Section 79: Pursuing Shui Ruolan
By Gu Zhenren
“The Shui Family, hmph, a fine Shui Family! A fine Ye Yu!” Shu Tianhao gritted out the words through clenched teeth. Chu Yun had told him to test Shui Ruolan, and he had been somewhat skeptical. After all, over the years, Yu Island’s image in the Archipelago had been deeply ingrained. Furthermore, Shui Ruolan’s previous gifts of Pills had indeed generated goodwill.
However, now, the facts were laid bare before him, and Shu Tianhao had no choice but to believe.
“You dare harm my son! You’re courting death!” The Fierce Tiger of Many Stars was truly enraged, never having been so angry before. Everyone has a breaking point, and Chu Yun was his.
“Wait, I surrender…” Shui Ruolan sighed deeply, looking at the group before her with a very complex expression.
Huh?
Shu Tianhao, about to lash out, was stunned by the sound.
Bang!
At that moment, the Demonic creature hairpin on Shui Ruolan’s head flashed with white light, propelling her through the window as she flew away.
“Trying to escape? You’re dreaming!” Shu Tianhao roared in fury and was about to pursue when Chu Yun stopped him.
“Father, you hold down Shu Family Island. Leave Shui Ruolan to me. Brother Jin, let’s go together.” He turned to Jin Bihan.
Shu Tianhao’s eyes flashed with divine light before he nodded, “Alright! The Shui Family is so treacherous. With this great enmity, and having exposed their connection with Ye Yu, coupled with the conflict of interest, reconciliation is impossible. I will hold down Shu Family Island, preparing our forces. My son, this Saintess is in your hands!”
Sons of the Shu family never fear enemies. How dare they ambush my son Chu Yun! Shu Tianhao hated the Shui Family to the bone.
“Enemies like this are hard to guard against. We should eliminate them as soon as possible. Father, I’m going!” Chu Yun shouted, his figure a bolt of lightning as he chased after them.
Jin Bihan summoned the Golden Jade Immortal Butterflies, following closely behind.
The chase and pursuit created a massive commotion, immediately drawing the attention of everyone in Shu Family City.
“How could this be?! Chu Yun is actually chasing Fairy Ruolan!” Those who witnessed this scene were all dumbfounded and disbelieving.
“Chu Yun has such nerve! To repay kindness with enmity, wanting to kill Fairy Ruolan!” The envoy mission immediately erupted in chaos.
“How innocent is Fairy Ruolan? To be chased by this madman Chu Yun. Perhaps his romantic advances were rejected, and in his extreme humiliation, he wants to kill Fairy Ruolan for revenge!”
“Everyone, let’s go save Fairy Ruolan!”
Instantly, the crowd was incited. Countless talented young men’s eyes turned red. They summoned their Demonic creatures, merging into a torrent of people, blocking Chu Yun.
“Get out of the way!” Chu Yun snorted. These people, unaware of the truth, dared to disregard the rules and engage in hostilities within Shu Family City. Deep down, their impression of Shu Family City as backward and uncivilized lingered, causing them to look down on this newly risen power.
“Chu Yun, by doing this, are you even a man? Chasing after such a fragile woman?”
“Chu Yun! I must ask you, why are you chasing Fairy Ruolan? What has she done wrong? She gave you Pills and treated you with great kindness, yet you want to chase her?!”
“Bah! You ungrateful wretch! Fairy Ruolan contributed half of the effort in helping you overcome the Heavenly Tribulation. Now you’ve turned your back on her, it’s truly despicable in the eyes of the world.”
A group of people blocked the path between Chu Yun and Shui Ruolan, relying on their numbers to protect Shui Ruolan. They pointed at Chu Yun, cursing and criticizing him fiercely.
“What do you people know? You don’t even know the truth.” Jin Bihan’s beautiful eyes glared angrily, extremely irate.
