Chapter 1378: Move Mountains, Overturn Seas

Now that they might have found Shang Song's Traveling Palace, the Holy Rakshasa's existence had instead become a possible obstacle. It was Shang Song's spirit pet, after all, and the five had no real measure of its strength. Otherwise, they would not have waited at Shouque Villa so they could come together.

Zhangsun Mi stared cautiously downward. "Who knows whether the Holy Rakshasa is actually here right now?"

Granny Xue asked only one question. "Are we going down or not?"

That went straight to the heart of the matter. Why had they come? Since they were already here, whatever the circumstances, naturally they had to descend and take a look. Asking anything more was pointless.

Even so, four pairs of eyes again settled on Wu Chang. Once more they wanted him to go down first and test the situation.

Wu Chang glanced left and right and did not move. He was not a fool. How could he charge ahead every time without regard for the danger?

Yuan Se chuckled. "Little Brother has always been bold and mighty. Who else could serve as our vanguard?"

Wu Chang said, "Cut the crap. If we're going down, we go down together. If not, get lost!"

Yuan Se snickered. Mu Lianze said, "Enough useless talk. Let's descend together. If something unexpected happens, we can at least watch one another's backs." With that, he began slowly sinking toward the ground.

Wu Chang followed without another word.

Granny Xue came next. After exchanging a look, the remaining two descended as well.

Throughout the descent, all five remained intensely vigilant toward both the ground and their surroundings. This was not their first time inside the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm. None dared make too much noise for fear of alerting the innumerable, troublesome Butterfly Rakshasas. Being swarmed by them would be a nuisance even under ordinary circumstances, much less now that a Holy Rakshasa had appeared.

"They're here," Yun Ji suddenly whispered.

Inside the Traveling Palace, the people who had tunneled underground to arrive ahead of time were already hiding atop the rafters of one building. A roof tile had been shifted aside so they could take turns watching what was happening outside.

Niu Youdao and Xi Haitang were there as well. This was Xi Haitang's first time coming to this place, and when he arrived he had been deeply shocked. He had never imagined Niu Youdao actually knew the location of Shang Song's Traveling Palace. Who knew how many other secrets this fellow still kept hidden behind him?

After arriving, all of them moved with extreme care and avoided making any large disturbance, afraid of alerting the Holy Rakshasa.

As Niu Youdao put it, the fewer ordinary Butterfly Rakshasas they saw here, the more likely it was that the Holy Rakshasa itself was present. They had to keep their movements and breathing as quiet as possible.

At Yun Ji's warning, both men immediately put their eyes to the gap beneath the displaced tile and scanned the surroundings.

Yun Ji murmured, "Above us. In the air."

Their gazes instantly locked on the sky, where five figures were slowly descending.

Once the five had dropped low enough for their identities to become clear, Niu Youdao frowned and muttered, "Five... Wu Chang came too..."

According to Niu Youdao's expectations, Lü Wushuang would certainly have found a way to keep watch on Yuan Gang through the Demon Palace at Demon Ridge. Wu Chang had plenty of people inside the Demon Palace as well, so once Yuan Gang left, Wu Chang should have received word. Yet judging by the present situation, Wu Chang had not gone after Lü Wushuang. Niu Youdao did not know why.

Only five people had appeared. He could not be completely certain the other four had all been successfully lured away, but the odds were high. After all, the four who were absent were precisely the principal targets he had tried to draw off elsewhere.

As the five came closer and closer to the ground, Xi Haitang could not help feeling nervous.

The five descending through the air remained on high alert as well, though they were also somewhat surprised. They could sense that the palace city below seemed devoid of Butterfly Rakshasas. Perhaps the creatures were hiding inside the buildings.

As for the supposed Holy Rakshasa, they still saw no sign of it.

At last, all five landed together on the empty square inside the palace city. Without needing to discuss it, they stood back-to-back, guarding every direction.

"There seems to have been fighting here," Zhangsun Mi warned.

