Chapter 699: The Final Battle
Chapter 699: The Final Battle (Additional Chapter for Monthly Votes)
Yellow Dragon River.
Fengling Ferry.
"On the night of the full moon, on the great river... In turbulent seas, true heroes are revealed."
A man in green robes held a bamboo pole. His feet weren't on a boat or a wooden raft but merely on a section of green bamboo, yet he could cross the river with a skill and agility that defied imagination.
With a single thrust of his bamboo pole, he reached a stretch of riverbank.
Dense reeds stretched for miles, forming a vast reed marsh.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the marsh was subtly arranged according to the Mystic Formation, making it extremely easy to get lost. Even a First-Rank Grandmaster would be trapped for a moment.
The man in green robes moved through the marsh as if he were familiar with it, and before long, he arrived at an island in the middle of the river.
"Excellent... In the past, the founding patriarch of the Great Black Temple crossed the river on a single reed and established a vast legacy in the north. Now, the Buddhist Disciple's skill is no less impressive than that of the Great Black Temple's founding patriarch..."
On the island, there were already many martial artists.
A young voice cheered.
"Don't call me Buddhist Disciple anymore. I've returned to secular life."
The man in green robes smiled faintly. "I won't re-enter the monastic life or become a Buddha until I've killed the Black Lotus!"
His gaze swept over the crowd, and he saw a young Daoist. "Sir... You must be the current Tianyang Master of the Tianyang Sect, right? And there are also Du Qiankun of the Five Beasts Sect, Nie Renlong, and Master Chao of the Thirteen Southern Sword Schools..."
So many years had passed, and these former martial prodigies had mostly advanced to the upper ranks of Grandmasters, becoming the main force of the righteous path in the martial world...
This was because the older generation of righteous path experts had mostly died in the repeated attempts to kill the Black Lotus Master...
If they were to die here as well, it would confirm that the righteous path of the martial world was in dire straits, about to fall silent...
'Can we really succeed with these misfits?'
Xun Heihu's face darkened as he looked at the group of renowned experts.
'The only ones worth mentioning are Zhuge Wu of Zhuge Manor and this ex-monk... The rest are just Second-Rank and Third-Rank nobodies. How dare they?'
'The spirit of a single man cannot be taken, even if the spirit of an army can be...'
Fang Xing chuckled, 'Before any force is destroyed, there is always a final surge of passion and struggle. This is probably it...'
If he could, Xun Heihu would have come wearing a human skin mask.
Unfortunately, for such a secret operation, he couldn't be accepted or joined without revealing his identity...
More importantly... It was indeed very difficult for him to track down the Black Lotus Master and bypass the numerous demonic guards to strike!
'I say, why be so cautious? Just attack the Black Lotus Sect's headquarters, break through their army, and then take the Black Lotus Master's head. How cool and dominant!'
Fang Xing enjoyed stirring the pot.
Xun Heihu rolled his eyes.
He was only a Superb Rank, not a god. Killing ten thousand fanatical martial artists could exhaust him...
Joining this 'Lotus Piercing Operation' was just to gain intelligence.
Of course, he maintained the persona of a Third-Rank Collapse Mountain Realm expert.
Du Qiankun, Nie Renlong, and other former prodigies, driven by national and personal vendettas and the cultivation efforts of various powers, had all broken through to the Second Rank...
Some, like the surviving monk 'Qingyong' from the Great Black Temple, had even reached the First Rank Grandmaster level.
"Alright, since we're all here, let's prepare for our final strike..."
Qingyong interrupted the idle chatter. "Can we confirm that the Black Lotus Master will cross the river by boat tonight?"
"Of course..."
Du Qiankun replied, "This is a message personally sent by Tian Ni..."
"Tian Ni? Wasn't she missing after the destruction of Jingxin Nunnery?"
"Turns out Tianxin Fairy was an undercover agent in the Black Lotus Sect?"
"Could she have been feeding herself to the demon?"
...
The martial experts were in an uproar, even Nie Renlong frowned.
Xun Heihu was also slightly surprised.
'Tian Ni' was a title passed down through generations in Jingxin Nunnery, just like 'Tianyang Master.' Only the most outstanding disciples could earn it.
The current 'Tian Ni,' known as 'Tianxin Fairy' in the past, had captivated countless heroes and was hailed as the 'First Beauty of the Martial World.'
He never imagined that she had fallen into the hands of the demons but could still send such crucial information.
'Tianxin Fairy...'
Xun Heihu recalled how he had once been interested in seeing that beauty but was punished by Jiang Yuyan to stay in the study for months...
"That's not right!"
He couldn't ignore it and immediately spoke up. "Ladies and gentlemen... The Black Lotus Sect worships an evil deity. Any martial artist who joins undergoes a divine worship ceremony that drastically changes their nature... Tian Ni may not be reliable."
"Hmph, Tian Ni has already reached the First Rank Grandmaster level, and Jingxin Nunnery is famous for the mental transformation techniques in the Mystic Heart Secret Manual. How could she be deceived by an 'evil deity'?"
Du Qiankun immediately retorted.
As the eldest disciple of the Five Beasts Sect, he had never liked Xun Heihu.
After all, his fame had been overshadowed by Nie Renlong and Xun Heihu for a long time, which had frustrated him for years.
"Indeed... How could there be an evil deity in this world? It might just be a puppet statue used by the Black Lotus Sect to deceive people..."
Nie Renlong laughed. "If Brother Heihu is afraid, he can go back..."
