Chapter 673: Retribution Is Here
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"We"ll reach Tiantang City in another hundred and seventy miles."
There was a troop of men and horses, approximately a hundred of them. All of them wore hemp gowns and high hats. One of them cried aloud while whipping his horse.
"There"s no need to be so rushed then. While the dragon hide treasure map has emerged, there"ll be no verdict until hundreds and thousands of lives are sacrificed."
A wizened old man spoke, "Let everyone take a break first and prepare themselves. We"ll observe the situation when we enter the city later – do not feed our impulses nor step right into the battleground and attract too much attention."
"Yes, Grand Elder."
"This is spoken from experience. Reckless impulsiveness will only cause irreversible consequences."
"There"s a stop right in front. We can freshen up there."
"Great!"
The troops quickened their pace, galloping forward.
When they were a few hundred feet away from the said stop, clouds in the sky stirred. A gale came sweeping in without warning. As the gale unleashed itself, the dust and debris on the road joined the party. It was like a smoke screen had been tossed towards the hemp-gowned troop.
A straw shows where the wind blows – proficient cultivators could naturally sense an incoming threat. Witnessing the unusual wind, the Ma-i Sect halted themselves uniformly. Their expressions were grim as their gazes scanned and flitted around.
Everyone knew that the sudden gale was not an act of nature.
"Which friend has come? What advice do you have for us?" The sunken eyes of the Ma-i Sect"s Grand Elder were gleaming brightly; he spoke in a low voice, "Since you"ve come, do step forward to grant us advice. This sect awaits with eager ears."
The gale remained strong, while the surroundings were dead silent.
Sand and stones were still bring swept into the air and it seemed that the intensity of the storm was only growing more severe. The sky dimmed, blades of gra.s.s were being bent, but no one answered.
The Grand Elder looked offended as he cried out, "Into formations, focus on your defense!"
If there were no malicious intentions, the culprit would have made themselves known after the slight commotion. Since the other party had not responded to the invitation and showed themselves, they almost certainly were harboring ill intentions.
There was no doubt that they stood on opposing sides!
With a soft swoosh, twenty-eight people from the Ma-i Sect brandished their glittering gold hooks before dispersing instantly to their positions in an orderly fas.h.i.+on. It was evident that their cooperation was tacit. The rest of the people stayed inside the first line of defense, forming smaller groups of nine and was ready to strike anytime, to attack their enemy or rescue their comrades.
In the center stood the Grand Elder, the Ma-i"s sect leader, and another three Elders. Five of them were responsible for strategizing in the middle, preventing an ambush, or countering with their remarkable skill to ensure a complete defense.
The outer large formation and inner smaller formations were securely connected to each other, interwoven in and out. It was the formation that had the Ma-i Sect commanding reverence in the martial world for years – Deva of the Hundred and Eight Constellations Formation.
Following the completion of the Ma-i Sect"s formation, the already raging gale continued to pick up momentum. The br.i.m.m.i.n.g killing intent thickened gradually like it was about to condense into something solid.
The Grand Elder looked surprised despite the grimness he wore.
"Who are you? Such skill you possess, yet you hide – is this how a master should be? Since you intend to target this sect, why shy away from showing yourself and fighting properly?"
Before the Grand Elder"s words echoed in the air, a distant laughter rang from within the gale. Then, a voice came up within the wind; it floated with the whistling gale, rising and falling with it, and could be heard from both near and far.
"Have no grudge against the world, Gold Hook Ma-i… Be tainted not by the worldly, succ.u.mb not into the abyss… n.o.ble t.i.tles have nothing to do with me… Kids and grandchildren, remember, never pick resentment and favor… Once a grudge is forged, unrest is for eternity… Once a grudge is forged, unrest is for eternity… Unrest is for eternity…"
These words were left by the Ma-i Sect"s founding grandmaster to warn the sect. Since the establishment of the sect, his words had been taken as the golden rule, the holy edict. Not only was there no one who dared defy it, a slight doubt would cause one to be chased out of the sect to never be recruited again.
The Grand Elder was sweating profusely, hollering, "Who are you? Come out!"
The voice in the wind was imperceptible, sounding like it could have come from the left or right, above or below. It spoke faintly, "You"re the Grand Elder of Ma-i Sect – Hmm, who martial pract.i.tioners called the Gold Hook King … w.a.n.g Chang Feng?"
w.a.n.g Changfeng closed his eyes when he replied coldly, "Putting on such a show, are you set on becoming this sect"s enemy?"
The voice in the wind answered, "It"s not my personal intent to become your enemy. I"m only asking you if you still remember Ma-i Sect"s ancestral teachings?"
w.a.n.g Changfeng"s facial muscle made a violent twitch; he said darkly, "The Ma-i Sect"s ancestral teaching is of Ma-i Sect"s business. Whether I remember it or not isn"t for an outsider to question."
"Oh, how the world has changed… Men are unpredictable indeed… The current Ma-i Sect is a generation that forgets the past and defies the ancestral teachings. Do you, however, remember the consequences of violating the ancestral edict?" the voice in the wind said after a cold chuckle.
Ma-i Sect"s sect leader voiced out in anger, "Who are you? Mentioning the Ma-i Sect"s ancestral teaching here and there – what status, what position do you have to make such criticisms?"
"It looks like you are the Ma-i Sect"s current sect leader, Ge Zuheng? Your people have violated the ancestral teachings, deceiving your teachers and ignoring your ancestors – as a sect leader, what sort of punishment do you think they should get?" asked the voice in the wind.
Ge Zuheng smirked. "Whatever punishment it may be, at least it"s not up to someone dishonorable like you to decide!"
"Not up to someone dishonorable like me to decide… Great! Outsiders can"t be bothered with your sect affairs but… I wonder what it"ll be like for someone dishonorable like me to wipe out the Ma-i Sect?" The lingering voice chuckled.
Ge Zuheng huffed in rage, "Show yourself if you have the stomach for it! Your deliberately mysterious front and sharp tongue won"t be able to destroy the Ma-i Sect; is the martial world now filled with empty vessels like you?"
"Once a grudge is forged, unrest is for eternity… Once a grudge is forged, unrest is for eternity…" the voice recited in the wind after a guffaw.
The clouds stirred again, split apart by jagged lines of gold. Thunder suddenly roared in the sky, countless lightning strikes then landed thereafter. Slithering silver snakes raced through the evening sky, descending into the mortal world flas.h.i.+ng menacingly.
Boom, boom, boom.
It was like explosives were being ignited at the same time on the ground. Blazing fires and sparks were all the eyes could see in such a short time-frame.
The thunder ravaged the sky in an earth-shattering manner, while the wind and clouds grew even more berserk.
The Ma-i Sect was indeed a grand sect of millennial legacy. Despite the panic felt upon facing such rampant phenomena, gold hooks were raised towards the sky in unison. A blanket of dazzling golden beams soared upwards.
The counterattack deflected the maddening thunder; there was not even a single life lost during the natural phenomenon attack. The Deva of the Hundred and Eight Constellations Formation was indeed impressive, living up to its name.
A sneer came from the sky. "Ma-i Sect… You who wear hemp gowns are remarkable indeed, actually rebuffing the heaven"s thunder."
The words were undisputedly sarcastic. It was not surprising that the Ma-i Sect would be struck by thunder for violating their ancestral edicts.
Ge Zuheng cried, "Disreputable one! Come out now!"
There was brazen laughter in the sky. "Do be patient, I am coming!"