Ch.237: Bloody Sought Flower; Vicious Battle Against White No-Face 2

That was the sound of a weapon breaking!

All those present hastily looked to where the sound came from. They saw the scimitar in Hua Cheng's hand was fine, but the longsword wielded by White No-Face had been snapped in half by Hua Cheng's strike!

The eyeball on the scimitar E'ming saw Xie Lian, and spun crazily in circles, looking like it had shown itself off in front of Xie Lian and was feeling so happy it was going to ascend.

Hua Cheng laughed heartily and said easily, "It's fine. There's no need for gege to worry." Then he rebutted White No-Face, "And why do I have to care for the likes of you?"

White No-Face humphed, and Guoshi couldn't hold back anymore, afraid Hua Cheng was going to provoke his opponent. "YOUNG MAN, DON'T BE SO COCKY!"

Yet unexpectedly, what Hua Cheng said next was even more audacious and brazen. Wielding the sabre singlehandedly, its sharp luster brilliant, he pointed it at White No-Face, smiling.

"After all, in the end, you're nothing more than an addled old fart with a heart filled with jealousy."

Nevermind Guoshi, who had lost all energy to berate his fake smile, both Feng Xin and Mu Qing were stunned too: this man's way too gutsy!

Who would dare say such a thing to either Jun Wu or White No-Face's faces?!

But, they all had to admit that only Hua Cheng would dare to say those words, since he was probably the only one who could say those things and Jun Wu or White No-Face could still do nothing to him!

Mu Qing got off on his own, walked a few steps, and mumbled, "No wonder, in the past…when it came to Crimson Rain Sought Flower, Jun Wu always said to avoid him if we can, and not to face him head-on."

Right then, a ball of white shadow flashed by, blocking in front of the point of E'ming's blade. Xie Lian's eyes were sharp, and saw clearly what that creature was.

"San Lang, don't cut that thing!"

It was the fetus spirit! He saw it, so naturally Hua Cheng saw it too. The point of the blade veered, withdrawing at will, changing the slashing motion to flicking, flinging that ball of white

away. Feng Xin had his pupils shrink earlier, and only snapped out of it when he saw that the fetus spirit wasn't chopped into two.

"COME HERE!"

The direction Hua Cheng had flung that fetus spirit was exactly towards him. Feng Xin rushed up for it, but while there weren't many hairs on its head in the first place, with his shout the hairs all stood, angry gurgling coming from its throat. The moment Feng Xin went up, it chomped at him like mad incessantly, refusing to let him pick it up.

Feng Xin couldn't help but be outraged. "FUCKING HELL! WHEN IT SEES HIM, IT STICKS ON, WHEN IT SEES ME, IT BITES; JUST WHO IS YOUR DAD HERE??"

Mu Qing, however, commented coolly, "Have you ever taken it for your son? Have you ever called its name properly?"

Hearing this, Feng Xin was taken aback. "I…"

On the other end, Xie Lian couldn't stay still watching the battle, and hastily instructed, "The two of you be careful, I'll go and see!"

Mu Qing said quietly, "You be careful yourself! Don't forget, you still have two bands on your person…"

Xie Lian was slightly taken aback, and unconsciously touched his neck, feeling that cursed shackle. But, for some reason, he felt White No-Face wouldn't use the cursed shackle to threaten him. There wasn't any more time to parse words, and he rushed forward.

On the other side, one flash of red and one flash of white were steeped in a vicious battle, and after observing for a moment, Xie Lian determined it was hard to recklessly join the chaotic fight. Ruoye was whipped out and Guoshi was wrapped and pulled over.

"Master! Are you alright?"

Guoshi wiped his face full of cold sweat. "…Fine!"

"If you're fine, then why are you sweating so heavily?" Xie Lian questioned.

"Isn't it all thanks to that Crimson Rain Sought Flower, the little bastard with no filter on his mouth! What a fright!!!" Guoshi berated.

Just then, they heard Feng Xin give a surprised shout. Xie Lian raised his head and looked over, and saw White No-Face was slowly dropping a hand.

One of his arms was injured. He flipped his palm open, saw his own hand covered with blood, and sighed, chuckling.

"…It's been many years since anyone has managed to hurt me like this."

Xie Lian felt a sense of foreboding and asked, "Master, is he…mad?"

Guoshi could be considered as the only one in the world who understood White No-Face the best right now. "No…it's worse than anger. He's…happy."

After a pause, White No-Face turned to Hua Cheng. He asked, his voice full of curiosity, "Your scimitar, was it forged by that missing eye of yours?"

It was obvious Hua Cheng had no interest in responding, but Xie Lian's heart jumped violently.

From the first time he saw E'ming he knew that this scimitar must be unusual, but he had only half- guessed that perhaps it was forged from the eye Hua Cheng lost. White No-Face's voice was so confident, could that really be true?

Guoshi's brows knitted, and after a moment, he suddenly spoke up. "Oh, I remember now."

"What do you remember?" Xie Lian asked.

"I remember that they told me of an incident," Guoshi said. "Many hundreds of years ago, a vicious ghost had come to Mount Tong'lu."

"I'm sure there's at least a million vicious ghosts that have paid a visit to Mount Tong'lu," Mu Qing said.

