by Tony Tran
Three ominous glares locked onto Zhang after these words left Lu Lingqi’s mouth.
Not knowing what he could say to get out of this situation, Zhang decided to go with the best strategy for situations such as this.
“Oh look! Soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army!” Zhang yelled as he pointed to the top of the inner city walls.
After shouting, Zhang sprinted towards the inner city gates as a thick black mist shot out from his cape. A huge abyssal Lightning Eater appeared under his feet which towered over the inner city walls. Zhang could be seen jumping off from the abyssal Lightning Eater onto the top of the city walls and disappeared.
Zhang realized after escaping death that the cape he got from the Black Wind Province’s treasury possessed the power to grant life on creatures that lurk in the dark depths of a person’s mind. It had been the Underworld’s Heart that activated the Endless Abyss cape when it entered Zhang’s body
“You're not going to get away brother!” Ai shouted as dozens of black vines appeared under her feet and lifted her over the walls.
“Let's go! Number Two come with me.” Ling grabbed Yuying’s arm as a column of blood condensed and lifted her and Yuying into the air.
“Number two?” Yuying questioned as the column of blood took her and Ling over the inner city walls.
“General Guan Yu hurry up! Knock down the gates!” Lu Lingqi commanded as she yelled in her mind “I'm coming too!”
Moments later, the inner city gates fell to the ground and Lu Lingqi rushed in following behind her was Guan Yu.
“Wait my lady! Wait!” He yelled trying to get Lu Lingqi to stop from running.
“Do not attack the soldiers of Green Clover Army unless they provoked us. That young lady seems to have lots of influence on their general and she also seems to have a relationship to our lord. She might become our fourth madam.” Sima Yi said with a smile as thousands of soldiers donned in green armor stormed into the inner city followed by thousands of soldiers in black armor.
“You men go inform the rest of the army, make sure no one leaves this city.” Sima Yi ordered before entering the inner city.
“Yes sir!” A few soldiers replied as they ran off.
Zhang was currently headed to a place where he always checks first whenever he entered a city in turmoil: the city treasury, located in the provincial lord’s mansion.
But when he arrived in front of the provincial lord’s mansion he saw hundreds of carts filled to the brim with gold and jewels and soldiers were busy stacking more riches on empty carts.
As Zhang stood, partially hidden behind the entrance of the provincial lord’s mansion, a middle aged woman could be seen standing beside two of the world's ugliest women that Zhang had ever seen.
“Quickly! Pack everything into the carts! The outer city might have fallen already but if we reach the entrance of the underground catacombs we can escape!” Guo Meiyan yelled to the remaining soldiers of Heavenly Sword Army.
“Odd…” Zhang thought as he wondered why these soldiers were still obediently listening to Guo Meiyan. By now, the news of General Chao Chang’s death was certainly known by every soldier of the Heavenly Sword Army within the city. But why was it that these men were still obediently listening to Guo Meiyan instead of trying to find ways to flee out of the city.
That was when Zhang noticed a few corpses with pitch black skin and green boils on their bodies lying face down, a short distance from the gate where he stood behind. The corpses were clothed in the standard purple armor of the Heavenly Sword Army, it was evident that they tried to ran away and was poisoned to death.
“Brother! I’ve caught you!” Ai yelled as she jumped onto Zhang knocking him to the ground.
“Who’s there!” Voices from within the provincial lord’s mansion rang out.
“I-it’s the demon girl!” A soldier dressed in purple armor shouted as he looked at Ai whose long silky hair was disheveled, covering her face and bits of Zhang’s face while her body was pressed against Zhang’s.
“Demon girl?” Guo Meiyan said in a confused tone.
“Ye-yes my lady this girl went on a rampage in the outer city and hacked many soldiers to pieces.” The soldier said in a shaken voice as he tried to ran away.
“Stop! Get back here!” Guo Meiyan yelled in a commanding tone. But her words were ignored as the soldier continued running while his comrades watched with worry in their eyes. Not long ago, a few of them tried to run away but met their demise.
The soldier didn’t make it far before he stopped in his tracks as two huge deep holes appeared on the soldier’s torso. Then, an invisible force lifted the soldier into the air as he coughed up large amounts of blood. With a splat, the soldier’s body flung onto the ground. Soon, every visible inch of skin on his bloody body turned pitch black and green boils grew.
“What the….” Zhang murmured, looking at the man’s corpse as he and Ai got back on their feet.
That was when Zhang noticed the sound of something slithering across the stone paved courtyard. Suddenly, a spectrum of countless colors appeared and with it thousands of nearly transparent white scales appeared.
Two towering serpentine shadows appeared out of nothingness as they poked their heads out behind provincial lord’s mansion, while wall of scales coiled about across the courtyard. Upon further inspection, one would notice that the two heads were actually apart of the same body.
“A Mirage Viper with two heads?” Zhang murmured with a smile present on his face as he looked at the scaly beast in front of him. Mirage Vipers were extremely rare and fairly powerful beasts that ranged from the fifth and seventh levels of cultivation. They possessed the ability to bend the light that touches their scales allowing them to become invisible.
