I Shall Steal the Heavens 229 Chapter 228: Tragedy

That was why I never imagined that my Sunburst bombs would be so potent. I had estimated the firepower to be amplified by several dozen times, but if the readings on my glasses were to be belived, they were at least a thousand times stronger.

The destructive power of my Sunburst bombs had exceeded my expectations entirely.

Nine-Tailed Fox Sect's outer sect and Tushan City, which had stood for so many years, had been wiped out immediately. As I said earlier, most of the buildings had been completely obliterated, and what few structures that remained standing were mere blackened, hollow husks, empty shells of their former selves.

The seven craters were basically what remained most visible of the once prosperous city from afar, molten lava still coursing through the sides and bottom. Ash flaked across the ruined land, but whether they were from the dead or from demolished buildings, it was hard to tell. Flames continued to blaze in fierce infernos, ravenously consuming what little was left for them to burn. Thick plumes of acrid fumes billowed upward, shrouding the decimated city in a foul fog.

Jiang Yuan, Fu Zhuo Hui, Ji Liu and dozens of others stood beside the scorched craters, their expressions hollow as they watched the sand get fused into glass. They stared blankly into the blazing depths, as if hoping to locate someone or something.

On the plaza, the Great Elders and inner sect elders were still in a stupor, their mouths hanging open when they witnessed the magnitude of destruction. Fortunately, the hypocritical girl's comments had snapped them out of their speechlessness and they nodded gravely.
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"The ones who pushed us into a corner and massacred so many of our kinsmen have no right to call us ruthlessness and butchers!" Luo Zhi Chang growled.

"Was it not you all who slaughtered so many of our civilians and sect members?" Tie Jiang shouted. "And you still want to claim the higher moral ground?"

"Kill them all!" Elder Zhao shouted.

While they were trading verbal barbs with the surviving, shellshocked enemies, out of scientific curiosity, I checked the readings on my glasses to ensure I wasn't reading them wrong. As I said, the explosion was at least a thousand time stronger than the time when I tested my prototype Sunburst bomb at the back of Flame Volcano.

"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds," I whispered again, nodding to myself. This must be what Julius Robert Oppenheimer must have felt when he witnessed the atomic bomb detonate in front of his eyes (well, not literally, or he would have been blinded by the flash). Only now did the significance of that quote sink in.

However, the math didn't add up. I didn't put in that much more qi powder into the Sunburst bombs. Furthermore, as I analyzed the recordings from my glasses, it seemed that the Sunburst bombs did not merely detonate simultaneously. The qi fusion and shockwaves had melded, merged and amplified each other's power even more strongly, exceeding the sum of their parts. The drastic surge in firepower was not simply a multiplication of seven.

Unfortunately, I was not a math major. I was a literature and history major (which was what led to the idea of inventing nukes in the first place), so try as I might, the numbers didn't add up. Perhaps it had something to do with exponentials, but that was for greater minds than mine to calculate. Maybe my brother would know.

But, as I said, the combined explosive power of the seven Sunburst bombs had certainly exceeded my imagination.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Tian Yu Di, who was still engaged in combat with Long Shen and Shen Tian Yi, was doubling over with laughter. Fortunately for him, his opponents were too shocked and speechless to take advantage of his lapse in concentration, the two of them staring at the seven craters and disastrous aftermath with their mouths open.

He was the only one who wasn't horrified or surprised by the catastrophic explosion. I wondered if he had known about the devastating power that would be produced by the synergy between the multiple Sunburst bombs when they were detonated in unison. In fact, it appeared as if he had been hoping for this to happen.

"Ancestral Master, did you know that the multiple explosions in unison would amplify their power by this much?"

"Huh? How the hell would I know?" Tian Yu Di stared at me, amused. "You're the one who invented that bomb thing. Not me. How would I know it wold be this powerful? I'm just delighted at the way you've exceeded my imagination and proved once again why you're worthy to be the sect leader! There is no question that following you would restore the might and reputation of Heaven and Earth Sect again! Ha ha ha ha!"

I shrugged. Fair enough. It would be overly contrived if Tian Yu Di admitted that everything was "just as planned!" like some two-bit villain.

Tian Yu Di continued to chuckle triumphantly.

"Sect Leader, you should be extremely proud of yourself! Your invention has obliterated ninety percent of the enemies, the majority of those casualties being their leaders and elite martial artists! Even if Nine-Tailed Fox Sect ends up being destroyed now, you can still see this as revenge! You no longer made a huge loss!"

Ninety percent? The nukes wiped out ninety percent of the invading sects' forces? Wow. Even I didn't anticipate such a turnaround. Tian Yu Di had a point, though. Even if we all died here, the thirteen sects had sacrificed ninety percent of their elites and military strength just to take out a single sect. It was more than worth it.

