The Immortal Emperor Returns

Chapter 276 Bullying!

Blood follows every wrath of the Devil, as everyone knew.

Chu Xun’s threat was enough to drain the color from the faces of the warriors who heard him.

Yet right at that very moment, a figure appeared out of nowhere like a wraith.

Another ancient man like Mu Tian; wearing a gentle smile, clad in white Chinese robes that one might mistake him as a sage or a deity.

With one look, Chu Xun immediately knew how good his cultivation was – he was a Fourth-grade Human King, just like Mu Tian. Such was the power and influence of the Sanctuary in an area under their authority that they had people as powerful as such Human Kings at their service.

“Greetings, Immortal Chu, the name’s Feng Zijian.”

Chu Xun’s head dipped faintly with just as much respect, his glare still frosty and distant.

“What brings you here, Feng?” Mu Tian said, ambling over to him.

“I bring orders from the Lord of the Sanctuary. He wishes to see Immortal Chu. Would you come with me?” Feng Zijian announced loudly.

A scarlet hue flashed across Mu Tian’s face. He was just telling Chu Xun about the Lord’s solitary meditation in private, and yet here he was, summoning Chu Xun to see him. What a terrible slap across the face.

“But why?! Why would His Lordship agree to meet him?” Mu Tian demanded, visibly dissatisfied.

Feng Zijian gave him a curt look and smiled, “You’ve erred, Mu. Losing a fight is trivial, but losing our dignity is not.”

“But I lost only because of his deception!” Mu Tian’s voice raised with indignation.

“We just received word, Mu, that Immortal Chu was caught up in a gritting battle just not long before coming here,” said Feng Zijian, giving his colleague a strange look, “The Broken Souls Cult, in conjunction with the Sifang Sword Sect, the Tianlong Fort, and some Fusang wandering warriors, has amassed a force of thirty First-grade, ten Second-grade, five Third-grade, and one Fourth-grade Human Kings. In the end, they even mobilized another Fifth-grade one for good measure. What did you think was the outcome?”

Mu Tian shuddered, his knees almost buckling. The answer was apparent: here was Chu Xun, standing before him, safe and sound. Stammering in a voice edging on faltering, Mu Tian gasped, “Did he manage to escape unscathed?”

Feng Zijian shook his head. “He massacred them all, all by himself with none of his foes surviving. So he cheated, you say? But what makes you think you can defeat him in open combat?”

Mu Tian shuddered again, this time with cold sweat breaking all over him and a knot sticking in his throat.

“The moniker of ‘the Devil’ did not come without reason, Mu. One does not measure a rarity such as him with rationale,” stressed Feng Zijian, implying to Mu Tian to never cross Chu Xun’s path lest he should risk angering the very incarnation of destruction itself.

Mu Tian cast another look at Chu Xun again, this time with admiration and fear.

“If you would come this way please, Immortal Chu,” Feng Zijian implored politely.

Chu Xun ignored him, keeping his focus instead on Jiu You, who was now attempting a breakthrough.

A surprised Feng Zijian saw that and immediately understood, and he waited quietly with patience.

Jiu You began shining brightly with her purple hair standing out conspicuously in the deluge of light as her aura began burgeoning rapidly.

Seeing this, Chu Xun flicked his finger, injecting another purplish spurt of energy through the barrier of the enchantment.

Boom!

Every iota of spiritual energy in the vicinity of several kilometers churned and roiled as if they were all droplets of water from one single river, pooling together as one and flowing straight into Jiu You.

Everyone watched silently with awe, startled at Chu Xun’s skill and mastery.

Jiu You’s aura began blooming sizably, and the radiance shrouding her sparkled more brightly.

Boom!

Like an uncontrollable force trying to escape an invisible barrier, the air around Jiu You started to twist and distort with raspy sounds crackling everywhere. Jiu You opened her beautiful eyes, and rays of light flared out.

Chu Xun waved his hands, dispelling the magic of his barrier enchantment.

Jiu You looked at him and flashed him a smile. It was a success; she was now a Second-grade Human King.

Feng Zijian, Mu Tian, Lin Qingfeng, and everyone else all reeled in silent bewilderment, more so for those who fully comprehended how difficult it could be for a Human King to breakthrough to greater levels. Yet, Jiu You had just demonstrated how easy it looked.

Chu Xun turned to Feng Zijian and said, “Lead the way.”

“This way, please!”

And everyone followed him westward.

For almost a decade, the Sanctuary of Tetrachy rose into prominence. Its stronghold sat in a lush valley somewhere due west of the Yellow River, a tranquil locale with an abundance of spiritual energies.

