NOVEL WEB Chapter 82: Bastard
Chapter 82: Bastard
"That's the Beguiling Demon Queen, Shan Qing Luo."
At Su Mu's words, Shan Qing Luo turned towards him with an enticing smile that the ribbon artifact covering her face couldn't hide.
'First Stage Immortal Ascension Realm at such a young age, not to mention the dense Yang Qi…' Even Shan Qing Luo, someone considered a peerless genius in this world, couldn't help but admit that the young man's talent was on another level compared to anyone she ever come across. 'He's perfect for me to practice 'that' Secret Technique...'
If successful, the technique would allow her to break through to the Second Order Transcendent Realm, the peak of what a regular cultivator from this small world could reach.
After all, her cultivation base was the lowest among the Six Evil Kings, with her being the only one who hadn't reached that realm yet.
However, the Secret Technique involved some risks, so in case something went wrong, she needed someone to provide Yang to supplement her Yin.
"It looks like Junior Brother has heard quite a lot about me…" The cloth around her face moved, and Shan Qing Luo covered her mouth with her palm, giggling a little. "How about following me back to our Holy Land? This Elder Sister will look after you in all sorts of ways…"
Hearing her sweet, sensual voice speak softly, most people present felt like something had gently gripped their hearts and invaded their souls, which instinctively drove them to worship the woman before them.
With each movement and action, she exuded an aura of attraction and fascination. Her watery eyes seemed to contain an endless allure, drawing in everyone's soul.
The men there couldn't avert their eyes from her, from the Ash Grey Cloud Evil Land Cultivators to Xiao Fu Sheng, the Alchemic Grandmaster himself. Regardless of whether they were young or old, most of them involuntarily gulped, and their breathing became rough.
Despite both being beautiful women themselves, even Xia Ning Chang and Dong Qing Yan couldn't help but feel a strange kind of attraction. Their cheeks flushed red as their heartbeats sped up.
Shan Qing Luo swept her charming eyes over the people gathered at the Hidden Cloud Peak, her lips curling up into a small, seductive smile.
While her natural allure was one of a kind, such potent effects were because of her Enchantment Technique.
Even though their cultivation was a minor realm above her, the Tyrannical Force King and Thunderbolt Beast King had to actively circulate their Secret Arts and be on guard not to fall for her charms.
She wouldn't usually use her Enchantment Technique on such occasions, but she wanted to take Su Mu with her without trouble. After all, she couldn't let someone here ruin the chance of her breakthrough by harming him in battle.
However, much to Shan Qing Luo's surprise, two people were entirely unaffected by her charms despite the considerable amount of effort she put in.
"Sister Xia, what are you doing?" Su Mu brought his hand in front of Xia Ning Chang's forehead, giving it a decently hard, True Qi-enhanced flick. "Your Secret Art offers passive resistance against such techniques, so don't lose focus…"
Xia Ning Chang nodded, circulating the Harem God's Cultivation Scripture to the best of her abilities.
"You are resisting her techniques better than expected, brat…" Meng Wuya commented, waving his hand and helping everyone from the Hidden Cloud Peak to snap out of Shan Qing Luo's enchantment. "I thought you'd be the first to fall for her…"
'Compared to the Demon Spider's future self, this much isn't worth mentioning…'
In the future, Shan Qing Luo wanted to seduce Su Mu and cause a commotion for his enemies to act rather than engage in dual cultivation with him. However, contrary to her expectations, she was enchanted by his techniques instead.
'And it doesn't feel like Shan Qing Luo has yet inherited the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider's Divine Spirit Source…' With those thoughts in mind, Su Mu commented, "I've seen far more enchanting things than such a technique, Treasurer Meng… For example, Sister Xia's—"
"Brother Su…!"
Xia Ning Chan didn't even let Su Mu finish, which made the latter chuckle, almost as if he was completely unbothered by the current situation.
But little did anyone know that Su Mu and Meng Wuya had been secretly communicating through their Divine Sense for a while now, deciding their next course of action.
