STNS: Chapter 378 (Patreon)

Fighting against his brother was not going to be easy. They were inside of an enclosed space, Jian Wu was also present, and hiding within the room was a still unconscious Huo Yulie. What if they began fighting and a stray attack hit one of them? Huo Yulie might be fine since she was immune to fire, but Jian Wu could die, especially in his currently weakened state.

[Empyrion Dance]

Chi burst from Huǒ Pànguó as fire swirled around his left hand, many flaming threads like strands of a phoenix’s plumage appearing within his grasp. They moved around like serpents as Huǒ Pànguó lashed out. Huo Shuchang blocked each thread with his fists. The fire didn’t hurt, but the impact of each attack rattled him.

What should I do? How can I win?

Huo Shuchang had no idea how to defeat his brother. He had already experienced failure during the tournament. He had tried so hard to get enough power to defeat his older brother, only for it to all end in a horrible defeat. This was how it had always been. He was always chasing after his brother, trying to step out of the man’s shadow, and yet no matter how much he trained or how hard he tried, it never amounted to anything.

[Phoenix Wave]

Channeling his chi, Huo Shuchang made a sweeping gesture, sending forth a wave of blazing hot flames that took the shape of a majestic bird in flight. Huǒ Pànguó clicked his tongue and swung his hand upward, chopping the bird in half, but that was only a distraction and Huo Shuchang quickly closed the distance between them during that time. He threw out a punch that surprisingly caught his older brother in the face. The man stumbled back in shock. Huo Shuchang was shocked as well, but he didn’t let up and threw another one.

“Why?!” He screamed as he punched his older brother. “Why did you team up with that man?! Why did you join forces with an assassin?! Someone from a dark guild!”

He threw another punch, but Huǒ Pànguó caught it in his hand. Huo Shuchang only had enough time to widen his eyes before a fist found its way into his gut. He gasped in agonic asphyxiation as the air was driven from his lungs and stumbled back.

“Shut up, Shuchang! You wouldn’t understand!”

With a furious roar, Huǒ Pànguó threw another punch that caught Huo Shuchang in the chest, making him stagger further.

“You don’t know what it’s like to try so hard only to realize you’ll never be good enough!”

Huǒ Pànguó drew his fist back for another punch, but Huo Shuchang leaned back, planted a hand on the ground, and kicked his brothers in the stomach. The elder brother doubled over and took several steps back as Huo Shuchang came back up.

“The hell I don’t?! I understand that perfectly well! After all, you’ve always been better than me! I’ve never been good enough compared to you!”

This was no longer a battle between cultivators. No techniques were used, there was no style and no grace. It was just two brothers beating the crap out of each other with fists and feet.

Huo Shuchang grabbed Huǒ Pànguó by the head and slammed his older brother’s face into his knee. The loud crunching sound that echoed around them let him know his brother’s nose was broken. He briefly wondered why his brother wasn’t fighting with his overwhelming powers, but those thoughts left him when Huǒ Pànguó rammed the top of his head into the underside of Huo Shuchang’s chin.

“I tried so hard to get Father to notice me!”

Punch! Huǒ Pànguó slammed his fist into Huo Shuchang’s face.

“To acknowledge me!”

Kick! He planted a stomach into his younger brother’s gut.

“And for what? It’s never amounted to anything! He only ever looks at Yulie! He’s never once acknowledged my existence!”

Punch! Kick! Punch! Throwing a combination of attacks, Huǒ Pànguó staggered Huo Shuchang, who was unable to keep up with his older brother’s relentless assault. Each word was punctuated by an attack that contained all the rage and anger Huǒ Pànguó felt. His fists were like stakes driving words of despair straight into Huo Shuchang’s brain.

Not that he was going to put up with it.

“Who cares about that man?!”

An elbow to the face caused Huǒ Pànguó to stagger.

“What has he ever done for us aside from provide a roof over our heads?!”

Huo Shuchang’s foot connected with Huǒ Pànguó’s shin and the older man tumbled to his knees.

“He’s never done anything! He never has a kind word! He’s never once encouraged anyone! He doesn’t even acknowledge our sister! She’s just a useful tool! Why else would he kept her locked up in the sanctum for so long!”

Huo Shuchang spun around and launched a powerful reverse heel kick that caught his older brother in the temple; Huǒ Pànguó spun like a top before striking the ground hard. He rolled onto his back as Huo Shuchang glared at him with tears of frustration in his eyes.

“That man isn’t a father. He’s just a sperm donor. He’ll never acknowledge anyone… but I’ve always acknowledged you. You have been my goal for all these years! I wanted to be like you, I wanted to surpass you! So why? Why are you wasting your time on a man who only sees his family as tools instead of the people who are actually paying attention to you?!”

This was the first time Huo Shuchang had ever been able to let out his raw feelings like this. He had kept them bottled up inside of him for so long.

“Ah…”

Huǒ Pànguó stared at Huo Shuchang like it was the first time he had ever really seen him. Had his older brother ever actually looked at him before, truly looked at him?

“Father refuses to acknowledge anyone. In that case, you should focus on the people who actually do acknowledge you,” Huo Shuchang said, holding out his hand. Huǒ Pànguó hesitated, then grabbed the outstretched hand and allowed his brother to pull him up.

***

Wu Jian stood beside the growling Youmei, eyes darting all around as he kept his senses peeled. He couldn’t see Shen Yunhai at all. The man had blended into the shadows, becoming completely invisible. Fortunately, Youmei could sense him.

