The Immortal Emperor Returns C282 – Fallen for the Ruse

For two hours the hooded man stayed at the Sanctuary before his departure, and no one knew what happened inside.

For the next few days, more hooded men appeared in clusters and were seen entering the lands of the Sanctuary where they retreated out of sight.

People began keeping a wary eye out.

Yet, Chu Xun was nowhere to be seen as if he had vanished into thin air.

“Who would have expected that the Sanctuary would conspire with the Broken Souls Cult to slay Chu the Devil.”

“This is a bad move. The Broken Souls Cult is the worst possible partner to get close to now, of all times, and the name of the Sanctuary shall forever be stained with the filth of treachery from henceforth.”

“The Devil might have been a cruel person, but he has never been known to lay a hand on anyone innocent. I suppose by colluding with the Cult, the Sanctuary has taken their first step down the spiral of utter ruin.”

More comments flooded the Martial Tao Forum message boards.

Everyone beheld from the sidelines like unconcerned spectators; some prayed for Chu Xun to not appear, while some sneered with glee, hoping that the Sanctuary would triumph in the extermination of the Devil.

Still, he appeared, and not without fanfare. In one fell swoop, he appeared at different dueling rings set up by the Sanctuary all around Lanzhou City, slaughtering most, if not all of anyone who dared take on his challenge.

Yet, all did not well completely well for him.

He traveled westward and found himself trapped and surrounded by foes in a deep gorge.

“Humph,” Yue Hongbo hissed wickedly, “You just walked yourself right into a trap.”

With the mouth of the gorge sealed by the forces of the Sanctuary, Chu Xun was besieged and trapped inside without no ways to escape.

And with the Sanctuary fielding almost every warrior they have, they were bent on making sure this would be where the Devil would fall.

“COME OUT, CHU XUN!” Yue Wennan bellowed with a thunderous roar, his voice echoing off the jagged rockfaces of the cliffs in the surrounding.

Minutes passed silently, yet there was no response from their quarry.

“There is no escape, Chu the Devil! Come out! No use pretending to be dead!” Yue Wennan screamed again.

No reply came.

“COME OUT, YOU COWARD! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE CALLED THE DEVIL!” Yue Wennan shrieked angrily.

Yet no matter how ugly were the words that he spewed, nothing came from inside the gorge.

“Could the Devil has escaped, Brothers?” wondered Yue Changle aloud, “Could there be hidden passages in this canyon?”

That remark made Yue Hongbo's and Yue Wennan's faces fell, for that possibility was always present.

Far away inside the thickets of a dense forest, a group of hooded men laid waiting, observing everything quietly.

They were all Human Kings, each with powerful strengths.

“What shall we do, Sir?”

“We watch,” said the leader of the hooded men, with a raspy voice that portended his authority and strength, “Quietly.”

At the entrance of the gorge, Yue Hongbo barked at his men, “Watch this place carefully. Kill Chu Xun if he appears.”

“Brothers, come with me. Let's go in for a look.”

Yue Hongbo led his brothers into the gorge.

Yue Wennan and Yue Changle shadowed him from behind.

Before long, they vanished into the shadows inside the gorge.

Suddenly, a series of explosion rumbled from deep inside the canyon.

Boom! Boom!

More rumbles ensued from inside the canyon like thunderclaps, shaking the earth and the mountain peaks that ringed around the place with more tremors rippling away in the vicinity.

On the crest of several other hills, countless other warriors watched from afar.

“They have found the Devil, haven't they?”

“I guess so. What else could have caused such commotions?”

“Too bad for the Devil. To be forced into such a dead end. I don't think there's any way he can get out of this.”

The rumbles coming from the canyon pervaded the area even as the warriors discussed their views.

Screech!

A phoenix's shrill cry pierced across the skyline; a flaming bird—a phoenix, hung in midair, spreading its twenty-meter wide wingspan to the fullest of its glorious capacity with tongues of red-purplish flames lashing furiously.

Even from outside the gorge, there was no way that the warriors watching the fight could miss the phoenix's dazzling appearance.

“Th-That looks like one of the Devil's techniques.”

“That's right. I've seen him use it before. It's incredibly powerful.”

“So the Yue Brothers must really have found the Devil and are fighting him.”

Boom! Boom!

More explosions followed right after their comments, coming from inside the canyon with shock waves bringing forth violent undulations that rocked the earth.

