How come I'm the one being conquered?

There was no other choice; this was the crux of fate.

Just as a farmer toils through spring planting and summer cultivation for a whole year, only to have a natural disaster wipe out every last grain, he wouldn't abandon his labor because of it. The next year, he would calmly plant and cultivate again, regardless of the autumn harvest.

No matter what, I'm going to finish writing this book well.

That's all for now. But in the end, I hope everyone can support the first subscription. It would be even better if you could enable auto-subscription (whispering softly).

Chapter 35: Primordial Flame (4k8)

Zhan Guang suddenly realized that it seemed only he was left.

He could still hear the curses behind him just moments ago, but in the blink of an eye, the noise vanished. He only remembered a short sword attacking, and then a sudden rope that tied around his legs.

"Damn it! When did this happen!"

Zhan Guang realized something was wrong and quickly tried to break free. Fortunately, the rope wasn't made of any special material, and with a little effort he could...

"Zhan Guang, male, from the Eastern Yaoqing region."

Hearing the newcomer speak, the bound ruffian squinted to get a better look. He saw a silver-haired youth in black, carrying a long case, walking onto the rooftop alone. "You colluded with the Remnants of Abundance, stole classified information, and plotted treason... As the primary offender, do you know what crime you should be punished for according to the law?"

"Pah, another judge who hasn't even grown a full beard. What's with the airs? It doesn't matter how many of you come, you'll all end up the same. Watch me kill you!" Zhan Guang spat viciously.

As the mist dispersed, moonlight illuminated the long case Bai Jun carried. He recognized the insignia on it at a glance.

"Son of a bitch! You, you're a Vanguard from Shence Mansion!?" Zhan Guang suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, startled.

"Vanguard? Well, something like that. But since you know Shence Mansion, you should also know..." Bai Jun took a step forward, his expression icy. "For those who collude with the Remnants of Abundance, are responsible for multiple murders, and steal top secrets of the Xianzhou Alliance, Shence Mansion can act on behalf of the Ten Lords Bureau to judge and execute on the spot."

Whoosh—

Zhan Guang was no ordinary opponent. He gritted his teeth and, seizing the opportunity when the youth was close, kicked out a hidden dagger from his boot. The sharp blade sliced through the air with a vicious arc!

Bai Jun merely leaned slightly to the side. The dagger whistled past, narrowly missing his throat.

The burly ruffian had already broken free from his bonds and drew the broadsword from his back. "You heartless, bloodless wretches, won't you rest until you've taken everything from me? I have my own reasons for needing to leave here!"

"Enough. I'm not interested in your past. Surrender quickly, and you'll suffer less physical pain." Bai Jun impatiently interrupted him, having had his fill of boring backstory segments.

"Physical pain? Arrogant fool, we don't know who will win yet!"

Zhan Guang suddenly exhaled, charging forward like lightning. With a swing of his hands, the greatsword slashed directly towards his opponent's face. It was as swift as thunder and lightning, making it hard to imagine such a heavy blade could be wielded with the speed of an iaijutsu.

And his strike was far swifter than iaijutsu! Far more ferocious! All his strength was concentrated in this single blow, a wide, sweeping attack that seemed to leave no room for variation.

Bai Jun flicked his arms, and the sword case he carried took the full force of the greatsword.

The broadsword struck the sword case with astonishing force. The ground beneath Bai Jun's feet immediately cracked into spiderweb-like fissures, sinking deeply.

But surprisingly, the surface of the sword case remained completely unfazed, just like the calm and collected Bai Jun.

Though his killing blow was blocked, Zhan Guang showed no fear. On the contrary, a triumphant smile curved his lips. Then, as if he had anticipated this, he stepped to the right, shifting his weight to his left fist, which had released the hilt of the sword, and powerfully punched towards Bai Jun's face.

This heavy punch was no weaker than the broadsword's slash. Instead, it could use the opponent's predictable thinking to catch them off guard. Zhan Guang had defeated many strong enemies using this move, and he was confident it would work again.

