Chapter 499: Loss
Hui Yue was struggling. Although he was using every single drop of energy within him, he could feel that his flame was losing ground to the black energy.
"I cannot lose here!" Hui Yue thought to himself but knowing that he was losing ground, he released the blue energy from within his chest. At first, he only used this energy to protect himself. It was capable of devouring the black energy, but it required quite a lot of focus to maintain this energy in a thick enough layer around him so it would not be forcefully corroded.
"It's working!" Hui Yue thought excitedly as he retracted the flames into his body and focused his full attention on the blue cloud.
Blue energy gushed out from his body and laid itself like a large blanket over the entire area. Rong Liang, who had the advantage was shocked at first, but afterward, his face turned ugly, and his eyes were filled with anger.
"To think you can still struggle even with your limited knowledge!" Rong Liang spat at him, and with a flick of his hand, a seal appeared in his palm.
Seeing this seal, Huli's eyes widened. She immediately took action, yet she did not have the time to stop what Rong Liang was doing. As she rushed forward, her advance was suddenly halted. It was not only her but Hui Yue also suddenly felt as if the space around him was locked. It was impossible for him to control his body and although he had a protective layer of the blue cloud around him, he was not able to fortify it or even order it to move.
"I was not expecting such a situation." Rong Liang sneered. "To think an expert who had just become a God has such strength proves that you are truly capable of being a threat in the future. It seems I really do need to kill you for the sake of my master."
"Don't worry, for the time it takes an incense stick to burn you, and your little pet fox, will not be able to move. No God can move in my space-lock formation. It will give me plenty of time to get rid of you!"
As Rong Liang spoke, his body started humming as more and more black mist coagulated around him. This mist turned the blue sky pitch black, and a heavy atmosphere descended upon the whole city. The more time that passed, the stronger Rong Liang's aura became and the more power he stored. All this power he was preparing to release in one go.
"No!" Both Huli and Hui Yue were filled with disbelief and indignation. Hui Yue had just reversed the situation yet within moments everything had turned hopeless. Neither man nor beast could do anything as they saw Rong Liang storing up more and more power. Their minds had turned blank, and they feared that they could do nothing to prevent him from attacking.
"Don't think that dying will be easy!" Rong Liang laughed as the black sky turned increasingly dark. The energy rumbled and caused the ground beneath to shake and tremble.
"When you die your body will be turned into nothing, and I will capture your soul. I will make it into a soul shadow and gift it to my master for experimenting with." He laughed out loud. "I am sure that eternal torment is exactly what you and Lan Feng need. Two souls for the price of one, this is a bargain master will love! Sadly, your body will be destroyed. Otherwise, I would have suggested that he make you into a Crusader; a creature long dead but still forced to follow master’s orders!"
Rong Liang had enough time to talk; he was in no hurry as he knew that neither Huli nor Hui Yue could move. As he spoke, he finally moved his hands. He made a few signs and the dark energy which had covered the sky over Muchuan City condensed into a small arrow which appeared in Rong Liang's hands. This arrow was so powerful that even the world was showing signs of collapsing around it. Small spatial tears appeared near the space around it, but none of them were large enough to endanger Rong Liang.
Panic appeared in Huli's eyes as she saw this small arrow pulsated with tremendous energy. Her heart quivered, and she felt like screaming out in panic. Hui Yue was dying! He was going to die right in front of her, and there was nothing she could do about it. She, a distinguished nine-tailed fox, was incapable of using her outstanding powers because of this stupid space-lock formation.
Gnashing her teeth so hard that blood started to trickle down the corner of her lips, Huli was filled with despair, hate, and a burning desire to eat anyone who dared to harm her Yue! She could not afford to lose someone important once more.
It was not only Huli's heart which was screaming in pain. On the ground, Rong Ming and Rong Xing were filled with grief. Tears were streaming down their cheeks, as they were incapable of understanding the situation that was unfolding in front of them. "Father, Why? Why?!!" Rong Xing called out, but her voice was so weak that her words didn’t travel far and did not reach Rong Liang in the air.
Seeing her most beloved people fighting to the death Rong Xing was no longer able to stand watching and collapsed on the ground She was not able to keep watching and see either her father or the man she considered her brother die in front of her.
Seeing Rong Xing collapse Rong Ming felt a little better knowing that she was not going to see what happened. He gently placed her on the ground before he lifted his head and once more observed what was happening above him. His heart was filled with fear, and he could not think of a solution, nor could he truly support either side. Ideally, both sides would stay alive one way or another.
