Chapter 83: Chapter 82: Watching the Battle

Inside the pitch-black cellar.

Zhou Yuantong checked her mother’s breathing, her face etched with anxiety. After lowering her hand, her eyes revealed an inner struggle.

’Mother was already weak, and now she’s plagued by this terrible illness. Without medicine, I’m afraid she won’t last much longer.’

’Will Father ever come back?’

A month ago, when the first signs of chaos appeared in the town, she and her mother had hidden in the cellar.

At first, Sixth Master Zhou would come down from time to time to check on the two of them, bringing food, medicine, and stopping for a chat.

As time went on, Sixth Master Zhou came down less and less often.

Moreover, a gloomy, deathly aura had inexplicably started to cling to him. The sanity in his eyes grew fainter, and he began to space out and twitch more and more often.

Sometimes, Zhou Yuantong didn’t even dare to look at her own father, fearing he would suddenly go mad.

"This won’t do!"

Touching her mother’s feverish forehead, Zhou Yuantong gritted her teeth.

"I can’t keep waiting. Mother can’t hold on for much longer. I have to go out and find medicine, no matter what."

The situation had deteriorated to this point. Even knowing the danger outside, she had to take the gamble.

Carefully moving aside the cellar’s stone slab, Zhou Yuantong had just climbed out when she saw a familiar figure wandering nearby.

"Father!"

Her face lit up with joy, and she hurried to call out to him.

But after taking just two steps closer, her expression changed. Her face turned deathly pale, and she began to back away slowly.

"Gnnnh..."

Hearing her voice, Sixth Master Zhou turned around. His face was ghastly pale, his eyes were scarlet, and an eerie aura emanated from him.

Staring at Zhou Yuantong, Sixth Master Zhou’s throat bobbed. A low growl rumbled from his mouth as his body leaned slightly forward.

A monster!

At this moment, not only was Sixth Master Zhou’s face twisted and transformed, but the aura about him was not that of a living person at all. He was more like a monster, his eyes filled with madness.

"Father."

"What’s wrong with you?"

"SWOOSH!"

Before the words had even left Zhou Yuantong’s mouth, Sixth Master Zhou lunged like a crazed cheetah, baring his fangs and claws.

A sturdy wooden post between them was sent flying with a single swipe of his hand.

"THUD!"

Zhou Yuantong dove sideways with all her might. She felt a powerful gust of wind graze her back, followed by a searing pain.

She had no doubt that if she’d been hit head-on, she would have been smashed into a pulp.

"Father!"

Having narrowly escaped, she couldn’t help but scream:

"What’s happened to you?"

"Gnnnh..."

Sixth Master Zhou stopped and turned. At her cry, a flicker of sanity seemed to return to his murderous eyes, but it was suppressed in an instant.

"Husband."

The weak voice came from the woman in the cellar, who had somehow struggled her way out.

Sixth Master Zhou’s body stiffened. He slowly turned his head to look at the woman, his body trembling slightly.

Decades of shared life and affection awoke the last vestiges of his sanity. He stared at the woman and struggled to speak.

"Run!"

"Get away! Now!"

Before the words left his lips, he charged madly at the woman, opened his mouth wide, and bit down hard on her arm.

"RRRIP..."

With a single bite, he tore the woman’s arm clean off.

"AAAH!"

The woman shrieked in pain and fainted on the spot. Zhou Yuantong screamed and charged, knocking the maddened Sixth Master Zhou to the ground.

"Die!"

"Die!"

"..."

Sixth Master Zhou rolled to his feet and lunged again.

"CRASH!"

The mother and daughter, clinging to each other, were knocked into the wooden house. Amid the chaos, the crazed figure was like a Demon, all traces of his former kindness and tolerance gone.

Just as the mother and daughter were about to be torn to shreds by Sixth Master Zhou, a metal giant charged out from the side.

"SWISH!"

A flash of a saber, and Sixth Master Zhou’s charging figure came to an abrupt halt. A crack slowly appeared between his eyebrows.

The crack spread downwards, splitting his skull in two.

His scarlet eyes went dim, and the chaotic, frenzied aura around him dissipated.

"Father!"

