Chapter 92 — Dead End

The clearing suddenly fell quiet. Yuyang Zi's figure was forlorn. His gaze swept across—from Qin Wujiu to Jin Pingyue to Ming Li. His lips moved, and he said suddenly, "Enough. Enough."

The three of them stopped a zhang away from Yuyang Zi, forming a circle that enclosed him in the middle.

Jin Pingyue spoke first, smiling. "What is it, Martial Uncle Yuyang Zi? Have you something more to say?"

A flash of venom passed through Yuyang Zi's eyes, but his face was blank. After a moment he said slowly, "Now I am at the end of my resources. The name of the Changsheng Hall ends today."

Qin Wujiu clapped his hands. "Martial Uncle, your eyes are indeed keen!"

Yuyang Zi's body trembled. A man of his stature, to be humiliated thus by these juniors—it was truly worse than death. Yet he endured it, and said slowly, "Since I have no road left to walk, then so be it—I too will surrender to you. With the cultivation I possess, I should still be of some use to you, no?"

At these words, Qin Wujiu and Jin Pingyue were visibly moved. Yuyang Zi's cultivation was scarcely inferior to that of the Ming Wang and the Venom God; and tonight, above all, he had single-handedly withstood as many as ten of the finest figures of the righteous path. The demonic cult members watching from hiding in the distance had all been shaken.

Had they not first let the Changsheng Hall and the righteous path bloody each other, removing the Changsheng Hall would likely not have been so simple. And if they could secure Yuyang Zi's service, it would without question be their foremost reinforcement; in the demonic cult's future infighting, it would give them an immense advantage.

At that thought, Qin Wujiu and Jin Pingyue, both men of vaulting ambition, could not help showing hesitation on their faces.

Just then, Ming Li, who had been silent all this while, suddenly spoke: "Your cultivation is so profound, your ambition so vast, and your standing senior to ours besides. If you came to our Hell King Sect, I fear that in days to come it would be you lording it over my head. Would you agree to such a thing?"

His words were mild, but his gaze was sharp, and it swept coldly over Yu Yangzi. Yu Yangzi felt a chill at heart. Qin Wujiu and Jin Pingyue were both people of no small cleverness; in an instant they had grasped the crux of the matter, and smiles rose at once to their faces.

But in Yu Yangzi's eyes, they were no different from ghosts and monsters.

"Uncle-Master is truly brilliant, to still have such a marvelous scheme at a moment like this. Admirable, most admirable!" Jin Pingyue smiled with exquisite charm, but even as she smiled, the purple light at her right hand began to glow brighter and brighter.

Likewise, at almost the same instant, Ming Li's Soul-Devourer and Qin Wujiu both took a step toward Yu Yangzi.

The night wind moaned, cold to the bone.

Yu Yangzi looked around him, and sudden fury swelled in his breast, impossible to contain. With a long cry he gathered himself and sprang up, making his final struggle—he would never tamely await his death!

In the distance, the righteous faction had only just settled in. This time Xiao Yichen had deliberately assigned several extra junior brothers to the night watch, a sign of how meticulous his mind was.

In a quiet spot nearby, Lu Xueling sat alone. Before long Wen Pei came back, sat down beside her, pursed her lips slightly, and whispered, "That Song Dayi is a real fool."

Lu Xueling's eyes moved, and she looked into the distance, where Song Dayi sat by the fire, his face awkward. Whatever Wen Pei had said to him just now, he kept stealing glances in their direction, his expression seemingly full of anxiety, yet he dared not come over.

A trace of amusement rose in Lu Xueling's eyes as well. She said to Wen Pei, "Elder Sister, you have been bullying him for years now. We so rarely get out, won't you be a little kinder to him?"

Wen Pei gave a little snort. She and Lu Xueling had always been close, and before this junior sister she never hid anything. With a light huff she said, "That one—he is simply too honest for his own good. I really do not know what is the matter with Uncle-Master Tian Buhui. Back then, when word had it he lured Uncle-Master Su Wan away from our Little Zhu Peak... no, married her—he was sharp as could be. How is it that the disciples he trained all turned out so dull..."

Lu Xueling smiled faintly and withdrew her gaze. After a moment, she suddenly said in a low voice, "You are right. In the early days, many of the disciples of their Great Zhu Peak were honest folk..."

As she spoke on, for some reason her voice gradually trailed off. Wen Pei was taken aback, looked at Lu Xueling, then suddenly sighed as well, patted her shoulder lightly, and said, "Do not think too much about it."

Lu Xueling said nothing, only bowed her head in silence.

That night passed quietly.

When day broke, Xiao Yichen gathered everyone together and said, "The Hall of Longevity has now been badly crippled, and we have no enemy without for the moment. Moreover, we have searched this Dead Marsh for days, yet found not the slightest word of that strange treasure. I wonder, brothers, whether any of you have thoughts on the matter?"

Fa Cheng pondered in silence, but Li Xun looked at Xiao Yichen and said, "Brother Xiao, can it be that you mean to enter that Inner Marsh, perilous beyond measure, and search there?"

Xiao Yichen was somewhat surprised, then nodded and said, "Precisely. Since we have come this far, we cannot give up halfway."

Fa Cheng frowned and said, "What Brother Xiao says makes sense, but deep in the Dead Marsh the marsh gas is a deadly poison, and I hear tell there are even more unimaginable demon beasts and venomous insects within, perilous in the extreme. For so many of us to go at once would be far too dangerous."

Xiao Yichen nodded at once and said, "Indeed. What Brother Fa Cheng says is just what troubles me as well. So I think it best that most of our junior brothers continue the search in the Outer Marsh, while a few of us, together with a few fellow disciples of high cultivation, enter the Inner Marsh. What say you two?"

Li Xun pondered for a good while, then nodded and said, "That seems the only way."

Fa Cheng nodded silently as well.

With the discussion settled, each went back to choose their people. Before long, the Burning Cloud Valley had chosen Li Xun and Yan Fei; the Brahma Chant Temple, Fa Cheng and Fa Jing; and as for the Canglan Sect, their number was somewhat greater—besides Xiao Yichen, Lu Xueling and Zeng Shuyan were both among them, and Lin Jinghong, who had cut such a striking figure the night before last, was included as well, at his own urgent insistence and with the others' newfound regard for him.

Thus eight in all, after settling affairs within their respective sects, set out under Xiao Yichen's lead, each summoning his magic treasure, and flew toward the Inner Marsh.

On the other side of the marsh, gazing at the calm expanse before them, Ming Li and the other two stood abreast, three ranks of followers at their backs, each keeping to their own group, yet facing one another, a faint wariness in the air.

Qin Wujiu suddenly gave a sigh and said, "Uncle-Master Yu Yangzi was a hero all his life. Now that he has been reduced to this Dead Marsh, one might say he died where he belonged?"

Ming Li was silent. Jin Pingyue smiled faintly and said nothing either.

Qin Wujiu did not mind. He smiled and said, "Well then, what do you two intend to do next?"

Jin Pingyue glanced at him, then suddenly turned and said as she walked away, "The great matter is finished. Naturally it is time to part ways!"

Qin Wujiu watched her retreating figure and called out loudly, "Oh? Does the fairy mean to return and report to her superiors?"