Green Mountain-Chapter 540 - 402: By No Means an Enlightened Ruler
Past the West Mountain Clear Snow Pavilion, is the Incense Mist Cave.
Crossing the Incense Mist Cave, the Incense Burner Peak comes faintly into view at the foot of the mountain.
By the light of the moon, Chen Ji raised his hand to glance at the wound on his wrist. Clearly, the wound had already fully healed, so why was the wildfire still pursuing him from behind?
The sound of horns rose and fell, drawing closer and closer.
Did he misjudge?
No, the Mountain Hunters were initially following his tracks, their paths entirely overlapping. From the moment the wound appeared, the Five Mad Soldiers’ pursuit was no longer bound to "clues."
The judgment was correct. But the wound had healed, so how could the enemy still know where he was?
The sky had turned from black to gray, the stars gradually fading behind the heavenly curtain. Chen Ji had no time to ponder; he could only gamble that what he desired was atop Incense Burner Peak.
The slope became increasingly steep, nearly perpendicular to the ground.
Chen Ji grasped the inclined trunk of a pine tree on the mountain, climbing upwards using both hands and feet.
Halfway up the mountain, he sensed three clusters of wildfire approaching.
Three Mountain Hunters moved like lizards across the mountain wall; climbing was a piece of cake for them. With even a slight gap on the cliff, they could navigate as if walking on flat ground.
The Mountain Hunters surpassed Chen Ji from both sides, climbing to even higher places.
Chen Ji wielded the sword seed, stabbing towards one of the Mountain Hunters. Just as the sword seed was about to pierce the opponent, the Mountain Hunter suddenly leaped, swinging from one pine tree to another.
The sword seed struck the rock wall, chipping off stones that tumbled down the mountain.
As Chen Ji was about to pursue the Mountain Hunter on the right side, two Mountain Hunters on the left suddenly let go, hanging upside down with their legs wrapped around the branches of a pine tree, drawing bone bows to shoot arrows, a barrage of bone arrows coming at him in succession.
Chen Ji’s mind tensed. He quickly jumped onto the branch he was holding onto, planting his feet firmly and leaping upwards onto a pine tree. The pine tree where he had just been was hit repeatedly by bone arrows, breaking apart and falling down the mountain.
Chen Ji had no time to think, leaping upwards across interspersed pine trees, with bone arrows closely chasing behind him.
Yet the cliff didn’t always offer footholds. When Chen Ji jumped onto the third tree, a bare rock wall loomed above, with nowhere to gain a foothold.
At a critical juncture, Chen Ji feigned another jump, but didn’t exert force with his legs, merely jumping lightly back onto the original tree trunk, narrowly evading as a bone arrow grazed his scalp before nailing into the rock wall overhead.
The Mountain Hunters were stunned, watching as Chen Ji stepped onto the bone arrow embedded in the wall, ascending it as if it were a ladder to the sky they had prepared just for him.
"This kid..."
Above the rock wall, the path was no longer so steep and began to level out.
Only sixty zhang from the mountaintop!
Chen Ji ran wildly through the shadowy forest, but at that moment, he suddenly directed the sword seed to stab at the trunk of a pine tree ahead, a perfectly ordinary tree, the area around it empty.
The sword seed pierced through the soft trunk, passing through, forcing a Soul Reaper hidden behind the tree to dodge away. It was at this instant that Chen Ji abruptly changed direction, side-stepping the Soul Reaper.
Behind him, the Soul Reaper held a white bone skull, shouting menacingly, "You can indeed see our movements, just who are you!?"
But Chen Ji did not answer, sprinting towards the mountaintop without looking back. The black sword seed circled around him like a planet.
The sound of horns rose again behind him, more powerful than ever before.
Only twenty zhang from the mountaintop!
Chen Ji abruptly saw that on a giant stone ahead stood a Centurion with a raised knife, blocking the path to the summit. The surrounding Five Mad Soldiers closed in from all directions, leaving no retreat.
As Chen Ji approached, the Centurion suddenly hefted his knife high above his head, chopping down with great force.
The Sword Gang, spanning a distance of eight zhang, reached him in an instant; Chen Ji took cover behind a pine tree. Yet the long knife’s wind stripped away all the pine needles, worn down by the wind’s force, leaving only a stump, as if sandblasted for a thousand years.
Even Chen Ji’s upper clothing was shredded to rags, the Sword Gang cutting over a dozen gory traces across his body.
Yet amid the wind of the Sword Gang, the black sword seed soared upward, confronting the Centurion.
The Centurion swung to strike, but an abrupt change arose; a single sword seed before him suddenly split into two, dodging the blade like nimble fish — one aimed at his eye socket, the other flying towards his rear.
Two sword seeds?
The wildfire beneath the Centurion’s white bone mask flickered madly; he had seen with his own eyes, sure that these were undoubtedly sword seeds.
Yet who had ever heard of a person cultivating two sword seeds?
In a flash, the Centurion twisted his face, causing the first sword seed to strike his white bone mask, leaving deep sword scars.
The eight-foot long knife in his hand whistled as he swung it into a circle, from front to back, just sweeping the second sword seed.
In that moment, two startling clangs echoed, both sword seeds were knocked flying afar.
The Centurion was indeed the most troublesome among the Five Mad Soldiers. Even though Chen Ji had hidden the two sword seeds for so long, he still returned without success.
