A flash of light rapidly glided across the sky with an astonishing speed, bringing with it an ear-piercing explosion that blasted everyone's eardrum.
This streak of light dashed out from the Imperial City of the Light Wind Empire. Without a moment of pause, it had already flashed past several cities.
Every resident in the cities lifted up their heads in surprise to peer at the ray of light flashing across the sky.
Amidst the heavily wooded mountains, a short-haired figure sprinted forward. Waves of true energy swirled around his body with the force of a ferocious dragon, extremely domineering.
Without a warning, his bolting figure came to an abrupt halt. He lifted up his head and gazed at the sky only to see a streak of light flicker by. A trace of perplexity immediately flashed across his eyes.
"What is that? Seems like it flew out from the direction of the Imperial City of the Light Wind Empire…"
The short-haired man frowned and thought to himself. He had charged, at full speed, to the Imperial City of the Light Wind Empire all the way from Illusory Spirit Swamp because he received a disturbing message—that the Shura Sect demons had colluded with the rebels and was drawing nearer to the Imperial City.
There seemed to be a ninth grade Supreme-Being amongst those Shura Sect demons; the Empire's army was simply no match for it. If he didn't get there soon, the entire city may be flattened by the enemy.
Taking in a deep breath, he exerted his physical mantra once again and sprinted towards the Imperial City. His body flashed across the heavens, causing a series of explosions to break out.
Having reached the Supreme-Being stage, he could fly at a supersonic speed.
Both Ji Chengyu's and Zhao Musheng's faces were filled with terror.
Receiving the news that the Venerable Master had fallen, they were once again reminded of the horror of Fang Fang's Little Store. The memories of being humbly subdued back then in the store flooded their minds.
Sure enough… their ominous presentiment of disaster was proved right.
That damned store obviously survived, and more alarmingly… finished off a ninth grade Supreme-Being of the Shura Sect.
"So the Venerable Master is just gone?" Zhao Musheng muttered dully.
Though petrified, a small part of him still refused to accept this outcome. He yearned for sweet revenge on Bu Fang, who earlier had wounded him and driven him entirely out of the Imperial City. He wanted Bu Fang to pay for all of his losses.
He supposed that with the Shura Sect Venerable stepping out, Bu Fang would surely have to beg for mercy this time.
Yet the truth was always so cruel and felt like a slap across the face. The defeat this time had utterly shattered his will to further seek vengeance. Even a Supreme-Being was exterminated in this store, so on what basis could he secure a win to save his face?
Were it him confronting the Supreme Beast… he couldn't have possibly survived for more than a minute.
"Hahaha!"
Up on the walls, Ji Chengxue was given the same piece of news. After the momentary shock at first, he couldn't help bursting into a merry laughter.
His chortling lingered in the air, reverberating through the city gates, allowing everyone's facial expressions to relax accordingly.
All the officials of the Light Wind Empire up on the walls sighed in relief as the nervousness on their faces faded away.
Xiao Yue and Xiao Meng exchanged looks and discerned the sense of liberation in each other's eyes—as if a great weight has been lifted from their shoulders.
Xiao Meng's colorless complexion even appeared less ghastly.
Yet the face of every solder in Ji Chengyu's army had now become as pale as a ghost. If the invulnerable Venerable Master was crushed, how could they ever conquer this Imperial City?
They came off as invincible in every previous battle, but largely owing to the assistance from the Venerable Master. Now that their indestructible supreme warrior had perished, could they still…triumph on the battlefield?
Without a second of hesitation, Ji Chengyu immediately ordered the army to retreat.
A loud splash.
Ji Chengyu's army down below backed off in an orderly fashion, fleeing from the Light Wind's Imperial City.
The two Blood Guards in Ji Chengyu's troop were still dumbfounded.
How can this be possible?
How could the Venerable Master die?
There was only a ninth grade puppet in the store. Even though the puppet was very strong, as a team the two of them could certainly rival it… The Venerable Master, with a cultivation at the intermediate stage of Supreme-Being, should be able to subdue that puppet in a heartbeat.
As for that black wok… no matter how special it was, a black wok flung by a sixth grade Battle-Emperor could not be the cause of the Venerable Master's death.
"I must have heard a piece of fake news!"
The Blood Guard whose arm was broken roared and coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face utterly ferocious. However, the reality just deprived them of the last shred of hope.
The chubby elder of the Clear Sky Pagoda had returned while their Venerable Master didn't. This meant… that this old man was telling the truth.
Though it was not accurate to say Ji Chengyu's army lost by a landslide, at this point, this statement certainly didn't seem like an exaggeration. Their morale was at its worst, with every dejected face revealing that they have collectively lost the will to fight.
