Love & Redemption
Chapter 188: Volume 4: The Fragile Dream Shatters, - 45: Riot (7)

Chapter 188: Volume 4: The Fragile Dream Shatters, Chapter 45: Riot (7)

Yesterday was the first of four watches.

*************************

Red Bird had just flown onto Fuyu Island when everyone had just started to relax. The disciples of Fuyu Island, still unsettled, saw a streak of red light in the sky and thought it was another enemy attack. They panicked again, shouting and yelling. Before they could finish, the red light plunged directly toward Chu Lei and stopped abruptly on his arm, looking up and crying out loudly.

Seeing it fluttering and anxious, Chu Lei was secretly alarmed. He hastily tore off the cloth strip tied to its leg, only to find that it was a piece torn from his wife He Danping’s clothes, dotted with bloodstains and even more shockingly, several blood-written characters: "Shaoyang is in trouble, do not return."

Shaoyang in trouble? Could it be that Wu Tong had sent another team to attack the Shaoyang Sect? Chu Lei’s hand trembled, and the cloth strip fell to the ground. He could not afford to delay, and after quickly explaining a few things to Dongfang Qingqi, he lead his men to rush back.

Within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, they had all rushed back to the Shaoyang Sect, only to find no one in front of the main gate, just a few faint bloodstains on the white stairs. Chu Yinghong, extremely anxious, called out several times, but no one responded. With Seven Peaks at Shouyang Mountain, they did not know where the demons had attacked and had to check Shaoyang Peak first for casualties.

To their horror, once they stepped onto the Jade Platform at the top of Shaoyang Peak, they saw bodies scattered everywhere, blood covering the ground, all of them disciples of the Shaoyang Sect. Chu Lei was heartbroken and staggered a few steps, looking around blankly; aside from the corpses, there was no one else. Chu Yinghong called out several more times, her trembling voice echoing continuously in the air. Suddenly, they heard a faint moan not far away, and everyone hurried over, where He Yang gently lifted a disciple lying on the ground covered in blood. The disciple’s body was soaked with blood, his lips barely moving as if trying to speak.

Chu Lei quickly pressed several of his vital points and said in a deep voice, "What happened?"

The disciple weakly said, "Sect Leader... those demons... with the fire-spewing bird... Lu Yang Junior Master and... Master Fengyang... are all dead... Junior Master Huan Yang took everyone... went..."

With his breath waning, he suddenly rolled his eyes and collapsed into He Yang’s arms. No matter how Chu Lei pressed his acupoints, he would never wake up again. Linglong and Zhong Minyan, seeing their fellow disciples in such a tragic state and the dead bodies all around, couldn’t help but tears well up in their eyes.

Seeing Chu Lei’s pale face and trembling hands, He Yang whispered, "Sect Leader, let’s go down and have a look. It’s important to meet up with Junior Master Huan Yang and the others."

Chu Lei slowly nodded, just as he was about to get up, Chu Yinghong suddenly screamed, "Look! What is that?!" Everyone quickly turned their heads, only to see a flickering green light on the mountain waist, very bizarre, like layers of giant green gauze swaying in the wind. Zhong Minyan had seen such a scene at Gao Mountain and couldn’t help but exclaim, "It’s the Bifang Bird! That’s fire!"

No sooner had his words fallen than the green fire quickly spread across the entire mountainside, gradually spreading upward. The mountainside and the back mountain housed the disciples’ residences and the Martial Arts Arena, places that were typically crowded. Such strange fire, breaking out there, would likely result in heavy casualties.

Zhong Minyan, seeing people intending to go down to check, urgently said, "You can’t go! That fire is unnatural, it’s deathly fire! Anything it touches will be scorched dead! Master, I think Junior Master Huan Yang definitely wouldn’t have kept people on Shaoyang Peak. We should check the other peaks."

He Yang nodded and said, "Minyan is right. I think when the demons attacked, most people would not have stayed at the Martial Arts Arena and courtyards; they must have hidden in places the demons couldn’t find immediately. Let’s go to Little Yang Peak first."

Chu Lei took a deep breath, the air filled with the smells of scorched and blood, these dreadful smells oddly calming him down. After a long moment, he coldly said, "Let’s go. We’ll take the Sword Control to Little Yang Peak. If we encounter powerful demons on the way, do not engage forcefully, flee immediately."

Everyone on Fuyu Island had seen the true threat of demons and knew that with mere mortal strength, it was impossible to resist. Perhaps the demons that attacked this time were not as formidable as those from Lize Palace, but they were certainly not an easy enemy like those from the Xuanyuan Sect. Adding to that, Zhong Minyan had shared the encounters with demons at Sea Bowl Mountain and Gao Mountain along the way. If it came to a single combat, the disciples of the Shaoyang Sect were definitely not their match. That day, Zhong Minyan and others had only managed to slay those demons by combining the strength of several people. The demons they later encountered at Gao Mountain were an even higher level of threat. Their scale seen at Buzhou Mountain and with the fearsome Bifang Bird they brought, saying they aimed to annihilate Shaoyang was no idle threat!

Little Yang Peak was the shortest among the Seven Peaks. As everyone stepped onto it, they were greeted by the singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers, along with the soothing sound of springs—far removed from the grim scene of Shaoyang Peak, catching them all off guard momentarily. Chu Yinghong immediately ran toward Yuyang Hall. Not far from there, in the woods, came the sound of shouting. On closer inspection, it was two female disciples from Yuyang Hall, desperately fighting against a dozen black-clad demons. Clearly, they were no match for the demons, being forced to retreat step by step, their clothes soaked with blood, yet their faces showed no fear.

