Without wind or thunder, dense silver-white lightning struck down like countless threads, creating an apocalyptic atmosphere amidst a chaotic dance of fiends transformed into a forest of thunder.
Entwined with crackling sounds, the lightning coalesced into five distinct figures.
Several men dressed in dark red stood in stunned silence. Although descendants of gods and demons are common in the world, capable of harnessing bloodline powers to connect with heaven and earth, producing all sorts of divine phenomena, to achieve a scene resembling divine thunderous punishment usually requires true gods or demons.
The silver-white lightning gradually calmed, revealing five figures clearly—three men and two women, all exuding extraordinary auras, with some possessing unparalleled beauty.
“It’s, it’s the Master!” A monkey-like man, known as the Sixth, suddenly snapped out of his trance and cried out in shock.
“The Master?” The leader and others exchanged glances, showing astonishment and disbelief in their eyes.
Could the Master mentioned by the stranger be a celestial being serving true gods or demons? Otherwise, how could his arrival be so exaggerated and awe-inspiring!
Having lived by the blade for years, they quickly regained composure. The leader respectfully bowed and said, “We are deeply grateful for the five Masters descending into the mortal realm in response to our burning of the talisman.”
Since the beginning of their reincarnation missions, Meng Qi and others usually found themselves silently dropped into worlds by the Six Paths, never having such a grand entrance, leaving them momentarily surprised.
Luckily, Meng Qi was “accustomed” to manifesting before others and quickly put on a stern face, revealing no smile, and spoke with imposing authority, “What matter prompted you to burn the talisman?”
He asked based on the meaning he inferred from their words.
Seeing Meng Qi so accustomed to this state, Jiang Zhiwei smiled wryly, shaking her head. The little monk truly was hard to change his nature, but as long as he wasn’t dragged down by “habits” that clouded his judgment and ruined things, why not let him be?
The leader, bowing respectfully, secretly raised his eyes to glance at Meng Qi. He found this Master was young, handsome, and composed, wearing a long sword at his waist, dressed in flowing white robes, showing no sign of being a god or demon. Yet his eyes were deep like unfathomable pools, with stars twinkling within, captivating and entrancing.
“Master, we are the leaders of the Red Army. Our eldest brother, Du Huaishang, is trapped in Daning, and we are at a loss, thus we burned the talisman to seek help,” the leader respectfully explained.
Jiang Zhiwei, Zhao Heng, Qi Zhengyan, and Ruan Yushu stood in formation behind Meng Qi, ready to act should anything happen. Meng Qi, holding “Flowing Fire,” calmly asked, “‘Heavenly King Pacifier’ Du Huaishang?”
“Master, you know our eldest brother?” The leader was both surprised and delighted.
Had his brother’s name reached the heavens, known by the celestial Master serving gods and demons?
The monkey-like man activated his bloodline power, his voice thin as a thread, whispering into the leader’s ear, “Second Brother, the stranger was saved by our eldest brother, and could summon the Master to descend, naturally able to resonate from the heavens and convey the savior’s name.”
Ah, so that’s it… The leader suddenly understood.
Unaware of the situation, Meng Qi didn’t respond but continued, “Tell me in detail how Du Huaishang was trapped in Daning.”
“Thank you, Master!” The leader couldn’t hide his joy.
This question indicated the Master’s willingness to rescue his eldest brother!
He then composed himself and declared, “The emperor is a tyrant, and the people are suffering. Our eldest brother launched an uprising in Ningnan, resolved to rescue the people from misery and establish a paradise, which inevitably brought him into conflict with the留守 of Daning and his Southern Pacification Army.”
“Every battle we fight, we don our crimson war robes, earning us the name the Red Army. We are the thorn in the imperial court’s side. Were it not for the chaos and the numerous Earth-tier masters joining the conflict, the court would have long sent their elite forces south to wipe us out.”
As a mediocre strategist of the Red Army, he believed the Master came from beyond the Nine Heavens, serving true gods and demons. If they could gain their support, their cause would flourish. Thus, he elaborated on the Red Army’s origins and ideals.
After speaking, he secretly raised his eyes and noticed that Meng Qi and the others’ expressions remained unchanged. Suppressing his impulse, he returned to the topic, “Recently, we learned that the garrison commander of Daning, ‘Emerald-Eyed Flying Dragon’ Zuo Hanfeng, has recruited a group of extraordinary individuals, intending to attack our Red Army’s main force. That’s why we wanted to gather more information.”
In this world, with many descendants of gods and demons, warfare resembled generals’ duels or group fights. Once the main generals fell, the Red Army would be crippled.
“Zuo Hanfeng is formidable, and Daning is teeming with experts—a true tiger’s den. We are no match and would only be a liability, so our eldest brother went alone to contact a secret agent.” The leader’s expression grew solemn and anxious. “But on the third day after entering the city, Zuo Hanfeng suddenly sealed it off, allowing entry but no exit, cutting all communication. We’ve heard nothing from our eldest brother since, and even the spies we sent in returned empty-handed.”
