Breaking Army - Chapter 18

Someone who had just lost a loved one let out a tearful, ragged scream. Waving a knife, they lunged at Xiao Chen with reckless abandon. This time, however, there was no so-called divine protection. He couldn’t even get close to Xiao Chen, three feet away, he was struck by an invisible force and sent flying. The iron knife spun through the air, grazing another person’s head and scaring them so badly they nearly lost their wits.

“A monster, it’s a monster!!!”

Hua Wuhen had been enjoying the show for quite some time, his eyes never leaving the scene. He widened them in shock. He had assumed Xiao Chen was powerless because he was suppressed by the Array of a Hundred Demons, but where had this sudden surge of strength come from? Regardless, he couldn’t be given a chance!

Hua Wuhen raised his hand, chanting under his breath. His blood surged through the roots and into the array. His complexion withered rapidly, turning grey and ash-like before their eyes. His skin and muscles began to shrivel and shrink, just like those fallen husks, as his life force was drained away. The array, however, was driven into a deeper frenzy, glowing with a violent red light.

The townspeople looked up in horror. They watched as the bloody light spread above them like a dome, trapping them inside. Sharp, vivid red spikes began to poke through, dense and numerous. If they fell, it would truly be a rain of blood from the heavens, turning everyone on the ground into skewered meat. Earlier, when facing a weakened Xiao Chen, the townsfolk were brave enough to charge with axes. Now, witnessing a supernatural phenomenon beyond human power, the only sound was the repeated “thump” of knees hitting the dirt.

“The gods are angry! They are angry! They are angry!”

“Is it because we didn’t kill the monster? No, we are innocent! The monster is the one at fault! O gods, please punish the monster and spare us!”

As they prostrated themselves and begged for mercy, Xiao Chen let out a cold sneer. He stood up straight, glancing carelessly at the red spikes. Hua Wuhen had finally stopped being a spectator. This was the array’s ultimate move: to lure the prey into a jar and mince them into meat. The entire town was the jar, and the people below were merely fish on a chopping block, at his mercy.

“But I am no fish,” Xiao Chen said. He flipped his palm, and a snow-white sword appeared out of thin air. The Big Dipper was carved onto the scabbard. As the blade was drawn, a divine light shimmered within, the sword’s name was Hidden Edge.

He raised the sword, pointing it toward the sky full of red spikes.

The body of a God of War never fears battle. Xiao Chen spoke slowly, “A mere nobody dares to act so insolently.”

Hua Wuhen teetered within the array, his entire body shaking uncontrollably under the pressure. His bloodshot eyes remained fixed on Xiao Chen.

Bai Zhu ran back, gasping for breath. The soldiers had dragged him to the edge of town, only to find they couldn’t leave. They were trapped in a ghostly wall, a truly eerie sight. Taking advantage of their terror, Bai Zhu managed to break free and sprinted back.

He also saw the mysterious spikes overhead. It wasn’t that he wasn’t afraid, he was panting, his scalp tingling with dread, yet he couldn’t stop his feet. When the red spikes began to fall, he closed his eyes in fear. After waiting a long time without feeling anything, he slowly opened them to see a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life.

A heavenly god stood there in battle robes, his dark hair flying in the wind. His expression was neither sorrowful nor joyful, and his entire being radiated a chilling divine light. Above were floating clouds, and in his hand was a long sword that reached for the sky. The deity swung his blade, cleansing the surroundings. Everywhere the edge reached, the red spikes shattered into pieces.

Bai Zhu stared blankly, his mind filled with a single thought: So this is what it truly means when a god descends to earth…

Xiao Chen landed. The sigil between his brows flickered, and his battle robes vanished. This was his true form as a Star Lord, which he couldn’t maintain for long in his current state. He swallowed the metallic taste in his throat and casually wiped the blood from his lips with a finger. His lips were stained a vivid, brilliant red. He should have looked wretched, yet he had carved a path of life for the people below. Anyone who had seen him just now could no longer utter a single word of insult.

How could there be such a “wicked spirit”?

Xiao Chen’s cultivation was only beginning to recover. Combined with the suppression of the mortal realm, he couldn’t use much power yet. He felt that if he waited a few more breaths for his strength to return a bit more, he could break the Array of a Hundred Demons directly.

“Xiao Chen!!”

Hua Wuhen let out a heart-wrenching scream. He had already reverted halfway to his true form, withered petals and leaf scraps fluttering off his body. He lunged forward, desperate to throw himself at Xiao Chen. Unfortunately, his roots were already buried deep within the array, making him unable to move. He collapsed to the ground, his fingers clawing frantically at the earth and leaving bloody furrows. His voice was laced with a cursed venom, “Die, die, die! Just hurry up and die!”

