Love & Redemption
Chapter 189: Volume 4: Sudden Rift in the Chinese Dream, - 46: Riot (8)

Chapter 189: Volume 4: Sudden Rift in the Chinese Dream, Chapter 46: Riot (8)

The second update.

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Nobody knew just how deep the Mingxia Cave at Sun Peak was, not even Chu Lei could say. All that was known was that when the Xuanyuan Sect had launched a major offensive years ago, the Mingxia Cave was filled with people; nearly most of the Shaoyang Sect disciples had hidden inside, and it was only thanks to the strangely intricate terrain inside that they had escaped a great calamity.

It was with great difficulty that Huan Yang managed to gather most of the disciples in Mingxia Cave. After a hasty headcount, thankfully, the casualties were not severe. This was probably because Chu Lei and the others had repeatedly instructed them before leaving Shaoyang. All the disciples were on alert, so when the demons attacked, they reacted quickly and headed straight to Mingxia Cave.

"We should not easily engage in a desperate fight with the enemy unless it’s a matter of life or death," was an unwritten rule of the Shaoyang Sect. No matter what, preserving all the young disciples was most crucial—they were the hope of Shaoyang’s future.

At that moment, the Mingxia Cave was brightly lit, no one spoke, only the sounds of each other’s breathing rose and fell. After a while, suddenly the sound of water and a boat rowing could be heard. All the disciples drew their swords on guard. A voice from the boat shouted, "Junior Master Huan Yang! Junior Master Huan Yang! The demons have brought the Bi Fang Bird and have started to burn the iron gate!"

Everyone was greatly shocked. The entrance of the Mingxia Cave was fitted with a huge Mystic Iron Gate that was impervious to any formidable weapon. The demons had evidently tried for a long while before thinking to use the Bi Fang Bird to burn it. If this strongest iron gate were breached, they would truly be left with no way out but death!

He Danping had just fought a battle with the demons. Her hair disheveled, she was in a sorry state. Hearing this news, she turned as pale as death. Her legs weakened, and she sat on a stone bed, unable to speak for a long time. Underneath her, there seemed to be something pricking her. Looking down, she found several poorly made toys—a pellet drum, a wooden bird—how many years they had languished in the cave, covered with a thick layer of mold, she didn’t know.

Picking up the pellet drum, her nose suddenly tingled, and she thought of Xuanji. These must have been the toys she left behind in the Mingxia Cave when she was punished. Now with both her daughters not by her side and facing imminent death herself, she worried about what would happen to the two half-grown girls if she were gone.

Huan Yang was also anxious and immediately drew his sword, gritting his teeth, "Forget it! Rather than sitting here waiting to die, it’s better to go out and have a fierce battle!"

Elder Pu Yang, who had been silent all along, suddenly said, "No. There are too many people; we can’t just rush out and die."

Being the youngest among the Seven Peaks Elders, he was usually quiet, seldom spoke, but when he did, his words carried weight. Huan Yang hurriedly said, "How can I be resigned to be suffocated in this cave, burned to death by them!" Pu Yang said solemnly, "Wait! The Sect Leader will definitely come back!"

He Danping shook her head, "He won’t come back. I told him not to come back. Those demons are so fierce, coming back would mean death."

Pu Yang said in a low voice, "He is the leader of a sect; he will definitely come back."

He Danping’s mind was in turmoil. On one hand, she hoped that Chu Lei would come back; on the other, she wished they wouldn’t come and die. Finally, she sighed deeply, her expression gradually became calm, and she spoke out loud, "Listen to me, everyone, we’ll hold our ground here. If the demons break through, even at the cost of our lives, we’ll take them down with us and never lose the spirit of Shaoyang!"

Everyone responded in unison. Huan Yang added, "All disciples from the ’Duan’ and ’Wen’ generations stand at the very back! Those who are afraid may also fall back! The rest hold your ground here! Let no one pass, even if it costs us our heads and blood!"

The sentiment in the crowd surged, the responses grew louder than the last, echoing in the cave, deafening. Huan Yang looked back and saw that among the junior disciples, including those from the ’Wen’ generation, each one had a resolute expression, ready to face death; not a single one stepped back.

Moved, he said with a trembling voice, "You... all of you are remarkable!"

As soon as the voice fell, the disciple observing at the cave entrance hurriedly rowed the boat back in and shouted loudly, "Junior Master Huan Yang! The Sect Leader and the others have arrived! They are fighting those demons right over there!"

Upon hearing that her husband had returned, He Danping felt a mix of joy and sorrow, not even bothering to speak. She leapt onto the boat and whispered, "Take me there!" Huan Yang also followed, turning back to say, "Junior Brother Pu Yang, please take charge here!" Pu Yang slowly nodded and drew his sword in hand.

Huan Yang knew this junior brother’s temperament well; once he promised something, he would fulfill it even if it shattered him to pieces. Thinking that perhaps in a moment, they all might die under that demonic fire, he felt a piercing sorrow in his heart and shouted hoarsely, "Hurry! Row the boat! Quickly, to the cave entrance!" He grabbed an oar and began rowing forcefully.

Chu Lei and the others had used various Immortal Laws at Little Yang Peak but failed to thoroughly kill those several demons. Eventually, Chu Yinghong simply drew her sword and beheaded them, finally settling the matter. The group, who had roamed the world for decades, had never seen demons that could not be killed by Immortal Law, and they were immensely shocked. It appeared these demons, indeed unlike ordinary ones, possessed demon power surpassing mortal immortal power, rendering their Immortal Laws ineffective in dealing fatal damage.

