Chapter 181 – Masters in Confrontation
The Third Elder’s face was clearly reflecting his confidence now that his two brothers were standing next to him. Their biggest enemy tonight was s.h.i.+ Chang Xiao, but as long as the three of them were together, they were sure that they wouldn’t fall short of him; however, the present situation had become far more volatile than they had initially expected!
Firstly, the strength of the man in the black mask was unpredictable, but moreover, they weren’t just opposed by s.h.i.+ Chang Xiao alone, but the Solitary Falcon as well. On top of that, several of the Li Wu Bei’s disciples had also shown up, and then the Yu Tang Empire’s Imperial Teacher Fei Meng Chen also had a squad of six Sky Xuan experts standing behind him!
This situation was most unexpected!
Moreover, this situation was extremely delicate.
The weakest in strength amongst them all was Jun Mo Xie, who was audaciously and arrogantly eyeing the others while holding the Peak Level Nine Xuan Core in his hands. The three Elders from the Silver Blizzard City were standing on one end, while Fei Meng Chen was standing on the other. As the periphery of the battlefield extended, the Solitary Falcon and s.h.i.+ Chang Xiao were stationed confrontationally.
The ten determined disciple of the Li Wu Bei, and the six Sky Xuan a.s.sistants of s.h.i.+ Chang Xiao were standing in the outer most encirclement! The weakest amongst this entire line up was at least as strong as the peak of Earth Xuan.
Standing in the middle of such encirclement was a matter of honor and prestige, but also a matter of grave desperation. However Jun Mo Xie’s mind was only br.i.m.m.i.n.g with excitement.
Finally all the compet.i.tors have arrived in one place!
Now, it’s time for me to throw away this Xuan Core and run!
I may not be able to fight in this battle, but I’m definitely the best when it comes to escaping out of here!
Jun Mo Xie’s eyes flickered since he was just about to move into action, but then he suddenly changed his mind since he saw four flickering lights approaching from a distance at a very fast pace.
Out of these four individuals, Jun Mo Xie could actually recognize two!
Xiao Han, and Mu Xue Tong!
There was a young, crooked-nosed man beside Xiao Han, while Mu Xue Tong seemed to be accompanying a picturesque white-robed maiden; her hair were white like the clouds, her skin was as white as snow, and her face was delicate and beautiful. Her big round eyes seemed quite excited at the sight of this gathering of peerless experts.
They arrived in a few moments; Mu Xue Tong quickly extended his arm and pulled out an umbrella, and placed above the young maiden’s head. There was a picture of a black bear on the umbrella’s surface…….
The three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City starting whining inwardly the moment they saw her approaching. Ah, why did she have to come here when we’re in so much trouble already! Is no one going to take pity on our life today?
Another bolt of lightning illuminated the sky for a moment, clearly exposing the nervous faces of everyone present.
s.h.i.+ Chang Xiao’s eye scanned the entire gathering, but eventually came to a halt upon the Solitary Falcon’s face: “Falcon, do you really want this Xuan Core? I have always believed that there is only one man amongst us all who doesn’t care about materialistic objects…. And that man is you; the Solitary Falcon!”
As long as he was able to convince the Solitary Falcon to stay out, the Xuan Core was his for the taking! s.h.i.+ Chang Xiao was sure of being able to fight away anyone one else; even the three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City!
“Nonsense! This Xuan Core is such a rare item, so what’s so surprising about my interest in it? Don’t you want it too? Did you just come out in the rain for a bath?” the Solitary Falcon smiled in ridicule: “s.h.i.+ Chang Xiao! You’re such a disappointment! I’ve come here all this way to fight you; and since you and your stinking arrogance have showed up here today, I’m going to have some fun!”
s.h.i.+ Chang Xiao started fuming with anger!
Do you really believe that I’m a madman like you who thinks that fighting is fun? Ah, first you consider yourself to be one of the ‘Eight Great Masters’ and then you start talking like a scoundrel in the middle of a town?
Besides, couldn’t you have picked a better timing for pulling me away for a fight? Do you think I’m in a comfortable position here? What am I supposed to do about that Xuan Core, huh?
“Ha ha, who wants that Xuan Core? I’ve nothing to do with that Xuan Core!” the Solitary Falcon looked skywards and laughed out loudly. Then he looked around and started counting the number of Spirit Xuan experts present….. One… two.. three… four…..this looks like a fun game today!
“Falcon, if you sit out today, then I’ll agree to fight you on any day in the future!” s.h.i.+ Chang Xiao smiled coldly as his expressionless eyes stared at the Solitary Falcon through the dense cover of rain: “I’m well aware that this Xuan Core has never been your goal, and I’m more than willing to give you a chance to face me later!”
“To h.e.l.l with your bargain! You’re only offering this chance for the sake of this Xuan Core! I have no alliance with you, so why should I listen to your request?! I want to fight you today; what option do you have, ah?” The Solitary Falcon stared right back at s.h.i.+ Chang Xiao, showing no signs of weakness.
Even though the two men were at the peak of the Spirit Xuan realm, but it was evident from their ranking in the list of the ‘Eight Great Masters’ that the Solitary Falcon was marginally weaker than s.h.i.+ Chang Xiao. However, if the two men actually started battling each other, then there would still be no winner or loser unless the two men decided to battle till only one survived!
