CHAPTER 109 (2): EMERGENCE OF FLAME DEMON

"Master Chen Yin's subordinate was very angry at me for using him, so he beat me up. The next morning, my entire body was swollen when I woke up, and I felt like my skin was about to split open! My wrists had swollen up to become even thicker than my legs, and after I took a pill to help the swelling subside, I made a breakthrough to the Warlord tier."

Yin Shengong erupted into laughter after reading Fang Che's message, so amused by the latter's story that he was slapping his leg with mirth.

Just from this brief recount alone, he knew exactly what cultivation art had been used on Night Demon, and he was chortling with mirth at the thought of Night Demon shitting himself.

"Was there anyone with you when you made your breakthrough?"

"My maidservant just so happened to come in at the time. I was so embarrassed I wanted to die!"

The entire One Heart Church headquarters was shaken by Yin Shengong's thunderous laughter.

Mu Linyuan and the others were staring in bewilderment at the pope's palace from afar, wondering if Yin Shengong had gone insane.

"How about you go check on him?"

"Let's go together."

"You shat yourself, didn't you?"

"Master, stop making fun of me! Do you know who Ye Yun is? I'm going to get that old bastard for this!"

"Ye Yun?"

Yin Shengong's laughter instantly subsided at the mention of this name.

"That's right! Who is he?"

"If you want to get him back for this, then you'll have to cultivate hard. I reckon you should be able to beat him in a thousand years or two."

"Is he that strong?"

Thus, Yin Shengong began educating his disciple, and shortly thereafter, their correspondence concluded, with Fang Che feeling utterly defeated, while Yin Shengong was looking as vibrant as ever.

As Mu Linyuan's trio cautiously made their way into the room, Yin Shengong smiled as he declared, "Night Demon shat himself in front of his maidservant. You guys wanna hear about it?"

"Yes, please!"

Yin Shengong eagerly launched into his story, and before long, all four of them were howling with amusement.

***

Even though Fang Che had made a breakthrough to the Warlord tier, he didn't take the Spirit Nourishment Pill given to him by Chen Yin.

Ye Yun told me that I can take the pill after reaching the Warlord tier, yet he intentionally beat me up to help me make a breakthrough right away. Why did he do that? He clearly wants me to take the Spirit Nourishment Pill immediately.

Something didn't feel right about this, so Fang Che chose not to take the pill for now.

***

That night, Fang Che arrived at the branch helm, then called upon Zhao Wushang and Zheng Yunqi, informing them that he had to go and carry out a secret mission, and that he was leaving the escort agency in their care during his absence.

"You can count on us, Head Escort!"

"The legal code tests and semimonthly cultivation base examinations still have to continue, and the punishments will also remain the same."

"Yes, Head Escort."

"I'll leave it up to your discretion to continue recruiting new members, but make sure they don't cause any trouble. I have a feeling that the main church is about to make a move soon, so make sure that no one is exposed during this time. Always remember that abiding by the law is the best form of protection for everyone."

"Yes, Head Escort!"

***

That same night, Fang Che made a secret visit to White Cloud Warrior Academy.

"Instructor Li, I have something to ask of you."

"What is it?"

Fang Che pulled out a stack of silver vouchers, then said, "Here are twenty million taels' worth of silver vouchers. Please pledge them to the disaster relief efforts on behalf of White Cloud Warrior Academy."

Li Changkong was silent for a moment, then accepted the silver vouchers as he replied, "Alright, I'll tell everyone that I found a way to scrounge this money together."

Fang Che looked back at Li Changkong with a stunned expression.

He had thought that Li Changkong would ask him why he didn't make the donation under his own name, but no such question was raised.

There was a look of pride intermingled with sympathy in Li Changkong's eyes, and Fang Che only looked into them for a moment before averting his gaze as he said, "Thank you, Instructor Li."

"Be careful," Li Changkong said in a sincere voice as he patted Fang Che on the shoulder. "Make sure to look after yourself."

"I will," Fang Che replied with a nod.

Shortly thereafter, Fang Che departed, vanishing into the night as Li Changkong watched from afar.

There was a perpetual layer of smog in the air from all of the volcanic ash that had been hurled up into the sky, and as Li Changkong heaved a forlorn sigh as he looked down at the stack of silver vouchers in his hand.

***

"I'm going as well!" Ye Meng insisted with a determined expression.

"You're not going anywhere!" Fang Che declared, and it was clear from his expression that this was not up for debate. "What could you possibly do for the disaster relief efforts? Just stay at home!"

"What can I do at home? Wash your bedsheets?"

Fang Che's expression instantly turned as dark as the bottom of a kettle.

It seemed that she was overdue for a beating!

He grabbed her and laid her down over his knee, then gave her a forceful slap on her plump backside!

Ye Meng howled with fury and humiliation, but she was no match for Fang Che's strength, and after a beating that left her backside sore and swollen, she was thrown onto her bed.

Fang Che was looking very pleased with himself as he threatened, "There's more where that came from if you try to argue with me again!"

