The Sacred Ruins
chapter-197

"Get them! Don’t let a single one go!"

Clamor reverberated across the heavens . Even the weakest ones here were those from the Realm of Awakening, so all were strong and powerful . Some had wings that spanned a hundred meters, blotting out the sun as they soared in the sky; some could leap from one mountain to the next, shaking the earth and moving the mountains as they roared .

With this mass of people pursuing, the entire periphery of Kunlun Mountains was violently quaking . The force in pursuit was fiercer than an army of valiant soldiers . They were like gods of war!

"‘Eastern Punitive Expedition’ my arse! Is this all you’ve got? If you’ve got no guts to fight, then how dare you come to the East for this so-called punitive expedition? But today, you have nowhere to flee . I’ll capture you then skin you alive!"

The black yak roared at the rear . It had used Demon Ox Roar . The sound reverberated in the sky above the mountain range, deafening and stunning the entire "Eastern Punitive Expedition" .

No one from the Eastern Punitive Expedition dared to linger . Everyone was in a state of anxiety . Their faces had turned pale while they fled in panic helter-skelter .

Schiller, Arctic King, and the Old Vampire King, these were the beasts that had long freed themselves from the sixth shackle . They were strong and powerful, yet they were also fleeing for their lives .

It had been a thorough defeat for the Expedition before the real battle could even begin . They had lost all will to fight as they scurried off like a bunch of frightened rats . They would seize on any opportunity to flee an inch further from their enemies because those who were lagging behind had all been violently murdered .

"Kill!"

The troops from the Eastern camp pursued in full force . Led by the kings of Kunlun Mountains, the Eastern camp ran like torrents of water rushing down the mountain, sweeping across their routed enemy as easily as breaking up dead wood .

Chu Feng, the Snow Leopard King and Yellow Ox were leading the troop in the front among the other kings . The victory was theirs, and now it was only a matter of time before the entire ‘Eastern Punitive Expedition’ became a team of dead corpses .

The ‘Eastern Punitive Expedition’ was losing their men left and right . One third were dead within the shortest time imaginable . In face of the crushing force of their enemy, they were left with no chance to fight back .

Having lost their will to fight, escape became their prime mission . Without anyone leading or organizing this team, they were in a constant state of anxiety . They ran due west, desperately wanting to return to Europe .

In the end, Chu Feng and the black yak gave up killing the ordinary mutants; instead, the kings from the expedition became their sole target . However, those routed kings ran amazingly fast . They were in the very front of their fleeing troops .

As for those non-king "ordinary" mutants, they were dealt with by the rest of the Eastern army .

The sound of explosion was consistent . The strong and the powerful from Kunlun Mountains were chasing their enemy with supersonic speed . The kings in the ‘Eastern Punitive Expedition’ were their only target .

Right there and then, Chu Feng’s thunderous bow began to display its prowess . He equipped the bow and drew the string . Suddenly, a bolt of lightning drew a splendid electric arc in the air . The thunder that accompanied was deafening .

High in the sky, a hawk thought it had fled the danger . It was overjoyed . It had a powerful physique, and with that advantage alone, it could easily make its way back to Europe safely and soundly .

But, suddenly, a terrifying bolt of lightning struck in its face . It wasn’t even given enough time to react before the lightning bolt pierced through its body, vaporizing it in the blink of an eye .

BOOM!

Its body entirely vanished in mid-air .

The thunderous bow was an almighty piece of weaponry . The gory killing of that bird of prey was complemented by the deafening sound of explosion and the sound of sonic boom as the arrow travelled at supersonic speed .

The troops from Kunlun Mountains were at first dumbfounded, then they began cheering . Their fighting spirit was elevated; their determination to kill their foes was reinforced . They resolved to kill their enemy no matter how far they ran .

The Black Dragon King was fluttering his wings in the mid-air . His eyes grew cold . He knew that his game was as good as lost . His heart and head were throbbing in anger and anxiety .

So much had been prepared for this expedition, yet so little had been achieved .