There was a tall, imposing ancient building group built using ancient architecture and style, blending with fitting harmony into the verdant surroundings of the woods encompassing it, painting a picturesque vista of Man coalescing with Nature.

Before its entrance stood a huge stone, and upon it was inscribed three words: Sanctuary of Tetrachy, engraved using sword strokes imbued with magic.

Three huge words, each looked more powerful and robust than each other, all of them with sword strokes carrying the sharp and indomitable will of the person who set them into stone.

It was similar to how Chu Xun had carved the words of Chu Mansion on the huge white boulder outside his stronghold during its grand opening.

“This way please, Immortal Chu,” said Feng Zijian.

They passed through stone bridges and weaved through corridors and aisles until they finally reached the inner cloister after more than ten minutes.

A tall and lush ginkgo tree loomed at the center of the yard with thick boughs and long, thick branches. Under its shade sat a stone table where another elderly man sat quietly with a pot of tea.

The elderly man grinned when he saw Chu Xun. There was hardly any trace of magical aura from him, yet Chu Xun understood how dangerous and deadly this frail-looking man actually was. If he attacked, it would be powerful and extremely destructive, to say the least.

Chu Xun knew exactly who he is.

“My respects to you, My Lord.”

Feng Zijian and everyone bowed, respectively.

“I am Yue Fandie. I gather you must be Chu Xun, the Devil whose name is enough to rock the entire domain of the Martial Tao. Am I right?” greeted the elderly man calmly with hardly any rise in his voice.

Chu Xun nodded faintly.

The Lord of the Sanctuary filled another cup with tea and placed it at the seat before his, saying, “Come, let’s have a drink, my friend.”

“Thank you,” Chu Xun responded. He walked over and sat down. He lifted the cup and took a sip, pronouncing it as “good.” That was hardly a simple compliment, for the brew was indeed an extraordinary blend filled with rich spiritual energies.

“Please take our new friends to have a rest, Zijian,” instructed Yue Fandie.

Yu Cheng and Winsome Widow peered at Chu Xun, who returned a nod and followed Feng Zijian away.

Jiu You looked nowhere near delighted, but she knew better than to object. Hence she followed them away, albeit with evident reluctance.

“This tea is called Brew of Clouds and Mist. It comes from Kunlun and it is very, very rare,” said Yue Fandie.

“Nice brew,” Chu Xun muttered again.

“What a special little girl,” Yue Fandie murmured suddenly.

Chu Xun’s gaze turned into a sharp, piercing glare.

“Don’t be nervous, Chu Xun,” Yue Fandie waved him down casually, “Much changes – strange and amazing alike – have occurred since the anomalies began. Even the strange don’t look strange anymore, I guess.”

Chu Xun fell reticent. “Did Yue Fandie really realize what Jiu You really is? Or was he merely pulling his leg because of her impressive performance?”

“Breathe easy, Master Chu,” said Yue Fandie again, giving his tea another nip, “You and I, we’re alike actually.”

Chu Xun stared at him, failing to understand what he was trying to insinuate.

“You might have been crowned ‘the Devil’, but you have your morals. It is said that wherever you go, trouble and carnage follows. But to my knowledge, you have yet to kill anyone innocent. You care about the people and that is proven by your forbidding of battle pets into the City of Gujiang.”

Chu Xun listened quietly, before breathing placidly, “It was just a favor for someone else.”

Yue Fandie looked at him strangely for one second before saying directly, “Be that as it may, but it shows your character. How many people these days can be straight and upright as you?”

“When I said we’re alike, I was referring to how we care for the people,” Yue Fandie twirled a little cup between his fingers, a vessel hewed from ancient jade, “I too... am doing this as a favor.”

Chu Xun stared at him with surprise.

“But who it was who asked this of me, I’m afraid I don’t know either,” Yue Fandie grinned, “This directive has been passed down through the ages since the Sanctuary of Tetrachy existed. Who was it who gave this order, I’m afraid the answer to that had long been buried underneath the sands of Time.”

A strange foreboding rose inside him. Could there be someone else protecting these lands aside from Emperor Ao? Could there really be anyone so benevolent such as he?

“I have a question, if I may?”

“Let’s hear it.”

“May I ask who your teacher is, or which school of magic did you come from?” Yue Fandie asked, his eyes gleaming with respect and wonder, “I can see that you’re only in your twenties. Yet how is it possible that you have such power?”

The greater the level of one’s magical cultivation, the longer one is able to live. Human Kings could reach more than two hundred years of life and look like any ordinary man in his forties or fifties, but bone age would always reveal one’s true age.

Chu Xun chuckled lightly. “Would you believe me if I say I’m just a nonpartisan Cultivator?”

