The Wolf King seemingly struck Meng Qi’s left chest with his right palm, breaking ribs and inflicting serious injury. Yet, in reality, it felt as if he had grabbed a hot potato, facing muscle indentation and viscous qi adhesion. For a moment, he couldn’t withdraw his hand or evade.
Under normal circumstances, this would be a suicidal maneuver for Meng Qi. In another heartbeat, the Wolf King’s murderous qi would pierce Meng Qi’s protective martial art, shattering internal organs and ensuring his death beyond recovery.
But time waits for no one, the descending long blade held high waits for no one, and the thunderous punishment from heaven waits for no one either!
The Wolf King’s Yuan Shen was shaken by the extremely yang and mighty thunder intent. Roars filled his ears, and the terrifying sensation made him shudder involuntarily. He clearly knew that if he resisted directly, he would likely suffer severe injuries even if he survived, leaving him unable to evade subsequent attacks.
Su Meng actually possessed such a terrifying attack!
Therefore, disregarding concealment and potential aftereffects, he unleashed the “Sword of Slaughter,” a technique he had only used once since mastering it.
At that time, he defeated an experienced bandit leader with the power of the Four Qiao.
With his left hand as the tip, the Wolf King transformed into a sword, dark and profound, meeting the “Heaven’s Scar.”
With this slash, the already tall and thin Wolf King seemed to shrink further, as if half his flesh had been sucked away, leaving him gaunt and emaciated, his eyes bulging, cold and sinister.
Heaven creates all things to nourish mankind, yet mankind offers nothing in return to Heaven. Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!
Murderous intent pierced the sky, filling the air with chaos. The courtyard near the sky well lost all vitality; even rats hiding deep underground could not survive.
Boom!
The thunder-guided blade, as thick as a water bucket, arrived in an unimaginable instant, heavy and mighty, striking the Wolf King directly.
Boom! Boom! Boom… Five punishments rained down continuously, ten thousand thunders roaring together. Heavy rain poured, hitting the bluestone slabs of nearby courtyards, splashing white mist.
Dong! Dong! Dong! “Heaven’s Scar” collided with the Wolf King’s left hand, producing five crisp sounds, not like metal clashing, but more like a spear striking a muffled drum.
Azure lightning scattered, electric sparks flying. Meng Qi’s steps were heavy as he retreated several paces, each step leaving a deep footprint on the scorched and water-drenched bluestone.
This time, the footprints weren’t neatly arranged like knife cuts but radiated outward from a central point, creating spiderweb-like patterns, leaving no grass within an inch.
The Wolf King flew backward, surrounded by electric sparks, his skin blackened, feet landing, creating deep pits.
Had their powers not been concentrated, the courtyard near the sky well might not have survived!
The Wolf King’s left hand hung limply, unnaturally bent, already fractured, blood pouring out only to be instantly evaporated by electric sparks.
His killing sword was formidable, but ultimately launched defensively without a treasure weapon, compounded by his unhealed injuries, thus suffering a heavy loss.
His eyes flashed with ferocity, like a wild wolf triggering its viciousness. With his right hand reaching out, he prepared to attack again.
Meng Qi’s left hand raised a stream of fire. Before the sword was drawn, the Wolf King’s forehead felt a sharp pain, his Yuan Shen suppressed.
Gazing at Meng Qi, who seemed like a descending immortal, feeling his pure and sharp sword intent, the Wolf King’s eyes turned cold, unable to judge how much strength Meng Qi still possessed.
He was gravely injured. If Meng Qi was slightly better off, continuing the fight would assuredly lead to his death. Moreover, with such a commotion just now, the external experts on Smoke Rain Mountain couldn’t have failed to notice. Without mentioning others, He Jiu and Gong Yanghao would definitely return.
After brief consideration, the Wolf King, who always fled immediately after a failed strike, had already decided. He would seize the current distance between them, as Su Meng’s external technique required shortening the distance before launching another sword strike!
The Wolf King changed his right hand’s motion to a downward strike. His qi, as if elastic, did not shatter the blue bricks but instead propelled him mysteriously upward, unpredictably diving into the adjacent courtyard.
“You scoundrel dare escape!” Meng Qi roared.
With a sword in his left hand and a blade in his right, his body drenched in blood, he appeared mighty and awe-inspiring, poised to give chase.
