Red Lotus Hellfire] in the distance.
Should he be free from guilt and sins, he would only sustain light injuries but be spared from death.
Should he have committed monstrous and heinous crimes, then these red flames would cleanse him of his sins.
This man was clad in the robes of the Black Moon Divine Palace and was obviously in their camp, so he was clearly up to no good. Therefore, Ye Qingyu did not feel a shred of compassion for him as he threw Master Zhu into the Hellfire.
"Ah..."
Master Zhu's terrified cries rang out exceptionally clearly through the night.
As he sailed through the air, he struggled awkwardly like an old mother hen, but was ultimately unable to change his destiny and he fell into the [Red Lotus Hellfire]. Pain seared through him as the tongues of fire licked his body. At that moment, time seemed to slow down. He saw the tragic, enraged, and savage faces of those who had cursed him before their deaths and of those whose deaths he had caused flash past his eyes.
Before he lost consciousness, he suddenly understood that perhaps the concept of retribution truly existed in this world. All his malicious schemes seemed laughable in the face of a truly fearless warrior. How could he have been so arrogant as to think that he could control the hearts of men when even the heavens could not control the living organisms? His way of thinking had been so tragic and comical. He could not help looking admiringly at the young man in white bloodstained robes whose figure had turned increasingly blurry. Perhaps only a determined and passionate man like him would have the ability to create miracles.
Bam!
There was a loud explosion as Master Zhu's figure transformed into an explosive fireball, which then exploded in the Void. There was a dazzling flash and then he disappeared forever.
Most people did not realize that this unassuming, lean-faced, middle-aged man who had perished in the Hellfire was the [Phantom Commander]. No one knew what the [Phantom Commander] truly looked like for he seemed to be everywhere at once. He had caused great bloodshed throughout the various major domains and was known to be like an omnipotent evil backstage manipulator. Once he had identified someone as his target, that person was as good as dead.
After having made a name for himself through his illustrious achievements, even the [Phantom Commander] himself would probably never have imagined that he would be killed as easily as an ant.
Ye Qingyu did not give this matter much thought.
He did not know Master Zhu's true identity and was not aware of how famous he was nor how high his status had been. He had only attacked Master Zhu because he noticed Master Zhu speaking to Zhong Yuan and immediately classified the man as someone in the Black Moon Divine Palace camp. Furthermore, to Ye Qingyu, everyone from the Black Moon Divine Palace was evil and deserved death.
After Master Zhu perished, Ye Qingyu reappeared with a flash in the midst of the raging [Red Lotus Hellfire].
Even though he was under the protection of the [Cloud Top Cauldron], he was still not strong enough to wield this treasure to its fullest potential. Most of the time, the [Cloud Top Cauldron] had acted on its own accord to protect its master. Furthermore, his opponents were far too powerful, which resulted in an intense feedback force. Ye Qingyu's body was covered with injuries, as though he was a porcelain doll with cracks all over. His skin was as dry as a parched riverbed and it cracked opened, causing bloody wounds, as if he was about to shatter any moment.
"Although I've rapidly grown more powerful and by activating the [Limitless Divine Way], I am now able to go up against those in the Saint realm, but the difference in strength between myself and these malicious creatures, as well as the famous Great Saints, is as vast as the ocean. If not for the [Cloud Top Cauldron] and the [Red Lotus Hellfire], I would have died a long time ago…" Ye Qingyu thought.
He controlled the [Cloud Top Cauldron] and tunneled through the [Red Lotus Hellfire]. He sent those who were still struggling flying into the Hellfire, destroying all their treasures and force fields.
"Ah..."
"You little punk, you're so ruthless.”
"Even if I die, I'll come back as a ghost to haunt you. Ah…"
Screams of rage and curses mingled together with mournful wails and echoed through the air. In their despair, a few experts charged at Ye Qingyu and collided heavily against the [Cloud Top Cauldron], recklessly attempting to bring Ye Qingyu down with them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Violent explosions resounded.
As waves of powerful yuan qi chaotically swept through the area, the protective barrier of the Void kept shattering and started to show signs of turbulence in the chaos. The [Cloud Top Cauldron] was bombarded with attacks and its color alternated between bright and dim as it grew increasingly unstable.
Ye Qingyu coughed up large mouthfuls of blood and the cracks on his body grew increasingly wider as though his body were about to disintegrate at any moment. However, he ignored the wounds on his body and continued to face these attacks head-on as he continued on his warpath.
To anyone else, his actions were the equivalent of suicide.
He had to bear the brunt of the huge feedback force with every collision, and every collision seemingly had the power to shatter him into pieces. However, he miraculously held on.
Time flew by.
This cycle continued on endlessly.
One hour quickly passed.
The [Red Lotus Hellfire] continued to burn brightly.
Out of the hundreds of experts trapped within the representative station of the Black Moon Divine Palace, less than a dozen remained, including Great Saint Zhong Yuan and four other Great Saints as well as several pinnacle Saints who possessed secret treasures. They had managed to keep the [Red Lotus Hellfire] at bay with their Great Saint force field and the laws. Thus, none of the flames touched them. As for the other experts, they had all perished in the Hellfire.
These Great Saint experts could have escaped, but Ye Qingyu continuously knocked them back into the flames. He used the [Cloud Top Cauldron] to charge recklessly at them and as soon as any one of these experts showed signs of trying to escape the Hellfire, he would attack them maniacally. Zhong Yuan had almost managed to escape a few times, but was forced back into the fiery sea after Ye Qingyu bombarded him with attacks.
These Saint-realm experts were like dragons in shallow water—they were unable to unleash their full potential and only barely managed to separate their own karma from the [Red Lotus Hellfire], then they used their laws and force fields to stop the flames. However, their force field would be destabilized each time Ye Qingyu knocked into them, which would result in the flames licking their bodies. Based on the sins they had accumulated on their cultivation journey, once the Hellfire touched their bodies, they were as good as dead with no chance of escaping.
Other than the Blood Demon, who had been weakened by the punishment from Heaven and ultimately was killed by Ye Qingyu, there was another half-step Great Saint who was extremely arrogant and was also a vicious character who had taken many lives. He had tried to escape, but after Ye Qingyu collided into him, his protective force field was destabilized and the [Red Lotus Hellfire] consumed his body. He wailed and struggled for fifteen minutes before he died a tragic death.
After his death, no one else dared to act recklessly.
Ye Qingyu was not even in the Saint realm but he had single-handedly managed to hold off almost ten Great Saint-level experts by risking his life each time he attacked.
This was an incredible miracle.
Naturally, the price he had to pay was also very high.
Ye Qingyu was already completely covered in blood.
His blood qi was starting to dry up and his vigor was rapidly declining.
"This young man can't hold on for much longer…" A Saint-realm expert sighed in the distance. Ye Qingyu's valor and bravery had stunned them all. He had almost managed to kill off all his enemies by acting in such a manner. Unfortunately, as someone from a lowly domain, he did not have enough resources, which resulted in a vast difference in strength between him and his enemies. Even though with divine treasures such as the [Red Lotus Hellfire] and the giant cauldron, it was unlikely that he would have the last laugh.
This was probably the hand that fate had dealt the weak.