Chapter 2496: I Killed Myself

Several disciples mustered their courage and shouted: "Halt! You monsters, where do you come from, daring to trespass into Longfeng Valley..."

Before they could finish speaking, the leading bear demon on the opposite side let out a violent roar, and more than a dozen demons surged forward, knocking these disciples to the ground and tearing them to pieces!

Some of the wolf demons, without waiting for the humans to die, began to feast heartily.

The miserable cries echoed throughout the entire hilltop.

The powerful cultivators of Longfeng Valley had all been taken down to attack the city; Du Zhishan only had ordinary disciples and miscellaneous laborers—how could they possibly withstand these fierce and vicious demons?

The Violent Bear King pressed down on a disciple and asked in a low voice: "Where is Shangguan Biao?"

This disciple was terrified out of his wits, turned his head to look at Gui Zhoai, and instinctively reached out and pointed.

Shangguan Biao stood in the crowd beneath the tree, and just then locked eyes with the Violent Bear King, his heart suddenly turning icy for no reason.

He couldn't hear the Violent Bear King's question, but he always felt great disaster was imminent, so he turned and ran without thinking.

"Roar, I saw him!" the Violent Bear King let out a shout, and all the demons gave chase.

The others had already scattered like birds and beasts.

No matter how fast Shangguan Biao's legs were, he couldn't outrun the demons behind him; he felt a foul wind rushing at him from behind, and then was pressed to the ground by a tremendous force.

Then the Violent Bear King asked again: "Is it him?"

Shangguan Biao strained to lift his head, only to see a pair of shoes appearing beside him.

"I'm not, you've got the wrong person!" he struggled while begging for mercy, "I've never offended you, I've never harmed anyone!"

"Yes, you're just foolish." This red shadow coldly said while looking at him, "Every time I see you, I find you laughable. For thousands of years, you've made no progress at all!"

"Thou-, thousands of years?" Shangguan Biao didn't understand, but the red shadow had already walked to face him, and he could now see the other's face.

"You, you you!" Shangguan Biao exclaimed in alarm, this face looked exactly like his own, only more weathered, "Who exactly are you, and what exactly do you want?"

"Earlier, you helped outsiders deal with me!" the red shadow replied, "Now, I am merely returning the favor. Kill him!"

This last sentence was addressed to the Violent Bear King.

He couldn't kill his former self with his own hands, but he could use external force.

Who said people cannot change their old selves?

Shangguan Biao glanced at the Violent Bear King's physique, then at the scattered miscellaneous laborers fleeing in all directions, and knew his death was imminent, with no hope whatsoever.

He suddenly burst out laughing.

The Violent Bear King wondered strangely: "What are you laughing at?"

"I laugh at myself!" Shangguan Biao's smile was extremely bitter, "Ah, if only I had chosen that bag of profound crystals back then!"

"Fate" had once given him two choices.

Xiao Ying was still waiting for him at the foot of the mountain; if he had originally chosen to take that bag of profound crystals down the mountain, could he have avoided this sudden disaster, and would his life have been different from then on?

He clearly had struggled so hard to survive, so desperately wanted to escape the mire, why, when faced with fate's choice, would he actually choose to stay behind and climb upward?

Was it fate playing tricks on people, or because of that damned Red Ghost?

After hearing his words, the red shadow grew even angrier, and said to the Violent Bear King: "Kill him, quickly!"

The Violent Bear King bit through Shangguan Biao's neck in one bite.

Blood spurted out five feet, no miracle occurred.

He died with his eyes open, his eyes still reflecting the red shadow before him.

In his eyes, the red shadow's features were exceptionally clear—

Shangguan Biao!

Afterward, the Du Zhishan Secret Realm bowed out.

The medicine fields, Gui Zhoai, and all the Longfeng Valley people on and off the mountain vanished silently from their original spots.

The Violent Bear King only felt his vision blur, as if a layer of filter had been peeled away, and the surrounding scenery changed.

The demon army was still in Du Zhishan, but here there were no three rows of houses, no medicine fields, and no living people!

Only the wind blowing through the long grass, and tree shadows swaying.

"Did the Secret Realm disappear?" the Violent Bear King murmured two sentences, then asked the red shadow, "Now, what now?"

Shangguan Biao did not answer immediately, but instead asked it: "Are you still loyal to me?"

"Naturally, naturally!" the Violent Bear King stammered, "Mother Revered One is my guiding light, I have always been wholeheartedly devoted to you!"

"Swear a blood oath." Shangguan Biao demanded, "Under any circumstances, you must not betray me!"

"Yes!" the Violent Bear King indeed fiercely swore a poisonous oath: "As long as I can still breathe, as long as I remain clear-minded, I will absolutely not betray Mother Revered One! Otherwise, may I dissolve my bones and waste my flesh to death!"

In Jingdu City there had once been an acid pool, where demons discarded the leftover skins and bones of their prey, which would dissolve. Thus "dissolving bones and wasting flesh" was not an empty curse, but a very cruel method of death.

Shangguan Biao then said no more.

The ground suddenly began to tremble again, and rocks rustled down from between the mountains.

"The Ancient Dragon City is beginning to devour this place." Shangguan Biao also knew time was urgent, "Follow me."

He had the Violent Bear King divert the other demons, then led it to a large tree.

This place was all ancient trees; the Violent Bear King's big head swayed back and forth before finally confirming that the old tree before him was indeed the Five-Clawed Sophora.

Its appearance was very weathered, unlike that in the Secret Realm, and the Violent Bear King momentarily failed to recognize it.

Shangguan Biao stood at the tree's root position and pointed downward:

"Dig!"

The Violent Bear King's thick forepaws were just the tools for digging soil.

It buried its head and dug and dug and dug, and when it had dug to a depth of one zhang, its claws touched something.

A round ball the size of a duck egg.

It looked oval and milky white, but inside seemed to have some flying rainbows flashing, as if light had been gathered into the stone.

The Violent Bear King wanted to get closer to examine it, but Shangguan Biao had already urged it: "Pick it up and store it properly, together with the Puluo wood underneath!"

Oh, so that big piece beside the round stone isn't a tree root after all?

The Bear King picked up both items and asked Shangguan Biao: "My lord, what is this?"

"Keep it close and hidden, don't let anyone find it." Shangguan Biao didn't bother answering its question, as usual: "Now, leave Jade Capital City as fast as possible!"

"Oh." The Bear King responded, somewhat reluctant: "But there are still many supplies in the city. Should we take some more for future use?"

"Ling Mountain and Cangyan will soon take over this place." Shangguan Biao said coldly, "If you linger here even a moment longer, your chance of escaping Jade Capital City will diminish. If you don't mind risking your life to gain something you can't spend, go ahead and search."

But he also knew very well how greedy these subordinates were, so he quickly reassured them: "I still have several treasure caches stored outside Jade Capital City. Just leave the city, and I'll bring you there later."

"Ah, that's fine then." The Bear King shrugged in a very human way, called his subordinates to leave Duzhi Mountain, and headed toward the nearest western gate.

This journey was extraordinarily difficult, but fortunately the Bear King's deputy, the Qing Leopard Yao, conducted effective reconnaissance, allowing them to avoid several direct confrontations with the enemy.

Not only were the Ling Mountain people running rampant everywhere, but the Bear King even saw the armor and weapons of a fourth faction—

The Shen Kingdom troops, who had long been stationed outside the city, had actually entered as well!

I heard they were another force under a heavenly deity, called something like... Shali Tian? Sure enough, they had been huddled up on the sidelines, waiting to act as wall grass.