Chapter 2969 - Wang Chu and Ren Dongshi

A life-or-death tribulation descended out of nowhere. Five Heavenly Monarchs joined forces to destroy Lian Luo and Pu Xuan’s hiding place.

Lian Luo sensed the attack as if by precognition, grabbing Pu Xuan and dashing off just in time to avoid getting surrounded.

Even so, their situation was perilous.

As they fled, a dazzling silver serpent appeared out of nowhere, then ruthlessly struck Lian Luo’s back, tearing open his flesh and scattering sparks.

But Lian Luo laughed coldly, disregarding his wounds as he led Pu Xuan away.

The five Heavenly Monarchs pursued him relentlessly. From time to time, they attacked with all their might in a bid to intercept them. Heaven and earth shook, and countless mountains and hills crumbled and collapsed.

“Dammit! At my peak, I could have killed these five bastards like it was nothing!” Lian Luo cursed. His wounds had gotten even worse, and his vital energy was chaotic and disordered. Death qi hovered around his wounds.

“Quit bragging. Hurry up and run!” Pu Xuan’s brow furrowed, and his heart sank.

These five Heavenly Monarchs weren’t from Sevendeaths Court. Rather, they were from Sevendeaths Court’s subordinate factions.

The five of them had pursued Lian Luo and Pu Xuan like lingering ghosts since they reached the southern territories of the Divine Wandering Continent. They’d surrounded, chased, and attacked relentlessly.

It was just as Lian Luo said. At his peak, single-handedly slaughtering five such second-rate Heavenly Monarchs would have been entirely possible for him, but now, he was badly injured.

Pu Xuan was injured too, and his physical strength was depleted.

Their pursuers hadn’t given either of them any time to rest and recover whatsoever. Both of them were arrows at the end of their flight.

It was just that Lian Luo’s wounds were far worse than Pu Xuan’s.

Boom!

A massive mountain descended from the heavens, blocking their path.

Lian Luo waved his hand, and dazzling sword light whooshed forth, cleaving the mountain apart. Its slopes split into pieces.

Practically simultaneously, a thin, agile man in black shot through the gap in the split mountain and charged. His eyes were sunken, and he gripped a blood-red saber. His movements were lightning quick.

Whoosh!

The man in black flashed through the air and vanished, leaving two new bloody gashes on Lian Luo’s torso. He’d come dangerously close to being disemboweled.

“You’re still alive?” The man in black blinked in astonishment.

Lian Luo roared. Countless streaks of blood-red sword qi interwove into a crimson sword lotus, then descended upon the man in black from above.

Bang!

A blood-red lotus exploded into countless streaks of sword qi, then scattered, leaving the black-robed man’s body riddled with holes. Still, he escaped in the end, and his body didn’t fully shatter.

Lian Luo was a bit unwilling to accept this, but in the end, he gnashed his teeth and decisively gave chase.

“Little Brother Pu Xuan, I’m afraid I won’t last much longer,” Lian Luo transmitted along the way, hurried, as if eager to get it all out, but calm. “We fought shoulder-to-shoulder for half a year, traversing the Immeasurable and Silent Continents to reach these mountains. Anyone who found out about this would give us both a big thumbs up!

“But it seems I’ll be leaving first. You’re a sensible sort, so whatever you do, don’t weep and wail like a little girl. If you do, you’ll only make me look down on you!"

Pu Xuan’s heart clenched. He said gravely, “Cut the crap! You have to hold on. Even if you can’t, you have to!”

He was keenly aware of how dire Lian Luo’s situation was, and he knew that Lian Luo’s seemingly calm tone was really just intended to comfort him.

Lian Luo sighed, then grinned. “You’re His Excellency Su’s disciple, and I was commanded to ensure your safety no matter what. If you die here in the Obscured Heavens Mountains, how will I show my face going forward?”

His smile faded, his gaze more solemn than ever before. “Listen to me. I’m about to fight with everything I’ve got. You’d better not fucking hesitate. Run as far as you can! All I can do now is drag a few of the bastards down with me and create a path for you to escape!”

When he saw that Pu Xuan still had objections, Lian Luo smacked him on the shoulder. “It’s settled! Any more arguments, and it’s over between us!”

His ruthless, determined gaze made Pu Xuan’s heart shake, and he instantly fell silent.

“That’s more like it! A tiger remains standing even in death, and a man ought to die with his balls facing the sky. I’ve spent my life fighting all over the world. I’ve slain too many powerful foes to count, and I’ve used their skulls to construct a burial mound atop White Sparrow Tower. Even if I die, I’ll have no regrets! So what need is there for you to worry?”

But then, a hint of melancholy appeared on his brow. “I just hate that I don’t know if my master is alive or dead. I’m going to die without ever seeing her again...”

Boom!

Lightning rumbled and boomed, and firelight swept outward as the Heavenly Monarchs attacked once more, all of them ruthless as could be.

Lian Luo cast aside his scattered thoughts and led Pu Xuan away with all his might.

......

Deep within the Obscured Heavens Mountains, a group of cultivators stood atop a ridge, watching a hovering curtain of light.

It reflected Lian Luo, Pu Xuan, and their pursuers.

“Yao Monarch Lian Luo sure lives up to his reputation as the master of White Sparrow Tower and Lu Hongpao’s most loyal dog. He’s terrifyingly strong! Far stronger than any ordinary Heavenly Monarch,” said the leader of the group, a man in dark robes. He sighed with admiration.

He was tall and thin, with a silk turban, a feather fan, and an elegant bearing. He stood there with his hands behind his back and the air of a leader.

This was Wang Chu, the junior apprentice brother of the leader of Sevendeaths Court. He was a late-stage Piercing Illusions Stage Heavenly Monarch, as well as one of the mightiest Heavenly Monarchs in the Immeasurable Continent!

