Zi Shou De bowed his head deeply as he stood in front of the beleaguered and perplexed civilians. All of them had been displaced and rendered homeless from the war, and no amount of apologies were going to fix that.

Aware of that, Zi Shou De continued.

"Rest a.s.sured, we"ll be doing our best to fix this. I know words are not enough, but we"ll begin rebuilding and reconstruction efforts as soon as possible."

"How?" one of the civilians asked, gazing sullenly at the seven big craters that now occupied Tushan City and the main sect"s outer sect districts. "How are you going to fill up all those gigantic holes?"

"We"ve already discussed with the Imperial Guard, and they a.s.sured us that the Royal Family will be lending us a hand. The governmental construction branch will be arriving tomorrow to begin a.s.sessing the situation and helping us with restoring the city. In the meantime, you"ll have to put up with this shelter temporarily until we finish rebuilding the city." Zi Shou De paused and consulted his tablet. "Of course, you"re free to move out of the city. The fighting has ended, and our enemies have ceased hostilities. The Imperial Guard will escort you to whichever city you wish to move to." the sect leader looked weary. "I have no right to ask you to stay, so I perfectly understand if you wish to leave Tushan City and move to another city."

No one said anything. They didn"t confirm his statement, nor did they refute it. Zi Shou De was painfully aware of their suspicion.

"We heard that the destruction was caused by people from your sect," another civilian piqued up, his voice filled with tired anger. "Is that true?"

"Yes." Zi Shou De didn"t deny it. "We were forced into a corner and I gave the order to blow up the enemies. However, the magnitude of the destruction exceeded our imagination." He squared his shoulders and met the accusing gaze of the crowd without flinching. "I will take responsibility for giving the order, but I do not regret it. The alternative was to fall. And you should already know that the enemy will not show any mercy to every one of us, martial artist or civilian."

The accusing gazes softened somewhat. Most of the civilians had witnessed the horrifying ma.s.sacres firsthand, had heard the cries and pleas for mercy ignored, and seen the enemy sects slaughtering the civlians without hesitation. And this was before the vengeful second strike after we threw the hostages" arms at them.

They knew Zi Shou De was telling the truth. If we hadn"t bombed the thirteen sects into oblivion, they would have swept through the plaza, slaughtered every Nine-Tailed Fox Sect member, then continue upward into Flame Volcano and purge the civilians. They had shown no qualms ma.s.sacring civilians during the first wave, so why would they spare their lives in the second after descending into vengeful madness?

"Please approach the royal staff for help. They will help you sort out the administrative stuff and get you moving should you choose to do so." Zi Shou De nodded and stepped aside for the administrative army that the Royal Family had dispatched to help us. They began setting up a table and organizing the refugees into neat lines, getting them to queue up so that they could settle their circ.u.mstances one by one.

"We should speak to the Imperial Guard commanders now," Zi Shou De remarked softly to his wife after he withdrew from the front. She nodded in agreement.

"I"ll get to it and request that they help us with cleaning out the underground pa.s.sageways. We can"t let the demonic infestation linger below us."

"Yeah."

As the Zi couple left, they suddenly found themselves greeted by a couple of girls.

"Um…"

"I"m very sorry, but…"

Zi Shou De and Zi Da Ji observed the Ling Sisters before them, raising their eyebrows as they tried to remember who they were. Then Zi Shou De"s eyes lit up.

"Ah, you are Ling Yu Mei and Ling Yu Xuan, correct?"

"That"s right." Ling Yu Mei hesitated for a moment, then mustered her courage. "What do you intend to do with us?"

"Can we…go?" Ling Yu Xuan asked timidly.

"Do you dare to return to Dark Fiend Valley?" Zi Da Ji asked, concerned. "After all that happened? Right now the remnants of the Seven Valley Sects are being arrested and escorted to prison. There is no place for you to return to."

"If you would like, we"ll just register you as disciples of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, and you can stay with us," Zi Shou De offered.

"Thank you for the offer, but…" Ling Yu Mei shook her head. "We need to return to the Valley to mourn our master."

"There is no valley for you to return to," Zi Da Ji reminded them gently. "The Imperial Guard will probably be clearing the place out. All members of your sect are being hunted down and persecuted. I do not think you will be allowed to mourn them."

"But…"

"I"ll show you what I mean." Zi Da Ji sighed. She glanced at her husband. "Since I"m going to the Imperial Guard commanders anyway, I might as well take them with me."

Zi Shou De nodded. "I"ll leave them to you then." He proceeded toward the administrative staff to help them get settled.

Zi Da Ji led the Ling sisters down Flame Volcano and toward the Imperial Guard encampment next to the crater that had been blown into the outer sect districts. She approached an armored fighting vehicle where a line of Dark Fiend Valley Sect members were being roughly shoved into. There were precious few of them left, the majority of them having been annihilated by my Sunburst bombs. Even so, they wore looks of defiant rage.

