The Immortal Emperor Returns C333 – Brazen

Crack!

No one could ever miss that sickening sound of bones splintering.

The monster roared and screamed with rage.

Chu Xun was the very paradigm of carnage and destruction, that the force of his blows blasted away the monster's entire mangled forearm into bits.

That was when the monster began to feel fear and horror at Chu Xun's physical invincibility.

The race of Zombies was proud of themselves in their physical toughness and strength. Yet none of that meant anything in the face of Chu Xun's power.

Crack!

With his bare hands, Chu Xun ripped another of the monster's arm. Greenish blood dripped on the ground with each drop sizzling on the ground like acid, emitting white fumes, and in mere seconds, left holes of irregular sizes on the ground.

Stricken with panic, the monster wheeled around to flee.

But before it could reach far, Chu Xun caught up to the monster, tripped it to the ground, and dragged it back by its leg.

Crack!

Chu Xun tore off the remaining half of the arm that he blasted off earlier.

Madden by fear and rage, the monster lunged at Chu Xun with reckless abandon, its fangs bared in a last-ditch attempt.

But Chu Xun's fist arced around and bludgeoned into its face with a dull bang, breaking his long fangs into half.

Bang!

Chu Xun gave it a roundhouse kick, sending it flying into the air and he chased after it. As soon as the monster crashed to the ground, he stomped on its leg, snapping it half.

Crack!

And the same went for its other knee.

Speechless and flabbergasted, the crowd took in the brutality of the Devil.

That was a very powerful monster – one that had, just right before their eyes, given a Seventh-grade Human King a run for his money. Yet with flippant ease, Chu Xun ripped it apart limb by limb like an ant, leaving only its torso.

“Speak. Are there still any surviving of your kind?” asked Chu Xun, pausing.

“Imbecilic mortal. The race of Zombies does not fear death. I'll never betray my kin.”

Chu Xun's eyes flashed. That would mean that there were more Zombies still alive, lurking in hiding.

He had encountered Zombies before during his time in the alien domain. They were powerful too, but they looked like humans and they drank only blood. Yet Zombies here feed on human hearts and that disgusted him.

He took out a little jade phial. Waving it, he said, “Do you know what this is? I bet you don't. This is acid. Its corrosive properties can easily reduce you into liquid-like slime. But it works so slowly that you can watch with your own eyes how your flesh melts.”

The monster's red eyes flared with belligerent fury and roared, “You devil.”

“Let's start from your legs, then upwards to your body, your torso, and finally your head. You'll see how your body dissolves into putrid muck,” said Chu Xun wickedly.

“You puny mortal. I demand a quick death!” roared the monster.

“Tell me where lies the rest of you. Tell me and I'll give you a quick, clean death,” bargained Chu Xun.

Quietly, the monster's red eyes flickered with doubt as if it was thinking.

“No,” it said suddenly, very flatly, “I'll never betray my kind. The race of Zombies will remember this and my kind will hunt you down and kill you themselves.”

“Bold. I like it,” said Chu Xun coldly. He opened a hand and purplish flames erupted in the center of his palm and everyone could feel the temperature of the surrounding rising palpably.

Chu Xun flicked and shot two little wisps of purplish flames at the monster's mangled leg.

Sizzle!

Black smoke began to rise as flames engulfed the monster's leg, leaving nothing remaining – not even its bones.

“ARRGGGHHH!” the monster shrieked with harrowing pain.

“You're not even worth using my acid on you. Nope. I'll just burn you into ashes and allow it to scatter. So will your spirit too. I will make sure you won't even have to reincarnate,” said Chu Xun frostily.

The phial in his hand was but only an empty bottle.

The purplish flames began its ravenous devouring up the monster's leg.

More screams came from the monster as it grappled with the agony of the flames roasting it alive. All around them, onlookers watched with prickly sensation all over them, coupled with a strange coldness slithering down their backs.

“Tell me what I wish to know,” said Chu Xun in an aloof, unemotional voice.

“ARGGGHHH! Mortal filth! I'll not tell you! Dream on! To dust I will become and I'll never betray my kind! They'll avenge me!”