He knew that never again would he have another chance to start another expedition, unless he could be the first one to severe the seventh shackle . Only from there would he have the confidence to look down at and despise all the other kings in this world .

"ROAR…"

He roared in fire and fury . He flew due west, fleeing for his life while fighting at close quarters with the Golden Roc .

Soon, he saw Chu Feng and Yellow Ox chasing after the kings who were fleeing in the very front of their troops . The looks in the dragon’s eyes were chilling . He opened his wide and bloody mouth as he dived down for Chu Feng and Yellow Ox .

"No more killing, son!"

The sect master of Mount Hua soared to height of the heaven like a rising sun, glowing with splendid rays of golden light . In terms of size, he might not be as big as the Black Dragon King, but he was a powerful and skillful fighter nonetheless .

PUFF!

The Golden Roc’s sharp claw swiftly descended, aimed at the distracted dragon king . The explosive sound of sonic boom was paired with an earth-shattering surge of energy . The claws were aimed at the back of the dragon king’s head . If they were to land on target, then even the dragon king who had severed his sixth shackle would be murdered on the spot .

The Black Dragon King noticed the imminent danger, and he immediately drifted sideways . Its sizeable torso dodged the claws, then he immediately went back to the fight with the Golden Roc .

"Send me up!" the master of the Void Jade Temple said .

The master of the Eight Vision Temple nodded .

HAAH!

The master of the Eight Vision Temple suddenly raised his arm .

BOOM!

The master of the Void Jade Temple was hurled into the sky to a height of two thousand meters above the ground .

"HUH?!"

The Black Dragon King had sensed another danger . He looked over his shoulder and saw that the master of the Void Jade Temple had reached the clouds . His pupils rapidly constricted as his thick and powerful tail swayed in the wind, striking downwards at the master of the Void Jade Temple .

BOOM!

The air exploded . The scene was terrifying . The dragon’s tail pierced through the air like a black bolt of lightning with a speed many times greater than that of sound .

The master of the Void Jade Temple was fearless . The glow in his palm spread to his right arm; it was burning like a heavenly blade, illuminating the sky .

BOOM!

The sky was shaken . The void was fiercely roaring as the entire region was being lit up .

The Black Dragon King was furiously roared as pools of blood poured down from his open wound . His tail had lost a tiny section, and for him, this was an infuriating shame .

The master of the Void Jade Temple sighed . His arm was slightly numb while his body rapidly plummeted towards the earth . He tried to land on the back of the Black Dragon King, but he wasn’t able to .

In the sky, the Golden Roc howled . He already had the upper hand over the Black Dragon King in the first place, and now seeing the injury done to the dragon’s tail, his fighting spirit was even more elevated .

The Black Dragon King began to flee . He had no desire to continue fighting . Heading due west, he began to feel more and more uneasy because most of the strong and powerful fighters on the ground had severed their sixth shackle . It was only a matter of time before he took another fatal blow from those on the ground . These latent threats could have distracted him, and that would be very dangerous for him .

He flew even higher . He desperately wanted to make it back to Europe right away .

People from the Western camp saw this scene as it was happening . Their faces turned pale . They had lost all hope . They could only run and flee .

"ROAR…"

It was the roar of an angry beast coming from the distance . At the same time, sand was flying and pebbles were rolling, and amidst all the dust, a bloody beast tumbled down the mountain . It was the Arctic King .

The Arctic King had been caught up by the Mastiff King . The two started fighting again, but the Arctic king was no match for the mastiff . Soon, the Arctic King was defeated .

At last, the Mastiff King turned into a massive mastiff . His body was glowing like a fine lump of coal, his claws looking fatal as they were as big as a small hill .

PUFF!

His claws smashed into the head of the Arctic King .

AWWW!

The Arctic King’s head imploded like a blown-out balloon as he lost his life .

"Oh god! Our king is dead!" The troops under the Arctic King’s command were quivering in terror . They were watching as their king was being violently murdered .

"Don’t let Schiller get away!" the Mastiff King roared .

