Fenrir's Journey : I Shall Devour The Heavens!

Though they had originally wanted to try and help Gong Xinyue, Hua Yan saw Wen Xiulan throw her from the arena surrounded by a protective coating of Qi.Knowing he wouldn't be of much help in the fight on stage, Hua Yan had his brother, Xuan Yan, protect Mao Qiu, Xiao Lan, and Susu Lengshi as he and Zhu Qiu cut a path through the red-robed attackers targeting members of the Devouring Moon Sect.It didn't take a genius to understand that an enemy Sect had used the tournament as an opportunity to try and destabilize the Devouring Moon Sect but, as he still intended to join, Hua Yan considered himself an active disciple. He wanted to pay back a bit of the debt he owed the mysterious woman who had spared them so, while he wasn't going to lay down his life for complete strangers, he would help those he was able to.With this in mind, Hua Yan used his longsword to deflect the attack of a man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He had been trying to cut down two outer disciples of the Devouring Moon Sect with a vicious smile on his face so Hua Yan had no qualms about stepping in to put an end to the murderous man's attempt.Having his blade intercepted, the man performed a swift pivot on his heel that caused his body to blur as he angled his sword and drew a secondary arc toward Hua Yan. This caused a crescent of red flames to pour from the blade as he shouted, "You dare interfere with the matters of the Searing Sword Palace...!?"Hua Yan was momentarily surprised by the man's exclamation but, as the most powerful force on the continent shouldn't have such weak practitioners, his reasoning propelled him forward. He was able to use his own flames to diffuse his enemy's attack and, while his speed seemed to be a little slower than the man's, Zhu Qiu had appeared from the flank to sweep at him with his spear.Surprised by the emergence of a second attacker, the man twisted his right hand to form a rune out of flames but, before he was able to fire off the attack, Hua Yan threw his sword in a flaming arc that bisected the man at the waist. This caused the light to quickly fade from his eyes but, rather than go peacefully, crimson red blood began to flow from his mouth that quickly erupted into an intense inferno.As the red-robed man was not the first to lose his life, there were several infernos raging throughout the arena and, while many normal citizens had been able to flee, there were still hundreds of charred corpses littering the battlefield. The only place that was largely untouched was the stage used in the tournament as, after the initial surprise attack, Wen Xiulan had been able to claim the arm of one of her attackers while the other had been frozen solid in a pillar of pure white ice.After looking around the battlefield for a brief moment, Hua Yan forced the two cowering disciples to follow along with his group as they made their way to safety. They could easily be killed by any stray attack from anyone near the level of the Sect Master so staying to observe was not an option. Since he wanted to reunite with Gong Xinyue, as they were fellows from the same original Sect, he urged the group to make haste as he cleared the way through the intense flames that had already started spreading through the city itself...(Fenrir's Commentary: 'I smell burning...')

