The Yellow-Haired Villain in Soaring Phoenix’s Novels Also Desires Happiness - Chapter 218
143. The Weeping Serpent (Part Ten) Combined
The tide of corpses surged.
These bodies, originally offered as sacrifices to the evil god and thrown into the blood pool, had not found the promised rest even after their essence and blood had been drained. Their last value had also been squeezed dry, and under the will of the Silent Moon, the emaciated corpses transformed into living dead, lingering on the edge of life and death, launching a fearless charge at Mu En.
So weak.
This was Mu En’s first thought upon encountering these living dead. They moved slowly, their strength feeble, with no strategy at all, much like the zombies from television shows in his past life.
The only thing that posed a problem was their terrifying numbers… and their wails.
“Help me…”
“Save me…”
“I beg you… save me…”
Under the evil god’s malicious amusement, they still retained a trace of consciousness, their faces twisted in endless torment, shedding blood tears, instinctively seeking the salvation of the only living person present.
“I will… truly free you.”
Mu En sighed lightly with pity, and then… he severed the head of the undead that stood in his way.
With such a creature, which might even give an ordinary person a chance to escape, it was clear that it could not hinder Mu En’s progress. He charged into the most tumultuous part of the tide of corpses, the glint of his blade flashing, cold light shimmering, as countless heads flew into the air one after another.
Under the holy light released by Elizabeth, even the power of the evil god could no longer restore the undead that had already lost their heads, thus leading to a true end.
Step by step, Mu En advanced, getting ever closer to the altar.
No matter how many undead there were, they were ultimately not endless.
Under the increasingly sharp blade techniques of Mu En, they fell one by one, as if he were harvesting wheat.
But suddenly, Mu En felt a surge of pressure.
The undead before him seemed to have suddenly become several times stronger, rushing at him with such force that even Mu En’s blade trembled slightly.
Mu En was taken aback, his eyes widening as he looked at the undead’s body.
Beneath the wrinkled skin, which resembled tree bark, several human faces contorted in unimaginable pain were emitting silent wails.
A chill ran through Mu En, and he glanced around.
At that moment, he noticed that among the undead whose heads he had severed, a spark of spiritual light suddenly flickered, then was forcefully shoved into the remaining standing undead by an invisible power.
That was…
A soul.
The essence had been mostly drained away by the evil god, leaving only the dregs of the soul.
The undead, having been purified by holy light, could not be used; however, these souls could still be recycled by the evil god.
Thus, the surplus souls were all stuffed into the few remaining undead bodies, transforming them into a repulsive monster that howled in unison with dozens of souls trapped within a single body.
…How environmentally friendly and resource-saving.
Mu En laughed in anger, addressing the moon:
“Do you want me to teach you how to say ‘how dare you?’”
The moon naturally did not respond.
Mu En pressed the anger directed at the silent moon into his blade, seamlessly alternating between the shadow step and thunderclap techniques, which he had unknowingly mastered to the highest level through continuous combat.
At the same time, the alchemical core behind him grew hot once more.
Time slowed, tenfold!
Everything in his field of vision became sluggish, and without hesitation, Mu En began to slice down the undead that had gradually morphed into monsters, one by one.
The number of undead dwindled, but Mu En’s pressure only grew.
As the remnants of souls piled up, those remaining undead could hardly still be called undead; their distorted bodies rendered them unrecognizable, and the pain that could not find redemption had transformed into a bone-deep hatred!
They roared as they lunged at Mu En, their twisted limbs swinging, easily capable of smashing the bluestone ground into depressions.
Each monster’s level had been forcibly pushed up by three tiers; facing the assault of these creatures, even a fully powered banshee would meet her end in despair.
Let alone Mu En, who, after continuous battles, was already feeling extremely fatigued, and facing these hellish monsters only intensified his urge to flee.
But.
Through the twisted gaps of that monster, his gaze fell upon the girl bathed in moonlight, her brows slightly furrowed.
Senior, are you having a nightmare?
Thud—
In that moment, a long sound echoed in Mu En’s ears.