Chu Xun looked on without a word. This monster is not only strong, but stubborn, which was more than he could say for many other humans.

Silence pervaded the street, broken only by the crackling of the flames and the monster's racking screams.

Time passed until the screams finally died down and the purplish flames were gone. All that was left was a pile of blackened soot.

Even until the end, the monster adamantly refused to divulge the whereabouts of the rest of its kind.

That filled Chu Xun with gloom. If all Zombies were to be so resolutely strong and pugnacious, they would be foes most difficult to deal with.

Yue Hongbo came over to Chu Xun, tacitly awaiting his further instructions.

“Organize more patrols around the city. The race of Zombies is stirring and they'll need more human hearts to feed on to regenerate their power. We need to root them out and exterminate them as quickly as possible,” said Chu Xun.

Yue Hongbo nodded. He turned to the onlookers and bowed to any warriors amongst them, saying loudly, “We shall rely on you too, to keep a close eye around.”

It was late in the night when Chu Xun and Yue Hongbo made it back to the Sanctuary, where Yue Fandie and the others were still up, waiting for them.

“Did you find anything, Brother?” asked the Lord of the Sanctuary.

Chu Xun recounted everything that had happened to them.

Yue Fandie's mood turned morose. “If it's true that the race of Zombies is on the rise, they will hunt for more human hearts. Damn it, how many human females will die...”

“They are only just rising, so I don't think their numbers will be large. For now, we need to quickly locate their nest and slaughter them all,” said Chu Xun.

But it was easier said than done. The Zombies were not only strong. The lush forests and woods around the city afforded easy cover to skulk and hide around. They'd have a greater chance at moving mountains than rooting them all out.

“I suggest we take a rest for tonight. There's not much we can do in such a hurry.”

On that note, everyone retreated to their chambers with no more word.

The next morning, Chu Xun was still in his training when he was jolted awake by loud, angry yells coming from outside.

“CHU XUN! YOU USELESS BASTARD! SHOW YOURSELF THIS INSTANT!”

Chu Xun slapped his forehead with a weak smile breaking upon his face. He had utterly forgotten all about Yan Wushuang.

He opened the door to his chambers and stepped outside and was astounded by Yan Wushuang appearance.

“Gods in Heaven, what in the world happened to you?” gasped Chu Xun with surprise. There was Yan Wushuang, his hair frayed and messy and his clothes dusty and crumpled, looking more like a beggar on the streets than the son of an affluent family he truly was.

Yan Wushuang burned with fury at first sight of Chu Xun.

“DID YOU KNOW WHAT DID I WENT THROUGH JUST TO FIND YOU?!” bellowed Yan Wushuang, truly angered.

“Come on, quit squawking like some farmhouse termagant,” teased Chu Xun wryly.

“Relax, Master Yan,” Yue Fandie said, trying to help calm him down, “Talk slowly. Or how about some refreshing yourself first, perhaps? My people can see to that.”

Realizing how inappropriate was his outburst in the home of others, Yan Wushuang, bridling his anger with difficulty, glared at Chu Xun, “I'll be back to settle this score later.”

Yue Fandie immediately called for breakfast and Yan Wushuang rejoined them no long later, finally back to his suave and dashing outlook after some refreshments.

“Tell me, what happened? This might be your first time in the wild, but you're a Seventh-grade Human King for crying out loud. You looked really like a beggar who just lost a fistfight just now,” muttered a dubious Chu Xun.

That seemed to rekindle the flames of anger in Yan Wushuang whose nostrils flared as he bellowed, “You're the beggar here, not me!”

“All right, all right. Pipe down. What exactly happened?” asked Chu Xun.

And so, grudgingly, Yan Wushuang began his tale.

As soon as the word of Tang Rou and Jiu You gone missing reached Chu Xun's ears, he and Yan Wushuang rushed immediately to Gujiang City. But when he heard Tang Rou and Jiu You were both at Xiacheng, he sped there at once, leaving Yan Wushuang following far behind. With speeds far behind Chu Xun's, Yan Wushuang got himself lost halfway after losing sight of Chu Xun. It took Yan Wushuang a long detour before he finally got to Xiacheng, only to hear from the Xia Family that Chu Xun had returned to Gujiang.