Wasting no more time, they flew towards Sun Peak with their swords, only to find all the demons gathered in front of Mingxia Cave. The small cave entrance was crowded with hundreds of demons clad in black. They intended to dodge but were too late and were forced to fight them right there.

There were simply too many demons; in an instant, they scattered the group. Linglong stayed closely beside Zhong Minyan—both being young and less experienced, they were completely no match, forced to retreat repeatedly. As Linglong was about to strike down a demon that lunged at her, suddenly, her left hand was firmly grasped. Turning her head, it was Zhong Minyan; he emitted Sword Qi to repel the demon and, lowering his head, gave her a slight smile, tightening his grip on her hand.

"We live together; we die together." His eyes were saying these words. Their hands clenched tightly together, palms sweaty and damp, but neither would let go. Linglong bit her lip hard to keep from crying. Finally tasting the sweet reciprocation of their feelings, perhaps the heavens had indeed not been too harsh on them.

While they were emotionally stirred, they suddenly heard many shouting above Mingxia Cave, "Sect Leader! We are here to help you!" Turning back, it was a dozen true disciples who hadn’t managed to escape into Mingxia Cave but had luckily evaded the ravaging demons. Each one had three or four huge Iron Crossbows before them, apparently dragged out from the armory. They quickly loaded thick crossbow arrows and shouted in unison, "Fire!"

With several whooshing sounds, dozens of crossbow arrows shot out simultaneously, nailing many demons to the ground. Chu Lei exclaimed joyfully, "Well done! Worthy of being disciples of our Shaoyang!" The disciples, having no time to speak, hurriedly reloaded new arrows and kept firing. This surprise attack really was unforeseen and somewhat effective; the number of demons surrounding them suddenly reduced. The demons leaped onto the cave’s roof, aiming to smash the crossbow carts. The disciples, unable to load their crossbows in time, picked up rocks instead and hurled them down while shouting.

Chu Lei’s toes tapped the ground, and he was about to step forward to encircle them when suddenly a voice from inside the cave shouted, "Brother!" It was shockingly the voice of his wife. He paused for a moment, feeling a pang of sorrow in his heart, but did not turn back. Instead, he called out loudly, "You all guard Mingxia Cave well! Don’t worry about this place!"

He drew his sword in an arc, and the shimmering Sword Qi shot out, instantly pinning down several demons. Then he heard Huan Yang shout loudly, "Sect Leader! The demons are using Bi Fang Birds to burn the iron gate!" He was greatly startled and hurriedly turned back to see indeed that there were about a dozen demons gathered in front of the iron gate, each holding a Bi Fang Bird like a hen, mumbling unintelligible words, ordering them to spew fire at the gate. The massive Mystic Iron Gate had been softened on one side by their fire, a situation extremely critical.

He shouted, "He Yang!" He Yang immediately grasped the situation and stepped forward, swinging his sword to drive away the demons. However, they had Bi Fang Birds, and any touch of a spark would result in a miserably painful death. His figure agilely weaved through the green firelight, leaving onlookers breathless with fear that a single mishap would burn him to death!

Chu Yinghong, seeing her husband rush into the Bi Fang demon fire, was horrified. Without further thought, she too rushed forward and flicked her wrist, from which several water dragons shot out of her sleeves, growing upon contact with air and roaring as they coiled upwards, splashing water, encircling both the Bi Fang Birds and the demons.

Fearing that the Bi Fang Birds were not afraid of water, Chu Lei was about to step forward to help when suddenly he heard Linglong scream from behind. It turned out that the demons, finding the older generation tough to deal with, had all turned to target the younger ones instead. Linglong and Zhong Min Yan were forced to retreat step by step until their backs were up against the stone wall, with no way out. Du Minxing and several other disciples tried to help, but were too overwhelmed to be effective, entangled by the demons, each moment holding the risk of deadly peril.

Linglong’s hairpin was chopped off, possibly also injuring her scalp, as blood streamed down her face, presenting a terrifying sight. Zhong Min Yan pulled her in, protecting her in his arms, and hugged her tightly, closing his eyes to await death. A dozen weapons simultaneously struck at them, and though Chu Lei rushed over, it was too late. In that flash of a moment, the demons guarding the iron gate cheered — the Mystic Iron Gate had indeed been melted! Creating an opening, the demons surged inside like a tide.

Huan Yang and He Danping wielded their swords, each slashing down two demons. He Yang rushed forward, grabbed the Mystic Iron Gate to put it back in place, but the moment his hand touched it, he cried out in pain. His entire palm turned charred black instantly — the Mystic Iron Gate had been thoroughly heated by the Bi Fang Bird’s fire from top to bottom. The moment he touched it, he was severely burned. Covered in cold sweat, with decisive action, he sliced off his charred palm with his sword, tore off a piece of his clothing and wrapped it tightly around the bleeding wrist, his voice rasping, "Hold the entrance!"

No sooner had he spoken than a chilling voice from above said, "Tengshe, kill all these demons, leave none alive."

The crowd was both shocked and overjoyed as they looked up. Indeed, Xuanji had returned. Her face was expressionless as she controlled her sword in mid-air, with Tengshe already spreading its Fire Wings behind her. With a murderous grin on its face, it cheerfully looked down at the chaotic brawl below.