Like a heart beating fiercely, or perhaps… the tolling of a bell!
Tenfold.
Twentyfold.
Thirtyfold.
The alchemical core, sculpted by the great archmage Meladomir, once again operated at maximum power, frantically squeezing every ounce of magic from within Mu En’s body.
Until.
…Sixtyfold!
Mu En seemed to forget Teacher Melara’s admonitions, directly slowing down time to the limit he could currently wield.
Then.
In a world that felt like a slow-motion scene, he urged his physical body onward.
Faster, even faster!
In just a moment.
The movements of the monsters suddenly froze.
They lowered their heads, a hint of confusion surfacing in their chaotic minds.
A scar appeared on the monster’s body.
A second.
A third.
…
Countless.
As if hundreds or thousands of blades struck the monsters simultaneously, the bright glimmers of the blades converged, blinding those who beheld them. A torrent of holy light surged in, and the deformed monsters barely had time to wail before they met their end.
Mu En found himself behind those monsters, finally… stepping onto the edge of the altar.
In the air, drops of blood fell.
But it was not the blood of the monsters; it was Mu En’s blood.
Just as Teacher Melara had warned, forcibly moving at full speed within the high-multiplier time dilation had easily pushed his physical limits.
But this breakthrough was not beneficial.
Thus, when Mu En stopped, a torrent of fresh blood gushed from his pores and cracked skin, transforming into a small rain of blood.
Yet this time, Mu En did not fall.
He stood at the edge of the altar, swaying slightly, with a spark of fire igniting in his eyes, continuously mending the injuries within him.
Then, he stepped forward, towards the girl, resolutely and powerfully, taking a step.
Buzz—
An invisible pressure instantly crushed down, the bone-chilling cold making Mu En feel as if he were deep beneath the ocean, thousands of meters below.
The high and mighty moon finally cast its indifferent gaze!
That terrifying stare made one feel insignificantly small, unable to suppress a desire to kneel.
Heh, still… unable to hold back, huh?
Mu En’s lips struggled to form a smile.
Without any hesitation, once again, he took a step forward.
Crack.
From noble mtl dot com
Mu En heard the sound of his bones breaking.
The immense pressure, like an endless dark tide, engulfed him, making it difficult to advance even an inch.
Even standing was a challenge; he could only force himself to bend low.
Beneath his feet, the shadow illuminated by the moonlight seemed to come alive, twisting upwards like the claws of a demon, as if wanting to completely devour him.
Mu En gritted his teeth.
Puff.
Crimson flames erupted, incinerating the shadow to ashes.
But… that was all.
The crimson flames, which usually swept through everything, were now confined by an invisible force around Mu En, flickering like a candle in the wind, fragile and ready to extinguish at any moment.
This was why Mu En hadn’t used the crimson flames to clear out the minions earlier; within the range illuminated by the moonlight, the crimson flames would be naturally suppressed, making it difficult to even spill out from his body.
Yet, even so, Mu En still… pressed on.
Another step.
Cracks like spider webs appeared beneath his feet, the sound of bones breaking and then being repaired by the crimson flames echoed incessantly.
The intense pain caused Mu En to break out in a cold sweat; under the pressure that felt like a mountain pressing down, he could only grit his teeth to keep from letting out a sound.
In his ears, he seemed to hear that faint, mocking laughter.
—What does it matter if you get rid of those lowly ants? You are still, after all, just a bug.
Mu En could clearly sense the disdain and ridicule in that cold gaze; even though he was only a few meters away from his senior, the Silent Moon did not kill him directly but instead gradually applied pressure, watching him slowly die in pain and despair.
Perhaps for the sinister amusement of the evil god, the Silent Moon might even spare Mu En’s life, allowing him to witness Anna becoming the vessel for its descent step by step.
This is the gap between humans and gods, an insurmountable divide.
You can only become a plaything to relieve Their boredom.
Despairing.
But with my senior right in front of me, how could I give up?
Mu En swayed unsteadily, preparing to move forward, recklessly challenging this chasm laid down by the deity Himself.
……
【Sigh…】
But just then, Mu En heard a familiar sigh.
