The Enemy

Inside the crumbling earthen sphere, the sound of Wu Wen's ragged breathing echoed through the silence. His body leaned against a cracked wall of earth, trembling with each impact from outside. Blackened red blood spilled from his lips as he coughed it up again and again.

Suddenly, a hoarse voice that was not his rang out in his mind.

[Host... you are going to die.]

Wu Wen gasped, his eyes bloodshot, before clenching his teeth and shouting with fury.

"Trash... shut your mouth..." he snarled as though trying to kill the voice itself. "You... you helped it take over my son's body!"

His voice reverberated through the entire dome. Not far away, Ye Lin paused, turning his head with a puzzled expression.

[I did not...]

"You helped it!" Wu Wen roared. "You hid its soul from my detection! You let it enter my son's body!"

[I'm sorry... I truly had no choice... but the ancestors of the Wu Clan will surely help you!]

"Hmph... shut up... a snake will always be a snake." Wu Wen spat blood on the ground, even as it continued flowing from his lips.

Ye Lin quietly approached, sword in hand. The cold blade rested gently against Wu Wen's neck. His eyes held not a shred of hesitation as he spoke.

"Do you have any last words?"

The sound of boom after boom thundered outside without end, as though hell itself were pounding on the gates of the world. Wu Wen slowly opened his eyes, his face etched with exhaustion and ragged breath.

"I have one request... whether you do it or not is up to you."

Ye Lin said nothing. He simply gripped his sword tighter and listened with a solemn expression.

"Kill... Wu Zhao for me."

Ye Lin narrowed his eyes slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Wu Zhao..." Wu Wen said between shallow breaths. "No... he's no longer Wu Zhao. Some mutt took over my son's body a few months ago, and after your master killed it, it must have been reincarnated into the Golden Crow Dynasty."

Ye Lin squinted slightly, pretending not to know the matter and asked again.

"You mean... it's still alive."

Wu Wen nodded. A voice full of pain followed.

"Yes... yes, the one who ruined my life... and yours... it's still alive. And it's about to live in comfort in the Upper Realm. But... the power that once made it strong enough... to destroy both your life and mine... that power is gone from it now and has passed to..."

Boommmmmm!!!

Before anyone could say another word, the earthen sphere trembled violently. An explosion burst through one side of the wall, and a silver-blue sword pierced through in an instant, aiming straight at Ye Lin.

Thwack!

The sound of the blade stabbing through flesh echoed loudly, but it wasn't Ye Lin who had been pierced.

Bright red blood streamed down the blade. Everyone saw Wu Wen standing between Su Yi's sword and Ye Lin. He had taken the full blow with his own body. Blood gushed from the wound in his chest.

Ye Lin murmured in shock, "Wu Wen…!"

"Hah... I..." Wu Wen let out a soft laugh, though blood kept pouring from his chest. "I'm not trying to ask for your forgiveness... because I know... what I've done can never be forgiven..."

He kept his eyes fixed on Su Yi's gaze with a hint of relief. "But… at the very least... this is the last thing I can do..."

His voice faltered mid-sentence, and his body collapsed just as a furious roar erupted.

"YAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!! Boommmmm! BOOMMMMM!!

The ground around them caved into deep pits. Scalding lava surged up from the earth like a volcanic eruption. Power surged upward into the sky, turning the heavens pitch black.

The earthen dome he had created shattered into pieces. The earth trembled with violent intensity, caving in across a wide area. The earthen walls cracked apart, chunks of stone and soil scattered through the air, obscuring all vision.

Ye Lin stood amid the dusty haze, staring at the man he once hated more than anyone else... yet who had just sacrificed himself to protect him.

Su Yi, seeing the situation slip beyond her control, twisted her face in fury. The sword in her hand radiated a white glow, ready to cut Wu Wen clean in half.

But before the blade could fall, Wu Wen raised his hand and caught it, using thick earthen clay to hold it in place. Fresh blood streamed from his palm, clenched so tightly around the blade that his hand was nearly severed.

He grinned like a madman, his eyes gleaming with a dark, abyssal light.

"Easy now... little lady."

His voice carried a teasing tone, but it was laced with a terrifying pressure, as if he no longer feared the death that loomed before him.

At that same moment, Ye Lin leapt from his position, attempting to flee. But before he could get far, a figure in pink and crimson robes appeared before him, blocking his path. It was Sui San, the third princess. She smiled slightly, her voice soft and full of charm.

"Where do you think you're going? The souls of the Ye Clan are still under my curse. If you don't want them to die, you'd better surrender quietly. Be a good boy."

Suddenly, Ye Lin's eyes dulled, as if he had fallen into a trance. The curse energy acted like a hypnotic spell, surging into his mind and clouding his thoughts.

