The arrow, once loosed, cannot be recalled.
The moment Bai Jie loosed that arrow, Ge Chun knew.
Today was destined for a bloody battle.
It was either the enemy's death, or his own.
His voice echoed through the heavens and earth.
Yet, the demonic tribes of Pingwang Mountain offered no response.
Only a few hundred demonic experts flew out sporadically.
Compared to the enemy's hundred thousand strong army, they were like fireflies against the brilliant moon.
The vengeful spirit sneered, "There are indeed some who are not afraid of death."
"But where are the tens of millions of your citizens, Pingwang Mountain?"
"Why do they not step forward to support you, their leader?"
Ge Chun's eyes were filled with unwillingness.
Over the years,
The people of Gu Jin had abducted hundreds of thousands of women.
Shattering countless families.
He thought,
At the very least, those who had been harmed would step forward.
But he never dreamed that,
They would all choose silence.
"Senior, Ge Chun's actions do not represent us, Pingwang Mountain."
"We implore you to spare the lives of our people."
A middle-aged man with a cow-like face, clad in a black, tattered robe, led the tribesmen of Pingwang Mountain, kneeling on the ground.
His name was Yin Yu.
He was Pingwang Mountain's second-in-command.
"We beg you, senior, to spare our lives."
The citizens of Pingwang Mountain pleaded in unison.
Their voices thundered.
"Ge Chun, do you see?"
"These are the people you wished to protect."
"You never expected them to betray you, did you?" The vengeful spirit let out a mocking laugh.
Bai Jie stared at her kin with fury. "Have you forgotten how the Demon Emperor bullied our tribe? Your children, your wives, were toyed with and killed by Gu Jin."
"Do you truly feel no hatred for him?"
A middle-aged man roared, "How dare you! It is our honor that the Great Emperor Gu Jin favored our wives and daughters. Why should we hate him?"
Her words shattered Bai Jie's understanding of the world.
They angered her.
And left her speechless.
His wife and daughter had died at Gu Jin's hands.
And he called it his good fortune?
They say the hearts of demons are black.
Now, she believed it!
The vengeful spirit nodded with satisfaction. "Truly the Great Emperor's most loyal subjects. Since that is your wish, I shall send you to join your wives and daughters."
He unleashed a palm strike.
A boundless demonic energy materialized into a colossal mountain peak.
Boom!
As the mountain fell,
Tens of thousands instantly turned to dust.
"They begged for mercy, why must you be so ruthless?" Ge Chun trembled with rage.
The vengeful spirit: "I despise spineless cowards."
"Guards, raze Pingwang Mountain."
At his command,
The demonic powerhouses behind him surged towards Pingwang Mountain.
Though they numbered only a hundred thousand,
Their strength was immense.
And the ordinary demons of Pingwang Mountain could not resist.
In an instant,
The mountain echoed with tragic screams.
Red and black blood stained the mountain range.
"Why?"
"Why do they slaughter you, yet you do not fight back?" Bai Jie's eyes burned with fury. "Great Emperor Cong Zun once said that all beings in the Demon Realm are equal."
"If others bully us, we should take up the weapons by our side and learn to resist."
"Have you forgotten his words?"
She had never met the Great Emperor Cong Zun.
But her father had told her stories of him countless times in her childhood.
It was because of this.
She yearned for the opportunities Cong Zun had created.
It was because of this.
She learned to fight against an unjust fate.
She learned to resist.
Even if it meant death!
It would be a death with meaning.
"Great Emperor Cong Zun?" The vengeful spirit sneered. "The Great Emperor Cong Zun you revere is long dead. He violated the survival code of the demonic race and was destined for heavenly retribution."
Enraged, Bai Jie drew her bow, a black arrow tearing through the sky, carrying her burning fury towards the vengeful spirit. "Even if Great Emperor Cong Zun is dead, his will endures. One day, it will illuminate the Demon Realm again!"
Having previously felt the power of Bai Jie's arrows,
This time,
The vengeful spirit dared not underestimate her.
He unleashed a palm strike.
Demonic energy formed a circular shield.
It blocked Bai Jie's fatal blow.
He looked at Bai Jie with disdain. "You think you can kill me?"
"Do not rush. After your kin are all dead,"
"I will send you to hell to reunite."
"Kill!"
Ge Chun produced a massive battle-axe and led hundreds of his tribesmen to charge at the vengeful spirit.
"A bunch of ants thinking they can kill me?"
"Truly overestimating themselves."
The vengeful spirit formed a hand seal.
Black demonic energy erupted from within him.
As the energy spread, none survived.
They all turned into mummified corpses, falling from the air.
From behind, Bai Jie took out her last arrow from her quiver. She bit her tongue, spitting a drop of blood.
Instantly,
The black arrow erupted with a crimson glow.
A terrifying killing intent spread across the arrow.
Even the vengeful spirit's gaze grew solemn.
"Die for me!"
Bai Jie strained to draw her bow, pouring all her demonic energy into the arrow.
*Puff!*
The arrow traversed space.
And instantly appeared before the vengeful spirit.
The vengeful spirit's expression changed.
This arrow gave him a sense of immense danger.
Without a second thought,
He unleashed a palm strike, swatting the arrow away.
But,
The arrow turned and shot back.
The vengeful spirit frowned.
He seemed surprised that this arrow was so tenacious.
In a flash,
He thrust out a palm.
Grabbing Ge Chun to use as a shield.
"No!"
Bai Jie let out a heart-wrenching scream.
The next moment,
The arrow pierced Ge Chun's heart.
The bloodied arrow ceased its attack.
Sticking in Ge Chun.
"No!"
"No!"
"No!"
Bai Jie's face turned ashen.
She could not bear the thought of her father dying by her own hand.
At this moment,
She felt regret and self-recrimination.
If not for her impulsiveness,
Would her father have died?
Would the enemy have slaughtered Pingwang Mountain, killing her millions of kin?
Ge Chun coughed up blood, weakly saying, "Daughter, you need not blame yourself..."
"Actually, you were right."
"We should have learned to resist long ago."
"If I had passed on Great Emperor Cong Zun's teachings to the tribesmen,"
"They would not be kneeling now."
"They would not be like this, with the enemy drawing their swords, yet they dare not resist."
"Thank you for making Father realize his mistakes before he died."
A faint smile appeared on his face. "Girl, I won't be with you anymore. Live well."
As he spoke, the demonic energy within him erupted like a volcano, enveloping the vengeful spirit.
He intended to burn his life force to trap the vengeful spirit.
Hoping to buy his daughter a sliver of a chance to escape.
But,
He was gravely injured.
He was no match for the vengeful spirit.
The demonic energy he had just released was instantly consumed by the vengeful spirit.
His body, now a desiccated husk, drifted lifelessly towards the ground.
The vengeful spirit burped contentedly and looked at Bai Jie with a grin. "I will follow the Great Emperor's example. I will toy with you first, and then I will devour you."
Bai Jie's heart turned to ash.
A despair unlike anything she had ever known engulfed her.
But just as she succumbed to despair,
A sacred divine chain suddenly appeared in the sky.
The chain pierced through the void and wrapped around the vengeful spirit's neck from behind.
The vengeful spirit let out a bloodcurdling scream. He turned in rage, and upon seeing Chen Nan, shrieked, "You... How are you still alive?"