Chapter 400: Smell the roses

The human realm.

The Confederate capital.

Numerous black caskets filled the airspace above the city.

These caskets floated in the air like they were in water, pushing and forcing against each other.

And they were all heading towards the outskirts of the capital.

The mountaintop mansion.

Monarch Varona and the president were both sitting in the living room.

Before Gu Qing Shan headed to Huang Quan, Impartial Goddess had contacted the two most influential leaders in the world following his request.

The Fuxi Empire and the Freedom Confederate had agreed on and signed a treaty in record time.

To fight against the army of hell that’s already approaching, the machine armies of both countries has been given shared control by Impartial Goddess and Iron Shroud.

Looking at Gu Qing Shan as if he was only asleep, Monarch Varona commented: “How miraculous, he really were able to go to Huang Quan”

The president on the other hand, seemed worried.

He asked the Martial Saint standing next to him: “How’s the situation outside?”

Martial Saint Zhang Zong Yang answered: “All four of the hells are quickly approaching this place, I’m guessing that Gu Qing Shan is currently doing something grand in Huang Quan”

“No matter, Impartial Goddess said that there aren’t that many enemies coming here, as if the dead is being held back by something” Ye Fei Li spoke.

Impartial Goddess’ voice suddenly came: [Emergency report. A squad of Fiendkind are approaching the Confederate, the intercepting squad of Interstellar Warships have been destroyed]

Zhang Zong Yang stood up: “I’ll go”

Zhang Ying Hao looked at him and asked worriedly: “Old man, you sure? What realm are you at now that you’re so confident?”

Zhang Zong Yang disappeared from the room, leaving only two words.

“Golden Core”

The room fell silent.

Zhang Ying Hao and Ye Fei Li exchanged looks.

“That’s impossible, just what kind of secret scripture did Gu Qing Shan give him, he doesn’t even have pills to use” Zhang Ying Hao was extremely puzzled.

In reality, in a world where the cultivation is almost nil like this one, being able to reach Martial Saint on their own signify unimaginable talent.

Zhang Zong Yang was already an unrivalled genius, his only shortcoming was that he has never heard or known of the mysterious power called spirit energy.

And now that Gu Qing Shan had led him on the path, his strength is currently in the process of skyrocketing.

After Zhang Zong Yang left.

The silence was quickly broken again by Impartial Goddess’ voice.

[Attention please, thousands of giants are currently moving in this direction from the desert]

Ye Fei Li stood up, then sat down again.

“I can’t, I have to stay here to watch him” Ye Fei Li mumbled.

“Alright then, I’ll do it” Zhang Ying Hao stood up.

Varona looked at Zhang Ying Hao and spoke: “Impartial Goddess, I give Zhang Ying Hao authorization to lead all Professionists of the Fuxi Empire”

[Understood, Your Majesty] Impartial Goddess answered.

Zhang Ying Hao froze and hesitantly spoke: “Monarch, this is…”

Varona patted Zhang Ying Hao’s shoulder: “Go, you’re a good conductor ——the best one I know when it comes to killing”

Zhang Ying Hao breathed in deeply and answered: “Understood, and thank you”

He quickly left.

A few moments later, Impartial Goddess’ voice came again.

[Warning!]

[The caskets above the capital’s sky have begun to speed up!]

[Estimated time of arrival is 17 minutes!]

[Situation report completed, requesting input from the supreme commander!]

The president immediately: “Dispatch the police force to intercept, authorize them to fire at will, have the other sectors gather troops and prepare to reinforce them”

Impartial Goddess instantly answered: [Roger!]

[The first, second and third SWAT teams have begun to move out!]

As soon as she said so, the tables and chairs in the mountaintop mansion shook.

The sound of a cannon barrage rang out.

Boom —boom —boom!

Bright flashes of light came through the window, lighting up the room inside.

The Interstellar fleet as well as large-scale Mech army have both been dispatched.

The capital have already been evacuated.

This metal has now turned into the main battlefield between humanity and hell.