Obviously, the fall of the Venerable Master was a huge blow to their momentum.
Ji Chengxue did not follow up this victory with hot pursuit. This was mainly because he didn't have the means to do so. Even though Ji Chengyu's army backed off, it wasn't the work of his troops. The opposition was intimated by Owner Bu Fang, who didn't even make a public appearance.
There were quite a few Shura Sect warriors in Ji Chengyu's army. Even if he pushed forward, it was unlikely for him to eliminate Ji Chengyu's troop. If the enemy was cornered, and out of a desperate need to survive, began to act recklessly, Ji Chengxue wouldn't be able to handle it.
Be that as it may.
Loud cheers echoed on the city walls as the crowd was celebrating this delightful victory. Of course, there was someone in the crowd who found himself in a rather awkward situation.
That someone was the Elder Sun of the Godly Temple of the Wildland. After all, it was him who had proposed to hand over Bu Fang, so as to buy time as they waited for the Godly Temple warrior to arrive.
The judgmental looks that the folks in the crowd sent him made him pull a long face and humph coldly.
Although the final outcome was beyond his expectations, he still stood by his earlier decision.
He had absolute faith that the Supreme-Being warrior of his Godly Temple of the Wildlands could swoop in and save the entire Imperial City.
Zhan Kong was still coughing up blood, though fortunately his injuries weren't as severe. His face also bore an expression of delight and amazement.
The image of that giant black dog flashed across his mind. The scenes of the black dog slaughtering away countless warriors lingered in his head… It seemed like that black dog made a move again this time.
Ji Chengxue led the troops away from the city gates. Instead of going back to the main hall, they headed toward Fang Fang's Little Store.
Everyone drew in chilled breaths when they drew closer to the store.
Their hearts trembled at the horrendous sight of flattened buildings and mounts of rubbles. It must have been a violent and intense battle…
Almost one third of the Imperial City was destroyed. Countless residential houses were devastated during this battle, reduced into piles of shattered rocks that scattered across the pavement. Many now homeless civilians recoiled in distant corners, trying desperately to find a place of refuge.
Ji Chengxue's rush of joy from the victory instantly evaporated. A battle at this intensity was way beyond his imagination. If the Imperial City was hit with a couple more of battles like this, it would face destruction even without the invasion of Ji Chengyu's army.
He instructed his men to aid and comfort the homeless population. Afterwards, he walked toward Bu Fang's store himself with a few more people following behind.
Amongst the ruins, only Fang Fang Little's Store remained untouched, still erected there in perfect condition. It looked like a miracle.
In front of the entrance, a chubby black dog was curled on the ground, sound asleep.
And a tall, slender figure was holding the door board to close.
Xiao Xiaolong and Ouyang Xiaoyi walked out of the store, astonished at the scene before their eyes.
"Owner Bu… I cannot thank you enough for your help today. Were it not for you, the Light Wind Empire would be in grave danger."
Upon seeing Bu Fang, Ji Chengxue hurried toward him in large strides. He cupped his hands and expressed his sincere gratitude.
Behind Ji Chengxue, all the officials were astonished. They peered at Bu Fang as if he was some kind of monster… Though they were aware of this store's unparalleled capabilities, none had expected a Supreme-Being to be slain here… That was simply terrifying.
"No need to thank me. That old man started it by making a scene. You know… this store does not take kindly to troublemakers. They always come to no good end." Bu Fang stopped whatever he was doing, turned his face toward Ji Chengxue, and stated calmly.
Ji Chengxue nodded his head but continued to express his thanks to Bu Fang anyway.
If it were not for this store, Ji Chengyu's army, backed by a Supreme-Being and two Blood Guards who were nearly at the supreme echelon, would be truly invincible.
Although one third of the Imperial City was destroyed in this battle, it could still be restored and thus did not pose a huge issue.
Bu Fang chatted a bit more with Ji Chengxue, ended their conversations, and then pulled shut his doors.
Ji Chengxue and the others drew in a deep breath. Then they returned to the Main Halls.
Without taking any breaks, Ji Chengxue immediately ordered for the reconstruction of the city. Even though they had survived this crisis, everyone in the Imperial City was still in a state of anxiety. They needed to console the population to boost public morale. This was especially true for the more devastated areas, which called for extra help to rebuild infrastructure right away.
Amidst the intense atmosphere of restoring and rebuilding, the Supreme-Beings of the Godly Temple of the Wildlands and White Cloud Villa finally arrived at the Imperial City.
Elder Sun almost teared up when he saw the Supreme-Being of the Gold Temple of the Wildlands…he finally had someone to back him up.