Chapter 216 — The Blood Array

Hades stepped through, his face still without expression, and the stone wall slowly closed behind him.

Somewhere in the Central Plains, a thousand li and more from the Southern Borderlands, though somewhat nearer to Mount Canglan.

This was wild, desolate country, seldom trodden by human feet. The land rolled in ridges and valleys, and a long river ran through it.

Measured carefully against the geographical records, these nameless mountains ought to be counted as the tail end of the vast Canglan range, and the long river winding among the steep peaks could be reckoned one of the upper tributaries of the river outside Heyin City. But after all, this place lay far from the vein of the Qingyun spirit, and here one saw only fierce beasts prowling and apes wailing and tigers roaring—not the faintest breath of immortal spirituality.

Yet today, in this place forgotten by heaven and earth, the stillness was shattered.

Two figures streaked across the sky in pursuit, one after the other. The one in front was shrouded in black shadow; the one behind flickered with grey light. Both were swift as lightning. The black shadow darted high and low through the air, now plunging into the wild forest, twisting and turning with every trick at his command, yet the grey shadow behind him truly possessed unfathomable powers, countering each move as it came, clinging close in pursuit without yielding a hair's breadth—and indeed was gradually drawing nearer.

Suddenly the black shadow ahead seemed to know he could not for the moment shake off his pursuer. In the midst of his lightning flight his body jerked to a halt, and the black shadow quivered, nailed in place as though by a spike. Almost in the same instant he spun about with incredible speed and stabbed five times at the empty air with his right hand.

With a series of "thuck, thuck" sounds, there in the wild forest, under the broad daylight, five points of eerie fire flared into being. Within the flames loomed hideous skulls, and with a howling wind they hurtled at the grey shadow chasing behind.

The grey shadow was in an instant upon him, yet stopped the very moment he chose. He was wholly focused, as though facing a mighty foe, plainly unwilling to take those five points of eerie fire lightly. A moment later, cold light swirled about the grey figure's hand, and he brought forth a crystalline, translucent tube-shaped magical instrument, pointed at both ends.

The instant the instrument appeared, a layer of white frost settled over the ground and the branches of the withered trees all around, and the air turned bitterly cold. The five points of eerie fire came on like the wind; the grey figure spun his instrument in the air, and drew all five points of eerie fire onto the body of the tube.

Moments later, as fire meets ice, the five points of eerie fire slowly dimmed and were at last extinguished.

And the black light and grey mist gradually dispersed.

"The Ninefold Chill Ice Spike... a formidable instrument indeed!" Whether in lament or in admiration, there was no trace of vexation in the tone. The man in black spoke quietly.

Facing him stood a grey-robed elder—none other than Shangguan Lue, the second figure of the Fenyin Valley in the Southern Borderlands; and the instrument in his hand was, of course, the Ninefold Chill Ice Spike that had once given even the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox some pause.

Shangguan Lue gave a dry laugh and said in a low voice, "To win praise from you, Witch Fiend, is no easy thing." This man in black was in fact the Witch Fiend who had escaped from the Demon-Suppressing Ancient Cave in the Southern Borderlands that day—though how he and Shangguan Lue had come to this chase, none could say.

The Witch Fiend looked Shangguan Lue up and down, then suddenly sighed. "Old friend, ours is no mere acquaintance of a day or two—why must you press me so relentlessly?" Shangguan Lue said mildly, "I have told you my purpose long ago. There is nothing else to it: our Valley Master of Fenyin wishes to see you, and there are matters we might discuss at length. So please, honored sir, come to Fenyin Valley. It is as simple as that." The Witch Fiend shook his head with a bitter smile. "That senior brother of yours, your Valley Master—his schemes run too deep. Though I have lived on in this world without dying, I know well I am no match for him. And besides, do I not know full well what brings you? It is nothing but the secrets of our Witch Clan." Shangguan Lue snorted. "So long as you know it. The Southern Borderlands are in ruin, the five clans in turmoil—it is time Fenyin Valley stepped forth to take charge of the great design. And we mean no ill will; after all, we are surely better than that savage, monstrous Beast Fiend, are we not?" The Witch Fiend looked at him deeply. "The secret of the Witch Clan's Heaven Fire—I truly do not know it. Old friend, for the sake of our many years of friendship, let me go." Shangguan Lue shook his head. "I too am not my own master." With that, the Ninefold Chill Ice Spike in his hand traced a slow half-circle through the air, radiating bitter cold, and once more he pressed toward the Witch Fiend. The Witch Fiend stood motionless, whether because he had understood that escape from Shangguan Lue was impossible and had given up the effort, and said only mildly, "Old friend, this world is vast, and all things change without end. The reason I did not follow the Lady and my elder brother down to the Nine Springs that day was that I wished, while life remained to me, to see the Central Plains once more and behold the countless ways of this world. Would you deny me even this small request?" Shangguan Lue gave a cold snort and paid him no heed, plainly not believing a word of it. By now he had closed to within three feet of the Witch Fiend—but at that very moment his expression changed drastically, and his eyes fixed upon the ground.

There in the broad daylight, under the shining sun, the Witch Fiend's form seemed to drift and waver, yet cast no shadow at all; and his body trembled gently in the wind, looking as though it might float away.

Shangguan Lue moved, and in a blink was before the Witch Fiend. The Ninefold Chill Ice Spike came down in an overhead slash, and a single blade of cold light, with the force of something that nothing could withstand, clove the Witch Fiend clean in two from the middle—but the two halves of that body in an instant became black smoke, which swiftly scattered through the air.

Shangguan Lue's old face went white with rage as he realized that unwittingly he had again fallen for one of the Witch Fiend's illusions. He stamped his foot fiercely, sprang up, and leaped into midair, gazing all about. He saw a black shadow fleeing far off, making northward—and without another word he dissolved into grey light and gave chase straightaway.