182 Fragile Life

"Grace, what in the actual heavens are you doing?!" Dan cried out in disbelief with his face completely pale. Grace was merely a mortal that he could easily turn into dust with a wave of his hands, a simple shockwave could kill her, yet she invaded their battlefield and even toppled the Asura down on its butt.

"Sister! Why did you come rushing in here?" Natalie swiftly ran at her side and reached out her hand to drag her to a safe place. But before her hands could reach her, a repulsive force sent her staggering backward.

"Ah, Sis, you cannot touch me yet, the talismans and artifacts are still in effect..." Grace lightly smiled and turned her gaze at Dan's direction, "Dear, don't be too worried, you do know that I'm not so stupid to do such things without any logical reason, right?"

Dan shook his head, but still believed what she said. He didn't believe that someone like her that could easily deceive veteran merchants would do something so stupid as to rushing in the battlefield without any plans.

"As for the reason why I am here, the defensive talismans and the Heaven Grade Artifacts combined created a barrier that could easily defend against the attacks of a Peak Divine Soul Realm. However, I wonder what would happen if I ram such a sturdy barrier on a Peak Divine Soul Cultivator?"

Grace words made the two fall into deep contemplation. But of course, Malachi who finally recovered from his dazed state stared at the nonchalant three in anger and sent numerous fire beams towards their direction.

Dan and Natalie dodged them like nothing while Grace stood still and endured the attacks with her barrier. Malachi's crazed attacks with his fire beam continued, Natalie and Dan's actions of dodging the hail of fire while deeply in thought astonished Malachi and Grace.

"Brats...I'm going to tear you bastards into ten thousand pieces!!!"

Malachi had lived for over fifty years, his combat experience was incomparably rich, so he was definitely not one of those who was arrogant and condescending. And in the battlefield, he could maintain his composure and sweep through his enemies.

However, Dan and Natalie's nonchalant actions and casual ignoring of his presence crossed his bottom line. Throwing all caution to the wind, Malachi forcefully maneuvered the Asura as crimson lights flashed in the air. But before he could initiate his attack, Dan continued his assault and sent the Asura into a stunned state, interrupting its movements.

Natalie emerged from her contemplation and as Dan's instructions for switching came out, her lightning clad body appeared behind the Asura and sent a palm strike at its weak points.

Both attacks staggered the Asura, Malachi spat a mouthful of blood from the backlash as his hatred and fury for the two intensified even further. Stretching an arm out to Dan's chest, he poured his berserking Spiritual Energy and aimed to tear Dan's heart into pieces despite Natalie's continuous attack on his back, why should he care about that when the mastermind of everything was standing before him?

"Die!!!"

Puchi!

Malachi's palm strike struck nothing, as two identical Dans appeared before him at the same time. His experience in battles steadied his mind as his palm strike turned into a palm sweep that swooped the two Dans in the air.

Malachi swept behind him with his other hand and struck Natalie's figure as the latter flew away and rolled on the ground. At the same time, his hands that captured the two Dans clenched, crushing Dan in his palms.

But before he could feel any delight from killing Dan, a surging Spiritual Energy manifested behind him as Dan sent a punch directly on a weak point at his back.

Dan cleanly struck his target as the Asura's upper body bent forward. A bloody flower carved on its back as Malachi struggled on stabilizing the Asura's condition. Summoning a vortex of Spiritual Qi, Malachi aimed to recover from Dan's attack, but before he could even start his recovery process, Natalie's palm strike assaulted his side as the Asura flew in the air and rolled like a ball on the ground.

"Damn, you're fucking sturdy..." Dan couldn't help but curse when he saw that the Asura still had thirty-percent of health points left despite his relentless attacks.

The Asura struggled to stand up, Dan's eyes flashed and a boom echoed out from his feet as he and Natalie dashed at the Asura's arms and sliced a huge chunk of its tendons, preventing it from standing back up.

Leaping towards the skies, Dan and Natalie summoned a ball of lightning, infusing everything that they could infuse on the lightning ball, both husband and wife held each other's hands as the ball of lightning seamlessly fused with each other, creating an even stronger power that threatened to annihilate the Asura.

Malachi's eyes looked dull and his mouth slightly opened to speak. However, the frothing blood on his mouth prevented him from doing so as despair filled his mind.

"Am I going to die here? All those riches that I accumulated from my line of work, will I forever be unable to enjoy them?" Malachi thought in melancholy, staring at his unconscious brothers, a wish surged from his heart.

"If there's a second life, I hope that we can still be brothers again..." He mumbled and closed his eyes as the ball of lightning neared the Asura's body and consumed everything on its path.

The two were even sent backward from the shockwave alone while Grace struggled to keep herself steady. The explosion generated by the Lightning Ball briefly illuminated the entire Wilderness.

When the dust and light simmered down, the Asura completely disappeared and what remained on the crater was the bodies of the three brothers, laying together in their last breath.