Of course, I would rather none of us die if possible…

Meanwhile, the four highest-ranked experts from the Martial Arts Alliance, Long Shen, Song Si Yuan, Shen Tian Yi and Xie Zhi Zhang, had scattered to the edge of the plaza. It was only because they were fighting against Tian Yu Di and Zi Da Ji above the plaza as opposed to outside it that they were able to emerge relatively unscathed. Despite being buffeted by the tremendous shockwaves, with their current level of power they were able to withstand the indirect blasts, as were Tian Yu Di and Zi Da Ji. Only Xie Zhi Zhang had remained fighting Lang Xie and the others in the middle of the plaza.

In any case, all four of them had abandoned their matches and were watching the destruction in horror.

"T…this is…" Xue Zi Zhang stammered, completely speechless as he stared at the annihilation of thirteen sects in just one move.

Long Shen, Song Si Yuan and Shen Tian Yi were also shaken, their complexions turning ghastly as they watched Tushan City and the outer sect district simply cease to exist, consumed by the murderous fireballs. They were still staring hollowly at the mass deaths and incomparable destruction that even a Nascent Soul Stage practitioner would find difficult to replicate.

They turned to stare at Zi Shou De in unison, probably thinking that he was the one behind this. Catching their gazes and comprehending their inquisitive stares, Zi Shou De smirked lightly and gestured toward me.

"The one who invented those Sunburst bombs is Fei Wu over there." His grin spread wider. "How about it? He still has more where those come from. Do you still intend to attack our sect?"

Even though he said that, the high-level experts were not stupid. They knew I wouldn't detonate whatever Sunburst bombs I had left this close to the plaza, not unless I was willing to sacrifice the lives of my fellow sect members.

But they were still too shocked to move.

The Blood Blades, on the other hand, were all regrouping and getting ready for the next wave. Or they intended to hunt down the surviving ten percent of our enemies. It was unfortunate that our battle-automata had all overloaded, but they did their job well, protecting us from the immense shockwaves of the Sunburst bombs.

The inner sect disciples were stirring to life as well, Tang Qi Hong snapping out of her stupor. I planned to ask her later about her assessment regarding the Sunburst bombs. As my co-inventor, her insights would prove useful.

For now, I was going to fight to keep her alive along with everyone else.

Lian Rou also staggered, but Tong Xue kept her steady even as he mobilized with the rest of the Blood Blades martial artists.

"We're almost done," he assured her. "Just hang in there."

"Ah! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Tong Xue's assurances were cut off by a hysterical, crazed scream that emanated from the bottom of one of the huge craters.

Right at the bottom, where several scorched corpses were piled up on a heap next to molten lava, a disheveled, blackened and smoking figure jumped out in a single move, causing the dessicated dead above her to crumble or disintegrate in flakes of ashes. Not caring about the remains of her deceased comrades, the figure leaped out of the crater.

"Fei Wu! I will hack you into a thousand pieces, peel off your skin, pluck your sinews, and drink your blood everyday!" the charred figure was shrieking in a shrill voice, which pierced the heavens. She then lunged toward me.

Why me?

Well, most likely that bitch had somehow heard that I was the one who invented the Sunburst bombs, despite being buried by the dead. You all know how sharp martial artists' senses are. Either that, or it was plot convenience.

Either case, I was in deep trouble.

"That vicious bitch survived the nukes?" I was surprised.

The ghastly figure that was Jiu Liu Yu had actually survived the Sunburst explosions. She had been blasted to the very bottom of the crater, and was probably shielded from the worst of the blasts by the numerous corpses above her.

"What are all of you waiting for!?" Jiu Liu Yu screeched at the surviving martial artists. "Capture that brat alive! I'm going to dissect him and torture him so painfully that he would beg for death as a mercy!"

"Capture that kid alive!" Jiang Yuan agreed fiercely. "Make sure he doesn't die so easily! We will torture him to death using the cruelest methods possible!"

"These fucking hypocrites…" Zi Shou De buried his face in his palm. "So it's all right if they torture someone to death, but it's not all right if we fight back." He straightened up and cast a glance at the outer sect members and Blood Blades martial artists. "All members of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect! Do not allow them to lay a single finger on Fei Wu! Crush them all!"

"UWOOO!"

The surviving martial artists of the thirteen sects had snapped out of their stupor upon their remaining commanders' words and were rushing toward the plaza from all directions. They had gone insane, their eyes blazing with murderous intent and unholy vengeance as they raced forward, eager to tear me limb from limb.

The explosion of the seven Sunburst bombs had annihilated ninety percent of their forces, taking a significant chunk of their elites with them. These thirteen sects had all suffered devastating blows and would not recover even after a few decades because of this single tactic, because they fell for this single trap.

Now, regardless of whether Nine-Tailed Fox Sect was destroyed in the end, or how much wealth they plundered from us, they could no longer recoup their losses.

