Chapter Six: Thunder Shatters the Mountain (Part Two)

In a dazzling instant, everyone saw Modo’s hand suddenly produce a short sword. The blade was entirely crimson, slender and fine, and its tip split into two snake-tongue-like prongs, from which two streaks of violet-brown sword light flickered with each breath. The moment Modo unsheathed his short sword, an intense heat engulfed the battlefield. Though Shi Jun and Hu Hai were standing at a distance, a wave of scorching air lashed at them, making their whole bodies ache, a testament to the frightening temperature at the heart of the fight.

The blue-armored warriors, their forms condensed from spiritual bodies after years of cultivation, began to emit hissing steam under the burning heat of Modo’s blade. In no time, their spirits flagged, their strength drained, and their breath faltered. Yet, compelled by the formation, they forced themselves to remain upright, ceaselessly swinging their halberds at Modo.

Unaware, Modo grew furious at this sight. He reached into his robes and pulled out another magical artifact, bellowing “Perish!” before hurling it skyward.

A flash of multicolored light streaked across the sky, and a pearl the size of an egg appeared, hovering in midair. After a moment’s pause, it began spinning violently. With every revolution, four piercing beams of white light shot out, striking the four blue-armored warriors directly. Bathed in the white light, the warriors’ bodies were soon riddled with holes, their forms shrinking, on the verge of being incinerated to oblivion.

At that critical moment, Duanyue finally roared and leapt to their aid.

Soaring into the air, he opened his enormous maw and drew a deep breath, then spat out a massive torrent of water. The stream transformed into a great water dragon, baring its fangs and claws as it lunged for the pearl, swallowing it in one gulp. Red light flashed from the water dragon’s belly, and tendrils of steam curled up, but the beast seemed unbothered. It circled Duanyue’s head, occasionally spitting a few drops of water that splashed all over Modo’s face and hair in a display of mockery.

Having seized Modo’s treasured artifact, Duanyue was exceedingly pleased with himself. He threw his head back and laughed, “So the devil’s little clown dares show off before me? Whatever tricks you have left, bring them out—all your treasures, I’ll take them off your hands!”

Modo was truly frantic now. That artifact was the only protective treasure his miserly master had bestowed upon him upon his initiation. Known as the Fire Pearl, it was refined from the fire spirit of the “Fire Mountain” in the Demon Realm’s Forbidden Land and forged with forbidden earthfire, making it the most potent fire-based magic at his disposal. He had intended to use it to cow these ghostly warriors, but in a blink, it was snatched away. How could he swallow such humiliation? With a furious cry of “Give back my treasure!” he charged at Duanyue, brandishing his short sword.

Originally, his powers were evenly matched with the vice-general Duanyue, but the water-based spiritual force and magic of the Underworld were the bane of Demon Realm sorcery. Thus, Modo suffered a loss as soon as he faced Duanyue. Now, bereft of his artifact, he was utterly restrained, his earlier confidence vanished. In just a few moments, he was forced into a desperate, defensive scramble, unable to fight back.

Duanyue, by contrast, was in his element. While commanding the water dragon to harry Modo, he began chanting spells, preparing to strike.

Modo struggled against the blue water dragon, each time his sword pierced the watery beast, there was a hiss and a surge of mist. Streams of water splattered over his face, leaving him sodden and his vision blurred. The glow of his short sword dimmed, its power waning. In his growing frustration, a thunderous rumble split the air, and before he could react, a colossal hand appeared, seizing him in its grasp, rendering him immobile.

Duanyue had cast a transformation spell, the “Giant Spirit Palm,” effortlessly capturing Modo and squeezing his waist tightly. He then watched in satisfaction as his opponent thrashed helplessly, screaming like a butchered pig. Unlike Shi Jun and the others, Duanyue felt no compunction—he fully intended to cripple this upstart before anything else.

* * *

On the sidelines, Shi Jun and Hu Hai could not bear to see their comrade strangled before their eyes. With a simultaneous shout, both leapt into action.

Hu Hai, lacking any magic, was powerless to attack Duanyue, who hovered in midair. In desperation, he resorted to hurling the most vicious curses and insults from the mortal realm, unleashing them in a torrent upon Duanyue’s head. Though insults were not usually his forte, panic sharpened his wit, and the words poured out in an unending flood, each phrase unique, his scoldings creative and ever-shifting. Though they could not kill, this barrage of pure psychological warfare was no less potent than Modo’s earlier attacks, infuriating Duanyue to the point of rage, yet leaving him helpless as Shi Jun kept him occupied.

Shi Jun, meanwhile, directed the Blue Wraiths to press the attack. In an instant, the wraiths split into two streams—one binding the water dragon, the other transforming into razor-thin, needle-sharp wires that shot toward Duanyue. Caught off guard, Duanyue found himself in chaos, unable to defend.

The Blue Wraiths, though individually weak, were formidable in numbers. The water dragon, though massive, lacked true spirit; a single misstep from Duanyue and the wraiths overwhelmed it, dispersing the beast in a splash of water that fell like a sudden rainstorm.

Once the dragon was dealt with, the two streams of Blue Wraiths converged and launched an even fiercer assault on Duanyue.

Now Duanyue was truly in dire straits. He tried several spells, but the Blue Wraiths, spirits of the Underworld River, were immune to most water-based magic. His prized “Giant Spirit Palm” was especially useless against their tiny, slippery forms, while their physical attacks were deadly—any touch from their wire forms would pierce his body with wounds.

Worst of all, these little fiends were not only swift as the wind, but worked in flawless coordination. At one moment they would combine into a single force, battering him backward with immense power; the next, they would split into countless small streams, darting around his body, waiting for an opening.

Unable to respond, Duanyue could only release Modo, focusing all his efforts on dodging the onslaught. Yet he knew well that, given the Blue Wraiths’ speed and endurance, his defeat and capture were only a matter of time. The four guards, meanwhile, were still collapsed on the ground, incapable of aiding him. Left with no other option, Duanyue let out a long, desperate howl, summoning reinforcements from the Soul-Calming Division, while casting a pleading look at Shi Jun, hoping for mercy.

Seeing the self-proclaimed Duanyue, that mutated forest spirit, so quickly brought low by Shi Jun, Hu Hai could not help but feel vindicated and burst out laughing. “So you thought you were tough, you freak? How cocky do you feel now?”

Modo, freshly escaped from Duanyue’s grasp, jabbed a finger at his nose and cursed, “Fat fool, if you’ve got the guts, show me what you’re made of now!”

The two watched the spectacle with glee when, suddenly, two figures emerged from the Soul-Calming Division, one after the other. At the sight, Shi Jun immediately ceased his attack.