Yet, he did not step forward but instead warily scanned the surroundings, shouting fiercely: “Who’s there? Come out!”
The Wolf King leapt over walls and courtyards, swiftly disappearing.
Meng Qi slightly relaxed. His bluff had actually succeeded!
Although the Wolf King was severely injured, Meng Qi himself was not in good shape either. Utilizing the Dharmakaya technique in conjunction with a treasure weapon drained an enormous amount of energy. While activating the Sacrificial Art had replenished and even amplified his qi and spirit, this enhancement did not stack due to prior incomplete consumption. Therefore, under normal circumstances, after employing the Sacrificial Art to unleash such a formidable killing move, with his cultivation at the eighth aperture, he could barely manage to execute another external technique.
But the current situation was far from normal. To create an opportunity, he had intentionally taken the strike, and resisting the Wolf King’s murderous palm with the Eight-Nine and Golden Bell techniques consumed significant energy.
Therefore, how could he possibly unleash another external killing move? With his spirit nearly depleted, he could only rely on his qi returning to peak and recklessly slashing. If the Wolf King returned, it would come down to who could endure longer, just like his previous sparring match with Wang Zai, where the final half-move decided the outcome. But this was no sparring match—it was a life-or-death battle. Unless absolutely necessary, who would willingly reach such a state? Who knew what other changes might occur!
Fortunately, his “Flying Immortal from Heaven” was extremely proficient, and his Eight-Nine cultivation aura was convincingly simulated, costing little spirit, thus scaring the Wolf King away.
That shout of “scoundrel dare escape” was a deliberate act of pursuit, followed by a feigned alert of an enemy, standing guard in place.
However, with the Wolf King’s escape, Meng Qi did not relax but continued displaying high “morale,” scanning the surroundings as if genuinely searching for other enemies.
This was his hypothesis.
Xingyun Manor had external experts. The Wolf King couldn’t possibly stay outside the manor indefinitely. Last time he challenged He Jiu, it was because the latter tacitly allowed it. Now, returning again, wouldn’t he fear immediate execution?
Therefore, how could he seize the sudden opportunity? Only two explanations existed. One: he had long roamed Smoke Rain Mountain, occasionally spying on Xingyun Manor, coincidentally encountering Meng Qi due to luck. But how much hatred would it take for him, someone who always fled after a failed strike, to act this way, risking discovery by external experts?
Two: he knew about today’s plot to attack the Crown Prince, knowing the external experts would be lured away, thus deliberately waiting.
Meng Qi honestly believed he didn’t harbor such deep hatred with the Wolf King as the first explanation suggested, thus leaning toward the second. If so, the Wolf King clearly colluded with the “Myth,” his ambush of Meng Qi being an act of anger transfer, either not representing the “Myth” or acting under their orders.
Previously, on the Human Rankings, the Wolf King ranked fifth, Meng Qi sixth, their strengths close. How confident was the “Myth” that the Wolf King would surely kill Meng Qi?
Judging purely by records and displayed strength, even if Meng Qi was slightly inferior to the Wolf King, under a surprise attack, he still had a considerable chance of survival.
Therefore, even if the “Myth” wanted to concentrate their forces for a major task, they should have also sent a peripheral member to wait for an opportunity, easily finishing Meng Qi off after he and the Wolf King exhausted each other, ensuring absolute success.
Meng Qi’s golden aura dimmed, his body splattered with his own blood, chest sunken, ribs broken, yet his morale high, his eyes like a tiger’s, scanning the surroundings, seemingly searching for lurking assassins waiting to strike.
Even a dying tiger doesn’t collapse its frame; scare them away if nothing else!
At this moment, Meng Qi felt particularly emotional. If He Jiu and Wang Siyuan hadn’t successively ascended to the heavens, shocking Yan Chong and Liushu’s minds, removing their interest in sparring, he would likely be waiting for one of their challenges right now. Even with unexpected events, he wouldn’t lack assistance.
Truly unpredictable was the turn of events. The Xingyun Banquet, meant to host challenge after challenge, had evolved into this state!
Pah! A person flew in, landing before Meng Qi.
His face was pale, no external wounds visible, rolling upon impact, clearly lifeless.
