Novel Full Chapter 2396 - Looting a Burning House
Chapter 2396 – Looting a Burning House
The night was dark, and the winds rose.
A run-down Daoist temple stood in the remote wilderness, beneath sparsely lit stars and a dim moon. It had no fire, nor even a lamp.
A group had clustered there. The atmosphere was incomparably stifled.
“Little friend Mu Bai, can you hold on?” Madam Mei asked with concern.
Mu Bai sat in the corner and nodded. “I can!”
He was badly injured, and his vitality was on the brink of collapse. His steely face was as pale as a sheet of paper.
Worst of all, an incomparably insidious blood-red power of the Grand Dao was corroding his life force from within his body!
There was nothing Madam Mei and the others could do about it, either.
Because that blood-red power was the work of Old Man Providence! An ancient expert who’d long since established himself at the pinnacle of the God Domain!
The founder of the Divine Court of Providence was mysterious and kept a low profile. It was extremely unusual for him to show himself in public. He was like a legend!
But then, just yesterday, this terrifying existence had appeared before Mu Bai out of nowhere, striking to kill without so much as a word of warning!
At the time, Madam Mei, the Sky-Swallowing Daoist, and Old Yao White Bones had joined forces to protect him, but they couldn’t block even a single hit. The Angler defeated them with ease.
At a critical juncture, the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing appeared, forcing the Angler back. That gave Madam Mei the others an opportunity to grab Mu Bai and run.
But Mu Bai’s wounds were far too heavy.
The Angler had left a portion of his power in Mu Bai’s body, and none of them would remove it, nor did they have any medicine capable of saving him. All they could do was watch helplessly as it corroded Mu Bai’s life force.
If things went on like this, Mu Bai would die beyond a doubt in just three days!
Madam Mei and the others exchanged glances. All of them were visibly fraught with worry, and their concern only deepened over time.
“Seniors, you’d best seize this opportunity to flee,” said Mu Bai, his voice hoarse and feeble. “Old Man Providence is after me; it has nothing to do with you. If anything happens to you because of me…. I’ll die with a guilty conscience.”
It was only yesterday that he’d learned of Madam Mei and the others’ existence. It was his first time hearing that people had been tailing and protecting him in secret this entire time.
He also learned that Senior Su was the one who’d made these arrangements, and that Su Yi had secretly given him the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing, one of the Nine Mysteries of Chaos!!
All of this was entirely outside of Mu Bai’s expectations. He was shocked, flattered, and grateful from the bottom of his heart.
He’d never even considered the possibility that Su Yi would attach such importance to him!
“Leave?” Madam Mei glanced at Mu Bai. “If we were really cowardly enough to do that, we’d have fled yesterday, when Old Man Providence first appeared before us!”
“Little Fellow, we know you’re looking out for us, and that you don’t want us to meet with disaster, but His Excellency Su entrusted us with your safety. How could we possibly flee before the fighting even begins?” the Sky-Swallowing Daoist said staunchly. “We agreed to serve him, so we must loyally do our duty. So what if it costs us our lives?”
Old Yao White Bones said, “All of us are ancient divine wraiths. We died a long, long time ago. How could we possibly fear death now?”
The three old monsters each made their positions clear. This was, in part, because of Su Yi, and it part because during their years tailing Mu Bai, his conduct and character had long since won their recognition and admiration.
They naturally wouldn’t just abandon him at a time like this.
Mu Bai was deeply touched.
After a long silence, he said softly, “I, Mu Bai, have been cursed, spat upon, rejected, and proclaimed a star of disaster. How could I have been so fortunate as to have received such care from Senior Su? And what did I do to deserve you risking your lives to defend me, Seniors?”
Suddenly, a voice emanated from outside the run-down Daoist temple. “Give me the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing, and I can spare the divine wraiths’ lives.”
A thin-faced old man in plain cloth robes was walking toward them with his hands behind his back.
The group was stunned. All of them looked stricken. Old Man Providence!!
Mu Bai rose with great difficulty and gazed calmly at him. “Very well! So long as you promise to let my seniors leave, I’ll give it to you!”
Madam Mei said with displeasure, “What need do we have for a junior’s protection? No need to hide it from you: we’ve already sent word to His Excellency Su. With his abilities, I’m sure he can resolve this crisis!”
It might have sounded like these words were for Mu Bai’s benefit, but in truth, they were intended as a warning for the Angler!
The Angler couldn’t help but laugh. “Su Yi is far away on Sunset Perch Island. Even if he borrows a transfer array, it’ll take him three to five days to get here at the bare minimum!”
Madam Mei said, “Given His Excellency Su’s abilities, what need does he have to come in person? The battle at Skybright Mountain proved that he has friends all over the God Domain!”
The Angler’s eyelids twitched, but then, he laughed. “I understand his friends’ capabilities far better than you. Even if they show up, they cannot possibly save you from me.”
With that, he stretched out his hand and grabbed.
Bang!
Mu Bai was pulled into the air, dangling like a little chicken. He couldn’t even struggle.
Madam Mei and the others freaked out and attacked with all their might.
The Angler sneered, then swung his sleeve through the air.
Boom!!
All three ancient divine wraiths were sent flying, their bodies almost shattered.
The Angler was an ancient, terrifying figure, and now, his strength was on full display. In just a single light, airy gesture he’d broken through the ancient divine wraiths’ efforts at resistance.
He was strong enough to fill them with despair!
