Chapter Thirty-Eight: Salvation Amidst Desperation

At dawn, four figures appeared in single file from the southwest of the small town, standing side by side.

Wu Jue led the group, gazing silently at the sealed barrier before them and the precipitous cliffs not far away. Without a word, he put on the sunglasses that Xiao Yang had given him. Xiao Yang, saying nothing, adjusted the pack on his back, double-checked their direction, and made ready to move out. Princess An Yi flexed her fists, twisted her newly recovered neck, and smiled, “Shall we go?” Little Han looked up at Wu Jue with anticipation, awaiting his command.

Beneath the sunglasses, Wu Jue’s expression betrayed nothing. He drew his pistol, aimed at the invisible barrier ahead, and fired without hesitation. The bullet roared out, tracing a graceful arc in midair before grazing the barrier and sparking a spray of light.

A jagged fissure opened before them.

"Now!" Wu Jue shouted. The four moved in unison, darting toward the gap.

Little Han was the first through, escaping flawlessly at top speed. Outside, he reached out to receive a bundle from Xiao Yang. Xiao Yang leapt to the opening, activating the devices on his armor. A powerful whirlwind blasted from his back and chest, widening the breach considerably.

Wu Jue and Princess An Yi then stepped forward, both using their strength to pull the gap even wider.

Once Little Han had passed out the supplies, Xiao Yang jumped through, and only then did the four leap beyond the barrier together.

As the barrier sealed behind them, the four stood in a line again, exhaling deeply in relief.

Wu Jue steadied himself, drew a deep breath, and exchanged glances with the others. Suddenly, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Desai! I’m leaving now. If you have the guts, come find me. I’ll fight you to the death on the mountain behind!”

His voice rang like a great bell, echoing outward. Soon, beasts lurking nearby heard his challenge and began to converge.

“It’s time!” Little Han drew his twin pistols, firing wildly at the onrushing leopards.

“More coming from this side!” Xiao Yang called, pressing back-to-back with Little Han. The two fought side by side, dispatching enemies as they approached.

Princess An Yi was no less fierce; she lunged at two starving wolves, landing a punch on each, sending them flying four or five meters into the gorge below.

Wu Jue surveyed their surroundings, quickly spotting a familiar silhouette among the surging beasts.

Desai stood tall atop a leopard with patterned fur, bounding toward them.

Without waiting for a word, Wu Jue sprang more than ten meters into the air, landed directly in front of Desai, grabbed him by the neck, and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks.

Desai, facing Wu Jue’s overwhelming power, did not hesitate. He lashed out with both claws; the sharp talons pierced Wu Jue’s clothes but could not penetrate the layer that protected his body.

“I have the Golden Bell Shield—your attacks are useless!” Wu Jue showed no mercy, raining blows down like a storm. In an instant, he drove Desai and his leopard deep into the earth, more than a meter down.

Lying in the dirt, Desai laughed wildly. “Good, you’ve made progress these days. You’ve learned to strike first. But who told you mere physical attacks could harm me?”

As he spoke, his crimson tongue shot out, transforming into a venomous snake that coiled around Wu Jue’s neck and bit fiercely into his jaw.

With a crack, Wu Jue’s powerful protective energy shattered the snake’s fangs.

Still, a trace of venom seeped into Wu Jue’s body. His vision blurred and his steps faltered.

Yet soon, the blood and energy within him surged, and the formidable Marrow-Transforming Sutra began its work.

At the fourth level, the Blood-Transforming Realm, he rapidly neutralized the poison, absorbing and making it his own.

As the snake, shaking its head, tried to bite again with its broken fang, Wu Jue’s eyes snapped open. “Dream on! I’m not who I once was!” he shouted.

He bared his teeth and bit the snake in two.

A wave of agony passed to Desai, who broke out in a cold sweat.

Wu Jue seized him, kicked him high into the air, and summoned the full force of his power, unleashing the most ferocious Seven Deadly Extinctions technique from the Great Forest Temple.

Years ago, in order to contend with Desai, Wu Jue had trained bitterly in this most difficult and deadly art, leading to their epic battle at the end, which saw both driven to the Cliff of Life and Death.

Now, it was time to settle things once and for all.

As Desai’s body plummeted from the air, he was startled awake by the familiar technique and instinctively responded with his own proud move: the Illusive Divine Spiral.

In that instant, both unleashed their strongest techniques, aiming to strike each other with overwhelming force. The very atmosphere around them shifted as they manipulated the energies in close quarters, their gazes locked at less than an arm’s length.

“Prepare to die, Desai!” Wu Jue roared.

“Come meet your fate, Wu Jue!” Desai retorted.

Boom! Boom, boom, boom!

The tremendous shockwaves threatened to tear them apart; every muscle in their bodies felt the impact of the mighty blows.

Desai was sent flying, but suddenly a pair of terrifying wings sprouted from his back, flapping to dissipate Wu Jue’s attack.

Wu Jue, meanwhile, was driven half a meter into the ground by the collision, forcing him to use the Buddhist Lion’s Roar to suppress the pain within.

“Aaaah!” His voice thundered out, shaking everyone nearby—including the beasts Desai had brought—leaving them trembling and even collapsing to the ground.

With a sudden burst of strength, Wu Jue leapt up to attack again, when a figure swooped down from above, landing firmly between them.

“Are you trying to destroy everything around here?” the newcomer demanded.

It was, shockingly, Mirror Hero Tel, missing since their arrival in the town.

He looked at the two with unconcealed disdain. Desai sneered, “You’re the fugitive from Fortress Nineteen? So what if you’re here? You think you can show off?”

Tel shot him a glance, and the octagonal mirror on his chest began to glow. Without warning, he opened his mouth and fired a beam of light at Desai.

With a crash, Desai was flung over ten meters away, nearly tumbling off the cliff. Only by flapping his wings did he manage to return.

Mirror Hero’s strength was not to be underestimated. With a hint of mockery, Tel said, “That was merely a greeting. Give up your assault now. I’ll defend this Earth and drive your Celestial Execution Clan out of the galaxy.”

“A so-called savior of mankind?” Desai laughed coldly, then whistled sharply.

Instantly, countless leopards and wolves swarmed from all directions, launching an attack.

Wu Jue swiftly reloaded and called to An Yi and the others, “Get ready, we’re fighting Desai to the end!”

He crouched, then exploded upward, launching himself at Desai in midair.

Tel meant to stop their private duel, but just as he transformed into a beam of mirror light to intercept Wu Jue, Princess An Yi leapt in front of him, landing a powerful punch that forced him back into his true form.

“Their duel is not for you to interfere in,” she declared, blocking Tel’s attack with a single blow.

In the sky, Desai braced himself as Wu Jue soared toward him, once more unleashing the Illusive Divine Spiral, aiming a devastating blow at Wu Jue.

“No wings, yet you dare challenge the heavens. You’re courting death!” Desai taunted.

Wu Jue answered with a barrage of gunfire, bullets roaring through the air as he shouted, “A man cannot spend his life merely gazing up at the heavens. I will defy the current and slay all demons in my path!”

Thunderous gunshots traced brilliant arcs through the sky, piercing Desai’s gathered energy. The two clashed again, trading fists and kicks in a flurry of moves, until the massive shockwave caused the entire cliff to collapse.

Everyone nearby was swept away, falling helplessly into the mysterious valley below.

End of Chapter 38: A Way Out in Desperation