[Report, numerous monsters came out of the wooden caskets and are currently attacking our defensive positions!]

[According to intelligence analysis, the optimal strategy will be to engage in close combat]

“Understood, dispatch the full Mobile Mech forces!”

[Roger!]

Constant explosions and gunfire filled the sky.

Not too long after, Impartial Goddess reported again.

[The battle had entered a stalemate. The artillery fire had stopped. The No.1, No.2 and No.7 Mobile Mech squads have gathered 15km away from the battlefield, preparing to reinforce our numbers]

“Impartial Goddess, report the amount of casualties just now to me” the President ordered.

[Understood, sir]

A list of numbers appeared on the President’s Holo-Brain.

Reading through them, the President closed his eyes in pain and sorrow.

“Qing Shan, can you really succeed?” he muttered

The room fell into dead silence.

Bang!

The door was suddenly kicked open.

Ye Fei Li’s expression changed, immediately jumping forward to protect Gu Qing Shan behind himself.

Then they heard an angry female voice shouting.

“Xu Xue Er! Get out here!”

Like a burning fire, as soon as she stepped in the room temperature went up.

“Hm? Anna! You’re back!”

Ye Fei Li sighed from relief.

He retracted the blood glow around his body.

[Yes, I did not stop, or dare to attempt to stop lady Anna] Impartial Goddess’ voice reported.

Anna quickly stormed into the room, leading a black dog behind herself.

She first saw Gu Qing Shan, then noticed the President and Monarch Varona.

Anna was surprised.

“Aunty, why are you here? Where is Xu Xue Er?”

As soon as she asked that, she noticed the atmosphere of the room wasn’t quite right.

It feels heavy and sorrowful.

Then she looked back at Gu Qing Shan to see him sitting there absolutely still with his eyes closed.

Could it be ——-

Anna hurriedly went forward and grabbed Gu Qing Shan’s wrist.

Cold, no pulse.

He’s dead.

Anna’s face paled.

Her tears couldn’t help but flowed.

Wiping her tears away, endlessly black flames began to boil around her body.

Her crimson red hair began to flutter without any wind, then started to turn jet black.

The air itself was shaking.

The flower vase by the window floated by itself, hovering in the air.

“Who killed him! I will make sure that person doesn’t die in one piece!!”

Anna howled in absolute fury.

“Calm down, he’s not dead” the black dog spoke up.

It slowly walked over to Gu Qing Shan and sniffed.

“Hm, that is indeed not the smell of death”

The black dog was intrigued, circling around Gu Qing Shan once or twice: “He looks like he’s dead, but it’s actually his life force being fully retracted into his body, allowing his soul to sense Huang Quan”

“How intricately done” the black dog praised.

Ye Fei Li stood up.

A terrifying pair of skeletal wings sprouted from his back.

“Anna, you’re just in time. Please protect Gu Qing Shan’s body, I’m going to deal with the enemy”

Jumping out the window, he jetted through the sky headed for the capital.

Anna had calmed down.

From the looks of it, Gu Qing Shan hasn’t died yet.

The black flames on her body extinguished.

Her jet black hair fluttered down, returning to their original crimson red.

The hovering flower vase also dropped down but luckily it didn’t break.

Anna looked at Monarch Varona and hurriedly asked: “Aunty, what exactly happened here?”

“Also, why are all of you here?”

“Ah, also! Where’s Xu Xue Er!?”

Varona lightly rubbed her forehead, sighing: “Anna dear, you’re the head of the Medici clan, as well as the upcoming Empress of the Holy Empire, why can’t you act a little bit calmer”

Varona then started to tell her of what happened recently.

Anna’s eyes lit up, then muttered to herself: “He actually fulfilled his promise to me…”

She then began to unconsciously twirl the tip of her crimson red hair with her finger.

“Promise? What promise?” Varona asked.

“Nothing” Anna’s face started to flush.

——crash!

The entire mansion shook.

