Chapter 84: Half-Shattered Smiling Mask
Beiluo City. Beiluo City.
Lu Changkong personally sent the old eunuch out of the city.
It came as no surprise to Lu Changkong that Lu Fan had rejected the imperial decree. After all, with Lu Fan’s unpredictable cultivation ability, it was indeed hard to put restrictions on him with the secular imperial power.
“Because of Lu Fan’s leg problem, he is quite gloomy and disrespectful. Please inform His Majesty about this, and ask that he not be offended.”
Lu Changkong put his hands together to bid the old eunuch farewell.
The eunuch hurriedly returned the greeting. Today… he had, with his own eyes, witnessed the great power of a real cultivator, and it had made a strong impact on him.
The Imperial Advisor had always said that cultivators were very powerful and that they would become the variables of the world.
The old eunuch, who believed himself to be a Seventh Resonance Grandmaster, had made nothing out of them, but today… he was afraid.
When that imperial decree was strangely floating, as though it was about to make a hole through his head, his legs had really wobbled.
“Castellan Lu, it was us who had inconvenienced Young Master Lu…”
The old eunuch had mixed feelings.
“Recently, the Hundred Schools of Philosophy have joined hands with the mayor of North County to take down the cities of Yuanchi and Tong’an. His Majesty issued two orders, one for Drunken Dragon City and one for Beiluo City. Now that the imperial decree for Beiluo is delivered, we will have to hurry back to the capital.”
The old eunuch put his hands together in greeting.
Lu Changkong’s eyes widened. It was like what he had expected to happen.
Beiluo City had been attacked, and so had the five other remaining strongholds.
The appearance of cultivators at the Immortal Palace of the Hidden Dragon Ridge had made the Mohists, who were in control of everything, anxious.
“Please take care on your way back. Farewell,” Lu Changkong said.
The old eunuch made a greeting and rode away on his horse.
As Lu Changkong watched the figure of the old eunuch leaving, he narrowed his eyes and turned back to head toward the Lake Island.
****** Beiluo Lake Island.
Lu Fan pa.s.sed the transformed pot to Ni Yu.
Ni Yu had consumed the badly refined Gathering Qi Elixir and gathered Qi easily, advancing to the Third Stage Qi Core Realm. She was now feeling very happy about it.
However, there were still side effects to the badly refined Gathering Qi Elixir even though its elixir poison was not very toxic. The side effects made Ni Yu, who had just achieved a breakthrough, pa.s.s gas endlessly with her backside jutted out.
The sounds of her pa.s.sing gas lingered on the whole of Lake Island.
Lu Fan had gone up to the balcony on the second floor of the pavilion in White Jade City.
Ning Zhao had gotten the green plum wine, while Lu Fan set the table. There was an air of leisure as the wind softly blew.
Suddenly, Lu Fan felt something, and his brows furrowed, the scene before him transforming into moving lines as his field of vision began to magnify.
He saw the majestic City of Traps, as well as the glints and flashes of weapons.
******
The Tantai aristocratic family of North County had joined forces together with the Mohists and the Hundred Schools of Philosophy and settled in Yuanchi City.
Ten miles away from Yuanchi City stood Jiang Li, who donned a silver body armor. Behind him were the many elite soldiers of Great Zhou who had been sent here by the capital city.
They stood in confrontation against the North County Army in Yuanchi City a far away as rows of wooden fences and trenches spanned across the area.
Jiang Li’s hands rested on his unsheathed sword at his waist as he looked on at Yuanchi City.
He could vaguely see three standing figures on top of the city’s gate tower.
One of them was the Mohist giant Mo Beike, who was an old person with a rickety back.
Beside Mo Beike was the North County Mayor Tantai Xuan and his advisor, Mo Ju.
Mo Ju was calm and composed. He was not actually considered a Mohist disciple, as he had left the Mohists very early to be on his own.
However, he never would have thought that in the end… the lord that he had pledged loyalty to had also become involved with the Mohists.
Although he had mixed feelings about it, he was not against it.
Working hand in hand with the Mohists was the best situation for North County.
Initially, the Mohists had sided with the West County and supported the Overlord of West County.
If the Great Zhou really fell one day and chaos ensued, the ones who would be fighting for power would be the other large counties.
There were only three of them who would really have the chance to reach the top. They were the Overlord of West County, Tantai of North County, and Tangs of South County…
However, now that the Mohists had joined forces with North County, the chances of the Tantai aristocratic family dominating the capital increased exponentially.
