The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 264: Chapter 261: Coincidence

At night, Xiaoshan Town was pitch-black, without even a single candle flame.

This was because its villagers had either fled to Ling Province, died on the road while escaping the chaos, or been killed by demons.

The place had become a demon village through and through, and demons had no need for light.

Demons came from all sorts of strange origins. Some slept during the day, some at night, and some barely slept at all.

In the darkness of Xiaoshan Town, many figures could be seen stirring.

A series of footsteps rang out on the Official Road next to Xiaoshan Town.

It was a group of Daoists and a group of monks.

They moved quickly and lightly, but the demons in Xiaoshan Town still sensed their arrival.

"ROAR!"

A heaven-shaking tiger’s roar erupted.

The demons of Xiaoshan Town charged toward the strange group on the Official Road in a chaotic frenzy.

The Daoists wielded their swords and the old monks their staves, clashing with the demons.

One by one, the demons were obliterated by the Daoists and monks, leaving behind only pools of crimson blood. Bodies piled up on the Official Road.

The battle lasted for a full hour before it finally subsided.

"Foul beasts!"

An old man in a Daoist robe snorted coldly as he looked at the corpses on the ground.

If Bai Yuan were present, he would have recognized this man at a glance as Cangsong Taoist of the Celestial Profound Sect.

Ever since the Celestial Profound Sect suffered a setback at the hands of Du Qinghui, Cangsong Taoist had secluded himself in his room, rarely going out. The Celestial Profound Sect also seldom participated in the affairs of Ling Province.

Du Qinghui, for his part, turned a blind eye to this.

The Grand Tutor had invited the Celestial Profound Sect, not him. In his view, it was enough that the Celestial Profound Sect simply didn’t cause trouble.

Later, when the Northern Garrison Army was defeated, the Celestial Profound Sect received the news in advance. Taking advantage of their proximity, Cangsong Taoist was the first to arrive in Dingzhou.

"My Buddha is merciful."

An old monk with white hair and a white beard put his palms together and quietly chanted a Buddhist mantra.

He seemed like a completely different person from the man who had just clubbed three demons to death with his staff.

Cangsong Taoist glanced at the old monk beside him and sneered internally.

’Hypocrite!’

Although the Celestial Profound Sect combined Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism into a single school, the rift between the three teachings was not small.

Besides generations of accumulated grievances, the greater issue was their differing philosophies.

Just as the Daoist Family viewed the Buddhist sects as falsely compassionate.

In fact, even within the Daoist Family itself, the divisions were immense.

Different branches had vastly different beliefs. Some believed in Emperor Zhenwu, some in the Heavenly Master Thunder Skill, and for the most part, they all looked down on one another.

Cangsong Taoist instructed the Little Daoist behind him, Luo Dao Yi, "Clear out Xiaoshan Town within two hours."

The Celestial Profound Sect was closest to the Northern Territory, giving them the perfect advantage of timing and location.

They had to seize enough territory before the powers from beyond the Northern Territory arrived in Dingzhou.

"Yes."

The Little Daoist Child Luo Dao Yi hurriedly directed the Daoists and monks behind him to charge into Xiaoshan Town, vowing to eradicate all evil completely.

After Cangsong Taoist’s most capable disciple, Chen Qing, followed Jiu Zhen True Man to Shenfu Mountain, he was never heard from again. Now, Luo Dao Yi was his only disciple left.

The old monk chanted "Amitabha Buddha" again and turned to look at Cangsong Taoist.

"Junior Brother Cangsong, the Demon Sect experts from the Great Wall will soon arrive in Fenggu County. We must make plans early."

"What does Senior Brother think we should do?"

This old monk’s dharma name was Fatong. He was the leader of the Celestial Profound Sect’s contingent stationed in Qingzhou. After hearing the news, his and Cangsong Taoist’s plans coincided, and they both chose Dingzhou.

After a chance meeting in Dingzhou, they conferred and decided to join forces to attack the city.

Although the conflict between Buddhists and Daoists was constant, they would still choose to cooperate when faced with mutual benefit.

They had already conquered eight towns in Fenggu County, and the time had been ripe.

But unexpectedly, Cao Bang had interfered. On top of that, the Demon Sect had also started to make moves, forcing them to be cautious.

The mere thought of Cao Bang made Cangsong Taoist grind his teeth in hatred.

If it weren’t for that stinking bunch of fishmongers, Fenggu County would have long been in the Celestial Profound Sect’s pocket.

"Feng San!"

A murderous glint flashed in Cangsong Taoist’s eyes.

The Celestial Profound Sect’s Sect Leader had already given the order: whoever conquered the city could become the Sect Leader of that underground sect.

This was a rare opportunity.

’Anyone who stands in my way must die!’

Elder Monk Fatong spoke slowly, "I have observed that Donor Feng already shows signs of succumbing to his demons. We must break his Heart Demon as soon as possible."

"Senior Brother’s words are reasonable."

Cangsong Taoist wore a mocking smile.

’Whether someone has succumbed to their demons is just something these bald donkeys decide for themselves.’

’These old Buddhist monks have used this excuse to kill countless people. In the end, it’s all just for personal gain.’

However, as long as Elder Monk Fatong was willing to act, he certainly wouldn’t say anything against it.

Just as he was speaking with the old monk, Cangsong Taoist’s gaze suddenly hardened. He flicked his right-hand duster violently toward a nearby thicket, a flying sword shooting out from within it. A moment later, they heard a soft cry.

A cold smile touched the corners of Cangsong Taoist’s mouth.

With a flicker, his figure vanished into the woods beside the Official Road.

A few breaths later, a middle-aged man appeared before him. The man’s left chest had been pierced by Cangsong Taoist’s long sword. He staggered forward with difficulty, clearly at the end of his rope and not long for this world.