{Can you handle the three Evil Kings together, Treasurer Meng?}
{If it were only a single Second Order Transcendent Realm Cultivator, this Old Man wouldn't have much problem, but two Second and one First Order is a bit…} Meng Wuya replied. {Not to mention, that still leaves us with five Immortal Ascension Realm Cultivators…}
{I figured as much…} Su Mu internally sighed. {I'll take on one of the two Second Order Transcendents and stop the Immortal Ascension Cultivators from chasing after everyone else, so you deal with the other Evil Kings…}
{Do you wish to make Chang'er a widow at such a young age, brat? The disparity between minor realms widens immensely as the cultivation realm increases!} Meng Wuya declared, his voice so loud that Su Mu doubted the others might hear him. {Fighting a Second Order Transcendent as a 1st Stage Immortal Ascension Realm is impossible, even for you!}
{Even if we escaped, you can't hold these three back. I'll need to fight either way; it's much easier without worrying about Xia Ning Chang's safety… And as far as dying goes, there's only a four in ten chance that I'd die, so…}
{Haah.} Meng Wuya sighed, knowing that it'd be pointless to argue further. {I thought you were smarter than that, brat.}
After a few seconds, Su Mu turned toward Aunty Lan, who was mostly uninjured. "Take these guys and run away."
"We won't make—!"
"Leave. Treasure Meng and I will make sure no one chases after you."
"That's too dangerous, Brother Su! Those three are Trans—!"
"It's alright, Sister Xia…" Su Mu smiled at Xia Ning Chang, placing his hand on her neck. "I'll see you later, so don't worry…"
She was about to say something, but before she could, Su Mu gently pressed his thumb above her collarbone, and—
"Ah…"
Xia Ning Chang passed out in his arms, and he handed her over to Aunty Lan.
"Now leave."
Aunty Lan nodded, releasing her True Qi and covering Xia Ning Chang, Dong Qing Yan, Xiao Fu Sheng, and the injured Aunty Lan, before flying away from the Hidden Cloud Peak at her maximum speed.
Su Mu then turned towards the Ash Grey Cloud Evil Land Cultivators, summoning the Asura Sword and holding its hilt.
"Hahaha! This brat has more courage than the weaklings in my squad combined!"
"He's mine… Don't even think about it!"
"Enough…" The Thunderbolt Beast King cut off the Tyrannical Force King and Shan Qing Luo before glancing at Su Mu. "What difference can a brat barely in the Immortal Ascension Realm make in a battle of Transcendents?"
"What difference can I make? Well…" Su Mu smiled at the three Demonic Cultivators. "I can kill anyone who tries to go after them."
"Such overconfidence…" The Thunderbolt Beast King snorted, turning towards two 6th and 5th Stage Immortal Ascension Realm Demonic Cultivators. "Chase them."
"Yes, sir!"
The two demonic cultivators surged their True Qi, rushing after Aunty Lan's group. Even though she was at the Immortal Ascension Realm 6th Stage, she was carrying four people by herself, so her speed was bound to be slower than those with similar cultivation.
However, before the two demonic cultivators could even exit the Hidden Cloud Peak—
'How did he…?'
The Thunderbolt Beast King's eyes widened, noticing how Su Mu disappeared from his initial position, reappearing above the two demonic cultivators before throwing his sword at them like a spear.
BOOM!*
Within an instant, the two demonic cultivators slammed into the ground, creating a large crater with the Asura Sword piercing their hearts, releasing a frightening amount of bloodlust.
"How about it, Thunderbolt Beast King?" Su Mu landed next to the two corpses and pulled out his sword from their chests, looking at the three Evil Kings with a smile. "Do you think I can make a difference in this battle now?"
At that scene, everyone was silent, but soon—
Crackle!* Crackle!*
Lightning started crackling around his body as the Thunderbolt Beast King mobilized his True Qi, activating his movement technique.
"Brat! Watch out!"
[Seven Divine Steps: Second Step.]