At this very moment, the Elder Ape, the Mountain Tortoise and the sect master of the Roaming Jade Temple were all in hot pursuit of their enemy . This powerful battle array became all the more terrifying when the fighting spirits of all its fighters were more and more elevated .

The Siberian Tiger was watching as all the killings were happening . He was trembling in fear, but he was in a truly sticky situation . His opponents were too strong to fight against . Those who were stubbornly fighting had been either murdered or captured . The Siberian Tiger was looking for a way out of this .

Then, he started waving his claws as he shouted, "Don’t shoot! I’m friendly! I’ll lead the way! Let’s kill Schiller together! Let’s go, my friends from the Eastern camp!"

The Siberian Tiger had been scared stiff . He was so afraid of getting killed by this angry mob of fighters that he was willing to do everything to keep himself alive . He repeatedly called himself "Manchurian Tiger" in order to get in with the people from the Eastern camp . Meanwhile, he was also trying very hard to prove his loyalty by cold-bloodedly killing many of his past friends from the Western camp .

"If you want to redeem yourself, go kill the experts with six severed shackles!"

At the rear, the Elder Ape and the sect master of Wudang had arrived . They urged the tiger to show his loyalty with actions .

The "Manchurian" Tiger was having a headache . Many of the fighters from the Western camp had already been killed . Meanwhile, those who were alive were already being chased after by specific people . He wouldn’t be able to catch anyone even if he tried .

Suddenly, he said, "There is another king hiding in the dark . I’m sure none of you is aware of his presence, but I know where he is . Follow me, and I will bring you guys to kill him!"

"For real?" The Mastiff King looked surprised .

People from the Eastern camp also had the feeling that Schiller had most likely invited many more experts with six severed shackles, but perhaps because the Eastern camp was too powerful, these so-called "experts" had all hidden away .

"I’m a Manchurian Tiger! We are friends, so I will never fool you guys in a million years . I can reassure you that there must have been another king coming over for today’s battle . He’s a striped Hyena King! Come! Let’s go find him then kill him!"

At this stage, nothing could hold him back . He was willing to sacrifice everything . He would rather become the most hated person in the Western camp than to be killed right here right now . He believed that only those with a thick skin and a rotten heart could live longer in a world like this .

At the same time, this could also serve as an enrollment application to the Eastern camp . From now on, never again would he ever step foot onto the territory of the Western camp . As long as he stayed in Siberia and other places in the East, he would never need to fear that anyone from the Western camp would come to seek for revenge on him .

"Let’s go!" The Manchurian Tiger took the lead and the Elder Ape, the sect master of Wudang and the Mastiff King followed . They were ready to hunt down the hidden Hyena King .

Meanwhile, the master from Eight Vision Temple, Void Jade Temple and Roaming Jade Temple were acting in collaboration, continuing on their hunt for Schiller . These three grandmasters were more than competent enough to hunt him down .

"Be careful, you three . Not only is Schiller a strong and powerful fighter, he’s also a fast runner . We must catch him, or else, in the near future, we’ll need to pay a hefty price for our negligence today," the Manchurian Tiger reminded .

For he had already called himself a Manchurian Tiger, he felt that he was bound to no obligations to keep any secrets for the Western camp . Schiller had to be killed, or else he would forever haunt the tiger’s dream .

"Let’s go, my Eastern brothers! Let’s go kill that Striped Hyena King! He who dares to invade the east will be killed no matter how far he runs!" the Manchurian tiger howled with pride . He led the way at the front, strutting along into the depths of the woods .

Chu Feng and Yellow Ox grew speechless . "What a shameless snob!" they thought to themselves .

Meanwhile, the hyena king was hiding his trails while escaping . He had made a detour in the jungle, wishing that he could make it back to Europe alive; but suddenly, he was scared stiff . His sharp instinct told him that someone malicious had had their eyes on him .

BOOM!

The wooded mountain burst open . Many kings and powerful fighters suddenly emerged around him .