However, before his fist could connect, Bai Jun in his vision suddenly flashed forward like a bullet, appearing in front of him. He used the sword case to exert force, swinging it like a giant ruler towards Zhan Guang's unguarded face.

With a loud crash, Zhan Guang was sent flying several meters by the sword case. If he hadn't been naturally insensitive to pain, he would have likely been lying on the ground, incapacitated.

"Is that all?"

Bai Jun slung his sword case back over his shoulder, a look of disappointment on his face, like when a highly anticipated anime adaptation is turned into trash by the production team.

"Damn it, don't... don't push me too far!"

The injured Foxkin spat out a broken tooth and howled in rage. Seeing this, Bai Jun adopted a defensive stance. Against an enemy who had lost their mind, he just needed to find the right moment, and the fight would be over next time.

However, after getting up, Zhan Guang charged towards Chahai in the distance, disregarding everything else.

Run! He couldn't possibly win against this bastard!

Even running wasn't shameful. No one would feel honored to die facing a natural disaster!

The eaves flashed by, and only empty space remained below his feet.

The next moment, Zhan Guang leaped from the rooftop, grabbing onto a Heyun Logistics mechanical bird. The bird grumbled an unhappy, pre-recorded warning, shook a few times, and finally caught him steadily, flying towards the starship docked in the distance.

"Hahaha, you think you can catch me with just this? Dream on!"

Turning back to see Bai Jun still on the distant rooftop, Zhan Guang let out a triumphant laugh. Then, he leaped onto a sightseeing starship passing below Chahai, grabbing the captain.

"Start the ship! Hurry up!"

The captain had never seen such a display, but under Zhan Guang's terrifying appearance, he could only obediently start the engine and accelerate the starship away from Liuyun Crossing.

Having narrowly escaped death under the hands of that monster, the ruffian couldn't help but look back triumphantly.

This time, illuminated by the lights at the stern of the ship, Zhan Guang saw clearly—the silver-haired youth took a breath and in an instant, using his downward momentum, he swung through the air for over twenty zhang. Like a dark leaf blown by the wind, he landed silently on the deck.

The case lid opened, and the youth lightly patted the scabbard.

"Shence Mansion is on official business. Compensation will be provided according to regulations afterward."

"You—"

Before Zhan Guang could speak, the searchlights on both sides of the ship were simultaneously shattered by sword light invisible to the eye.

The straight and sharp long blade churned up glass shards in the darkness, sealing Zhan Guang's heart, which had been pounding wildly from his escape, back into an ice cave.

With a crack, the broadsword in Zhan Guang's hand was neatly sliced in two.

"Not bad, you're quite sharp-witted. A smart person. So I'll advise you not to bother with using hostages to threaten me, that's a boring tactic. Otherwise, next time I'll be cutting off your head," Bai Jun offered a friendly reminder.

Zhan Guang's face contorted. Without further hesitation, he dropped the broken broadsword, decisively grabbed the medicine pouch at his side, and popped the precious pills he'd stolen from the Medicine King's Legacy into his mouth like beans.

He knew that taking medicine from the Medicine King's Legacy would accelerate his death, but he also knew that without paying a certain price, escaping from the clutches of the Shence Mansion's Vanguards would be impossible.

After consuming the pills, the Foxkin's skin seemed to crawl with movement, his muscles rippling. A near-maniacal light flashed in his eyes.

The next second, he gasped as if struck by a sudden illness. Amidst a howl eerily similar to a Buli person's, his body sprouted patches of fine fur, his muscles began to bulge, his bones cracked and reformed, and his limbs and torso seemed to be forcibly stretched apart by some power.

Bathed in the night of the cave-dwelling, a werewolf stood tall, its maw gaping, its body radiating an aura that could curdle one's blood.

"What the heck, you can transform too? Though this is a bit gross. I'd suggest you transform into some armor or something, at least then I could praise you," Bai Jun still couldn't muster much interest. He indifferently picked at his ear, complaining with disdain.

Despite his words, Bai Jun's attitude clearly became serious. He could smell a faint, ominous scent from Zhan Guang, something he was very familiar with, it seemed like...

