The Immortal Emperor Returns

Chapter 455 Clash Between Titans

The Lius were once a family of great power and prestige.

And the last time Chu Xun encountered them, he knew nothing about the fact that the Lius were backed by another powerful entity: the Liu Main House.

That the Liu Main House could produce an Immortal-level champion meant that the Lius he once destroyed were only the branch of a greater house with more than a thousand years of history and heritage. That alone made them very, very dangerous.

Chu Xun turned stiff and frosty.

He would never forget how his then-demise was caused by just the mere unproven accusations of Chen Wuhui, the First Presbyter of the Heaven Tao Sect. That culminated in the imprisonment of his parents and the subsequent blindness of his mother at their hands. To make things worse, they had even placed curses on his parents in an insidious plot to have them killed.

Then more than twenty years ago, the Battle of Xuanji Mountain made Hua Qingwu lost her soul, resulting to her remaining lifetime of slumber in an ice sarcophagus; those were all scars that had never seemed to heal.

If only he could relive his destruction of the Lius more than ten times over for all the crimes and evil deeds they had wrought, Chu Xun mused to himself.

And now here he found Liu Jiuyuan, openly parading his grudge against himself. This quandary with the Lius appeared to be far from done, it would seem.

He might need to fully decimate the whole Liu brood only to stop this torment from haunting him. Perhaps it would also be fitting that the Liu Main House should help pay for the crimes that their branch family had once committed.

“According to what I’ve heard, Liu, a long time ago, the branch family of the Lius had doomed the Devil into imprisonment. That included his parents too. His mother Liu Ran even cried so much until she went blind. Then the Liu Branch Family further caused his woman’s death at Xuanji Mountain. For these reasons, I’d say it’s reasonable that the Devil vented vengeance on the Lius,” Chu Xun growled in a steely voice.

“Bollocks. These are all fabrications of the Devil to justify his massacre,” insisted Liu Jiuyuan.

Chu Xun gave a smile, but one with hardly any warmth. “I’ve had the chance to meet the Devil before. Compared to what you said, I’m more inclined to believe his accounts. What a pity that I was not at the capital or even Xuanji Mountain then. Otherwise, I would have surely taken part in his crusade of destroying both the Heaven Tao Sect and the Liu Family.”

“How dare you...” Liu Jiuyuan’s face seethed with anger.

“You can stop with the playacting, Liu. It’s clear as day that you and I will never be friends,” Chu Xun regarded the human champion coldly. “And if the Devil ever comes as an enemy at the gates of your house, you can bet that I’ll be there too.”

“At the gates of my house?” Liu Jiuyuan scoffed with venom, “Even if you both come together, I doubt you could even make it within inches of the gates, never mind the Devil alone.”

“I’d love to try,” hissed Chu Xun menacingly.

“You...” Liu Jiuyuan gnashed his teeth with deep hatred.

Gao Mohan and the others could only try their best to put out the flames of their heated exchange.

To think that three proud and mighty human champions now struggling to juggle between both sides of the argument.

Even so, Chu Xun’s words seemed to suffice in proving that he was not the Devil himself.

But Liu Jiuyuan never stopped casting poisonous glances at Chu Xun.

Chu Xun too has only the deepest loathing for him. The fact that he has now revealed himself as a member of the Lius was reason enough for Chu Xun to kill him.

“We need to discuss how should we deal with the alien races. The opening of the ancient ruins is afoot,” said Gao Mohan.

Diao Xingyi was about to speak with an earth-shaking rumble tremored across the vale.

“What on earth was that?!”

Chu Xun projected his Divine Sense to investigate and he muttered quietly, “The alien races are working together to undo the magical seal that holds the enchantment guarding the ruins.”

With that, he vanished at once.

Chu Xun was only so anxious due to the possibility of Soul-curing Flowers inside the ruins.

Shocked, Gao Mohan and everyone else dashed out of the tent after him.

Chu Xun was the first to reach Hanyang Peak and when he looked up, there indeed were the Lost Races champions pooling their powers together to destroy the magical enchantment of the ancient ruins.