Jiang Li watched on for a while more and then withdrew his gaze coldly.
He furrowed his brows. Jiang Li knew that the North County Army was not making any moves because they were waiting…
Waiting for his weakness to show.
He rubbed his palm against the sword at his waist.
He was feeling some pain in his heart. He had wanted for her to live a peaceful life as a poultry woman, without having to be embroiled in the filth of the world.
Yet…
Things could never go as he wished.
Compared with the surging storm at Yuanchi City.
The Mohist City of Traps at the Eastern Lake had been experiencing torrential downpour for two whole days as they entered into a state of a savage war.
****** Some West Liang soldiers had finally managed to climb up the 81 Iron Chains onto the city grounds with the crossbow arrows that had been fired by the Mohist City of Traps.
However, there were only gears spinning on the ground surface of the Mohist City of Traps.
In an instant, countless spikes shot out and pierced right through the West Liang soldiers, one by one.
Even if they were First Tier martial artists, when faced with such despicable means, they could only fall into the deep abyss just like ordinary soldiers.
The rapid flow of the waterfall complemented the pouring rain and brought about a dense cloud of water vapor that washed away the filth of the earth.
One after another, the death of the West Liang soldiers caused the emotionally strong Xiang Shaoyun to shake uncontrollably as well.
At the army troops…
s.h.i.+rtless soldiers were waving their drumsticks and then beating the wet drums.
Between the deep sounds of the drum, the Overlord took a step forward and stepped out of his chariot onto the ground, splas.h.i.+ng a pool of water in the process.
The Mohist City of Traps indeed lived up to its name of being the most impenetrable walled city—it was the most difficult place to attack in the world.
Xiang Shaoyun raised his head and glanced around. Not only did he see the busy Mohist disciples, but also he saw the figure who looked just like a fiery-red Angel’s Trumpet flower petal.
Now the only way was for him to use his strong power to pave an open path into the Mohist City of Traps.
No matter how st.u.r.dy a s.h.i.+eld was, once there was a hole in it, it would not take long before the crack in it spread quickly.
This was something that Xiang Shaoyun was aware of.
He slowly closed his eyes.
With his eyes closed, Xiang Shaoyun saw a scene where the Hidden Dragon Ridge was surrounded by 5,000 troops. He saw many bloodstained West Liang soldiers kneeling on the ground, their expressions unrelenting, as something had pierced through all of their bodies.
It was as though he could hear the music from Mingsang’s flute in his ears.
The music from the flute even felt much louder than the gus.h.i.+ng sound of the pouring rain.
At this moment, the Overlord opened his eyes, his gaze cold and merciless.
“Kill!”
At the Overlord’s low growl, the raindrops around him blasted away.
He waved his axe and s.h.i.+eld and charged forward. Jumping up and rus.h.i.+ng through the curtain of rain, he then stepped on a thick iron chain.
He moved along the iron chain with great speed as his steps remained steady.
Now that the Overlord had made his move, all the West Liang soldiers’ blood boiled with vigor, as if they had been lit up by a fire of some sort of faith!
Everyone wielded their weapons, and even as the heavy rain poured down on them, it could not extinguish the fire in their hearts.
In the City of Traps…
Zhu’s eyes narrowed beneath her silver-white mask.
“Kill the Overlord!”
Crossbow carts lined after one another as they aimed at the Overlord who was on the thick iron chains.
Tututu!
A bolt of arrows pierced through the raindrops, spinning at high velocity, and shot toward the Overlord Xiang Shaoyun’s large body.
Xiang Shaoyun steadied his steps on the thick iron chains and raised the s.h.i.+eld in his hand as the arrows landed right on it. The impact from the arrows—which was enough to knock down several people—had completely no effect on Xiang Shaoyun.
Zhu’s expression remained unchanged as her red lips opened.
Boom!
The walls of the Mohist City of Traps suddenly broke apart, and a ma.s.sive beast machine resembling an eighteen-legged centipede emerged from the thick iron chains.
This was the centipede machine, the pinnacle of the joint creation between the Mohists and the Jiguan School.
The eighteen-legged centipede machine, which was covered with sharp steel knives on its two sides, climbed along the thick iron chains as it killed everyone in its path, strewing the whole place with dead bodies.
The stench of blood was so strong that even the heavy rain could not wash it away.
A path had been paved with the blood of the West Liang soldiers.
The Overlord bellowed in rage as he ran at the centipede machine with his weapons at the ready.
All of a sudden!
The Overlord squinted his eyes.
