Chapter 315: Decisive Battle (Part 5)

The Blood Moon shed its scarlet outer garment and gradually vanished into the horizon.

Dawn arrived, the first light piercing through the clouds to illuminate the earth, signaling the start of a new day.

However, the aftermath of the battle had yet to dissipate.

Above the region where the Gu Family resided, the sky was covered by thick, heavy dark clouds; sunlight could hardly penetrate, and the entire mountain was shrouded in gloom.

Occasionally, lightning tore through the sky, accompanied by the roar of thunder, symbolizing the brutality of this battle.

The ground was covered in scorched marks, the power of the lightning leaving deep imprints upon the earth.

In some places, the soil had been burned white, while in others, it had become vitrified due to the intense heat of the lightning.

The vegetation all over the mountain had been shattered by the lightning; trees were split in two or burned into charcoal-black stumps.

Scorched tracks were left across the grass, as if they were the traces left by the passing lightning.

The surrounding buildings had been destroyed by the power of the lightning and no longer existed, leaving only broken walls and ruins.

The air was filled with the smell of ozone and burning, the unique scent of lightning, making people involuntarily recall the shocking scene that had just occurred.

Aside from the occasional thunder, the battlefield still echoed with the crackling of electric arcs striking metal, as well as faint groans.

Smoke and dust permeated the entire battlefield like fluffy cotton balls, giving one a suffocating feeling of being unable to breathe.

"Whoosh!"

Chen Che's figure darted out from the "cotton balls," arrived beside the painfully groaning Gu Yuanzong, grabbed his neck, and lifted him straight up.

Gu Yuanzong gripped Chen Che's wrists with both hands, his legs kneeling powerlessly on the ground.

The two locked eyes; one was filled with intense killing intent, the other with panic and unease.

After the final blow, the outcome was decided; although the Thunder Giant Dragon and the Blood Qi Giant Hand had canceled each other out at the last moment, Gu Yuanzong had exhausted all his strength and found it difficult even to support himself standing, while Chen Che remained full of vigor, moving with ease.

Who lost and who won was self-evident.

"You... you cannot kill me... if you kill me, you will never know the truth..."

With his throat gripped, Gu Yuanzong's face turned red, and struggling to breathe, he revealed his last remaining trump card, attempting to save his life.

Chen Che's expression remained unchanged as he extended two fingers and jabbed them forcefully at his forehead.

In an instant, Gu Yuanzong's eyes bulged with rage, his mouth wide open, as the myriad True Qi and life force that had entered his body poured out from his seven orifices—eyes, ears, nose, and mouth—returning to where they originally belonged.

As the power within his body dissipated, Gu Yuanzong's appearance changed once again; in just a few minutes, he seemed to have aged decades.

He was decrepit and old, his time nearing its end.

Chen Che released his hand from Gu Yuanzong's throat, and Gu Yuanzong, his withered body appearing as if it would fall apart at a gust of wind, knelt on the ground, teetering.

Chen Che noticed that his skin was covered in cracks, caused by his body being stretched while absorbing energy, and these became even more shocking as he aged.

At this moment, Gu Yuanzong was like a fragile piece of porcelain that had been pieced together; one light touch would cause him to shatter into pieces.

………

As the True Qi and life force returned to their places, the others woke up one after another.

Luo Lin stood up, enduring a headache, and looked around; only when she saw Chen Che's figure did she let out a sigh of relief.

"Treat the wounded, clear the battlefield!"

After Luo Lin gave the order, she walked slowly toward Chen Che.

Having just experienced the extraction and restoration of her body's strength, she was still somewhat weak; she hadn't taken two steps before she accidentally tripped and fell forward.

A large hand caught her shoulder and helped her up.

The first thing Luo Lin saw was that crisp military uniform, and when she looked up, she saw the appearance of the person who had come.

"General Tang."

Luo Lin called out softly, and Tang Yu'e nodded slightly, helping her stand steady.

"Take it slow for a moment."

Tang Yu'e channeled her own True Qi into Luo Lin's body, helping her alleviate the dizziness.

"I intended to come and help, but in the end, we still had to rely on Chen Che to save us; I feel truly ashamed thinking about it."

Luo Lin gave a bitter smile.

Tang Yu'e looked toward Chen Che not far away and smiled: "You are not the only one who feels ashamed; I actually arrived long ago, but in that situation just now, I could only watch from the sidelines."