The black book.
Mu En’s nearly murky eyes brightened, and he coughed up a mouthful of congealed blood, his consciousness sinking within.
“You really can’t sit still, can you?”
【I can’t help you with much.】
The black book flipped open, and these few words quickly appeared on the pages.
Mu En frowned slightly; then why did you suddenly show up…
【But】
The pages continued to turn.
【Curse Him】
“Ha, curse Him?”
Mu En was taken aback; from these words, he could tell that the so-called “Him” must refer to the Silent Moon.
But in this situation, to curse Him, is that wishing for a quicker death?
Or asking to die more painlessly?
“I just cursed Him a moment ago, and it didn’t seem to do much.” Mu En recalled his earlier foul words.
【Not just cursing】
The black book flipped again.
【You need to enrage Him】
“Enrage?”
Mu En’s thoughts stirred.
Though he didn’t know the black book’s intent, but…
“This is something I’m quite good at.”
……
Mu En suddenly stopped moving.
Under the increasingly suffocating pressure of the moon, he shifted to a comfortable position on the ground and then struggled to turn over.
He stared directly at the enormous blue moon that nearly filled his entire field of vision.
The moonlight fell like a drifting veil, and one had to admit, it was truly beautiful.
This was also the first time Mu En had examined this infamous evil god so carefully.
From an outward appearance, it was no different from an ordinary moon—just a bit larger and a bit bluer.
But Mu En knew that this was not its true form; even this bright moon was likely just a projection of its descent here.
Yet, even such a projection forced Mu En to exhaust all his means, nearly plunging him into despair.
“Speaking of which, every time I go around in circles, I have to face you damned evil gods.”
Mu En smiled slightly.
“So, could you die for a moment, you b*stard evil god?”
“Too scared, are you? Coward?”
“Hehe, that one’s followers have been silent all along, clearly accumulating strength, but you, out of fear of the divine war, not only throw projections everywhere but even go so far as to abandon your divine body and status, relying on your descent to evade that one. Others say the love god is the shame of evil gods, but I think you’re even more embarrassing.”
“Being this cowardly, wouldn’t it be better to hide back in your mother’s arms and drink milk?”
“……”
The moonlight was cold and silent.
Only the increasingly heavy pressure made Mu En’s expression slightly distorted.
“It seems this won’t do.”
After all, it was an evil god.
His words probably meant nothing to it, akin to the whispers of ants, and it wouldn’t care at all.
Time to unleash a big move.
“[Prayer]”
The world suddenly quieted down, leaving only Mu En’s solemn voice of prayer.
“[With my secret, I seek a moment of attentive listening from the great Silent Moon.]”
Mu En could feel that cold, indifferent gaze upon him solidifying a bit, as if the evil god was truly intrigued by his strange prayer and was listening.
Seeing this, a mad curve suddenly formed at the corner of Mu En’s mouth.
This was really playing with fire.
No, from the moment he stepped in here, he had been playing with fire.
Since that was the case, what was there to be afraid of?
“My secret is…”
Mu En gazed at the moon, speaking slowly, word by word:
“Let the King of Withering launch an all-out attack on the Silent Moon, the source that reveals its weaknesses to the King of Withering…
— it is I.”
……
In an instant.
The blue moon trembled!
Mu En’s eyes suddenly stung with pain.
On that enormous bright moon, a vast tide of darkness surged forth, swiftly covering the entire moon.
Then, amidst that black tide, countless scarlet pupils abruptly opened, casting venomous glances at Mu En.
As an evil god, the Silent Moon could naturally discern the truth of Mu En’s words.
So.
How dare you?!
You, an ant, how dare you?!!
The death warning in Mu En’s mind buzzed like a disturbed hornet’s nest, frantically humming.
The void suddenly twisted; unlike the gentle pressure from before, this time it symbolized a devastating strike from an evil god, descending amidst endless madness and fury!
Crash……
The sound of turning pages echoed in Mu En’s ears, a ghostly light rising up, colliding fiercely with that devastating blow.