Meng Qi recognized this person—a minor expert from Yingcheng who had participated in the martial arts event.
He hadn’t left? Was he a peripheral member of the “Myth”? Who did this? Meng Qi felt not joy but alarm, increasingly sensing the situation’s oddity.
His vision blurred, and a figure appeared—a middle-aged man, tall, cloaked in black, short coarse hair, bushy beard, wearing a black eye patch over his left eye, a sinister, narrow horse saber at his waist.
Meng Qi’s pupils contracted to needle points, teeth gritting out three words: “Ze Luoju…”
“Haihai Evil Blade” Ze Luoju! An external expert, top-tier martial artist, and apprentice of the Crying Elder, whose lair Meng Qi had destroyed.
He actually pursued him to Zhongyuan?
Facing an external expert, Meng Qi’s mind raced, contemplating survival.
Buying time—Gong Yanghao and He Jiu were returning soon?
Hoping the “Fairyland” had someone in Yingcheng who discovered the “Myth’s” appearance, coming to investigate?
“You are very impressive,” Ze Luoju’s voice was magnetic, his Jin official dialect peculiar. “Originally, I had abandoned pursuit after you fled to Zhongyuan, as your trail was hard to trace, and many experts wanted my head. But you became too prominent, your strength skyrocketing into the top twenty of the Human Rankings, your fame reaching Haihai, forcing me to take notice. If you reached the external stage, I wouldn’t sleep soundly.”
He seemed to want to explain the background, which suited Meng Qi perfectly—the more delays, the better!
Ze Luoju’s gaze was deep and cold, his voice indifferent: “Don’t think they’ll return in time. As fellow external experts, do you think I wouldn’t grasp the timing?”
“The reason I told you all this is to ensure you die with unresolved grievances, allowing me to harvest an excellent vengeful soul.”
“If you remained elusive, I would indeed face difficulties. Unfamiliar with the terrain, even as an external expert, I couldn’t track you down. Fortunately, you attended the Xingyun Banquet, so I directly came to Yingcheng to wait. Initially, I hoped not to act personally, waiting for them to kill you, thus avoiding the threat of Xuan Bei’s ‘deliverance.’ Alas, they proved too incompetent, forcing me to intervene personally.”
Ze Luoju naturally preferred not acting personally. Even cautious, there was a risk of Xuan Bei discovering clues through Buddhist divine techniques like the Heavenly Eye. Better to watch the Wolf King’s ambush, hoping for success, thus resolving the grudge and eliminating the threat.
As the bandit king who ruled over Haihai, a true demon of the left-hand path, Ze Luoju always acted with ruthless efficiency, eliminating threats without hesitation unless the cost proved too great.
Moreover, once he acted, it was with thunderous might, directly overwhelming with sheer power!
Meng Qi narrowed his eyes, ready to activate the Sacrifice Art once more, resolved not to let Ze Luoju gain an easy advantage. At the same time, he pondered whether any treasures or secrets might pique Ze Luoju’s interest, buying himself more time.
“Enough. This ends here,” Ze Luoju declared. The commotion on Smoke Rain Mountain in the distance ceased. Whether the “Myth” had succeeded or been captured remained unknown…
Just as he was about to strike Meng Qi and seal his soul into the demonic blade, he suddenly sensed the surroundings turning illusory and tranquil. White lotuses descended like rain from the heavens, their fragrance pristine and untainted.
“Red dust is like a prison, all beings suffer, samsara never ceases, worries and calamities endless. Pity these mortals, a god descends, the Eternal Mother, the Pure Land of Emptiness…”
A maiden clad in a gown as white as snow, exquisitely delicate, chanted sacred verses as she descended from the void upon lotus blossoms—holy, ethereal, and overflowing with compassion.
Her expression was originally solemn, but suddenly she smiled, captivatingly enchanting:
“Wish to kill my husband? First, ask this humble wife.”
Oh my! The witch Gu has also reached the External stage? Meng Qi was utterly shocked, then suddenly remembered something.
No wonder she could hear his and Qi Shixiong’s secret transmissions!
At that time, she claimed only external experts could, without stating she couldn’t, making people think it was another secret technique.
Turns out, she was already an external expert!
The witch’s words were truly a mix of truth and lies, enough to deceive the dead into perdition!
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