“It would appear so,” attested Emperor Ao, nodding.
That only made Chu Xun anxious about Jiu You’s wellbeing.
“Leave this fruit here. I’ll see if I can do anything about it.”
Chu Xun nodded his consent.
“In the meantime, I’m going northwest. There Zombies on the rampage.”
“Heavens, the race of Zombies,” grimaced Emperor Ao, “How quick the world’s mutating now…”
“How about healing my wounds first?” Chu Xun grumbled sourly. The swelling at his backside had been unbearably agonizing.
Emperor Ao giggled. He flicked a bright little burst of light at Chu Xun who immediately felt a cool, refreshing sensation on his rump and the pain was gone.
“All right. That’s enough blather, I’ll say my goodbyes to Jing Hong,” said Chu Xun. He barely took a few steps when he halted and he looked over his shoulder at Emperor Ao, saying, “And be quick with that magical fruit. It is Jiu You that I was mentioning earlier; that Human King who had leaped through three grades.”
The mention of a familiar name only served to deepen Emperor Ao’s frown and he nodded.
“When will you be traveling northwest?” asked Emperor Ao.
“I’m waiting for Jiu You to come back. That means I’ll be departing in two to three days, perhaps,” Chu Xun replied.
Emperor Ao paused. “I’ll let Jing Hong come with you then. She’s nearing a breakthrough and I’m sure she’d be ascending in these two days.”
Chu Xun did not refuse; Jing Hong’s powers were but slightly inferior to his, making her a powerful ally to have.
…
Chu Xun traveled back to the Fire Dragon Palace to find Yan Chong and Lei Bao still not back. The hunt for the infiltrator Ding Ping must be still underway.
But his ability to steal the Torrid Tempest Badge from Lei Bao without being noticed made him a dangerous person and it won’t be easy locating him.
“How are you feeling?” Chu Xun asked Yan Wushuang. The latter now looked better with color now back to his face.
“I feel better already.”
“Very good. I won’t know how to explain to your father if anything happens to you,” he said gravely.
“Oh, spare me all that!” scowled Yan Wushuang, narrowing his eyes at Chu Xun, “Quit pretending to be concerned. If anything goes wrong to me, rest assured that it could only be your fault.”
Chu Xun chuckled dryly. Yu Cheng told him before that the Dark Claret Pearl was not strong enough to kill Human Kings. But Yan Wushuang’s powers were sealed then and that barely made him any different from any ordinary man, if not slightly stronger. Even so, with his powers sealed, he could never resist the strength of the poison and that nearly spelled his death.
“Wait till we find this Ding Ping. I’ll make sure he’s turned into minced meat,” Yan Wushuang growled bitterly. He had almost died at what first seemed like a harmless joke only for it to turned out as an insidious assassination plot.
“Don’t worry. We’ll find him no matter what,” said Chu Xun with furious malice.
Chu Xun contemplated his options and decided that he should call the Top Official and request his aid.
With only a few hundred men between them, looking for a man in so vast a city was like searching for a needle from a haystack.
The Top Official was hardly pleased to hear what happened. Infuriated, he immediately ordered his men to help in the city-wide manhunt.
At the same time, endeavors to locate Ding Ping were also mounted through the mass media and the Internet.
Chu Xun even offered rich rewards for anyone who could come forward with any information pertaining to this infiltrator: ten middle-grade magical herbs for any news of him and a hundred magical herbs for anyone who catches him alive.
And with the promise of a prize, gallant champions eager stood up to contest for it.
Every warrior in the capital stirred with excitement.
At a tavern in the capital, a gaunt man shared a window-side table with a lanky companion sitting opposite him.
“What shall I do now, Presbyter Cui?” whispered the scrawny little man Ding Ping meekly. The forces of the Fire Dragon Palace were combing the city for him.
“Rest easy. You and I both serve the young Master. He’d never abandon us,” said his taller companion.
“I wonder if Yan Wushuang’s dead by now,” muttered Ding Ping with hardly a lift in his voice.
“I don’t think he’ll ever survive it. Your timing was impeccable.”
“But how are we supposed to leave this place, Presbyter Cui? All the exits have been barred by the forces of the Fire Dragon Palace.”
“We wait,” said the presbyter, “First, we need to confirm if Yan Wushuang’s dead.”
