Chapter 714: Chapter 713: Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flower
The grand and exciting Ghost Meeting ended with an anti-climax. Of course, to many people, this was just the beginning.
Right Sect obviously wouldn’t submit to Left Sect simply because of the Ghost Killing Yama Order, they would certainly make a significant move next.
On the day they left the mountain range, the tens of thousands of people who had rushed to the Left Sect split into many groups.
Although the location of the Ghost Meeting was secret, the Righteous Path could not be unaware of it.
To put it bluntly, there might be spies from the Righteous Path within both sects, but both sects also have undercover agents among the Righteous Path. They both had well-informed sources, so the Righteous Path could never attack the two sects during the Ghost Meeting.
However, on the return journey, since the target was too big and the two sects could not coordinate all the time, they were likely to become targets of the martial world’s Righteous Path.
To avoid this situation, at the end of each Ghost Meeting, both sects would adopt a strategy of dispersion, returning in batches.
Groups of people, some of hundreds and some of only dozens, led by a few Earth Immortals of the Divine Barrier Realm, led the remaining Dragon Gate Realm warriors and disappeared into the night from different directions.
"Let’s go."
Shi Xiaole and the other six Ghost Guards, together with Yun Chuoxi, were a group of fifty people, led by two earth immortals of the ninth rank of the Divine Barrier Realm.
"Everyone be alert. It’s highly likely that the Right Sect will resort to desperate measures and attack us on our journey. What we need to do is preserve our strength, and eradicate all those who dare to attack!"
An elder in a purple robe reminded everyone, one of the peak Earth Immortals.
There wasn’t much surprise.
The lowest cultivation level present was the Fifth Tier of the Dragon Gate Realm, who at this stage of cultivation was a fool?
If you gave the Right Sect a hundred gall, they would not dare to brazenly ignore the Ghost Killing Yama Order and attack the Left Sect headquarters. The difficulty was too great, so the Right Sect’s only chance was to take action on the road.
To think deeper, perhaps the high-levels of the Left Sect were already prepared for everything when Yun Tianya decided to show the Ghost Killing Yama Order.
So the journey to come was indeed the real battle between the two sects!
The group left the mountain range quietly.
"Miss, in my opinion, it would be safest for you to leave alone with two elders."
Shi Xiaole walked side by side with Yun Chuoxi, the faint scent wafted into his nose, he couldn’t help but say.
A large group made for a larger target. If two peak earth immortals were to protect Yun Chuoxi alone, even the fighters of the Void Origin Realm might not be able to kill three of them. After all, in the vast world, if you can’t even find the person, how can you kill them?
"Who do you think I am! Yun Chuoxi is unwilling to be a golden canary; I want to be that eagle soaring in the sky!"
Upon hearing this, Yun Chuoxi glared at Shi Xiaole fiercely.
With the Poison Spirit Body, she was the hope of Left Sect’s rise. During the previous secret meeting, many elders proposed the same suggestion as Shi Xiaole, but it was vetoed by Yun Chuoxi herself.
Which of the strong in history hasn’t experienced life-and-death battles? Just relying on resources and hard training will never make a true strongman.
Fortunately, her grandfather, the Suzerain of the Left Sect, Yun Tianya, chose to support her, thereby earning this valuable opportunity.
"Miss is really a heroine! My apologies for any offense," Shi Xiaole said, giving a thumbs up. Looking up at the two peak earth immortals in front of him, he shook his head secretly.
"Hmph!"
Hearing the mockery in his words, Yun Chuoxi blushed, wanting to argue but then deciding better of it, finally just turning her head away. She didn’t need words, she would prove her worth with her strength, and show everyone that she could be the backbone of the Left Sect.
The next three days passed peacefully.
The path the fifty of them took was obviously predetermined from the start. Every time they reached a certain point, there would be a contact waiting, and they would change over to well-rested horses.
Though travelling with flying skills was faster than horses, it also depleted one’s strength faster, and might actually put them at a disadvantage if they were attacked.
This peace didn’t cause the group to let down their guard, but rather intensified their vigilance, like a tightly stretched string, gradually reaching its breaking point.
It was yet another starry night.
From a far-off mountain, the faint sound of wolves howling could be heard, startling a large group of chirping birds. They looked like splotches of ink in the night.
The splotches of ink suddenly expanded into a cluster of ink clouds that were even darker than the night. Within the ink clouds, a flock of bat-like creatures appeared!
"They’re finally here!"
The Elder in a purple robe was the first to notice something was amiss. With a wave of his large hand, the bats in the sky exploded into a blood mist.
"Left Sect, you stole the Yama Order from our Right Sect, a crime worthy of death. Today, I, Black Bat King, vow to seek justice!"
More and more bats flew out, with the largest one carrying a slender elderly figure in a black cloak that fluttered behind him, making a whooshing noise.
"Black Bat King, your Right Sect is indeed as shameless as always!"
The purple-robed Elder shot into the sky without any hesitation. He landed a palm strike directly towards the Black Bat King, meanwhile shouting back, "Go!"
If the Black Bat King were to show himself, he wouldn’t possibly be alone.
As if to verify the purple-robed elder’s guess, as soon as his words fell, an atmosphere as formidable as the Black Bat King’s erupted. With a flash of spear light piercing through the void.
Zing!
The other peak Earth Immortal of the Left Sect blocked this attack.
"Quickly, this way!"
Apart from the two Peak Earth Immortals, there were three high-ranking officials of the Eighth Rank of the Divine Border Realm in the Left Sect’s team, who immediately led the others towards the open area of the mountain range.
