Chapter 671 Yellow Crane Tower
Some speculated that Ding Hao was actually afraid.
He might have realized that he had caused public outrage, so deliberately baffled everyone with this announcement, in order to befuddle the martial artists of the Central Region—when, in fact, he had already secretly fled the land.
“Obviously, that despicable b.a.s.t.a.r.d from the Northern Region saw that the situation was bad, so he hid himself, running away with his tail between his legs. He won’t dare to show up at Yellow Crane Tower in Yellow Province, unless he’s really mad!”
“He’s nowhere to be found, and hasn’t shown himself these few days, which means that he’s scared!”
“We can’t let this butcher escape from the Central Region. We mustn’t be fooled by his despicable tricks and focus our attention solely on that date at Yellow Crane Tower!”
“Humph, no matter how gutsy he is, he won’t dare to show up.”
“He’s just a pathetic clown. I guess he won’t turn up at all. He has already run away…”
Some conceited people were making predictions.
But soon they were thoroughly embarra.s.sed, and brutal reality gave them a slap in the face.
Because there was another ma.s.sacre.
Several hundred disciples of the Black Cloud Sect in Ding Province were slain overnight, and no one survived. Even the chickens, dogs, and livestock of the sect were slaughtered by the sword. The killer was a master swordsman, and he left behind a message scribbled in blood on the screen wall in the main hall of the Black Cloud Sect—
“The killer: Ding Hao from the Northern Region.”
Early the next morning, another bloodbath shocked everyone.
The Nangong family, which had existed for nearly a millennium as a martial arts family in Ding Province, had all been slain in a bloodbath, including Nangong Liang, their clan master. The maids, servants, and disciples were all killed in one sword strike. Obviously, the killer was a master swordsman. On the Jade Dragon Pillar under the Meritorious Memorial Archway of the Nangong family’s ancestral temple, was another blood message—
“The killer: Ding Hao from the Northern Region.”
Then, all the way south from Ding Province until the Yellow Crane Tower of Yellow Province, there were continuous shocking and appalling ma.s.sacres. Many martial arts forces long in existence were suddenly attacked, suffering heavy losses, with blood flowing like rivers. Those killed were all renowned martial arts masters of these territories.
Almost invariably, there would be a blood message at the scenes of these ma.s.sacres—
“The killer: Ding Hao from the Northern Region.”
This sentence had become a terrible bane like an invitation from h.e.l.l, causing trepidation in everyone.
And these ma.s.sacred forces, sects, renowned clans, and masters all had one thing in common: not long ago, they had all announced that they would confront Ding Hao, with many also involved in his pursuit and manhunt.
These ma.s.sacres had plunged the Human Clan in the surrounding millions of kilometers into sheer fury and violence.
This was a direct affront to all the martial artists of the Central Region.
Never before had such crazy and perverse ma.s.sacres taken place in the last several thousand years.
Certain forces and seasoned experts, even those unwilling to get involved, were angered. These atrocities were so outrageous that even the cruelest demons would not have committed them so openly.
The wrath of the Central Region warriors erupted like a volcano.
More and more began rus.h.i.+ng to Yellow Crane Tower in Yellow Province.
Ding Hao’s crazy provocations and ma.s.sacres showed that he wasn’t afraid at all.
He had ma.s.sacred along the way, treading in pools of blood, advancing toward Yellow Crane Tower in Yellow Province. Obviously, he had wanted to reach the place in two days, to execute another crazy carnage on the full-moon night.
This was simply the behavior of a lunatic.
Many outraged martial artists of the Central Region swore in tears to kill this lunatic and destroy this devil, even if they were dashed to pieces.
It was rumored that some super sects of the Divine Central Continent were also beginning to pay attention to this incident. They dispatched their successors to attend that date at Yellow Crane Tower, which would serve as a test for these most outstanding successors.
The wind rose and the clouds surged.
Innumerable experts, each with different intentions, rushed to Yellow Crane Tower in Yellow Province.
There were also some lying in ambush along the way, holding Ding Hao’s portrait and setting up all kinds of sentries and traps, hoping to intercept this butcher and kill him. Unfortunately, no trace of Ding Hao’s whereabouts could be discovered all this time.
In the end, even the most powerful presence of the Divine Central Continent—the Super Heaven Pavilion—was alerted.
There were five supreme forces in the five regions.
The Holy Palace of Mysterious Frost in the Northern Region, the Great Leiyin Monastery in the Western Desert, the Super Heaven Pavilion in the Divine Central Continent…
The Super Heaven Pavilion was the most powerful Human Clan force in the Central Region, founded by the Central Region Supreme G.o.d of War, one of the most remarkable martial artists in human history. For tens of millions of years, this organization had been controlling and safeguarding the fortunes and lifelines of the Human Clan within the Divine Central Continent.
The most often-seen forces of the Super Heaven Pavilion were the Super Divine Guards.
They were the equivalents of the Mysterious Frost Holy Guards from the Holy Palace of Mysterious Frost—highly esteemed, aloof, and detached from worldly affairs. Each Super Divine Guard was an elite expert carefully chosen from the many thousand talents of the Divine Central Continent. These guards were a.s.signed to different provinces, maintaining peace and harmony among the Human Clan, and also employed to deter and restrain the Demon Clan.
