Chapter 254: The Siege
Chapter 254: The Siege
Mo Hua drew the array without alerting the sinful cultivators. He then quietly retreated, using the cover of the grass to conceal his movements.
"I've completed the array, leaving only a single gap. We'll enter through there tomorrow."
Mo Hua pointed out the gap in the array to Zhang Lan.
Zhang Lan nodded, "Well done."
Lu Hui asked, "Zhang Dian-si, do you know if Young Master Kong Sheng is in the valley?"
Zhang Lan shook his head, "I've been keeping watch all afternoon, but I haven't seen the young master."
Mo Hua had also used his spiritual sense to search the area earlier, and just like Zhang Lan, he found no trace of Kong Sheng among the sinful cultivators. It seemed likely that he was truly dead and gone.
Lu Hui's expression turned solemn.
If Kong Sheng was truly dead, how would he explain this to the Kong family?
Zhang Lan ignored Lu Hui and assigned a few cultivators to take turns keeping watch while the others rested and prepared for the upcoming battle at dawn.
The noise from the cave eventually died down, leaving only the occasional snoring and murmuring.
As dawn broke, the sinful cultivators were still sprawled out haphazardly. Even the guards posted near the valley entrance were dozing off.
Hidden from view, they had camped here for quite some time without being discovered, and their vigilance had inevitably waned.
Zhang Lan drew his sword and, after a quick glance at his companions, whispered, "Let's move!"
The group entered the valley through the gap in the Earthfire Array and immediately set upon the sinful cultivators, covering their mouths and slitting their throats with their blades.
After dispatching a few in this manner, they were discovered, and one of the sinful cultivators shouted, "Who dares?!
Chaos ensued as battle broke out.
Mo Hua remained outside the valley, knowing that his participation would make little difference in this situation. It was best to observe from a distance for now.
Soon enough, some of the sinful cultivators tried to flee, only to stumble into the Earthfire Array at the valley entrance.
A flash of fire later, they were sent flying and crashed to the ground in a pitiful state.
Not far away, Lu Hui witnessed this display, his eyes narrowing.
The power of the Earthfire Array far exceeded his expectations.
Just what level of array master was that young cultivator?
Meanwhile, the battle within the valley grew more intense.
These sinful cultivators were not pushovers, and dealing with them was proving to be a challenge. Fortunately, they were still groggy from their drunken stupor, giving the Dao Court cultivators the upper hand overall.
Zhang Lan, with his agile movements, weaved in and out of the fray, his sword brimming with sword qi as he targeted several spiritual cultivators among the sinful cultivators.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he spotted the bald monk attempting to escape. He shouted, "The bald monk! Don't let him get away!"
Mo Shan and Ji Qingbai immediately engaged the bald monk, with Lu Hui joining the fray as well.
Zhang Lan wanted to lend a hand, but he was temporarily tied up with a few spiritual cultivators. He had to take them out first, or his companions would be sitting ducks.
The bald monk was a formidable opponent, but he was no match for the three of them. Slowly, he began to falter.
Ji Qingbai spotted an opening and unleashed a Hidden Wood Sword Technique, his sword glowing with a surging pale green spiritual power.
The bald monk tried to dodge, but it was too late. However, just as the sword was about to strike, Lu Hui's sword suddenly shifted direction and stabbed towards Ji Qingbai's neck.
"Watch out!" Mo Shan yelled.
Ji Qingbai tried to retract his sword and block Lu Hui's attack, but he was too late.
Mo Shan, who was engaged with the bald monk, saw the danger and slashed diagonally with his sword, forcibly deflecting Lu Hui's strike. However, the force of the impact numbed his arm, causing his qi and blood to surge, and his movement stalled.
The bald monk, seeing the opening, narrowed his eyes. His sword glowed with a pale white wind blade as he slashed at Mo Shan.
The bald monk was a rare wind-attributed spiritual root cultivator, possessing incredible speed. His sword strike was equally swift.
Mo Shan had just deflected Lu Hui's sword, and with his unbalanced qi, he couldn't dodge the incoming attack.
Ji Qingbai spun around and positioned his sword horizontally, blocking the bald monk's strike just in time. The force of the spiritual power sent a shockwave through his body, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
The bald monk seized the opportunity to escape, his speed like the wind as he fled the trio's encirclement.
Lu Hui paid him no heed and turned back to strike at Ji Qingbai, but Zhang Lan sent a condensed water sword technique slicing towards Lu Hui.
"Lu Dian-si, what are you trying to do?" Zhang Lan asked coldly.
Lu Hui remained calm, "Naturally, I want to kill the bald monk. It's a shame he got away."
"Oh?" Zhang Lan's expression darkened.
