The Immortal Emperor Returns C269 – Good Will Always Triumph Over Evil!

At a muffled grunt, more Hong Meng Immortal Qi coiled around his person. His glowing fist flailed at each enemy he saw, firing bursts of magical bolts at them.

Bang!

The fist-like magic bolt blasted a First-grade Grandmaster into a fine mist of blood.

“I'LL KILL YOU ALL!”

Purplish rays flared about 3.3 meters out of Chu Xun's eyes as his arm came up, exuding a thick aura of malice.

A “sha” rune appeared in midair, expanding exponentially in split-seconds and barreled at a Third-grade Grandmaster.

The Formula of Kill of the Hong Meng Scripture!

The “sha” rune collided with the fists of the Grandmaster and exploded, roiling up a storm raging with purplish winds.

The Third-grade Grandmaster howled painfully with his arm now mangled as he crashed several hundred meters away that even the ground almost burst underneath him.

Swoosh!

The cold blade of a saber came arcing around, aiming for Chu Xun's throat.

Chu Xun quickly conjured up a shield using his Immortal Qi.

Bang!

The blade of the saber bounced off the Immortal Qi-forged protective shield, its impact causing a powerful shock wave.

With that opening, Chu Xun spun away quickly and let loose a barrage of a dozen fists, sending flurry of fist-like magic bolts at his enemy.

This was a Fusang wandering warrior with strength akin to that of a Third-grade Grandmaster. Caught unawares at the retaliation, he quickly channeled his Internal Breath into his saber, using it to parry away the magic bolts.

Clang! Clang!

Three bolts slammed at the blade, rendering it webbed with cracks before a fourth bolt shattering it into broken shards. The rest of the salvo pummeled at his protective aura, smashing it in no time before hitting his chest and exploding.

The salvo caved in the chest of this Fusang Grandmaster bawling excruciatingly, leaving a huge gaping hole in his chest that one could also see the white bones peeking out from the inside.

With a simple wave, Chu Xun sent a blast of Hong Meng Immortal Qi at what remained of him.

Bang!

The head of the Fusang Grandmaster exploded.

With a few more punches, he fired another volley of magic bolts that obliterated what was left of the Grandmaster's remains, splattering flesh and blood everywhere.

But there was hardly room for respite; a gigantic palm came down at Chu Xun from overhead, eager to flatten him into a meat patty.

Weaving a spell of his own, Chu Xun slapped a palm upwards.

The Demon-slaughtering Palm!

Boom!

A terrible explosion followed by a mushroom cloud rising spectacularly into the air ensued, firing up a sandstorm that whisked up all the sand and dust.

“Die, Chu Xun!”

A trio of Third-grade Human Kings charged together at him, each brandishing weapons that glinted menacingly at him.

Clang!

A punch enough to pulverize boulders and rocks came from Chu Xun to deflect away a silvery steel halbert elicited a burst of sparks before he turned around to snap into half a magical sword which could easily slice through steel.

Seeing this, one of the Human Kings imbued some Internal Breath into his black iron dagger, and he threw it. The weapon whistled through the air, aiming at Chu Xun's head between his eyes.

Chu Xun's fists glowed with a purplish glimmer and he struck hard at the flying weapon, destroying it into fragments.

“Chu Xun, eat this!”

Chu Xun had just barely dispatched all three of the Human Kings, when another snarl came from behind.

The voice made Chu Xun whirl around quickly, his glowing fists punching forth before he even saw his target.

Boom!

The blast of magic streaked across the ground, colliding into an opposing jet of energy. The impact split the ground into pieces with bits and chunks of it whipped up into the air.

Chu Xun retreated a couple of steps with cracks bursting open with each pace.

The enemy who fired the blast—a Human King nearing Fourth-grade, whose name was Sheng Qingze—was thrown to his back by the force, his eyes livid with blood and his expression pernicious.

“Is this all the great Chu the Devil can do?” Sheng Qingze muttered, his voice weakened but fraught with disdain and contempt.

“Let's take him down together!” bellowed a Third-grade Human King, firing another energy bolt shaped like his palm at Chu Xun.

His cohort kept up and unleashed attacks of their own. The air filled with magic bolts, some shaped like fists, some like opened palms, while others resembled the curved blades of sabers and the sharp tips of swords; all of them streaking through the air towards Chu Xun.

“Die, Chu the Devil!”

Sheng Qingze released an attack of his own too: a bolt of magical energy that bore the likeness of a demon's ghastly head, roaring and hissing repulsively.

The bone of the Ancestral Dragon emitted a low hum inside Chu Xun as he felt his limbs trembling as if in resonance to its force. More Immortal Qi swirled around him, wrapping him in a miniature cyclone of magical aura.

Clang!

One fist-like energy bolt shot at Chu Xun, but before it could barely graze his skin, it disintegrated at the forceful power of the miniature cyclone churning protectively around him.

Clang! Clang!

