Legend Management Bureau Chapter 92

[ … words ]

Zhang Jian and Zhang Youren stood back-to-back, facing the dozens of people surrounding them.

“Chief, what exactly is the situation here?” Zhang Youren asked calmly, several throwing knives hovering above his hands.

“It is a long story. It seems people from the ‘future’ have set their sights on our lives.”

“The future?” Zhang Youren had not expected such a bizarre answer. “Whoever they are, we just need to kill them, right? This back-to-back stance brings back memories of the battlefield.”

“Indeed,” Zhang Jian nodded. “Only by trusting my back to you can I face the enemy with peace of mind.”

“I feel exactly the same way.”

Two different colors of spiritual energy rippled around them, radiating an imposing aura that a mere group of rogue immortals and mountain spirits could never hope to match.

“Boss! I am here to help!” Du Yu shouted as he came running over, only to freeze when he saw the dense crowd of enemies swarming before him.

“Uh…” Du Yu stammered. “On second thought, maybe I should go deal with Nezha first. You guys carry on…”

Du Yu took a closer look and noticed quite a few corpses already littering the ground. It seemed the two of them were not exaggerating.

“Is that so? Then I will pitch in too, so I can head back a bit earlier.” Du Yu pulled the green brush from his waist and bellowed, “Go! Yingning!”

However, this time, the brush did not shoot forward as it had before.

“Huh?” Du Yu stood dumbfounded. He had just commanded her perfectly a moment ago. Had he recited the incantation wrong?

Du Yu cleared his throat and yelled once more, “Help me out! Yingning!”

The green brush remained completely motionless.

The crowd watched this unfold, the atmosphere turning rather awkward.

“Sir… what are you… doing?” Zhang Jian asked.

“Can you not tell? I am casting a spell,” Du Yu replied, frowning. “It just happened to fail.”

Zhang Youren looked at Zhang Jian in confusion. “Chief… who is this man?”

“It is a long story… I will explain it to you later.”

“How strange…” Du Yu muttered to himself. “Why is it not working anymore?”

“Du Yu.” The brush suddenly wiggled and spoke. “What do you take me for?”

“Eh?” Du Yu had almost forgotten that this pen could talk. He hastily brought it up to his face and whispered, “Yingning! Why are you not listening to me? You are making me look really bad here!”

“Every time I acted before, your life was on the line. I did not want to be left behind again, so I had no choice but to step in and save you. Do not mistake me for your personal thug, someone you can beckon and dismiss at will,” Yingning snapped in annoyance. “Fight these trivial battles yourself. Do not call me.”

“This…”

Du Yu suddenly recalled that whether he was clashing with Zhong Kui, fighting Zhan Qisheng, or facing Nezha, Yingning had only ever struck at the critical, life-or-death moment. Thinking about it now, she was telling the truth. She probably would not help him anymore.

But she was too naive if she thought this meant he had no combat power left.

“Do not underestimate me! Those of you with elders at home, go back and ask them!” Du Yu roared at the swarm of rogue immortals and mountain spirits. “The one who defeated the beast Jiuying during the era of Emperor Yao was…”

Du Yu froze. ‘Crap! Sister Qianqiu is not here! Why did I forget again?!’

“No worries, I have a backup plan!” Du Yu shouted again. “Take this! Red Seven Art!”

Another wave of awkward silence washed over the scene.

“Crap, crap, crap… I sent Little Seven away too…” Du Yu muttered, covering his face. “It is over. I have humiliated myself all the way back to three thousand years ago.”

“Watch out, sir!” Zhang Jian suddenly shouted, leaping forward to shield Du Yu just in time to deflect an incoming fireball.

“Are you alright, sir? Why do you seem a bit… off?” Zhang Jian asked.

“I am going to need you guys to do the heavy lifting this time. I am out of mana, so I cannot cast any skills.” Du Yu hurriedly hid behind Zhang Jian.

“Out of mana?” Zhang Jian looked puzzled. “What does it mean to be out of mana?”

“Out of mana means…” Du Yu paused to think. “Ugh! Basically, it means I am useless right now and cannot fight!”

“No matter. Please, just rest, sir.”

Zhang Jian waved his hand, gesturing for Du Yu to stand behind him, before darting forward and absorbing the blood from the surroundings. Zhang Youren understood his intent perfectly and telekinetically lifted the fallen weapons from the ground. Radiating with blinding light, the two of them instantly clashed with the mob, cutting down several more enemies in just a matter of moments.

Multicolored flashes of light exploded in rapid succession, while the sounds of slaughter and agonizing screams filled the air without end.

Although Zhang Jian and Zhang Youren possessed profound cultivation, the assassins had the overwhelming advantage of numbers. As the battle dragged on, the two inevitably suffered injuries.

“This is bad!” Du Yu could see the situation deteriorating. If something were to happen to them at this rate, this entire trip would have been for nothing.

“Yingning, are you seriously not going to help me?” Du Yu asked.

“No, unless you are about to die,” Yingning replied flatly.

“Fine! Then I will just die and show you!”

“What?!”

Out of options, Du Yu gritted his teeth and charged headlong into the fray of battling immortals.

“Du Yu! What are you doing?!” Yingning sensed something was terribly wrong. For a mortal like him to run straight into a crossfire of immortal spells, he would lose half his life even if he miraculously survived.

