<h4>Chapter 492 Duel to The Death</h4>
Chu Xun managed a weak smile. The ming Qilin was staring at him so angrily as if the Sacred Beast wanted to perforate holes on him for stealing his sweetheart.
In fact, the ming Qilin would have attacked if not for the fact that he was no match to Chu Xun.
“Urm… Your Eminence, shouldn’t you exin? There’s a certain someone here furious enough to kill me,” said Chu Xun, who was not happy about being misunderstood.
“Exin what?” asked a puzzled Su Wei’er.
Chu Xun was too speechless to say anything.
If anything, Su Wei’er’s response only seemed to infuriate the ming Qilin further.
“Just exin how did I help you,” Chu Xun muttered hastily, afraid that the Qilin might hurl a ball of fire at him.
“You told me to watch and bide our time by agreeing to Di Yanjing’s term. You said you’ll handle the rest,” exined Su Wei’er.
Chu Xun nodded and said to the ming Qilin, “So that’s it. Understand now?”
That hardly quelled his rage at all. “Since when did you make such ns?! Why didn’t I know about it?!” the Qilinshed out viciously.
“Chu Xun told me secretly,” said Su Wei’er.
She should have chosen a subtler way of putting it. “Secretly!?” the Qilin spat with venom, “secretly?! How dare you!”
Chu Xun grinned bleakly. One might wonder if Su Wei’er was trying to frame him if not for the innocent look on her face.
Gao Mohan peered at Chu Xun with brimming admiration and shed him a thumbs-up that looked like he was saying, “Good job in winning the Sacred Maiden’s heart!”
Meanwhile, Weng Xiong, too, clearly did not realize how he was making things worse, “That was incredible, Chu Xun. You really are my idol.”
“Yeah, he was. I was so afraid that you might not arrive in time,” Su Wei’er smiled sweetly, putting the final nail to the coffin.
The ming Qilin cracked his knuckles. “So they have been cheating on me behind my back!”
Su Lianyi stared at Chu Xun and the ming Qilin, afraid that a fight might break out between them.
A perplexed and bewildered Yan Xin pivoted his head left and right to look at them both.
Chu Xun felt so wronged that he nearly broke into tears. Gao Mohan and the others were unwittingly lending credence to the misunderstanding!
“I knew it, Devil! I knew you’re a good-for-nothing scoundrel and I have tirelessly tried to prevent this! And still, you’ve triumphed!” the ming Qilin’s eyes red with indescribable anger that his hair was practically standing on ends.
“What’s wrong with you, ming Qilin,” Su Wei’er asked, thinking that he was overreacting.
“I-I…” the ming Qilin was lost for words. Tears of frustration streamed down his face as he grimaced, How?! Why?!
“Are you all right, ming Qilin?” Su Wei’er asked quickly, shocked to see him crying.
That was the salve that he needed. “She cares about me after all! It must be that scoundrel Devil! He must havee up with some devious n to steal Su Wei’er from me!”
“Tell me, my dear, did the Devil intimidate you into this?”
Thinking that he was referring to Chu Xun’s telepathic messages to her, she shook her head and said, “No. I was doubtful at first, but when I saw things had passed the point of no return, trusting him was the only thing I could do then.”
Hearing her say “the point of no return”, the mes of anger in the ming Qilin rekindled and roared back to life. “WHAT?! YOU DEVIL!? HAVE YOU DONE!?”
Chu Xun did not know what to say. Su Wei’er and the ming Qilin were obviously misunderstanding each other and this kettle of fish was only getting worse.
“I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL, DEVIL!” the ming Qilin bellowed angrily.
Gao Mohan ced a hand on Chu Xun’s shoulder and said hushedly, “Our help will be no use here, Chu. But you really shouldn’t have stolen his sweetheart.”
Shi Yifei and the others all nodded their heads in agreement.
“Gods in Heaven, leave me alone!” scowled Chu Xun.
“I’m challenging you to a duel, Devil! A duel to the death!” yelled the Qilin fiercely.
“But why?! Why do you want to fight Chu Xun?! Aren’t you friends?!” Su Wei’er could not fathom what was going on. “One minute ago, they were fighting alongside each other likerades, and now, it’s all torches and pitchforks?! What is going on between them?! A jealous attraction or rivalry?!”
“He’s proved himself to be a dishonest scoundrel, my dear. I’m sorry for not protecting you from his wickedness!” the ming Qilin moaned, grimacing with guilt.
“But what are you talking about?! Chu Xun did nothing?!” gasped a confused and perplexed Su Wei’er.
“Dammit…” the ming Qilin cursed under his breath, scowling at how his innocent heartthrob had fallen into the clutches of the evil Devil.
“Damn you, Devil! In the name of my pride as a Sacred Beast, I shall put to your evil-doing and sinful days to rest!”
Chu Xun gritted his teeth. This foolish beast could really do with a good beating before his stupid mind could properly see what was going on!
“If you need a round of walloping, you only need to tell,” said Chu Xun, hardly amused at all.
Knowing better than to dawdle, Su Wei’er, Su Lianyi, Gao Mohan, and all the others quickly moved aside to give them space.
As soon as they left, the timber of the cells shook as waves ofva and mes swept across the floors of the gaols, apanied by the angry ps of thunder and lightning.
It turned out to be a battle thatsted barely minutes and the oue was as predicted: the ming Qilin was ignominiously defeated.
Chu Xun could withstand the ming Qilin’s mes like they were nothing, but the Sacred Beast could hardly take the brunt of Chu Xun’s might and magic.
The duel had seen the ming Qilin being turned back to his original form, ck and smoldering like a chimney as a result of Chu Xun’s lightning bolt bombardment. There itid on the floors of the gaols, fully numb and flinching as if he was having a seizure.