Xiao Chen swept a glance over him. Hua Wuhen’s rotting body made it impossible to tell what kind of flower his original form was. Xiao Chen simply felt that even if his original form were in full bloom, it would surely be hideous, utterly incomparable to, incomparable to that spider lily from before.

He said something light and airy that made Hua Wuhen spit out a mouthful of blood, “I insist on living. What are you going to do about it?”

Hua Wuhen was so furious he nearly fainted on the spot.

Xiao Chen flicked his sword, ignoring the mortals with their varying expressions, and began walking toward Hua Wuhen. However, in the blink of an eye, everything changed again! The previously clear sky was suddenly swallowed by dark clouds. The black clouds pressed down on the city, completely blocking out the sun. This ominous darkness was more terrifying than the night. Layers of black clouds rolled and surged like ocean waves, accompanied by the roar of thunder. Purple lightning crackled and boomed. Even Hua Wuhen looked up in a daze, he hadn’t expected this either.

The mortals of Ruoshui Town had been through too many ups and downs in a single day. Under such extreme shock, they were either frozen stiff or their hearts couldn’t take it and they fainted. But Xiao Chen, who could remain calm even if a mountain collapsed before him, suddenly suffered a sharp change in expression: Heavenly Retribution!

He told me to wait, and this is what he wanted me to wait for?!

A man dressed in black stepped out from the darkness. With one step, he crushed the Array of a Hundred Demons. With another, he stood right in front of Xiao Chen.

The Lord of the Underworld had descended to the mortal realm. The heavens and earth were enraged, thus delivering punishment.

Before Mu Qing vanished, he told Xiao Chen to wait for him. As it turned out, the one who arrived was Rong Yuan’s true self.

Rong Yuan wore a mask, but the exposed skin was covered in a web of bloody cracks. The Heavenly Retribution was causing his physical body to tear apart, but his healing factor was so strong that the wounds continuously opened and closed, over and over again. The black clothes he wore were so dark that even when soaked in blood, it wasn’t obvious, they were simply damp, with blood dripping from his sleeves and leaving a long, crimson trail behind his robes on the ground.

The lightning howled, rebuking Rong Yuan for daring to defy the laws and descend in his true form. Zuo Yi and You Chang followed behind him, both of their expressions beyond description.

Xiao Chen felt the dizziness he had finally suppressed surging back up: he was furious.

He was also injured, and the two of them looked more battered than the other. Heartache and fury were jammed together in Xiao Chen’s chest. He grabbed Rong Yuan’s collar, his lips moving, but for a moment, he couldn’t find the words to scold him.

The half of Rong Yuan’s face that was visible was also constantly cracking, his jade-white skin a mess of blood. Even though there was a mask between them, Xiao Chen felt as if he could see those clear, innocent eyes of Mu Qing underneath. Thinking this only made Xiao Chen’s chest feel tighter.

What a troublesome disaster this man was.

He let go of the collar, gritting his teeth in exhaustion. “Using an avatar to block a hundred blades, and then bringing your true self to the mortal realm… you little brat, are you trying to turn the world upside down?!”

The sky rumbled with thunder, as if in agreement.

Rong Yuan’s eyes, however, were fixed only on Xiao Chen’s injuries. His face turned cold as he turned around, slowly scanning the townspeople. Xiao Chen’s heart jumped, and he hurried to grab his hand. “Don’t go crazy!”

He was already being struck by Heavenly Retribution. If he went on a killing spree against mortals, did he really not want to live anymore?!

Xiao Chen’s hand reached out instinctively, but upon touching him, all he felt was sticky blood and raw flesh. He shuddered and immediately let go. It wasn’t out of disgust, but because Rong Yuan’s flesh was so mangled that even the slightest touch would be nothing short of torture, amplifying the pain a thousandfold.

You Chang and Zuo Yi were also terrified he would lose control. Although they hadn’t fully grasped what had happened, they could guess based on the scene. Some things were always safe to say, so Zuo Yi hurried to speak, “My Lord, if they are guilty, they will be judged in the Underworld after they die. Please, reconsider!”

You Chang was breaking out in a cold sweat. They hadn’t been able to stop Rong Yuan in the Underworld, he had forced his way through the gate. They couldn’t let him go all the way now. He clenched his fists, prepared to stop him even if it meant risking everything! But before You Chang could speak, another voice beat him to it.

“Rong Yuan.”

Xiao Chen spoke, calling him by his name.

Rong Yuan turned around immediately. This was the first time Xiao Chen had called him by his name.