“Should we aid them, Sir?” asked one of the hooded men.

“No. Just stay put and watch,” the same raspy voice croaked hoarsely.

And the group of hooded men maintained their positions, skulking quietly in the shade of the woods.

After almost a half-hour, the rumbles from inside the canyon began to lessen.

“Look! Somebody's coming out!” cried a voice.

Heads turned in his direction and many were left flabbergasted by what they saw.

Like a bunch of beaten dogs, the Yue Brothers trudged miserably through the mouth of the gorge, bloodied and badly-wounded.

The brothers barely escaped death, and Yue Wennan's arms drooped limply by his side, clearly fractured and broken while his brothers looked no less miserable themselves with their clothes in bloodstained tatters and more blood seeping through their lips.

“Send word to my father. Tell him Chu Xun is trapped here in the gorge. Have him come here at once to kill him!” With that screaming message, Yue Wennan coughed up a mouthful of blood before blacking out.

“As expected of the Devil indeed. Who would've thought that not even the collective might of the Yue Brothers would still pale in comparison to his,” whispered a voice hushedly.

Everyone nodded in astonished agreement.

The Yue Brothers all have forged illustrious history and reputation of their own, yet not only were they soundly defeated by the Devil, they nearly lost their lives too at that.

“It would appear that Yue Fandie is the only one capable of defeating the Devil.”

More people bobbed their heads. It was, after all, Yue Fandie who had wounded Chu Xun more than a week ago, putting him in such dire straits that the latter was so close to dying.

A figure descended from the sky a half-hour later, carrying a monstrous and staggering presence that would have dwarfed even a thunder. Yue Fandie has finally arrived.

Seeing his sons beaten like a pack of rabid dogs filled him with rage and he was absolutely furious.

Turning around brusquely, much to the surprise of the men around him, he bellowed at the woods, “You lot of the Cult! You agreed to this collaboration with us, the Sanctuary of Tetrarchy, yet why were you watching my sons being beaten while doing nothing?! Do you intend to just watch like uninvolved spectators, or are you only waiting to reap any spoilts?!”

Shadows stirred inside the woods and the group of hooded men came out. The leader of the group clasped his fists in salute, “Pray calm down, Master Yue. We've only just arrived. The Yue Brothers were only too eager to go in without us moreover, rest assured that what happened to your sons are not what we wished for. Please forgive us.”

“Humph, a load of piffle!” Yue Fandie glowered, “As if I won't understand what nefarious intents you harbor. Right at this moment, you're hearing this from me: if reaping the benefits without putting in any work is what you are hoping for, then you should be packing your bags and get lost from here right now!”

The leader of the hooded men was hardly pleased to be openly admonished by Yue Fandie in public. For one moment, the temperature around him seemed to have dipped noticeably before he quickly put on a warm facade, saying, “Our collaboration with the Sanctuary is as transparent as glass, my friend. I daresay you've wronged us.”

“Really?” Yue Fandie sneered. “Well, in that case, the Devil is in the canyon. It is your turn now for the Cult to go in and hunt him down.”

The leader snorted. “You flatter us, Master Yue. If even the renowned Yue Brothers could do nothing against the Devil, surely us going in would be just as much as inviting suicide.”

Yue Fandie scoffed with disdain. “Li Kun, Leader of the Broken Souls Cult. You're nothing if not a pretentious schemer. Do you think I don't know that your powers are almost on par with mine?”

The leader's gaze turned into sharp at the mention of his true identity, and he held Yue Fandie in a piercing glare.

Yue Fandie stared back at him, sneering unabashedly.

The atmosphere tensed for quite some time before Li Kun tempered what anger he had and he said, “There is no point in this debate, Master Yue. As we stand and bicker here, we afford the Devil more time to recuperate.”

Yue Fandie snorted coldly, but he offered no objections as he spun around and rushed into the gorge.

Li Kun stared at him leaving for seconds, his eyes gleaming with unseen thoughts.

Yue Hongbo and Yue Changle, however, were eyeing him strangely.

He thought quietly for seconds before saying, “The few of you, stay here. The rest will come with me.”

He brought along a total of twenty-five men for this operation. Leaving five outside the mouth of the gorge, he led the rest of them inside.

“SHOW YOURSELF, CHU XUN!”

Yue Fandie's voice resounded through out of the gorge, reverberating through every corner of the canyon.