It was Wang Chu who was leading the mission to hunt Lian Luo and Pu Xuan down.

Over the past half year, Lian Luo and Pu Xuan had been surrounded, intercepted, and attacked over one hundred times. Wang Chu was behind it all.

It was just that he’d never once joined the battle personally.

He was traveling with three other Heavenly Monarchs of Sevendeaths Court, as well as a dozen or so Heavenly Monarchs from Sevendeaths Court’s subordinate factions. Every last one of them was a hand-picked elite. Even the weakest was a mid-stage Heavenly Monarch, a Refining Void expert!

“Over the past six months, at least twenty of our fellows have died at Lian Luo’s hands! That bastard must die!” said one of the Heavenly Monarchs, ashen-faced with anger. His eyes burned with hatred.

Sevendeaths Court had sent only four people on this mission. All of the others hailed from other factions.

That meant that not one of the dead Heavenly Monarchs was from Sevendeaths Court!

The experts of the Heavenly Monarch factions couldn’t help but ache at the loss. All of them were furious!

“That’s right! We’ve got to grind his bones to dust and scatter them to the wind!” said another Heavenly Monarch. All of them were seething with murderous intent.

Wang Chu shook his head. “He must die, but he cannot die here. If he does, it will ruin Sevendeaths Court’s plans.”

Lian Luo couldn’t die here. They had to capture him alive!

That went for Pu Xuan, too.

The founder of Sevendeaths Court, Heavenly Sovereign Yaoguang, had issued those orders himself, and his commands were non-negotiable.

Moreover, Heavenly Sovereign Yaoguang had promised Wang Chu that so long as he completed this mission, there’d be a spot for him in the upcoming Struggle for Heavenly Fate!

This was what Wang Chu was most concerned about.

He didn’t care in the least whether the other Heavenly Monarchs lived or died. Even if every last one of them died, he’d consider it worthwhile so long as he captured Lian Luo and Pu Xuan.

“Daoist Brother, you owe me a favor.” A voice emanated from afar.

A figure leaned against an ancient cliffside pine tree, his hands swinging leisurely in the air. He was thin, with blue clothes and white hair. His features were unearthly and strange, and he carried a jade flute.

This was Ren Dongshi, one of Heavenly Sovereign Wen’s legacy disciples, as well as one of the mightiest Heavenly Monarchs in Limitless Palace—and by extension, the Divine Wandering Continent.

“Rest assured, Fellow Daoist. Once this is over, I’ll be sure to reward you generously,” promised Wang Chu.

This was the Divine Wandering Continent. Naturally, this was Limitless Palace’s territory.

Wang Chu and his subordinates had managed to surround Lian Luo and Pu Xuan so easily here in the Obscured Heavens Mountains largely thanks to the support of local factions.

They had to acknowledge that favor!

“No need for generous rewards. I’d just like to warn you, Fellow Daoist. Su Yi is currently somewhere in the Divine Wandering Continent.” Ren Dongshi said casually, “If he finds out about this, there’s no way he’ll remain a bystander.”

Su Yi!

The name seemed to possess magic power. Everyone there was instantly solemn.

Wang Chu laughed dismissively. “It would be better if Su Yi did show up. I’d be sure to kill the bastard personally!”

His seemingly casual words revealed his deep-seated, contemptuous pride.

“Oh?” Ren Dongshi suddenly somersaulted onto the ground. “Didn’t you hear that he personally killed multiple Heavenly Monarchs in the ruins of the Heart-Tempering Sword House just six months ago?”

Wang Chu said calmly, “I naturally heard about it, but do you really think a Silent Realm sword cultivator killed those Heavenly Monarchs?”

Without waiting for a response, Wang Chu sneered. “They say that Su Yi has a host of cards up his sleeves. Seems to me he just borrowed some kind of external power to kill those Heavenly Monarchs.”

“Ah, but external power is part of your strength,” Ren Dongshi said with a laugh. “Isn’t a sword cultivator’s sword a type of external power? It’s enough that you’re capable of wielding and controlling it.”

Wang Chu shook his head slightly. “People who do nothing but rely on external power are entirely unworthy of my concern! He has hidden cards, but I do too, don’t I?”

Ren Dongshi nodded as if enlightened. “I understand. So, you came prepared, Fellow Daoist.”

Wang Chu was just about to say something when his gaze flitted toward the hovering curtain of light. “Our prey is on the brink of death. It’s time to close the net!”

Everyone’s spirits soared.

“Fellow Daoist, are you willing to come with us and help us capture them?” asked Wang Chu.

Ren Dongshi smiled. “It would be my honor.”

With that, the group took to the skies.

Deep within the Obscured Heavens Mountains, there stood a barren, windswept plain. Nothing grew there, not even an inch of grass.

Lian Luo and Pu Xuan were surrounded by Heavenly Monarchs. There was nowhere left to run, as an electric killing formation covered the entire area. Someone had set it for them a long time ago.

Now, Pu Xuan and Lian Luo had fallen into their trap.

Lightning surged, and the power of the formation churned, relentlessly assailing Lian Luo and Pu Xuan. Their situation was perilous.

Lian Luo’s body was in tatters. His wounds were so severe that they were startling to both the heart and the eyes. His right arm had been severed, and he was bleeding from a cut on his neck. He’d almost been decapitated.

He raised his head with great difficulty, then hacked up a mouthful of spit and grinned. “Little Brother, aren’t you curious to see just how ferocious I am when I’m not afraid to die?”

Pu Xuan’s heart clenched, but before he could object, Lian Luo’s ten-foot frame caught ablaze, blurring into an astonishing divine flame as he charged explosively forward.