“I applaud the young Master for this plan,” grinned Ding Ping wickedly, “Yan Wushuang’s death would spark enmity between the Yans and the Devil.”
“Liu Tianhe…” cackled Presbyter Cui wickedly, “Who would have thought… If Yan Wushuang had not so brazenly exposed himself, we would not have found out that the Liu Tianhe we’ve encountered then is actually the Devil himself.”
“But what if Yan Wushuang survives?” asked Ding Ping suddenly.
“We won’t be staying here for long,” Presbyter Cui squinting his eyes, “No matter he survives or not.”
“But the Devil’s minions are around hunting for me,” said Ding Ping grimly, “It won’t be easy getting out of here.”
“I’ve made contact with the Young Master,” revealed Presbyter Cui, “He’ll have people waiting outside the city to receive us. We’ll just have to come up with ways to get out.”
“But with all the Devil’s minions manning the exits, it’s easier said than done…” Ding Ping’s eyes were wandering outside the window when his voice broke.
Presbyter Cui followed his gaze and saw two men and one young woman approaching, “You know them?”
“Azure Dragon and War Tiger. The girl’s Jade Rabbit, a member of Squad Purple Phoenix of the Fire Dragon Palace,” said Ding Ping.
“What are you thinking about? You mean to take them and use them to escape?”
Ding Ping nodded.
“You should understand how the Devil thinks. The lives of common people hardly mattered much to him. Are you sure all three of them will help to make the Devil let us go?” asked Presbyter Cui.
“I’m sure of it. As far as I’m concerned, these three were the first to know the Devil. Earlier than Yan Chong, Lei Bao, and the others, in fact. Especially the girl. Chu Xun has been remarkably kind towards her.”
Presbyter Cui’s eyes shine with a strange thrill. “Is she Chu Xun’s woman?” he asked.
“No, but she’s still important to him.”
“She’d do then,” beamed the presbyter.
They shared a quick look and they got up, leaving the tavern.
…
“Hi there, are you looking for me?”
The sudden voice made Azure Dragon, War Tiger, and Jade Rabbit all jerked their heads up frantically in unison to see who it was standing in their way.
“Ding Ping,” Azure Dragon muttered.
“You’re right. It is me,” Ding Ping said calmly.
“And you dare show yourself,” War Tiger croaked hoarsely, “You have a nerve.”
“What makes you think that you three can take me?” scoffed Ding Ping, releasing his aura all at once. The faces of Azure Dragon and his companions tensed with apprehension.
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“A Fourth-grade Human King,” observed Azure Dragon somberly.
“And you still think you can catch me?” Ding Ping said, beaming broadly.
Azure Dragon’s hand slipped into his pocket and groped for his phone to alert the others.
“I’d suggest that you freeze.”
Azure Dragon and his companions spun around at once to face another newcomer: a tall stranger barring their escape.
“I only want a little cooperation from you to escort us out of the city,” said Ding Ping.
“Never, and you can forget about leaving the capital,” growled War Tiger.
“Big words for a small man,” sneered Presbyter Cui and without a warning, he fired a blast of Internal Breath.
Bang! Bang!
It caught War Tiger and Azure Dragon together, hurling them both to the ground.
Either it was clemency or maybe Jade Rabbit, being just a Grandmaster, was just too weak that Presbyter Cui had not even tried attacking her.
Reeling with shock as they clambered back to their feet, Azure Dragon and War Tiger immediately realized the strength of their new enemy: a Sixth-grade Human King.
“Give up any futile resistance and just surrender, nice and easy. All we want is just your help to get us out of the capital. Don’t worry, we’ll release you once we’re safe,” said Ding Ping.
Azure Dragon and War Tiger quickly exchanged brief glances and they bolted, pouncing at Ding Ping. The former screamed as he lunged, “Run, Jade Rabbit! Tell the others!”
“Silly,” Ding Ping pouted as he raised a lazy hand and fired another blast of Internal Breath at them, knocking them together away easily.
“Some people just have to choose the hard way,” grumbled Presbyter Cui, lifting his hand to strike.
Buzz!
A sonic wave pummeled into Ding Ping like a cudgel.
Boom!
Ding Ping crashed backward.