“If not for our faces, figures, and techniques being well-known in Daning, we would have entered the city to share his fate long ago. Now we can only hold the line, helpless, until heaven mercifully sent five Masters to aid us.”
“As long as our eldest brother is rescued, there will be great rewards afterward.”
Meng Qi remained silent, listening quietly, then said indifferently, “Since you have the talisman, we will act. No need for rewards; your sincerity suffices.”
“Sincerity?” The leader frowned. This couldn’t be taken lightly. What level of reward counted as sincere?
The more casually they spoke, the more cautious he must be!
“Our descent into the mortal realm comes with many restrictions, our powers cannot be fully unleashed, so we cannot easily succeed. We need your intelligence,” Meng Qi fabricated a reason.
He didn’t specify the restrictions, allowing him to smoothly cover any questions.
The leader wasn’t surprised. Since gods and demons no longer descended, the heavenly passage was severed, so restrictions were normal, “Master, please ask. We will share all we know.”
“The world changes, seas turn into mulberry fields. We’ve long been absent from the mortal realm. How are the top masters ranked now? Where do Zuo Hanfeng and Du Huaishang stand?” Meng Qi turned serious.
The leader quickly replied, “Still Earth and Human tiers, but recently the Bai Xiao Hall divided them into eighteen grades, gaining wide recognition. Human Tier Nine, though possessing divine phenomena, remains weak, at the mortal level. Earth Tier Nine can move mountains and rivers, destroy cities and split rivers, terrifying and beyond ordinary. Bai Xiao Hall also mentions a Heaven Tier, but no one has reached it, called the God-Demon Tier.”
We are all Human Tier One. Our eldest brother is Earth Tier Nine, the same as Zuo Hanfeng, but his bloodline is formidable, with unmatched special abilities. Moreover, he commands many elite warriors and has recently recruited superhumans.
Meng Qi and the others exchanged glances, refraining from using secret transmissions, as the Red Army deputy had revealed a crucial point: many martial artists with god-demon bloodlines could slightly connect with heaven and earth, producing mysterious phenomena. These phenomena were more unpredictable and dangerous than Qi opening in the main world, so they couldn’t afford to be careless. Perhaps among them were those with supernatural abilities like “Eavesdropping,” capable of hearing secret transmissions.
After the leader detailed Zuo Hanfeng, Meng Qi nodded slightly, seemingly confident, “Who was the secret agent Du Huaishang meeting in the city?”
“He’s called Guo Sheng, nicknamed Guo Kuizi, a distant relative of our eldest brother. With our Red Army’s covert support, he became a wealthy merchant in Daning, a respected figure…” The leader detailed many points, concluding, “We ten brothers swore brotherhood, not seeking same birth and death, but same death. Saving our eldest brother is saving us all. Please accept our bow.”
The other Red Army leaders followed suit, bowing solemnly, eyes filled with expectation.
Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei calmly accepted the bow, having grasped the mission, yet they remained on high alert. The strangers recently recruited by Zuo Hanfeng were shrouded in mystery, with no information available about them yet.
……
Purple patterns surrounded the city, making Daning dreamlike and illusory. The more beautiful, the more dangerous. Approaching sent chills down one’s spine.
Meng Qi and others disguised themselves, their unfamiliar faces having no ties to the Red Army, easily passing through the city gate into Daning.
Prosperous, bustling, crowded… Daning showed all signs of a great city. Following the Red Army’s address and street conditions, they pretended to be visiting relatives, asking about the alley near Guo Kuizi’s house, planning to approach indirectly.
Soon, they reached Guo’s vicinity, bypassed two streets by compass direction, and saw the landmark red building.
At noon, Guo’s mansion was tightly shut, no one coming or going, trees surrounding the red building, exuding a sinister aura.
“If Guo’s house were normal, that would be suspicious,” Zhao Heng remarked.
Meng Qi chuckled, “We must be cautious. We’ll proceed thus…”
After listening, Jiang Zhiwei, Ruan Yushu, and others nodded, following the plan.
Shortly, Meng Qi changed his appearance, resembling a common loafer, “sneaking” toward Guo’s house, squatting under a nearby tree, eating dumplings while asking the vendor, “Why is Guo’s mansion so quiet, no one around?”
The vendor, wearing a straw hat, glanced at Meng Qi and chuckled, “He’s a wealthy man with no compassion. His house was ransacked by the Left-behind just a few days ago!”
“I see…” Meng Qi slurped his dumplings, probing further.
After gathering info, he looked around nervously, slipping into a quiet alley, turning corners, finding it increasingly deserted, no pedestrians.
At the alley’s end, a man in black wide robes paced, looking very serious.
Seeing Meng Qi return, he urgently asked, “How did it go? As long as you clarify those few matters, the remaining silver is yours!”
This was Zhao Heng.
Suddenly, figures emerged from both walls and the alley’s ends, surrounding them.
The leader, with a terrifying aura and a scarred face, sneered, “Silver? Let’s take it! Capture them!”
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