Chapter 1681 - 1983: Annihilation (Part 3)
With Du Kang’s corpse, Ling Chen went straight back to the side of the porridge girl and the other two. Seeing Du Kang’s body, although he had anticipated the outcome, Song Ge couldn’t help but burst into tears. On the contrary, Su Mei sat there in a daze, as if the events around her had nothing to do with her, even when she saw Du Kang’s body, she remained unmoved.
Looking at Su Mei’s change, Ling Chen couldn’t help but sigh silently. He knew in his heart that Su Mei had suffered too great a blow—the downfall of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion and Du Kang’s tragic death—either one was an unbearable shock. Although growth requires paying a price, this price seemed too heavy. Even if it were him, he probably wouldn’t be able to bear it.
"Ling Chen, do you intend to take Elder Du’s remains back?"
Ling Chen looked at the surrounding environment and said, "No need, this place is nice and quiet; let’s bury Elder Du here."
Hearing this, Song Ge stood up silently and walked aside, using his hands to dig open the soil on the ground. Seeing his actions, Ling Chen and the porridge girl exchanged a glance and quickly followed. With the efforts of the three, it wasn’t long before Du Kang’s body was placed into a pit more than a meter deep.
Ling Chen grabbed a handful of soil, looked at Du Kang’s peaceful face, and said softly, "Elder Du, rest in peace." With these words, he released his fingers, and the soil scattered over Du Kang. After spending over twenty minutes, the three completed burying Du Kang and crafted a wooden marker as a tombstone, erecting it in front of the small mound.
After finishing everything, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky, matching their mood—a tinge of sadness with a hint of desolation.
"It’s getting late, let’s head back."
The four of them headed north from the depths of the forest. After several hours of walking, they finally exited the forest. During the entire journey, there were no pursuers from the Heavenly Dragon Sect or the Dark Pavilion, and there was no sign of them outside the forest, likely indicating they had withdrawn. It made sense, as the main goal of the Heavenly Dragon Sect and the Dark Pavilion was to destroy the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion. Now that Du Kang had died in battle, besides Su Mei and Song Ge, there was no other survivor from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion. Having suffered such a huge loss, the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion was no more than a name, and even if Su Mei were alive, she alone could not rebuild the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion. Centuries of accumulated effort couldn’t be restored by just one person.
After waiting outside the forest for more than an hour, two off-road vehicles slowly drove over and stopped in front of the four. The car door opened, and Tong Zhentian jumped down from the passenger seat and quickly walked over to Ling Chen. Glancing at the expressionless Su Mei, Tong Zhentian asked in a low voice, "Where are the others, why only the four of you?"
Ling Chen gave a bitter smile and said, "It’s just the four of us left."
Upon hearing this, Tong Zhentian’s face changed, and he said solemnly, "Mr. Du?"
"I’ve already buried Elder Du. His resting place is deep in this forest."
"What?" Tong Zhentian was stunned by the news and took a long while to regain his composure.
"Elder Du sacrificed his life to save us."
"Mr. Du... oh! It’s all my fault. If I had brought reinforcements in time, none of this would have happened." Tong Zhentian said remorsefully.
Ling Chen shook his head and said, "Elder Tong, don’t blame yourself; this can’t be blamed on you. If blame is necessary, we can only blame the Heavenly Dragon Sect and the Dark Pavilion for being too ruthless." After a pause, he changed the subject and asked, "Elder Tong, have the Dark Pavilion’s men withdrawn?"
"If they hadn’t left, we wouldn’t have made it in time to pick you up. Enough talk, let’s head back."
After several hours of rushing, the group finally returned to East Sea City from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion. Stepping out of the airport and seeing the bright sunlight overhead, Ling Chen still couldn’t shake off the gloom in his heart, with the fate of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion weighing on him like a heavy stone.
Upon returning to Dragon Tiger Hall, the porridge girl took Su Mei away to settle her down. Just on the way back, Ling Chen had instructed the porridge girl to stay by Su Mei’s side at all times, making sure she never left her sight. After experiencing such changes and trauma, there’s no guarantee Su Mei wouldn’t do something foolish. Since he promised Du Kang to take care of Su Mei, he couldn’t go back on his word.
Entering the office, Ling Chen plopped down on the sofa, gently rubbing his temples. Days of rushing around had left him with an unmistakable look of fatigue.
"Elder Tong, did we suffer significant losses this time?"
"Not too bad; the Dark Pavilion didn’t engage us directly, so only a dozen disciples sustained minor injuries." Saying this, Tong Zhentian looked at Ling Chen and asked, "The Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion has collapsed, and Dragon Tiger Hall will sooner or later become the target of all. Perhaps the Dark Pavilion and the Heavenly Dragon Sect will target us next; what are your plans now?"
"You missed mentioning one faction."
"Which faction?"
"The Dangyang Sect," Ling Chen said, "The Dangyang Sect is very close with the Heavenly Dragon Sect, and they probably have a collaboration. This time, they likely refrained from acting against the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion to avoid suspicion. After all, Qi Yong and Su Mei were both members of the Martial Arts Association, and if the Dangyang Sect acts against the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, it would look bad for them. Qi Yong is someone who cares a lot about reputation and won’t tarnish his own name."
"Makes sense," Tong Zhentian nodded and said, "So it seems that the Heavenly Dragon Sect, Dangyang Sect, and the Dark Pavilion have already teamed up. It appears the pressure on us is not insignificant; these three forces are not weaklings, and if they come for us, it’s uncertain if we can hold them off."
"That’s not my immediate concern. Elder Tong, do you know who killed Elder Du? Chen Quan! During the melee last night, I saw Chen Quan; he’s apparently with the Heavenly Dragon Sect. Since Chen Quan joined the Heavenly Dragon Sect, it means Zhu Hong is involved too. We all know that the current Chen Quan is essentially Zhu Hong’s puppet, obeying only his commands." Ling Chen rubbed his temples and continued, "We all know what kind of person Zhu Hong is. With Chen Quan’s strength, Zhu Hong is sure to rise into the higher echelons of the Heavenly Dragon Sect. All along, Zhu Hong has viewed me as a thorn in his side, and once he gains power in the Heavenly Dragon Sect, he’ll certainly try different ways to eliminate me."
"You shouldn’t overthink it; even if Zhu Hong isn’t in the Heavenly Dragon Sect, we’ll inevitably have a confrontation with them. I believe it’s time to call all our forces back."
"Are you referring to my elder brother and the others?"
Tong Zhentian nodded and said, "Exactly! The strength of the Eight Freaks is not weak, and among them, there’s Yu Beifeng, your second brother’s junior brother—he’s a Heavenly List expert. With his addition, our burden will be significantly lighter."
"Alright, I will get in touch with them as soon as possible."