A huge burst of light followed, and more magical bolts shaped like swords and sabers rained down on Chu Xun like a hailstorm, only to be reduced into mere dregs of magical energy that dissipated into nothingness by the slicing winds of the Immortal Qi cyclone.

ROAR!

The demon-faced magical bolt rumbled near, radiating a foul air that looked as if it was turning its surrounding dark when it came near, and it slammed furiously at the circling twister of magical aura.

Boom!

Somehow, the rapid winds of the cyclone seemed to die down for one brief second before the magical bolt was similarly shredded into nothing but an inconsequential pop, but the cyclone too disappeared, the last of its magic utterly spent.

Then Chu Xun looked down and saw a jumbled mess of footprints that he made. In the frenetic effort to defend himself, he had been forced backwards, inadvertently stepping on and crushing to bits loads of stones.

Such was the collective might of dozens of Human Kings, that it too proved to be trouble even for one as strong as Chu Xun.

Chu Xun's expression turned grimmer. He channeled more of his Immortal Qi and he weaved hand seals for another spell.

Wild winds howled overhead and the sky turned suddenly grey and clouded over, blotting out the light of the Sun.

Unable to believe what they were seeing, the warriors onlooking the battle were left stunned and stupefied.

Luo Fei and the others gazed up and saw the billowing clouds of dark pall looming overhead like a brewing storm, throwing the mountainside plateau into a world of darkness.

Standing amidst the gusty winds of his boiling Immortal Qi, Chu Xun's hair tossed and snapped furiously as the dark cumulonimbuses fell over the plateau landing like a descending terror.

Suddenly, Chu Xun's eyes shot open with sparkles crackling for a transient split-second inside.

The Purple Thunder Doom – Punishment from Gods!

With a muffled grunt, his finger came up, tapping into the air again.

Wild winds surged with the ferocity of a thrashing beast, and the clouds overhead churned uncontrollably with flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder.

More lightning bolts zapped through the dark clouds overhead, occasionally lighting up the sky with ceaseless thunder rumbling throughout, and the entire mountain shook and trembled as if with fright.

Boom!

A bolt of lightning as thick as a man's arm shot from the dark clouds, smiting hard on the Earth.

That shocked a First-grade Human King who yelped fearfully, only to be hit by another lightning bolt just an instant later.

Boom!

The blast destroyed the Human King whole, leaving almost nothing of him—not even a spatter of blood; everything about him had been instantly vaporized.

Whether it was the warriors who had come to witness this battle, or Luo Fei and his cohorts, could hardly hold back the tingling numbness on their scalps as fear robbed what warmth inside their very selves.

More sparks danced in Chu Xun's eyes and his hand came up suddenly.

Rumble!

More lightning bolts streaked violently around before blasting at the ground, eliciting more screams and howls of terror and pain as the bolts zapped at the Human Kings, leaving nothing but broken limbs or smoldering heaps of cadavers everywhere. The lightning storm left craters here and there—hallmarks of its great destructiveness—with sands and dust flying everywhere.

More people died and even more survive with wounds and injuries due to this relentless bombardment of lightning bolts.

Chu Xun lifted a hand like a signal, and it came down.

More bolts came down from the lightning storm brewing overhead, and there was hardly anyone who could remain fearless.

“Look out, run!” Luo Fei bellowed.

Boom!

More lightning pounded the Earth, causing more ground to rupture as more people died in the blast, utterly disintegrated.

Most of them were First and Second-grade Human Kings.

With his eyes livid with rage and his anger barely teetering on the edge, Luo Fei let loose a wild hoarse roar. For everything they had done—enlisting help, preparing the trap, and announcing to the world their challenge, yet nothing was working to plan.

“FIGHT ME, CHU XUN!” he bellowed, hoping that single combat could save the rest of his cohorts from being senselessly slaughtered.

Human Kings above Third-grade might still be able to escape from the massacre now going on, but the same could not be said for weaker Human Kings who were easily blasted into cinders. Even a simple graze could be fatal for them. By now, hardly any other Human Kings below Third-grade still survive at this point.

Several dozen First-grade Human Kings—whose fighting strength would have nevertheless been mightily significant to any sects or orders—had perished in this excursion, and their loss could have well eroded greatly the strength of the Cult.

Boom!

More Human Kings met their ends being zapped into blackened crisps in the lightning storm.

The lightning storm continued its merciless ravaging and by its end, the ground of the plateau landing had sunk almost one meter deeper as aftermath of being endlessly pummeled for a half-hour.

Dark clouds could still be seen roiling up the sky when the lightning storm finally stopped, and there was Luo Fei, trembling all alone with unruly anger and utmost frustration.

He had lost every First and Second-grade Human Kings he assembled for this mission, with a few Third-grade ones badly wounded.

Watching from below, the horde of spectating warriors felt their clothes clinging to their backs with sweat. “What was that?! Was it even a skill?! Whatever it was, it looked more like a cataclysmic event!”

