Breaking Army - Chapter 31

The Myriad Beast Cave was accessed from the outside using a key, but to leave, one had to find the “Eye of the Realm” to escape.

Since someone had schemed to lure the Heavenly Realm group inside, there had to be others present within the secret realm. The mastermind wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble just to let the celestials take a sightseeing tour and leave unscathed. If the Heavenly Realm officials were killed and then tossed back out, the fragile peace between the Heavenly and Demon Realms would be shattered.

Xiao Chen and Rong Yuan stepped through the spatial rift, hovering in the air. Nothing within the Myriad Beast Cave would be surprising, thousands of years ago, many demonic and monstrous beasts had been dropped here. Some might have lived long lives, some had likely bred descendants, and others had probably long since perished. The spot where Xiao Chen and the others entered wasn’t exactly scenic, below them lay piles of skeletal remains and fresh beast carcasses.

The smell was atrocious.

Xiao Chen covered his nose and mouth. “Let’s move elsewhere.”

Rong Yuan nodded hurriedly.

Just as they were about to step away, a corpse below suddenly twitched. Xiao Chen and Rong Yuan both had sharp reflexes, missing not even the slightest movement. They stopped instantly, watching warily as the tail of the corpse shifted. Slowly, a small creature struggled its way out from underneath.

It was a tiny beast, roughly the size of a cat. It couldn’t shapeshift or speak. It spun in a confused circle chasing its own tail before noticing the only two living things nearby. With the fearlessness of the newborn, it tilted its head and let out two “chi-chi” chirps at Xiao Chen and Rong Yuan.

It had pure blue fur, pitch-black little eyes, a chubby body, a long tail, and horns. Xiao Chen recognized it. “A Blood-Stone Beast. They’re extinct among the demon tribes outside.”

The little thing couldn’t fly yet, so it ran toward them. Since they were high up, it couldn’t reach them and began to chirp anxiously.

Rong Yuan thought to himself that the little creature was lucky to have run into Xiao Chen.

As expected, Xiao Chen, who had just been disgusted by the smell, flew down toward the ground. The little beast pounced forward happily, but before it could dive into Xiao Chen’s arms, a hand intercepted it mid-air, picking it up by the scruff of its neck.

Xiao Chen watched with amusement as Rong Yuan held the little thing and used spiritual power to clean it meticulously before presenting it to him.

The little fellow wagged its tail joyfully. “Chirp!”

“It’s cute,” Xiao Chen said. “Let’s take it with us and hand it over to Hu Qu when we leave.”

Rong Yuan nodded. He put the little beast into a temporary sleep and placed it inside a storage artifact designed for living beings.

With the beast secured, the two immediately left the foul-smelling area. Xiao Chen pulled out his Star Plate to begin his search. He had already tried earlier and found that voice transmissions didn’t work in the secret realm. Since Xiang Zhi and Geng Xie were also here, being fellow Star Lords, finding their location would be much faster.

He didn’t bother hiding the Star Plate from Rong Yuan, since Rong Yuan wouldn’t be able to read it anyway.

On the final map of the Star Plate, two stars appeared in the eastern position. Xiao Chen calculated the coordinates and tucked the plate away. “Let’s go.”

The journey was anything but peaceful. There were more living ferocious beasts in the realm than imagined, but fortunately, most were no more than a thousand years old. These beasts had long been corrupted, with killing and breeding becoming their only instincts. They lunged to devour the intruders, but killing such creatures didn’t incur karmic debt.

After Rong Yuan and Xiao Chen dealt with several surrounding beasts, the blood on Xiao Chen’s sword hadn’t even dried before the souls of the beasts began to drift out. In the world outside, souls would go directly to the Underworld via the Path of Reincarnation upon death. Here, however, the Path was severed. The wandering souls had nowhere to go and should have simply dissipated. Instead, they seemed to be following a coordinated plan, flying rapidly in a single direction.

Xiao Chen’s expression darkened. It was the direction where Xiang Zhi and Geng Xie were located.

“Your Highness, something is wrong.”

Rong Yuan’s writing appeared at that moment. Xiao Chen asked, “What do you mean?”