Unable to hold back, Chu Yinghong shouted, "Duan Rui! Duan Rou! Fall back!" Hearing their master’s voice, the two disciples felt a great relief and cried out simultaneously, "Master! These demons are extremely vicious!" Chu Yinghong drew her sword and charged forward, followed by He Yang and Chu Lei, who also rushed towards the demons to fight.

Once the battle began, all three were startled by the realization that these were completely different from those of the Xuanyuan Sect! The strength and speed of these demons were comparable to those of Elder-level fighters! Initially taken aback by the arrival of living people, the demons only exchanged a few moves before hastily retreating. Chu Yinghong noticed that although they covered half of their faces with black cloth, their pupils were either a ghastly green or blood red, and their features grotesquely different from those of humans. Angrily, she spat out, "Evil spirits! Not fighting anymore?!"

The demons conferred briefly in low voices, among them one asked, "Chu Lei is here, right?"

Everyone was startled, and Chu Lei coldly responded, "Yes, it’s me. Have you any last words to impart?"

The demon sneered, "The Deputy Hall Master has a message for you: I will slaughter and burn the Shaoyang Sect from top to bottom, but I will spare only you, so you can suffer the agony of neither living nor dying. You’re Chu Lei, which is perfect! Why not tuck your tail and run quickly? Just watch peacefully as Shaoyang Sect gets annihilated!"

Chu Lei was livid, seething with rage, he retorted, "You demon fiends! It’s not yet decided who will die!" He waved his sleeve furiously, and suddenly, several white specks shot out from his sleeve, landing lightly on the demons, causing no pain or itch. The demons mocked, "Even the hidden weapons from Sect Leader Chu lack force, yet he speaks boastfully!"

No sooner had these words been spoken than everyone felt a sudden darkening overhead. Looking up, they saw a massive black thundercloud had gathered above Little Yang Peak, from within which countless snake-like bolts of lightning flickered menacingly. The demons’ complexions changed, and instinctively looked down to locate the white specks Chu Lei had shot onto them. Just as they were about to pluck them off, the skies abruptly brightened, blindingly so, followed by the descent of countless thick bolts of lightning, creating a thunderous sound as mighty as a stampede of thousands of horses. The intensity of this thunderous force shook even the Earth itself.

This was the true power of the Five Thunders Technique, incomparably more formidable than what Wu Tong had demonstrated at the Flower Pinning Conference. After the thunder, the forest fell deathly silent, the smoke slowly clearing to reveal scorched, cracked earth, and the bodies of a dozen blackened demons lay strewn across the ground, seemingly dead.

Chu Yinghong heaved a sigh of relief. Although they had eliminated these demons, there was no joy in their hearts, as no one knew how severely Shaoyang Sect had been wounded—both Lu Yang and Fengyang had died, indicating the presence of even more formidable demons lurking in the shadows. She first helped the two injured disciples up to check their wounds—fortunately, they were not fatal.

Duan Rui cried, "Master! We were too late! Many sisters in Yuyang Hall were killed by demons!"

Chu Yinghong’s heart was in chaos, and she gently comforted, "It’s okay, rest here for a while. I, along with the Sect Leader, will first find Junior Master Huan Yang. This vendetta, Shaoyang Sect will surely avenge!"

Duan Rou, somewhat more composed, said gravely, "It’s all thanks to Junior Master Huan Yang. When the demons suddenly attacked, they first targeted Shaoyang Peak. The Elders and the Sect Leader’s Wife were discussing whether to attend the Flower Pinning Conference at Fuyu Island, unprepared for the attack. Lu Yang acted first but was almost immediately killed by the strange fire from those monstrous birds! Seeing the devastation caused by the strange fire, Fengyang tried to shield the Sect Leader’s Wife and other young disciples by retreating first but got scorched by the fire. That fire is extremely peculiar; even a slight touch can cause it to spread instantly, and Master Fengyang perished the same way... Seeing the dire situation, Junior Master Huan Yang sent someone to warn the other Six Peaks. Before the demons could attack them, most disciples took refuge in Mingxia Cave on Sun Peak. Junior Master Huan Yang, along with the Sect Leader’s Wife, also left through a secret passage. They should be safe in Mingxia Cave by now... Duan Rui and I were worried about the other sisters in Yuyang Hall who hadn’t managed to escape. We came back to check, and then..."

At this point, her voice broke, and she began to sob.

Chu Yinghong sighed and gently touched her hair, saying, "Good child, don’t cry! You should also make your way out through Yuyang Hall’s secret passage quickly. Don’t linger in this place!"

Knowing that most people had taken refuge in Mingxia Cave provided some comfort to everyone. The two female disciples refused to leave through the secret passage, insisting on sticking with the group. Chu Yinghong had no choice but to agree. Just as they were about to leave, the ground beneath began to shift; the demons they thought were dead were stirring again, which shocked Chu Lei.

He had used his full power of immortal force in the Five Thunders Technique! If that wasn’t enough to kill them, they were left with no option but to fight hand-to-hand. Chu Yinghong was about to finish off the struggling demons, but He Yang stopped her, whispering, "Don’t go over; use immortal power!" (To be continued. For further details, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available. Support the author, support genuine reading!)