'I already know where the attack is coming from even before you, Treasurer Meng…' Behind Su Mu's back, lightning sparks appeared. 'But this body can't react that fast…'
"Attacking someone from behind? I'd expect nothing less from a demonic cultivator…" Su Mu appeared at a distance from the Thunderbolt Beast King, blood dripping from the small slash on his cheek.
"It's as I thought…" The Thunderbolt Beast King stared at him with wide eyes, containing both astonishment and greed. "A step technique for instantaneous in a short distance with speeds that surpass my own…"
'His movement technique is better than I initially thought…' The smile on Su Mu's face never disappeared, and he wiped the blood from his cheek. "It's one of the best movement techniques to exist for a reason…"
"The number of times you can use that technique is limited, and a mere Immortal Ascension can't possibly damage me; it's only a matter of time before you die…" The Thunderbolt Beast King pondered before continuing, "Hand over that movement technique to me, and I'll spare you after only wasting your cultivation..."
The Evil King wasn't wrong.
It was only a matter of time before the backlash from overusing the [Second Step] started catching up to Su Mu. Not to mention, he had no actual way to damage a Transcendent with his strength.
'I take back what I said earlier… The chances of my death are now six out of ten…'
Strangely enough, that was a good thing for him. After all, his final gamble depended on how close he was to death.
Little did Meng Wuya know, but the death Su Mu mentioned wasn't about the Thunderbolt Beast King killing him. Those were the chances of him surviving the backlash of what he would do to kill his enemy.
'Well, that's bound to happen after using 'that' and the [Third Step]…'
Su Mu believed that Yang Bai would become a recurring problem, so it was better to end his subordinates here by taking a small risk.
"I don't mind sharing my step technique with someone worthy enough, but tell me, is a talentless cultivator like yourself worthy of such a technique?"
"Damn brat…!" The lighting around Thunderbolt Beast King condensed onto his limbs, and a few beings popped on his forehead. "I'll take the technique directly from your soul!"
'This is the easiest part in fighting demonic cultivators… They lose their temper too quickly…'
Su Mu held the Asura Sword in his hand and took a stance, converting his True Qi into Sword Qi and condensing it within his sword.
'Here it comes…'
The Thunderbolt Beast King charged toward him, and he defended himself by blocking the attack with his sword.
"Not strong enough!"
BOOOM!*
The force behind the attack was too much for Su Mu to counter, causing his body to fly backward, crashing into and demolishing Xiao Fu Sheng's house.
"You bastard! I said he's mine! Do you plan on killing him?"
"Shut up, bitch! The Demon Lord's orders aren't for us to collect playthings for you to have fun with, but to capture Xiao Fu Sheng!"
The Thunderbolt Beast King didn't even turn at Shan Qing Luo's angry shout. With her and the Tyrannical Force King fighting Meng Wuya, there was no way she could interfere with his battle. Not to mention, that wasn't his main concern.
'I used enough strength to thoroughly cripple even a Peak Immortal Ascension, but that blow felt strange…'
Although he hit Su Mu with a good portion of his strength, it felt like most of the force behind his attack dissipated upon impact.
'Such fine control. To think someone like this can exist in our world…'
At the point of impact, Su Mu didn't use his Sword Qi to defend his body, but instead, he directed most of the force away from him entirely and tanked the remaining impact with his body.
'This brat isn't simply a genius. He might even surpass the Demon Lord in due time…'
That little exchange was enough for the Thunderbolt Beast King to change his priority from capturing the enemy to eliminating him.
He was too dangerous to be kept alive.
"To think the Golden Skeleton would come in handy at a time like this…" Su Mu emerged from the remains of Xiao Fu Sheng's house, tossing a pure white pill into his mouth. "Taking it out of curiosity was worth it…"
Although the attack caused internal damage to his muscles and blood vessels, his bones and organs were unscathed.
Gulp!*
Moments after he gulped the pill down, the slash on his cheek healed, along with the internal damage he received from the previous attack.