“Have you come seeking death, Yue Fandie?” Chu Xun appeared suddenly, his eyes blazing with cold fury.

“And here I was, thinking you'd flee. Now come here! I'll kill you!” Yue Fandie screamed, lunging at his quarry with his nostrils flaring with rage and his fists raised aloft to strike.

“Humph, as if I need to run from the likes of you.” Chu Xun snorted, lifting his fists as well to fire bolts of energy.

Bang! Bang! Bang...!

Two figures threw themselves at each other, entangling each other in a gritting melee that kicked up a storm of sand and dust that enveloped them.

A huge bang came, and the two men broke apart.

“I'LL KILL YOU!”

Yue Fandie snarled a bestial utterance, hurtling towards Chu Xun again.

Chu Xun charged, brandishing his fists to meet him.

Bang! Bang! Bang...!

A string of explosions burst around them as they threw their fists at each other, causing the world to shake and rock violently around them.

Suddenly, Li Kun finally appeared, leading his men.

Seeing that Yue Fandie had yet to secure his victory, Li Kun growled, “Let me help, Master Yue!”

Swoosh!

Li Kun launched an energy shaft with destructive powers as soon as he leaped into the fray.

Channeling another burst of Hong Meng Immortal Qi, Chu Xun fired a bolt of energy at the projectile Li Kun fired at him, causing an explosion on that end before wheeling around to deliver another burst of energy that forced Yue Fandie to falter backwards.

“Broken Souls Cult,” Chu Xun hissed, “You really wish to experience death, don't you?”

More Immortal Qi boiled inside him and he swung his arm, hurling a fistful of destructive energy at Li Kun.

Li Kun snarled at the incoming attack. Mustering up a burst of Internal Breath himself, he blasted at the energy bolt Chu Xun fired at him.

At the same time, Yue Fandie charged his powers to its maximum; his aura burgeoned with the force of a tidal wave that even the air began to pop and crackle.

Boom!

Chu Xun and Li Kun exchanged a few blows—brutal and savage blows, and more dust and sand whisked around them heavily.

Yue Fandie howled a harsh roar and his fist lashed out and a jet of Internal Breath burst out, blowing straight into Li Kun's shoulder.

Boom!

Blood sprayed everywhere. With a screaming howl, Li Kun was sent flying, smashing into a huge boulder, reducing it to pieces.

“YUE FANDIE!” Li Kun hissed, enraged.

The Human Kings of the Cult that came with him gawked with bewilderment, failing to understand what happened.

Yue Fandie peered at Chu Xun and both shared a cryptic smile.

“You've fallen into our trap, Li Kun,” sniggered Yue Fandie with delight.

With his half shoulder blasted to a grotesque mush of blood, the Leader of the Broken Souls Cult hissed bitterly with hatred, his powers waned and his face a pallid shade of white.

“So, so... Th-this... It's a trap! A trap you both devised!”

Yue Fandie guffawed triumphantly. “Indeed. And much we have toiled and spent, in order to make this trap a success.”

Chu Xun's hand came up and his palm slapped forth, firing a purplish blast of energy at Li Kun.

Snarling, Li Kun channeled his Internal Breath. Swinging his fists together, imbuing them with his magic, he fired a pair of energy bolts in return.

Boom!

A terrible shock wave rippled forth, pummeling all surrounding rocks and stones to dust.

Li Kun let loose a bloodcurdling scream. His last remaining arm burst into a bloody, unrecognizable mass.

Human Kings generally had incredible toughness and endurance which made them almost impossible to kill. Even dismembered, a Human King might have means of resurrecting back to life, even for one as powerful as Li Kun.

“So, so you... You've been concealing your strength, eh? Chu the Devil...” Li Kun growled resentfully. He was tricked by the first exchange of blows he had with Chu Xun, which convinced him that their powers were on par to each other, while Chu Xun's latest attack finally revealed to him the contrary. Chu Xun's powers were very well beyond his expectations.

“You speak too much,” Chu Xun hissed, raising his fist to deliver the final stroke.

Yue Fandie stopped him. “Wait, Brother. Let's not kill him with such haste. Let me savor the moment.”

“Urm...” Chu Xun stared at him, speechless.

“Surely you realized that battles have been lost for less, all because some people speak too much?”

That remark left Yue Fandie startled for one split-second. Rubbing his nose sheepishly, he muttered, “Just a couple of words. At least give him the satisfaction of understanding his own undoing.”

Chapter end