Chapter Twenty-Five: Retribution

A crimson aura surged from the blood-soaked inner core, and Zhang Xiao’s face changed instantly. He quickly cast a stream of spiritual energy to seal away the malignant energy. What a treasure! The spiritual energy contained within this core was dozens of times greater than his own, yet it was far too demonic, especially that bloodthirsty aura—it was impossible for him to absorb it. Still, though he couldn’t absorb it himself, if he fed it to his Iron-armored Corpse, it could certainly elevate it to a Bronze-armored Corpse. Of course, while that was tempting, it would be a waste to simply let his Iron-armored Corpse devour it. As for the blood bat demon’s body, Zhang Xiao was momentarily at a loss as to how to handle it.

It was said the blood bat demon’s most valuable asset was its bloodthirsty inner core, followed by its soul. The soul had already been devoured by the Soul-eating Wood. The body still brimmed with vital energy, but Zhang Xiao truly had no idea how to make use of it. Forget it, he thought, I’ll leave it to Zhang Hu. The outer sect specializes in collecting such things; they’d surely know how to handle the blood bat demon’s corpse.

Having collected the corpse, Zhang Xiao took out several materials, including the silver armor from the Silver-armored Spider. He had originally intended to forge protective armor for the Maoshan Grand Competition, but after the sect leader Kong Xuan told him he no longer needed to participate, the matter was set aside. Now that he had the time, he decided to finally forge the armor. After greeting Zhang Hu, Zhang Xiao entered seclusion.

“Damn it! Damn you, Maoshan, I won’t let this go!” In the branch of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, Kang Jie stood in the main hall, cursing at the intelligence report in his hand. Zhao Yi, seated nearby, wore a face so dark it seemed about to drip water. Seeing Kang Jie’s loss of composure, he barked coldly, “Junior brother, sit down.” Kang Jie glanced at Zhao Yi and at the others seated around them. Realizing his own indiscretion, he nodded and sat down, though the anger on his face remained.

Zhao Yi stood and addressed the man seated at the head of the table. “Second senior brother, this time we were truly caught off guard—a sparrow lurked behind the hunter. According to the intelligence, this person has returned to the Maoshan branch. His cultivation is extraordinarily high; he must be an inner sect disciple. I suspect he’s already back at the main sect. Though our vengeance was thwarted, you, second senior brother, brought the others to help us. I, Zhao Yi, vow never to forget this great kindness.” With that, Zhao Yi bowed deeply to those present. Kang Jie hurried to his feet and bowed as well. He wasn’t the brightest, but he knew enough to seize the opportunity. Having suffered a defeat, lost his storage pouch and the Iceflame Banner, and made plenty of enemies in the inner sect, he knew that if he didn’t cling to second senior brother now, his days in the sect would be numbered.

The man at the head seat was named Huang Tianyi, a formidable force second only to the sect’s chief disciple. After his resurrection, Zhao Yi immediately sought him out, and he brought four or five inner sect disciples to charge in. When they arrived at the Bat Cave, they found it empty; not only was the blood bat demon gone, but even the Extreme Yang Jade had been taken. They searched Canglang Mountain for half a day to no avail, and eventually returned to the Ten Thousand Demons Sect branch, only to receive news that Zhang Hu, the Maoshan branch master, was welcoming a young man at the gate with great reverence, disciples bowing to him.

This news enraged Kang Jie. Having already heard Zhao Yi mention the man used Maoshan techniques, and piecing together the information, he instantly deduced the young man Zhang Hu was welcoming must be their assailant. Watching Kang Jie’s outburst in the hall, Huang Tianyi was displeased; were it not for the respect owed to their masters, he wouldn’t bother with their petty affairs. Fortunately, Zhao Yi’s subsequent words and bow mollified the group’s annoyance.

Huang Tianyi stepped down, grasped Zhao Yi’s hand and said, “Ah, brother Zhao, please accept my condolences. I promise you, if ever I have the chance, I will see that villain torn to pieces.” Though Huang Tianyi’s words couldn’t be taken literally, the fact he said them meant Zhao Yi and Kang Jie were now counted among his followers in the sect.

“Second senior brother, it’s getting late—let’s head back to the mountain,” an inner sect disciple suggested. “Yes, let’s go. We should return to the main sect before the chief disciple starts complaining,” Huang Tianyi replied. But Zhao Yi interjected, “Second senior brother, you all go ahead. Kang Jie and I will remain here in the branch to recuperate for a while.” Though both had suffered death penalties and their attributes were greatly diminished, with careful nurturing, they could restore a portion—perhaps one or two layers. More importantly, if they returned to the main sect in such a sorry state, even with Huang Tianyi’s support, they would be looked down upon by other disciples. Zhao Yi had made up his mind: before returning, he would take revenge on the Maoshan outer sect disciples.