“My cultivation is slowly returning, but it’s too slow in the mortal realm. It’s making it so my illness hasn’t fully healed,” Xiao Chen’s voice was as pleasant as a clear spring. He spoke softly now, making one feel as if they weren’t under the threat of Heavenly Retribution, but in a normal setting. His tone was incredibly gentle. “Let’s go back to the Underworld, okay?”

He said back to the Underworld. He said we.

Rong Yuan nodded blankly.

Zuo Yi and You Chang let out a massive sigh of relief. Although they found it somewhat unbelievable that Xiao Chen could calm Rong Yuan with a single sentence, now was not the time to be picky. Stopping Rong Yuan was more important than anything.

Zuo Yi bowed in gratitude to Xiao Chen. “Thank you, Your Highness. Please, you and the Lord head back first. We will stay behind to handle the aftermath.”

They needed to figure out exactly what happened and clear the demon corpses. They couldn’t let others see to the cleanup until Rong Yuan was gone, to prevent too many people from knowing the Lord had come to the mortal realm and sparking wild rumors.

While they were talking, the only human still standing firm was Bai Zhu. Everything happening before him was so inconceivable. Bai Zhu stood dazed for a long time, only coming to his senses when he heard Xiao Chen was leaving. He was bold enough to step forward even in this situation, shouting at Xiao Chen, “Hey!”

Xiao Chen looked at him with amusement. “Doctor Bai, aren’t you afraid?”

“You aren’t going to hurt me, so what is there to fear?” Bai Zhu said righteously. He looked at Xiao Chen, and the doctor who usually spoke like a firecracker hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “Are… are you really a god?”

“I am but one of many living beings. Whether I am a god or not makes no difference to you. Oh, but it does make a difference to some, I almost forgot,” Xiao Chen said. “Unless it is given willingly, the flesh and blood of a deity is poison to mortals. They ate my flesh, and from now on, they will suffer from illness every day and be plagued by nightmares every night. It is a living hell, and there is likely no cure in the mortal realm. If you can’t treat it, it’s not because your medical skills are lacking.”

Not only would they suffer in life for devouring his flesh and harming his divine body, but they had also laid hands on an avatar of the Lord of the Underworld. Their deaths wouldn’t be the end, there was torture waiting for them. The people of Ruoshui Town who died today would be in the Underworld soon enough.

“Killing and mistreating others… they deserve it.” Although Bai Zhu had a healer’s heart, he knew right from wrong. He cupped his hands to Xiao Chen, neither humble nor arrogant. Since Xiao Chen said they were no different, then everyone was equal. “You are a remarkable person. I will remember everything you said.”

Bai Zhu had wanted to ask if Xiao Chen hated these people, but now he realized the thought was redundant. To say those things, one must have a heart tempered into that of a saint, indestructible and firm. Besides, since the masked man appeared, Xiao Chen hadn’t spared the crowd a single glance. Hatred is a strong emotion, an obsession. These people didn’t even have the right to become Xiao Chen’s obsession.

Xiao Chen quite admired this young doctor. His temper was explosive, but his heart was truly good.

“Xiao Chen… Xiao Chen! Ahhh—!”

Ah, there was still one culprit who couldn’t be left behind. Xiao Chen turned at the sound, looking at the broken Hua Wuhen.

After the array was shattered, Hua Wuhen’s roots had been severed, and he had been drained into a bag of bones. He was only half a breath away from death. Having lost his legs and his power, he could only crawl on the ground. Yet, because his obsession was so deep, he dragged his dying, mangled body, crawling toward Xiao Chen. He had once been a somewhat handsome flower demon, but now he was as hideous as a malevolent ghost.

“Why won’t you die… Why won’t you die!”

“I have a strong fate, my apologies.”

“You”

Hua Wuhen’s cursing came to an abrupt end. Before he could finish, his head rolled onto the ground, stopping by a mortal’s foot and eliciting a pig-like scream. Xiao Chen and Rong Yuan withdrew their hands at the same time. The head had been severed cleanly. It was hard to say whose move landed first, or perhaps they had both struck at the exact same moment.

Hua Wuhen died with his eyes wide open, his face a mask of terror. Without the array, everyone could see his monstrous form, yet no one could connect him to the “divine figure” that had appeared earlier, realizing he was the “god” they had worshipped.

After his death, his body quickly reverted to its original form, a withered flower lying shriveled on the ground, its stem and head separated.

Words flickered into existence before Rong Yuan: I will personally interrogate his soul.

Zuo Yi and You Chang bowed. “Yes, my Lord.”

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