"How dare you sell me out like this, Siberian tiger?!" The hyena king was furious . He knew that the tiger was up to no good upon first sight .

"Bullsh*t! I’m a Manchurian tiger . I’m a member of the Eastern camp . How dare you invade us? Like I said, he who dares to invade the East will be killed no matter how far he runs! So go to hell, you bastard!" the tiger shouted at the top of his lungs . He was also the first one to raise his fist against the Hyena King .

The Hyena King would have made it out alive if the tiger hadn’t sold him out; but unfortunately, it was proven again that it was truly difficult to guard against a thief within the house . When the Elder Ape, the sect master of Wudang, the Tiger King and the Mastiff King all raised their fists against him, the Hyena King died almost instantly .

PUFF!

In face of the fists of four kings, the poor hyena exploded like a detonated bomb .

"Don’t look at me like that . We’re all friends . " The Tiger King looked a little uneasy .

"Are there any more kings left to kill?" the Elder Ape asked .

"No, there shouldn’t be any more left," the Tiger King said, but then, he said, "Nonetheless, let’s go continue our search in the jungle . There might be other fugitives hiding in the dark . Let’s go! I’ll lead the way!" the Manchurian tiger volunteered .

The tiger then became the guide of this team of hunters . They searched along every escape route that Schiller had previously decided with the tiger . They were looking for any fugitives who might have slipped under the radar .

One had to admit that Schiller was a truly terrifying king . The energy of light and darkness surged inside him . He ran lightning fast; in fact, he ran so fast that none of the grandmasters from the Eastern camp could even get close to him .

A white crane speedily traversed the air on his flying sword, but even that couldn’t allow him to catch up with Schiller .

In the end, a pair of black wings took shape on Schiller’s back . The wings allowed for a speed five times the speed of sound . But of course, the conjuring of this pair of wings came at a great cost . Schiller’s mouth was constantly spewing out gushes of blood .

Using light and darkness at the same time damaged him greatly . These were two opposing energy forms, and so they usually clashed with each other .

"I didn’t want to get too deep into the European continent, but right now, it seems like we’re left with no choice!" the master of the Eight Vision Temple said .

The master of the three temples were still chasing after Schiller . They were heading due west, determined to kill him no matter how far he could run .

Schiller was very cunning . He didn’t use the passageway that he had built inside the Qaidam Basin . Although it was a shortcut leading straight into Greece, Schiller feared that someone might have already set up an ambush there . Therefore, he chose a longer route instead .

"Brothers! Bring back the dead bodies of the kings we’ve killed and freeze them!" the black yak shouted to the men who were working under him .

"He’s right . Let’s not waste a single piece of this valuable meat . Bring it back!" others echoed .

They learnt this from Chu Feng . They now knew that the value of the meat and blood of a king could never be underestimated . They would be invaluable supplements . Some had even become addicted to the meat . It had become something they couldn’t live without . In the end, the meat could always be served as a delicious cuisine during the victory celebration after the battle . Everyone was looking forward to that .

"Keep hunting them down! No one would be let off scot free today!" Chu Feng shouted .

Meanwhile, the Indian Yoga Master Fanlin was also terribly injured . He was heading straight towards Mount Himalayas . During his epic escape, how he wished that he could have grown a pair of bird wings just so that he could flee a little faster . Unfortunately, he had no wings while his enemies behind him did .

The Peacock King and the Golden Crow King were both kings of their respective domain . They had proven themselves time and time again as some of the most daring fighters on earth . They were the ones who challenged the sect masters of Eight Vision Temple and Void Jade Temple during the fight at the pilgrimage ground . That epic battle was more than enough to showcase the terrifying power that the two birds possessed .

Fanlin was no weakling either . His power and skills were on par with the Elder Lion King, but being chased by two pesky birds was no fun either . So far, he had already lost one of his arms .

His fate seemed to have come to an end . His so-called Ancient Yoga Technique had been used to its full potential, yet it was still no match to the enemies he faced .