He journeyed for Gujiang quickly, only to be told that Chu Xun had arrived here instead, and hence he came as expeditiously as he could.

It was in the wee hours of the morning when he finally set foot in Lanzhou City. Thinking of first spending the night at an inn and rejoining Chu Xun the following day, his plans were once again disrupted when he came upon a monster about to attack a defenseless woman and he had to save her.

The monster was so powerful that it was all he could do to prevent from losing. To his dismay, another monster appeared and they both ganged up on him. Fortunately for him, his skills and powers proved to able enough to save from and he managed to escape, albeit wretchedly.

At the end of Yan Wushuang's long, grumbling tale, Yue Fandie and Chu Xun shared a quick look.

“What monster were they?” asked Chu Xun.

An irate Yan Wushuang scowled at him. “Come on, shouldn't you be worrying about me first? Like asking if I'm hurt or something?”

“Well, you look fine and well sitting here,” grinned Chu Xun, “What's more, you're the famous and heroic Yan Wushuang. No foul beings could possibly hope to triumph over you.”

“Spare me all that falsities. Don't you ever think that just a couple of insincere praises can make me forget what you've done to me,” hissed Yan Wushuang, although he was feeling quite pleased with himself on the inside.

“Gods in Heaven, you're a man, so act like one! After all that, it's just some running around and a couple of fistfights!” Jiu You glowered, her little face wearing an annoyed frown.

“...” That sudden outburst nearly made Yan Wushuang choke on his breakfast. Never had he expected to be reprimanded by a little girl looking barely half his age.

“Ah, yes. I've not introduced you all,” exclaimed Chu Xun, gesturing at the girls, “This is Tang Rou and she's Jiu You—” and turning back to Yan Wushuang, “—and this is Yan Wushuang, Master Yan.”

Yan Wushuang peered doubtfully at Jiu You, “Surely she's not your daughter?”

“And what is that to you?!” snapped Jiu You with her babyish voice, “Damn, for a man you're awfully nosy!” She has been angry at Yan Wushuang since he began blaming Chu Xun all morning

“...” Yan Wushuang was speechless. His dashing looks had always been a crowd-pleaser even with kids. Yet this little girl seemed to have beef with him.

“Master Yan, let's talk about the monsters you encountered. What do they look like?” asked Yue Fandie.

“Grotesquely hideous. Both of them half man-half beast with long arms. In short, both specimens of immaculate grotesquery.”

“The race of Zombies again,” heaved Yue Fandie glumly.

Chu Xun bobbed his head in agreement, thinking, “So two now appeared after one died last night? How many are they still lurking around?”

“What race of Zombies? What are you talking about?” asked Yan Wushuang sharply, “You mean the monsters I fought with were Zombies?!”

Yue Fandie nodded gravely and updated him on recent events.

“Gods in Heaven,” gasped Yan Wushuang with disgust, “Human hearts?!” The notion of that savagery filled his stomach with butterflies and he immediately lost all interest in the breakfast laid before him.

“Let's go,” said Chu Xun suddenly.

“Where to?” yelped Yan Wushuang.

“To where you met the monsters last night,” said Chu Xun, dragging Yan Wushuang with him.

“Arg... Dammit, let me have my breakfast first at least... Aw... Be gentle, dammit...”

“Let's go.”

Yue Fandie and the others towed along as well.

Yan Wushuang led everyone back to the spot where he fought against the Zombies.

“Brazen,” observed Chu Xun dryly. It was Lanzhou City's busiest locale with tall high-end office blocks lumbering everywhere.

“But the crowd here would easily satisfy them,” attested Yue Fandie.

Chu Xun's eyes flickered a hint of notice as a faint purplish glow flared in his eyes. He had found some foul aura lingering about – the same black smog gave off by the Zombies when they appeared.

Chapter end