Aside from the champions that he met just now, even the champions of the Macro-primates and the Zombies had arrived.

As Immortal-level champions with keen senses, they immediately picked Chu Xun up when he drew near.

Chu Xun strode forward with his hands held casually behind his back.

“Stop right there!” barked Huang Hai.

Only, Chu Xun refused to budge.

Huang Hai and his companions all grimaced. Chu Xun was not only incredibly skilled in fighting, but his powers were yet unfathomable still.

“Come and nearer, Samsara, and we’ll show no mercy,” Hei Zong yelled as loud as thunder.

“As if the ancient ruins belonged only to you,” scoffed Chu Xun.

The Zombie champions snorted and wheeled around to face Chu Xun. The rest of the Lost Races champions formed up to join him.

Six champions, standing shoulder to shoulder with each other and the tension from their collective presence was so great as if the air had frozen.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Gao Mohan and the other human champions had come and they stood abreast with Chu Xun in a line.

That wiped the smug looks off the faces of the Lost Races champions. Chu Xun might be incredibly powerful, but he was, after all, only one person.

But with more human champions united together, the small superiority in numbers looked more negligible than promising.

Every man and beast in the vicinity of Hanyang Peak retreated further, choosing only to watch from a distance. The presence of all eleven titanic beings alone could suffocate to death even a Beast Lord or a Human King of the Great Completion of Ninth-grade.

This was a game between titans and ordinary warriors would serve even less than cannon fodder.

“We arrived here first, humans. Begone,” said Kong Liqun.

“The ancient ruins of Mount Lu do not belong to anyone. If you want the prize inside, you gotta get it with your own ability and luck,” Gao Mohan sneered.

“We came here first!” the Zombie champion insisted.

“And so what,” Chu Xun uttered indifferently, “As if the likes of you could undo the magic of the enchantment.”

“Wretched humans. You’re only trying to wait for us to break the enchantment so that you can nab the prize instead, aren’t you?” glowered the Macro-primate champion.

“Well, if you’re as skilled as you claimed to be, I’d gladly give you the space you need,” Chu Xun cackled with frost.

Gao Mohan and the other champions stared at Chu Xun blankly.

“What gives you the right to speak on our behalf?” demanded Liu Jiuyuan.

“I did not say ‘we’. I said ‘I’. So if you want to stay, then be my guest,” snorted Chu Xun before turning around and walking away, saying, “Believe me when I say that no one else but me can undo the magical enchantment.”

Chu Xun barely finished speaking when he vanished and was gone.

Gao Mohan, Diao Xingyi, and Ge Zhan all shared hesitant looks.

“Bah, humbug! Who does he think he is!?” spat Liu Jiuyuan loudly.

“Did Samsara just say that no one else but him could undo the magic of the enchantment?” muttered Ge Zhan quietly.

“Hmph, I bet he’s only boasting like the liar he is,” sneered Liu Jiuyuan.

Gao Mohan stared at the alien race champions and uttered in a low voice, “Without Samsara, we’re no match against the alien champions. We can only trust his judgment.”

“What?! Are you placing your faith in a stranger you barely met before?! He says that he’s the only person in the world who can undo the enchantment and you’re taking his word for it?!” Liu Jiuyuan blurted out with rage and disgust. Then his face squirmed one split-second later with twisting into one of dawning comprehension.

“Why, Liu? Is anything wrong?” asked Diao Xingyi, noticing the change of Liu Jiuyuan’s expression.

“If this enchantment is indeed so strong, that not even the collective might of six Immortal-level champions of the alien races fail to defeat and yet this Samsara man persists that he can, then my suspicions earlier could very well be true,” Liu Jiuyuan squinted his eyes contemplatively, his voice vicious and sharp.

“What suspicions?”

Gao Mohan and the other champions peered at him with dubious stares.

“It’s no secret that the Devil is unequal in his mastery of enchantments,” said Liu Jiuyuan pensively.