But seeing a Twin Headed Mirage Viper, that are considered freaks of nature, alive was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Twin Headed Mirage Vipers generally could not make it past a few days of life after they were hatched due to being abandoned by the rest of their kind. However, if they manage to make it past the adolescent stage, they have the chance of reaching the eighth tier of cultivation.
It was clear that if Zhang was able to collect the scales of this beast, he could make an armor that was just as good, if not, better than his Lightning Scale Armor. Zhang's current one had become very tattered after all of the battles and it even had a gaping hole on its breastplate.
“Kill them or join those idiots who disobeyed me.” Guo Meiyan ordered to the remaining soldiers of Heavenly Sword Province.
When faced with the terrifying sight of Twin Headed Mirage Viper, they could not help but gather their courage and looked at Zhang and Ai, ready to kill. But this instantly changed when a thin blade appeared in Ai’s hands. The instant they saw the blade, they remembered their comrades being hacked to death.
“Fuck me…” One of the soldiers growled as his gaze shifted between the massive coiling snake and the sword wielding demon girl.
“You guys listen to me! Either way, all of us will die so we must pick a way that will give us a higher chance of survival.” Another soldier spoke to his comrades.
Soon, all of the remaining soldiers ran away from the direction where Ai was standing and headed toward the Twin Headed Mirage Viper.
“Kill them! Kill them all!” Guo Meiyan yelled, pointing at the fleeing soldiers. Amazingly enough, most, if not all, of the remaining soldiers managed to dodge the when the viper whipped its tail and tried to bite its deadly fangs into them.
“You picked right.” Ai murmured as an evil grin appeared on her face.
“Protect our lord!” Sima Yi’s voice rang out outside the provincial lord’s mansion as soldiers clad in green and black armor filled the courtyard with their swords drawn and bows knocked with arrows ready to fire. Yuying and Ling could be seen looking at the Twin Headed Mirage Viper from atop the column of blood.
While the rows of soldiers entered the mansion, Lu Lingqi could be seen walking in along with General Guan Yu and
Wei Yan.
“You damn whore! Die!” Lu Lingqi shouted out she threw three thin long needles toward Guo Meiyan and her two daughters.
To protect its master, a part of the giant snake coiled around the three villainesses and deflected the needles causing them to hit the ground.
“Kill them all!!” Guo Meiyan yelled once more to the Twin Headed Mirage Viper.
With a hiss, the Twin Headed Mirage Viper’s two heads opened their jaws revealing large razor sharp fangs. One after another the two heads of the Mirage Viper shot down at the soldiers in the courtyard. Walls were smashed and buildings were turned into rubble as the serpent's massive body thrashed about.
“Archers fire! Spearman attack!” Sima Yi commanded.
The hundreds of archers who managed to file into the courtyard, opened fire upon the Twin Headed Mirage Viper. Along with the archers, hundreds of spearmen threw their spears into the air. But when their arrows and spears hit the nearly transparent scales, it fell to the ground without doing any damage at all.
“Fall back! None of you can damage it! Go bring the ballistae here” Zhang yelled.
Upon hearing Zhang’s words, the soldiers that just only entered the courtyard ran back outside heading toward the outer city walls.
“My lady come with me it's not safe here!” Guan Yu whispered as he grabbed Lu Lingqi and charged out of the courtyard. Since his lord was dead, by birthright, Lu Lingqi was his new master so Guan Yu’s current priority was to ensure her safety.
“My three future wives fall back!” Zhang yelled, worried about their safety.
“Hmph! Better be only three.” Yuying snorted, looking down from the pillar of water.
Despite Zhang’s request, the three beauties refused to leave and ignored his words. Crescent blades of blood formed in the air and shot toward the Mirage Snake while black vines sprouted out of the ground and lashed out at it. Lastly, the corpses lying on the ground rose up and began limping their way across the courtyard.
A long sigh came out from Zhang before a blood red blade appeared in his hand.
Once the crescent blades of blood slashed the snake’s body, it broke apart splashing a large area with blood.
“Eternal Frost!” Ling yelled out. Within a flash, a thin layer of ice covered a part of the snake's nearly transparent white body.
The thin layer of ice was quickly shattered when Zhang’s blood red sword swung down on the snake's scaly body. Where the blade struck, streaks of deep red blood oozed out.
While Zhang continued slashing at the ever moving snake, Ai’s vines extended trying to wrap around the Snake’s scaly body but failed to grab hold as it slid through the twisting vines.
“If we can’t slay the snake then kill its master.” Yuying murmured as she manipulated the undead to head for Guo Meiyan and her two daughters, instead of trying to attack the giant Mirage Viper.
But before the undead could even get close to the three villainess, the Mirage Viper would lash out and send them flying away or turn them into a bloody pulp.
Thankfully, the rumbling sound of wheels approaching the provincial lord’s mansion was heard.
“My lord! The men have arrived with the ballistae!” Sima Yi yelled from outside of the gates.
