Chapter 773
Chapter 773
The second earthquake was highly unusual. First, its range was incredibly small, limited to just Nanzhu City. Second, its destructive force was immense. The ground had split open, creating countless fissures that were horrifying to behold, but it had only a minor impact on the battle with the Xue Clan. In truth, their defeat had been sealed from the moment the battle began. They had already lost when they prepared to use the Two-Stage Corpse Worms. This great earthquake had merely accelerated the process of their defeat.
***
Shen Lang asked Mulan.
“How did this earthquake happen?”
“I’ll go take a look.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Mulan leaped directly into a large fissure created by the earthquake. The chasm was a hundred meters deep and looked incredibly treacherous, yet Mulan dove in like a fairy. After a long while, Mulan returned to the surface.
“Husband, there must be an ancient ruin down there. I felt its aura.”
Startled, Shen Lang quickly asked Mulan.
“A separate, independent ancient ruin? Or is it the same one as on Black Stone Island?”
“It’s likely the same one.”
Shen Lang was utterly astonished.
*The same ancient ruin? But this place is hundreds of miles from Black Stone Island. Could the ancient ruin on Black Stone Island really stretch for hundreds of miles?*
Indeed. The ancient ruins of this world came in various types. Some were no larger than a royal tomb, a temple, or a library, while others were astonishingly vast, forming an entire city. But could a city-sized ruin stretching for hundreds of miles truly be submerged underground? The sheer area of the Black Stone Island ruin was staggering.
“Then is the great earthquake just now related to the ancient ruin?”
Mulan seemed to think for a moment before answering.
“It is. I even suspect this earthquake was caused artificially.”
That was an even more incredible notion. The earthquake just now had a small scale but an astonishing amount of power. Moreover, all earthquakes were not sudden occurrences but the instantaneous release of immense energy built up in the earth's crust over a long time. Yet, someone had artificially created such an earthquake? How was that possible? Shen Lang put aside his conventional thinking and let his imagination run wild. For something like this, one had to form a bold hypothesis and then carefully verify it.
Mount Fudao had been developing that ancient ruin for over a year, but the entire process was kept highly secret. What was Mount Fudao’s attitude during that time? They had kept an extremely low profile. Even when Shen Lang's fleet came to attack the Xue Clan's fleet, Mount Fudao’s fleet had indicated they would not interfere. So, was it possible Mount Fudao had caused this great earthquake? Why would they need to? Was it because an important ancient ruin lay beneath Nanzhu City, and they couldn't tolerate someone else occupying their share? If that were true, Mount Fudao was being excessively tyrannical and ruthless. Weren't the Xue Clan and the South Sea Sword Sect your branch offices?
***
“Enter the city!”
At Shen Lang's command, the Nirvana Army carefully entered the city, avoiding the areas where the poison had spread. It was then that Shen Lang could see more clearly that the area affected by the earthquake was confined solely to Nanzhu City. The city, which had borne the full brunt of the quake, was in ruins, with corpses littering the ground everywhere. How could an earthquake be so precise as to strike only within a certain boundary?
The Nirvana Army continued to advance. Directly ahead was the Xue Clan's Lord's Manor, and within it stood a large, tall, and magnificent tower. A short while ago, Xue Che had watched the battlefield from within that tower, and Xue Qi had especially loved to gaze at the sea from its top. But while half of the Xue Clan's manor had collapsed, this magnificent tower remained relatively intact. How sturdily built was it? Of course, there was another reason for its integrity. The tower had not been part of the zone torn apart by this earthquake.
At Shen Lang's command, the Nirvana Army surrounded the sturdy and magnificent tower. Shen Lang used his X-ray vision and easily determined that about a thousand members of the Xue Clan were inside the tower, with another thousand Xue Clan warriors on standby. The main gate of the tower was shut tight.
“The Xue Clan has committed treason. Come out and surrender immediately!”
Gao Douhuan shouted at the top of his lungs, but the tower remained silent, with not a sound to be heard.
“The Xue Clan has committed treason. Come out and surrender immediately!”
Still silent, a voice suddenly came from within the tower.
“Shen Lang, I’m going to defile Jin Mulan until she dies. I’m going to kill her!”
It was the voice of a boy who sounded about fifteen or sixteen.
“Listen, all members of the Xue Clan! We have a feud with the Jin Clan that will not end until one of us is dead, so there is no room for surrender. Shen Lang will surely kill us all. Everyone, take up your swords and fight them to the end. We’ll hold out inside the tower and kill every last one of Shen Lang’s bastard soldiers who dares to enter!”
The boy's voice continued to echo.
“Shen Lang, come on in! I, Xue Ming, am not afraid of you. I’m going to defile Jin Mulan and kill her!”
The boy sounded as if he had lost his mind. Without a word, Jin Mulan drew a special arrow, nocked it, and drew her bowstring.
*Swoosh.*
Her arrow pierced the tower’s main gate, and the thermite attached to it ignited. In an instant, the sturdy gate began to burn, creating a massive hole. Then, Big Dummy stepped forward, raised a great hammer, and began smashing the gate with abandon.
*Crash, crash, crash, crash.*
This was not a city gate, so it wasn't particularly sturdy or thick. And how strong was Big Dummy? After he had struck the gate a hundred times, a loud *bang* echoed as the entire gate collapsed.
“Kill him! Kill him!”
The boy commanded the Xue Clan warriors.
*Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.*
Countless arrows were fired at Big Dummy, but to him, they were no more than a tickle. In the main hall on the first floor of the tower, several hundred Xue Clan warriors were gathered, with a boy in silk clothes standing in the middle. He was Xue Ming. Shen Lang, leading several hundred soldiers of the Nirvana Army, entered and looked at Xue Ming.