From what Shi Xiaole knew, there were over three hundred Earth Immortals in the Left Sect, more than a hundred had been deployed this time, divided among different groups. Basically, each group only had three to four people.
Aside from the six main Ghost Guards, there still remained five members in their group, all of whom were distinguished figures among the Earth Immortals, clearly benefiting from Yun Chuoxi’s influence.
Everyone moved quickly, but unexpectedly a bolt of lightning-like blade light suddenly emerged from the sky, illuminating the night as if it were day. Trapped under the blade light, 90% of the people were unable to move.
Shi Xiaole was nearly certain that this strike was no less deadly than that of the purple-robed elder’s palm imprint; clearly, their attacker was also a peak Earth Immortal.
It was the three Divine Barrier Realm eight-tier masters who reacted the fastest. They jointly launched their attack, and amidst a thunderous noise, barely managed to counter this strike, despite being pushed back dozens of meters.
"Retreat to the right!"
Among those remaining, given that Shi Xiaole’s power was the highest and that he also was the leader of the Ghost Guards, he naturally took up the role of leader. Without hesitation, he promptly led everyone away to the right.
The three Divine Barrier Realm eight-tier masters revealed admiration and then used all their strength to entangle in combat with the Right Sect’s blade wielder.
"Hahaha, where do you think you can run to?"
A voice cracked like a thunderbolt as an old man with slanted eyes suddenly flew in from a distance. His strong aura penetrated the flesh and bones of the Left Sect members, rapidly corroding their strength. Many of them could no longer run.
The fourth peak Earth Immortal!
It was clear that the Right Sect, lacking the ability to predict and plan, could not have tracked down Shi Xiaole’s group and, coincidentally, deployed a force powerful enough to crush them.
There was only one answer—there was a traitor within them who had leaked information to the Right Sect.
"Who is it?"
The purple-robed elder cried out loudly.
"The dead don’t need to know too much."
Black Bat King laughed boisterously.
"You’re getting ahead of yourselves."
A twenty-yard-wide ray of light shot straight towards the slant-eyed old man. The latter shattered the light with a wave of his fist, but his aura slightly flinched, causing him to look up.
Unknown to them, a middle-aged man dressed in tight clothes had appeared in front of Shi Xiaole and the others, holding a bronze short halberd, exuding an aura as solid as a mountain.
"Eighteenth Elder!"
Someone called out excitedly.
The first twenty elders of the Left Sect were all peak Earth Immortals, among whom the Eighteenth Elder was renowned for his bravery. His strength was among the top tier in the entire Left Sect.
Shi Xiaole was not surprised.
Considering that the Left Sect had anticipated that the Right Sect would go for broke, they must have been fully prepared and certainly taken the possibility of a traitor into account. From the current situation, it seemed they had even made use of the traitor.
"No matter how many come, your Left Sect is as good as dead tonight!"
The slant-eyed old man roared, and countless dazzling lights emerged from his hands, as though every inch of his body was a deadly blade, unbeatable.
"Death Halberd!"
The Eighteenth Elder swung both his hands, and the bronze light instantly shattered the dazzling lights. The two entered a fierce battle; the slant-eyed old man tried several times to get close to Shi Xiaole and the others, but each time was blocked by the Eighteenth Elder, causing him to yell in rage.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind blew by.
Shi Xiaole, who was speeding away, suddenly felt a chill in his hands and feet.
In front of them, on the mountain cliff, there stood a figure who seemed to blend perfectly into the night. The moonlight reflected off him did not cast a shadow, and his aura did not leak at all.
"Shadowless King!"
The Eighteenth Elder’s face changed drastically.
A typical peak Earth Immortal would not escape his perception, but the Shadowless King was an exception. His specialty was in stealth and disguise; it was no wonder he had been following the group for so long without being discovered.
"You people wanted to use a traitor to trap and kill us, hehe, little did you know that our Suzerain, to be on the safe side, had instructed me to follow you secretly long ago."
The cold gaze of the Shadowless King fell on Yun Chuoxi: "For your sake, our Right Sect had to give up several other battlefields, losing many high-ranking warriors. You should be satisfied."
Whoosh!
The Shadowless King lunged at Yun Chuoxi with one hand, while his other hand swept across, creating rampant vigorous air like a tidal wave, threatening the lives of others in the field at any moment.
Including Shi Xiaole, everyone was helpless.
The speed of a peak Earth Immortal was beyond their imagination; even with Shi Xiaole’s spiritual power, he could only vaguely see a shadow.
However, he was surprisingly calm, not only due to his own confidence but also because he noticed that from start to finish, Yun Chuoxi was calm—utterly tranquil.
A flower silently bloomed in the dark, its petals more dazzling than gold or silver. The opening and closing of the flower was like a dancing maiden, revealing an indescribable beauty.
One petal after another fell, withering away.
The one withering away was also the life of the Shadowless King.
"No, this can’t be, Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flower?!"
The Shadowless King’s eyes widened in horror.
The four other peak Earth Immortals from the Right Sect were also stunned.
This beautiful sight, this terrifying killing intent, was clearly the Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flower, one of the top ten hidden weapons of the Tang Sect.
But how could this be? Ever since the most distinguished old master of the Tang Sect passed away, no one had been able to craft these ten great hidden weapons. Their number was decreasing one by one, and even masters of the Void Origin Realm struggled to obtain them; how did Yun Chuoxi manage to have one?