The others looked where he indicated and saw that the ground had been split open in many places, with numerous paving stones overturned and scattered around.

"The exposed earth isn't fresh. Who knows when this was left behind." Granny Xue narrowed her eyes and ruled out the possibility that the damage was recent.

None of them cared much about the empty square. Their interest lay in the dust-sealed buildings within the palace city.

After surveying the surroundings, the five headed toward the nearest structures and approached the main hall.

Niu Youdao and the other two had already dropped from the rafters and were crouched silently beside cracks in doors and windows, watching outside.

The five paused before the closed doors at the top of the main hall steps. Wu Chang suddenly pushed one palm forward. With a low whoosh, invisible force shoved open the heavy doors, gradually revealing the interior.

Scattered luminous plants also grew inside the hall, making the scene within easy to see.

Just as the five were about to enter and inspect it, all of them abruptly raised their heads. Their reactions were razor-sharp. Almost simultaneously, they sensed something land on the roof eaves above them.

They immediately realized that opening the doors might have disturbed something.

Xi Haitang, peering through a crack in a window, suddenly widened his eyes. He saw a figure streak over from the rear palace and land on the roof of the main hall, directly above the Five Saints.

A silver Butterfly Rakshasa stood there with its wings folded behind its back, solitary and cold.

Though this was Xi Haitang's first time seeing it, he could feel what it was. He murmured, "The Holy Rakshasa... So it really exists."

Niu Youdao and Yun Ji also tensed, watching without blinking.

The five frozen beneath the eaves slowly turned their heads from side to side and exchanged looks. Then all five abruptly flashed backward, retreating from the doors and down the steps into the open courtyard.

They looked up and saw the aloof silver demon standing on the roof above them.

Their pupils contracted sharply. The same thought flashed through all five minds.

The Holy Rakshasa!

It was indeed the Holy Rakshasa. Standing high above them, it looked down with indifferent eyes, its silver wings folded against its back. Then a cool, clear voice came from its lips. "Why have you intruded into my city?"

The five exchanged a glance. Yuan Se grinned, cupped his fists, and said, "We have taken the liberty of visiting. Please forgive the intrusion!"

The Holy Rakshasa ignored his courtesies completely and asked again, "Why have you intruded into my city?"

The five looked at one another, uncertain how to explain themselves. Could they really say they had come searching for Shang Song's Traveling Palace and hoped to hunt for treasure?

Granny Xue asked the others quietly, "What do we do?"

Wu Chang stared at the Holy Rakshasa on the eaves and slowly murmured, "If it truly is some formidable demon, how can we permit it to remain?"

The others understood his meaning.

If the creature was truly powerful, then it represented a threat to their rule over all beneath Heaven.

If it was weak, naturally they would capture it.

Either way, they first had to test the depth of its strength.

The Holy Rakshasa spoke again. "Why do you not answer?" The challenge in its voice was obvious now.

The five had already reached an understanding among themselves, yet they remained hesitant. Not knowing its true strength, none wanted to be the first to attack.

Wu Chang suddenly tilted his head toward Yuan Se in signal.

Yuan Se paused, then cupped his fists toward the Holy Rakshasa again. "We've come to make a friend. This is our first visit to your distinguished domain, and fortune has let us meet. Why don't we become friends?"

The Holy Rakshasa extended one hand. Its sharp index finger pointed at him, then crooked inward, beckoning him to come up.

"Uh..." Yuan Se instantly looked awkward. He glanced left and right, unsure whether going over was a good idea.

As the standoff grew increasingly strange, Wu Chang suddenly pointed at Yuan Se and told the Holy Rakshasa, "He's lying to you. He came here to kill you!"

"Wu Chang!" Yuan Se yelped like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "What the hell do you mean by that?"

"You talk the most. I'm giving you a chance to chat at your leisure." Wu Chang tossed out the words and flashed backward, apparently trying to distance himself from Yuan Se.