"DON'T INTERRUPT!" Guoshi exclaimed. "—That vicious ghost, the time it took to form was very short, it was very young, and when it had come, it was almost ready to dissipate completely. Yet for some reason it held on, and drifted here."

For some reason, Xie Lian's heart was thumping like mad. "Almost dissipated completely? How come?"

"It seemed to have suffered great damage," Guoshi replied. "Its soul was pretty much all scattered, and it wasn't very conscient either, but it still floated along, repeating again and again that it wouldn't leave, it wouldn't leave. Probably because its wish hadn't been fulfilled. Anyway, that year when Mount Tong'lu opened, an accident happened."

When Xie Lian heard "it wouldn't leave", his heart softened for some reason, but also squeezed at the same time. He then immediately asked, "What accident?"

"Within Mount Tong'lu, not only did millions of ghosts gather, a group of live mortals who had accidentally intruded were also locked inside."

"What?!"

"There are nothing but monsters and demons inside Tong'lu, the common people can't break out at all, and can only suffer the fate of becoming nutrients. However, for whatever reason, that vicious ghost, in its muddled state, took that large group of live mortals under its wing and fled for many days. In the end, they were still surrounded by millions of ghosts, trapped in a dead end, and it was going to be eaten along with those humans."

Xie Lian knew that this lonesome, drifting feral ghost must have been Hua Cheng!

"And then?" he pushed. "Was there a way to break away to safety?"

"Yes," Guoshi replied. "Forge a blood weapon, and kill to break the siege."

Mu Qing still couldn't help but chip in. "Then, wouldn't the easiest sacrifice be…"

Wouldn't it be those humans that fell into the state of devastation!

Feng Xin and Mu Qing looked to White No-Face and Hua Cheng, who were completely focused on their vicious battle. "Did…did he…"

Xie Lian also held his breath. Guoshi said, "En. It made a move."

Feng Xin and Mu Qing's expressions became unreadable. Xie Lian, however, didn't move a muscle, and only waited for Guoshi to continue.

Sure enough, Guoshi answered with what he had anticipated: "It made a move. In a fit of madness, it dug out one of its own eyes."

"…"

Guoshi continued, "That vicious ghost almost made a move against those humans, but for some reason, in the end, it didn't. It instead used one of its own eyes as the price to forge a blood weapon. That vicious ghost was already forcibly hanging on with its last breath; after digging out its eye it should've broken apart completely. Yet somehow something had shocked it, and it instead woke to its senses completely. Who knows what kind of wicked device it forged that actually carried it through that battle. And, there was another curious incident."

Xie Lian tried to force himself to calm. "W-what incident?"

"Apparently, after that battle, the heavens sent forth a heavenly calamity, and it struck straight into Mount Tong'lu." Guoshi continued, "Do you understand what that means?"

Was there any need to explain what it meant? To have a heavenly calamity be sent forth, it meant the heavens believed there was someone who was worthy to ascend within Mount Tong'lu.

Xie Lian grabbed Guoshi. "Who was it? Who ascended??"

"This is all hearsay," Guoshi said. "But, there weren't any heavenly officials in the Upper Court that came from Mount Tong'lu. Either what I heard was purely fabricated, or…"

The one who ascended jumped back down, and rejected the heavenly realm!

Mu Qing couldn't accept this at all, and was perplexed. "To ascend as a ghost? There's such a thing? And it refused its ascension and jumped back down?? It can't be him, can it? He only just entered Mount Tong'lu then, he hadn't even reached the rank of Supreme!! Jumping down just like that…he didn't even know if he'd survive! Why did he do this??"

Why had he gone to such extremes??

Suddenly, Xie Lian heard White No-Face sigh.

"Xianle, you have a very faithful believer."

Before he finished, a cracked cry-smiling mask abruptly appeared before Xie Lian's eyes. Xie Lian had never expected White No-Face could actually approach mere inches away in the breath of an instant, and his eyes cleanly reflected his reflection.

Ruoye shot up like it was furious, ready to strike, but in the end it still shrank back. It couldn't be blamed, since Ruoye had always been very intelligent. When it determined that its attack would be ineffective, it would give up voluntarily.

White No-Face seemed to have smiled a bit, since that cry-smiling mask's crack had become deeper.

The next second, the blade point of E'ming brushed against his neck. But it was late by a step; White No- Face had already dodged away. He flashed and appeared on the highest point of where the Heaven-Crossing Bridge ended, and slightly lifted his hand.

"No need to be nervous, I was only taking back what was mine."

In his hand was a long sword that was completely pitch-black and frigid like cold jade, a silver thread crossing down the heart of the blade. Xie Lian subconsciously twisted his hand to feel his back; sure enough, the Fangxin that was carried on his back was gone.

Fangxin was originally the sacred sword of the Crown Prince of Wuyong. White No-Face had retrieved what had belonged to him.

One piece, two pieces, three pieces. That tragically- pale mask was flaking off one piece at a time until finally, it thoroughly fell, revealing the face behind the mask. Within the burning flames, that white robe also transformed into white armour.

At last, "White No-Face" had taken off his mask, and transformed into "Jun Wu".

Everyone held their breath, high on guard.

There was no need to guess. In this form, he must be even stronger.