As Dragon the Fifth returned to White Emperor City, the news of his victory immediately swept Mount Shu, and everyone was bubbling over with excitement.
Only a few people knew that Dragon the Fifth had been seriously injured during the battle and already fallen into a coma, having no strength to fight anymore.
Li Shan Sect, one of the seven branches of Mount Shu, was a medical sect. The future leader of Li Shan Sect was a man named Li Nianhao. Though less than 30 years old, he was proficient in Chinese medicine. Li Nianhao rushed to treat Dragon the Fifth the moment he heard the news. With the joint help of several other experts in the Void-breaking Realm, Li Nianhao finally suppressed the Setting Sun Power in Long Wu’s body, preventing his injury from getting worse. Even so, it would still take a lot of effort for him to recover.
Eventually, at Li Nianhao’s suggestion, Dragon the Fifth was sent to one of the Green Lotus Pools and bathed in the Green Lotus Spiritual Liquid. The nourishing power of the spiritual liquid would gradually heal him.
After that, everyone came to the pool where Li Mu was.
The silver figures were swirling, and the green tactical deployment was still there.
The spiritual liquid inside was steaming, generating white mist above the liquid. Nothing inside the pool could be seen, so no one knew what kind of trial Li Mu was going through in it.
As for the process of transforming into a dragon and ascending to heaven, only a fraction of it was recorded in the secret books of Mount Shu. Even the heads of the major branches did not know the details. Hence, it was impossible to speculate what was going on inside the green deployment.
The tragic victory in the first battle and Dragon the Fifth’s grave injury and coma had cast a shadow over the other heads of the various branches.
Dragon the Fifth was already one of the most powerful experts among the leaders of the seven branches. Otherwise, the Dragon King Ridge would not have dominated the White Emperor City for so many years. However, strong as Dragon the Fifth was, he only managed to scrape a narrow victory in the first battle. Given that, no one was sure what the result of the upcoming nine matches would be.
What was more, the nine sects of the Decent Alliance had a total of nine experts who had either reached the Void-breaking Realm or were on par with those at that level. Yet, in Mount Shu, high-level combatants were sorely lacking. Although they had finally recruited Duan Shuiliu, an expert who could vanquish those in the Void-breaking Realm as easily as cutting vegetables, they happened to get him into the Green Lotus Pool to start the “Dragon-ascending Journey”. Perhaps he would not be able to get out in time to catch the fight.
If the rest of the matches all went like today’s, the situation would be extremely unfavorable for Mount Shu.
In the end, it was likely that most of the heads of the major branches would be killed or mutilated. The high-level combating force of the Divine Sect would be slashed. Even if they could survive this, they might not be able to rise again in the future.
And the nine major sects also had extraterrestrial immortal sects backing them up.
Their chances of winning were rather thin.
“By the way, where is Wuhen?”
The old lady of the Moon Dao Sect looked around but didn’t see her granddaughter. Finding this a bit odd, she asked others. It turned out that the people around didn’t know the whereabouts of Ye Wuhen either, for she had not been seen for half a day.
This was weird.
However, she did not let her mind keep dwelling on it.
After all, strong enemies were just ahead, and the situation was rather grim.
The leaders, future leaders of the major branches, and the senior members of the Divine Sect all went to the Fairy Hall to discuss the candidate for tomorrow’s battle. They also surmised which cultivator from the other party might come to the fighting ring, so as to try their best to pick the right one who had the martial arts skills that could subdue the other’s. That was the only way to increase their odds of winning.
A tense atmosphere began to spread in White Emperor City.
Time flew by.
In a trice, the next day arrived.
On the floating fighting ring, the second battle began.
The one who went out to fight for Mount Shu was the number one Knife Hut servant of the Moon Dao Sect, Wu Ming.
This was a hidden pawn of Mount Shu. It was known to the outside world that there was only one expert in the Void-breaking Realm in the Moon Dao Sect, and that was Ye Hen, the old lady of the Moon Dao Sect. But in fact, Ye Hen had a Knife Hut servant who was also a strong expert in the Void-breaking Realm. His broadsword-using method was unparalleled, and his combat ability was intimidating.
The expert dispatched by the nine major sects was Dongfang Qing, the Ancient Sword, also Head of the East Mountain Sword Sect. He was an expert in the Void-breaking Realm of the Decent Alliance who had never fought with Li Mu, so he was not injured, and his strength was not weakened. Now, he was still in his prime.
Obviously, after the defeat on the first day, the nine sects picked Dongfang Qing the Ancient Sword to fight in the hope that he could quickly gain a complete victory to boost their morale.
However, it was plain that the appearance of the Knife Hut servant called Wu Ming came as a surprise to the nine sects.
At the end of the fierce battle, this unknown Knife Hut servant of the Moon Dao Sect burst out unparalleled strength. With unparalleled broadsword momentum, he cut off one of Dongfang Qing’s arm and once again won a match for Mount Shu.
“You… You are Mo Han, that Top Broadsword of Wind and Cloud on the Bitter Star world 90 years ago! You, you actually joined the Devil Cult?” Dongfang Qing hollered, covering his broken arm with his uninjured hand. After the fierce battle, to his great shock, he finally recognized the true identity of the saber servant called Wu Ming.
Mo Han, the Top Broadsword of Wind and Cloud!
Ninety years ago, it was a name that would cause everyone in the martial arts world of the Bitter Star to look askance in fear.
He was not from any of the nine major sects, but his Dao-using methods were superb and invincible. He was regarded as the strongest broadsword cultivator in history. Being a rogue cultivator, he had defeated many masters of the nine major sects and ranked first among all the broadsword cultivators in the world. That was enough evidence of Mo Han’s incredible talent and aptitude.
Curiously, when his fame was in bloom, this broadsword master suddenly disappeared in Jianghu without warning. Some said that he was hunted down by enemies. Some said that he had entered the Void-breaking Realm and left the Bitter Star. Others said that he was cultivating in seclusion. There were all kinds of rumors, but none of them were ever confirmed.
To everyone’s disbelief, he reappeared today as Wu Ming and had become a Knife Hut servant of the Moon Dao Sect in the Devil Cult.
“Mo Han has long died. Now, there is only the Knife Hut servant,” