A Bitter Flight

Blood streamed down the shaft of the halberd as Xiao Chen held the Tiger Herald aloft, his expression cold almost to the point of cruelty.

He shot through the sky with the Golden Divine Halberd piercing the body, smashing through three tall buildings before stopping with a great roar. He shook the savage weapon, and the Tiger Herald’s body burst apart; organs, limbs, and head flew in all directions. It was brutal, nearly barbaric. The sky was stained red, drifting blood-mist thick with a nauseating stench.

A streak of light shot up from the blood-soaked sky—the Tiger Herald’s lingering soul trying to flee.

Xiao Chen’s eyes flickered with cold light. Moving like lightning, his Undying Wings cut through the air, and he caught up in an instant, a mere wisp of floating light.

In his left hand, the dark iron seal rapidly expanded, swelling to the size of a house. He hurled it with crushing force, stirring up endless black mist. Amid rolling thunder, black lightning lashed out, and the Tiger Herald’s soul was utterly annihilated—not even a trace of consciousness remained.

Xiao Chen’s overwhelming power stunned everyone present. They could not understand how his strength had soared so quickly, nor how the two savage weapons in his hands—terrifying beyond reason—could shatter all physical forms without resistance.

In the distance, the Tiger Servant witnessed it all and roared in fury. A mere insignificant youth had slain a demigod and gravely wounded them.

The Hai family was even more enraged. Two of their demigods had already fallen to Xiao Chen’s hands—a price too terrible to bear.

A towering giant of the Hai family, more than ten meters tall, let out a mournful battle cry. Each stride covered ten meters, and in an instant he charged across the sky, crushing his giant palm down at Xiao Chen.

The Golden Divine Halberd blazed, its light filling heaven and earth, its killing intent piercing the nine heavens. Ice flowers formed in the air, crystal clear, drifting down.

Xiao Chen soared upward, both hands gripping the savage halberd as he brought it down in a vertical split. The cold, golden divine light tore the sky. In a single cleave, he carved open a great wave of blood—the giant’s arm was severed. The massive limb, trailing torrents of blood, plunged into the pitch-black night below.

“Ah…” The Hai family demigod screamed in agony, immediately reverting to his normal size. The loss of an arm was searing pain; his features twisted, and blood seeped from the corners of his mouth.

Xiao Chen was calm, utterly unmoved. He swung the divine halberd again with cold precision, pressing the attack.

A gale surged, and a patch of black mist like a demon cloud swept toward Xiao Chen. Another Hai family demigod rushed to rescue his comrade, his entire body dissolving into black mist that could corrode even demigods. But before the light of the Golden Divine Halberd, this demigod proved helpless. In a flash, Xiao Chen swept the halberd and struck him a grievous blow. The black mist was severed, blood burst from the demigod’s mouth, and his true form appeared as he tumbled backward.

Xiao Chen gave no quarter, charging after him with the Golden Divine Halberd.

The demigod with the Vajra Giant’s divine power laughed savagely and rushed toward Xiao Chen. His body seemed to ignite—blazing with blinding light. This was the most desperate kind of suicide attack; he intended to detonate all the life essence within him.

Looking at that ferocious, twisted face, Xiao Chen showed no fluctuation. The Golden Divine Halberd split down, and a spray of blood shot up. Without the slightest deviation, he cleaved the Vajra Giant demigod in two. As blood surged, the mutilated corpse instantly exploded.

Xiao Chen moved like lightning. His left hand thrust the black iron seal forward; it swelled from fist-size to the bulk of a house, grinding the exploding body to powder and shattering all the waves of energy with its dark light.

When Xiao Chen turned back, the Hai family demigod who had turned into black mist had nearly vanished. The Tiger Servant had already charged deep into Heavenly Emperor City.

Demigods are still human; they value their own lives all the more. Cultivation is hard-won; to reach today required too great a sacrifice. When resistance was impossible, no one wished to die.

The brutal deaths of three demigods had broken the will of the remaining two. They could not fight—they fled in terror.

Since matters had come to this, Xiao Chen would not stop. He spread his Undying Wings and gave chase. He could not let the Tiger Servant escape—too many things were directly tied to her.

The Tiger Herald’s three incarnations had all been ground to dust, and now she was like a dog driven by panic, all her former arrogance and tyranny gone. Only escape mattered. She dove from high altitude, rushing into the complex of buildings in Heavenly Emperor City, hoping to hide, to evade this god of slaughter.

But how could Xiao Chen give her that chance? From the very start of the battle, he had locked onto her with a strand of divine will. Anyone else he might let go, but never her.

With the rumble of wind and thunder, Xiao Chen hurled the black iron seal. Dark clouds rolled, ink-black waves surged, and the seal left a long tail of light across the sky, catching up to the old woman in an instant.

Amid earth-shaking thunder, black lightning tore the void. The iron seal swept heavily across the old woman’s legs.

A piercing scream rang out. Both legs were smashed to bloody mud, the fragments falling like scattered stars from the sky. The grinding pain, deep as marrow, drove her to the brink of madness.

Xiao Chen closed in. Words were unnecessary now—no need for cruel speech. Actions spoke intent. The Golden Divine Halberd slanted down.

“Puff.” Blood splattered. The old woman’s already crippled arm was severed, and she writhed in the sky in pain. Her gray-white hair flew loose, and her expression was savage beyond measure.

She cursed Xiao Chen with a venomous voice: “You will die horribly in the end… The Tiger Family will not let you go. In the eyes of the Central Plains Tiger Family, your paltry skills are nothing but an ant’s struggle, pitifully small…”

Cold light exploded. The blood-mist in the air condensed into ice crystals; crimson ice shards fell, and more snowflakes appeared in the sky.

“Puff.” The Golden Divine Halberd sliced off the old woman’s other arm. Blood streamed down the halberd’s shaft, staining Xiao Chen’s hands red. But he was as still as an ancient well, terrifyingly calm, the light in his eyes as cold as ten-thousand-year ice.

“My Tiger family expert Hu Lie is right here in the Southern Wastes… You won’t live long. He will avenge us, and he will torture you to death with the most vicious means!” The old woman laughed malignantly at Xiao Chen, while a faint light stirred within her body—she intended to explode.

A flash of seven-colored radiance. The great dragon divine art—the Imprisonment technique—manifested. Xiao Chen froze her in an instant, refusing her the chance to suicide.

His eyes shot two beams of cold light. He shook the savage halberd, piercing her chest. A demigod does not die so easily. With a violent shake, a streak of light drifted out—her three souls and seven spirits were shaken out one by one.

Swinging the divine halberd, a bloody head flew off. The old woman’s corpse plummeted from the sky.

Slay God!

Xiao Chen’s palm blade burned like a rainbow. He slew one of her souls, then struck again and again, butchering all three souls and seven spirits without a trace.

The old woman was dead. But Xiao Chen’s heart felt empty—no satisfaction of revenge. Keke was still dead. Even if he killed everyone, what could it change?

But he had to do something. He could not stop here. He rose into the air and pursued the fleeing Hai family demigod.

Within the Hai family mansion, chaos reigned. Hai Fanyun stood in the sky, his body trembling. The family had lost three demigods—a loss that could not be borne.

The demigod who had turned to black mist reached the Hai mansion and came to Hai Fanyun’s side, wiping blood from his mouth. “Go and ask the old ancestor to intervene,” he said.

Hai Fanyun frowned. “They are in seclusion. They said not to disturb them unless the family faces life-or-death crisis.”

The demigod gave a bitter laugh. “Xiao Chen’s strength can no longer be countered by demigods. I fear he will kill his way here. The family will face disaster…”

At that very moment, Xiao Chen was indeed coming, as the demigod had said. His killing intent had not lessened with the deaths of the Tiger Herald and Tiger Servant. Several people from the Hai family were on his death list, and he intended to slaughter them without mercy.

But just as he neared the Hai mansion, the Golden Divine Halberd and the black iron seal suddenly trembled, sending out spiritual pulses.

“Trouble.”

“Danger ahead.”

Xiao Chen halted in midair, silent for a moment, then asked, “Can we not fight?”

“You are more than a match for those who have just entered the demigod realm. You can barely kill a peak demigod. But if the enemy is any stronger… there may be trouble. If you want to gamble, the two hundred years of life you offered us is too little. We’re not willing to take that loss.”

“You two lumps of scrap! You tricked me.”

“We told you: vengeance and survival are enough. Your enemies did not include any beyond the peak demigod level. That was no lie. But now you want to charge into that mansion ahead—the situation is very bad. There is a truly powerful aura inside, asleep but capable of waking at any moment.”

“Two worthless lumps of junk, greedy and shameless,” Xiao Chen cursed under his breath, then said in a cold, nearly merciless tone, “If I strike once and retreat instantly, can I escape?”

“That… possible.” This time both savage weapons gave a positive reply.

In that instant, Xiao Chen hurled the black iron seal straight at the Hai mansion, then turned without looking back and fled northwest.

“Son of a bitch! What do you take me for…” The black iron seal sent out an indignant mental pulse, but it did not immediately reverse course. It swelled like a mountain, falling from the sky.

“Boom!”

The earth shook. A grand palace in the Hai mansion was ground to dust in an instant, and many other buildings collapsed from the shockwave. Huge fissures split the ground. Half the Hai mansion was reduced to rubble.

Hai Fanyun in the sky saw it all clearly and turned white with rage.

“I will butcher that boy!”

“I will kill him!”

