Chapter 883 - Invoking the Gods
There was nothing left to say after that declaration. Both sides moved at once.
He Xu punched the air, and a barrage of hair-thin steel needles flew out. Each one carried an edge of qi sharp enough to pierce a centimeter of solid steel. The Lotus Heart Sage formed hand seals, channeled his internal energy, and conjured a shield marked with a white lotus. The remarkably tough shield deflected He Xu’s needles with ease.
Seeing this, Jia Gui quietly slipped to the back of the group, beady eyes darting around. Although he outwardly looked like he was scanning for ambushes, in reality, he was actually scouting escape routes.
Han Wu ignored Jia Gui, choosing to prioritize getting answers from the Lotus Heart Sage. He and Qin Shuang attacked together from opposite sides.
Summoning his gold and silver twin axes, Han Wu swung them in a cross pattern. Two streams of qi, one gold and one silver, slammed into the white lotus shield, but caused no damage.
Qin Shuang gathered her lightning technique, formed a Thunder Palm, and smashed it against the shield. The impact sent cracks across the shield, but it reformed almost instantly.
The Lotus Heart Sage released a blast of qi, which sent Han Wu and Qin Shuang flying. That brief exchange had given the Lotus Heart Sage a clear read on their abilities. The gap between them and a First-rate fighter like himself was significant. He could crush all four of them on his own.
“Mere fireflies dare to try and outshine the brilliance of the moon. Today I’ll show you the White Lotus Sect’s ultimate technique, the Thousand Lotus Bloom. You’ll die as you were meant to!” Qi surged around the Lotus Heart Sage, forming lotus after lotus of pure white energy. They were beautiful, but deadly.
As the Thousand Lotus Bloom took shape, a figure rose slowly from the Lotus Heart Sage’s shadow. Xun had slipped into the Lotus Heart Sage’s shadow during the earlier exchange on Han Wu’s orders, biding his time for the perfect moment to strike.
Xun extended his tail. Dozens of techniques layered their hidden boosts on top of it. The strike drove straight into the Lotus Heart Sage’s butt with unstoppable force!
The Lotus Heart Sage had been building up his ultimate attack when the ambush hit. The precision of the strike only made it worse. The pain launched him three meters into the air, and he nearly flew past the courtyard wall.
When he landed, his face was deathly pale, and the wound on his butt was still bleeding freely. The backlash from having the Thousand Lotus Bloom interrupted had also severely injured him. The Lotus Heart Sage looked nothing like the imposing First-rate fighter he was supposed to be.
“Cowards! Resorting to such a despicable ambush!” the Lotus Heart Sage roared.
Han Wu snapped back instantly, “Right, right, you’re the honorable one. You kidnap people’s families but act like you hold the moral high ground.”
The Lotus Heart Sage had no comeback for that. In truth, his character wasn’t much better than Han Wu’s.
Setting aside the squabble, the Lotus Heart Sage gritted his teeth and tried to steady himself. His ultimate technique was out of commission, and his injuries made it impossible to fight with any real power.
That left him one option. The White Lotus Sect’s other closely guarded secret: the Divine Invocation. This technique called upon a god to fight on one’s behalf, also known as divine possession. The god’s power would massively boost his combat power and temporarily heal his wounds. It was more than enough to deal with four Second-rate fighters.
Forming another set of hand seals, he chanted an incantation under his breath. An invisible pressure descended upon him.
When Han Wu’s group felt it, their eyes went wide. They recognized this pressure. It was a Divine Authority! The Lotus Heart Sage was somehow channeling a Divine Authority into himself!
The Lotus Heart Sage felt the power in him and cried out, “I call upon True Martial God King to descend!”
In that instant, the Lotus Heart Sage changed. While his outward appearance and body were the same, his presence became that of a completely different person. There was something familiar in that presence.
“Han Wu, long time no see!” the Lotus Heart Sage said, voice nothing like before.
“True Martial God King!” Han Wu blurted out.
Qin Shuang, He Xu, and even Jia Gui, who had been ready to bolt at any second, were all shaken.
“Han Wu, are you joking? How could he possibly be the True Martial God King?” Jia Gui asked incredulously. Despite his skeptical question, his voice trembled. Deep down, he knew Han Wu was right.
He Xu’s face darkened. They could barely handle a First-rate fighter, let alone the True Martial God King.
Qin Shuang was drowning in guilt. Despite suspecting this was a trap from the start, she had still allowed Han Wu and the others to take on this dangerous rescue mission anyway.
The reality was even worse than she had imagined.
“Han Wu, by saying my name, you’ve just sealed the fate of everyone here,” the True Martial God King said through the Lotus Heart Sage’s body.
Han Wu scoffed. “As if you’d have let us go if I hadn’t.”
“Ha! Fair point. Your fates were sealed the moment you stepped into this courtyard. You should be grateful I didn’t crush you when I found out you stole my Origin of Mutation. I would’ve too if you hadn’t somehow stumbled into Imperial College’s protection—lucky you. But there’s nobody around to save you here in the Martial Arts Civilization! Just accept your death! Once you’re dead, I’ll trace your corpse back to your divine realm and reclaim what’s mine.”
Han Wu was internally panicking, but there was no running now. He had to fight.
“Get behind me. Find a chance to escape. I’ll hold him off as long as I can,” he whispered to the other three.
They were in a hopeless situation. If even one person could survive, that would be a win.
“I’m not leaving. I’m staying with you,” Qin Shuang refused, determined to see it through with Han Wu.
He Xu, confronted with the prospect of certain death, actually relaxed a little. “Han Wu, I’ll be honest, I’ve resented you at times, but my mentor instructed me to protect you, and I’ll see it through even if it kills me.”
“You can’t be serious about fighting!” Jia Gui exclaimed, on the verge of losing control of his bladder. “You’re all insane! What’s the point of trying to fight a futile battle? Running is the only smart move.”
“Run? You think you can?” mocked the possessed Lotus Heart Sage.
That broke Jia Gui. He peeled away from the group and threw himself at the Lotus Heart Sage’s feet. “I barely know them. I have nothing to do with whatever grudge this is. You can kill them, but please spare me! I’ll repay you when I get back to the Divine Civilization. I’m a World rank fighter, believe it or not. Let me live, and I’ll serve you however you want.”
“Han Wu, your teammate seems to need some help.” The possessed Lotus Heart Sage laughed.
Then, turning to Jia Gui, he sneered. “I’ve never seen a World rank fighter so afraid to die before. Fine, since you want to switch sides, I’ll accept. Stand behind me and cheer me on.”
“You got it!” Jia Gui scrambled behind the Lotus Heart Sage, looking as though the heavens themselves had granted him mercy.