That answer seemed to take Yue Fandie by surprise, although he quickly smiled and decided not to dwell on the subject longer. Candidly, he asked, “So, what brings you here to the Sanctuary of Tetrachy, my friend?”

“I wish to borrow something. I will make sure you’re adequately compensated,” said Chu Xun.

“And what might that be?”

“Your furnace,” said Chu Xun directly without masking his intent.

A furnace? A startled Yue Fandie then asked, “Are you referring to the Tetrachy Cauldron?”

It seemed that nobody on Earth – not even Yue Fandie himself – could recognize a furnace, Chu Xun mused quietly.

“Yes, if that’s the name of it,” Chu Xun nodded.

Right at that very moment, Yue Fandie became solemn. In a serious tone, he asked, “For what reason do you need the Tetrachy Cauldron?”

As the question slipped his lips, his aura began projecting subconsciously from his very person, causing Chu Xun to tense up as he realized how unfathomable Yue Fandie’s power was.

“To brew elixirs,” said Chu Xun truthfully.

“I’m afraid I cannot allow you to do that,” said Yue Fandie flatly.

Confounded, Chu Xun almost thought he heard wrongly; Yue Fandie refused his request so readily with hardly even a moment’s thought.

“The Tetrachy Cauldron is a Sacred Relic of the highest order that belongs to the Sanctuary, so I cannot possibly allow you to borrow it.”

Chu Xun understood finally. It was only understandable; the Cauldron being placed under heavy guard was indication enough of its importance to the Sanctuary. He already long thought of that.

“I only wish to use it, not take it away,” Chu Xun explained.

“I can agree to anything else – anything except this,” said Yue Fandie firmly.

Chu Xun chuckled sardonically, “The Cauldron might be a Sacred Relic of yours, but here it sits, mired and smothered in its own dust. Isn’t it better to let it shine once more?”

“Be that as it may, the Tetrachy Cauldron is not something for you to sully.”

“Stubborn old senile,” Chu Xun scowled.

“What did you say?!” Yue Fandie snarled, his eyes livid as though he did not expect Chu Xun to criticize him.

“I said, you’re a stubborn old senile,” repeated Chu Xun.

“I showed you respect, Chu the Devil, for the reputation you enjoy throughout the domain of Martial Tao. Just because I might be older doesn’t mean you can bully me. One more word of disrespect, and let’s see who’s doing the bullying instead.”

“I’d love to see you try,” Chu Xun glared coldly at him, sneering.

“We will suffer not any misbehaviors from you here, Chu the Devil. I see you could use some discipline.”

Yue Fandie, who was a friendly and gentle grandfather, had turned into a veritable powder keg in just the blink of an eye. He flicked the cup in his hand, propelling it like a slingshot into Chu Xun’s face fiercely.

Chu Xun held up his hand and the teacup burst into splinters.

Swoosh!

Yue Fandie disappeared from where he stood and reappeared a few hundred meters away.

“Come here, Chu the Devil. Let me teach you a lesson on how to respect your elders.”

Chu Xun materialized before him, growling coldly, “If a fight is what you want, I gladly accept the challenge, you good-for-nothing old man.”

They both vanished again and darted through the air before they stopped one after another right at the center of the square of the Sanctuary’s stronghold.

Students and disciples of the Sanctuary – who were there training and sparring – could hardly believe their eyes when they saw their lord appearing and his evidently seething temper made them moved quietly away as fast as they could.

Landing first on the square, Yue Fandie struck out with his palm, focusing his Internal Breath into a powerful jet of energy that distorted the fabric of Space, firing it straight at Chu Xun who only just arrived.

Chu Xun was still in midair when the blast came. He channeled his Immortal Qi and struck with his fist, sending another zap of energy of his own to hit at the incoming attack.

Boom!

An earthshaking explosion ensued, spreading terrible ripples of shock wave everywhere with a spectacular mushroom cloud rising from where the two men stood.

“The Sanctuary of Tetrachy will never suffer in your rampaging and terrorizing ways, Chu the Devil,” Yue Fandie snarled, his brows and beard flowing in the winds of his making, the winds billowing in resonance to his thrashing aura.

“The world is far and wide, but there has yet to be any place that I, Chu Xun, would be afraid of going to, be it the High Heavens or this stronghold of the Sanctuary of Tetrachy. So long as I wish to, I will make sure I trample down what hindrance that seeks to thwart me!” Chu Xun bellowed loudly.

“Impudence. Let us see if you are worthy of your moniker of ‘the Devil’, Chu Xun.”

Yue Fandie’s aura churned again as his thick, terrifying aura spread out once more, stirring the air that it began crackling incessantly.