When Zi Da Ji and the Ling sisters approached, they glanced up and their expressions contorted even further.

"You dare return to Dark Fiend Valley Sect?" a dignified matron, despite the shackles on her hands, glared cruelly at Ling Yu Mei and Ling Yu Xuan.

She wasn"t alone. Along the line, many martial artists from the Seven Valley Sects, particularly those from Dark Fiend Valley Sect, were staring coldly at Ling Yu Mei and Ling Yu Xuan. The two girls shuddered involuntarily.

"Grandma was killed by Fei Wu and Fei Wu was the one who saved you and your Ling family. Not only that, it seems that he has some sort of relation to your cousin, Ling Qing Zhu!" the matron"s expression grew increasingly frigid. "And you still have the face to return to the Seven Valley Sects after all that?!"

The two sisters silently lowered their heads pitifully.

"What does this have to do with them?" Zi Da Ji snorted derisively. "And Fei Wu has no relation to Ling Qing Zhu, other than saving her once during the expedition to the Nascent Soul Stage pract.i.tioner"s tomb. That sounds like some sort of contrived excuse to frame these sisters as scapegoats for your ultimate failure."

She couldn"t help but be disgusted with these losers. Even though they had been defeated convincingly, they were still looking for other people to blame. b.l.o.o.d.y hypocrites who refused to look in the mirror and recognized their own faults.

"How is this not related to them?" the matron shouted. "If it weren"t for these two girls, would Grandma be so angry with Fei Wu? If it weren"t for them, would Granny have harbored such a grudge against him?"

"What bulls.h.i.t is that? Fei Wu never did anything to your sect leader." Zi Da Ji was growing angrier at the stupid nonsense the matron was spouting. "All he did was help her two disciples, and instead of being grateful, you decide to hate him for it? What kind of logic is that?"

"Grateful?!" the matron shrieked. "That murderous b.a.s.t.a.r.d invented those horrifying bombs and inflicted such heavy casualties on our Seven Valley Sects! You"re telling us to be grateful to a ruthless butcher like him?!"

Zi Da Ji couldn"t help herself. Before she realized what she was doing, she strode forward and slapped the matron so hard she was sent tumbling onto the floor in an undignified heap. Zi Da Ji then kicked her when she was down.

"You have the guts to call my disciple a ruthless butcher, huh? Fei Wu is murderous? Then what about you? You and your sect went around slaughtering both civilians and martial artists in Tushan City, were h.e.l.lbent on annihilating on Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, and your hands are full of blood. Our blood! And you want to call other people a ruthless butcher? Look at the mirror, you hypocritical b.i.t.c.h!"

She then stomped on the matron so hard that there was a thunderous crack, and the matron whimpered in agony.

"Ma"am, I"ll have to ask that you leave it at that." one of the Imperial Guardsman stepped forward, his sword held defensively across his chest. By right, he should have apprehended Zi Da Ji, but he chose to close one eye and pretend nothing had happened. Like Zi Da Ji, he was also appalled and revolted at the sheer hypocrisy of the murderous b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. It was as if they could go around killing people without repercussions, but if their victims fought back, they would claim the higher moral ground and accuse them of being inhuman.

"Sorry. I lost my cool there." Zi Da Ji sucked in a deep breath and stepped aside.

"We all lose our cool sometimes, ma"am." The Imperial Guardsman smiled and saluted her. He then dropped his voice to a whisper. "Just between you and me, ma"am, I would have whacked them good if you hadn"t."

Zi Da Ji chuckled at that, and nodded.

"Thank you."

"In any case…" the matron was sucking a painful breath into her lungs and glaring at the Ling Sisters defiantly. "I don"t want to see anyone from the Ling family in the valley. Not a single one!"

"Me too!"

"I do not want to see any member of the Ling family!"

"Get them to leave!"

"If it weren"t for us being arrested by the Imperial Guard, we should kill them and take revenge on behalf of the people from the valley who died from Fei Wu"s bomb!"

"That"s right!"

A great number of martial artists from the Seven Valley Sects were glaring viciously at Ling Yu Mei and Ling Yu Xuan.

"Wait, what?" the Imperial Guardsman looked perplexed at their unfathomable desire for needless violence. "Kill a bunch of random innocent people to avenge the deaths of your people caused by a guy who is somehow affiliated with them through acquaintanceship? Are you serious? What the h.e.l.l is wrong with you people?"

Zi Da Ji shook her head in disgust. "They do not have the ability to take revenge on Fei Wu, so all they can do is bully these two little girls." She smiled mockingly. "Your Seven Valley Sects sure are strong, aren"t you?"