The black iron seal rolled up layers of ink-black waves and shot into the sky, gone.

Defeated, fleeing into the Southern Wastes.

Though he had slain several major enemies, Xiao Chen was still lost in grief, with a pain that tore at his heart. This time he had truly been thoroughly beaten… here, he had lost too much.

He would not make naive vows, nor shout bold words. His heart alone knew the pain. He flew silently northwest.

Far from Heavenly Emperor City, he did not know when he could return.

The endless wild mountain ranges sped backward beneath his feet, and Xiao Chen felt an indescribable weariness.

Five hundred li from the city, a streak of light appeared ahead, blocking his path. It was Long Teng, looking as lazy as ever.

Xiao Chen stopped, gripping the Golden Divine Halberd. If not for the two savage weapons warning him of danger, he would have been tempted to take on this bastard.

Long Teng stirred the winds and clouds, pushing events behind the scenes. Xiao Chen had completely lost any goodwill toward the Southern Wastes dragon clan. They were too heartless, watching Keke die without lifting a finger.

“Sorry, but it seems you have taken something you shouldn’t have.” Long Teng stood there lazily, utterly unconcerned. Though he addressed Xiao Chen, his gaze wandered aimlessly.

Xiao Chen said nothing, turned, and flew in another direction.

With a flash of light, Long Teng intercepted him. “Some unpleasant things have happened. Ah, I am saddened too. But since it has come to pass, nothing can change it. I am here on orders from the old master to retrieve the Dragon Clan Sacred Tree. Please cooperate.”

Barely suppressing the urge to throw the black iron seal, Xiao Chen calmed his surging emotions. “That tree belongs to the little beast. I will not hand it over.”

“Hmm, that is quite troubling. I must take it back. I really do not want to kill you—otherwise the little beast would have died in vain… But if you force me to act, I have no choice.” Long Teng appeared relaxed, strolling through the void toward Xiao Chen.

At that moment, a tiger’s roar rang out. A white figure, like a shooting star, streaked through the night sky. A rough-looking man rushed to the scene in an instant.

“I made it just in time. Killing my Tiger Family experts and thinking you can just walk away? Boy, kill yourself, and compensate me with the sacred tree.”

“Hu Lie, your reach is too long!” Long Teng turned, his face gradually turning cold.

“Too long? I don’t think so. He butchered my Tiger Family experts—today he must die. As for the sacred tree, it does not belong to the dragon clan. It truly belonged to the snow-white little beast. The dragon clan was never its rightful owner.”

Through a brief mental exchange with the two savage weapons, Xiao Chen understood that both of these men were likely at the Deathless Longevity realm—impossible to oppose. However, the two weapons assured him that they could outrun them and escape this place.

Since he could not fight, Xiao Chen sent the divine halberd and iron seal flying. In an instant, two terrible streaks of light tore the void—one black, one gold—while multicolored radiance streamed around him. Like paired rainbows, they vanished in the blink of an eye, far faster than before.

Even Long Teng and Hu Lie, pushing their speed to the limit, could not keep up.

Xiao Chen did not know where he was flying, nor how long he had been flying. Sun rose and set, and another bright day dawned. Finally, when his strength gave out, he fell from the sky.

The clear blue sky was as if washed clean, without a single impurity—a vast blue gem set low and close to the earth. It gave a sense of infinite nature. The land beneath was full of life, with all kinds of grass and flowers decorating it beautifully and richly.

A jade-green stream wound like a sash through the fragrant meadow, tinkling a cheerful song through this pure land of blooming blossoms.

Dazed, half-conscious, Xiao Chen seemed to have returned to his homeland. His parents, their hair white, leaning on each other at the village entrance, gazing down the muddy road that led to the outside world. Dimly, he saw their aging faces, white hair, tear-dimmed eyes—day after day, month after month, year after year, gazing and hoping for his early return.

By the clear river, willow catkins danced, a beautiful woman sang a sad song, gazing into the distance at Kunlun. Day after day, year after year—time is ruthless, youth fades. Slowly, her graceful figure was carved with the marks of time; white strands took root early, forever facing Kunlun. Eventually, the green water flowed on, but her fragrance vanished by the river…

In the bloodbath of Heavenly Emperor City, the snow-white little beast had looked back with lingering reluctance, then rushed into the sky. Blood splashed in the air, and it never appeared again…

In his coma, Xiao Chen felt a splitting headache. He suddenly cried out and sat up on the grassy meadow, drenched in cold sweat, staring at the pure land before him.

In the distance, before a village, an elderly couple stood together, supporting each other. Willow catkins floated, and by the clear river ahead, a beautiful woman stood.

“Xiao Chen…” A familiar call, clear in his ears.

Xiao Chen felt as if struck by lightning. Tears streamed down his face. He murmured, “I have come home…”