Du Yu ignored her entirely. Instead, he planted himself in the center of the Investiture Altar and roared, “Those of you with elders at home, go back and ask them! What kind of technique does a man who throws away his life use?!”

Seeing this bizarre spectacle, several rogue immortals did not hesitate to hurl chunks of earth and blazing fireballs directly at him.

Du Yu’s scalp went numb as he watched the magical attacks hurtling toward him, but he clenched his jaw and refused to step back.

Just as the rocks and flames reached a mere half-foot from his face, the green brush at his waist finally lost its patience.

With an exasperated sigh, Yingning burst forth, instantly shattering the incoming spells before shooting forward like a missile and piercing straight through the bodies of the casters.

“Hahahahaha!” Du Yu burst into laughter. “Now you know how powerful I am! I officially name this move—The Bad-ass Pen!”

“Awful! That is terrible! I am going crazy!” Yingning shrieked. “It sounds like you are swearing! Do you even know how to come up with names?!”

“Is it really that bad?” Du Yu was genuinely puzzled. Why was it that every time he named a move, someone ended up unhappy?

“Fine, I will not act like a bad-ass pen anymore.”

“This is not about acting like a bad-ass!” Yingning scolded. “It is the name! The name is the problem!”

Du Yu had finally figured out what triggered Yingning into action, so he intentionally threw himself into the most dangerous spots. Spells of all kinds grazed his cheeks and shaved past his scalp in a way that would make anyone’s adrenaline skyrocket. Fortunately, Yingning’s cultivation was incredibly high, and she managed to neutralize the threats every time disaster loomed.

Looking at the massive pile of unconscious bodies before him, Du Yu could only mutter under his breath:

“I am sorry for being a bad-ass pen.”

“Du Yu! If you say that word one more time, I will kill you myself!” Yingning roared. “I mean it! I will not hold back!”

“Oh my,” Du Yu teased. “Yingning, it seems we have gotten quite close, haven’t we? You have stopped laughing all the time, and you are constantly getting mad at me.”

Yingning paused, suddenly realizing he was right.

For some reason, ever since she got to know this man, she found it hard to laugh. He just always managed to infuriate her.

Yet, as Yingning searched her feelings, she realized it did not feel bad. In fact, she felt strangely at ease.

Could it be that sometimes, being angry was just another form of feeling safe?

“Chief… this ‘sir’ of yours is truly unfathomable. Even though he looks like a complete mess, the number of thugs he has killed single-handedly far exceeds our combined total.”

“Indeed. That is just how this gentleman is,” Zhang Jian nodded.

Having slaughtered more than half of the assassins, the three of them could not help but feel fatigued.

“It never ends,” Zhang Jian panted heavily. “Youren, how much spiritual energy do you have left?”

“Enough for three to five spells,” Zhang Youren replied.

“What about you, sir? How much energy do you have remaining?” Zhang Jian asked, turning to Du Yu.

“How much energy I have left… mostly depends on how much danger they can put me in,” Du Yu said helplessly. “My attacks are a bit unstable.”

The three of them stared hopelessly at the surrounding thugs, trying to come up with a strategy.

“Ahhhhh!” A loud scream echoed from the sky, prompting everyone on the Investiture Altar to look up.

A burst of fiery light plummeted downward. With a deafening boom like a crashing meteorite, it completely shattered the Investiture Altar.

“Oh no, oh no! Jade Emperor, are you alright?” a young boy’s voice called out from within the flames.

Zhang Youren blinked in surprise before chuckling. “Is that Nezha? I am fine.”

The boy waved his hand, dispelling the fire around him, and stared at Zhang Youren nervously. “What am I going to do?! I was only gone for a short while, and something this massive happens! If Queen Mother of the West finds out, I am doomed!”

“Haha!” Zhang Youren laughed. “Do not worry, I will keep it a secret for you!”

“Really?” A hint of joy appeared on Nezha’s face. “That is fantastic! You guys hurry up and rest. I will handle the rest of these people.”

“Who are you, you little brat? Such arrogance!” The remaining thugs were naturally those with high cultivation; otherwise, they would not have survived the chaotic brawl. Seeing this tiny kid spouting such big words inevitably provoked their anger.

“Yeah!” Du Yu fanned the flames, roaring from the sidelines. “Who the hell does he think he is?! Tell me loud and clear, what does his height look like?!”

“Like a midget!” a few of them yelled back.

“Good.” Du Yu nodded and turned to Nezha. “They just called you a midget. Can you tolerate that? Because I certainly could not.”

Nezha spun around, a vicious expression twisting his face. “What did you just call me?!”

“Huh?!” The group of thugs froze, pointing at Du Yu. “That guy is the one who said it…”

But Nezha was beyond listening. Raising his Fire-Tipped Spear, he charged forward in a blazing inferno. A split second later, a blood-curdling scream pierced the air.

“My masked brother, step back quickly!” Zhang Youren shouted at Du Yu. “Once Nezha goes crazy, he is highly prone to injuring innocent bystanders!”

“It is fine. I have a unique defensive spell.” Du Yu gave a wicked smirk. “It is called The Bad-ass…”

Just as the words were about to leave his mouth, he suddenly remembered what Yingning had just said—if he uttered that horrible name again, she would take his life herself.

So, Du Yu hastily reorganized his sentence, trying to make the name sound a little nicer, and said: “Equipping a Giant Pen.”

“Du Yu!” Yingning shrieked. “That sounds even worse than before! Do you really want to die?!”