Chapter 13: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind
Outside [Heaven-Mending Peak], more than ten formal disciples gathered together. The leaders were none other than Zhao Xuhe, Fairy Qing Chen, and Wang Bairong, the old man from the [Scripture Pavilion].
Among the crowd, only these three possessed cultivation at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining.
Zhao Xuhe stood at the very front, his voice resonant: “For all you Junior Brothers to accept Zhao’s invitation this time, Zhao feels deeply honored. I offer my thanks in advance.”
After speaking, he bowed to the crowd.
“To be honest, this Senior Brother discovered a Cave Abode left by a predecessor outside [Heaven-Mending Peak]. However, the perimeter is guarded by formations, and I truly lack the power to break through them.”
Fairy Qing Chen spoke up at the right moment, her soft and gentle voice making people feel numb and tingly. “That is why Qing Chen sought out all you Junior Brothers. If we combine our strength to break the formation, we can split the harvest inside equally. Senior Brother Zhao is a member of the [Three Rivers Society], and everyone knows his reputation well. He will certainly not let anyone suffer a loss.”
Zhao Xuhe clearly had some means.
With him and Fairy Qing Chen cooperating, and Wang Bairong from the [Scripture Pavilion] acting as a hype man, they quickly twisted the loose sand of the crowd into a single rope.
Immediately after, the group flew wrapped in a streak of light and left [Heaven-Mending Peak].
The “Heaven-Connecting Cloud Sea” where the Primordial Saint Sect was located covered a vast area, almost endless to the eye. The group flew for a quarter of an hour before stopping at a certain spot in the cloud sea.
“This is the place.”
With a thought, Zhao Xuhe used his True Qi to push aside the cloud sea, revealing a magnificent mountain peak with excellent Feng Shui. At first glance, it looked like an old dragon coiled in slumber.
“This place is called [Coiled Dragon Island].” Zhao Xuhe took the initiative to introduce it. “I have investigated it. It is the Cave Abode of a former True Disciple of the sect, Perfected one Coiled Dragon. The Feng Shui formation on the perimeter used to be a Foundation Establishment Great Formation. However, after many years, the earth vein the formation relied on has dried up, and its power is less than one-tenth of what it once was.”
“Everyone, please follow me to break the formation.”
As his voice fell, Zhao Xuhe bore the brunt and was the first to enter [Coiled Dragon Island]. Seeing this, the others naturally dared not lag behind and flew in one after another.
Just like that, after a moment passed, a figure quietly emerged.
“Interesting…”
Lu Yang looked at [Coiled Dragon Island] below but had absolutely no intention of entering. Instead, he took out four black banners and began setting them up outside the island.
“Anyway, the loan repayment deadline is approaching, and time in this life is running out.”
“Might as well pull off a big one!”
“However, this [Coiled Dragon Island] is treacherous and unpredictable. Zhao Xuhe has numbers on his side. Being alone, I can’t support myself. Its basicaly zero chance if i going in and snatch opportunities from them.”
After thinking it over, Lu Yang came up with a good plan.
First of all, he didn’t believe a word of the bullshit that there were good people within the Demonic Sect. So he was certain that Zhao Xuhe’s plan to recruit people to break into the Cave Abode was definitely malicious.
However, with so many people coming this time, including Wang Bairong from the [Scripture Pavilion], even if Zhao Xuhe could swallow them, he would inevitably break a few teeth. It was impossible for him to remain unscathed. Since that was the case, Lu Yang could simply set up a formation outside the island, wait at his ease for the exhausted enemy, and specifically ambush whoever came out.
Wasn’t this much more cost-effective than going inside to explore?
For this purpose, Lu Yang had even used his last 100 Contribution Points to exchange for a [Maze Formation].
The four “Maze Banners” would lock down heaven and earth, inverting directions. Although they lacked offensive power, they could trap people inside, making it difficult to escape within a short period.
“Next is just to wait quietly… No rush. Haste makes waste…”
Lu Yang patiently lay in ambush.
“Zhao Xuhe… What is the meaning of this!?”
“If you kill us and our Life Lamps extinguish, the Saint Sect will not forgive you!”
Inside [Coiled Dragon Island], rivers of blood were already flowing.
The group of formal disciples who had just been working together were now fighting for themselves, screaming continuously as their lives were harvested by a streak of bloody light.
Far away from the crowd, Zhao Xuhe and Fairy Qing Chen stood side by side.
Their expressions were mocking, their brows arrogant, revealing a dense evil aura. Their words and deeds were practically two different people compared to the sincere appearance they had when inviting everyone just now.