Zhou Yuantong cried out in shock and subconsciously threw a punch at the figure:

"You killed my father!"

"PAK!"

Zhu Ju raised a hand, caught the incoming fist, and with a gentle flick of his arm, tossed her away.

"Your father was already dead. What I killed was a Demon."

"..." Zhou Yuantong landed, her expression blank. After a moment’s pause, she knelt, clutched her head in her hands, and began to weep with muffled sobs.

She wasn’t a fool.

How could she not have noticed the changes that had occurred in the Zhou Mansion?

Besides, when Sixth Master Zhou still had his sanity, he had specifically warned her never to practice the Silent Extinction Path of Evil Death.

The entire Zhou Family had gone mad!

And,

they were all already dead!

"Now is not the time for tears," Zhu Ju said.

"Your mother can’t hold on for much longer. If you don’t find medicine in time, she’ll suffer the same fate as your father."

"Go on."

"Leave the Zhou Mansion while you can."

Zhou Yuantong’s head snapped up, her gaze falling on the woman who had lost an arm and lay curled up and unconscious.

"Thank you!"

Her voice was hoarse as she nodded at Zhu Ju:

"Brother Zhu..."

Though he was wearing armor, his voice was not unfamiliar. Of course she knew who was standing before her.

*

*

*

Watching Zhou Yuantong leave, Zhu Ju shook his head lightly, then vaulted up onto a roof beam inside the house and sat down cross-legged.

This spot was relatively hidden, perfect for avoiding the chaos in the Zhou Mansion.

Moreover, a side wall had partially collapsed, allowing him to observe the outside without being easily noticed.

’Simply perfect!’

Time passed bit by bit.

Under the assault of the three factions, the thick fog enveloping the Zhou Mansion gradually thinned, and the sounds of shouting and killing grew sparse.

Before long, two figures appeared nearby.

One of them was an Elder of San Fen Hall, the Sword Hero Xiao Gongdu.

The other person wielded a long whip and wore a bamboo hat. A dense Evil Qi emanated from him. He wasn’t from any of the three factions; he was likely a Martial Artist who served the Netherworld Sect’s Immortal Master.

"CRACK!"

The long whip lashed out, creating a sharp, explosive crack.

The shadow of the whip created palm-sized vortexes of air that flew across the courtyard, followed by a sound like a string of firecrackers exploding.

The crisp cracks blended together into a deafening roar, and even the houses more than a hundred feet away trembled slightly.

’Qi Circulation Great Perfection!’

’A Martial Arts Realm!’

’Only with such a level of Cultivation and power could one display such terrifying might.’

By comparison, Sword Hero Xiao Gongdu was no less impressive. His longsword left trails of afterimages as sharp Sword Qi danced about unpredictably. His exquisite Sword Technique, infused with a measure of the Power of Heaven and Earth, continuously clashed with the barrage of whip-shadows.

’So strong!’

Watching this scene, Zhu Ju couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration.

He had never actually seen the top Martial Arts Powerhouses of this world fight. The likes of Jing Feng and Wu Chun were strong, but they were far from the pinnacle of power below the Innate realm.

’These two are the real deal!’

Their Inner Qi Cultivation, Martial Arts Methods, and Cultivation Inheritances were all top-tier.

Their every move could draw upon the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi in a small area to enhance the power of their Martial Skills.

Zhu Ju imagined himself in their place, his thoughts racing.

’My Physical Body is tough, I’m wearing the Breaking Army Armor, and my Saber Technique has improved. I could definitely fight them head-on, and I might even have a chance to gain the upper hand.’

’Hmm...’

’Looks like I’m not so bad myself. Am I already in the first rank of those below the Innate realm?’

Although he was now qualified to participate in such a battle, he had no intention of interfering and chose to remain an observer.

The two combatants fought their way further and further into the distance, until only the sound of their Powerful Qi clashing could be heard, and then nothing at all.

Before long, another two figures rushed over, one chasing the other.

The one in front was a familiar face: the sworn elder brother of Leng Xing’s group, and the current Patriarch of the Hua Family, Hua Wanhua.

The man behind him wielded a Familiar Copper Rod, his expression icy.

"CLANG..."

Hua Wanhua was clearly not his opponent’s match. He barely managed to block with his longsword and was forced back again and again.