Granny Xue, Zhangsun Mi, and Mu Lianze reacted just as quickly. The instant they heard Wu Chang and saw him move, all three shot away as well, leaving Yuan Se standing alone before the Holy Rakshasa.

"A pack of bastards!" Yuan Se cursed furiously. In one careless instant, his companions had sold him out. How could he not understand what they wanted? They were forcing him to test the Holy Rakshasa's strength first.

If the Holy Rakshasa proved overwhelmingly powerful, Yuan Se would be forced to remain behind and hold it off while the others used the opportunity to flee.

He looked back at the Holy Rakshasa and saw it crook that sharp finger at him again.

Yuan Se did not dare risk facing it alone. He glanced at the others who had scattered away and decided that if calamity was coming, they could all share it. He abruptly flashed toward them, intending to rejoin the group.

Whoosh!

The Holy Rakshasa shot from the eaves and pursued Yuan Se, one claw reaching for him.

Wu Chang and the other three displayed remarkable unity when it came to trapping a companion. Four figures flashed apart again. On the surface they seemed to be clearing themselves of any connection to Yuan Se; in truth, they were denying him any chance to get close. They wanted to leave him completely isolated and force him to fight the Holy Rakshasa alone.

Watching from hiding, Niu Youdao, Yun Ji, and Xi Haitang wore wonderfully complicated expressions. At last they were seeing the true style of the Nine Saints with their own eyes.

Yuan Se was furious enough to explode. Guard against thieves by day, guard against thieves by night—one lapse, and he had fallen straight into their pit. How could he not be enraged?

The Holy Rakshasa's reactions were no slower than his. If anything, they were slightly faster. In the blink of an eye, its claw was upon him.

Yuan Se had no choice. He roared, "Move Mountains, Overturn Seas!"

His plump body suddenly twisted in midair. One palm blasted outward with a howl, releasing palm shadows that expanded rapidly, layer upon layer, surging toward the Holy Rakshasa in an almost endless torrent.

Amid thunderous booms, the Holy Rakshasa's claw shattered several palm shadows. The force of that strike was exhausted. It immediately crossed both arms before itself and endured the unending barrage head-on, its body blasted upward through the air.

Swish!

A vicious light flashed in Yuan Se's eyes. He reversed direction and shot after it. His body blurred as he circled the Holy Rakshasa at extreme speed, both palms striking wildly. Countless palm shadows surged like roaring tides from every direction, bombarding the Holy Rakshasa without pause. Fierce astral winds capable of tearing a person apart raged outward.

The Holy Rakshasa was tossed about like a leaf in a gale, battered this way and that by the endless palm shadows. It could not even land. Its crossed arms remained raised in front of itself as it endured the assault.

Watching from the distant building, Yun Ji and Xi Haitang stared at the agile fat man flashing through the air and attacking from every angle, their hearts pounding. At last they were seeing the true strength of one of the Nine Saints.

After only a single clash, the Holy Rakshasa had already been beaten into a position where it could not retaliate and could only defend.

Niu Youdao clenched his teeth, his eyes nearly splitting with tension.

"What are you still waiting for? Attack!" Yuan Se roared when his relentless assault still failed to break the Holy Rakshasa.

Seeing that its strength appeared to be no more than this, Wu Chang, Granny Xue, Mu Lianze, and Zhangsun Mi exchanged looks. Then all four suddenly moved.

The countless palm shadows abruptly converged on a single point. Yuan Se halted in midair and drove his continuous attack into one spot, blasting the Holy Rakshasa backward.

Black mist surged around Wu Chang as he swept in to meet the flying figure.

"Extinguish Life!"

His voice rolled through the air like thunder as his body vanished into the black mist. A gigantic black palm, vast as a mountain, roared out of the darkness.

Boom!

The Holy Rakshasa was struck squarely. It flew away like a meteor, blood spraying from its mouth. Then it plunged from the sky like a falling star and smashed into the palace below with a tremendous crash, collapsing half the building beneath it.

[End of Chapter 1378]