"What else could it be?" Lu Hui replied with a sinister smile.
Zhang Lan let out a cold huff, "Don't let me catch you pulling another stunt like that, or I really will cut you down."
A sinister glint flashed in Lu Hui's eyes. Of everyone present, the only one he truly feared was Zhang Lan, but it was a manageable fear.
Although Zhang Lan's family status was higher than his, they were both officers of the Dao Court and served different branches. He didn't need to be overly concerned about Zhang Lan's attitude.
His original intention in coming here was to rescue Young Master Kong and gain a great favor from the Kong family.
But now, it seemed that Young Master Kong's chances of survival were slim.
If that was the case, he could kill Ji Qingbai and still have a way to explain himself when he returned to Qingxuan City.
Ji Qingbai and his father had a grudge against the Kong family and had fled to Tongxian City. If they could still live safely, how could the Kong family deter other rogue cultivators in Qingxuan City?
If other cultivators followed their example, the Kong family would find it difficult to maintain their influence.
Lu Hui's daily expenses, entertainment, and cultivation resources were all provided by the Kong family. The Kong family's interests were his interests, and sooner or later, he would have to take action against the Ji family.
If the Ji family stayed in Qingxuan City, he would have a myriad of ways to have them imprisoned. Then, he could make an example of them to intimidate others, making his task much easier.
Now that they refused to return and were protected by the beast tamers, he could only kill them on the spot, as long as he did it discreetly.
Ji Qingbai was just an ordinary rogue cultivator.
He could easily "accidentally" kill Ji Qingbai and then take the blame for it back home, receiving a mild punishment that would soon blow over.
As for himself, he was an officer of the Dao Court.
He didn't believe anyone would dare to openly take action against him. Whether it was Zhang Lan or these beast tamers, if they dared to lay a hand on him, the Dao Court would hold them accountable.
"What a pity I didn't succeed just now, but there's still plenty of time, and there will be other opportunities."
Killing Ji Qingbai would curry favor with the Kong family, and killing the bald monk would be a great achievement. It was a twofold benefit.
After his failed attempt to assassinate Ji Qingbai, the latter would surely be on his guard, making it difficult to find another opportunity soon. Therefore, he couldn't let the bald monk escape.
Lu Hui's eyes glinted with determination, and he, too, gave chase.
Ji Qingbai wanted to pursue the bald monk as well, but Mo Shan stopped him. "Brother Ji, Lu Hui wants to kill you."
Ji Qingbai angrily said, "I'll kill him first, or he'll become a burden."
"He's an officer of the Dao Court. If you kill him, the trouble will be even greater."
"But..."
Mo Shan said in a low voice, "Let's finish off these sinful cultivators first, then we'll discuss the next steps."
After hesitating for a moment, Ji Qingbai sighed and reluctantly nodded in agreement.
The sinful cultivators, still reeling from their drunkenness and caught off guard, gradually began to falter in the face of their attackers.
One by one, they fell, except for the one-eyed cultivator, who held on a little longer but wouldn't last much longer either.
The one-eyed cultivator had poor movement techniques, and his escape the last time was more due to luck. Now, trapped in the valley, he had little chance of escape.
The bald monk, on the other hand, relied on his wind escape technique, moving as swiftly as the wind and reaching the valley entrance, where he naturally discovered the Earthfire Array.
The bald monk cursed, "What array is this blocking my way? Get out of my way!"
But he didn't dare to charge through. His thoughts raced, and his eyes turned cold as he grabbed one of the sinful cultivators and threw him toward the valley entrance.
The cultivator, caught off guard, was tossed into the array and severely injured by the resulting explosion. He fell to the ground, his fate unknown.
The bald monk began throwing the other sinful cultivators into the array to trigger the explosions.
When there were benefits to be had, they called each other brothers, but now that the benefits were gone, there was no room for sentiment.
The Earthfire Array set up by Mo Hua was powered by spirit stones.
These spirit stones were obtained from Zhang Lan, and although a considerable number had been used, they were still finite. After a few explosions, the spirit stones were exhausted.
Moreover, ordinary stones were not high-quality array mediums, and the Earthfire Array patterns painted on them began to deteriorate after several explosions.
Soon, a gap appeared in the array.
At the same time, both Zhang Lan and Lu Hui arrived at the valley entrance.
Seeing this, the bald monk's expression turned anxious, and without hesitation, he used his movement technique to flee toward the outside of the valley.
Mo Hua hid in the grass nearby, his right hand slightly raised as his spiritual power surged.
With the Water Prison Technique, he could stop the bald monk in his tracks.
But after a moment's thought, his eyes flickered, and he slowly lowered his hand, watching as the bald monk escaped through the gap in the array and fled into the distance.
(End of Chapter)
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