Chapter Eighteen: Reversing the Future (Part Two)

They burst out of the underground river and emerged outside. However, Black Fox soldiers were still blocking their way. Sun Meng set Little Dragon and Little Tiger on the ground. “I’ll hold them off. You two hurry back—make sure to save Little Lan!”

Golden light radiated from his body. “Diamond Invincible Technique!” Sun Meng shouted, charging into the ranks of the Black Fox soldiers. Even unarmed, his body, in this state, was his most formidable weapon.

Every punch and kick landed with amplified force; he withstood blades and swords raining upon him, sending Black Fox soldiers flying. A path opened before Little Dragon and Little Tiger.

“Brother Shao Tan, you have to hurry too!” Little Tiger called out, knocking back a Black Fox soldier with his staff before racing down the mountain with Little Dragon.

Seeing this, the leader of the Black Fox soldiers quickly dispatched men to pursue them, but Sun Meng would never let them succeed.

He stomped the ground, leaped forward, and blocked those who tried to give chase. “Roar!” The Lion’s Roar of Buddhist lore!

Already a powerful sonic technique, it now carried an even greater mental shock thanks to Abbot Tripitaka’s improvements, though Sun Meng had only practiced it for a few days and could only support it with his inner energy.

Even so, it was enough to kill these Black Fox soldiers outright; those behind them were sent flying backward. By now, they all realized Sun Meng could not be overwhelmed by numbers alone.

With a shout from their leader, the remaining Black Fox soldiers quickly formed a formation. Under the suppression of the Cloud Qi Array, Sun Meng noticed his inner energy weakening.

He struck a charging Black Fox soldier, but what should have been a crippling blow resulted in only a minor wound.

“My strength isn’t diminished, but is the array sharing the damage among them?” Sun Meng pondered as he fought off the attackers.

“The contestants, they’re wearing you down, exhausting your strength and inner energy. If this continues, you’ll be dragged under,” a red text scrolled across his vision; the other spectators expressed their concern as well.

“Is there any good solution?” It wasn’t convenient to speak now, so he could only communicate mentally.

“Can you use the Internal Qi Manifestation that Little Dragon and Little Tiger employed before?”

“That’s not possible for now. Even if I broke through, forging a complete spiritual intent takes time to refine and hone, let alone to project it outside the body.” As he repelled another soldier, Sun Meng noticed the golden light around him was fading, and the boost it granted was diminishing.

A minute later, he was already forced to dodge attacks aimed at his vital points.

“Contestant, attack the ground beneath you with all your strength. While they’ve formed an array, it’s not truly solid. If you can’t break their formation head-on, destroy what supports it,” the red text prompted.

Sun Meng grinned, looking at the soldiers around him. “You’re in for it now!”

He swept his leg, forcing them back, then clasped his fists and brought them down upon the earth with a shout. With this strike, his Diamond Invincible Technique faded, but the effect was immediate—a pit two meters across and half a meter deep opened in the ground. The soldiers nearby fell awkwardly, and the array’s structure was disrupted.

Sun Meng sprang over the opening to land outside the formation. Channeling his inner energy, all the broken blades and sword fragments scattered across the ground rose into the air. “Rainfall of Blades!”

Caught off guard, the Black Fox soldiers had their throats cut by the flying shards, leaving fewer than ten still standing.

“Run!” one of them shouted, turning to flee. Seeing they weren’t heading after Little Dragon and Little Tiger, Sun Meng had no mind to pursue them.

He sped up, racing down the mountain. Soon, he reached the cave and descended to its depths; the Wheel of Time still remained.

Sun Meng breathed a sigh of relief, but then he heard Little Lan’s future self laughing. He turned toward the Wheel of Time behind him, uncertain if she would succeed in returning to the past.

A moment later, a water dragon broke through the cave wall. Future Little Lan leapt down and landed before him.

“So this is the Wheel of Time? I didn’t find it back then, but now it’s been delivered right to me. How delightful!”

Sun Meng looked at her. “You want to return to the past to prevent Little Dragon and Little Tiger from saving you? Do you really want to see the Black Fox King conquer the world and plunge it into suffering?”

Future Little Lan gave a soft laugh. “Have you actually witnessed the Black Fox King’s might? Do you really believe that old Tripitaka’s claims—that the three of us can defeat the Black Fox King? Besides, the imperial court wasn’t that grand to begin with. At least if the Black Fox King rules, I can live well. I don’t want to go back to those hard days, unable to wear fine clothes and jewelry or taste the joys of power. Life is so short—why risk it all for a goal we might never achieve?”

Sun Meng saw there was no persuading her. “Then let’s see if you can make it through today!”

Future Little Lan snorted. “Stubborn—just like those two fools. Don’t blame me for being ruthless.” With a wave of her hand, the water dragon split into two giant pythons and lunged at Sun Meng. He raised his arms to block, but the force slammed him into the wall.

Water coiled around him, forming a cage, as Future Little Lan strode toward the Wheel of Time.

Elsewhere, in another cavern, Little Dragon and his companions were locked in battle with Black Fox soldiers. This cave differed in that many rocks jutted from above. With Little Lan’s whip, the three deftly escaped the encirclement.

Because the Black Fox soldiers hadn’t captured Little Lan, the Black Fox King hadn’t arrived. But just as the trio were about to leave, Future Little Lan appeared.

“What’s wrong? You look surprised. Did you really think only you could travel through the Wheel of Time?” she said, addressing them. “Still, I owe you thanks—without you, how would I have the chance to capture all three of you at once? I can’t wait to see the look on old Tripitaka’s face.”

“Who are you?” Little Lan demanded, feeling unaccountably irritable.

“Me? I am you—your future self, the Water Queen of the Black Fox Army, Hua Lan!”

“What? Impossible! How could I ever join the Black Fox King?”

Future Little Lan’s laughter cut through Little Lan’s shock. “Why not? I want beautiful clothes, fine jewelry, and the power to command—aren’t those your desires too? Right now, you’ve just been fooled by old Tripitaka, and you want to prove yourself because you feel guilty about losing the Power Codex, isn’t that so?”

“You’re wrong! I do want to prove I’m not inferior to Little Dragon and Little Tiger, and I do feel terrible for losing the upper scroll of the Power Codex, but I would never betray us for the Black Fox King!”

“That’s right! Don’t compare Little Lan to your corrupted self!” Little Dragon interjected.

“Little Lan, we’ve never thought you were less than us. From the start, you’ve always learned the fastest!” Little Tiger added.

“Hmph! Whether you agree or not doesn’t matter. Do you think you can escape from here?” Future Little Lan struck the ground, shattering the stones at their feet.

Falling to the ground, the three were once again surrounded by Black Fox soldiers. Future Little Lan landed before them. “You have no hope. I’ll take you to the Black Fox King—once he knows the secrets I do, he’ll soon unite the world!”

“Maybe the Black Fox King will conquer the land, but you won’t live to see it!” Little Dragon’s lips curled into a smile. Future Little Lan sensed something amiss, then realized her shadow was being drawn into a jar.

“Shadow Seizing Technique!” she cried, managing only to shout, “Destroy the jar!” before her consciousness faded and she drifted, bodiless, in the air.

“Now!” Sun Meng dropped from above. The three companions acted instantly, felling the surrounding Black Fox soldiers in moments.

After dispatching their foes, Little Dragon and the others breathed a sigh of relief. “Brother Shao Tan, we owe you everything!”

Sun Meng looked at the shadowless future Little Lan. “The Wheel of Time has disappeared, so we’ll have to take her back to Shaolin for now.”