In other words, they had lost this war horribly. Even if they murdered every last person in Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, there was no changing this outcome.

And all of this was because of my invention. That was why they were directing their vengeful fury upon me, the one who invented these bombs.

Thanks to the seven Sunburst Bombs I had created, I had delivered a devastating blow to them and blew all their hard work and schemes to smithereens. With these very bombs, I had force-fed them the bitterest fruit of defeat.

The only way they could slake the hatred in their hearts now was to torture me to death. Otherwise they would never be able to face their dead brothers and sisters.

Of course, this was all hypocrisy in its finest. They had never considered how we of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect would face our dead brethren after these fuckers murdered so many members of our sect. They never thought about how we hated them so much more than they hated us, for brazenly trespassing into our sect, robbing, raping, pillaging, plundering and murdering. They had committed much worse crimes against us and drove us into a corner, and now they hated us for fighting back!

Hah! Decimating them with the Sunburst bombs was all worth it! The morale of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect was buoyed by the terrible blow we had struck against them.

"Till death!" Elder Zhao shouted.

"Till death!" Hai Rong screamed.

"TILL DEATH!" all of the Blood Blades martial artists bellowed.

Drawing my Azure Lotus Sword, I prepared for one last stand.

Long Shen and Shen Tian Yi exchanged glances, and then swooped down to take care of me, but Tian Yu Di barred their way.

"Where are you going?" he asked, a grin spreading over his face. "Our battle isn't over yet."

Shen Tian Yi frowned.

"Senior, you are not from Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, are you? There is no reason for you to fight to the death for them."

"Oh, I don't care about Nine-Tailed Fox Sect," Tian Yu Di admitted with a grin. "But that's my sect leader you guys are trying to massacre down there. After he put on such an amazing performance, I have even more reason to ensure he stays alive! He will definitely lead my sect back to glory!"

"Just what sect are you from, you monster?!" Long Shen roared as he slashed at Tian Yu Di, who danced out of the way gleefully.

"It's a secret." Tian Yu Di shrugged. "But I would like to ask you both the same question. You're from the Heavenly Way Sect and Green Dragon Sect, aren't you? Unlike the first ten sects who invaded, I don't think you've lost that much. Neither your leaders nor most of your elites are present. You guys can still pull back and minimize your losses. Why throw away your lives so needlessly?"

Both middle-aged men exchanged weary glances.

"The Martial Arts Alliance has given an order, and we must obey," Shen Tian Yi replied quietly. "That's all to it."

"Ugh…and I was hoping to persuade you guys to fall back so that I can save Sect Leader." Tian Yu Di glanced a little worriedly in my direction.

"What? You think this is Spirit Realm or something, where we're going to just sit around and have a staring contest without actually fighting? Based on some filmsy excuse that we are keeping each other in check, and that if you don't move, we won't? What kind of bullshit reasoning is that?" Long Shen snorted. "Ni Cang Tian was just too lazy to write a proper fight scene for Xue Li against the three Fulfilment Realm practitioners, that's all."

Thanks to that, I couldn't rely on his help to get out of this.

"If you surrender, I can promise Fei Wu's life," Song Si Yuan said as he backed away from Zi Da Ji. He glanced at the murderous crowd closing in on me. "I understand the need for vengeance for those sects, but unfortunately the Martial Arts Alliance is more practical than that. It would be a complete waste to kill someone of Fei Wu's talent is necessary for the future. The Martial Arts Alliance will surely find uses for him."

"You think I'll let you take away one of my disciples to enslave?" Zi Da Ji sneered. "And after all you've done, after driving our sect to a corner, you think we're going to trust you?"

She unleashed a sharp, piercing blast with a thrust of her spear, forcing Song Si Yuan to veer away.

The middle-aged veteran sighed heavily. "Looks like I'm going to have to do this the hard way…"

Yup…can't rely on Sect Lady Da Ji's help either. Looked like I would have to work with the other Blood Blades. I wasn't going to shirk from my duty, though, but I was still pretty injured.

We met the enemy in the plaza, slashing, cutting, dancing and dueling. Despite their slightly superior numbers (thanks to us nuking ninety percent of their forces, they only possessed a 1.3:1 ratio), we held the advantage. For one thing, we didn't suffer any damage from the Sunburst explosions, whereas the martial artists from the thirteen sects had sustained third-degree burns, or had expended most of their qi to protect themselves from the violent shockwaves and superheated blasts. Several were nursing broken bones, dragging their useless limbs into battle.

But their rage and vengeance gave them strength, allowing them to ignore their agonizing pain and hack like berserkers. Fueled by adrenaline and endorphins, the berserk martial artists crashed into our lines with unimaginable violence and fury, actually driving us back.

"Kuh!"

