Chapter Forty-Seven: Jiangzhou City

Once again leaving the woods, taking advantage of a quiet moment as they walked, Wujue discreetly glanced at the object in his palm. It seemed to be a black bead. Although Xun’er hadn't said much, he could guess that it was likely something the witch had given him to ward off evil and poison—most likely Xun’er was concerned that he might fall into a trap, so she'd given him this for self-defense.

He subtly showed it to Xiao Yang, signaling with a nod. Xiao Yang, having already noticed Xun’er's unusual behavior earlier, responded with a knowing smile, understanding his intent without a word.

Soon, the three of them left the outskirts and approached the city. Gao Lin pointed out to them, "Right now, the city is divided by a central commercial street. We’ve retaken the northern side, but the southern side is still controlled by the Heaven's Wrath clan’s zombies and monsters. Half a month ago, the number of zombies started to decrease, and the city became infested with mutated creatures—mostly insects. The battle situation has become much more dire, but my elder brother hasn't yet realized the danger. He's still basking in the current victory, proud of himself."

Xiao Yang shook his head. "People who get arrogant too easily often bring about their own downfall. Victory and defeat aren’t decided by a temporary struggle for territory; the key is who can amass greater strength. How have you been dealing with the Heaven's Wrath clan?"

"In the past, when zombies were the main threat, we could use guns or weapons to destroy their heads. But now that there are so many new creatures, it’s much harder. You know, with the city destroyed and cut off from the outside, we can’t rely on a constant supply of weapons."

"That’s why you started using bows and arrows—because they can be reused," Wujue observed, as he studied the most prominent gash in the city center: a heavily damaged commercial street, evidence of the devastation the city had suffered, much like what he had witnessed before in Tianhai City.

The only difference was that this side of the commercial street was under renovation, while the other side grew increasingly dilapidated, presenting a stark contrast.

Gao Lin nodded. "Sometimes the most primitive weapons are the best."

He walked ahead, stopping in the middle of the commercial street, then turned back. "Ahead is the Heaven's Wrath clan’s territory. This is as far as I can take you. I won’t be responsible for what comes next, nor will I risk myself for you, but if you succeed, I’ll celebrate for you."

He then took the bow and arrows from his back and handed them to Xiao Yang, who accepted them without further words. "Enough talk—just watch us," he replied.

Wujue moved swiftly, slipping forward with Xiao Yang as they quietly entered the district beyond the commercial street, while Gao Lin turned back and left.

As they pressed deeper, they were surprised to encounter few enemies; the zombies and monsters seemed to have gone into hiding. Both Wujue and Xiao Yang advanced, puzzled by what the Heaven’s Wrath clan was up to.

Suddenly, Xiao Yang’s foot slipped—he had stepped into emptiness as the ground caved in beneath him. He nearly fell into the underground but managed to leap up in time, activating the rocket pack on his back and instantly soaring two or three meters away, narrowly escaping disaster.

But from the collapsed ground, two hideous insects burst forth—neither quite cricket nor grasshopper, with huge, grotesque bodies and razor-sharp claws, brandishing them in a show of aggression toward Wujue and Xiao Yang.

Wujue wasted no time, firing a shot straight into one’s head, the bullet piercing through its body and sending the creature tumbling back underground.

Staring at the pit below, both men realized the problem at the same moment. "Looks like these creatures have started digging tunnels underground too," one said.

Xiao Yang understood instantly. "This is bad. Gao Lin’s elder brother may have fallen for a trap. By abandoning the underground and returning to the surface, they’ve handed the battlefield below to the enemy. No wonder the Heaven’s Wrath virus mostly infects insects—it makes it easier to dig deep underground."

"What should we do? Go back and warn them?" Wujue frowned, gripping his twin pistols tightly.

Xiao Yang drew an arrow, nocked it, and aimed into the distance. "No need for that trouble. Let’s just make a big enough commotion to drive the point home."

With a twang, the arrow shot out, striking the ruined top of a skyscraper. A tremendous explosion followed, sending debris raining down and shaking the ground as the building collapsed from the center.

The monsters hidden below roared and revealed themselves, clambering out to besiege the two men.

Wujue couldn’t help but laugh, chanting a Buddhist prayer before launching into a killing spree. He holstered his pistols and brought out the weapon Xiao Yang had prepared for him—a Benelli M1 shotgun. Loading the shells, he infused the gun with his powerful inner force, gave a mighty shout, and pulled the trigger.

The potent energy magnified the shotgun blast several times over, and in an instant, the shot exploded among the oncoming monsters. The first wave was blown apart, half their bodies gone in a bloody mess, while Wujue himself staggered back several steps from the recoil, exclaiming, "Good heavens, this thing is incredible! Xiao Yang, you should have warned me!"

Xiao Yang tossed him a pair of sunglasses and put on his own. "Isn’t adventure and excitement what being a hero’s all about?"

With that, he drew another arrow, aimed, and fired at his next target.

Gao Lin’s arrows were laced with various powerful explosives and toxins, making Xiao Yang suspect for a moment that he might be a fan of the Green Arrow.

Nevertheless, the weapon was perfect for the task. Xiao Yang, having spent much time training his arms due to mobility issues in the past, was now well-suited for this kind of combat—especially with his suit of armor, whose specialty was launching concealed weapons. Everything had come together at just the right moment.

The two launched a fierce assault, causing an enormous commotion. Soon, the monsters surging out from underground began to scatter in defeat. At the same time, a gigantic figure appeared in midair—a massive crab-like warship, blocking out the sky as it loomed before them.

It was another Heaven’s Wrath clan battleship, even uglier and more revolting than the last one. Dazzling lights flashed from the crab-shaped vessel, and a voice boomed out, "Pathetic earthlings, do you still dare resist? Is it only the two of you today? Prepare to be punished."

"Punished?" Wujue laughed aloud, leaping into the air until he was less than five meters from the warship. With a mighty Lion’s Roar from the Buddhist canon, he shattered the ship’s loudspeaker used for broadcasting. "On our Earth, it’s not your place to act so arrogantly!"

"Exactly. You’re the ones who should be punished!" Xiao Yang fired two more arrows in quick succession, then activated his rocket pack to fly up toward the warship, hoping to get a glimpse inside.

But suddenly, several figures leapt from the warship, attacking Wujue and Xiao Yang with fists and feet.

Wujue took the lead, blocking two opponents. He quickly noticed that their martial arts skills were quite advanced, so he responded easily, using Shaolin boxing techniques to gain the upper hand.

What surprised him, however, was that his opponents seemed to be using the same style. The one on the left attacked with the power and ferocity of Luohan Fist, while the one on the right combined throws and grapples with acrobatic agility—a clear blend of grappling and light-footed maneuvering.

He couldn’t help but ask, "Who are you people? Could you be disciples of Shaolin?"

But the two, entirely under the control of the Heaven’s Wrath clan, only attacked mindlessly, oblivious to his question and never pausing.

Wujue had no choice but to unleash his full strength, channeling the inner power of the "Grand Transcendence Manual," shattering both their arms before grabbing them each and tossing them back into the commercial street.

Xiao Yang, noticing that Wujue had spared them, asked, "Wujue, are you keeping them alive on purpose? They’re both infected by the virus. Though they haven’t mutated, they must have been invaded by a more advanced strain, even their consciousness has changed."

Wujue came over to help, replying, "I can’t bring myself to kill them. They know Shaolin martial arts—I have to find out the truth!"

Apocalypse Divine Martial, Chapter 47: Jiangzhou City—Complete!