The Legend of the Devil
Ch. 168 - The Price of Fear

At the top of the misty hill, twenty thousand warriors gathered in all-black clothes and blood-red fox masks. In front of them a leader stood at the end of a steep ravine, staring towards the valley that lay beneath him.

The situation around was very quiet. But the air seemed to be trembling by the powerful aura of power emitted by the chief warriors. The man looked ahead with a sharp gaze, ready to fight at any time if he wanted to.

Not far from the figure of the leader of the group, there was a young man who was different from the others. He wore a white robe and a red fox mask like the other warriors, but the aura he emitted felt strong and different from the others.

The Chairman stepped closer to the young man and said in a soft voice, "There will come a time for retaliation. Be patient, it won't be long, I'm sure you can't wait for it."

The young man smiled faintly behind his mask and said in a calm yet hateful voice, "I'm ready for whatever will happen."

In a tense silence, the warriors looked back at the valley that lay beneath them, waiting for the right time to come down from there. And in front of them, the red fox masked young man remained standing upright, staring forward as if he was looking at the enemy brandishing a sword at his face.

"After I get at least two of those stones ..." The leader of the group looked at his slowly clenching hands before his eyes with a cruel look. "The whole world will be in my hands. I'll crush them all like dust."

The man opened his palm and the flying dust shards were carried away by the wind rising from under the hill, gathering with mist forming small clouds that danced over their heads.

Behind the two, twenty thousand warriors gathered upright and tensely. They were wearing all-black clothes and red fox masks. Sounding a compact jolt, the twenty thousand swordsmen stomped their sword tips to the ground at once, creating a great tremor that echoed throughout the hill.

The white-robed youth was speaking in deep voice. "They deserve it." His left hand gripped the handle of the sword that was tucked in his waist. There was anger in his voice.

"Black Fingers have already moved to the four corners of the wind, no need to worry, they will definitely get it for me. I only need at least two of those stones to resurrect it ..." His eyelids were violently widened behind the mask. "Until that day comes, there is not a single human being who does not prostrate under my feet."

*

Xue Zhan and Jiazhen Wu sat face to face in the basement. In a quiet atmosphere, they discussed the strange traces that occurred after Kang Jian's death and attributed it to the many incidents that occurred over the past few years.

Xue Zhan looked at some of the papers that were splattered on the table and read them carefully. The first imprint that appeared was a talisman belonging to Emperor Ziran that was found at the place where Kang Jian killed himself.

Jiazhen Wu explained as she read out all the reports she had.

Xue Zhan nodded in understanding and asked Jiazhen Wu to continue. Jiazhen Wu then tells the story of a mysterious swordsman who appears at Kang Jian's residence. He explained that although no one saw the warrior's face, some suspected that it was a very famous martial artist. Because the aura from his body was very different and dangerous.

Xue Zhan interrupted, "But why did the swordsman appear there? What does this have to do with Teacher Kang's death?"

Jiazhen Wu shook her head not knowing. "That's what we don't know. But it indeed could not be ignored the fact that the swordsman appeared there on the same night as Kang Jian's death."

Xue Zhan was silent for a moment, trying to concoct the chain of events that had appeared. He then found another odd trace he had found from the report inside the paper, which was that Kang Jian's body was nowhere to be found. "Is it possible that Teacher Kang is still alive?" xue Zhan asked expectantly.

Jiazhen Wu shook her head. "Cannot be. I've ordered close surveillance around the city. If he's alive, he's gonna be found."

"Or did that guy kidnap her? Or hide the body?"

"There are many possibilities, which is why I say this mystery is full of twists. Whoever was the mastermind behind this all, he must have thought it over so well that it did not leave even the slightest hint of right. That's sneaky."

Xue Zhan nodded in understanding and looked back at the papers before him. He felt increasingly certain that something strange was happening behind Kang Jian's death. "We have to keep finding out the truth" he said later.

Xue Zhan nodded, now he understood why Jiazhen Wu ended up appointing Ziran Zhao as the main culprit.

Because he's the only one who has the power to do this. However Xue Zhan could not confirm it, he had to find out more.

Jiazhen Wu took a deep breath and looked at Xue Zhan tiredly. "You know what happened during the five years you disappeared?" tanyanya shakes her head.

"A lot of things happened in Diqiu Empire, things were unprecedented and senseless."

He began to tell about mysterious verses that appeared and were sung by children throughout the empire, depicting strange events and coming terror. Then it was also about the massive massacres in the various colleges, where many students and teachers were killed for no apparent reason.

"The death of the founder of the Ghost Jade Tower is also a surprising thing" he said again. "Nobody knows who did it, but there are some who attribute it to your death, the disappearance of Kang Jian and the appearance of a mysterious swordsman in his residence."

Jiazhen Wu also began telling stories about the attacks on the Guang Empire and Bing Empire that occurred last year, in which hundreds of people were killed. Fear spread everywhere like fire and life became his payment.

And lastly, the attack on the night of the Wind Goddess Birth Celebration Festival that almost killed Emperor Li Jia Xing.

Xue Zhan looked at Jiazhen Wu with astonishment and confusion. "What does all this mean?" tanyakanya.

"No one knows" Jiazhen Wu replied. "But I'm sure they're all related to each other. And this will lead us to the mastermind behind all this. He's wreaking an uneasy mess."

Xue Zhan was silent for a moment, listening seriously. He felt surprised by the sheer number of things that happened during his time in the empire.

Jiazhen Wu asked, "Then what are you going to do next, Xue Zhan?"

"The only obvious clue is that Red Taring became one of the cast."

"Cannot be. You ..." Jiazhen Wu held back her sentence for the sake of listening to Xue Zhan's explanation which further made her speechless.

"I'll go to their base and find out."

Jiazhen Wu twitched her nose, her head ached suddenly. "Don't act rashly, they are powerful enemies. You won't be able to fight them alone."

"Mr Jiazhen," interrupted Xue Zhan. "Are you going to look for evidence of a murder outside the house while it's happening inside the house?"

"You don't understand" Jiazhen Wu argued.

Xue Zhan got up. "I think all the information I got was enough. Thank ye. Please take good care of yourself, I'm sure my friend is still alive. He'll be devastated if he hears bad news about you."

Jiazhen Wu nodded but still had doubts on her face. Xue Zhan left to be escorted by his bodyguard. A second before Xue Zhan stepped away, the man spoke, "I'm afraid you're trapped inside a deadly vortex, like my son. I've looked at you like my own son. So come back as soon as possible .. and if you find Jiazhen Yan, I will be very grateful to you, Xue Zhan. Please bring the boy back with you."

Implied by such a deep desire in his speech, he was already at the lowest point and could no longer continue his search. That despair was bending his body. His only hope now was Xue Zhan.

Xue Zhan smiled before stepping away. "I promise I'll bring her back."