Chapter 704: The Attack
Chapter 704: The Attack
"What?"
Thousand-Faced Lord was shocked, only now realizing his face had melted like a wax figure...
After the wax melted, the exposed flesh and bones were a sickening mix of crimson and bone white. They decomposed rapidly, dripping down in clumps.
Whoosh!
A figure darted into the secret chamber—it was the real Gui Yanian!
Compared to before, his temples were now streaked with gray, giving him a more aged appearance. However, the aura of terror emanating from him was even more formidable.
Upon entering the chamber, Gui Yanian immediately noticed a strange pool of wax on the ground and a stone talisman within it.
"True Martial Talisman?"
He quickly extended his hand, and an invisible force enveloped the True Martial Talisman, drawing it into his palm. "Thank heavens I wasn’t too late..."
"Wait, where is the scoundrel who impersonated me?"
A martial instinct made Gui Yanian glance at the pool of corpse wax on the ground, and he fell silent.
The Tortoise-Snake Sect had been ambushed today, and he had been lured away. Then, Devil Sect members had infiltrated by disguising themselves as him.
Everything seemed shrouded in a conspiracy.
Most crucially... the True Martial Talisman had been exposed!
Gui Yanian felt a chill run down his spine. If the Devil Sect failed to steal it and leaked this information, the entire Tortoise-Snake Sect would become a target for everyone!
Even though he had diligently cultivated the True Xuanwu Technique and finally ascended to the Above the Void realm, he knew that facing a coordinated attack by numerous martial experts would still lead to a grim end with no place to bury his bones!
"Go! We must leave immediately!"
"The sect can no longer be maintained. Disband it..."
Gui Yanian stepped out of the secret chamber and into the outer world.
At some point, many black-clad figures had infiltrated the Tortoise-Snake Sect, engaging in a fierce battle with the sect’s disciples.
Some were dressed as monks, spouting vile incantations, while others were encased in blood-red armor, able to devour their enemies' flesh and heal their own wounds.
"Vile Monks, Blood Devourers!"
Gui Yanian stood in the air, releasing snake-shaped qi energies that surged through the battlefield.
Whenever he encountered a Devil Sect member, he would blast them apart.
Even those with Second or First Rank strength stood no chance against Gui Yanian, a master of the Above the Void realm, and were quickly killed or injured.
"Sect Master?"
An elder, drenched in blood, looked at him with excitement. "Have you broken through to the Above the Void realm?"
Achieving the realm above the super rank made one a grandmaster in all of Dalu.
Though the Tortoise-Snake Sect faced a great calamity today, if the sect master had such cultivation, they could rebuild the sect ten times over!
"Today, our sect faces a great calamity. Elders and disciples, scatter and break through the encirclement... Once outside, do not reveal that you are from the Tortoise-Snake Sect."
Gui Yanian’s next words sent shockwaves through the elders and disciples.
Wasn’t this the same as the sect being wiped out?
Moreover, even with powerful enemies, they could still fight back. Why retreat to such an extent?
"Heh heh... As expected, the True Martial Talisman is in your hands!"
Just as Gui Yanian spoke, a sinister voice echoed almost simultaneously.
The world turned dark.
No, not just dark—darkness had descended, clawing and snarling!
The intangible darkness transformed into a fierce beast, and Tortoise-Snake Sect disciples screamed as they were swallowed whole by the darkness.
"Void power... Third Rank Eternal Darkness Marquis?"
Gui Yanian snorted coldly, and a series of qi auras emerged around him, forming the shape of a Xuanwu, with a tortoise and snake intertwined, dispelling the darkness.
He knew a formidable enemy had arrived.
This Devil Sect expert, though only at the super rank Above the Void realm, had the additional boost of the Eternal Darkness Marquis occupation, making his strength comparable to Gui Yanian’s.
Out of the darkness, a figure in a black robe appeared, raising a hand and striking out.
Space and darkness merged, forming a peculiar beast claw that covered half the sky.
The Devil Sect’s nine-rank occupations did not directly correspond to the nine martial ranks.
For a long time, no Devil Sect member had ascended to the Second Rank.
But this did not mean the Devil Sect was weak!
In fact, the Devil Sect had always been the primary target of the Dalu imperial court. Even during the peak of Dalu’s power, they could still fight back and occasionally spark rebellions, causing the imperial court great distress.
Now, with the Dalu imperial court in decline, the Devil Sect was becoming even more aggressive, threatening to sweep across the land!
Boom!
Behind Gui Yanian, the True Xuanwu Technique came to life, roaring and enveloping his body, repelling the dark beast claw.
"True Xuanwu Technique?"
The Eternal Darkness Marquis was slightly taken aback. "I thought your Tortoise-Snake Sect only inherited part of the True Martial lineage’s visualization techniques. I didn’t expect you to have the fundamental technique as well... Heh heh, it seems you were once a direct lineage of True Martial Mountain. The more direct, the more deserving of death!"
If one were to discuss the enmity between the Devil Sect and True Martial Mountain, it would trace back to Xun Heihu and Black Lotus Elder.
Even the fall of True Martial Mountain had the Devil Sect’s secret machinations behind it.
"Hmph!"
Gui Yanian snorted coldly, breaking through the darkness but not engaging in battle. Instead, he fled.
He knew the Devil Sect would focus on the True Martial Talisman.
By leaving quickly, he could ensure the safety of the Tortoise-Snake Sect’s elders and disciples!
Whoosh!
Gui Yanian’s form moved like a snake through the void.
