Chapter 67 — Crimson Flame
劍問蒼天 · Page 7 of 7
But those forces came on like a tidal wave, swift beyond measure. In the blink of an eye they were upon them, and it seemed the two of them were like a small boat amidst towering waves, beyond all hope of escape. They could only close their eyes and wait for death—when suddenly someone behind them bellowed:
"Fiend!"
A gust of wind rose abruptly, and in an instant those strange forces met their match, striking with a clang and clatter that rang out again and again. The wind howled, then suddenly fell still. Qi Hao and Lin Jinghong were seized by the collars and yanked several zhang backward, and thus barely scraped their lives back.
The two steadied themselves and saw that it was Daoist Cangyan who had saved Qi Hao, and Su Wan who had pulled Lin Jinghong back. Standing at the very front with them now were several elders of other sects, such as the Venerable Great Strength, and also Tian Buhui, who had descended from the clouds at some unknown moment.
In the distance, purple rays and black qi flickered, and a moment later caught the falling Vampire Fiend. The light swayed, and several figures appeared, while from the woods behind them came the sound of countless footsteps. In the darkness shadows loomed thick and numberless—none could tell how many were hidden within—and of the several dozen who stepped forth into view, most were members of the demon cult.
Zhang Qingyue started in alarm and rose to his feet, gazing at the few standing at the very front of the demon cult's ranks. It was the King of Hell himself who had caught the Vampire Fiend's body, and beside him stood, to everyone's astonishment, three others: a bald old man with a shiny pate, a dwarfish figure of fierce appearance but exceedingly short stature, and a pale-faced scholar of striking elegance, a smile playing about his lips, in whose face not a trace of wickedness could be seen.
On the orthodox side, Daoist Cangyan exchanged a glance with Tian Buhui and the others beside him, the corner of his eye seeming to twitch slightly, and gave a cold laugh. "Well, well!" he said coldly. "So you old fellows have finally come out into the world, one after another."
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