But the Centurion had many doubts in his heart. He saw that the wound on Chen Ji’s wrist had healed and no wonder the scent of blood and soul had disappeared.
It was as if he possessed an immortal body but also had the ability to perceive the movements of the Five Mad Soldiers. Everything before him left the Centurion’s mind in turmoil. Yet this person actually wielded sword seeds, and two at that? 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
How could the way of creation and destruction coexist in one person?
It absolutely shouldn’t coexist in one person!
The Centurion, holding a long knife, asked sternly, "How do you have two sword seeds? Who exactly are you? Do you recognize us?"
Chen Ji did not answer, taking advantage of the moment when the Centurion blocked the two sword seeds, and circled to the side of a huge rock.
The Centurion wanted to move and intercept Chen Ji, but the two sword seeds entwined around his form, hovering nine feet away like twin stars.
Every step he took, the sword seeds moved a step with him, watching for a chance to strike at his head.
Watching Chen Ji climb the mountain, the Centurion sneered, "Where did these two little flies come from?"
He casually swung his long knife, unleashing a gust of wind like a tornado, causing the two sword seeds to veer off course, flying more than ten feet away.
"Chase him, he won’t get away."
The Centurion led all the Five Mad Soldiers towards the mountain top.
Mid-mountain, Mr. Liao stood with his hands tucked into his sleeves, quietly looking towards the top.
A death soldier asked softly, "Mr. Liao, should we go up and kill together?"
Mr. Liao calmly said, "No need. This child is rushing recklessly, certain to die. We just need to wait. Strange, with so many paths to escape, why run to Incense Burner Peak? Isn’t it a dead end."
The death soldier said nothing more.
Mr. Liao glanced sideways at a few people, "How long have you followed His Highness?"
One death soldier clasped his fists and said, "To reply to Mr. Liao, we have been with His Highness since he was fourteen, now it has been thirteen years."
Mr. Liao smiled, "After this is over, you can rest. Head to Taiyuan Prefecture, merchants will be waiting for you there. You will disguise as their staff and head to Guyuan. Beyond Guyuan, it’s a vast world. I’ve prepared a house and fair maidens for you in Fengsheng State, where you can raise children."
The twelve death soldiers exchanged glances. One of them spoke softly, "May I ask Mr. Liao, is there truly an arranged escape for us? We do not fear death, serving His Highness and the unification of the two dynasties is what we live for. We guard his secrets even unto death, just give us the truth, at least a last bowl of wine."
Mr. Liao narrowed his eyes slightly but smiled reassuringly, "What nonsense. His Highness is kind; he wouldn’t cut your path. Rest assured, you can drink to your heart’s content in Fengsheng State."
The twelve death soldiers fell silent.
Mr. Liao looked up at the mountain top, where a streak of dawn’s white light erupted from its outline. "It’s almost dawn."
Chen Ji, having been cornered on the mountain top, was utterly without hope of survival.
At that moment, Mr. Liao suddenly waved his sleeve across his face, replacing it with a red-masked face with tusks. His entire being turned into a ball of black smoke, attacking one death soldier after another.
The black smoke seemed to contain countless faces and hands. Once it entangled a death soldier, in just three breaths, the soldier would collapse.
As the black smoke swept like a demon wind towards the next soldier, the corpse of the dead soldier lay in the woods, face devoid of features.
Only a complete, smooth skin was left.
In a moment, the black smoke silenced six soldiers.
One death soldier shouted angrily, "Scatter and run!"
He drew the sword from his waist and slashed at the black smoke, but it circled around the blade, enveloping him. After three breaths, it moved to the next person, so fast that even divided, the soldiers couldn’t escape.
The mid-mountain gradually fell silent. The last death soldier, knowing escape was impossible from the Seeking Dao Realm Officer, gritted his teeth and looked back at the black smoke, "Why kill us all?"
The black smoke settled in front of him, revealing Mr. Liao’s figure.
Mr. Liao, hands in sleeves, calmly said, "When you asked that question earlier, you already showed treason, why ask more? A true death soldier doesn’t ask."
The soldier’s face contorted with anger, "You led the twelve of us out just to scatter us, making it easier for you to kill. We’ve seen through your murderous intent long ago!"
Mr. Liao walked toward him step by step, composed, "His Highness is a rare wise ruler. What he cannot bear to do, I, the old thing, will do for him. His hands need not be stained with blood. And you, are merely stains on this world. Naturally, I must erase you for His Highness."
The soldier sneered, "Seven years ago, a fifth-rank prefect in Shan State discovered him casting Copper Coins. We poisoned him in his concubine’s private house. Four years ago, a seventh-rank imperial censor in the Capital found him colluding with humble scholars. He too died of poison at home. Wasn’t it you who did it... And the thirty-four members of the Chen family? With such a venomous heart, how can he be considered a wise ruler."
Mr. Liao sighed, "To accomplish goals, one cannot be confined by minor details. The victors write history; these deeds won’t appear in the annals. Do you think historically, emperors relied on open schemes?"
The soldier replied sternly, "We don’t understand such theories, but he is not a wise ruler."
Mr. Liao chuckled, "Your minds are disturbed; thus, you cannot be left alive."
With these words, he turned into a ball of black smoke, enveloping the soldier.