Ye Meng was laying face-down on her bed, her cheeks beetroot red with anger and embarrassment.

However, her main concern was that she would miss some valuable intelligence if she didn't go with Fang Che.

Unbeknownst to her, Fang Che was leaving her behind so that someone could keep an eye on the branch helm in his absence.

He had left the Golden Horn Flood Dragon behind as well to monitor the branch helm night and day, and any noteworthy updates had to be reported to Ye Meng right away.

This was a potential bomb that Fang Che had to keep a close eye on at all times, and any lapse in attention could lead to its detonation.

***

The next day, all four hundred administrators of the Hall of Protectionists were gathered, while Song Yidao was delivering a solemn address.

"Not only do we have to save those affected by the volcanic eruptions, we also have to deal with the demonic churches and environmental perils, but we cannot back down from our duty! I wish you all the best of luck and a safe return! Before you set off, make sure you've packed as many pills and disaster relief supplies as possible. Time is of the essence, so let's not waste any more of it!"

All four hundred administrators instantly rushed out of the Hall Protectionists, led by Battle Hall Master Yuan Jingjiang.

They set off toward the south, where the entire sky was an ominous black color.

***

The entire sky in the south was inundated by thick, black smoke, yet everyone was racing through the smoke without pause.

On the way to their destination, it suddenly began to rain.

The rain felt no different, but everyone quickly discovered that it was black, an opaque, suffocating black that was no lighter than ink!

Traveling at full speed, it only took them four hours to leave the White Cloud Prefecture far behind.

On the way, they encountered many groups of displaced refugees, trudging along with blank and soulless expressions, and it was only their desire for survival that kept them marching toward the White Cloud Prefecture.

As the administrators flew over the groups of displaced individuals, they felt as if their hearts had been injected full of lead.

The vast majority of these people had done nothing to deserve this. Prior to this, they had led fruitful and fulfilling lives, but all of that had been destroyed by the volcanic eruptions.

Their homes were gone, and for some of the more unfortunate ones among them, their families had been entirely wiped out.

They didn't even know who the true culprit was. They were merely of the opinion that these were natural volcanic eruptions, that they had been made to bear the brunt of the wrath of the heavens.

Unbeknownst to them, this was a manmade disaster!

As they continued onward, the air became more and more sweltering. It was only early spring, so the weather was still supposed to be very cold, but it was beginning to feel like summer where they were.

A few more hundred kilometers later, the air had become hot enough to cause mild discomfort even for warriors like them, so it had to have been unbearable for the average person.

The streets down below were littered with bodies, and as they continued onward, the sightings of bodies became more and more frequent.

However, they were stoically ignored by everyone as those bodies were already dead and beyond saving, and they had more pressing matters to attend to.

Only now did the first volcano finally appear in their field of view.

It was still exuding plumes of dense smoke, which formed an almighty pillar that culminated in a giant mushroom in the sky before spreading in all directions, and a faint red glow was visible in the crater through the black smoke.

The volcano was still erupting.

Up ahead was a doomsday-like scene of complete and utter destruction.

Charred black bodies were littered everywhere, strewn in between collapsed houses, and the earth was riddled with countless fissures, many of which were also filled with sets of charred remains.

Bursts of thunderous rumbling were ringing out incessantly, while rocks came tumbling down from mountain summits, and layers upon layers of volcanic ash were constantly raining down from above.

"Conduct a search for survivors! While you're at it, clear the streets and fill the fissures in the ground for ease of evacuation!"

It was impossible for the average person to survive in this oppressive heat for long, so any roadblock could prove to be the difference between life and death.

Everyone began working at once, and countless large rocks were being cleared from the roads before being thrown into the fissures to fill them.

All loose rocks were knocked down preemptively to prevent them from falling during the evacuation efforts, and the entire area was quickly cleaned up.

At this point, the search parties had already returned, and the outcome of their search was very apparent from the grim looks on their faces.

There were no survivors.

Looking out into the distance, there were dozens of small villages filled with collapsed houses on the horizon.

"Let's bury the bodies," Yuan Jingjiang sighed with a defeated expression.

Everyone dispersed in silence.

Fang Che chose a direction, and he was accompanied by a group of administrators, among whom were Zuo Guanglie and Jing Xiuyun. They gathered the bodies in silence, then dug out large holes and padded the bottoms with quilts and blankets that they found from the nearby homes before laying down the bodies inside.

They were then covered with another layer of blankets before being buried.

Jing Xiuyun had tears streaming down her face the entire time, while the rims of Zuo Guanglie's eyes had also turned bright red.

Fang Che and his colleagues dug out over twenty holes, burying several hundred bodies, and by the time they were done, everyone else was wrapping up their work as well.

Collectively, they extended solemn bows to the mass graves, then continued onward.

They departed under the backdrop of countless mass graves, standing silently in the wasteland that the desolate wasteland that the entire region had been reduced to.

It was truly a sobering sight.