Chapter 28: The Golden Warrior

My grandmaster once said, "In any case, we are all going to die; there is no harm in going to see it. That is my opinion; whether you listen or not is up to you."

Back when he was wall-gazing and repenting at the Peach Blossom Temple's Cliff of Reflection, facing his own impending death, he had thought his grandmaster was talking complete nonsense. Now, living a second life, he found it was indeed just as his grandmaster had said—since he was going to die anyway, there was no harm in going to take a look.

However, before he went, he had better resolve these lingering worries one by one.

He hoped that time might slow down, or that his pace of moving forward might quicken.

"In a few years, I want to go and see the Mountain of Ten Thousand Demons," Lin Chen said after a moment of hesitation, speaking to Xie Mengmeng.

Xie Mengmeng remained silent for a long time before murmuring, "When you go, let me know. I will go with you."

"Your grand ambition might not be achievable at the Mountain of Ten Thousand Demons," Lin Chen teased.

"Actually, it is not impossible. There is no harm in trying," Xie Mengmeng said, smiling secretly as she spoke.

Lin Chen could feel her body trembling slightly from her suppressed laughter, and at the same time, he inexplicably found strange and distorted images flashing through his mind. He grinned in response and said, "Then your capacity to endure is truly beyond the average person."

"Giggle," Xie Mengmeng laughed, her frame shaking like a flower in the wind.

Just then, the sound of hooves came from behind, followed by a cold, crisp voice: "Vile enchantress, stop hurting people!"

Xie Mengmeng rolled her eyes and snapped, "You lunatic, why are you so persistent? Is there no end to this?"

"Lin Chen, she is an enchantress of the Joyous Union Sect. Hurry up and get away from her!" Yan Ruyu warned.

As Lin Chen was about to speak, Xie Mengmeng held onto him even tighter. An inexplicable rage surged in Yan Ruyu's heart, and she shouted sternly, "Enchantress, he is just a child! How can you be so vicious?"

"Hmph! As if it's any of your business. You are just a small-minded person who doesn't distinguish right from wrong, playing the good guy here," Xie Mengmeng retorted, her words cutting deep.

Yan Ruyu was left momentarily speechless: "You—you... you are simply twisting logic! You killed the disciples of my Yaoguang Sacred Land, and you still have the face to quibble here?"

"Quibble? Why would I need to quibble? You should go and investigate what kind of heaven-defying, resentment-inducing things your junior brothers did before you come preaching your sanctimonious morals to me," Xie Mengmeng said coldly.

"Um, the two of you, I have something to say, though I don't know if I should," Lin Chen said timidly.

A cold glint shone in Yan Ruyu's eyes as she said coldly, "Don't you worry. If this enchantress dares to harm you, I will definitely make her pay with her life."

Lin Chen groaned inwardly. Xie Mengmeng had never intended to harm him in the first place. If they kept quarreling like this, in a fit of rage, he might truly end up as the collateral damage. Besides, he was going to die anyway—was it really that important to make someone pay with their life?

So, he immediately explained, "Lady Yan, I think you may have misunderstood her. As far as I know, the people she has harmed were generally not good people."

"Lin Chen, don't be bewitched by this enchantress. Do you know? She pretended to be a new disciple to enter our Yaoguang Sacred Land and deceived twenty disciples, using them as nourishment for her cultivation," Yan Ruyu told Lin Chen earnestly, listing Xie Mengmeng's various evil deeds.

"Lin Chen, why are you bothering with this lunatic? Let's go," Xie Mengmeng said, slapping the old donkey.

Just as the donkey, feeling the pain, was about to move forward, a biting sword aura from Yan Ruyu forced it to stop. Seeing this, Xie Mengmeng whispered in Lin Chen's ear, "Wait for me at the Yuelai Inn in Jinxiu City. I will shake her off."

Before she finished speaking, she vaulted off the donkey's back, intentionally distancing herself from Lin Chen. A cold light flashed in her eyes as she said in a low voice, "You dead lunatic, let's see if I don't beat you to death today."

Simultaneously, she struck a palm toward Yan Ruyu with immense, overwhelming force. The latter formed a hand seal, and a giant sword hung in mid-air. She shouted: "Executioner Sword, strike!"

The palm imprint was shattered into pieces. The power of this strike distorted the void, and the shockwaves of the fierce sword aura made the earth tremble. She truly lived up to her reputation as the strongest young prodigy of the age; this strike made even Xie Mengmeng feel a chill of fear.

Nearby, Lin Chen was pressed so hard he was nearly forced to his knees, but his negligible pride would not allow him to kneel. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and with a pained expression, he used his hands and feet to crawl further away, attempting to alleviate the immense pressure.

Xie Mengmeng gave a light shout: "Soft-Bone Palm!"

Following her command, a massive palm imprint surged from the ground toward the giant sword above. The sword and the giant palm collided, emitting a sharp, ear-piercing sonic boom.

BOOM!

At the same time, a shockwave rippled outwards like a monstrous tidal wave. Lin Chen, in a flurry, scrambled to take out his Golden House and placed it in front of him, struggling to crawl inside. If he were hit by the aftermath of these two, he would likely perish on the spot.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The sounds of the shockwaves slamming against the Golden House rang out, followed by a violent, earth-shattering vibration.

*Pfft!*

After tumbling a few times, he spat out blood, his face turning deathly pale. The blood flowed down the wall onto the floor. It was inexplicably drawn to a single point, and the next moment, a golden light shot up from the roof of the Golden House.

A warrior in golden armor appeared, stepping on the Golden House to hold it firmly in place on the ground. He stood straight as a war god, watching the two women. Yet, simply by standing there, he caused the surrounding shockwaves to dissipate instantly.

Inside, Lin Chen had no idea what was happening outside. He got up clumsily, wiped the blood from his mouth, and sat cross-legged to regulate his injuries.

After a long time, seeing that the Golden House had ceased its reaction, he walked out cautiously.

Just as Lin Chen stepped out, a voice came from the roof: "Master, do not wander around. Be careful of being accidentally injured."

"Master? What the hell?" Lin Chen muttered, looking up.

What met his eyes was a shimmering golden figure—the person was made entirely of gold, from his teeth and eyes to his hair. To be precise, the person was gold inside and out. His mouth opened and closed as he spoke, and his golden hair fluttered in the cold wind.

Lin Chen thought for a moment and murmured, "If Old Huang saw this, his eyes would light up with greed."

He then said unhurriedly, "Uh, little golden man, do you have a way to stop them from fighting?"

The golden-armored warrior ignored the form of address and replied coldly, "I can!"

Before he finished speaking, he reached out and grabbed at the void with clean, swift movements. Two giant hands instantly appeared behind the two women.

The women, who were in the heat of battle, had no idea what was happening before they were firmly gripped and rendered unable to move an inch. Yet, they both glared at each other, cursing with fury. Xie Mengmeng had completely forgotten about the Yuelai Inn. At this moment, she only wanted to kill the woman who was as persistent as a plaster.