Chapter 87: Me, Avoiding His Edge?

Chapter 87: Am I evading his blade?

Three kilometers downstream of Yuqing Prefecture, near Guniu Prefecture.

Xu Lie, who had just swum ashore from the water, staggered along the muddy riverbank, beside him was Zhou Yan, equally dazed and dispirited.

Just a few minutes earlier, Zhou Yan had escorted him onto the ship of the Machine God Sect, intending to give him final advice before he left Huangshi and returned to Beiping; neither could have imagined that this thoughtless act would unexpectedly allow both of them to survive that terrifying divine punishment.

When the blinding light flashed, for a moment Xu Lie thought the Machine God Sect's fools had detonated some explosives.

But he quickly realized that this explosion was unlike any he had witnessed before.

A deafening roar, an intense light that no outstretched arm could block, a powerful shockwave that tossed the steamship into towering waves, and air as hot as boiling.

The sun rose over Yuqing Prefecture, its unparalleled power having already destroyed everything there.

After the flash subsided, Xu Lie, who had been flung into the water, still tried to search for any sign of survivors.

But he horrifiedly discovered that there was no trace of life left.

Even the invincible warship 'Blade Sea' flagship had vanished completely, leaving no trace.

Xu Lie did not know where they had gone; his over twenty years of experience told him that no matter how severe the accident or how powerful the explosion, it could not vaporize a massive ship out of thin air.

Yet the facts lay plain before his eyes.

He simply could not believe it.

He would rather believe it was a nightmare, or an illusion and deception crafted by those mimetic heretics.

So, even though the fear in his heart was nearly uncontainable, he still felt compelled to go there and see for himself.

He had to return to Yuqing Prefecture, find any survivors, and ask what had happened.

——

Even if this truly is a disaster, surely someone must still be alive, right?

He instinctively glanced at Zhou Yan beside him, hoping to draw some comfort from the exalted overseer.

Yet the fear in his eyes was no less than his own.

"Overseer sir."

Xu Lie spoke with a bitter expression, then continued to ask:

"What is that?"

Zhou Yan shook his head blankly, his steps already beginning to stagger.

He could not answer.

Because he had never seen such a thing.

Let alone having seen it, he had never even heard of anything like this existing!

The terrifying explosion that annihilated everything in an instant, this sight was like the divine punishment of legend.

——

Even the wisest elder of the Hall of Holy Blood could not possibly depict such a scene of divine retribution.

A fear that pierced to the marrow had completely taken hold of him, and he suddenly realized that the so‑called holy blood flowing in his veins was virtually insignificant before such power.

But where exactly did this divine punishment come from?

Those mimetic heretics??

Zhou Yan could not help but shiver.

The fear, anxiety, and doubt in his heart grew ever heavier, and he even wanted to turn and flee outright.

But he could not leave.

At the very least, he needed to know what had happened here.

Otherwise, even if he returned to Beiping, the Holy Father's wrath would utterly overwhelm him.

Zhou Yan forced his already slightly trembling body to press on; Yuqing Prefecture was now near.

And when he lifted his gaze to where the Machine God Sect's artillery emplacement had been, an even more horrifying sight appeared before him.

All the heavy, massive, impregnable cannons had melted, flowing across the ground like twisted corpses.

The trees had been swept clean away, leaving only scorched earth.

No one remained.

No one could have survived here.

A great unease enveloped Zhou Yan, and he almost without hesitation turned and ran wildly, trying to escape this hell‑like scene.

——

But the next second, he felt his body suddenly grow lighter.

When he tried to plant his feet on the ground, there was nothing there.

Zhou Yan stared back in horror, the violent gunfire arriving belatedly.

Xu Lie, who had been at his side, likewise lay fallen; the few guards of the Elite Guard had no time to react before bullets pierced their armor.

They have come!

Zhou Yan struggled forward on his hands and knees, knowing who had arrived.

Heretics!

They are still alive! They did not perish in the divine punishment!

And now they emerged like demons from hell, intending to ride the aftermath of the divine punishment to reap every living thing on this land!

Zhou Yan looked ahead in terror, and moments later, through the smoke‑filled embers of the blaze, several figures stepped forward.

"It is you, it is you who have brought down the divine punishment."

He instinctively reached for his weapon, only to realize that his long‑held position of authority had stripped him of his combat instincts.

Devoid of any weapon, he even tried to grab a handful of riverbank mud and fling it at them, as if to ward off a death‑seeking specter.

Chen Jian watched his actions with a wry smile, raised his hand, and fired a shot that shattered his shoulder completely.

Then he stepped before Zhou Yan, glanced at the fallen Xu Lie beside him, shook his head, and said:

"I never expected to run into you here."

"I thought you had died in the blast, or perhaps never came at all."

Xu Lie, riddled with bullets, spat out a mouthful of blood and coughed as he spoke:

"Chen—cough—Chen Jian"

"You cannot kill him; he is the overseer of the Hall of Holy Blood."

"To kill him is to make an enemy of the Hall of Holy Blood."

Chen Jian nodded and replied:

"I will not kill him—for now."

“Because I have some questions for you.”

“Xu Lie, you start, you answer.”

“What is mimetic heresy?”

Xu Lie's eyes widened, then he immediately replied:

“It’s a misunderstanding! You’re not mimetic heretics; we got it wrong.”

“Mimetic heresy is a plague on this land; we only wanted to stop it before disaster struck!”

“We can explain; we can cooperate.”

“Bang!”

Chen Jian pulled the trigger.

The bullet struck Xu Lie squarely in the forehead; the 7.62mm round blew his skull apart, and even if a Holy Blooded one’s physique were superhuman, there was absolutely no chance of survival.

“Wrong answer.”

Chen Jian turned to Zhou Yan beside him and continued:

“Now it’s your turn.”

“Don’t waste my time.”

A few minutes later, Zhou Yan’s head exploded just like Xu Lie’s on the riverbank.

But this time, Chen Jian got the information he wanted.

It wasn’t much, nor was it detailed.

But at least, the truth about mimetic heresy was no longer a vague “legend.”

Gazing at the two corpses, Li Shi, who had always been at Chen Jian’s side, suddenly spoke:

“It seems we really shouldn’t have killed him.”

“The overseer is dead; the Holy Blood Hall will certainly send many to investigate.”

“That would be troublesome; we’ve just finished a battle, we should steer clear of them.”

“What’s that word? ‘Temporarily avoid the sharp edge’?”

After Li Shi finished speaking, Chen Jian chuckled and said:

“I really don’t know whether to call you naïve or dull.”

“Killing them wasn’t about venting anger; I don’t hate any of them—it’s simply that they had to die.”

“If the Holy Blood Hall wants to come, let them come.”

“I should avoid their sharp edge?”

“Why don’t you ask if they’re afraid of me?”

(End of chapter)