Chapter Seventy-Two: A Frenzied Counterattack

The first wave of attackers numbered over three hundred. They charged forward in overwhelming force, murderous intent surging like a tidal wave. Among them were many cultivators at the Spirit Gathering Realm, as well as numerous warriors at the Body Tempering Realm. Judging by their attire, a considerable number were members of the Luo family. In other words, many of these people had been rallied by the Luo family to come and hunt down Chu Jie and his companion.

Moreover, as these initial pursuers began searching for Chu Jie, another group left the central zone and headed straight for the entrance to the ninth terrace. With that passage blocked, there would be practically no way for Chu Jie to escape—they were closing the gates of the ninth terrace of the Abyss of Gods and Demons.

“Chu Jie, things look grim for us now.” Duan Kun’s face was pale. If it were just one or two hundred enemies, it might be manageable, but with over three hundred in this first wave, they were clearly being driven into a deathtrap.

Chu Jie replied, “Don’t panic. There might still be a sliver of hope. Quite a few of them must have gone to block the entrance to the ninth terrace, so we can’t try to escape right now. We can only find a place to hide, or perhaps even turn the tables on them.”

A fierce killing intent flared within him. If others wished to kill him, he would strike first. No matter how many came, none would be allowed to leave alive.

Duan Kun was briefly stunned, but nodded. “Alright, I’ll follow your lead.”

Initially, the two had been heading toward the center of the Abyss, but now they abruptly changed direction, fleeing the opposite way. The terrain of the ninth terrace was exceedingly complex. In general shape, it formed a vast ring, but the sheer size made it difficult for anyone to find just two people. Furthermore, the area was riddled with hazards—rocky outcrops, deep ravines, and at times, fields of flowing magma. There were almost no normal paths.

Chu Jie and Duan Kun hid themselves among a cluster of massive boulders—a place easy to defend and hard to assault. Here, they could neutralize the enemy’s numerical advantage. Even if they had to flee, there were plenty of escape routes.

It was a place suited equally for attack and retreat.

“This is it,” Chu Jie said. “Let’s rest here for a while.”

It would take the force of three hundred some time to find them, so they simply closed their eyes to rest. In such a vast expanse, it would not be easy for the pursuers to locate them.

While resting, Chu Jie turned his focus inward, sensing his dantian. There, a minor tribulation was about to take form. Under the pressure of the peerless fiend they had encountered earlier, his Nine Tribulations Physique had triggered changes, possibly bringing on this tribulation ahead of schedule.

If he could endure another tribulation, his strength would increase again. He had already passed through two of the nine minor tribulations, but he had no idea what the third would bring. Each time the tribulation struck, it was agony beyond description, yet the gains were always worth it.

What made him uneasy was not this minor tribulation—he was confident he could survive it—but the great tribulation to come. With a constitution as unique as his, there was no one whose experience he could draw on. He would have to rely on his own path.

With a sigh, Chu Jie opened his eyes. By now, they had been sitting there for an hour. He gazed up at the sky.

Above the Abyss of Gods and Demons, the swirling vortex had grown ever larger. Who knew what was being nurtured within? No one could guess what earth-shaking transformation was about to occur. All Chu Jie knew was that he was facing the most severe challenge of his life.

How to survive with thousands of cultivators hunting him? And more than just surviving—he thirsted to strike back. Whoever hunted him, he would slay in return.

He would carve out a place for himself beneath the heavens.

Duan Kun was also under great pressure, but he was doing his best to steady his mind. Now, more than ever, he had to stay calm. With a strong enough will, there was still hope.

“Hide!” Chu Jie urged, pulling Duan Kun into a more concealed spot. Just moments before, he had noticed a team of cultivators passing nearby.

If they could avoid being discovered, so much the better. Once a great upheaval erupted in the Abyss and some extraordinary treasure emerged, no one would have the mind to chase them any longer.

“I’d love to kill them all,” Duan Kun said coldly. Being hunted like prey was nothing less than an insult.

“I feel the same, but we have to be patient. We aren’t strong enough to face too many at once,” Chu Jie replied with a helpless smile.

Both of them harbored resentment toward the peerless fiend—who had left them with nothing, not even a valuable object, yet saddled them with this deadly infamy. If only the fiend weren’t so frighteningly powerful—they would have settled the score themselves.

From behind the boulders, they watched the team pass by. Though the group was made up of Body Tempering Realm cultivators and one Spirit Gathering Realm expert, Chu Jie and Duan Kun could have wiped them out with ease. But so long as they remained undetected, the longer they delayed confrontation, the better for them.