"No!" Sha Yun and Wang Ju Long both yelled out. They were filled with shock as they saw the arrow shoot out from Rong Liang's hand. Everything happened so fast, and hopelessness filled the eyes of everyone except Wang Ju Long who summoned her flying sword. She jumped on it, and at her fastest speed possible threw herself in front of Hui Yue.
Now, Rong Liang had been gloating too much and had not used too much speed behind the arrow. He had wanted Hui Yue to see his death inch closer bit by bit but being incapable of avoiding it, yet this attack had given Wang Ju Long exactly the time she needed.
She flew right in front of Hui Yue and looked at him. Her back was turned towards Rong Liang and the incoming arrow as her eye locked onto Hui Yue’s. A great smile bloomed on her face, and her frail voice escaped her lips. “I love you.” She murmured with a simple, honest smile. As she was speaking, the arrow pierced deep into her body and seconds after her entire body was reduced to nothingness. Her soul, a white mist-like image of herself, hovered in the air for a moment that seemed like an eternity before it floated towards Rong Liang and was sucked into the small bottle he had prepared. A bottle which should have held Hui Yue and Lan Feng’s souls, not Wang Ju Long’s.
"No!" Hui Yue screamed out as his eyes were open wide and his entire body trembled with disbelief, agony, and despair. Wang Ju Long, his Wang Ju Long, had sacrificed her life to ensure that he continued to live. She had not just died but had given up her soul to become a soul shadow, and it was clear that it had been done with no hesitation whatsoever. Seeing the small sleeping soul within the bottle in Rong Liang's hand, Hui Yue was so filled with agony and hate that he screamed out in pain.
The scream contained his emotions; it conveyed his state of mind which was on the verge of insanity, and at this moment something within him broke. The small golden orb of the world exploded forth with energy, and Hui Yue felt a foreign strength envelop him as he tore open the space-lock formation. A golden hue appeared on his body, and his eyes turned bright red.
Hui Yue was filled with hate towards Rong Liang. Although he had felt despair about the fact that he would die, he had come to terms with the fact that he could do nothing, and yet now his beloved had given her life in exchange for his. She had died for him, and he had never given her anything in return! Her soul was now a soul shadow, and his heart exploded in pain. It could not be true!
'We might be able to save her.' Lan Feng's voice sounded from the depths of Hui Yue's mind and called him back from his insanity. 'If we have her soul shadow we can go to the Netherworld and see whether or not Yanluo knows of a way to restore her back to life.' Lan Feng said, his voice was somber but deep within a hidden killing intent was forcefully suppressed.
Lan Feng had been with Hui Yue for so many years. He knew Hui Yue's innermost feelings and how important Wang Ju Long was to him. An He and his friends never ceased to cause pain for Hui Yue and his friends!
Hearing Lan Feng's words, helped Hui Yue become clear headed. It was true that Wang Ju Long had died, but her soul was still there in the hands of Rong Liang. He looked at this older man like a snake watching a mouse. Suddenly Rong Liang felt a shiver run through his body. He felt fearful, but before he could move, Hui Yue raised his arm, and a golden light shone from his body entangling Rong Liang.
He slowly moved towards the captured Rong Liang and wristed the small bottle from his hands. Rong Liang felt great fear deep within. How could Hui Yue suddenly be this strong? Was this the true strength of one who controlled a world and was a Crowned Sovereign?
Having taken the bottle, Hui Yue released Huli from her confinement and gently placed the bottle in the woman's hands. "Protect her life with yours." He ordered. His voice was hoarse, and his eyes were filled with hate and lingering agony.
"You killed My Ju Long!" Hui Yue said through gritted teeth as he moved towards the tied up Rong Liang. His hate was overflowing, and his killing intent soared to the heavens. The entire temperature in the city was dropping drastically, and everyone who was observing the battle felt as if sharp knives were being stabbed into their bodies as the cold started to reach them. Their hearts shuddered as they thought of how powerful this killing intent was. If he had wanted to kill all of them, they would have been long dead.
A loud smack was heard followed by an outcry, and when the Saints looked at the battle, they were shocked. Hui Yue had slammed his fist into the face of Rong Liang, hitting him squarely on the cheek and sending his teeth flying. Although the force behind the hit was tremendous because Hui Yue had merged with the lifeforce of his world, it was not enough to send him flying. Rong Liang was still held closely by the golden energy surrounding him.
Although Hui Yue was filled with anger, he made sure not to spend too much lifeforce. He knew that using too much would bring bad effects on the world he was supposed to be looking after, so that was the reason Hui Yue used brute strength to attack Rong Liang.