Chapter 52: Second To None (14)
Lin Dan spent almost two hours to kill those who were infected by the plague. Wherever she went, there were people who tried to run away from her or kneeled down and thanked her in tears. They were terminally ill and were suffering from an incurable disease. They had consumed so much human flesh that it was better for them to die.
After ensuring that everyone in the inner city was dead, Lin Dan, having practiced a unique technique and not afraid of the disease, gathered the bodies of these people in one place and burned them.
In fact, even before she came, there were infected taking their own lives daily, but Yan Zhaotian would always throw more healthy people over the wall so that he could maintain a certain number of people in the inner city. He prohibited his civilians from leaving the city and turned this place into a hunting ground, taking pleasure in toying with human lives. If the day came when all of this people were dead, he would move to another city and continue the same game. His father ruled two great empires after all and would not care about losing an insignificant city.
Those at the top never saw the suffering of the people at the bottom. Unfortunately, this was the Law of the Jungle and the reality of Eastern Tang.
As the smoke rose, Lin Dan stood in front of the heap of burned bodies with a solemn expression and nobody could tell what she was thinking. Her Asura Sword had turned black which resulted from devouring too much blood. Master Fazhao and the others quickly sat down and recite the Sutra of the Dead. Coming to this city for eleven years in a row, his wish was finally fulfilled.
Bai Yan let go of the little boy who was no longer crying and untied his family. After seeing them leave, he looked at Lin Dan's unyielding back with beaming eyes.
Seeing that the bodies had been burned to ashes, Lin Dan jumped on the wall and left immediately. When she passed by Bai Yan, she stressed word by word, "One day, if I have also become a hideous monster like them, you must kill me!”
For a long time, Bai Yan did not respond. Seeing that she was staring at him with a determined look, he said softly, “Understood.” But at the same time, he felt a faint heartache, as if something was missing.
When Master Fazhao heard their conversation, he opened his eyes and lamented, "Amitabha. This is good, indeed! ”
Lin Dan continued moving forward. The city guards pointed at her with swords and spears, but no one dared to take another step forward. As she was soaked in blood, she looked like a devil, leaving a bloody footprint with every step she took. After walking for a few feet, she suddenly stopped and proclaimed, "I am Lin Dan. You may tell Emperor Yan that I'm the one who killed his son. If he wants revenge, find me at the top of Mount Kunlun where we will fight to our deaths!”
In the end, she initiated a duel with Emperor Yan so that no one else would be implicated by her action. It was an unspoken rule that any one who was involved in a duel could not begin the revenge before the outcome of the duel was decided. If she won, everyone would be safe. Otherwise, the Holy Eastern Sect could only hope for the best.
"She is the new Grandmaster, Lin Dan!" One of the guards cried.
"Hurry, inform Emperor Yan!" As the people scrambled, Lin Dan had already left in the wind. Beneath her feet were civilians running out of their closed doors, pointing at the thick smoke, and exclaimed that someone had killed the city lord and burned the Plague City. As tears rolled down their cheeks, they kneeled down and kowtowed to the nameless benefactor. If the benefactor had not come, they would sooner or later be thrown into the Plague City and turned into monsters that had no control over their own lives! Emperor Yan was no human, he was clearly Hades from hell!
—
Three days later, Lin Dan stood at the top of Mount Kunlun, holding a dark Shura Sword in her hand.
Bai Yan and Fazhao stood behind her. Bai Yan was frowning and looking worried while Fazhao recited the scriptures with his eyes closed. The outcome of this duel was almost certain. Emperor Yan was second only to Emperor Yun and had mastered the Flameburst Fist. This technique could flatten a hill and was not something that Lin Dan, a new Grandmaster, could handle.
"He's here." Bai Yan said suddenly.
Master Fazhao opened his eyes immediately.
But Lin Dan was a split second slower to notice his arrival – an evidence that there was a disparity in skills even between Grandmasters.
In the next moment, a middle-aged man in a red robe arrived riding on the wind. He landed on the hard rock and created two deep footprints. He looked at Lin Dan and said coldly, "Did you kill my son? ”
Lin Dan held her sword and took a step forward, "Yes, it was me. ”
"Good to know that!" Emperor Yan sent a punch without saying another word. Lin Dan raised her sword to block the attack, but the force was so huge that she was pushed a few feet away before spewing thick blood. But she was not flustered at all, her eyes were full of raging battle intent. She was facing a strong enemy and knew that she may not stand a chance of winning him even if she had drawn all the death aura within her body. Even so, that did not concern her as she enjoyed having a satisfying battle. If she was destined to die, dying in the hands of a strong opponent would be glorious.
She swung the Asura Sword and propelled herself forward using the raging qi on the tip of the sword towards Emperor Yan. After a series of moves, she was horrified to find that Emperor Yan's technique actually made his body hard as iron and was impenetrable. His Flameburst Fist was a great counter to her Asura Sword.
"I will take your head today and avenge my son's death! I'll also teach you a lesson – do not think you can do whatever you want just because you are extremely talented. Remember, there is always someone more powerful than you in this world." Emperor Yan punched Lin Dan down and swooped down with her.