Like two waves meeting, no terrifying ripples emerged, yet it was as if countless bubbles had burst, tearing the space with streaks of pitch-black marks, the two forces annihilating each other, ultimately returning to nothingness.
The black book trembled slightly, as if struck by something heavy, its surrounding ghostly light dimming instantly, then transforming into a stream of light, retreating deep into Mu En’s consciousness.
“Wait.”
Seeing this, Mu En’s lips twitched.
“If you block it, there will be no follow-up, but for the Silent Moon…”
Clearly just an ordinary strike.
Mu En didn’t have time to finish his thought, for the destructive wave from that grotesque blue moon had already begun to gather, about to descend.
It’s over.
Mu En’s face turned pale; facing an enraged evil god, no matter how powerful his external aid, there was no chance of turning the tide now.
He could only wait for death…
……
Ding—
But at that moment, in the endless silence shrouded by moonlight, Mu En heard a crisp, light chime.
So Clear
He suddenly widened his eyes, looking in the direction from which the sound came.
Senior.
No, it should be said, the senior’s chest.
A tear-shaped gemstone, so familiar to Mu En, was slowly floating upwards at this moment, radiating a brilliant light.
“That is…”
Tears of True Love.
At this moment, the gemstone known as Tears of True Love trembled slightly, and phantoms began to appear, sweeping past Mu En’s eyes.
They were countless figures, vaguely dressed in ancient attire that did not belong to this era, gazing up at something in the gradually brightening firelight.
They were looking up at a girl, a girl who was struggling in agony on a pyre.
The girl’s serpent tail writhed, looking like a monster.
The boy’s phantom, standing at the very front and closest to the girl, suddenly shed tears.
He turned his head and said something to Mu En.
Mu En could not understand his words; they were ancient and obscure, belonging to no language that Mu En could comprehend.
The boy shook his head helplessly, reaching out and pointing to Anna.
Mu En suddenly staggered, as if pushed by something, instantly crossing the remaining few meters to Anna’s side.
Seeing this, the boy smiled.
He suddenly looked up.
Countless phantoms also looked up at the same time.
All gazing at the pale blue moon, filled with deep-seated hatred.
“Iso…”
These two words appeared in Mu En’s mind.
This was the name that had come from Teacher Meila’s mouth, possibly due to the method of curing the serpent transformation disease, which had brought destruction upon a remote small country by the Silent Moon.
“Is that so?”
Combining the name of the gemstone, Tears of True Love, with what the senior had said earlier, how could Mu En not realize that the gemstone actually had a special ability to suppress the serpent transformation disease?
Two hundred years ago, the country destroyed by the evil god did not only leave behind records of the treatment for the serpent transformation disease.
They also left behind a seed of revenge.
And at this moment, as Mu En attracted all the attention of the Silent Moon, even momentarily relinquishing its erosion and suppression of Anna, this seed seized the opportunity and sprouted in an instant.
Transforming into… a backstab from two hundred years ago!
Thus, countless figures filled with hatred transformed into flowing light, surging toward that pale blue moon!
The silent roar of the Quiet Moon, its crimson eyes fierce yet still indifferent.
What can a group of restless souls do to it?
But perhaps even the Quiet Moon did not expect that those fleeting lights did not attack it.
Instead…
They converged into a barrier.
A barrier that could isolate the Quiet Moon from all its powers.
Yet even this barrier, which gathered the hatred of tens of thousands, under the power of the dark god, would probably only be able to last for a moment.
A moment is enough.
“I told you, being bitten by bugs can be really painful!”
Mu En laughed heartily, and as he laughed, endless flames and light erupted from within him.
The crimson flames that had been suppressed by the Quiet Moon were now unbound, surging forth from his body, illuminating this dark space where no moonlight fell, bright… like a lighthouse!
A lighthouse bright enough to guide some existence in the void… a lighthouse!
“So, it’s your turn to make an appearance.”
“King of Withering!!!”
PS: Originally planned to be a three-in-one, but while typing, the power suddenly went out. Fortunately, I managed to recover the draft, but there’s no time to type another chapter.
So, good night, see you tomorrow.