Chapter 34: Trust Me, I'm Right
In the forest near the former guard village, Iwell, wielding her war scythe, leaped between the trees. With her speed, as long as she wasn't surrounded, the Tianba Clan couldn't do anything to her—of course, if she chose to fight them head-on, that would be a different story.
After charging several kilometers, Iwell stopped. A cliff appeared before her, with black mist swirling below.
Seeing this familiar scene, Iwell was momentarily stunned, then seemed to realize something.
"This is... the Divine Kingdom?"
Iwell seemed almost incredulous. She tore a piece of flesh from her forearm and tossed it into the black mist.
Waiting. A long wait.
"No, it can't be. The Abyss wouldn't have this elevation. This isn't the Divine Kingdom. No, hahahaha..."
Iwell's war scythe slipped from her hand. She fell to her knees with a thud, tears streaming down her cheeks. She laughed maniacally, but the tears wouldn't stop.
Iwell grabbed her hair, lowering her head. In that moment, she understood everything.
The Abyss Serpent had deceived her into killing the gods, all to slaughter them completely. Once the gods were wiped out, the Divine Kingdom's defenses would open, and the Abyss forces would take this paradise without effort.
And the one who helped the Abyss Serpent accomplish all this was her, Iwell. Not only was she the first to kill a god, leading to the massacre of the deities, but she also allowed their former enemies to settle peacefully on the gods' paradise.
"Iwell, so you're still alive. This cliff is really hard to climb."
A somewhat aged voice came.
"You are..."
Iwell spoke with a numb expression. She had endured many blows, and this one was indeed heavy, but not enough to break her.
"I'm Adrian Alfer, a god-eater from your era. I even courted you once, but you beat me so badly I was bedridden for half a year. Remember now?"
The old duke, with his hand on his beloved wife's shoulder, smiled. This old bastard had grand schemes, even accepting the fall of Sera with calm composure.
"I don't remember who you are."
Iwell didn't even look at the old duke.
"That's not important."
"Indeed, it's not. You can die quietly now, Holy Descendant. My scythe is fast—it won't bring you pain."
Iwell grasped her war scythe and slowly stood up.
"You were used by the Abyss Serpent. Are you just going to let it go?"
The old duke spoke with a smile, looking calm as an old dog on the surface, but inwardly panicking like crazy. He was worried Iwell would chop him—he really couldn't beat her.
"..."
Iwell paused.
"How pathetic. Used to slaughter all the gods. How many types of divine power did you get? A few? A dozen? Or maybe dozens?"
The old duke patted Iwell's shoulder and continued:
"Want to make the Abyss Serpent pay? Then come with me."
With an air of absolute certainty, the old duke walked toward the former guard village.
...
Half an hour later, inside the former guard village, in an open-air cage made of green bamboo.
"Nice scenery, huh?"
The old duke sat in the cage with an arrow still stuck in his head, laughing awkwardly. In the adjacent cage, Iwell was staring at him with murderous intent. If looks could kill, the old duke would have died many times over.
Guarding the two cages were three Tianba Clan members, with more in the distance. If the old duke or Iwell tried to break the cage, they'd be turned into pincushions instantly. Moreover, the bamboo used for the cages was special, grown near the "Source Water."
The old duke inside the cage looked composed, his gaze sweeping the surroundings.
"I wonder what their lunch is like. Iwell, don't glare at me like that. Just sleep first—you'll have everything in your dreams."
"You... stupid pig... How could I... believe you?"
Iwell's insults were limited; "stupid pig" was her best.
"We're not dead yet, are we? Look how friendly these Tianba Clan members are..."
Swoosh~
An arrow flew in, sticking into the old duke's head. The Tianba Clan member holding the bow glared coldly at the old duke in the cage.
"Nan Gu Se Se... (Unknown Language)"
The old duke spoke in a deep voice. The three Tianba Clan members were startled, then stepped forward to converse with him.
After a brief exchange, the three Tianba Clan members slightly bowed in salute. The old duke waved his hand, as if to say, "We're all friends here, no need to be so polite."
