Chapter Forty-Four: Awaiting Reinforcements

Chapter Forty-Four: Awaiting Reinforcements

Chu Jie stood at the entrance to the fifth terraced field, his expression shadowed and grim.

Along the way, he had seen hundreds of corpses, not a single living soul among them. He kept suspecting that something—or someone—was moving just ahead of him, leaving a path of carnage in its wake.

He had only seen the aftermath, never the perpetrator, but the fifth terrace was different. There was a real chance that, ahead, he would come face to face with whatever was responsible for the slaughter.

Mad Dog Battalion had fared reasonably well up to the fourth terrace, having adapted somewhat to the harsh environment. But with the shift to the fifth, the oppressive conditions would prevent them from fighting at their best. If a formidable foe appeared, their chances of survival would plummet.

“Boss, are we really going down there?” Chen Long approached, worry etched across his face. “I have a bad feeling about this. Maybe once we reach the fifth terrace, we’ll be the ones forced to deal with a superior enemy.”

Corpses littered their path—who or what was behind such relentless killing?

“We’re too few right now,” Chu Jie said slowly. “We won’t go down yet. Chen Long, head back to Lingyun District and ask Duan Kun for reinforcements. Tell them to bring some anti-air weapons. Have them gather near the cave where we rested earlier.”

Chen Long nodded and immediately left the group.

Watching him depart, Chu Jie announced, “Let’s return to the cave and prepare to hunt the Serpent King.”

He led his men back. The efficacy of training on the fourth terrace had diminished, but the meat of the Whirlwind Serpent still offered physical benefits to Mad Dog Battalion. Even for Chu Jie, the serpent meat had some effect, though his formidable Nine Tribulations Physique dampened its impact.

After retracing their steps for a while, they stopped to rest, eating more serpent meat to restore their strength.

The meat’s aroma was intoxicating, drifting far into the distance.

Chu Jie ate, but kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings. They were sheltered behind a rocky outcrop, safe from the raging celestial winds.

Perhaps the scent traveled too far—it drew the attention of others.

A man in white robes approached from the distance, stopping only when he reached their windbreak.

Chu Jie took another bite of serpent meat, swallowing it in large gulps.

Liang Bo whispered at his side, “Boss, I’ve seen that man before. His name is Wu Jue—he’s from the Outer City, but he used to be from our Lingyun District. Supposedly, he’s reached the third level of the Spirit Fusion Realm. He’s arrogant and ruthless—not a good person.”

“I know,” Chu Jie replied, finishing his meal. With a pulse of spiritual energy, the grease vanished from his hands.

The man in white stepped closer, apparently unconcerned by Chu Jie’s group.

“Oh? Whirlwind Serpent meat. No wonder it smells so good. Where did you hunt it?” Wu Jue eyed the half-eaten serpents on the rack, curiosity flickering in his gaze.

When his question was met with silence, Wu Jue’s face darkened. On this fourth terrace, most had perished; he hadn’t heard the tales of the Mad Dog Battalion annihilating the Five Sky Lords. To him, these men were nothing more than petty thugs from the Chaos Zone—upstarts who failed to show him the respect he felt due.

“Isn’t there anyone here who knows how to speak?” Wu Jue demanded, releasing a powerful aura. The surrounding spiritual energy roiled, and even the celestial winds seemed to withdraw before his might.

Still, Chu Jie’s men ignored him.

Many of Chu Jie’s subordinates had heard tales of Wu Jue’s brutality in Lingyun District—his cruelty and unscrupulous ways were infamous. In the past, they’d have never dared cross him. But things were different now. They were Mad Dog Battalion. They had faced and slain opponents far more formidable than Wu Jue.

Seeing no response, Wu Jue’s smile turned vicious. “Very well. I was only going to let you walk away, but now I’ve changed my mind. I’ll send you all to your graves!”

A heavy silence fell. Wu Jue, mistaking this for fear, smiled with satisfaction. “If only you’d learned your place sooner. Too late now!”

Wu Jue drew his blade, a streak of light flashing as he struck at Chu Jie.

He’d already realized Chu Jie was the leader, and aimed to capture the king first.

In the blink of an eye, the blade’s light was upon Chu Jie, crackling with searing lightning.

Chu Jie instantly gathered his spiritual energy into his fist and stepped forward. His fist gleamed as if he held the sun itself, and a gauntlet formed from the Universe Wheel encased his hand.

His punch collided with Wu Jue’s blade.

A thunderous explosion tore through the air, the shockwave detonating around them.