“Fire at will! Fire at will!” Zhang ordered.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The sound of endless barrage of bolts were fired from the ballistae at the huge Mirage Viper. A few bolts managed to hit their target and pierce into the snake causing trails of blood to ooze onto its scales. Only after hundreds of bolts were fired did the Twin Headed Mirage Viper fall to the ground.
“A good snake is a dead snake.” Zhang murmured as he approached the snake’s carcass, ready to skin it. Stars twinkled in Zhang’s eyes as he imagined the hundred sets of armor he and his three future wives would be able to get from the giant carcass.
“I’ll have enough to make, so many that my kids won’t ever have to worry about clothing.” Zhang thought as his gaze was focused on nearly transparent scales.
Suddenly, he heard dozens of screams rang around him. Before he could find out what was happening, everything dimmed.
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“Brother! Watch out!” Ai yelled as one of the heads of the Twin Headed Mirage Viper rose up and bared its fangs at Zhang. Before he could react, the snake’s head came down and scooped Zhang up into its mouth and swallowed him whole.
“Kill it!” Ling yelled.
“Don’t aim for the head that swallowed him or else he might get hurt!” Yuying yelled.
Soon the barrage of bolts began once more.
Chapter 79: One Condition
After a few dozen more bolts were fired into the Twin Headed Mirage Viper it finally slumped to ground and did not get up.
The instant it fell to the ground, a blood red blade could be seen poking out from its side. A long cut appeared from its belly and from the inside of the snake, Zhang crawled out covered in goo.
“Shitty snake… I was almost digested…” Zhang murmured as he proceeded to kick the carcass of the giant snake.
“Mother! What are you doing? Let's go quickly!” Two voices could be heard frantically yelling. Guo Meiyan could be seen standing by the carts of gold grabbing handful of gold and jewels then stuffing them into a large sack.
“Give it up and prepare to die!” Lu Lingqi screamed as she returned, seeing that the viper was slain.
“Ahaha, these riches are mine! Mine! You can’t have them!” Guo Meiyan yelled manically as she watched many soldiers surround every possible exit from the mansion.
“She’s clearly gone crazy.” Yuying stated as she and Ling descended to the ground and the column of blood where they stood dispersed, forming a puddle on the ground.
“If I can’t have it then no one can! No one! These are all mine!” Guo Meiyan continued yelling as she madly tossed the sack of gold onto the ground and ran about madly.
“Lingqi I’ll leave it up to you on how you would deal with her.” Zhang said as he watched Guo Meiyan ran about like a lunatic.
However, Zhang noticed something strange when Guo Meiyan reached where Lu Lingqi was standing. Not far from Lu Lingqi was Yuying and Ling, who were watching the madness unfold. From Guo Meiyan’s sleeves, she pulled out a strange looking bottle.
That was when the unfocused and maddened eyes of Guo Meiyan became sharp and focused. “You little twerp, if I’m going to die then you're going to die with me! Ahaha how I’ve waited for this day. I could remember that day, I pushed you into that boiling pot of oil like it was just yesterday.” Guo Meiyan laughed at she threw the strange looking bottle onto the ground.
Following a cracking sound, a thick green cloud of smoke gushed out in every direction.
“Poison…” Lu Lingqi thought as a frown appeared on her face. While holding in her breath, she took out a small brown pellet from her sleeve and swallowed it. Then she used her left hand to perform a palm strike while using her right hand to shove a similar looking pellet into Guo Meiyan’s mouth.
“You think I’m just going to let you die like this? Ha, this shows how much you know about me after living in the same home for so long.” Lu Lingqi murmured as the green smoke cleared.
When the smoke cleared dozens of soldiers laid rolling about on the ground, wallowing in pain. Zhang rushed to Yuying and Ling who had taken in a whiff of the green smoke and fell to the ground.
“Get a hold of yourselves!” Zhang said as he tried to use the power of the Underworld Heart in his chest to heal them. However, no matter how much purple energy entered their bodies nothing happened. Behind him stood Ai as she watched with a worried expression on her face.
“Please let this work…” He murmured as small bottles of phoenix blood appeared in his hands. Moments later warm phoenix blood dripped into the mouths of the two beauties laying on the ground.
“Fuck…” Zhang cursed in his mind as the phoenix blood did not seem to help ei
ther.
“Brother Zhang! I can help them.” Lu Lingqi said as she stood behind Zhang. All of the soldiers who were on the ground wallowing in pain were now perfectly fine.
“Save them!” Zhang shouted as he held Yuying and Ling in his embrace.
“One condition.” Lu Lingqi said.
“I’ll accept any condition. Help them.” Zhang said hurriedly.
“Marry me!” Lu Lingqi said happily as she bent down and slipped two small brown pellets into the mouths of the two beauties.
“Ehhhhh?” Guan Yu said once he heard Lu Lingqi’s words. He stood dumbfounded with his mouth wide open in shock.
Sima Yi could be seen standing by the entrance to the mansion with a grin on his face once he was sure that Yuying and Ling were fine.