Shui Ruolan stood behind the crowd, tears streaming down her face, choking out, “Young Island Master Chu Yun, I, a humble woman, do not know where I have offended you. This might just be a misunderstanding…”
Before she could finish speaking, one of the young island masters shouted, “Fairy Ruolan, don’t say any more. Why speak with such a heartless scoundrel?! Everyone’s eyes are sharp. If Chu Yun dares to act, he will face the combined might of all forces in the Archipelago!”
“Chu Yun, don’t think you can get away with anything just because your Shu Family has won a few battles!”
“Even though you have passed the Spirit Monster Tribulation, there’s always someone better. Moreover, the Archipelago does not belong to you alone. Think carefully!”
“You…” Jin Bihan was too angry to speak. These foolish young masters, swayed by her beauty!
“Hahahaha, wonderful, wonderful. Chu Yun, do you dare to kill me…” Shui Ruolan appeared fragile as water, but inwardly, she was smiling sinisterly.
“Since that’s the case, then you can’t blame me.” Chu Yun sneered. Shui Ruolan had nearly cost him his life, and worse, she had implicated the Sky Fox’s Tribulation, nearly killing it. His Hundred-Footed Golden Centipede had also perished because of her. Crucially, she had won the hearts of the people. Looking at the crowd before him, one could see Shui Ruolan’s tremendous popularity.
“I must not let the enemy escape!”
He patted his Immortal Pouch, and with a flash of snow-white light, the Drunken Snow Saber was in his hand. Without hesitation, he unleashed his Saber Techniques.
Instantly, brilliant saber light shot into the sky. Accompanied by it, heaps of severed limbs and broken bodies danced in the air, blood splattering everywhere. Countless people stared with wide, disbelieving eyes, dying with regrets.
They had never imagined that Chu Yun would actually dare to defy the world and strike with lethal force!
“How could this be? He actually made a move!” Shui Ruolan was startled, then inwardly roared with laughter, “Good, too good! I was worried about how to control the Shu Family and weaken the influence of Huofang Wenshu! Chu Yun, you acted impulsively, one wrong step leads to eternal regret!”
She activated her Demonic creature hairpin, her body a white light, and retreated rapidly into the sky. Her gaze towards Chu Yun was filled with triumph and mockery.
“You can’t escape.” Chu Yun summoned the Sky Fox again and mounted it. The Sky Fox did not transform into human form but appeared in its original state. It was larger now, as big as an elephant, but with slender limbs, looking extremely majestic. Six fox tails, as long as its body, coiled and swayed in the air. The moment it appeared, its unique aura as a Spirit Monster spread out with a roar, causing many to retreat in shock.
“How dare you? How could you attack us?!”
“Madman, madman!”
…
The remaining young masters were utterly terrified by Chu Yun’s saber strike, their bodies splattered with blood, some even with bits of flesh and bone clinging to them. Their faces were frozen in expressions of horror.
No one dared to block Chu Yun anymore.
The Sky Fox, its paws wreathed in flame, soared into the sky. Jin Bihan followed closely, pursuing Shui Ruolan.
Shui Ruolan’s Demonic creature hairpin was extremely special, and the escape technique she used was also incredibly profound. Although the Sky Fox was a Spirit Monster, its speed had increased severalfold. However, it could only slowly close the distance. After traveling five hundred nautical miles and facing constant interference from the Hurricane Bow, they finally caught up to her.
The two sides engaged in a fierce battle at sea, with Jin Bihan observing from the side, ready to act.
Shui Ruolan, the Saintess of the Shui Family from Yu Island, displayed combat power comparable to Tie Ao. She unleashed a continuous stream of Demonic creatures and profound, extremely troublesome Cultivation Methods from her body.
After over a hundred rounds, Chu Yun could only barely suppress her, far from securing victory.
“Shui Ruolan is difficult to deal with! Tie Ao was fierce, but she is like flowing water, soft and yielding, deflecting many of my powerful Cultivation Methods. However, the most crucial issue is the lack of coordination between the Sky Fox and the Drunken Snow Saber.”