Although the Tortoise-Snake Sect wasn’t known for its agility, his breakthrough to the super rank and beyond made his movements incredibly swift.
However, just as he had flown several dozen miles, the world around him suddenly changed!
Splash!
The void violently fluctuated, as if a black hole were sucking in all the light from the heavens and earth...
No, it wasn’t a black hole, but a ‘Maelstrom,’ a chaotic, boundless vortex that resembled the eye of the Primordial Abyss, swallowing everything in its vicinity!
“Devil Sect... Second Rank... Primordial Abyss Lord?”
Gui Yanian’s eyes widened with rage, tears of blood streaming down his face: “For the Devil Sect’s leader to personally intervene, you truly hold me in high regard!”
Among the nine ranks of the Devil Sect, only one person had reached the Second Rank of ‘Primordial Abyss Lord’—the leader of the Devil Sect!
Feeling the maelstrom in the void, Gui Yanian found it impossible to escape, being sucked into the vortex.
Then...
A terrifying tearing force struck him.
Puff!
The Xuanwu illusion instantly shattered, followed by Gui Yanian’s right hand...
Boom!
A muffled sound echoed as the maelstrom was torn apart by a Xuanwu, revealing a figure wearing a golden crown, silently watching the blood-colored Xuanwu flee.
A wave of darkness surged forth, revealing the Third Rank Eternal Darkness Marquis: “Leader...”
“He’s hit by my ‘Primordial Abyss Punch’... His heart is broken, his life force extinguished... He won’t get far.”
The Devil Sect leader’s voice was genderless, carrying a commanding force that instilled respect.
However, the leader made no move, clearly having suffered from Gui Yanian’s desperate counterattack.
“I understand.”
The Eternal Darkness Marquis immediately bowed.
“Act quickly! Otherwise, the Great Luo Dynasty and other martial grandmasters will react... and the True Martial Talisman will be out of our reach.”
The Devil Sect leader spoke calmly.
Watching the Eternal Darkness Marquis depart with the darkness, the Primordial Abyss Lord’s face twisted with a hint of malice: “Rumors say the True Martial lineage is our eternal enemy... The True Martial Talisman is cursed, destined not to fall into the hands of the Devil Sect and will even kill our followers... Qi Wu, you’re too dangerous, so I’ll let you test the True Martial Talisman’s repulsion...”
However, he didn’t follow, having indeed been affected by Gui Yanian’s counterattack.
Moreover, the empire and major sects would soon send their experts, requiring his personal intervention and handling...
...
Huff, huff...
In a residential building.
Gui Yanian’s nose and mouth bled, a bitter smile playing on his face.
He slipped into a sewer, hiding within.
In the dark, filthy sewer, Gui Yanian sat cross-legged, a thread of consciousness entering the True Martial Talisman.
“Elder... Please save me!”
He looked at the figure on the stone steps, his expression pleading.
“Back then, Xia Mang died, and Xun Heihu was troubled by the millennium curse, and I didn’t intervene...”
Fang Xing, seated on the stone throne, remained indifferent: “Why do you think I would make an exception for you?”
“Because this time it’s the Devil Sect... If I die, the True Martial Talisman will likely fall into the hands of the Devil Sect...”
Gui Yanian spoke gravely, trying to leverage his last bit of leverage.
“Unfortunately... it makes little difference to me.”
Fang Xing shook his head: “Your time is running out...”
“I...”
Gui Yanian’s expression changed, feeling his body rapidly weakening: “I will use my last bit of spirit and void power to send the True Martial Talisman away... I beg you, Elder, to pass on the legacy of the Tortoise-Snake Sect...”
“This request, I can agree to.”
Fang Xing nodded.
“Thank you.”
Gui Yanian’s figure instantly vanished.
Outside.
His eyes flashed with determination, and a black catfish as thick as an arm sprang from the sewer, landing in his hand.
“Go...”
Gui Yanian sighed, inserting the True Martial Talisman into the catfish’s body and planting a mental imprint in its head with his last bit of spirit.
Splash!
The black catfish was flung into the water, wriggling and quickly escaping.
“Go, go far away...”
“Sigh, who would have thought that I, Gui Yanian, a hero all my life, would end up like this... The one who could have leaked the True Martial Talisman’s secret to the Devil Sect... could it be him?”
Thinking of a disciple to whom he had poured his heart and soul, Gui Yanian felt a sharp pain in his chest: “Come! Devil scum!”
He roared, his aura exploding as he burst through the ground, ascending to the sky.
“There he is!”
The Eternal Darkness Marquis rejoiced, transforming into darkness and lunging forward.
At the same time, several streaks of light appeared in the sky: “Does the Devil Sect dare to act so recklessly?”
“Devil cult scoundrels, you treat our Great Luo Capture Bureau like nothing, you deserve death!”
Unfortunately, they saw Gui Yanian’s body covered in glistening red blood droplets, transforming him into a blood-soaked figure.
Then...
A terrifying dark red Xuanwu illusion appeared.
Its turtle and snake intertwined, with dragon claws extending from the turtle’s body instead of turtle feet!
Shriek!
The claw’s force tore through the air, shredding the darkness.
The Eternal Darkness Marquis screamed in agony, disintegrating into ashes.
“Ha ha... You’ll never find the True Martial Talisman!”
Gui Yanian laughed maniacally, his body transforming into a blood-red rainbow, shooting off into the distance.
“Not good!”
“Chase him!”
The martial experts who had arrived paid no attention to the Devil Sect, rushing after the blood-red rainbow.
But the blood-red rainbow was incredibly fast, disappearing in a few flashes...
(End of Chapter)
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