From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 357 Seeking Fire (End of Volume)

Thick, dark clouds hung in the air, and a torrential downpour began.

A thick fog shrouded the pool, obscuring Shui Xiangsheng and Gan Wulin. From within the fog, heavy shouts could be heard from time to time, but it was impossible to tell who was stronger.

Meanwhile, the nobles and slaves who came to live with the water were still suffering from the poisonous rain, all in unbearable pain, to the point of going mad.

These slaves seemed to sense that they were about to die. Some of them desperately rolled into the dark pool, while others simply tore at the nobles who were usually high and mighty.

The nobles were already weaker than the slaves, and now, with the added burden of poisonous rain and disaster, they had lost all dignity. They rolled and howled in the mud, their fine robes lost their original color, and their feathered garments were scattered everywhere.

The wind and rain continued, and thick dark clouds hung high in the sky, with occasional flashes of dark sword light scattering the fireworks.

Su Xin and Su Wen went to rescue those who were suffering from the poisonous rain, but Su Xin kept muttering to herself, and Su Wen kept looking up at the sky.

On the shore of the secluded pool, the two disciples of the high priest Shui Xiangsheng were very anxious, but their cultivation was not enough, and they dared not venture into the poisonous mist above the pool.

Before long, many slaves covered in mud and blood arrived, their eyes bloodshot, looking ferocious and terrifying.

Seeing that Shui Xiangsheng's two apprentices were dressed neatly and elegantly, the slaves pounced on them.

However, these two were descendants of doctors, and although they were not as fierce as martial artists, they were still far superior to ordinary people.

The man and woman each took out a pestle, and whenever a crazed slave stepped forward, they would swing the pestle and smash the attacker's head to pieces.

But these slaves were clearly out of their minds. When they saw someone's skull being smashed open and the red and white blood falling onto the mud, they became even more frenzied and swarmed over it.

In an instant, with muffled thuds, Shui Xiangsheng's two apprentices knocked open the heads of dozens of people.

The rain was pouring down. The two men were not affected by the poisonous rain, but when they looked up, they saw countless slaves rushing towards them, raining poison on their heads and trudging through the mud, seemingly disregarding the power of the two pestles.

Helpless, the two men knocked open the heads of more than a dozen people, but there were too many of them, and they were swarmed by them, some were bitten, and some had their clothes grabbed.

"Amitabha." Jie Kaiping was dressed in a magnificent robe, but the slaves in the mud seemed not to see him, only passing by him.

Dugu Kang seemed to have escaped the eyes of the people of Xiangji Kingdom. He stood beside Jie Kaiping and watched as Shui Xiangsheng's two disciples were squeezed by countless people and could not move at all. Their faces and bodies were being eaten, and he felt a little sorry for them.

"Senior brother, should we save him?" Dugu Kang was the most soft-hearted, but he hadn't seen much of the world and didn't have much of his own opinion. After exchanging a few words with Jie Kaiping today, he already regarded Jie Kaiping as his real senior brother.

“Save what? They come from the two upper families of Xiangji Kingdom, do you think you can save them? They didn’t hesitate when they were killing people with their pestles, and they still won’t hesitate after you save them.” Jie Kaiping showed no compassion like a Buddhist monk, saying, “Saving such people is false compassion.”

Although Dugu Kang had been raised in luxury since childhood, he was also intelligent and had witnessed the suffering of the world. He was always approachable and deeply believed in the Buddhist principle of equality for all beings. When he heard Xie Kaiping's words, he felt that they made sense.

"Senior brother, what is true compassion?" Dugu Kang sincerely asked for guidance.

“I don’t know.” Jie Kaiping shook her head, then pointed to Suwen in the distance and said, “Look at her, she treats slaves and nobles the same. I think she didn’t really distinguish between slaves and nobles, she was just saving people. Only with such a pure heart can one have true compassion.”

Dugu Kang followed the finger that had untied the screen and saw that Suwen's black robe was covered in mud, and his bald head was also covered in blood and rainwater. However, Suwen seemed not to notice at all, and just bent down to save people, occasionally looking up at the sky.

“Senior brother, I think the little nun is worried about Meng Feiyuan’s safety and has no time to distinguish between slaves and nobles.” Dugu Kang’s reasoning was quite sound.

Upon hearing this, Jie Kaiping was taken aback for a moment, and then surprisingly nodded, "Junior brother, you have such discerning eyes!"

As the two bald men were making their comments, they both stole glances at Mingyue. Only when they saw that Mingyue was completely ignoring them did they feel relieved.

The dark clouds grew thicker and thicker, as if they had drawn in clouds from all directions, making the world even darker.

A dark sword light occasionally peeked out from within the dark clouds, seemingly making the world even darker and more gloomy.

The poisonous rain continued unabated, and dark clouds covered the sky, obscuring the sun.

The canyon was dark and gloomy, with the sounds of ghosts wailing and wolves howling never ceasing.

