Chapter Three: You’d Best Go Down and Ask the King of Hell Sooner Rather Than Later

The two of them rode a single flying sword, rushing in the direction of Lingzhou City.

Lingzhou City was precisely where his senior sister resided.

Su Jian nestled close behind Zhao Qianxue, feeling the wind whistle past on either side, his head buried against her back and his arms tightly encircling her slender waist.

Zhao Qianxue’s face was dark. “Little Jian, don’t lean in so close, you’re about to strangle me!”

Su Jian offered an apologetic smile, loosening his grip to something more gentle.

Zhao Qianxue, unwilling to fuss over such trifles, looked worried. “Little Jian, aren’t we being far too conspicuous like this?”

If they had traveled by land and moved with the utmost caution, they might still have made it to Lingchuan City undetected.

But flying like this, they were visible from miles away.

Su Jian remained calm, whispering in her ear, “Don’t worry, Master’s wife, I’m here.”

Zhao Qianxue retorted, “With just those few Heavenly Star Bombs you had earlier, that’s hardly enough to deal with them. Don’t overestimate yourself!”

Still, feeling Su Jian pressed securely against her back, a wave of warmth and security welled up in her heart.

Su Jian quietly took a deep breath, a little short of oxygen.

“Don’t be afraid. The fireworks are about to begin!”

Just an hour ago, they had been hiding, trying every means to evade the pursuit of the Alliance of Righteousness.

But now, he was waiting for the alliance to catch up.

As for whether any Nascent Soul cultivators might be among their pursuers, Su Jian was completely unconcerned.

He had already received definite word while on the run: at this very moment, all cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage from the Alliance of Righteousness were gathered at the Divine Palace of Biyou, fighting over his conveniently acquired master’s storage ring.

Su Jian suspected that something particularly coveted was hidden inside that ring.

The so-called crusade of the alliance, their pretense of defending the righteous path by slaying demons, was just a front; in truth, they desired to kill and plunder.

Though the Divine Palace of Biyou had been destroyed this time, the Alliance of Righteousness had not escaped unscathed either.

…

Su Jian’s mood suddenly grew heavy.

The existence of the system must never be revealed to anyone.

He would need to keep a low profile in the days to come; survival depended on discretion.

It was often said that an innocent man gets into trouble by possessing a treasure—Su Jian always believed that.

With a power to take whatever he wished from the myriad worlds, even an immortal would covet it.

By the time darkness had fully descended, Su Jian suddenly noticed several black shadows appearing on either side, rapidly closing in to encircle them.

“There you are, boy. You really made us search high and low. Are you going to surrender and hand that lovely lady over, or do we have to kill you first and take her for ourselves?” Zhou Tie’s face was full of mocking amusement.

Orders from above were clear: they needed to bring Zhao Qianxue back alive, but Su Jian could be disposed of as they wished.

Now, both sides hovered in midair, a few yards apart, but the air was already thick with murderous intent.

Zhao Qianxue’s expression changed dramatically. Their foes came on fiercely, while she and Su Jian were clearly outmatched and alone.

Even with several hundred protective talismans, they could only block a few hundred attacks—hardly enough to resolve the crisis at hand.

In the next instant, Zhao Qianxue seized Su Jian’s arm tightly, as if prepared to live or die together.

Su Jian glanced at her and said softly, “Watch closely—the fireworks are about to start!”

“Boy, are you saying your last words?” Zhou Tie’s sneer deepened.

He hadn’t caught what Su Jian had whispered to Zhao Qianxue, but he certainly sensed the boy’s contempt.

Courting death!

Su Jian gave a cold laugh. With all your bluster, who else but you should die?

Villains have always perished by talking too much.

He gave a quick survey—there were several hundred pursuers, most at the Core Formation stage, with only a handful at the Nascent Soul level.

A pity not all had arrived; otherwise, he could have finished them off in one fell swoop.

Still, it was enough.

Whoever was left to chase after them would simply face him another time.

Unless their brains were addled, they would probably call for reinforcements from the Alliance of Righteousness.

If all went well, he and his master’s wife would have reached Lingzhou City by then.

He’d heard his senior sister—whom he had never met—was doing well these days, having left the sect over a decade ago and now making a name for herself.

The title “Death Fairy” was enough to strike fear into anyone.

“Seeking death!”

Zhou Tie was furious at Su Jian’s continued disregard, not even sparing him a direct glance. He lost his temper and ordered his men to draw their swords.

But in the next second, without warning, illusory shadows began to appear in the air above everyone.

More and more of them gathered, blotting out the sky and nearly obscuring the moonlight.

Everyone held their breath, tilting their heads back in stunned disbelief.

“Hailstorm?!”

“Hail, my foot! Those are Heavenly Star Bombs—run!”

In an instant, the Heavenly Star Bombs plummeted at breakneck speed, falling all around and exploding violently.

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

…

The explosions of spiritual energy rang out without pause, continuing for a long while.

Interspersed among them were cries of agony, but compared to the deafening blasts, their screams seemed insignificant.

In the blink of an eye, not a single Core Formation cultivator survived; all perished, their bodies shattered and falling from the sky.

It was a gruesome scene.

Su Jian nodded in satisfaction—he was very pleased with the result.

He had thrown out more than nine thousand bombs in succession, occasionally tossing in a few of his own special creations.

Zhao Qianxue’s eyes widened in shock. “Little Jian… you’re incredible!”

They wouldn’t have to die after all!

She couldn’t help but throw her arms around Su Jian, tears of excitement rolling down her cheeks.

Su Jian cleared his throat. “Don’t get too excited… you’re squashing me. Did you enjoy the fireworks?”

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to savor the softness of her embrace, but the flying sword beneath them was about to give out!

Zhao Qianxue was momentarily puzzled—what did he mean, squashing him?

Then she realized, her cheeks flushing as she shot Su Jian a reproachful look.

…

Gradually, the explosions faded.

“You boy… what have you done!” Zhou Tie’s face was ashen, his voice barely audible.

Even his body was struggling to stay upright, nearly collapsing altogether.

By now, only a handful of survivors remained.

Only those few with stronger cultivation had managed to briefly suppress the spreading poison.

He couldn’t comprehend how this had happened, his emotions a tangled mess of shock, despair, and terror, with barely any room left for anything else.

Su Jian laughed. “Well, old man, you’re quite a survivor, aren’t you? Still not dead?”

It seemed the Five Venom Powder hadn’t fully taken effect.

He’d let it linger a bit longer.

Zhou Tie glared at him. “Before I die, will you not even let me understand how I perished?”

Su Jian replied bluntly, “You’d best hurry down and ask the King of Hell yourself!”