Chapter 92 — Dead End
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 5 of 7
Yuyang Zi's face was hideous. Watching the centuries-old foundation of the Changsheng Hall destroyed in a single night, he nearly burst with rage. His hand tightened to strangle the man—but then he saw how utterly terrified the fellow was, so frightened that he could not even get out a cry of lament.
Yuyang Zi looked at him, then suddenly turned to look at the disciples fleeing from him. All at once his spirit failed him. His hand went slack, and the disciple dropped to the ground.
The man, having somehow come back from the brink of death, could scarcely believe it. He scrambled and crawled away as fast as he could, putting as much distance between himself and Yuyang Zi as possible.
Moments later, only Yuyang Zi remained in the clearing, utterly alone.
Ming Li, Qin Wujiu, and Jin Pingyue walked forward together.
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!