His Ancient Yoga Technique granted him proof against sharp weapons and had allowed his body to be otherworldly pliable . However, these skills were both useless against the birds’ piercing bills and cutting claws . Every time the birds descended, they would always send Fanlin flying in the air . In the end, Fanlin had almost been torn into pieces .

…

ROAR!

At the foot of Kunlun Mountains, the Elder Lion King furiously howled, but there was nothing he could do to redeem the situation . His golden hair was bloodstained . The fight with the old llama had exhausted him . The pain of those open wounds crawling on his skin was almost insufferable .

In the end, the old llama pressed him down with a single hand . The Elder Lion King couldn’t move at all . His body was glistening with golden tears and sweat . Finally, he revealed his original form and became a majestic lion with golden flames dancing over his skin .

"Since you’ve acquired some form of Buddhist Breathing Technique, why aren’t you converted to Buddhism yet? Come, my child, come join us!" the old llama shouted . His voice was sonorous and soul-stirring .

The Eastern Punitive Expedition had been facing defeat after defeat . The level of fighting spirit among the soldiers had diminished to an all-time low . Even the kings had been either killed or injured . Some of those who were still alive were either captured or tortured, while those who were still free and alive had lost all hopes .

The Eastern camp was still mustering the remnants of the enemy’s troops . After days and nights of tireless pursuit, the Western camp had been thrown into utter chaos .

The Western camp had become a band of stragglers and despaired soldiers . They fled all the way to the Tibetan Basin . This was the shortcut leading to the European continent .

Those from the Western camp who were still free and alive were all in tears at this moment . They were excited and overjoyed because they could finally set themselves free .

There was a passageway leading into a dense fog, but once these soldiers braced through the fog, nothing would stop them from returning home . Europe was right on the other side!

The survivors from the Western camp cheered and hailed . Finally, they were set free—set free from this horrifying land, free from this nightmare . They swore that never again would they ever return .

For them, the expedition had been an utter nightmare . Seeing friends and family killed and fallen beside them while leaving behind thousands of other lifeless bodies was a truly horrifying experience . One king after another was brutally murdered . Those who were free and alive trembled with fear . This was the type of fear that would haunt them for the rest of their life .

"I will never set foot on this land ever again!" the beasts roared while charging ahead into the dense fog .

But in the next moment, they all came to a standstill . Their blood ran cold as their pupils dilated .

Amidst that dense fog, there was a silhouette of a tremendous being . Its sheer presence was terrifying beyond belief .

It was a white snake of terrifying mass, looking down at everybody . The look in its eyes was cold and indifferent . It coiled up, sitting there like a little hill . Just how big was this snake?

"This is not good! It’s an expert with six severed shackles!"

This had frightened the life out of some people . Many felt weak in their legs after discovering that the road ahead had been completely cut off .

People were reduced to a state of utter despair . They regretted using this path . They should have taken the long way around although that meant that they would have to sail across the entire Eurasian continent . Only some did it that way .

Obviously, the White Snake had evolved again . It had become even stronger than before . It had become an expert with six severed shackles!

Chu Feng was relieved when he thought about this . Even he had grown to this stage, let alone a white snake with thousands of years of Taoist practice . The series of upheavals happening to this world had given many opportunities for the beasts to evolve, and this white snake had captured it .

"Where are you running? You Western bastards! No-one is leaving today!"The Siberian tiger had arrived as well . He shouted from behind, "He who invades the East will be killed no matter how far he runs!"

Chu Feng, Yellow Ox and the others had all grown utterly speechless . What a shameless snob!

People from the Western camp wished they could shower some abuse on this brazen wretch . "Manchurian Tiger my arse! You’re the one who claimed to be the king of Siberia . F*cking fence-sitter!" people cursed under their breath .

"Siberian tiger, you @#%!" Eventually, someone burst out spewing abuses at this shameless traitor .

"PUFF!"

That poor guy instantly became a puff of blood and mingled meat under the tiger’s paw .

"I’m a Manchurian Tiger! I will say it again, ‘he who invades the East will be killed no matter how far he runs’!"