A line of fire climbed upwards, heading towards the dark clouds.

Mingyue could see clearly that after the two had tested each other for the first time, Dugu Sheng remained extremely cautious, still hiding in the shadows. However, as the dark clouds occasionally parted, the power of his sword aura steadily increased.

Meng Yuan, being in the open, could not find Dugu Sheng's hiding place at all. He could only repeatedly transform into fire, intending to break through the dark clouds and find Dugu Sheng's hiding place.

At this moment, the dark sword light descending from the sky grew even stronger, and the fire lines rising from the ground were equally unyielding. Even though they were scattered several times, they were always able to regroup.

At this moment, the fire line climbed higher and higher. This time, the fire line was no longer ethereal or as thin as a thread. Instead, it grew stronger and stronger as it went higher.

In an instant, the darkness that had been pervasive seemed to be dispelled as the firelight shone brighter.

The light, so brief, was like a glimpse from a god in the heavens, making the layers of dark clouds clearly visible; the dim sword light grew even dimmer, until it lost all form.

In the canyon beneath the high sky, the muddy ground was mixed with rainwater of various colors. There were severed limbs and bloodstains everywhere. Countless people crawled in the mud, filled with despair and wailing. Even the long-suppressed violence soared into the sky, seemingly able to suppress the firelight in the heavens.

At this moment, countless people on the muddy ground of the canyon seemed to sense that the firelight was different this time, and they all looked up to look.

Their faces were covered in mud and blood, and they all looked up with their eyes vacant and lifeless, yet they could still see the starlight.

This is roughly what hell on earth looks like.

"How many times has Meng Feiyuan done this?" Jie Kaiping pulled Dugu Kang along, the two of them like long-time half-brothers, and came up behind Mingyue to ask.

“Seven times,” Mingyue said.

"Something seems off." Dugu Kang draped his arm over Jie Kaiping's neck and said, "Meng Feiyuan used to kill people of higher ranks as easily as slaughtering pigs and castrating sheep, but this time he's so slow!"

"Amitabha." Jie Kaiping shook his head and said, "You are only one step away from becoming a high-level fourth-grade martial artist. The Heavenly Man Transformation is the darkness of heaven and earth. As long as there is darkness, you can hide and not come out. This is for the purpose of a strike after breaking the concealment. Do you think it is a fourth-grade bald monk?"

Jie Kaiping had great confidence in Meng Yuan, saying, "As the saying goes, like master, like servant. Wasn't Xi Yisheng also a powerful figure? In the end, when that arrogance disappeared, he was even more good-natured than a castrated pig or dog!"

Dugu Kang thought Jie Kaiping's words made sense, and nodded repeatedly.

At this moment, Meng Yuan transformed into flames and rose into the sky, while keeping his mind focused and clearly discerning every slight change in the world around him.

Meng Yuan's method was to become stronger with each setback, like a fire that can rise again as long as the person is alive and has a breath left.

The fire was inextinguishable, burning endlessly. Meng Yuan repeatedly withstood Dugu Sheng's dark sword light, partly because it was difficult to find the man's whereabouts, and partly because he was gradually pushing himself to his strongest. As the fire grew stronger, it seemed to pierce through the thick dark clouds, revealing the vast world beyond.

Beneath his feet, countless people from the Kingdom of Xiangji looked up blankly, each one resembling a long-dead and decaying skeleton.

Meng Yuan still couldn't find Dugu Sheng's hiding place, but he had a feeling that Dugu Sheng would definitely go all out this time.

Sure enough, the dark clouds in the sky suddenly began to churn, and then a heavy pressure surged down.

For a moment, only a single spark shone in the sky, while the rest of the world seemed to have fallen into an endless abyss. Various poisonous rains turned into ink, and countless creatures on the ground were covered by black clothes.

Under this oppressive force, countless creatures on the ground collapsed to the ground, unable to raise their heads to look at the sky, and could only kneel in the mud.

"Why is it even darker?" Su Xin was momentarily bewildered, a sense of great terror rising in her heart, and her knees involuntarily wanted to bend down.

Although it was dark just now, Su Xin had long cultivated Buddhism, and her wise eyes were not afraid of the dark clouds obscuring the sky. But now Su Xin found that she could not see anything at all; it was truly pitch black.

It was as if the Buddhist teachings cultivated diligently for many years had been completely suppressed in this darkness.

The more powerless she felt in the darkness, the more terrified Su Xin became. It was as if the person in the sky was invincible, and she absolutely could not have the slightest thought of resistance. Even if she forced herself not to bend her knees, she would probably be pressed into the mud.

"Junior Sister?" Su Xin had seen a lot before. Although she was flustered, she was still thinking of Su Wen. She groped around with her hands and finally grabbed a corner of a garment.

Su Xin immediately grabbed the hem of the clothes, touched the person's hand, and was sure it was Su Wen, so she quickly hugged Su Wen tightly.