“The Path of Reincarnation is cut off. These souls should have no consciousness. For them to move in such a unified manner, I suspect someone is driving them.”

Rong Yuan’s expression was equally grim. Driving souls was a skill only those from the Underworld could master, and it required significant cultivation. Could it be that the Underworld traitor was right here!

The two shared a look and rushed forward. A bad feeling welled up in Xiao Chen’s heart. Just as they rounded a mountain, a black pillar of light suddenly shot into the sky. Following that, two massive forces collided, causing the surrounding rocks to collapse and the entire secret realm to tremble.

Coming over the mountain, Xiao Chen finally found the Heavenly Realm group. Standing at the very front was Geng Xie, clad in pitch-black battle armor. His eyepatch was gone, revealing his heterochromatic eyes. The spear in his hand was no longer mundane, it was black as ink, etched with a starmap in dull red. The weapon, like its master, was sharp, demonic, and radiating a suffocating aura.

Geng Xie had revealed his true form as a Star Lord.

Xiang Zhi was behind him, holding a zither and maintaining a barrier. That zither was also glowing with brilliance, clearly not the shabby mortal instrument it appeared to be normally.

Cheng Feng was on one knee behind Xiang Zhi’s barrier, his eyes full of disbelief. Ci Shu was also stunned for a moment, but he quickly pursed his lips and said nothing, standing beside Xiang Zhi to reinforce the barrier with his spiritual power. He knew that in a moment of crisis, he couldn’t afford to dump out his myriad questions. Two Heavenly officials had already collapsed in the back, unconscious. First things first, if they couldn’t survive this, no amount of thinking would matter.

Cheng Feng stood up silently, wiped the blood from his lips, and stepped out of the protective barrier to stand beside Geng Xie. He seemed to want to look back at Xiang Zhi, but he eventually restrained himself.

In front of them was the remnant soul of a demon beast from ten thousand years ago. A steady stream of beast souls was flying in to replenish its power. The remnant soul had no consciousness, anyone standing in its way was an enemy to be torn apart.

If not for this beast, Geng Xie wouldn’t have been forced to reveal his identity. They had fallen into an illusion first, which was easy to break, and the other beasts were manageable, until the appearance of these souls broke the stalemate.

Geng Xie leveled his spear, staring intently at the soul. From the previous exchange, he knew it was a hard fight. His arms were still numb from the heavy impact. However, the more dangerous the situation, the more Geng Xie’s blood boiled, and the red in his left eye deepened.

The beast soul’s obsession was too deep, surviving ten thousand years without dissipating, all of it turning into a terrifying ghostly aura. It was currently devouring other souls, if it continued, it might regain the strength it had when it was alive. They couldn’t give it that chance, or they would be finished. Furthermore, their fall into the realm and the appearance of the beast soul were unusual. If someone was watching from the shadows, they had to guard against a backstab.

The beast soul let out a roar, as if pouring out all the rage of its death. It opened its massive maw and spat out ghostly blue flames. Geng Xie gripped his spear with both hands, bracing himself. The aura of the flames reached him first, but it felt like frost, cold to the bone. The ground around him began to freeze. Geng Xie didn’t blink, concentrating as he waited for the move to reach him.

The move never hit the tip of his spear because someone intercepted it for him.

Xiang Zhi cried out in joy, “Xiao Chen!”

Seeing him so lively, Xiao Chen felt relieved. He split the flames down the middle, letting them pass to either side. Everywhere the flames touched, the rocks were frozen into powder.

Xiao Chen looked at the beast soul, but his words were for Rong Yuan. “Go find the soul driver.”

Rong Yuan pursed his lips, looking from Xiao Chen to the beast soul. Xiao Chen currently had only half his cultivation, while this soul was a ten-thousand-year-old wraith, and it was still absorbing other souls.

“Go, quickly, don’t let him slip away. And don’t worry about me. This soul has been dead for ten thousand years, and I’ve lived for ten thousand years myself. Do you think I’d be afraid of it?”

Xiao Chen didn’t look back, but he knew Rong Yuan was hesitating. Rong Yuan took a breath and turned to leave. He had to trust Xiao Chen. Xiao Chen had never been a weak person who needed constant protection, he was someone whose figure Rong Yuan had always pursued, wanting to stand as his equal. Despite his own current strength, he couldn’t demand that Xiao Chen simply stand behind him.