Cangsong Taoist walked up behind the man and ended his life with a single palm strike.

At the same moment, Elder Monk Fatong also appeared beside the man.

"Who is this donor?"

Cangsong Taoist used the tip of his foot to flip the man’s body over, getting a clear look at his face.

Elder Monk Fatong frowned slightly. "Could he be one of Cao Bang’s men?"

They had already crossed paths with Cao Bang, so it was logical that their scouts would be probing their movements.

But Cangsong Taoist shook his head and said slowly, "The Divine Mansion Sect."

...

"The scouts we sent out haven’t returned?"

Bai Yuan frowned upon hearing this news.

After they had set up camp outside Xiaoshan Town, they had sent out five teams of scouts to investigate the situation inside.

But now, the sky was already growing light, yet there was still no word.

Something was definitely amiss.

Yang Fangyu and Li Huan also showed looks of confusion.

Xiaoshan Town was just a small town. The demons entrenched there shouldn’t be too powerful, so it made no sense for there to be an accident.

Just as Yang Fangyu was preparing to go investigate himself, Hu Ben, the Vice Commander of the Divine Mansion Army, returned to camp.

Bai Yuan asked, "Commander Hu, did you find anything?"

Hu Ben’s expression was grave. "Sect Leader, it’s people from the Celestial Profound Sect."

Hearing this, the expressions of Bai Yuan and the other two faltered.

They hadn’t expected to have coincidentally chosen the same place as the Celestial Profound Sect.

"All the scouts we sent out were killed by them. I was almost discovered myself."

"You’ve worked hard."

Bai Yuan nodded.

Although Hu Ben appeared rough and careless, he was actually meticulous, which was why he had been able to escape from Xiaoshan Town.

Yang Fangyu was a little frustrated.

If it was just Cao Bang, they wouldn’t be afraid. But with the Celestial Profound Sect added to the mix, things had become tricky.

He couldn’t help but wonder if they should give up on Fenggu County.

Although they had wasted some time, it wasn’t too late to change course.

Li Huan asked, "Commander Hu, did you get a clear look at the Celestial Profound Sect’s leader?"

Hu Ben pondered for a moment. "I only recognized Elder Cangsong. There was also an old monk with white hair and a white beard whom I’ve never seen before."

Hearing Hu Ben’s words, Li Huan blurted out, "Monk Fatong!"

Bai Yuan and Yang Fangyu both turned to look at Li Huan.

It wasn’t strange for Cangsong Taoist to be in Dingzhou; after all, he had been in Ling Province, and Dingzhou was the closest province. But who was this Monk Fatong?

Li Huan paused. "Monk Fatong is the one leading the Celestial Profound Sect’s expedition to Qingzhou."

Then he gave a bitter laugh. "What a coincidence."

Not only had Monk Fatong come to Dingzhou, but he had also chosen Fenggu County, just like them. Fate truly had a strange way of working.

"Monk Fatong is very powerful, probably on par with Prefect Jiang."

The hearts of Bai Yuan and the other two sank.

Yang Fangyu and Li Huan held the rank of Prefect, not only because they lacked seniority, but also because their strength was insufficient.

Even if their combat prowess surpassed that of an ordinary Prefect, it was nowhere near enough to contend with a renowned veteran expert like Jiang Changping.

Against Cangsong Taoist alone, the three of them together might have a chance of winning.

But adding Monk Fatong to the equation, they would certainly be no match for them.

But if they were to give up now, they would be unreconciled.

After all, time waits for no one. If they abandoned Fenggu County, the situation in the next place might not be any better.

Just as Yang Fangyu and Li Huan were agonizing over the decision, Bai Yuan made the final call: "We’re going to Guiyuan County."

Hearing Bai Yuan’s words, both men nodded.

Yang Fangyu couldn’t help but admire Bai Yuan’s decisiveness. Making a choice was no easy task.

Since the decision was made, the three of them delayed no longer.

They immediately led their troops and departed from Cuixi Mountain.

Bai Yuan’s reason for leaving was actually very simple: it was a risk-reward analysis.

Cangsong Taoist, Monk Fatong, and Cao Bang on top of that—he couldn’t beat them.

Since he couldn’t win, there was naturally no need to stay. He was here to farm mobs, not to get himself killed.

No one could say for sure if the Celestial Profound Sect and Cao Bang would join forces, so it was best to be cautious.

...

Not long after Bai Yuan and his group had left, an old Daoist and an old monk appeared in the mountain valley.

"They’re gone?"

Cangsong Taoist frowned, gazing at the empty mountain valley.

The vast patches of flattened grass in the valley clearly showed that a large contingent of people had been here not long ago.

Daoist Fatong put his palms together. "Amitabha Buddha. They should be gone."

Cangsong Taoist’s expression was grim.

After learning that the Divine Mansion Sect was also here, he had immediately sent people to search the surrounding ten-li radius.

He had finally found the Divine Mansion Sect’s hiding place, only for them to escape just like that.

His relationship with the Divine Mansion Sect couldn’t be called good, but it hadn’t reached the point of a life-or-death struggle.

Jiu Zhen True Man wasn’t from his branch of the sect anyway; if he died, he died. As for Chen Qing, he was just a disciple, so it mattered even less.

What truly interested him were the words of Chunyuan Zhenren of Longevity Palace...

He had once paid a visit to Longevity Palace.

After he left, Longevity Palace completely vanished from the eyes of the world, even severing all contact with the outside.

This was because he had killed Chunyuan Zhenren. And before Chunyuan Zhenren died, he had learned an extremely interesting secret from him.

This was the reason he needed to capture that Shenfu Sect Master alive.

Sometimes, possessing a great treasure can earn you more hatred than if you had murdered someone’s parents.