I ducked under a shrieking martial artist's sword as he swung his deadly blade wildly at me, and then eviscerated him with a riposte. He continued hacking frantically at me, unaware that his guts were spilling out of his split stomach and I ended him with a stab to his throat. Before I could recover, someone struck me from behind, which I managed to dodge with footwork, and thus only getting a graze.

Even so, it was more than enough to cause me to stagger. My assailant closed in, screeching hysterically as she thrust her sword at me. Gritting my teeth, I deflected her blade with my Azure Lotus Sword in my good hand, and then spun in to get under her guard. Using Shadow Kick, I knocked her flat on her back, and then stomped on her face, crushing it with Seismic Step.

"Huff…"

Winded, I glanced up and felt a strangling sensation. Jiu Liu Yu was screaming as she closed in on me, and I could feel an immense yin qi aura emanating from her charred body. It seemed to reach out and crush me, as if increasing the gravity by several times in my vicinity. My knees buckled and I crashed down, immobile.

"Ugh…!"

Gritting my teeth, I tried to stand, but found myself pinned by Jiu Liu Yu's superior power. As much as I hated to admit it, despite being near death, she was still a formidable opponent. And worse, there was no stopping her.

"Fuck!"

Swearing, I raised my Azure Lotus Sword up to defend myself, but Jiu Liu Yu swung her arm and batted my sword out of my grip. Blood splattered my collar as three razor-sharp claws slashed the skin from my face and I fell back, yelping in pain. I could feel a venomous icy yin qi beginning to squirm its way through the wounds on my cheek.

This psychopathic bitch wasn't kidding when she swore to flay the skin from my bones!

"DIE!" Jiu Liu Yu shrieked and stabbed at me with her claws. With my right arm useless and my Azure Lotus Sword batted away, and my Snow Aegis damaged, there was nothing I could do but wait for death as her attack lanced toward my heart.

Didn't she want to capture me alive to torture me?

Those were my last thoughts before everything went dark.

"…eh?"

After a few seconds, and when I felt a warm sensation on my face as wet droplets splattered me, I realized my vision went dark not because I was losing consciousness, but because my view was entirely blocked by someone.

Right before Jiu Liu Yu could pierce my chest and gouge out my heart, Tang Qi Hong had jumped between us. Bearing a Spirit Shield of her own – her Cloud Shield that I saw her use against Gray Shadow in Free Trade Street all those months ago – she halted Jiu Liu Yu's attack.

For a few seconds.

Then Jiu Liu Yu's Nine Yin Demonic Claws burst through Tang Qi Hong's Cloud Shield and pierced through her chest, exiting through her back with scraps of her heart flaking from the devious claws. I watched, stunned, as Tang Qi Hong's blood splattered me.

"You idiot…" Tang Qi Hong whispered weakly, clutching Jiu Liu Yu's arm with futile efforts. "Look after yourself more."

"QI HONG!"

"SISTER!"

I realized I wasn't the only one shouting. Zi Xiao Ji was screaming, even as she, Zhao Shi and Da Ge were fighting through a tight knot of enemies. Zi Da Ji twisted around, only for Song Si Yuan to pummel her unguarded back. But the sect lady was much too disciplined to fall for something like that, and was able to dart away.

"…stupid girl. But if you want to die with your boyfriend, then so be it. I'll be sending him after you shortly."

She then tore her arm out of Tang Qi Hong's chest, allowing the latter to collapse into my arms. Already the light had faded from Tang Qi Hong's eyes.

There would be no last words, no tears, no regret, nothing. Just a quick death.

"QI HONG!" I yelled, unable to believe it. Tears were streaming down my eyes, my mind shutting down and going into shock. I never thought it would end up like this. After turning the tables, after foiling the Martial Arts Alliance's plans, after dealing them an irrecoverable blow, I had thought we would be able to win. That we wouldn't suffer any more losses.

How naïve I was.

"Don't worry," Jiu Liu Yu sneered. "You'll be joining her right now."

She then swung her claws down to decapitate me.

They never reached me.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!"

BANG!

Zi Shou De had drawn the most powerful Spirit Weapon he owned and smashed it against Jiu Liu Yu's face. Or tried to, but she was too much of a veteran to be taken by surprise. She raised her arm to block the hammer blow, only for lightning to explode between them and hurl her frail-looking body across the plaza.

"I'll kill you!" Zi Shou De roared as he jumped on her again, swinging his Spirit Treasure Hammer as violently as he could, cracking another explosive bolt of lightning that forced Jiu Liu Yu into the defensive.

While he attempted to avenge his late adopted daughter, I found my mind slipping. Rage was gripping me, pure, unadulterated rage that swam over my consciousness like darkness. Like a black hole, it was devouring my rationality, my sanity, and reason.

Throwing my head back, I let out an inhuman howl of fury before everything went black.

Chapter end