Chu Yun identified his shortcomings.
Previously, the Drunken Snow Saber was a Spirit Monster and the Sky Fox was a Great Demon, so he had always focused on the Drunken Snow Saber, with the Sky Fox as support. Now, both were at the Spirit Monster level and possessed immense offensive power, but they had not undergone coordinated training, thus hindering each other’s performance.
With this realization, he understood that he could not kill Shui Ruolan in a hurry. Instead, he could seize this opportunity to refine the coordination between his Drunken Snow Saber and the Sky Fox during the intense battle.
“Hahahaha, the great ‘Little Hegemon’ of the Archipelago can’t even defeat a mere weak woman like me. It’s all an empty reputation.” Shui Ruolan laughed coquilically, trying to provoke Chu Yun.
Chu Yun’s expression remained cold, unmoved.
After a few more moments of fighting, Shui Ruolan could no longer laugh. Her eyes were filled with unconcealed horror. She saw through Chu Yun’s intentions and was shocked by his demeanor.
“He’s only 15 years old! How is this possible? At 13, he rose to prominence during his coming-of-age ceremony, enrolled in Tiange Academy, and became the head of the academic council. Then he defeated Yan Que and Hua Ying, refined Pills to cure an epidemic, and comprehended the Meteor Arrow on the spot. At 14, he launched a surprise attack on Wei Family Island, killed the third son of the Fang family, defended Iron Cage Island, and slew Duan Tianya and other generals. He also defeated Tie Ao, and the Old Ancestor of the Yan Family died by his hand. Ning Family Island was plundered by him, the Yan Family surrendered, and now he has successfully passed the Six Divine Ashes Tribulation…”
“Such achievements, at such an age, he should be arrogant and reckless! Tie Ao at his age wasn’t even half as capable. Even the ancient Five Clans, with their profound upbringing, would be arrogant and reckless. Pursuing Hongshang Fairy, not putting the world in their eyes.”
Arrogance and recklessness were common traits of geniuses, and also human nature. Shui Ruolan had expected Chu Yun to be arrogant and reckless, because that would have led him to make even greater mistakes.
When Chu Yun slaughtered the young talents with his saber, she had momentarily believed she had succeeded. But now, seeing Chu Yun’s cold face and calm, deep eyes, she immediately realized she was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
“He’s not afraid of these people. The Archipelago is a tangle of interests, with various factions governing. They cannot threaten Shu Family Island. He wants to establish a truly unified regime. But before that, he needs to cleanse and purge to protect his hard-won gains!”
A realization dawned in Shui Ruolan’s heart.
Often, one understands a person best during combat, because it is in the face of life and death that one’s true nature is revealed – whether they are a warrior or a coward.
Chu Yun’s gaze, like the cold ice of the deepest netherworld, chilled Shui Ruolan to the core.
She finally recognized the young man before her. She finally understood why her assassin team had failed.
Because everyone had underestimated him.
Chu Yun’s formidable nature lay in his strength, his potential, and even more so, his disposition. Unyielding, decisive once a decision is made, and resolute in his will!
“This young man is truly terrifying. Although he is called the ‘Little Hegemon,’ his temperament is nothing like a hegemon. Everyone has underestimated him!” For the first time in her life, Shui Ruolan felt fear towards a young man several years her junior.
She felt a desire to retreat, her fighting spirit plummeting. Faking an attack, she suddenly urged her Demonic Plant and activated the Supreme grade Cultivation Method, the True Body of Water Virtue.
She transformed into a water giant, fifteen feet tall. Then, to Chu Yun’s astonished gaze, she plunged into the sea and rapidly fled.
“To use a Supreme grade Cultivation Method for escape, I feel sorry for the True Body of Water Virtue.” Chu Yun sneered, pursuing relentlessly. His actions were decisive; he had long decided that he would pursue her to the ends of the earth to kill Shui Ruolan, not giving this treacherous viper any chance to retaliate or scheme.