“And you still think he’s the Devil?” Gao Mohan said.

Liu Jiuyuan could only nod. “He’s the greatest in the magic of enchantments and barriers. And if this Samsara wretch is telling the truth that he can defeat the enchantment that keeps the ancient ruins, then should we take heed of the striking similarities he shares with the Devil?”

Gao Mohan and the others all frowned and thought quietly.

“You’re overthinking things, Liu,” said Gao Mohan, “Though it is true that people skilled in the mastery of enchantment magic are rare, but not few either. To say that he’s the Devil only by this point sounds a tad too feeble.”

Diao Xingyi and Ge Zhan both nodded their agreements.

“But what if he really is the Devil?” Liu Jiuyuan curled into a devious grin, “The Devil’s known to be a brutal and cruel person. Those who ever stepped into his circle often find themselves beleaguered by blood and war. To keep the Devil with us when the enchantment unlocks, there’s no guarantee that he would never stab us in the back when we could be least expecting it. It’s tantamount to inviting trouble unto ourselves.”

“Liu’s right. If Samsara really is the Devil, considering both his propensity and his powers, we really can’t tell for sure if he won’t betray us,” agreed Diao Xingyi.

Gao Mohan paused to think for a beat before he suddenly broke out in laughter.

“I say, isn’t that a tad too pessimistic? Even if Samsara is the Devil himself, do you think we’d not be strong enough to resist him? After our century-long years of training and cultivation?”

Ge Zhan smiled weakly and sighed. “I’m afraid Gao’s right. We’ve been recluses so long that our pride and confidence as warriors had all but evaporated. So what if he’s the Devil? We’ve no quarrel nor any bad blood with him. What is there for us to worry about? The Devil is said to be brutal only to his enemies. They say he’s a good friend to have.”

Diao Xingyi immediately realized how he had almost been moved by Liu Jiuyuan’s words. After all, Liu Jiuyuan was the only one the Devil would ever have a quarrel with and he should not have allowed himself to be distracted.

“Indeed. The question is not whether Samsara’s the Devil. The point is that I have no quarrel with Chu Xun, so there’s nothing for me to be worried off.” Diao Xingyi threw a cursory glare at Liu Jiuyuan before going on, “I’ll need to speak to Samsara. Perhaps he really does have ways to undo the magic enchantment.”

“I echo every syllable. I’m coming with you,” said Ge Zhan.

“Come with us, Liu,” said Gao Mohan.

Liu Jiuyuan could only snort with resentment which showed on his face. All three of the champions refused to be persuaded by him.

“You go on ahead. Just keep me apprised of any developments,” muttered Liu Jiuyuan gloomily.

“Understood. We’d be on our way then,” said Gao Mohan and he left with Diao Xingyi and Ge Zhan.

Hardly fools, all three human champions could hardly care less if Samsara was indeed the Devil and they had no intention of getting dragged into their personal feud.

Liu Jiuyuan stared at the backs of the leaving champions with a venomous look, then he turned back around to look at the alien race champions, his eyes gleaming nefariously.

Chu Xun sped back to the plateau where Jiu You and the Sky Dragon Guard were waiting and he undid the spell that kept them safe in his absence.

“Leave this place at once and go directly to the Rock Sect,” instructed Chu Xun. Their presence here would only be a distraction instead of a boon in the upcoming clash between titans.

Despite her reluctance, Jiu You did nothing to inveigle her way into getting Chu Xun to let her stay. She could see that it would do no good this time.

“The Lost Races have been occupying many great mountains and strongholds in the wilderness, causing many of the native Beast Lords to lose their homes and lairs. I know a few friends, and I wish to recruit them into the Sky Dragon Guard,” said the elephant mutant.

Chu Xun took a beat to think and gave his permission.

“Just be careful,” he warned.

The Sky Dragon Guard hopped onto the back of the eagle mutant in his original form and they left Mount Lu quickly.

Before they parted, Chu Xun gave them each a Sacred Relic to defend themselves.

