Chapter 167: The Ten-Day Pact

Dust turns to clay, candles fade away. How many times can the autumn leaves evoke our fond longing? The moon in the mirror, the flower in the water. A single grain of sand in the vast sea, washed by the waves! Of all things, infatuation brings the deepest pain; where shall the wanderer return tonight? Unable to let go, all worldly glamor is merely a dream. Mutual oblivion, yet meeting again only to pass as strangers. Flowers wither of their own accord, yet spring still returns; the rain falls in silence as I yearn for my beloved.

Suddenly, the Kui Ba appeared to be violently hurled outward, crashing into the earth with a thunderous boom. A massive crater was blasted into the ground, yet the creature scrambled up instantly, fleeing into the distance without even casting a glance behind.

The beast was terrified. The Corpse King's might was truly formidable, powerful enough to send this dreaded Kui Ba running for its life! Seeing the creature about to escape, I rushed forward to pursue it, but the Corpse King suddenly materialized beside me, extending an arm to bar my way: "Do not chase a desperate enemy!"

Watching the retreating figure of the Kui Ba gradually vanish into the distance, I let out a soft sigh: "Why did my Corpse Brother not let me pursue and capture it? To let a tiger return to the mountains leaves endless troubles for the future!"

The Corpse King suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and said to me, "Just now, that Kui Ba and I exchanged over a hundred blows. I have already shattered its necrotic aura; without half a month, it will never recover. I, too, have sustained internal injuries and fear I must return to seclusion once more. In ten days, I shall come for you, and we shall find a way to annihilate the Kui Ba in a single stroke!"

In the span of a mere minute, the Corpse King had traded over a hundred strikes with the Kui Ba, yet I had witnessed none of it, purely because their movements were too blindingly swift. Even with my three-and-a-half-star cultivation, I could not capture their traces. Since the Corpse King had spoken thus, I had no choice but to agree. Cupping my fists, I said, "Take care of yourself, Corpse Brother. I know not where your dwelling is; in ten days, my younger brother shall come to seek you."

The Corpse King raised a hand to cut off my words: "I have no fixed abode. I will find you."

I had no idea where I would find myself in ten days—whether in the Valley of Oblivion, the World Alliance, or Phoenix Blue City. It seemed more prudent to set a rendezvous. I told the Corpse King, "Fair enough, I am likewise a wanderer with no permanent home. Let us do this: in ten days, let us meet at the gates of the World Alliance City."

The Corpse King nodded, then sank directly into the ground, departing via earth-shuttling arts. Now that the Kui Ba had escaped and Chu Jun's corpse had vanished, I felt I still needed to make a trip to the World Alliance. If I encountered Chu Jun, I would slay him outright; if not, I would use force to subjugate the soldiers of the World Alliance and compel them to serve me.

I turned to Pomegranate and asked, "Would Brother Pomegranate care to accompany us into the city for a couple of drinks?"

Pomegranate looked quite spirited now; I figured his stamina had recovered by at least half. From noon until now, a full two hours had passed. The setting sun was dipping below the horizon. Pomegranate straightened his disheveled garments and replied, "There will be plenty of time for that in the future. This brother still has matters to attend to; let us make it another time."

Pomegranate seemed to prefer his own company. Through our few encounters, I had gradually come to understand his temperament. To call him a mere mortal was far less accurate than calling him a celestial being. He was somewhat introverted by nature, yet the sort of friend who would readily bare his chest and shed blood for you! Hearing that he intended to leave, Qin Tian and I felt a faint pang of disappointment. Time and again, he had come to our rescue, yet we had never even treated him to a cup of wine!

Qin Tian preempted me, stepping forward to say, "Brother Pomegranate, there were misunderstandings between us in the past. Let us wipe the slate clean today and share a couple of drinks with us brothers, how about it?"

Pomegranate shook his head. "Let us gather another day. I, too, must enter seclusion to cultivate." With that, he made to leave, but Qin Tian reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

"Do not be in such a rush to leave, Brother Pomegranate. To be honest, there is a favor we wish to ask of you." Qin Tian retrieved a pack of cigarettes from his spatial ring, handed me one, lit it, and continued. Unsure of what scheme Qin Tian was hatching this time, I puffed on my cigarette and listened as he spoke in a leisurely tone.

Pomegranate turned around and asked, "What is it? Speak."

"There is a steamed bun shop in the World Alliance, and we suspect the proprietress of that establishment is hiding something," Qin Tian said, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

"Who is the proprietress?" Pomegranate asked in bewilderment. I could not help laughing out loud. Pomegranate was clearly unfamiliar with the modern vernacular term. Upon reflection, it made sense; since we were currently in another realm, we ought to communicate in classical phrasing.

I explained to Pomegranate, "What I mean is the manager of that steamed bun shop. We suspect that there is something amiss with the buns sold there, so we would like to invite Brother Pomegranate to accompany us and investigate." My desire to treat him to drinks was genuine, but more importantly, I wanted to take this opportunity to understand what kind of person Pomegranate truly was. I could not believe that anyone in this world would repeatedly risk their life for a complete stranger without reason.

Pomegranate nodded slightly in sudden comprehension. "I must return before the hour of Zi. Since the two of you insist that I accompany you, I shall make this trip with you."

Hearing Pomegranate agree to come along, my face split into a wide grin. Let's see if I can't drink you under the table this time! With our plans settled, the three of us sped toward the World Alliance. The sun had already set, and darkness was beginning to enshroud the earth. I took the lead, running at the very front. My three-and-a-half-star cultivation was no mere boast! I felt light as a feather, moving at an unimaginably dizzying speed. The surrounding scenery rushed backward in a blur, leaving Pomegranate and Qin Tian far behind in my dust. Qin Tian shouted loudly from behind, telling me to wait up, but I turned a deaf ear and continued sprinting with all my might. Having surpassed both Qin Tian and Pomegranate in strength, a swelling sense of achievement welled up within me. Yet I knew I needed to push my limits further; my current strength was still insufficient. There are heavens beyond the heavens!

Perhaps I was already capable of setting foot on the Nether Ruins Star. If Chu Jun, with merely three-star strength, could ascend to the Nether Ruins Star, surely I could as well. However, the affairs of the World Alliance remained unresolved: the bun shop had to be investigated, and the demon fox had to be rescued! In truth, I could have completely ignored these matters. Yet, having served as a police officer for several years, I always felt an innate drive: wherever there was injustice, there I must be. To serve the people was a traditional virtue every police officer should uphold. Even though I was no longer an officer, my conscience would not let it rest if I simply turned a blind eye!

Qin Tian was still calling out to me from behind. I glanced back and saw that Pomegranate was trailing at the very rear, while Qin Tian had actually overtaken him. This discovery shocked me profoundly. Pomegranate possessed three-star strength, whereas Qin Tian was only at the two-and-a-half-star level, and a mortal at that—how could he run faster than a celestial being? Baffled, I figured perhaps Pomegranate's primordial energy had not yet fully recovered. According to Pomegranate, the energy within mortals was called true qi, the energy within celestials was termed primordial energy, and the energy within malevolent entities was known as demonic aura.

The night grew deeper. The massive fortress of the World Alliance loomed indistinctly ahead, shrouded in the encroaching darkness. I came to a halt to wait for Pomegranate and Qin Tian. After a long while, neither of them appeared. Turning back to look, I found their figures entirely missing. Fearing that something might have happened to them, I hurried back to retrace my steps. I had only walked a few paces when I spotted their two silhouettes beside a dense patch of tall weeds, staring motionlessly into the thicket.