“Now I understand why your father didn’t dare to seek out the Master for sharpening his sword.” Jie Kaiping had seen more of the world. He couldn’t see Dugu Kang and Mingyue beside him at the moment, but he knew they were still there, so he continued, “The Master is the Holy King of Light, shining in all directions, and there is not a trace of darkness in the place he is in. Dugu Sheng can only hide in the dark to make his move. He is being restrained.”

"The Holy King of Light? Didn't he hide in a stinking ditch after attaining enlightenment? Qing Guangzi and Dugu Sheng are not much different!" Sure enough, Mingyue looked down on these two people.

"Senior brother, are you saying that Benefactor Dugu Sheng's strength has actually been underestimated?" Dugu Kang asked, turning his head to the darkness.

“Exactly! Outsiders say that Dugu Sheng is cowardly and weak, and is ridiculed by everyone in the world, but now it is clear that Dugu Sheng knows that it is impossible but does not do it.” Jie Kaiping replied.

"Senior brother, your insight is brilliant!" Dugu Kang exclaimed.

"Isn't that still fear?" Mingyue scoffed.

Upon hearing this, Jie Kaiping and Dugu Kang felt it made sense. Just as they were about to say something, they saw the oppressive force from the sky intensify, accompanied by the howling wind.

In the endless darkness, a dark sword light appeared, and then the power of the sword light grew stronger and stronger.

As the dark sword light grew stronger, the pressure on heaven and earth intensified, while the dark clouds above seemed to grow lighter, as if the sword light had absorbed many of the heavy clouds.

As expected, as the sword light pressed down forcefully, the countless citizens of Xiangji Kingdom who were kneeling on the ground all lay prostrate in the mud, even more humiliated than the lowest slaves when they met the two powerful families.

Su Xin and Su Wen had the least experience. At this moment, Su Xin hugged Su Wen tightly, her back slowly bending down.

However, the more Su Xin resisted kneeling, the stronger the feeling of being burdened became, to the point that her skin cracked and revealed many tiny wounds, from which countless tiny beads of blood seeped out.

"Senior Sister?" Suwen saw that Suxin's face was covered in blood, so she quickly took Suxin's hand and slowly infused her with life force.

The oppressive aura was heavy, and the dark sword light seemed to want to seduce their will to resist. The two women could not withstand it and were about to kneel down when they felt someone slowly lift them up.

"Those who gnaw on rotting flesh in the stinking ditch are not worthy of our kneeling." Mingyue held a sword in one hand and supported Suxin with the other.

Mingyue was surrounded by purple light, her face was pale, and she was clearly struggling to resist the residual power of Dugu Sheng's sword.

"Thank you, Benefactor Mingyue," said Suxin, the senior sister. After expressing her gratitude, she realized that the pitch-black world had suddenly become like dawn, and she could clearly see the changes around her.

The countless citizens of Xiangji Kingdom remained prostrate on the ground. In the distance, two bald men lay on the ground without a scratch, showing that they had no shame and would kneel or lie down as they pleased, without bearing any of the domineering and sinister pressure.

Su Xin looked up at the sky and saw that the dark sword light was even more ferocious than before, almost obscuring the entire canyon, as if the canyon itself had been cleaved by the sword light.

The dim sword light absorbed the thick, dark clouds, leaving only a shallow layer, through which the light beyond the clouds could be faintly seen.

However, the dark sword light grew even more ferocious, slowly descending. At the same time, the flame continued unabated, actually heading towards the dark sword light.

One is so vast it blots out the sky, the other so tiny it can be destroyed in the blink of an eye.

As expected, when the two collided, the sword light was unstoppable, and the firelight was shattered.

In an instant, countless tiny sparks scattered throughout the heavens and earth, resembling fireworks, as if celebrating in this hellish place.

The sword light continued its momentum, and the countless sparks that were cleaved apart seemed to be scattered to the ends of the earth.

As the countless sparks drifted further and further away, they never died out, and instead grew stronger and stronger.

In no time, the countless sparks grew stronger and stronger, until the sky was ablaze.

There was no darkness, no gloom, only a raging, inextinguishable fire high in the sky.

Soon, a person fell from the sky. This time, it was not Meng Yuan, but Dugu Sheng.

In an instant, the remaining dark clouds were burned away, and the drifting poisonous rain was swept away.

The world turned white, and a ball of fire descended from the sky, burning Dugu Sheng to ashes.

As the poisonous rain subsided, the thousands of slaves came to their senses and looked up in bewilderment.

Suwen emerged from Suxin's embrace and stared blankly forward. She saw a wisp of star drifting where Dugu Sheng was, yet it never extinguished.

That wisp of starlight resembled the fireflies I had seen at Yunshan Temple when I was a child.

Meng Yuan stepped forward, grasped the fluorescent flame in one hand, and the flame immediately entered his body and disappeared.

At this moment, the object of creation between heaven and man has been found, and Meng Yuan, having absorbed the starlight, has reached the fourth rank.

(End of this chapter)