*Are the other members of the Xue Clan on the upper floors? What about Xue Ding? And Xue Che? And Xue Xue?*
“Who are you?”
Shen Lang asked, and the boy replied coldly.
“Xue Ming. And I have nothing to do with your Jin Clan.”
Shen Lang was puzzled by his words, and Jin Mulan explained the situation.
“That boy is my older cousin Jin Mu'ning’s son. She married into the Xue Clan eighteen years ago and died suddenly a few years ago.”
Jin Mu'ning was Jin Mulan’s cousin. She had died several years ago, and the cause of death was unknown. Did that mean the boy before them should call Jin Mulan ‘aunt’?
“I am a member of the Xue Clan. Shen Lang, I am not the least bit afraid of you.”
He was trembling slightly all over, so terrified that he seemed to have lost his mind.
“Xue Ding? Where is Xue Che?”
“You’ll have to get through me first to ask. I am a member of the Xue Clan, not the Jin Clan.”
Shen Lang stared at him coldly, and Xue Ming said in a furious voice.
“Shen Lang, even without my uncle or grandfather, I can lead the Xue Clan warriors and fight you. I’m not afraid of you at all.”
Jin Mulan said to him.
“I am your aunt. Put down your bow.”
Xue Ming looked at Jin Mulan with a ferocious gaze and spouted nonsense.
“So you’re Jin Mulan. I heard you’re the greatest beauty. I will defile you and kill you. I’ll kill you!”
Jin Mulan’s eyes turned cold.
“Xue Ming, if you put down your bow and surrender, I will spare your life for your mother’s sake.”
Xue Ming shouted.
“In your dreams! I’m not afraid of you. Slaughter them to the last! Kill them!”
Xue Ming aimed and shot an arrow at Shen Lang.
*Swoosh.*
But Jin Mulan’s arrow was faster. It shot out like lightning, intercepting Xue Ming’s arrow in mid-air.
*Thud!*
Her arrow didn't just stop his; it easily pierced through Xue Ming’s chest. He was sent flying by the force of the arrow and pinned to a pillar.
“Fire, fire!”
The Second Nirvana Army unleashed a volley of arrows, and the several hundred Xue Clan warriors returned fire. The two armies exchanged volleys in the main hall, and in an instant, the hundreds of Xue Clan warriors were annihilated. As Shen Lang approached Xue Ming, the boy coughed up bloody foam and said in a trembling voice.
“Shen Lang, I’m not afraid of you, not afraid! I cannot disappoint my grandfather and father. I am a member of the Xue Clan, not the Jin Clan. Shen Lang, if you have the guts, kill me. I’ll become a ghost in hell and haunt you until you die.”
Shen Lang drew his sword, and Xue Ming’s body began to tremble. There was clearly a story behind this child. With half his blood being from the Jin Clan, he had to act with particular perfection to win Xue Che’s favor.
“Shen Lang, I will kill you…”
*Thwack!*
Shen Lang swung his sword with all his might. Xue Ming was so startled he wet himself. But Shen Lang’s sword had not cut his neck; it was embedded in the pillar beside it. Xue Ming, who had been barely holding on with courage, finally broke.
“Aunt, save me. I surrender, I surrender… Uncle Shen Lang, please don’t kill me, don’t kill me…”
*That’s more like it. I can only feel satisfaction in killing you if you beg for your life. You young beast, you’re an adult now. It's time to take responsibility for your words.*
*Squish!*
Shen Lang cut him down with a single stroke. Xue Ming’s head fell.
***
Shen Lang led several hundred Nirvana Army soldiers to the second floor of the tower. There, too, hundreds of people were waiting for them. All the members of the Xue Clan were there, half of them women and children. They looked at Shen Lang with eyes full of fear and hatred. At the forefront stood Xue Che’s mother. She looked to be about seventy years old. Xue Che’s mother spoke in a gentle voice.
“Mulan, the last time I saw you, you were only about ten years old. You came to our South Sea Sword Sect to learn martial arts when you were six, and you didn't leave until you were twelve, did you? Back then, you used to play with Xue Xue and Xue Man.”
Jin Mulan went before her, bowed, and said.
“Greetings, Grandma Xue.”
Xue Che's mother said.
“Is this Young Master Shen Lang? You have won. You have destroyed our Xue Clan, so you have already achieved your revenge, haven’t you? Must you really kill every single one of us?”
Shen Lang said.
“When Count Xue Che went to attack Raging Tide City this time, he was prepared to uproot our Jin Clan. He even intended to kill every one of the tens of thousands on Leizhou Island.”
Hearing Shen Lang’s reply, Xue Che’s mother began to weep.
“Young Master Shen Lang, I know my son has done something unforgivable. That is why the heavens punished us by sending a great earthquake to destroy our Nanzhu City. Not only that, a great tsunami rose and destroyed our Xue Clan’s entire fleet. We have already been punished like this; is it still not enough? The hundreds of us from the Xue Clan are all here. With so many helpless old people, infants, and women gathered, can you truly bring yourself to kill them all? Mulan, I know you are not such a wicked person. My son, Xue Che, has committed an act against all reason, so he deserves to be punished by the heavens. But if you kill helpless old people, women, and children like us, are you not afraid that the Jin Clan will also face that punishment?”
“Old Madam, tell me. Where are Xue Che and Xue Ding? Tell me, and I will spare the lives of the hundreds in the Xue Clan.”
Xue Che’s mother continued to weep as she asked.
“Even a vicious tiger does not eat its own cubs. Are you truly forcing me to harm my own son?”
“Tell me the whereabouts of Xue Che and Xue Ding, or let all hundred members of the Xue Clan die. Choose one.”