“Qilin!” cried a horrified Su Wei’er who rushed to heal him.
The Elves had magic that healed extraordinarily well.
“I’m so sorry, my dear!” the ming Qilin spat. In his beast form, he threw back his head and snarled with frustration.
“Why, Qilin!? You didn’t have to do that? You’re no match for him,” persuaded Su Wei’er while she secretly wondered if he was masochistic.
“That’s enough fun and games for now. Time to go to work,” Chu Xunmunicated using telepathy.
Hearing Chu Xun’s voice in his mind made him sprang up. He stared at Chu Xun, gasping, “Wait a minute?! That was telepathy?!”
Chu Xun was surprised too. “So you heard of telepathy before?”
“Of course! I am a Sacred Beast endowed with the knowledge and lore of my prestigious race!” the ming Qilin beamed proudly.
“That would exin why you’re so stupid because your brain’s too cluttered with other things,” teased Chu Xun, “that is what your little heartthrob meant by ‘secretly’, understand?”
“Erm…” the ming Qilin stared at Chu Xun nkly for seconds before ncing sheepishly at Su Wei’er, “so that’s what you mean by ‘secretly’? It was telepathy?”
“It was,” Su Wei’er nodded, “as I told you, it was during the ceremony just now.”
The ming Qilin stood there, speechless and bewildered until he finally spoke to Su Wei’er, “Your ability of expression really was… unique, my dear…”
Su Wei’er stared at him strangely, hardly understanding a word he said.
“Forget about her, your brain works in the most unique ways yourself,” scowled Chu Xun jokingly, “now get up. It’s time we look for Di Yanjing.”
The ming Qilin turned back to his human form and put on his clothes and tidied himself. He flexed his arms to stretched himself, now looking rather merry now that the misunderstanding had been dispelled. Loudly, he called, “Let’s go! It’s payback time for that swine Di Yanjing!”
Those who were at first sympathetic to the ming Qilin could only gawk with bewilderment at the impetuous character of the Sacred Beast. What a doltish and bumbling oaf indeed!
Di Yanjing lived on his own at the far south side of the Elvish woods.
At the veranda of his abode, Di Yanjing sat with Mo Yan.
“Thank you so much for your aid, General Mo,” Di Yanjing raised a ss to him, beaming with pride and satisfaction. For years he had waited and finally, his patience has been rewarded.
The fiendish chieftain raised his ss, but he made no attempt of drinking its contents. “Presbyter Di,” said the fiend, “now that the Elves are all within yourmand, can I be sure that we have your support?”
That little detail did not escape Di Yanjing’s notice. Mo Yan must be worried that the wine could be poisoned.
“Rest assured, General, that as allies, we should help each other. I’ll have the Arcane Guards spearhead the way out to the outside world in a few days.”
But Mo Yan shook his head, “No. The seal that keeps you here cannot be broken by the mere superiority of number alone. We need the help of the Cursed Tree.”
“Very well,” said Di Yanjing quietly, “the Tree answers to me now.”
“Thank you very much then, Presbyter Di,” smiled Mo Yan.
“Don’t mention it. We’re allies. In fact, I’ll need the Fifth Fiend Lord’s help to deal with the Queenter.”
“You share the same seniority as the Queen herself. Surely you are powerful enough to deal with her?”
Hesitation flitted briefly in Di Yanjing’s eyes. “You don’t understand. I cannot enter the area where the Queen is sealed.”
Mo Yan’s head dipped slightly in contemtion. “I see. What happened?”
“I’m afraid that’s a secret of my race, General. I hope you won’t mind.”
Mo Yan nodded, knowing better than to pry further.
Doubt gleamed Di Yanjing’s eyes once more. “Every Elvish monarch receives the blessings of his or her predecessor and the Divine Tree during their coronation which imbues him or her with the disciplines of the Arcane Codex that affords them a huge enhancement in their powers.”
The Elvish Queen was a powerful champion in the early stages of the Golden Immortal Realm prior to her incarceration. Even after centuries of stagnation, she could very well be at least a middle- or eventter-stage Earth Immortal which was still too powerful for Di Yanjing to handle alone. That was why he needed the help of the Subterranean Devils – because they had wicked magic that would allow its user the ability to consume the powers of others to augment his or her own.
“DI YANJING, YOU SWINE! I’M COMING FOR YOU! PREPARE YOURSELF FOR YOUR DOOM AT MY HAND!”
The ming Qilin’s voice rumbled across the horizons like thunderps. Di Yanjing and Mo Yan leaped to their feet with disbelief and they barely looked into the distance when they saw Chu Xun and the others racing towards them at full speed.
“You got out?!” yelped Di Yanjing darkly, “where’s Di Danqing?!”
“No more alive than ashes. Saves them the trip into the underworld too,” teased the ming Qilin.
Di Yanjing had felt a sensation of foreboding just now, but he did not expect that his fears woulde true. Anger and malice swelled in him as he regarded his foes with a steely re.
“I would have long fled away from here if I were you,” Di Yanjing’s face writhed with grotesque wrath.
“The fact that you’re still here is exactly the reason we’re not running!” spat the ming Qilin with disgust, “what’s more, why should we flee? Why should we be afraid of you?”
“Naive fools,” Di Yanjing sneered darkly, “you killed my brother! For that, I’ll tear you all to shreds!”
“I’d save my breath from all that ther if I were you,” remarked Chu Xun coldly.
“I admit that I have underestimated you, Devil,” said Mo Yan.
Chu Xun looked at the fiend with a wry look and said, “And what should I call you, Mo Yan? Or should I say, the Fifth Fiend Lord?”
Mo Yan’s face convulsed with shock and disbelief at what Chu Xun said.