“ARGGGHH!” He howled with agony, his hand clutching his head tightly as he squirmed and writhed like a madman.
That caught Presbyter Cui by surprise.
Apparently, so did Azure Dragon and War Tiger.
Every head turned to see Jade Rabbit wielding a little golden drum. She aimed it at Presbyter Cui and struck it, firing another powerful pulse of sonic wave at him.
It was the Master Drum of Tremor, a High-grade Immortal Weapon that Chu Xun gave to her not long ago.
The sonic waves it emitted looked invisible, but they were so deadly that its sheer force warped even the air as it whizzed at its target.
Boom!
The blast caught Presbyter Cui squarely and he grunted with pain as he staggered several steps backward, nearly collapsing.
So devastating was the Master Drum’s power that even a Sixth-grade Human King could hardly prevent from grunting in pain. His face contorted at the agony he felt as if his very soul was going to explode.
“Azure Dragon! War Tiger! Come here!” Jade Rabbit cried. The Grandmaster’s face was ashen pale – using the Master Drum twice had expended much of her powers.
Presbyter Cui quickly channeled his powers and calm himself to steady his giddying aura. As a Sixth-grade Human King, he recovered quickly and he cast a look at the Master Drum, feeling awed and covetous.
Azure Dragon quickly made contact with Chu Xun.
“The Master is on his way here,” he told his companions.
“The Master has been informed, Ding Ping,” shouted War Tiger, “You’ll never get away.”
Presbyter Cui’s eyes gleamed furiously with resentment. He turned as if to leave, but right after a couple of paces, he wheeled around and sped towards Azure Dragon and his companions with breakneck speed while firing a jet of Internal Breath at them.
But Jade Rabbit had been preparing; she knew better than to be careless.
Bong!
She struck hard again on the drumhead and fired another powerful sonic wave.
Boom!
The sonic pulse collided with the energy bolt, eliciting an explosion so huge that it swept up winds and dust, grinding any loose cobblestone into gravel.
Jade Rabbit’s face turned an utter pallid-white as light left her bright, onyx-like eyes as she finally fainted.
Using the Master Drum thrice had drained every iota of her Internal Breath, completely exhausting her.
Presbyter Cui was delighted to see this and he darted forward like a bolt of lightning.
Azure Dragon rushed quickly to Jade Dragon while squeezing the Master Drum into War Tiger’s arms.
They were both First-grade Human Kings and War Tiger quickly activated the weapon which glowed brightly in gold to his command.
Bong!
A terrible sonic wave blasted forth, causing the air to distort and crackle.
The sonic waves fired by War Tiger with the Master Drum of Tremor carried more force than Jade Rabbit’s.
Presbyter Cui’s face fell in dismay and he quickly scooted away for hundreds of meters to avoid the destructive waves.
Boom!
The pulse missed the presbyter and hit the wall of a structure nearby, causing it to shake before the wall caved in, leaving a gaping hole yawning at them with the steel rods inside all broken by the blast.
But War Tiger’s face went pale as well as he finally understood why did Jade Rabbit faint. The Master Drum was truly a terrible weapon that no common man could adequately wield. One single attack from it could easily deplete a staggering amount of Internal Breath.
Presbyter Cui stared with an observant gleam in his eyes. He could see that the Master Drum of Tremor demanded a great supply of Internal Breath to be used.
“Let’s see how many times more can you use it,” he sniggered quietly to himself.
Swoosh!
As quick as lightning he sprinted at War Tiger, lifting his hand to attack.
War Tiger snarled furiously and with another stroke on the Master Drum, another sonic wave lashed forth.
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Little did he expect that it was only a feint; Presbyter Cui swiftly withdrew backward, causing the sonic wave to miss him and smashed into another wall.
A long crack stretched perilously along the wall. It would not be long before it collapses, bringing the whole office block down with it and every occupant inside frantically evacuated.
War Tiger wobbled unsteadily, his face as white as death. The exertion had siphoned almost eighth to ninth-tenths of his powers.
“Give it here, War Tiger,” muttered Azure Dragon anxiously and he held the Master Drum firmly, readying himself to attack.
But Presbyter Cui was nowhere near fully pleased himself; he was worried sick because he knew Chu Xun was on his way. He needed to capture them quickly before he suffered a most painful death at the Devil’s hands.