"Are these guys nuts?" a second Imperial Guardsman standing guard next to the AFV asked incredulously. "They come and kill as they please, but the moment s.h.i.t happens, they start whining about how their comrades got killed? Did they think they would suffer no significant casualties when invading another sect, and are now crying afterward about how their people got ma.s.sacred?" he rolled his eyes. "How pitiful."

Disregarding the fury from the Seven Valley Sects members, Zi Da Ji grabbed the hands of the Ling Sisters and gently pulled them away.

"Hear this," she declared. "These sisters are now part of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, since you don"t want them anymore. If any of you dare to touch a single hair on them, I will visit vengeance upon you so terrifying it will pale in comparison to Fei Wu"s Sunburst bombs." She grinned. "That is, if the Royal Family doesn"t decide to execute the whole lot of you first."

She then left with the two sisters in tow.

"Um…I appreciate Sect Lady Zi"s good intentions, but we need to return to the Valley to mourn Master." Ling Yu Mei timidly spoke up.

"Rejected. You can mourn your master here. She died here, after all. Set up an atlar or memorial tablet, but do it here. I won"t allow you to return to the valley." Zi Da Ji lowered her voice. "You"ll die if you do."
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Ling Yu Mei and Ling Yu Xuan exchanged helpless looks, but they couldn"t free themselves from Zi Da Ji"s grip.

"I will not allow you guys to cause more trouble for Fei Wu." Zi Da Ji frowned. She was misunderstanding something, but I didn"t blame her. I didn"t clarify anything, after all. But all she needed to do was ask, and she didn"t. "It seems that you"re friends of him…and your cousin is pretty close to him or something?"

"He is our cousin"s benefactor," Ling Yu Mei explained quietly.

"Ah, I see."

Zi Da Ji nodded, then rolled her eyes.

"Wait, they"re blaming you all because Fei Wu is acquaintances with you through saving your cousin?"

"…sounds like it," Ling Yu Xuan muttered bitterly.

"…yeah, they are nuts." Zi Da Ji sighed. "I hope they hang in the gallows. The world will be better off without idiots like them."

The three women then split up, with the Ling Sisters heading back up Flame Volcano while Zi Da Ji proceeded toward the main command tent, just in time to run into Zi Shou De, who had just descended from the shelter to talk to the commanders.

"Oh, how coincidental." Zi Shou De smiled. "I thought you might need my help, dear."

"Your presence will definitely be helpful," Zi Da Ji agreed.

They proceeded toward the Imperial Guard command tent, which was populated by a couple of Generals, regimental commanders and their command staff. The Mechanicus…I mean, technicians were setting up vox relays and portable computers, which projected holograms of the army"s disposition and positions, as well as indicating the enemy prisoners and the vehicles they were being transported in. The generals were shouting orders and reading digital transcripts on a few holographic monitors, most likely tactical updates.

"Ah, Sect Leader Zi." One of the generals rose to his feet. "I"m Jiang Jun. I"m in overall command of this relief mission. It"s an honor to meet you."

"The honor is all mine, General Jiang." Zi Shou De shook his hand. "Still, I"ve to admit, I"m surprised. I thought the Imperial Guard would require another two more days to mobilize, at least. Not only that, to be accompanied by the Red Phoenix Sect and White Tiger Sect…"

"It"s all thanks to the video that one of your disciples posted." Jiang Jun grinned affably as he gestured for the couple to take a seat, and then sat down opposite them. "It caused quite the uproar when it was first uploaded and distributed all over social media. When the Diet saw it, they had no choice but to acknowledge that the invasion was illegal and unethical, and the Royal Family lost no time in dispatching us. Apparently the leaders of White Tiger Sect and Red Phoenix Sect, as well as a number of other orthodox sects, immediately distanced themselves from the Martial Arts Alliance and ceded their membership. To prove their sincerity, they sent their forces to help. A lot of the younger generation, especially, were more than eager to volunteer."

That explained the presence of Bai Ning Xue, Lei Yong Chun, Feng Tian Yong, Nan Ke, and even Zhu Jiao. Later I learned that Bai Ning Xue had informed Zhu Jiao, who had expressed his outrage when he saw the video and wanted to do something, and he was more than happy to join her when she volunteered for her sect.

"The power of social media," Zi Da Ji remarked wryly in amus.e.m.e.nt. "I didn"t think it would have such a political impact."

"Times are changing, Sect Lady," Jiang Jun chuckled lowly. "We old folks are getting left behind now."

"Even so, there"s a number of things we can do." Zi Shou De took a deep breath. "I need your help."

"Hmm?" Jiang Jun raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

Zi Shou De quickly filled him in regarding the underground pa.s.sageway and the demons infesting them.