He and Xun Heihu were once known as the 'Dragon and Tiger' of Chu and Ling States, but that title had quickly disappeared.
Xun Heihu was so low-profile that even his revealed Third Rank cultivation was only known within a very limited circle, serving as a deterrent.
But Nie Renlong still felt deeply ashamed.
After all, he had already reached the Second Rank Divine Sea Realm.
The path of martial arts became increasingly challenging the further one progressed, with the gap between each rank growing ever wider.
He believed he was far more talented than Xun Heihu. Even among scholars, there was a tendency to look down on each other, and among martial artists, the rivalry was even more intense, often to the point of wanting to see each other dead.
If it weren't for the shared enemy of the Black Lotus Sect, the experts on the island would have already turned on each other, with more than half of them likely dead by now!
"You have no idea how terrifying Panwu is!"
Xun Heihu felt inexplicably weary and thought to himself, 'Thankfully, I'm only here to gather information. If I had to join these people in action... I'd probably vomit blood!'
"Tian Ni has already sent word. On the night of the full moon, at Fengling Ferry, we will exterminate the Black Lotus!"
"Once we kill the Black Lotus Master, the Black Lotus Sect will be leaderless and can be easily crushed!"
The group of martial artists was filled with righteous fervor, including Du Qiankun and Nie Renlong.
'Even though they don't like me, at least they haven't done anything too foolish in the face of a common enemy...'
'Unfortunately... I have a feeling we're about to fall into a trap.'
Xun Heihu sighed.
First Rank martial artists, whose spirits were immortal, often had a sense of foreboding.
The Black Lotus Master might be able to perfectly conceal his killing intent, thus blocking the premonitions of First Rank Grandmasters, making it easy to eliminate them.
But he was clearly different.
'This is also an opportunity... We've just become the prey instead of the hunters... If they want to wipe us out, a large-scale attack would be impossible to hide from these First and Second Rank Grandmasters... The most likely scenario is a sudden ambush by top experts... If the Black Lotus Master wants to ensure success, he must be involved!'
Just as Xun Heihu was musing to himself,
Kee-ee!!
A loud eagle's cry pierced the sky.
Under the full moon, a strange eagle with a wingspan of over twenty meters took flight, a rare mythical beast.
No matter how intricately the Mystic Formation was set up, it was useless against an airborne enemy!
After all, no matter how powerful the Mystic Formation was, it still fell within the realm of martial arts, primarily relying on visual and psychological illusions.
Like a maze, it would be ineffective against someone flying a helicopter.
On the back of the mythical eagle stood two figures!
One, though veiled in white, was as graceful as the goddess Luo, none other than Tianxin Fairy, Tian Ni.
The other was a burly man, clad in a dark golden robe, with a formidable and godlike appearance.
"Is that him?"
"The Black Lotus Master!"
"It's said that the former Lotus Master practiced the Withered Zen, his body resembling a skeleton, but after a mental breakdown, his blood and qi reversed, breaking his Zen powers and transforming him into his current domineering form..."
Du Qiankun and Nie Renlong were shocked.
Zhuge Wu's face was one of horror: "My Mystic Formation Array..."
"Tianxin Fairy... why?"
Chao Lao gazed at the graceful figure, his expression filled with a deep sense of reluctance and regret.
"Of course, because my body and soul have been conquered by Panwu..."
Tianxin Fairy slowly descended, pointing a finger at Chao Lao's forehead.
Chao Lao's face was filled with an indescribable sense of satisfaction, a smile forming on his lips as he instantly fell to the ground, dead.
This "First Beauty of the World" was also a peak First Rank expert!
Her martial arts had even advanced after her divine transformation!
"Amitabha!"
Qingyong Monk chanted the Buddha's name, and a bamboo pole descended from the sky, slicing through the air with the force of a mountain-crushing strike, aimed at Tian Ni!
In the next instant, a figure seemed to teleport behind Tian Ni, none other than Zhuge Wu!
As a fellow First Rank expert, he and Qingyong Monk's spirits only needed to briefly touch to know that today was a dead end.
Their only chance lay in the Black Lotus Master's lack of attention!
If they could take advantage of his inattention to eliminate or severely injure Tian Ni, they might still have a chance to break out and escape!
"Hehe... Little monk, you're really heartless. You used to love watching me."
Tian Ni laughed softly, and a translucent rope appeared in her hand.
It coiled like a snake-like whip, and with a light flick, an invisible force struck the bamboo pole.
Rip!
The bamboo pole instantly split, transforming into countless bamboo threads that fell from the sky like a rain of needles.
As Tian Ni's body transformed nine times to dodge the bamboo needles, her delicate hands emerged to exchange several blows with Zhuge Wu.
During their exchange, her spirit rapidly probed and roamed...
To the eyes of Grandmaster-level experts, her mental tactics were far more exquisite than her physical techniques.
"Oh no, two First Rank Indestructible experts can't even take down Tianxin Fairy, no, Tianxin Demoness!"
Du Qiankun was alarmed.
At this moment, the godlike Black Lotus Master leaped down from the back of the eagle.
Boom!
It was as if a black sun had appeared in the sky, crashing down with a thunderous impact!
Under the oppressive spiritual pressure, the faces of the Second and Third Rank martial artists turned pale, and they were forced to their knees, blood gushing from their seven orifices!
No!
Among the experts present, apart from the few First Rank ones, there was one person who stood tall, like a spear.
"Is that him?"
"Xun Heihu... actually?"
Du Qiankun and Nie Renlong exchanged glances, a strong sense of defeat welling up in their hearts.
(End of Chapter)
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