Lin Dan hit hard on the ground and spat a mouthful of blood. She raised the Asura Sword to block another more powerful punch from her opponent. The rock beneath her started cracking before a deep pit was made. Things were looking desperate for Lin Dan. Emperor Yan did not want to give her any chance of recovery and landed one punch after another. The raging qi rubbed the air and let out sharp shrieking each time.
The pit was getting deeper and soon buried Lin Dan.
Fazhao could not bear to look at her but Bai Yan stared at Emperor Yan coldly.
As Lin Dan suffered from more injuries, the life aura in Lin Dan's body got more active and her rate of recovery increased. The death aura within her was also growing rapidly and turning into the raging qi. Seeing Emperor Yan raised his fist and intended to land a powerful strike on her head, she clenched her teeth and pushed the Asura Sword forward. The sword that was giving out a dark glow came into contact with his fist and actually made a cut on his skin.
Emperor Yan had a shock and could not react in time. He immediately retreated seeing that the blade was coming at his neck.
Without his punches, Lin Dan was able to leap out of the pit and began slashing her opponent while aiming at his vital points. Emperor Yan dodged a few of her slashes at first, but once he noticed that her slashes could only make small cuts on his skin, he relaxed and continued to attack.
Their aggressive fighting styles were ravaging and brutal, and there was hardly any defense. Both techniques were protected by a unique aura and the users had vitality so strong that the battle went on for three days and three nights.
Lin Dan grew at an alarming rate. Although she was wounded all over, she had a fanatical look in her eyes which shone like the sun in the sky. Meanwhile, Emperor Yan had strong inner force and showed no signs of fatigue, but his clothes were tattered from Lin Dan's slashes which made him seem a little beat-up.
"No wonder you dared to issue a challenge with me openly. You're a practitioner of the Asura Sword Technique!" Emperor Yan gradually recognized Lin Dan's technique and was starting to fear her power. He no longer had the patience to slowly deal with her. He gathered all the energy he had in his right fist and struck with lightning speed that could not be seen by the naked eye.
Lin Dan could tell the trajectory of the fist but had no way to dodge it. She could only focus all her power on her sword and was prepared to die with him.
Fazhao lowered his head and called upon the buddha. Bai Yan immediately took a step forward, his emotionless eyes were already red.
Emperor Yan's fist and Lin Dan's blade hit each other's bodies almost at the same time. There were a few sounds of clanking before Lin Dan's bones were crushed by Emperor Yan. He smiled, confident of his victory. As his skin was as hard as iron, Lin Dan could not even leave a scar on his body after attacking him for three days and three nights. He thought there was no way she could hit his vital points.
But with a slash, a stream of blood spurted in the air and stained Emperor Yan's eyes red. He could not believe what happened and lowered his head to look at his chest. The Shura Sword had already pierced through his chest and straight to his heart. Blood was gushing out from on both sides of the sword before gradually being devoured clean by the blade.
"H-How can it be?" He muttered.
"Why not? Haven't you noticed? In the past three days, although my attacks may seem random, all of them are aimed at your vital points and at the exact same spots. I've already broken through your defense, just that I haven't dealt a fatal blow until now. I'll also teach you a lesson – do not think you can do whatever you want just because you are extremely talented. Remember, there is always someone more powerful than you in this world." Lin Dan retracted her Asura Sword and gave him back the same words he told her.
Without any blockage, more blood spewed out of Emperor Yan's chest. He glared at Lin Dan and slowly collapsed before taking his last breath. Lin Dan released foul gas before collapsing as well.
Bai Yan immediately flew towards her and caught her firmly. He was horrified to find that all her bones were crushed and her whole body had turned jelly. Moving carefully, he got Fa Zhao to take off his cassock and spread it on the ground before gently putting Lin Dan down.
Lin Dan spat out a lot of blood, but she looked at the sun above and smiled – It's so good to be alive!
"Stop smiling and take a rest!" Bai Yan cherished Lin Dan's smile, but her half-dead appearance was even more dazzling.
As they spoke, two air slashes were heard and two tall men appeared on the dilapidated Mount Kunlun. One of them was wearing a blue and white Taoist robe while the other was wearing a black attire and solemn face.
"Emperor Yun, she is the successor of the Asura Sword and you should know what to do!” They demanded to kill Lin Dan the moment they spoke.
Lin Dan looked at Bai Yan and muttered, "You're Emperor Yun? ”
Bai Yan gently held her fingertips and instructed Fazhao to take good care of her before turning around and said, "I will protect her as long as she remains sane. Fight me if you have any objections." When his voice fell, his white robe was already puffed up from his strong inner force which also distorted the surrounding air. He carefully avoided Lin Dan and perfectly protected her behind him.
The two men were none other than Xiaoyaozi, who ranked fifth, and, Wei Qu, who ranked fourth on the list of martial experts. Emperor Yan's territory should rightfully belong to Lin Dan now that she had killed him, but it could also go to anyone who killed Lin Dan. The purpose of their appearance was not to uphold justice but to seize resources.
However, they had never expected that Emperor Yun, who was never interested in getting himself involved in anything, would openly defend Lin Dan.