Shivering with shock and awe, their eyes filled with admiration and fear.

Corpses littered everywhere, and in its midst stood the triumphant champion, Chu the Devil!

“Very good... Chu the Devil...” Luo Fei hissed, his chest heaving and puffing as he struggled to keep his temper in check, “A very fine display, I must say...”

What remained of the few Third-grade Human Kings huddled together, their faces rife with despair at their serious blunder in underestimating Chu Xun.

“The Broken Souls Cult... The Sifang Sword Sect... Tianlong Fort... Fusang wanderers...” Chu Xun glared coldly at them, recognizing the orders or organization to which they belonged.

Zuo Ziqiu and Wu Ming had sent word yesterday, that the Tianlong Fort and the Sifang Sword Sect were also the parties to this plot.

“I applaud you... Chu the Devil...” Luo Fei growled insidiously, his eye flashing with grudge and malice, “To think that you've angered and offended so many factions, and yet here you are! Still triumphant and glorious!”

“Good will always triumph over Evil,” Chu Xun remarked curtly with a fierce glare at him, “You have conspired with Fusang sellswords to harm your own compatriot. And for that, I will never let you walk free, no matter what reasons you might have.”

“Arrogance, Chu Xun... What makes you take that mopping up our First and Second-grade Human Kings proves that you are invincible? I shall say the same to you as well. Don't expect to walk free yourself.”

In some ways, Luo Fei was right; the Third-grade Human Kings and himself represented the true might of the force assembled for this day. The lesser Human Kings were actually intended to stall Jiu You, Lei Bao, and the others from providing any assistance to Chu Xun.

Chu Xun looked hardly perturbed, as placid as ever, but his hands were already forming the hand seals prerequisite for his next spell.

“Together!” Luo Fei yelled.

But they were too late.

The dark clouds overhead rolled ominously once more with thunder groaning sonorously up high and a dash of lightning streaked a bright white gash across the sky.

Rumble!

Thick bolts of lightning deluged from the sky, striking down fiercely at Luo Fei and his cohorts as the lightning storm resumed.

Only this time, the lightning bolts came a dozen times thicker, and its strength naturally greater and more forceful.

The Purple Thunder Doom – Destruction!

Boom!

One of the lightning bolts slammed into one of the Third-grade Human Kings, turning him into a black, smoldering heap convulsing uncontrollably in agony.

Boom!

Another Third-grade Human King howled with half of an arm blasted to bits by another stray bolt of lightning.

Rumble rumble...

All of Mount of the Ancient Ruins shuddered wildly at its surface being ceaselessly pummeled by the lightning storm, leaving more and more craters everywhere.

But Third-grade Human Kings were made of stouter stuff; the lightning bolts could zap at them all day and they would hardly get anything more than a bruise or laceration.

With a grim pall of gloom overhead, he began making more hand seals.

Rumble!

The air pulsed at the fluctuation of energy, and mountains nearby trembled nonstop.

The spectating warriors could hardly move a finger. Even as they watched from the sidelines, safe and unscathed, their legs seemed to wobble with fear and their faces astounded beyond speech.

The Purple Thunder Doom – Destruction!

Chanting softly, Chu Xun tapped at the air in front of him.

Whoosh!

A new succession of lightning bolts rained down from the folds of the dark cumulonimbuses above, accompanied with ball lightnings the size of basketballs, each carrying destructive and explosive charges, carpet-bombing the whole area of the flat plateau.

Boom! Boom!

Another of the Third-grade Human Kings got caught in the explosions of the ball lightning. With a deafening shriek made every head turned and everyone saw his clothes tattered, frayed and bloodied from the wounds of his missing limbs lost in the blast which had also scorched him black.

Luo Fei snarled and roared with unbridled fury, delivering punches into any ball lightnings that drew near.

“REGROUP ON ME!”

As he called out to his allies, he produced a large golden bell. Luo Fei channeled some of his magical energies into it and the Sacred Relic shone with a gleaming radiance and grew bigger before floating into the air.

Ding dong!

The huge bell chimed loudly and a soft, choral chant of Buddhist mantra wafted in the air. Golden waves of magical effects rippled from within the now-gigantic bell that one could have sworn the ancient runic symbols carved on the metallic surface of the bells were dancing in the ethereal undulations of its magic as Luo Fei took refuge beneath it like an umbrella.

Boom!

A ball lightning, infused with explosiveness, struck on the face of the bell and erupted into a burst of sonic waves. The golden runic symbols on the bell danced again as more undulation of the huge bell's magic swept forth, dissipating the sonic waves before it could culminate into a storm.

Boom! Boom!

More ball lightnings assailed the gigantic bell and the dance of the runic symbols and the tranquil Buddhist psalmody went on without fail as the golden bell never stopped spreading forth its magical canceling effect, rendering the explosions of the ball lightnings futile to penetrate its defenses.

Chapter end