The three approached Malachi and his solemn, yet melancholic and regretful expression transformed the atmosphere into a somber one. Natalie and Grace maintained an indifferent expression along with Dan whose eyes shone in a cold light.

Seeing their looks, Malachi chuckled.

"I know that I have committed so many deeds in this life that even sacrificing my soul wouldn't be enough to atone for it..."

"I have annihilated so many families and humiliated so many maidens, I could be considered as more evil than those so-called demons."

"Brothers, If there's a next life, I do hope that we can still be brothers and at that time, we shall stay away from this one-way path..." Malachi slightly smiled, coughing an enormous amount of blood, he stared at the three and said.

"End my suffering..."

His words didn't affect Dan and Natalie but it shook Grace's heart and mind as her figure started trembling. Dan turned towards her and said, "Grace, end his suffering..."

Dan handed over his dagger and Grace received it as her hand endlessly trembled.

"I-If I killed him, will he be able to reincarnate once again?" Grace turned towards Dan but the latter merely closed his eyes and refused to answer her question.

Natalie also turned to the side as Grace approached Malachi's figure and raised her trembling hand that held the dagger in the air.

"I hope that you won't have the heart to do what you did in this life in your next life..." Grace whispered to him as her dagger stabbed down and pierced his heart. Coughing his last mouthful of blood, Malachi revealed a relieved smile as all traces of his life force disappeared.

From his body surged a jet-black ray of light which entered Grace's body. Grace staggered for a moment before regaining her composure. Turning her head towards Dan's direction, Dan received the signal and answered.

"There's no way that he could reincarnate once his soul is consumed..."

"I see, so that's how it is..." Grace uttered and turned around to leave for the direction of the annihilated carriages. Natalie and Dan stared at each other before stabbing down on the hearts of Stanley and Finley.

After absorbing their cultivation bases, Dan and Natalie felt like they could break through the Divine Soul Realm whenever they wanted to. Disposing of the bodies of the three fallen mercenaries, the group walked out of the Wilderness and returned to the Academy.

Throughout the entire journey, Grace remained despondent, only answering Dan and Natalie's inquiries with simple answers. Even though Grace resolved herself that she would walk on the same path as Dan, she still felt shaken about the fact that he denied someone's second chance of changing himself.

What if the man that he killed earlier actually had the destiny to save humanity in his next life?

Or what if he had the fate of a hero in his next life?

Grace thought in her heart.

Arriving before the gates of the Fragrant Peak Pavilion, Natalie left Grace and Dan alone on the front yard as she attended to the excited Juliet.

Dan's heart ached when he saw Grace's depressed expression, embracing her into his chest, he lovingly rubbed her head and said, "Grace, I know that you're pretty shaken about what happened earlier, but think about this, if we didn't take matters into our hands and ended his life, I am pretty sure that he would continue his work of annihilating families and humiliating maidens."

"What if one of those people that he killed had the destiny of a great cultivator that would save humanity from the clutches of the demons?"

"What if one of them had the potential to become the next Emperor that would lead humanity into greatness? So many potentials have been wasted because of his wanton killings. His life alone wouldn't be enough to atone for it..."

"So don't think too much about it, Grace. Or if you ever feel pity about them, just think of the fates of their previous and future victims. Think about what would happen if you didn't kill those bastards, Grace..."

Grace stood stiff, enjoying Dan's warmth and listening to his reassuring words, Grace sheepishly nodded her head and said, "I'm sorry, that I became so indecisive, from now on, I will never become like this, ever again. I promise you that..."

The light of resolve within her eyes amused Dan as he said with a light chuckle, "Come on, don't be so serious, it's fine if you get hurt, and if that happens, remember that I am right by your side and ready to shower you with head pats..."

"What head pats? Who likes head pats?" Grace furiously blushed and refused to meet his gaze, Dan who was still caressing her head cheekily smiled and said, "I see, so little Grace right here doesn't want to be showered with head pats? It seems like I'll just give Natalie her share of head pats and head rubs..."

Dan took his hands away from her head, but Grace caught his wrist and sheepishly said,

"Don't go to Sister, for now, stay here and don't remove your hand, continue rubbing it..."

Dan laughed out loud upon witnessing her display and he continued domesticating her with head pats and head rubs. Burying herself deeper into his chest, Grace felt blissful as Natalie and Juliet stood at the entrance of the residence with smiles on their faces.

"Juliet, it seems like your Mama is being greedy, she actually wants to take your Papa for herself..." Natalie commented and Juliet turned towards Natalie and said, "Mama, you've been doted by Papa for several months already, let Papa dote on Mama Grace more..."

She ignored Natalie and turned around to leave and surprise her Papa. Natalie wryly smiled, Juliet's words mere sound and logical but the fact that Juliet took Grace's side made her somewhat jealous and amused.