What Iwell never dreamed would happen unfolded: after the old duke spoke with the three Tianba Clan members for a moment, they led him away, heading straight for the tallest building in the former guard village.
Before taking a few steps, the old duke stopped and pointed at Iwell. This made Iwell's heart leap—he must be trying to save her.
Iwell was overthinking it. The three Tianba Clan members brought over a metal mesh, reinforced Iwell's cage, and even shot two more arrows into her before walking away.
The old duke nodded with satisfaction. The three Tianba Clan members became even friendlier with him, even starting to chat and laugh.
Iwell's mouth opened and closed. She deeply regretted not chopping the old duke earlier.
The old duke gave Iwell a wink, meaning he'd save her soon.
For the old duke, dealing with Iwell was far too easy. He never used his hands when he could use his brain. He was a duke, after all, and had to maintain a duke's gentlemanly demeanor.
A kilometer away, Su Xiao was observing this scene through a telescope. If the old duke knew Su Xiao was also here, the smile on his face would vanish instantly. After all, back in the Sera Empire, Su Xiao had arranged things too thoroughly for him, almost putting him in a coffin.
"Boss, the Divine Kingdom is getting livelier. Xi, Iwell is here, and now this old bastard too. Is there some conspiracy..."
"No."
Su Xiao put away the telescope. The current situation was neither a conspiracy nor a coincidence. The fall of the Sera Empire was the catalyst for all this.
Su Xiao patted Bubu Wang's head, and Bubu Wang understood.
Amu and Baha stayed on the high slope. Su Xiao suppressed his aura and, using the cover of the bushes, moved closer to the former guard village. He needed to confirm one thing.
Before long, Su Xiao reached the vicinity of the former guard village. He stood behind a tree and slowly drew the longsword at his waist.
"Alfer!"
A roar came from within the former guard village, and a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky.
The commotion inside the village alerted the Tianba Clan members guarding the perimeter. They rushed toward the village.
Su Xiao silently vanished from behind the tree, reappearing above a Tianba Clan member. The spatial fluctuations dissipated. Using Dragon Shadow Flash to penetrate space had a short range, but the positioning was precise.
Azure Steel Shadow energy surged on Dragon-Slaying Flash. Su Xiao reversed his grip on the sword and thrust it into the Tianba Clan member's head below.
With a tearing sound, the blade sank in at least four-fifths. Before landing, Su Xiao held the sword with both hands in reverse, pressed the right side, and slashed upward.
Pfft!
Blood sprayed. As soon as Su Xiao landed, he crouched low, flipping the sword hilt in his hand, changing from a reverse grip to a forward grip.
A simple upward slash cut into the back of the Tianba Clan member in front.
Two strikes later, the Tianba Clan member in front of Su Xiao collapsed, losing all signs of life. Even a fatal blow to a vital point hadn't killed him instantly, showing how tenacious the Tianba Clan's vitality was.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Four arrows shot toward him. Su Xiao leaped backward, and while mid-air, he swung his sword forward.
Clang!
Sparks flew as the blade struck the metal tip of an arrow. Due to the collision of powerful kinetic energy, the arrow exploded.
A total of five Tianba Clan members aimed their bows at Su Xiao. Just as Su Xiao feigned a charge forward, all five Tianba Clan members leaped, and arrows came flying at him.
Su Xiao slowly inhaled. Everything around him seemed to slow down. A few leaves froze in mid-air, their veins clearly visible.
'Blade Path Sword: Time.'
Thump~
A shockwave spread. All eleven arrows slowed down.
Su Xiao's longsword slashed rapidly in front of him, leaving silver slash marks suspended in the air.
With a crackling sound, all eleven arrows shattered. Su Xiao slightly turned, and the arrow fragments flew past both sides of his body.
The five Tianba Clan members landed simultaneously. They exchanged glances, confirming one thing: among all the intruders today, the man they were fighting now was the strongest—even stronger than the woman with the war scythe.