The Po Jun Star had his own pride, and Rong Yuan’s love would never trample upon his dignity.

Xiao Chen gave his sword a flourish, and the red mark between his brows appeared. He also revealed his true form as a Star Lord, but he put his sword away. He said to Geng Xie, “Use that move. Lend me some spiritual power.”

He had taught Geng Xie everything he knew about martial arts, so their chemistry was perfect. Geng Xie nodded, gripped his spear tightly, and surged his spiritual power into it. The black spear hummed with excitement. Xiao Chen tapped his foot and leapt into the air. Behind him, a vast sea of stars appeared, covering the sky, the starlight echoing with a powerful, surging momentum.

Power began to gather in Xiao Chen’s palm, and the surrounding air rippled and distorted as if being pulled by invisible hands. He was expressionless, his posture incredibly handsome yet regally unshakeable. Xiao Chen lowered his eyes and made a slight movement with his hand. Geng Xie immediately threw the infused spear toward him.

The spear seemed to have a mind of its own, vibrating with a joyful, frenzied energy. From the moment Xiao Chen caught the weapon to the moment he became a meteor cutting through the sky, unstoppable as a falling bolt, his white figure wrapped around the black spear and descended. He pierced through the mountain-sized soul in the blink of an eye.

A soul not accepted by reincarnation knows no pain, only rage. It opened its mouth to roar, but found it could no longer spit flames. It didn’t even think to look down at the hole in its body that was gradually spreading.

Xiao Chen gripped the spear and took a light breath. He had spoken dismissively of the soul, but in actual combat, he never underestimated an opponent. With his cultivation halved, Geng Xie’s lent power made up the difference. That strike was as powerful as his prime, but using borrowed strength was indeed more tiring.

The hole in the beast soul was widening, yet more souls were still flying toward it. If they didn’t stop them, they would have to fight until every soul in the secret realm was gone. That would be an exhausting task. Stopping the soul driving was up to Rong Yuan now.

Xiao Chen threw the spear back to Geng Xie. “Holding it off shouldn’t be a problem for you now.”

Geng Xie gave an “mhm.” “And you? Going to find the person?”

Xiao Chen gripped his Hidden Edge sword once more. “Yes, I’m going to find him.”

Cheng Feng stared blankly. He had taken two hits from the beast soul and had been coughing up blood. Even after Xiao Chen left, he hadn’t fully recovered. He muttered, “My attacks were completely useless, but His Highness… with just one strike…”

Geng Xie’s spiritual power was also mostly drained. He glanced sideways at Cheng Feng. “It wasn’t useless. It’s just that other souls immediately filled the gap. Didn’t you see that?”

For a moment, Cheng Feng forgot that he was supposed to be shocked about a Star Lord hiding right next to him. He actually replied to Geng Xie, “So the gap between me and His Highness”

“Oh,” Geng Xie said ruthlessly, “it’s still pretty big.”

Cheng Feng: “…” And here he thought he was getting a compliment!

Geng Xie was actually in a bad mood. He dared to snap at Cheng Feng, but right now he didn’t dare look back at Ci Shu. He paused, then walked forward with his spear. “Don’t just stand there. Go knock down those incoming souls, don’t give it a chance to reform!”

A black-robed figure hid in the distance, watching as the beast soul was scattered. Heaven knew how many emotions he had cycled through in that short time. First, he discovered there was a Star Lord among the Heavenly Realm people. He immediately thought that if he could kill both the Star Lord and the celestials here, wouldn’t that perfectly fulfill that person’s orders?

But then he found that one of the Star Lords was quite a fighter, not some delicate scholar. That was when he knew things were likely to go south. Sure enough, they held out until Xiao Chen arrived. It wasn’t surprising that Xiao Chen would chase them, what was surprising was failing to kill the others before he got there.

The game was decided. There was no point in staying. The black-robed man turned to leave, but a ring of black flames suddenly surrounded him. Rong Yuan descended, lotus fire burning in his palm.

Found him.

Rong Yuan frowned. It was an avatar.