"Kid! Snap out of it!" Duan Lingchen roared with fury and unleashed a burst of power into Ye Lin's consciousness, snapping the middle finger of his hand with a sharp crack.

"Aaagh!"

Ye Lin jolted awake from the pain. Without hesitation, he drove his right fist square into Sui San's pale, beautiful face, distorting her features and slamming her into the ground with a bone-jarring crash.

But it wasn't over yet. From behind him, a figure descended faster than the eye could follow. Sui Qi, the seventh princess, charged down cloaked in a deep red spiritual aura, her fist brimming with vengeful power, aiming straight for Ye Lin's back.

Yet the blow never landed. A mass of dark brown clay shot up from the ground, intercepting her strike mid-air. It twisted and bound itself tightly around her body. Ye Lin used the opening to retreat immediately.

"Tch! You old bastard!" Sui Qi snarled, her eyes blazing with fury.

"Old your mother! I'm younger than your damned mother, you brat!" Wu Wen shouted back, unashamed.

He gathered demonic energy in his hands and shattered Su Yi's blade into two pieces barehanded. Then he lunged toward her, driving an earthen spear straight through her chest.

Bright red blood burst from Su Yi's mouth. Her eyes widened in disbelief, unable to accept that she had been struck down by a man already at death's door.

As the demonic energy within Wu Wen surged wildly, it carried the same aura that Wu Zhao had once unleashed during his battle with Lei Chen at the Holy Land of the Immortal River.

Suddenly, four more heavenly maidens of the Golden Crow Dynasty descended from the skies. Each was fully armed with sword, spear, dagger, and a glowing silver chain all flying toward Wu Wen with murderous intent.

The system's voice echoed faintly in his mind. [Host, my power is nearly depleted.]

But Wu Wen paid it no mind.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Weapons pierced into his body from every direction. His blood sprayed in long, violent arcs from countless wounds. Yet Wu Wen only smiled wider.

"Heh… then let me show you all… just how hard a cornered dog can bite!!"

BOOOOOOM!!

His demonic power erupted like a volcano, a black storm of energy consuming everything nearby in a frenzy. The five women leapt away instinctively. Wu Wen's body now radiated a force that devoured everything that dared approach.

The demonic energy devoured everything in its path, erupting from Wu Wen's body like a storm of darkness that swallowed the surrounding spiritual power without discrimination. Anything touched by its force withered and crumbled before the eye stone, trees, even lingering fragments of souls in the air were consumed mercilessly.

Su Yi stood not far off, gazing with cold, impassive eyes. Her expression was calmer than a winter sea as she spoke softly, "So the demonic power inside Wu Zhao... it came from you after all. What a disappointment."

Her words pierced like a blade to the heart, but they no longer shook Wu Wen's soul. He didn't even care to listen anymore.

His body surged forward with demonic power, shooting toward Su Yi at supersonic speed. The air exploded around him with the force of his movement. Su Yi reacted instantly, slashing the broken sword in her hand toward his charging figure.

But his demonic aura corroded the metal like it was mere brittle wood. Her broken blade disintegrated in an instant, and Wu Wen's fist smashed into her face with a thunderous crack.

"Ugh!"

Blood seeped from the corner of her lips, and one side of her face began to wrinkle and decay, but her eyes remained eerily calm. Without hesitation, she drew another blade from the void and thrust it toward Wu Wen's throat.

Thud!

The blade pierced through his skin and veins. Wu Wen stiffened, his eyes widening. He knew instantly that the system's power had run out. A smile slowly formed on his lips as he glanced to the side countless swords and spears from multiple directions were now hurtling toward him from behind.

"It's over... Father," Su Yi said respectfully.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Wu Wen's body collapsed as the weapons stabbed through him. He had no strength left to resist, not even enough to raise an arm.

"For me..." Wu Wen's voice was faint. "Perhaps it is... yes. But..."

Before he could finish, a jet of pitch-black flame suddenly descended from the sky without warning. The wave of fire consumed everything nearby, and the blast shook the ground with violent force.

Su Yi and her four celestial sisters leapt away just in time as shadows and black smoke engulfed the entire area in an instant. Visibility dropped to nothing. Not even one's own shadow could be seen.

Amidst the thick curtain of smoke, a voice rang out, hoarse and filled with fury.

"You... what the hell are you thinking... why haven't you run yet..." Wu Wen's voice faltered, but the anger within it remained.

A fist suddenly shot out and struck Wu Wen square in the face.

Thud.

Ye Lin punched him hard, then immediately shoved a pill into his mouth.

"Shut up, old man."

Wu Wen coughed, almost choking on the pill, but forced a grin despite the pain wracking his body.

"My face... probably looks younger than yours..."

From within the smoke, a brilliant silver sword wave tore through, scattering the fog in an instant. The haze vanished, revealing the seven celestial maidens now surrounding the two of them.