“Those fiends—who knows where they’ve run off to,” someone mocked. “Peerless fiend? More like peerless coward! As soon as they saw our army coming, they turned tail and ran!” Laughter erupted.

Chu Jie watched the departing group with disdain. Three hundred people hunting two, yet they boasted shamelessly of their own prowess—it was absurd.

In truth, three hundred was only the initial number. By now, over a thousand were scouring the terraces for Chu Jie, with many stationed at the entrance to the ninth terrace to prevent any escape.

After that group moved on, no one else approached for a while. Chu Jie and Duan Kun remained hidden, waiting for a new development within the Abyss.

With so many searching, it didn’t take long for the pursuers to narrow down the possible hiding places. Since the entrance was guarded, everyone was convinced the two peerless fiends were still somewhere inside.

Before long, Chu Jie saw another group approaching—this one much larger than before.

“Search carefully! Leave no stone unturned. If you find anything, report it at once or fire a signal, and we’ll all converge!” shouted a sharp voice.

Nearly a hundred replied in unison, their presence overwhelming.

This hundred-strong group began a thorough search of the boulder field—right where Chu Jie and Duan Kun were concealed.

“They’ve sent a lot this time. I don’t think we can stay hidden for much longer,” Duan Kun whispered, eyes brimming with killing intent. He was more than ready to strike.

Chu Jie said, “Wait a bit longer. If we’re discovered, we act immediately—kill them before they can react. That way, we can quietly take out as many as possible, then move to a new hiding place.”

They couldn’t let their enemies keep pressing them down. When the time came, they would have to kill. Among the searchers were many at the Spirit Gathering Realm, but also plenty at the Body Tempering Realm. Together, Chu Jie and Duan Kun could dispatch most of them in an instant.

Chu Jie summoned the Heaven-and-Earth Treasure Disc, letting it revolve around his body, and placed a cerulean pill in his mouth to quickly restore his spiritual energy.

“There are footprints here! This way—two people’s tracks!” a voice called out nearby.

Chu Jie and Duan Kun glanced at the ground. How could any tracks be visible? What extraordinary eyesight did it take to notice the faintest trace?

Soon, a pale-faced man appeared before them. Judging by his aura, he was at the first level of the Spirit Gathering Realm.

“You—” he began, his voice identical to the one who had spotted the tracks.

Two beams of light shot from Chu Jie and Duan Kun—one the Heaven-and-Earth Treasure Disc, the other Duan Kun’s shuttle-shaped artifact.

In an instant, the man was blown apart, dying a miserable death.

“With eyesight that sharp, who else could we spare? With him dead, it’ll be much harder for anyone to find us,” Chu Jie said coldly.

Duan Kun’s expression remained unchanged; both understood this was only the beginning. If they hoped to survive, they would have to continue the slaughter.

Only by killing could they preserve their own lives—the law of the Blood Butcher City.

Soon after, five or six more entered—all Body Tempering Realm cultivators. As soon as they saw the corpse, their hair stood on end and they reached for their signal flares. But before their hands had even moved halfway, Chu Jie’s Treasure Disc sliced them clean in two, then swept back, ensuring none survived.

Those who kill are themselves killed in turn.

These deaths were well-deserved. Had they not been intent on murdering Chu Jie and Duan Kun, they would not have perished at their hands.

In this wave, Chu Jie and his companion killed seven. To erase the evidence, Chu Jie stored the bodies in the Barbaric Cauldron, then waited patiently. If more came, more would die.

Because Chu Jie and Duan Kun acted so swiftly, not one of the seven managed to fire a signal, so the rest of the search party continued combing the area, unaware.

“Ghost Eye was searching this area with his men—why haven’t they come back? Let’s check it out. We’ve finished searching our section, so we’ll switch. If we find them, we’ll get a big reward,” a gruff voice sounded nearby.

Chu Jie knew more were coming. Judging by the footsteps, at least fifteen.

To slaughter them all would require perfect coordination between him and Duan Kun.

The shuttle artifact spun rapidly by Duan Kun’s side, while Chu Jie’s Treasure Disc gleamed with dazzling light.

They waited, ready to strike the moment the group drew near.

“Wait—something feels off. Dammit, there are monsters nearby—Stone-Spined Fiends!” the gruff voice exclaimed.

Chu Jie and Duan Kun were speechless. What luck did these pursuers have to stumble upon Stone-Spined Fiends here? And apparently, there was more than one.

There was a clamor of weapon strikes, followed by several screams—three, in fact. Of the original fifteen, only twelve remained.