Seeing that he had been found, the black-robed man didn’t panic. He let out a laugh from beneath his robe. With total disregard, he stepped into the flames. That step should have burned him to ash, but Rong Yuan’s reflexes were lightning-fast. The flames instantly transformed into chains, binding the man tightly. It caught him without igniting him.

The black-robed man chuckled. “Why catch me? I’m just an avatar, this face isn’t even mine. We’re of the same race, how about letting me go?”

Rong Yuan didn’t answer, and he didn’t even bother to manifest text. He reached out his hand toward the man’s head. For some reason, the previously fearless man tried desperately to dodge. He actually broke free from the chains, his voice changing. “You want to use Soul Searching on me!?”

Rong Yuan stared at him coldly. The man was beside himself with rage. “An avatar is just an empty shell! You’re crazy, trying to use Soul Searching on a shell!”

The silent Rong Yuan finally manifested words: “Then why are you hiding?”

The black-robed man choked. Seeing a Soul Searching move, he had dodged instinctively. Soul Searching was absolutely useless against an avatar, he was sure of that. But… his subconscious told him that he simply couldn’t let this kid succeed, or there would be big trouble.

The man composed himself again, letting out a distorted, unpleasant sound. “Heh, though I don’t know who your master is, remember this, brat: Soul Searching doesn’t work on avatars. And you can’t stop me. If I want to leave, I can just destroy this avatar.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the black flame chains bound him again. This time, they were tighter than before, and he discovered to his horror that he was paralyzed. He couldn’t even withdraw his spiritual power! To destroy an avatar, one had to expend all spiritual power.

Rong Yuan’s writing was as cold as his gaze: “If you want to destroy it, did I give my permission?”

The man struggled desperately. Rong Yuan reached out again, but a beast soul suddenly rose behind him. Rong Yuan could have dodged, but he didn’t even blink, focusing only on the man in front of him. The man’s pupils shrank—

The soul’s claws never touched Rong Yuan’s back. In the blink of an eye, it was obliterated by Xiao Chen’s sword light. Nothing remained.

Rong Yuan’s hand successfully landed on the man’s head, but the moment it did, the black-robed man instantly turned to ash. It seemed his true self had risked everything to escape. Fine sand slipped through Rong Yuan’s fingers. He frowned and pulled back his hand.

His serious expression didn’t last long before he received a light smack on the head. The one who did it was none other than Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen said, “Why didn’t you dodge?”

This kid really knew how to make him angry. He had just caught up in time to see that scene.

Rong Yuan’s cold and ruthless aura vanished instantly. He became harmless in a heartbeat, his expression turning awkward. “I wanted to catch him first…”

“Nonsense,” Xiao Chen interrupted his excuse. “You just felt that you’re also an avatar, so it doesn’t matter. What, you don’t feel pain when an avatar gets hurt? Or do you eat pain for breakfast and just don’t care?”

Rong Yuan immediately lowered his head, acting obedient. “Sorry, I was wrong.”

Xiao Chen’s eyelid twitched. The apology came fast, but he knew the kid had no intention of changing. It was familiar, way too familiar. Xiao Chen felt he would definitely get along well with Xiang Zhi.

The image of Mu Qing’s form dissipating was like it happened yesterday. Rong Yuan probably didn’t know what Xiao Chen was feeling when he swung that sword just now. Xiao Chen had told himself that the events of the mortal realm would not be repeated.

He took a deep breath. Before he could exhale, he felt Rong Yuan gently tugging at his sleeve. Perhaps the time in the Demon Market had given him some courage. Before that, he wouldn’t have dared to do this. Back then, an accidental touch of Xiao Chen’s hand would have made him bolt like a startled bird.

Xiao Chen exhaled, his anger gone.

“Let’s go. Back to the Heavenly Realm group first.” Xiao Chen thought of Geng Xie and Xiang Zhi, whose identities were now exposed. He said softly, “We’ll talk about everything else once we’re out.”

Rong Yuan seemed uninterested and unsurprised by anything else. He hadn’t shown a hint of shock at the fact that Star Lords were hiding within the Heavenly Realm. Seeing that Xiao Chen wasn’t angry anymore, he smiled and walked back with him, asking no further questions.