'One pill is enough to last the entire battle…'
The pill he took was the one Xia Ning Chang refined from the Myriad Drug Milk—a Saint Grade Elixer. Its effects were more than potent enough for an Immortal Ascension Realm Cultivator like him.
He also had Saint King Grade healing pills, but consuming anything beyond Saint Grade in a battle would do more harm than good.
"To heal someone without even refining the medicinal properties first… What kind of pill is that?"
Even Thunderbolt Beast King was astonished by how quickly Su Mu's wounds healed. Such potent medicine was unheard of in this world.
"A unique pill created by Grandmaster Xiao for his disciples…"
'Demon Lord's judgment in sending us here was correct; if it were anyone else, they couldn't have accomplished anything here…' Thunderbolt Beast King noted, internally praising Yang Bai's foresight as he commented, "You don't even hesitate while talking about that… Have you already accepted your fate, young man?"
"I'm just buying time, idiot…" Su Mu smiled at his opponent. "And does it matter if a dead man knows a thing or two? After all, none of you are returning to the Ash Grey Cloud Evil Land…"
"Bold words…!"
.
.
.
'This isn't good…'
Meng Wuya doughed an onslaught of continuous attacks from the Tyrannical Force King. All his attacks carried force above an average Second Order Transcendent, living up to his title.
But that wasn't what troubled Meng Wuya the most.
Tyrannical Force King was a brute who fought on instinct, and it wouldn't be a problem to finish him if it weren't for the Beguiling Demon Queen.
Every time Meng Wuya attacked, Shan Qing Luo would cover the Tyrannical Force King's blind spots while maintaining her distance from the battle, out of harm's way.
Thanks to the continuous attacks, Meng Wuya couldn't find an opening to attack her. She was using her teammate for both offense and defense without even him realizing that.
It was the worst kind of team-up.
'I need to find an opening and go after that brat…'
During their fight, Su Mu and the Thunderbolt Beast King had traveled quite far from the Hidden Cloud Peak, which worried Meng Wuya.
Crackle!* Crackle!*
BOOOM!*
Suddenly, lightning cracked as a giant thunderbolt crashed down on the ground at a distance from Meng Wuya. He turned towards the enormous crater left by the impact, and his eyes widened in horror.
"You… What the hell are you? A 1st Stage Immortal Ascension can't possibly possess such strength…"
The Thunderbolt Beast King stood at the crater's center, his body covered in numerous sword wounds from head to toe. His left eye and hand were gone, and he used his True Qi to stop the bleeding.
"You sound scared…"
"No one would blame me for being scared…"
The Thunderbolt Beast King looked down at Su Mu, who was on the ground with numerous life-threatening injuries. All of his limbs had been ripped from his body, with blood pouring out of them. He no longer had an ounce of True Qi to suppress his injuries.
"I wanted to extract the secrets your soul holds, but out of respect, I shall grant you an honorable death…." Thunderbolt Beast King's words were sincere, and Su Mu's limbless body started levitating a step away from him. "Tell me, do you have any last words?"
"It was a short life, but for the most part, it was fun…" Although he could barely move his body, Su Mu somehow turned his head in Meng Wuya's direction, who was desperately struggling to reach him but couldn't because of the Tyrannical Force King's attacks. "I did my best, so kill these fuckers in my stead, bastard…"
"Farewell…!"
Thunder Qi condensed into Thunderbolt Beast King's right arm, and—
Zap!*
It pierced Su Mu's heart, ripping through his chest, and his head hung forward, the light in his eyes disappearing.
The last thing Su Mu heard was Meng Wuya's desperate, almost agonizing shout.
"Brat!!!!!"
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Words: 2870
A/N:
Mc finally joined the Donut Club. xD
I kind of wrote myself into a corner with three Transcendent Realm Cultivators appearing out of nowhere so this was a given.
Thank you for reading this fic.
-Pastlives.
The fic isn't finished, I'm just thanking anyone who stuck around lol. The next chapters will come soon.