Facing the crowd’s angry rebukes, Zhao Xuhe wore a cold sneer and spoke in a grim tone: “No need to struggle. I meticulously arranged this place. This [Blood Demon Soul-Slaughtering Blade] cost me a full 3000 Contribution Points. Today, none of you should think about escaping this [Coiled Dragon Island]!”
As he spoke, several more people had their lives harvested.
The streak of bloody light flashed through the air, instantly sucking their flesh and blood dry before revealing its form—a crimson flying blade.
“You! Bastard!”
In the crowd, the only one who could still resist was Wang Bairong from the [Scripture Pavilion]. However, Zhao Xuhe was in no hurry to kill him, only constantly wearing him down.
While wearing him down, Zhao Xuhe sneered and taunted, “Surnamed Wang, did you really think you’d have the life to spend my money after taking it? The reason I bought the [Substitute Death Yin Puppet] from you back then was for today! Otherwise, if you still had a pile of Substitute Death Yin Puppets in your hand, taking you down wouldn’t be easy.”
“Now, all your Substitute Death Yin Puppet have been bought by me.”
“Once I kill you, I can take back the Contribution Points I gave you. It’s equivalent to getting a pile of Substitute Death Yin Puppet without spending a single cent.”
“Looking at it this way, I should really thank you!”
Zhao Xuhe’s heart-piercing words angered Wang Bairong to the point of almost vomiting blood. Seeing that, Zhao Xuhe seized the opportunity — the flying blade flashed and instantly sank into his chest.
Thud!
Wang Bairong’s lips moved slightly, his face full of unwillingness. Yet he couldn’t even utter half a sentence before his Qi and blood were sucked dry by the flying blade, and he collapsed to the ground.
With Wang Bairong dealt with, the dust settled.
After another moment, the wailing gradually ceased.
“Congratulations, Senior Brother!”
Fairy Qing Chen was also dripping with fragrant sweat at this moment. The [Blood Demon Soul-Slaughtering Blade] consumed a huge amount of energy. Zhao Xuhe’s ability to kill so many people naturally owed some credit to her as well.
“I still have to thank you, Junior Sister.”
Zhao Xuhe smiled slightly, recalling the [Blood Demon Soul-Slaughtering Blade] into his hand. He asked, “How is it? With its current power, can we break that restriction now?”
Fairy Qing Chen sized it up for a moment, frowning slightly. “It seems we are still a little short…”
Shhhink—!
The blade entered and exited. Fairy Qing Chen’s pretty face went blank. She stared dully at the crimson flying blade sinking into her lower abdomen, and in the blink of an eye, she was also sucked into a dried corpse.
“Now we’re not short.”
Looking at the [Blood Demon Soul-Slaughtering Blade] in his hand, Zhao Xuhe nodded with satisfaction. Then he arrived in front of a quiet room with tightly closed doors deep within [Coiled Dragon Island].
Without another word, he raised the blade and slashed.
BOOM!
With a loud noise that shook the earth and mountains, the door to the quiet room shattered in response, revealing the interior. Inside, a jade box was prominently displayed.
Zhao Xuhe walked up with wild ecstasy on his face. Opening the jade box, he saw a Daoist scripture divided into two volumes inside.
The first volume was titled [Nine Transformations Dragon Art].
The second volume was titled [Dragon Sovereign Ascension Scripture].
Looking at the two Daoist scriptures in the jade box, Zhao Xuhe’s hands trembled with excitement. “Third Grade True Art! It really is a Third Grade True Art pointing directly to the Golden Core Grand Dao!”
“Master really didn’t deceive me.”
“Master said I cultivated bitterly for three lifetimes, accumulating merit for this moment. In this life, my merit is finally complete, and Perfected one Coiled Dragon’s inheritance is my opportunity.”
“After today, as long as I cultivate with concentration, refining the [True Dragon Qi] and establishing the [Dragon Sovereign Ascension] Dao Foundation, I will definitely be able to rediscover my true self in the future and return completely from the tribulations. Moreover, with a Third Grade True Art, not only will the path to Foundation Establishment be smooth, but the Golden Core Grand Dao will also be just around the corner!”
The more Zhao Xuhe thought about it, the more excited he became. He immediately put away the Daoist scriptures.
“Switching cultivation techniques requires dispersing my current cultivation. There’s no time to lose — I must return to my Cave Abode immediately to enter seclusion. Once I emerge, I can formally bow into Master’s sect…”
Harboring hope for the future, Zhao Xuhe rode his escaping light and quickly flew out of [Coiled Dragon Island].
However, in the next second, Zhao Xuhe’s expression changed drastically.
“Who…”
BOOM!
At this moment, Zhao Xuhe’s eyes widened. However, all he could see was a magnificent streak of sword light, imposing as a thunderbolt, slashing right before his eyes in an instant!
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