Chu Xun began thinking once they left and wondered if he had been lacking in leadership qualities.

Jiu You was one of the strongest demonic beasts of the lands, but he had been too overprotective of her.

But only now he realized how she was suffering from his mollycoddling of her which had clearly backfired instead. He should have long allowed her to see the world and learn to grow up.

He needed to fully overhaul the way he ran things.

The anomalies now happening all across the world called for the need to be strong and powerful and the forces of the Fire Dragon Palace could do with more training and exposure.

And that would free up the Silver Dragon Guard for better use instead of being confined to the role of glorified bodyguards at the Rock Sect.

That was it. A massive paradigm shift would be what the Chu Mansion needed to shake off all the decadence and complacency. He would send out every man and woman of the Chu Mansion to experience the world outside and seek out adventures of their own so that they could learn and grow.

Gao Mohan’s and his companions’ arrival interrupted Chu Xun’s thoughts.

“Friend Samsara.”

The trio of human champions greeted him.

Chu Xun nodded silently in acknowledgment.

“I don’t see Queen Jiu You. Where are they?” asked Gao Mohan offhandedly when he noticed the Sky Dragon Guard’s absence.

“I sent them away. They’re of no use here,” said Chu Xun.

“Have a seat,” he said to them, “As shabby and simple this setting might be.”

The three champions stared at each other strangely. Even “shabby and simple” was already an overstatement; there was not even a chair around here and Samsara himself was sitting on a rock for a chair.

Gao Mohan found three stones large enough for them to use and he sat on one of them without any qualms.

Diao Xingyi and Ge Zhan sat down too.

As champions of the Immortal levels, they wouldn’t mind.

“I have a question, friend Samsara. You are free to answer if you wish to, and you may ignore it if you find it inconvenient,” said Gao Mohan.

“Pray tell,” said Chu Xun.

“Are you the Devil?”

Diao Xingyi and Ge Zhan stared hard at Chu Xun.

Chu Xun gave them a wry look and chuckled, “Is that so important?”

“Of course it does,” Gao Mohan replied after what seemed like a transitory moment of hesitation, “Late did we arrive out of our reclusive ways, but we had heard enough of the Devil’s notoriety.”

“Really?” said Chu Xun, still wearing his sardonic look, “And what have you heard?”

Gao Mohan halted and smiled weakly, “Perhaps you can just tell us if you are the Devil himself. I don’t want to offend you in case what I say might be displeasing to you. That could seem awfully awkward, don’t you think?”

“I’m not he,” said Chu Xun.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Very well,” said Gao Mohan, now sounding more like the old wives at the market square only too eager to trade tales and gossip than an Immortal-level champion of the human race. “They say the Devil is brutal and evil, greedy and self-important, vulgar and dishonorable, devious and audacious.”

The corners of Chu Xun’s lips twitched imperceptibly.

“Do you believe in these rumors?” Chu Xun directed the question to Diao Xingyi and Ge Zhan.

“That’s not all. They say the Devil is a name wrought of the blood and bones of his foes. Every time he vanishes, he reappears again out of nowhere, laying waste and destruction to powerful orders, prominent houses and heads litter the ground and blood flow like rivers in his wake,” revealed Diao Xingyi.

“He even has other names. They even call him the Deceiver, and the Ruthless,” added Ge Zhan.

Chu Xun’s mouth never stopped twitching and so did his eyelids, again, and again, and again as if he was suffering a seizure.

“Urn, anything wrong, friend Samsara?” asked Gao Mohan, feeling something amiss.

“Nothing. Just a heavy feeling on my chest. Someone might be badmouthing me.” Chu Xun spoke through gritted teeth.

Gao Mohan and the two shared a quick look. That must be Liu Jiuyuan. He must be the one badmouthing Samsara now.

“You said you had once met the Devil before, Samsara,” said Gao Mohan, “so, we would like to know if the rumors are true?”