With a howl, Youmei launched several shadows at something that he couldn’t perceive, and Wu Jian spun around and swung Pale Moon, firing off a spatial blade that sliced through the area. Shen Yunhai was forced to become visible again and backed off. He tried to go back into the shadows, but Wu Jian had no intention of letting that happen.

“YOUMEI!”

“GRRRRR!”

Youmei manipulated the shadows around Shen Yunhai, temporarily disrupting his ability to enter them, and Wu Jian used that split second to close the distance between them. He didn’t have much strength left. The pill that bolstered his chi would also lose its effects soon, and then he’d be in an even worse position than before. Wu Jian didn’t delude himself into thinking he could win. He just wanted to hold on long enough for Huo Shuchang to help him.

Sparks flew as Wu Jian’s sword met his opponent’s dagger. Despite being weakened, he was still strong enough that his attack caused Shen Yunhai to slide backward along the ground. Wu Jian took a step back, spun, and attacked from a different angle, though the result was the same. His attack was blocked, and this time, Shen Yunhai parried his sword.

A sharp pain lanced his cheek as his enemy thrust the dagger in his face.

“You’ve got quick reflexes, but not quick enough,” Shen Yunhai said with a grin. “That dagger is coated with a lethal poison to anyone under the Deva Realm. Well, you’re at the Deva Realm, so it won’t kill you right away, but… you’re currently weakened, aren’t you? I can barely feel your chi. I wonder how long you’ll last in such a weakened state.”

“You talk too much.”

Wu Jian swung Pale Moon and Shen Yunhai backed up, only to trip when Youmei entangled his legs in shadows. Wu Jian would have used that opportunity to attack. He took out a pill and popped it into his mouth instead. It was an antidote. Zhou Lihua had made it and several other pills for him before leaving. This one couldn’t neutralize poison, but it slowed down the progression of any poison.

Unfortunately, that was all he had time for. Shen Yunhai got back up and finally disappeared into the shadows. Wu Jian was about to rely on Youmei’s senses once more.

[Crimson Coil]

There was no need for Youmei, however, as several tendrils filled with malevolence attacked Wu Jian. He had already seen these once. These tendrils coiled around their foe and drained them of their vitality. He was already weak enough as it was. He could not afford to let these things touch him.

[Nihility]

Wu Jian squeezed out what chi he had left to activate his attack. Youmei had already found Shen Yunhai and sent tendrils at him, so he rushed forward and swung Pale Moon with all his might. The sword cleaved through the cavern wall like it was made of butter, but he didn’t feel the resistance that came from slicing through flesh and bone.

“MASTER!! BEHIND YOU!!”

Pain pierced him before he had time to react to Youmei’s warning. He grimaced and looked down at three dagger piercing his side. It was embedded up to the hilt in his torso, an expanding stain of crimson spreading out amongst his clothes. Wu Jian reached down to grab it, but something kicked him in the side and he was sent plummeting to the ground. He managed to roll out of the way as a foot tried to stomp on his face. However, that was about all he could do.

“You really are talented, you know. You’ve got a high level of cultivation despite your age, your physical strength is impressive, and you’ve got sharp reflexes. It’s too bad you met me. Oh, don’t worry. I’m not going to kill you. That wasn’t in my job description. Right. I should mention this as well. That poison in you right now? It's paralytic. I lied about it being deadly. Aren’t you lucky?”

Job description…?

Wu Jian struggled to comprehend the words coming out of this man’s mouth. He glared up as Shen Yunhai leered down at him.

“Now… let’s see where Huo Yulie is. I was ordered to capture you alive, but my employer wants her gone.”

What…?

So whoever hired Shen Yunhai had requested that he capture Wu Jian and kill Huo Yulie? For what reason though? Why did he want to kill her?

“I don’t think so.”

Before Yun Shenhai could truly begin his search, a burst of seering hot flames attempted to wash over him. He leapt back, away from Wu Jian and closer to the middle of the cavern.

[Phoenix Feather Rain]

Chi surged and fire burst into existence like paper lanterns floating in the sky. The flames took the shape of feathers that gently floated around Shen Yunhai. One touched the ground by his feet and exploded, the searing heat washing over them. It sadly didn’t hurt Shen Yunhai, who leapt back and cut through the flames with a black tendril that extended from his dagger.

While Shen Yunhai was forced to back off, Youmei appeared from within Wu Jian’s shadow and began fretting over his wound.

“Master! Are you okay? Youmei… Youmei is so sorry!”

“I’m fine…” Wu Jian mumbled, though he was too tired to say anything else.

“So you’ve decided to betray me, Huǒ Pànguó?” asked Shen Yunhai. “You realize what this means, don’t you? You have nowhere to go after attacking Huo Yulie. Your father won’t let you off the hook.”

“Shut up,” Hup Shuchang snapped. He and Huǒ Pànguó stood before Wu Jian. “That shit won’t work anymore. The only people who even know about what happened are us. So long as we kill you, no one needs to know about what happened in this realm.”

“I won’t let myself be used by the likes of you,” Huǒ Pànguó added.

“Tch. I see you’re not as dumb as I thought.” With a click of his tongue, Shen Yunhai slid his feet across the ground and entered a combat stance. “I was gonna kill you once my task was complete anyway, but I guess I’ll just kill you now.”