"If possible, I hope you can help us sweep the pa.s.sageways, clear them of demons and find out where they"re coming from. If there is a breach between our world and the demonic world, then we must seal it."

"You are right." Jiang Jun looked grave. "This is a matter of utmost priority." He turned to his adjutant. "Fu Guan! Get me a vox! Now!"

"Yes, sir!"

Jiang Jun then turned to the regimental commanders in the tent with him. "Colonel Shang, Colonel Chen, Colonel Ning, your regiments are currently in reserve, right?"

"Yes, sir!"

"That"s right, sir!"

"Correct, sir."

The three colonels that Jiang Jun addressed responded in the affirmative, their expressions hardening when they realized what the general was about to ask them.

"Good. Get them prepped for combat against demons. We"re going to sweep the entire network underground. Simple cleansing mission. Let not one of these f.u.c.kers survive, and find out where they are coming from." He paused and glanced at Zi Shou De. "I"ll brief you in greater detail in an hour. But let your men know."

"Yes, sir!"

The three Colonels snapped a salute and hurried away.

"I"ll provide you with what information we have, but it"s very little." Zi Shou De took out a tablet. "This is the report from the disciple who survived the pa.s.sageways, as well as the reports and preliminary a.n.a.lyses from the scouts we sent in to investigate the pa.s.sageways shortly afterward. It isn"t much, but we didn"t have much resources to spare at that time…"

"Under normal circ.u.mstances, we would have a.s.signed our Blood Blades division to purge the demons," Zi Da Ji added. "But we needed them at full combat strength in order to repel the invaders from the thirteen sects."

"I understand." Jiang Jun nodded understandingly. "I would have done the same in your position. I a.s.sume you sealed off all entrances to the underground pa.s.sageways?"

"Yes," Zi Shou De confirmed. "The ones in the main sect grounds first, and then throughout Tushan City after we defeated the first wave." And held the three surviving commanders of the first wave hostage – except that they were now dead after the Sunburst explosion – but he didn"t need to mention that.

"Understood. I would appreciate it if you provide me schematics, maps, any data you have regarding the underground pa.s.sageways."

"I"ll upload the information to you right away," Zi Shou De replied and thumbed the touch-screen of his tablet, authorizing the transmission of sensitive data. Now that the enemy had the information regarding the underground pa.s.sageways, there was no reason to hide them from the Imperial Guard. They would benefit from the information more anyway.

"Thank you."

"I"ll get some of the Blood Blades to liase with you." Zi Da Ji rose to her feet. "They might be able to share valuable information."

"Thank you. I"ll be counting on you for that then." Jiang Jun nodded.

"I"ll see you later during the briefing." Zi Shou De hesitated, looking extremely weary. "Normally I would offer to reinforce you with our Blood Blades, but they"ve just taken a terrible mauling. I"m afraid I can"t ask them to return to the combat zone this soon."

"No, of course not. Don"t worry about it. The Imperial Guard will take care of it." Jiang Jun thought for a moment. "And we might need to seal the tunnels. I trust there"s no problem with that?"

"Not at all," Zi Shou De a.s.sured him. "But please let us know if you do. We need to update our schematics and blueprints for future construction plans."

"Right…rebuilding." Jiang Jun remembered that the Royal Family was sending a rebuilding committee over to help the severely wounded Nine-Tailed Fox Sect. "We will do that."

"We appreciate it."

The Zi Couple were about to leave when tey heard a ma.s.sive commotion outside the tent. There were shouts and screams, permeated with shock and awe.

"What"s going on?" Jiang Jun looked irritated, but he strode out of the tent. Zi Shou De and his wife followed closely.

…and stopped when they saw the nine lights piercing the heavens.

"That"s…"

"…the nine Spirit Engraved Pillars!"

"Sect Leader! Sect Lady!"

One of the inner sect disciples, Di Xuan – the direct disciple of Zi Shou De – hurried over. He almost tripped, and Zi Shou De had to throw out a hand to help him up.

"Calm down, Di Xuan. What happened?"

"Someone…someone triggered all nine Spirit Engraved Pillars! He activated all nine Spirit Engraved Pillars!"

"Who?" Zi Da Ji asked, her mouth dropping. But she couldn"t deny the magnificent sight right in front of her.

"That"s…that"s the thing! It"s not someone from our sect!"

"…eh?"

Both Zi Shou De and Zi Da Ji exchanged confused glances. But then again, with this many people from the outside entering the main sect grounds in such large numbers for the first time in Nine-Tailed Fox Sect"s history, perhaps it wasn"t something to be surprised about.

Even so…

"Who is it?" Zi Shou De asked, his voice trembling.

"I"m not sure…but it seems to be a friend of Fei Wu and the rest." Di Xuan closed his mouth and heaved, his eyes still mired in disbelief. "Someone…called Zhu Jiao, I believe!"