Then, something astonishing happened—Wu Jue’s blade shattered inch by inch, leaving only the hilt.

“I’ll kill you!” Only now did Wu Jue realize he’d struck an immovable object, and his treasured blade had shattered.

His weapon was merely a common blade, not a true artifact. Though he’d crafted it with care, against Chu Jie it was as fragile as glass.

Wu Jue’s face twisted with rage, lightning crackling over his body. His cultivation allowed him to wield thunder as his weapon, and even the celestial winds could not suppress his fury.

“Nine Kings Thunder Fist!”

With a shout, Wu Jue attacked again.

He refused to believe he could lose; in his eyes, Chu Jie’s cultivation barely matched his own. As for Chu Jie’s men, he dismissed them as nothing but Chaos Zone trash.

Chu Jie sneered. Competing with him in fists? That was courting death. His time training in the Abyss of Gods and Demons had honed his strength and resilience. He had no reason to fear.

Moreover, with the power of the Universe Wheel’s gauntlet, his fists struck with devastating force.

A blazing sun clashed with a mass of thunderclouds, each collision birthing a violent burst of light.

Where they fought, the earth caved into a massive crater.

Chu Jie was surprised—Wu Jue was no weakling. At first, he’d merely tested the waters, but now he was fighting in earnest.

As the radiance faded, Wu Jue’s white robe hung in shreds, while Chu Jie remained unscathed, his clothing untouched.

The victor was clear, though Chu Jie had yet to fully exert himself.

“You’re courting death!” Wu Jue glared at his tattered attire. Normally fastidious about his appearance, he had never been humiliated like this before.

Electricity surged across his body, the muscles beneath his skin bulging and pulsing with lightning.

In truth, Chu Jie hadn’t intended to kill Wu Jue at first—he wanted to see if the man had any intelligence about the Abyss. He needed him alive.

His men, following orders, waited on the sidelines, breathless as they watched the fight.

“Boss is invincible!”

“Wu Jue, you piece of trash—you dare target Mad Dog Battalion? You’re dead.”

“Haha, you’re the Wu Jue who beat three of our old bosses? Did I hear that right?”

Their jeers only infuriated Wu Jue further.

“You’ll all die. I’ll crush you with my fists!”

Furious, lightning engulfed Wu Jue, his hair standing on end, both fists blazing with electricity.

Chu Jie glanced at him with disdain. “You’re not worthy.”

With a roar, Wu Jue charged.

His technique was unique—he could cloak himself in lightning, boosting his speed to astonishing levels.

Chu Jie dashed forward like a thunderbolt, each footstep gouging craters into the earth, his fist lashing out.

But Wu Jue was slightly faster, narrowly evading the blow.

Chu Jie’s fist struck the rock, shattering it into fragments with a deafening crash.

Shards hurtled through the air, pelting both combatants.

“Running won’t save you!” Chu Jie lunged again.

Wu Jue now moved with blinding speed, outpacing even Chu Jie.

“I’m behind you,” Wu Jue sneered, punching Chu Jie squarely in the back.

Lightning seared his back, leaving it blackened, but the celestial winds swept the scorch marks away—and Chu Jie remained unfazed.

“Tickling me, are you?” Chu Jie mocked, turning with a taunting gaze.

His Nine Tribulations Physique rendered such attacks meaningless.

He saw now that Wu Jue’s offense was weak—his cultivation prioritized speed over power. And with his blade destroyed, Wu Jue posed little threat.

Though Wu Jue had reached the third level of the Spirit Fusion Realm, he was powerless before Chu Jie.

Wu Jue stared in disbelief—his meticulously prepared strike had done nothing but char Chu Jie’s back. No real harm.

Regret filled him. He realized too late that he had kicked an iron wall.

As that thought settled, despair followed, for he saw Chu Jie’s fist descending.

A blazing sun enveloped Wu Jue, the heat like the wrath of the real sun. The lightning fought back, but his body still suffered.

Wu Jue coughed a mouthful of blood and fell to his knees, stunned by the sheer force of Chu Jie’s Solar Skyfire Fist—far beyond his previous attacks.

“This is my true strength,” Chu Jie said coldly. With a single kick, he sent Wu Jue flying.

Wu Jue landed at the feet of Mad Dog Battalion’s men.

“Boss is invincible!”

The entire battalion erupted in cheers. They had fought many battles, but to see their leader crush Wu Jue—the notorious terror of Lingyun District—so utterly, filled them with awe at Chu Jie’s might.