Before his thoughts could wander further, Zhan Guang's huge eyes widened, and a furious roar erupted:

"Get lost!"

As he spoke, every inch of his massive muscle responded to his rage, bulging like small mountains, unleashing even more formidable power. What followed was a colossal fist that suddenly expanded, filling Bai Jun's entire field of vision.

Bai Jun calculated the distance and sidestepped slightly, thus avoiding injury. Only his clothes were slightly torn by the rushing wind.

As the next punch was thrown, his longsword precisely found the gap between the knuckles and flesh, striking in that fleeting moment of vulnerability!

Even reinforced steel couldn't withstand the blade's strike, let alone a body made of flesh and blood. The longsword embedded itself in the fist, and using its momentum, it easily sliced through the entire arm. Then, with a flick of the blade, half of Zhan Guang's arm was cleanly severed.

The severe injury of losing half an arm would have incapacitated any creature, yet Zhan Guang roared at Bai Jun. The gushing blood immediately boiled like steam and evaporated.

The temperature at the wound site rapidly increased, flesh and blood began to regenerate and heal, and in an instant, the entire arm was as good as new, even the fur returning to its original state. The horrific injury hadn't even left a trace.

Now he truly understood. Bai Jun immediately realized what Zhan Guang had just consumed—likely a spiritual medicine containing the power of "Abundance."

Furthermore, the air was filled with a faint scent akin to Buli wolf poison. This guy was just like a Buli person in a moon frenzy.

Bai Jun cast a solemn glance at the terrified boat captain, knowing that the situation couldn't be delayed any longer. Otherwise, an ordinary person would definitely succumb to the wolf poison and die.

"That's it?"

Zhan Guang sneered, throwing Bai Jun's earlier words back at him verbatim.

"I'm borrowing some of your strength."

Bai Jun couldn't be bothered to respond to his taunts. He lowered his head, exchanging a few words with someone unseen. Then, he casually kicked his sword case aside. As Zhan Guang watched in horror, the longsword in his hand suddenly gathered a fierce radiance.

The pale color of the blade faded, replaced by crimson, flame-like patterns and a translucent, radiant gold hue.

The sharp aura surged dozens of times in an instant, and the surrounding air temperature rose sharply. The wolf poison that had permeated the area vanished like scattered willow catkins.

He held the longsword horizontally, and a sky-piercing crimson firelight erupted.

Zhan Guang instantly understood Bai Jun's intention, but the speed was too great. He could only watch helplessly as the divine longsword, emanating light, painted an arc of radiant sword energy through the air like ink.

Flames swept across Zhan Guang's body. The next second, his massive head rolled off, not a single drop of blood falling during the entire process.

Zhan Guang cursed in terror, but he quickly calmed down. After all, the potent life force from that Aeon of Abundance wouldn't let him die so quickly. He struggled to lift his head and reattach it to his body, then silently prayed for the power of Abundance.

However, the expected surge of body heat and the miracle of regenerating flesh and blood didn't materialize. He closed his eyes but could still feel the increasing pain at the wound, as if flames were burning.

If he could see the wound on his neck, he would likely witness an even more despairing reality.

Within the bloody wound, tiny granulation tissues were indeed trying to grow, spreading and pulsing, seemingly attempting to repair the horrific injury. But golden flames, originating from an unknown source, were continuously destroying the growing tissues from within, crackling like they were being roasted.

The golden flames clung like a persistent parasite, hindering the regeneration of flesh and blood while slowly invading deeper bone and tissue, causing new injuries.

Zhan Guang's body went limp. Although his head was still attached to his neck, he could feel himself losing control of his body, and his consciousness was gradually blurring.

He understood. He was going to die.

Before losing consciousness, Zhan Guang's eyes seemed to flash with memories like a slideshow. He had nothing memorable or precious in his life... No, perhaps there was something.

"Damn it... I really wish... I could see... Yao's... moon again..."

"I apologize, but I cannot fulfill that wish."