Chu Xun shook his head. Placidly he said, “There are things best left for yourself to ascertain. Rumors can only tell you so much but I would stay from making judgments based on hearsay if I were you. As for the temperament of the Devil himself, I’d leave it to you to decide for yourself when you meet him one day.”

“I guess you’re right.” Gao Mohan nodded.

“All right. Enough about the Devil for now,” said Diao Xingyi, “are you confident that the alien race champions will not be able to undo the magic of the enchantment?”

Chu Xun nodded. “As I said before, I, and only I, can undo the magic guarding the ruins. No one else can.”

All three of them peered at each other again.

“It’s boring here since Queen Jiu You is gone. Why don’t you come with me, friend Samsara?” Gao Mohan invited. “We can talk over wine and some delicacies.”

Diao Xingyi and Ge Zhan both were about to extend the same offer when Gao Mohan had beaten them to it and they could only curse under their own breaths for being slow.

Chu Xun nodded. It was true that he would be bored sitting here by himself alone.

“Come with me, my friend.” Gao Mohan stood up, waving an arm with a flourish.

Ge Zhan and Diao Xingyi traded quick glances.

“Come on, Gao,” said Diao Xingyi, “surely you can’t pretend to not have noticed us?”

“I have good wine, Gao,” said Ge Zhan.

All three of them now knew that with Samsara being the only one person who was able to undo the magic of the enchantment, they needed to keep him within their sights to prevent him from entering the ruins alone.

Unbeknownst to Ge Zhan and Diao Xingyi, Gao Mohan harbored no insidious intents; all he really wanted was to chat with Chu Xun and learn a thing or two from him. But he immediately understood the motives of his fellow champions and could only grimace to himself how they had wronged him.

Whereas Diao Xingyi and Ge Zhan both thought that Gao Mohan wished to keep Samsara by his side so that only two of them could enter the ancient ruins and they would not have to share the spoils inside.

Shaking his head warily, Gao Mohan could only ask both the human champions to join them.

All four of them came to the summit campsite occupied by the people of the Faith of Divine Radiance.

Gao Mohan called for his men to prepare food and wine.

True to his word, Ge Zhan really did bring good ale with him.

The four champions talked over their drinks.

During then, they were impressed by Chu Xun’s deep understanding of the knowledge of magical training and cultivation. Many a great stumbling block and obstacles that they had ever encountered before during the course of their work, Chu Xun could offer sound advice that left them stunned and bewildered with fascinated awe.

“If I may, friend Samsara, from which school or order did you belong to?” Gao Mohan deftly slipped in the question when the mood was merry and he hastily explained, “Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m only just curious.”

Chu Xun chuckled. “Nope. I belong to nowhere. I sort of an independent Cultivator.”

“Huh?!”

All three of them returned blank stares at Chu Xun’s nonchalant grin. But no one with knowledge as extensive as Samsara’s could ever be an independent Cultivator!

Then again, Samsara might be trying to prevent revealing his provenance, and they knew better than to pry.

“I wonder how are things going with the alien race champions?” said Gao Mohan suddenly.

“They can do what they want. Unless they have the powers of the Gold Immortal Stage, nothing they do will work,” said Chu Xun flatly.

“Gold Immortal Stage?!” Gao Mohan and the others only knew that they were now in the preliminaries of the Human Immortal Stages, and while they have heard of the Earth Immortal Stage, they knew little about everything else beyond.

“They are coming,” said Chu Xun cryptically out of nowhere.

“Who’s coming?” yelped Gao Mohan.

Gao Mohan barely finished when they heard the air pop. They could feel several powerful auras racing this way.

The six champions of the Lost Races.

All three of them peered at Chu Xun with shock and disbelief. Only when the six alien race champions got near did they finally felt their coming, but Chu Xun had picked up their auras even from a distance. That alone stunned them to no end.

The alien race champions appeared in the blink of an eye at a spot a few hundred meters away.

Gao Mohan and his companions all stood up very carefully.

Only Chu Xun remained as he was; sipping casually at his wine, ignoring the coming of the alien race champions completely.