On the day before the fight at Yellow Crane Tower, dozens of Super Divine Guards appeared in Yellow Province City.
They were here to deal with Ding Hao, the butcher of the Northern Region.
The leader of the Super Divine Guards was an absolute master in the Martial Grand Emperor Realm. His name was Gu Qingyu, and he was one of the supreme presences within the surrounding millions of kilometers. Known to the Demon Clan here as their nemesis, he had been singlehandedly suppressing the Demon Clan in this land, almost suffocating them.
The strength and status of such a peerless master was a true peak presence. He was here in person to take on Ding Hao, and hence many brimmed with confidence over this showdown at Yellow Crane Tower.
Time pa.s.sed in the blink of an eye.
Five days pa.s.sed.
The appointed day of Yellow Crane Tower’s fight had finally arrived.
The whole Yellow Province City was thronged with people and noise, with surging crowds everywhere.
In particular, the tallest building of the civic center, the Yellow Crane Tower, had been completely overwhelmed by crazy mobs since the first ray of dawn. There were dense crowds wherever one cared to look, with ma.s.ses of black bobbing heads everywhere.
Yellow Crane Tower was the largest restaurant in the city.
It was also the city’s renowned scenic spot.
The 21-story Yellow Crane Tower was nearly 100 meters high, each story adorned with cornices, Chinese-carved roofs, and glazed tiles. The entire structure was golden in color, and the tower was named after 210 golden immortal cranes hanging on the eaves of these roofs at each story. These cranes were unique and lifelike. Whenever the wind blew, they would s.h.i.+ver in the breeze as if alive—a strange, wondrous, and celebrated sight.
The nearly 300 large and small seats in Yellow Crane Tower—from the first story to the 21st—had long been reserved and occupied. And no one could find a standing s.p.a.ce within the inns, shops, and restaurants around this Tower, not even for a thousand taels of gold.
Many who had come all the way had no place to go, so they could only sit on the streets.
In order to grab a place a little closer to the Yellow Crane Tower, a few even fought duels to decide who won these places.
Among the crowds, the many warriors in white mourning clothes were the most conspicuous. They had come to Yellow Crane Tower determined to die, their faces frosty as ice, waiting in the main hall of the tower. Relatives and friends of the victims were here to take revenge on Ding Hao.
The sun was s.h.i.+ning brightly.
Everyone raised their heads to look at the sun, wis.h.i.+ng that it would sink immediately behind the mountains.
There was no doubt that this night would be a grand event for human warriors within the surrounding millions of kilometers. Never before had so many masters and sects gathered here, with martial artists even on the roofs of distant buildings.
All the forces had congregated here.
Within Yellow Province were numerous masters and martial artists, as abundant as clouds or raindrops. Traps were set up at the four city gates and along the main streets, determined to snare this murderer. Even the City Defensive Array, long inactive, was quietly activated. Murderous malice pervaded the entire city, and the defense was watertight.
Many believed that as long as Ding Hao appeared, he would definitely be killed tonight.
Tense excitement pervaded the city this evening.
Innumerable martial artists armed with sharp weapons wore vigilant expressions, pacing back and forth, patrolling the streets and alleys. Countless pairs of eyes were staring at the Yellow Crane Tower and its environs from every direction, awaiting the appearance of that devil from the Northern Region.
There seemed to be a faint stench of blood in the air.
Inside an octagonal jade tower about a kilometer away from Yellow Crane Tower, in a stone room on its uppermost floor, the light was dim. Red candles burned as candlelight swayed. A blurry silhouette was sitting quietly behind a scarlet curtain screen.
“Do you think he will show up tonight?”
A mincing male voice rang out from behind the curtain screen.
In front of the curtain knelt a graceful woman enshrouded in silvery light.
Although one could only see the back of her figure, one could still sense her breathtaking beauty, as if all the most perfect qualities of the world had converged on her. No words could describe her allure—it was like the purest moonlight had gathered to produce this ravis.h.i.+ng beauty.
It was the Moonlight Fairy, the successor of Miaoyu Bordello.
The Moonlight Fairy replied respectfully, “He will come.”
This sinister and vicious woman had let go of all her pride at this moment, and was as dutiful as a docile sheep, kneeling quietly on the ice-cold stone slate, her voice as gentle as water.
“Oh? What made you so sure?” The mincing male voice behind the curtain screen sounded rather curious, with a tinge of mockery. He said, “Ding Hao has cracked the tracing signals of our Moonlight Essence Powder. You don’t know where he has been in the past five days. Why are you so certain that he will turn up at Yellow Crane Tower?”
“It’s just an intuition of mine,” the Moonlight Fairy said calmly.
“Your intuition?” The man with an effeminate voice smiled. “Well, over the past 10 years, your intuition has proved correct every time. I hope it’s no exception this time. However, Moonlight, tell me: why did this little fellow create such an uproar before walking into our trap? Does he really have the ability to take on so many people at once?”
“I don’t know. I really can’t guess Ding Hao’s thoughts.” The Moonlight Fairy shook her head gently.
“Haha, since coming to the Land of Infinity, it’s the first time I hear you say you can’t figure out a man’s thoughts. Do you think our plan will succeed tonight?” The effeminate man’s voice seemed always tinged with casual, amused irony.