Zhan Guang finally saw the dark, moon-like azure eyes, and the small, gilded characters inscribed at the bottom of the blade, visible only when drawing the sword—Quan Bing Hui Huo.

"Tell... tell me... what... is that?"

Zhan Guang stared intently at the longsword still bearing traces of flame, his voice faltering, unable to form a coherent sentence. But Bai Jun seemed to see through his thoughts and calmly replied, "Primordial Flame, or to put it more colloquially, Primordial Suihuang."

His rapidly fading pupils suddenly focused. Clearly, Zhan Guang knew what this meant. He opened his trembling mouth and uttered his final, short sound:

"Shit!"

"...What the hell?" Bai Jun muttered, though he still helped the dead-with-eyes-open Zhan Guang close his eyes.

After finishing, Bai Jun stood up, picked up his sword case again, and turned to the boat captain beside him. The captain was still trembling on the deck, a warm stream flowing between his legs.

"Vanguard... sir..."

"Don't say that. I'm not a Vanguard, just a Sea-patrolling Ranger who does this out of interest. Relax... ah, you fainted."

Perhaps due to the sudden release of pent-up tension, the boat captain, upon realizing he was safe, rolled his eyes and dramatically fainted.

Just as Bai Jun was wondering how he was going to pilot this starship back, the deck trembled slightly, and a cold female voice sounded from behind: "I bear the decree of the Ten Lords, you shall surrender... Huh? Is it already over?"

Bai Jun turned to look at the newcomer. Her face was like a meticulously carved painting, with clear and elegant lines, exuding a unique cool detachment. Her skin was as fair as snow, flawless. Her long hair cascaded gently to her collarbone, like black feathers outlining a noble and aloof demeanor.

Like a Cold Crow, her cool face showed no emotional fluctuations, but now a hint of dazed cuteness seemed to be readable in her eyes.

"Xue Yi?"

Admittedly, the sight of a usually serious and cute girl showing a moment of blankness was indeed a delightful contrast, but Bai Jun quickly realized their current location was the center of Chahai: "Wait... how did you get here?"

"I just normally stepped onto a passing starship and jumped over," the black-haired judge replied truthfully, blinking and putting away her scepter after clearly seeing the situation.

"That's indeed normal... what the hell! Do you have a misunderstanding of the word 'normal'?"

Upon hearing this answer, Bai Jun's mind inexplicably conjured images of Mario, but this was hardly the time for strange thoughts. After all, the starship beneath their feet was still in an unmanned state!

Bai Jun suddenly grabbed Xue Yi's shoulders and asked anxiously, "Mario Xue, do you know how to pilot a starship?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Bai Jun realized he had accidentally spoken his mind.

"Mario Xue?" Xue Yi tilted her cute head, looking at the stiff-faced Bai Jun with a hint of curiosity. Although she didn't understand what he was saying, she understood the latter half of his question: "I am well-versed in piloting all sorts of vehicles, so piloting a starship is naturally no problem."

"That's good, leave it to you, Xue Yi!"

"Mm, leave it to me. My starship is famously fast!"

Bai Jun quickly pushed the confident Xue Yi into the starship's pilot seat, lest she press him further about the nickname. He then plopped down on the floor, completely relaxing the mental tension he had been under all night.

While resting on the floor, he first glanced at the unconscious ship captain, and then his gaze fell upon Zhan Guang's corpse.

That guy was quite troublesome after taking his medicine. That punch had left his hand tingling even now. In the end, he had to use the power of Suihuang, even if it was just a tiny fraction, and the cost was quite steep. At least he wouldn't be sleeping well tonight.

Although he didn't get any information about the Medicine King's Legacy from him, he had at least resolved a problem. After all, with that guy's strength, ten more Xue Yis would have been useless.

After about fifteen minutes of resting with his eyes closed, Bai Jun gradually felt something was wrong. The starship, which should have been returning to Liuyun Crossing, was still drifting in Chahai. He looked up and saw that they were getting further and further away from the grotto-heaven!

"No, Xue Yi! Why is this ship sinking!"

"I, I really know how to pilot it!"