While the Branch of the Devouring Moon Sect was the primary target, the rest of the City had not been spared by the assailants who purported themselves to belong to the Searing Sword Palace.Though it was obvious to most that the attackers were likely from an entirely different Sect, their words had a powerful impact on the normal citizenry. They were easily shepherded by the strong and, while the more astute among them understood the falsity behind the claims, it didn't change the fact that they couldn't do anything to resist.By the time any of the other Sects residing in the Devouring Moon City reacted, fires had spread through the more impoverished areas and, while the stronger Sects had yet to be touched, many of the smaller families had already been wiped out. The invaders had unhesitantly slaughtered anyone who did not immediately join their cause and, as a result of several months of planning, they already had several hundred people within the city to sowing chaos.In order to try and gain control of the situation, the Devouring Moon Mercenary Guild had declared a state of emergency that required all active Mercenaries to fight against the invaders. They were headed by the Branch Master, Liang ZhenKang, who had already piled up the corpses of more than a hundred attackers. He took it upon himself to use his golden staff to beat the majority of enemies to a pulp while directing the Mercenaries and a few drafted civilians to deal with the spread flames.With his onyx-black eyes reflecting crimson light, Liang ZhenKang shook his head as he looked at the devastation and muttered, "Another pointless massacre to further the agenda of a few foolish people...what a farce..."Unlike the majority of people, the Branch Master knew exactly who their attackers were. They were a family from the neighboring Sacred Spring Bamboo City known as the Peng family. While they were nothing special, the grandson of their current Grand Elder had been scouted by one of the branch families associated with the Searing Sword Palace. This made him foolishly believe he could use their authority to do whatever he wanted and, as a result, the neighboring city had recently changed its name to the Rising Flame City.Liang ZhenKang knew that it wouldn't be long before an Enforcer from the Searing Sword Palace rid the world of the arrogant young master of Peng family but that meant nothing in the present. Rather, in order for them to have mustered up such a force in such a short period of time, it was obvious that the Peng family had a hidden backer...Using his staff to leave a 10cm dent in a man's skull, Liang ZhenKang could only sigh in exasperation as he turned his head toward the Devouring Moon Mountain and stated, "I hope you really do have a powerful Master, young lady...this world isn't kind to those without a strong background."Though even Wen Xiulan wasn't able to expand her senses beyond the city, Lian ZhenKang was very aware of the phenomenal aura that was quickly accelerating toward them. He could even feel the air begin to drop in temperature, despite the fact that pillars of fire surrounded him from almost every angle...(Fenrir's Commentary: 'The city is on burning...!? Fenrir will kill them all...!')

While others would have been able to intervene, Wen Xiulan quickly noticed there was something wrong with the current situation. She had suddenly sensed several powerful auras in the area so, without any hesitation, she moved like a phantom into the arena while shouting, "Members of the Devouring Moon Sect, we are under attack...!" as she moved to intercept the unknown man's flaming claw.Rather than withdraw, the man tried to move into a position so that Gong Xinyue was between him and Wen Xiulan but he severely underestimated the latter's speed. Before his eyes could even fully widen, he felt an icy cold sensation spread through his body as a jade-white palm pierced his chest without any hesitation.As she didn't need to guess why her Sect was being attacked, Wen Xiulan had no interest in the words of their attackers. All that mattered was that they were enemies and, if they failed to come out ahead, the number of victims on their side would only increase. There was no reasoning with those who had malicious intentions as the only outcome was an even greater tragedy.After killing the man, Wen Xiulan looked at Gong Xinyue and, seeing she was still in shock, gave the girl a light slap on the face before stating, "If you do not want to get caught up in the conflict, you need to move. Regroup with your friends and seek shelter. You are in the way here...!"Having been brought back to her senses, Gong Xinyue tried to say she would fight as well but, at a speed much faster than her perception could follow, two blazing figures shrouded in crimson flames attacked from Wen Xiulan's flanks. This caused the later to send out a wave of frigid air as two icy loti bloomed from her hands, blocking the surprise attacks and causing the two middle-aged men attacking her to wince slightly as they quickly pulled back.Using her Qi, Wen Xiulan flung Gong Xinyue out of the arena at a speed much faster than the girl could manage on her own. Fortunately, the same Qi that sent her flying also cushioned the impact, allowing her to pass through several walls before being thrown out into the city proper without any injuries.Gong Xinyue felt ashamed to be discarded so readily but, feeling the intense clash of Qi inside of the arena, she knew her own power was negligible compared to those fighting within. This caused her to bite her lip with a layer of moisture building in her eyes as she turned her back and joined the crowd in fleeing. She swore to herself that she would become stronger so that, in the future, her weakness would not hold back others.Without realizing it Gong Xinyue's hair began to dance behind her back and, rather than the usual silky black, it began to turn vermillion in color. The very tips even began to ignite, turning into a stark red flame that drew the attention of a few disreputable Cultivators who were charged with stopping any members of the Devouring Moon Sect from fleeing...(Fenrir's Commentary: 'What is this feeling...?')

Chapter 85: Doing What One Can