"Hua, you never expected this, did you?" the man with the rod sneered.

"The man you looked down on back then actually managed to enter the Celestial Yu Gang and become the disciple of an Elder."

"Fengwu," Hua Wanhua growled through gritted teeth.

"I spared your life back then..."

"That’s right!" Fengwu sneered.

"You never should have let me go. How can someone your age not understand the simple principle of pulling up weeds by the roots?"

"Today, I’m going to show you just how wrong you were!"

"BAM!"

The rod slammed into the ground, sending dirt flying. Then, with a sudden flick, it nearly sent the longsword flying from Hua Wanhua’s hand.

"CLING, CLANG, CLANG..."

The sounds of collision were as rapid as a sudden downpour.

Hua Wanhua’s situation was growing more and more perilous.

"Die!"

With a great roar, Fengwu leaped high into the air and brought his rod smashing down. Hua Wanhua gritted his teeth and raised his sword to block.

"CLANG..."

The longsword was smashed to the ground.

Just as he was about to be killed on the spot, a flash of light suddenly shot out from the side. Startled, Fengwu hurriedly swung his rod to block.

"SWISH!"

"SHLIIICK..."

Hua Wanhua’s figure lunged forward. A Soft Sword sprang from his waist and sliced across Fengwu’s throat.

Meanwhile, Leng Xing, wielding a long saber, had intercepted the rod, completely foiling Fengwu’s attempt to pull it back to defend.

"THUMP!"

Fengwu fell to the ground, dead.

"I should have known it would come to this." Looking at the corpse on the ground, Hua Wanhua’s expression was complicated.

"I should have killed him back then. Killing him now has only provoked the Celestial Yu Gang. I’m afraid things will be difficult from now on."

"Don’t worry," Leng Xing consoled him.

"Whatever happens, we brothers will face it together."

"Let’s go, quickly!"

"This is no place to linger."

After briefly searching the corpse, the two hurried away. Zhu Ju, still sitting cross-legged on the beam, remained unmoved from beginning to end.

Not long after,

"BOOM!"

Several heart-stopping auras burst forth from the thinning fog, immediately followed by a tremendous roar.

It was as if an Earth Dragon was Flipping Over; the entire Zhou Mansion trembled.

Zhu Ju’s expression flickered.

’The Innate Qi Refiners have made their move!’

’Only an Innate Qi Refiner could be responsible for such a display of power.’

However, as curious as he was about the power of an Innate Qi Refiner, he had no intention of getting closer to watch. After all, he could get caught in the crossfire.

"WHOOSH!"

As he was lost in thought, a white figure streaked over and landed nearby, heading with clear familiarity toward the cellar where Zhou Yuantong and her mother had been hiding.

"Hm?"

The open entrance to the cellar made his expression change drastically.

"What’s going on?"

"Where are they?"

"BOOM!"

A violent surge of Qi Force erupted, and the already crumbling house collapsed in an instant. Zhu Ju, who had been hiding on the beams, was forced to leap down.

"It’s you. That young man from San Fen Hall," the white-robed man said, turning his head to look. His voice was ice-cold.

"Do you know where the girl who was here went?"

"I don’t," Zhu Ju said, shaking his head.

"You don’t?" The white-robed man’s face darkened.

"You clearly have her scent on you. How could you not know?"

"That woman has the ’Outer Saint Inner Charm,’ making her perfect for cultivating the Joyful Sect’s inheritance. Do you have any idea what I’ll gain if I get her? Where is she?!"

’Outer Saint Inner Charm?’

Zhu Ju had a sudden realization.

He had always felt a certain seductive quality about Zhou Yuantong, and it seemed he wasn’t wrong. It was just that her outward demeanor was so frank and open that it was difficult to notice the deeply hidden allure.

"My apologies."

Zhu Ju spoke politely.

"I truly don’t know where she went. I am very sorry to have hindered your affairs. If there’s nothing else, then... I’ll be taking my leave."

He began to back away slowly as he spoke.

"Leave?" The white-robed man’s eyes narrowed, his suppressed rage transforming into a towering killing intent.

"You ruined my plans, and you think you can just walk away?"

"Die!"