Therefore, if the Solitary Falcon was h.e.l.l-bent on battling s.h.i.+ Chang Xiao, then the latter would have no other option but to face him in vain!
These ‘Eight Great Masters’ were practically unbeatable in battle, so much so that even if two or more people were confronted against each other, neither man was sure to lose since either man was capable of escaping away at any time during the fight!
The opportunity of grabbing this Xuan Core could best be described as a ‘fleeting’ one at the moment, and in case one of the compet.i.tors entered into a long drawn battle against an equal, then he was sure to miss out on the Xuan Core!
Especially when Fei Meng Chen and the three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City were eying the prize as well!
Even those Sky Xuan experts, who were no more than ants in the eyes of these Spirit Xuan experts, were looking determined to obtain the Xuan Core!
Moreover, sounds of movement had been coming from a distance for quite some time now. Several more people had been hastily making their way towards the source of the Xuan Core, and these people weren’t just limited to Spirit Xuan experts; several Sky Xuan experts, Earth Xuan experts, Jade Xuan experts, and even Gold Xuan experts had burst into action from the distant parts of the city. Since there was an abundance of high-level experts at the center of his scene, most of these people were planning on waiting at a safe distance to investigate and observe the situation; neither stepping forward, nor retreating. They were obviously waiting for an opportunity to steal the treasure, and had long forgotten the limitation of their own strength in the l.u.s.t for this prize.
The Solitary Falcon’s cold eyes scanned the distance through the curtains of rain, seeing everyone regardless of their distance from the main scene; then, he suddenly looked upwards and shouted. His roar filled the sky, almost like the sound of a thunderbolt would have, while the effect of his wild howl suppressed the hearts and desires of many experts in an instant!
Some of the weaker experts amongst these approaching or hiding ones instantly sensed the danger, and their hearts and brain started urging them to scuttle away, while some even stopped in their steads out of fear as their faces went pale from the fear of facing the terror behind this voice!
“I am the Solitary Falcon! And I’m standing opposite to s.h.i.+ Chang Xiao!” The Solitary Falcon laughed loudly: “For those who’ve overestimated themselves: act sensibly, or else I’ll be happy to knock some into you!”
Almost all of these approaching experts froze in their steads!
Who would have thought that two amongst the ‘Eight Great Masters’ would actually arrive in the Tian Xiang City on the same day?!
s.n.a.t.c.hing the Xuan Core from the hands of these two men? What’s the difference between that and death? This thought emerged in the minds of several people, and they immediately sighed, turned away, and disappeared into the rain; and away from this compet.i.tion for the Xuan Core.
However, there were several who refused to return. So what if you guys are actually Spirit Xuan experts? Can’t we just wait for you and s.h.i.+ Chang Xiao to beat each other up, and then steal the Xuan Core when you’re lying dead?
There were several who were carrying this idea in their minds.
“That man is the ‘Solitary Falcon’? One of the ‘Eight Great Masters’ of the Xuan Xuan continent? He’s so fierce…. and so calm at the same time……” That delicate looking maiden asked in a mischievous sounding tone.
Mu Xue Tong, who was standing beside her, sighed deeply, and replied with a wry smile: “Little Princess, this really isn’t the time to be here….. it is too dangerous.”
“Mu Xue Tong, are you incapable of protecting the Little Princess?” Xiao Han laughed: “If you’re so scared of being here, then why don’t you just hand over the responsibility of her protection to me? You’re obviously a spineless man!”
Mu Xue Tong grunted as he replied: “The Solitary Falcon and s.h.i.+ Chang Xiao are present here; if our Silver Blizzard City actually manages to get the Xuan Core, then these two men will likely turn hostile… even the three Elders may not be able to fight those two guys off….. don’t you think that we’ll end up getting our heads smashed in then? Can’t you see the number of advanced Xuan experts here? Do you really think that a Sky Xuan expert is capable of beating them all?! Idiot!”
Mu Xue Tong’s words were obviously very sensible; the strength of the men gathered here was simply too high for a Sky Xuan expert to be lingering around alone; in case a battle actually broke out here, then the result was sure to be a very tragic one…. It was needless to mention the possible fate of Xiao Han, a mere Sky Xuan-base expert, when the fate of the Spirit Xuan experts such as the Third, The Sixth and the Ninth Elder wasn’t certain to be very safe….
Xiao Han furiously opened his mouth to ridicule his companion as he scanned the surroundings, but then realized that enormity of the situation, palpitated, and finally swallowed down a mouthful of saliva in silence.
The situation on the field was extremely delicate at the moment; the Xuan Core was in the hands of Jun Mo Xie, who was standing in the middle of the encirclement…. The first layer of encirclement was composed of several opposing parties with the weakest member of the layer being a Sky Xuan expert! The outermost layer consisted of about sixteen more experts, the weakest being an Earth Xuan expert; the strength of the final layer may not be as high in merit, but their sheer number was quite impressive!
This was obviously the most high-ended line-up that Jun Mo Xie had ever seen, in fact, this sort of an opposition was bound to give anyone a headache; even Yun Bei Chen!
However, even though there were so many powerful individuals and groups in this gathering…. No one had the courage to make the first move!
With two peak Spirit Xuan experts facing each other confrontationally, who would have the courage to make a move?
The entire situation was delicate placed in a balance! And such a balance was not good for Jun Mo Xie’s interests! He obviously needed to break it!
So I guess it’s time to start this ‘Battle Royale’, ah.