Clang!
The Blade of Heaven’s Loathing appeared out of nowhere, bringing with it boundless, chaos-like saber qi.
The day prior, the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing had appeared at a critical juncture to rescue Mu Bai. This was what had startled the Angler and given him and the divine wraiths an opportunity to flee for their lives.
But this time, it wasn’t so effective.
When the Angler stretched out his fingers and flicked, the chaos saber qi shattered. The Blade of Heaven’s Loathing was sent flying back, quivering and wailing.
The divine wraiths couldn’t help but visibly give in to despair.
“It’s an excellent saber, but in your hands, it’s like a pearl buried in the mud. It cannot display its true power,” said the Angler, taking hold of the Blade of Divine Punishment. No matter how hard the blade struggled, it couldn’t break free.
“You said you’d let them go. Don’t tell me you’re going to go back on your word?” said Mu Bai, his eyes bloodshot and his teeth gnashed.
The Angler looked the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing over and said airily, “Relax. A handful of wraiths, that’s all. I wouldn’t sink to breaking my word over the likes of them.”
With that, he took Mu Bai in one hand, the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing in the other, and turned to walk away.
Madam Mei and the others tried to give chase.
“When you see Su Yi, pass on a message for me. Tell him that if he wants to save the boy’s life, he should go to Divine Autumn Mountain,” said the Angler without so much as turning his head. He quickly faded into the distance.
Madam Mei cried out at the top of her lungs, “You suppressed the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing with ease, so why did you flee yesterday?”
The question seemed inexplicable, and jarringly out of place in this moment of crisis.
The Angler was briefly stunned, but then, he laughed and shook his head. “How is that any of your business?”
But just as he was about to fade into the boundless darkness of the night, a saber hum rang out, like metal piercing rock.
It was as if everyone there suddenly stood amidst a battlefield, surrounded by a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. An army a million strong roared and fought, bleeding from countless wounds. Dead gods and buddhas fell from the sky like rain.
Everyone’s heart and mind shook. All of them felt shaken.
The darkness-shrouded landscape transformed as endlessly tyrannical murderous intent filled it. The mountains and rivers shook, and the sky was thrown into disarray.
It was a catastrophic scene, like the descent of the apocalypse.
But all of this was merely the result of a saber hum!
Practically the moment it rang out, the Angler stopped in place, his eyes flashing.
“Go!”
His sleeve waved through the air, and a swath of a dreamlike rain of silver light whooshed forth, like the river of stars sweeping through the sky.
It was also then that a swath of saber qi descended from the heavens.
Boom—!
Heaven and earth split, mountains collapsed, and the earth caved in. A terrifying wave of destructive power swept outward, like a world-annihilating windstorm. It destroyed eight thousand miles of landscape!
Madam Mei, the Sky-Swallowing Daoist, Old Yao White Bones, and the others suffered the brunt of the impact. All three were swept away by that terrifying current of destruction!
Despite their cultivations, they couldn’t even withstand the aftershock. It was thus obvious how terrifying this strike was!
As the smoke and misty light swept outward, The Angler staggered several steps backward, visibly stricken.
A tall, powerful figure had appeared in the distance.
He wore a conical hat, and he carried a black coffin on his back. He was missing his left arm, and he gripped a long saber. The blade was dark, and it reflected no light.
Who’s that? Madam Mei and the other wraiths were stunned.
The man in the conical hat was just too imposing. He was like a towering, majestic mountain, standing between heaven and earth.
His majesty was even more forceful, and as sharp as a saber’s edge. It swept outward, blanketing heaven and earth on all sides!
“Butcher? What are you doing here?” exclaimed the Angler.
The Butcher!
He was one of the most famous saber cultivators in the God Domain, a legend among them, a grandmaster-level figure they could only look up to!
“Why shouldn’t I be here?” The butcher approached, his momentum like a tidal wave or avalanche. His murderous intent swept throughout heaven and earth.
“So that means the aura I sensed when I made my move on that kid yesterday was you?” The Angler furrowed his brow.
The Butcher’s momentum was terrifying beyond measure, but it wasn’t enough to intimidate him.
“That’s right,” the Butcher said calmly. “I thought you’d realize the danger and retreat. I wouldn’t have thought you’d cling to your wicked ways so stubbornly, Angler.”
Madam Mei and the other ancient divine wraiths instantly realized what was happening. It turned out that it wasn’t the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing that had sent Old Man Providence packing, but rather, the presence of the one they called the Butcher!
“You want to save that kid?” The Angler frowned in confusion. “He’s just an immortal, a mere small fry. At most, he has a special karmic connection with Su Yi. Is he really worth standing in my way over?”
The Butcher said expressionlessly, “Give me the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing.”
The Angler seemed to understand. “Ah, so you’re after the blade. Why not say so sooner?”
The Butcher stared coldly at him. “Will you give it to me or not?”
The Angler’s eyes flashed. “Why should I? Do you think… I’m afraid of you?”
The Butcher said calmly, ”I perhaps cannot kill a black-hearted old fox like you, but ruining your plans won’t be at all difficult.”
The Angler’s smile faded. “I would never have guessed that you’d take advantage of my misfortune over a mere saber!”
The Butcher raised his saber, then pointed at the Angler. “I’ll ask you one last time. Are you giving it to me or not?”
His murderous intent locked firmly onto the Angler.
Heaven and earth trembled, and the wind and clouds shifted!