Anna’s face changed, saying: “I’ll go take a look!”

Her body moved and jumped out of the window, flying into the air.

Ye Fei Li had just crashed into the mountain, forming a small crater.

It was because he crashed into it that the mountain shook just now.

On a wide meadow not too far away, numerous towering giants were slowly moving towards this place.

“We’re close, it’s here!” one of the giants roared.

From the mountain, a cluster bloody light took to the air.

Ye Fei Li spat out some blood and said: “Cheh, I was careless just now”

He roared as he turned into a streak of light, charging towards the group of giants.

Anna looked at where the giants were heading, then at the wooden caskets floating here from afar.

She looked down to see Gu Qing Shan was still sleeping in the mansion.

It seems these hellish creatures’ real target is Gu Qing Shan.

Her gorgeous crimson hair fluttered as Anna begun to squint her eyes.

A whisper came from the wind.

“This is the man I chose and you dare to think of harming him”

A mysterious black rune appeared from Anna’s palm.

“Death is Eternal!”

She clenched her fist tight.

Bam!

A pillar of black flame that reached all the way to the sky appeared outside the mountain.

The flames then started to spread, covering up the sky.

Then even the clouds above were covered.

The mountain, then the whole Confederate capital was plunged into thick black darkness.

A towering figure that eclipses the sky appeared in front of the mountain.

Even those caskets floating in the sky were below its gaze.

Towards the unimaginably large figure, Anna muttered: “O’ great Black Hound, they are your lunch today”

「 Let me see, hm, villainous souls of hell, very well-suited to my tastes 」

While the figure’s voice was casual and calm, its voice rang far and trembled even space itself.

A body made completely from black flames that was several times larger than the skyscraper-like giants.

The god-like giant dog bared its fangs, observing its food for today.

「 Little Anna, prepare today’s liquor 」

“Yes!”

「 Then, I shall partake 」

The black flames that eclipsed the sky began to slowly crashed down towards the meadow below.

The vast meadow was completely under its shadow.

The Professionists and Mobile Mechs were intact.

But all the giants were swallowed by the flame.

One of the giants roared, trying to resist the black flames.

But it was useless, as the giant’s body was slowly but surely being burned away.

The giant gave up struggling and roared furiously: “Just wait until I wake up again ——–”

A pitying voice came from the air.

「 Wake up? Pitiful ant, what awaits you is nothingness, but your soul will became part of my power 」

This was the Dog deity’s voice.

The flames gathered again and reformed Black Hound’s figure.

「 You are ants, but your souls are still as delectable as ever… 」

Black Hound declared satisfyingly.

Its eyes then peered towards the sky, where the wooden caskets float.

“Divinity!”

“It’s a Divinity!”

“Run, if we get eaten by it we won’t be able to revive from slumber again!”

Countless frightened voices came from the floating caskets.

They scrambled to run away.

「 Still pathetically weak in the face of death 」

As Black Hound spoke, its low voice rang across the sky.

Clouds of black flame escaped from its body, chasing after the scattered caskets.

Back in the mountaintop mansion.

Varona and the President stood in front of the window, silently watching this world-shattering sight.

“What do you think, sir?” the Monarch asked.

“The world is already not the world from before” the President sighed.

“That’s true, but what about the Freedom Confederate? Towards what path will you have your subjects go down?” she asked again.

The President reached his hand out, the vase that fell down before silently stood up by itself.

A rose came out from the vase and into his hand.

“What stage of Qi training?” the Monarch smiled and asked.

“3rd stage, about to breakthrough to 4th”

Smelling the rose, the President whispered: “From what I heard Gu Qing Shan said, as their cultivation increases, humanity will gain unimaginable power to go against any and all demons”

“I can understand that” the Monarch nodded.

TN: the title comes from a line of the famous poem “In me, Past Present, Future”, particularly the phrase “In me the tiger smells the roses”. It implies that even a fierce tiger have moments where they’re soft, and humans should be able to cope with both fierce and mild methods.