Huang Tianyi understood Zhao Yi’s intentions perfectly and did not object. After all, if anything happened, it wouldn’t implicate him, so why play the villain? He took a token from his storage pouch and handed it to Zhao Yi, smiling, “Very well, you two stay here and recover. When you’re better, return to the main sect. This token grants you authority to mobilize all the disciples of the G Province branch—it should make things easier for you.”

Zhao Yi’s eyes lit up; he had worried that openly mobilizing outer sect disciples would expose him, but with this token, he could do so legitimately. This spelled trouble for Qi Wei, who had been serving them. Though Qi Wei was the branch master of G Province, the recent events had severely damaged the branch, and now he faced a group of powerful guests. Despite his high position, he was nothing compared to them. Seeing all the guests preparing to leave, he was dismayed to find the two troublemakers were staying, and worse, Huang Tianyi had given Zhao Yi the token that commanded tens of thousands of outer sect disciples. Even Qi Wei had to obey—it was enough to make him want to cry.

“Thank you, senior brother,” Zhao Yi said. After receiving the token, Huang Tianyi led the inner sect disciples back to the mountain through the teleportation array.

Watching Huang Tianyi and the others vanish in the teleportation array, Zhao Yi’s formerly respectful expression twisted into a sinister grin. “Qi Wei, send orders to assemble three thousand disciples, level twenty and above, to await instructions outside the city.” Qi Wei’s heart trembled and he smiled bitterly. It seemed war with the Maoshan branch was inevitable. Heaven help me, what am I to do? Though resigned, Qi Wei had no choice but to issue the order, as Zhao Yi held the token.

Three days passed, and the once-peaceful G Province became tense. Both righteous and demonic factions received news: yesterday the Ten Thousand Demons Sect suddenly mustered three thousand men to attack a Maoshan trial ground for lower-level disciples. That trial ground was meant for novice disciples to gain experience; the monsters inside were weak but provided ample training. Spending some time there could elevate a disciple to level twenty. But in a single day, the Ten Thousand Demons Sect stormed in and slaughtered four thousand, enraging Zhang Hu, who immediately called for reinforcements. The other seven sect branches recalled their disciples, making clear they would not get involved.

The once-bustling streets now seemed deserted, with passersby hurrying along, fearful of being caught in the conflict between the two branches. Soon even more shocking news emerged: the Ten Thousand Demons Sect and Maoshan Sect branches had clashed, and Maoshan was completely defeated, suffering heavy casualties. Rumor had it that the Ten Thousand Demons Sect had two inner sect disciples and Qi Wei himself—three experts at the Qi Refining stage. Zhang Hu, merely at the Focused Spirit stage, was no match. The outcome was clear: the Ten Thousand Demons Sect issued a statement demanding Maoshan yield control of G Province’s mineral resources and three trial grounds as reparations.

The other seven sects appeared, not to mediate but to criticize. The Five Poisons Sect, Nine Malice Palace, and Heavenly Demon Pavilion—branches of three major demon sects—condemned Maoshan for recklessness and arrogance, for attacking the Ten Thousand Demons Sect’s inner disciples. Meanwhile, the righteous branches of Kunlun, Shu Mountain, Dragon Tiger Mountain, and Shaolin rebuked Maoshan for its lack of discretion, for plunging G Province into panic.

Within a single week, Zhang Hu’s hair whitened noticeably, and disciples went about with bowed heads. Yet Zhang Hu persevered, waiting—for the one in seclusion, his sole hope. If he agreed to the Ten Thousand Demons Sect’s terms, the Maoshan branch in G Province would be finished.

Days passed, and Zhang Hu grew thinner, his eyes filled with desolation and helplessness. “Branch master, the Kunlun-led coalition of four branches sent messengers today urging us again. Branch master, if this continues, the disciples won’t hold out. Now, when our people walk the streets, they can’t even raise their heads. If it’s hopeless, let’s appeal to the inner sect. Branch master, say something!”

No matter how the disciples pleaded, Zhang Hu sat in his chair, staring ahead in silence—the only way he could think to buy time.

“Branch master! Branch master! He’s out! The elder has emerged from seclusion!” A disciple came running, stumbling and shouting. Zhang Hu’s eyes lit up and he strode forward. “Quick, take me to see the elder!” “No need. I am already here,” Zhang Xiao said grimly as he entered the hall.

Upon leaving seclusion, Zhang Hu’s confidant had briefed him thoroughly on all that had transpired. When he learned that the enemy had two inner sect disciples aiding them, two figures sprang to mind. It must be those two—they failed to take revenge on me, so they vented their anger on my outer sect disciples. Zhang Xiao strode to the head seat and said, “Zhang Hu, gather all our forces. I want the Ten Thousand Demons Sect’s top leaders to come forth and apologize in person!”