After Black Dragon stepped in to protect them, the demons finally had a chance to catch their breath.
The stronger ones started treating the wounded. There were also several demons who embraced the lifeless corpses of their fallen comrades and sobbed.
War was cruel and demons had hearts too.
Those who’d lost their friends cried in heart-rending agony. As for those whose friends and family were fortunate enough to have survived, they celebrated inwardly, yet at the worried that the same would happen to them in the future
In short, a mournful atmosphere filled the canyon.
“Brother Su, didn’t I leave you in Maple City to rest? Why did you come here?” asked Black Dragon. Although he frowned at Su Yiyun, his tone was concerned.
Although he was displeased with Su Yiyun, when Black Dragon considered all that Su Yiyun had sacrificed on the demons’ behalf, it wasn’t enough to justify mistreating him.
Besides, who knew? Maybe it wasn’t like he thought.
He’d made Su Yiyun remain Maple City, in part because he feared Su Yiyun was a.s.sociated with Ye Zichen, but also in part because he truly wanted him to rest and recover.
The five signs of decay.
By now, Su Yiyun didn’t have much time left. Black Dragon didn’t want him to die in the chaos of the battlefield without so much as someone to bury his corpse.
“Hmph, you’re still on that? If I hadn’t come here, the demons would have been completely finished,” Su Yiyun frowned deeply and snorted
“Last night I performed an astrological observation and sensed that the demons were to encounter a great calamity. After you left, I couldn’t resist spying on the Will of the Heavens. When I learned what was going to happen, I had Min’e rush me here as fast as possible in hopes that you could escape calamity.”
“This…...I made you worry, “Black Dragon sighed, then turned to look at the demon soldiers.
His heart suddenly ached. All of this pain was that d.a.m.ned Ye Zichen’s fault. If he hadn’t tossed those weapons he called “bombs”, the demons wouldn’t have….
Just as he was thinking this, Su Yiyun frowned as well. “I truly never would have guessed that Ye Zichen possessed such methods. To think he’d manage to use gunpowder from the Modern Realm here!”
When he brought this up, Black Dragon’s expression darkened even further. Suddenly, he recalled the scene of Su Yiyun descending from above.
“Brother Su, did you come from above?”
“That’s right.” Su Yiyun nodded, only to see Black Dragon look at him in astonishment. He already knew what Black Dragon was thinking.
“Actually,” said Su Yiyun, “Ye Zichen tricked you. In truth, the formation above the canyon only had a few drops of natal blood essence. If you wanted to break it, you could have done so in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.”
Bang!
Black Dragon slammed his fist into the cliffside, body trembling, muscles in his face twitching.
“Ye Zichen!” he roared in fury as terrifyingly powerful spiritual energy billowed off of him and poured into the surrounding area.
Bang.
He stamped the ground but before he could propel himself into the air, Su Yiyun shouted, “stay where you are.”
“Brother Su, you want to stop me?”
This was truly humiliating for Black Dragon.
A few mere drops of natal blood essence scared him so badly, he made the entire demon army retreat, causing them to fall into Ye Zichen’s trap.
How could Black Dragon bear being tricked like that?
“You want to find Ye Zichen and vent your fury, but he’s already gone.”
As Su Yiyun calmly finished his sentence, Black Dragon noticed for the first time: the beast Region troops had already disappeared.
Crack.
He clenched his fists so hard, his knuckles cracked. The air around him grew extremely heavy.
His eyes were particularly sinister. Looking into them was like falling into an endless abyss.
He would remember this grudge.
He would remember it clearly.
When he saw that Black Dragon had practically lost himself in hatred, Su Yiyun tried to enlighten him. “There’s no need to take it so hard. In truth, you only lost by a single move. We’re fighting a war, trickery against trickery; we demons can’t possibly take the advantage every time. This time, we lost, that’s all. The process isn’t important. What we need is the result.”
“I know all that already,” said Black Dragon, nodding slightly, his gaze still incomparably cold. “Ye Zichen, your head is mine.”
When he said this, Su Yiyun had no apparent reaction. By now, he was already focused on the wounded demons. He indicated to Li Min’e that she should go help treat them.
It was then that Gu Li, who’d disappeared without a trace after the bombs started following, appeared out of nowhere. “Brother Su is here. I was so worried when I didn’t see you earlier.”
He smiled and approached Su Yiyun, then smiled at him. “And here I thought we’d never see each other again! To think I’d run into you here!
“Are you so anxious to see me die?” Su Yiyun arched his brows, his emotions unreadable.
“Brother Su, what are you saying?” laughed Gu Li.
Su Yiyun no longer paid Gu Li any heed. Instead, he rested his eyes in an attempt to recover. He could already sense his life energy flowing endlessly out of him. In order to live longer….
Rather, in order to live until the day he was waiting for, he had to refine his soul and prevent it from collapsing and dissipating.
Gu Li smiled at Su Yiyun, then felt a sinister presence to his side.
“Brother Gu Li, you ran rather quickly.”
Sensing the barely-suppressed fury in Black Dragon’s words, Gu Li hurriedly feigned helplessness. “Your Excellency Black Dragon, please calm your fury. I never would have guessed that brat, Ye Zichen, somehow managed to get his hands on explosives! I am weak and feeble; I had no choice but to try and protect myself.”
“Hmph,” Black Dragon snorted coldly. He wanted to execute Gu Li here and now, and might have tried, if not for his fear of Gu Li’s backer.
This guy clearly knew just how strong the bombs were, yet he didn’t make even the slightest attempt to warn them. Otherwise, the demons wouldn’t have sustained such heavy losses.
Ye Zichen was loathsome but Gu Li wasn’t necessarily any better.
“I know you’re furious, but luckily Brother Su arrived right in the nick of time so your losses weren’t particularly heavy. Our cooperation can’t end here, so let’s let this one slide. I, Gu Li, vow to never abandon you or your demon race ever again.”
“Hmph.” Although Black Dragon was deeply unwilling, he had no choice but to let it go.
Besides, it was just as Gu Li said: their losses weren’t unacceptable. The dead were mostly human immortal-level warriors. Their true elites were all still capable of fighting.
He snorted bitterly and walked away. Gu Li, on the other hand, snuck up to Su Yiyun.
Suddenly, Su Yiyun’s eyes popped open as he asked, “what are you trying to do?”
“So, Brother Su, you came in the end after all. It seems you’ve already got everything in order,” said Gu Li, his voice intentionally lowered. Su Yiyun simply examined him.
Gu Li’s disproportionate, pitch-black eyes stared right back at him as if trying to see right through him.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” replied Su Yiyun.
“Really? I’m just afraid poor Black Dragon’s going to suffer at your hands,” said Gu Li, a playful smile flas.h.i.+ng across his face.
Su Yiyun simply smiled calmly, gaze heavy, as he said, “then why don’t you suffer on his behalf? In any event, someone’s going to have to…. Don’t you think?”