"It is because your junior brother is so capable. Perhaps even if we hadn't come here, he could have resolved everything himself."

"Indeed, no wonder my master, that old man, values him so much, and the other junior sisters like him so much."

Tang Yu'e squinted and smiled as she looked at Chen Che's back; that charming demeanor was like a completely different person compared to the cold, arrogant majesty she displayed when facing the Ouyang Family.

"Fortunately, we still helped a little; the Ouyang Family and the Justice Inspection Bureau are under our control, so no matter what, Jinling will not fall into chaos."

Tang Yu'e withdrew her hand and asked: "How do you feel?"

Luo Lin nodded: "Much better."

…………

"Pfft..."

Gu Yuanzong spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, coughing with one slight movement after another.

And as the coughing caused his body to tremble, his skin peeled off in layer after layer.

"Whether you speak or not makes no difference; the only difference is that I can let you die a little more quickly."

Chen Che watched Gu Yuanzong with cold eyes as he spoke.

Gu Yuanzong looked up at Chen Che and tugged at the corners of his mouth: "Come on, kill me..."

Chen Che's gaze sharpened, and a Lightning Spear swished through the air, piercing Gu Yuanzong's shoulder and resting against his neck.

"Stop!"

A sharp, feminine cry rang out.

Tang Yu'e and Luo Lin arrived before them.

Chen Che turned his head to look at Tang Yu'e; it was she who had shouted just now.

Tang Yu'e first glanced at Gu Yuanzong, then looked at Chen Che and smiled, "Chen Che, I am Tang Yu'e, your Second Senior Sister. The matter is already over; leave Gu Yuanzong to me."

"What are you going to do?"

Even though Tang Yu'e had revealed her identity, Chen Che did not greet her warmly; it was clear he was more concerned about Gu Yuanzong's fate.

Tang Yu'e said, "Gu Yuanzong's status is special, so I must naturally take him back to Beijing and let the National Lord make the decision."

"Oh, that's right, you probably don't know yet. Our teacher's wife is the Sovereign of the Great Xia Kingdom. So, the National Lord will certainly help you investigate what happened to the Chen Family back then; you can rest assured about that."

Tang Yu'e stepped forward and scrutinized Chen Che, her gaze finally landing on his heart.

"This method must have been taught to you by the fourth one, right? The time should be almost up, and your Great Red Sun Poison hasn't been cleared yet. Go find your Third Senior Sister to prepare for the healing; leave this place to me and Luo Lin."

Chen Che watched Tang Yu'e and Luo Lin in silence, his Lightning Spear slowly lowering.

"It seems my life is not meant to end here!"

Gu Yuanzong laughed out loud at this moment, full of smugness and mockery: "Chen Che, take your revenge! For your father and that woman whose head I cut off, kill me! If you don't kill me, how can you face them?!"

Chen Che glared at him coldly, his killing intent boiling.

Gu Yuanzong seemed to bet that he could not die, continuing to provoke him with his damaged vocal cords in a hoarse voice: "I tell you, I won't say anything! Even if you escort me to Beijing, it's the same!

Do you know why our National Lord won't kill me? Because I am a cousin to the Han Family in Beijing; killing me is equivalent to going against the Han Family!

The families in Beijing are intricately connected; I will continue to live, hahahaha..."

"Shut up!"

Luo Lin kicked Gu Yuanzong over.

Yet at this moment, Chen Che raised his spear once again.

Tang Yu'e immediately blocked him, persuading, "Junior Brother, I know you are very angry, and he deserves to die a thousand deaths, but he cannot be killed yet."

"The death of your father back then was because your Chen Family was framed by other families in Beijing who conspired to destroy the Chen Family, and the reason you and your father were hunted down was merely to cut the weeds and eliminate the roots."

Seeing Chen Che's expression turn increasingly cold, Tang Yu'e hurriedly explained,

"The reason the teacher's wife wants to spare his life is to use him to deal with those families who caused the death of the Chen Family back then! Gu Yuanzong is a witness to the events of that year, a human witness; if we want to deal with the other families, he is the best chess piece!"

Tang Yu'e grabbed Chen Che's arm and said, "Keeping him is useful for the big picture; this is also the intention of the teacher's wife. Junior Brother, you are intelligent and talented; you will surely understand."

Chen Che turned his head to look at Tang Yu'e and nodded, "Mm, I understand."

"Swish!"

With a swing of the spear, Gu Yuanzong's head fell to the ground.