Two meters to the side of his body, raindrops were being split in half by a sharp force.
The Overlord flicked his drenched hair and raised the long axe in his hands.
A terrifying Qi and blood burst forth, as Ninth Resonance blasted one after another.
A smiling mask appeared before the Overlord. Then, a sword ray cut through the air, slicing countless raindrops, as it came right for the Overlord’s throat to strike his vital part and kill him in one blow.
He killed with grace, his sword leaving no trace!
This man was the best a.s.sa.s.sin in the world, Mo Yiheng!
The Overlord had heard of this name before.
On the City of Traps…
Zhu’s fiery red robe fluttered as she stood atop the guarding fence of the city wall, her straight and long, slender legs in embroidered shoes. With a long sword in hand, she took off.
It was like a drop of red ink dripping into clear water.
Numerous knights of the Mohists also drew their weapons one by one and leaped down the city wall, heading straight for the Overlord.
“Kill the Overlord!”
If the Overlord were dead, then the West Liang Army would retreat of their own accord without attacking!
And the Mohist City of Traps would then be safe!
The best defense was to attack!
Crossbow arrows whistled past, as soldiers yelled…
Their only target was the Overlord.
Buzz…
The sound of a sword explosively resounded. Mo Yiheng’s sword had finally hit the target.
The sword stabbed right into the center of the Overlord’s dark armor.
However, an inch was the farthest it could go.
Mo Yiheng’s long hair flew in the whistling wind from the axe as he retrieved his sword and circled around on the thick iron chain.
Mo Yiheng continued stabbing a dozen more times in a row, all on the same point on the Overlord’s axe.
A ma.s.sive force caused Mo Yiheng to slide down, with his feet still on the thick iron chains.
It was as though the world had turned silent.
The Overlord stood up, his cloak flying and beating away the raindrops falling.
Mo Yiheng was panting.
“Ninth Resonance Grandmaster a.s.sa.s.sin, philosopher of Jiguan School, the crossbow, the centipede machine…”
“Is this the faith of Mo Beike?”
Xiang Shaoyun gave Mo Yiheng, who was wearing his smiling mask, a deep look.
Far away…
A ma.s.sive eighteen-legged centipede machine was on a rampage.
The Mohist knights charged forward.
On the thick iron chains, the brave soldiers of West Liang remained fearless, even as they fell into the deep abyss one after another…
On the cliffs, it was as though the loud sounds of battle were competing with the roaring rain.
Xiang Shaoyun smiled, the sides of his lips curling up coolly.
“If that’s the case, then I will crush Mo Beike’s faith with my very own hands…,” Xiang Shaoyun said.
Demonic Qi swirled in his Qi Core and spread out from under his skin, taking form in the shape of terrifying pressure.
Xiang Shaoyun raised his hands.
Suddenly…
In that moment, it was like the continuous falling raindrops from the rainstorm… had abruptly stopped and froze midair.
Mo Yiheng’s pupils contracted.
Boundless fear found its way into his heart and gripped tightly onto it.
However, he did not retreat or flee and held up the sword in his hands toward the Overlord.
Lightly, the Overlord swung his axe with one hand…
And landed the blow on Mo Yiheng’s sword.
The sword that had accompanied him through countless nights of a.s.sa.s.sination shattered, just like that.
It broke off inch by inch, and finally, nothing but crushed pieces were left.
The huge force landed directly on Yiheng, as the Qi of the axe formed by the demonic Qi pa.s.sed through his body…
Mo Yiheng’s hair disintegrated, his lifeless body fell off from the thick iron chains.
The rus.h.i.+ng waterfall was roaring, as the rain continued to pour from the heavens.
The smiling mask had shattered, revealing the expressionless face of Mo Yiheng.
The drops of rain were magnified in his eyes as though they reflected his dry and boring life.
From today onward, he was free.
******
The rain was raging, and the mountain paths were muddy.
The donkey’s hooves trod on, muddy water splas.h.i.+ng.
Mo Liuqi, who had been continuously following the mountain paths up the cliff on his donkey, sported an anxious look on his face.
Around the cliffs, dark figure after dark figure had been falling off.
Suddenly…
It was like Mo Liuqi had felt something in his heart.
A dark shadow fell from the cliff as it was carried by the strong winds and heavy rain and dropped toward him.
He avoided it.
The dark shadow crashed onto the ground as the sheer force from it splattered the muddy water everywhere.
In the mud, Mo Liuqi could see it clearly.
That dark shadow was the half-shattered smiling mask.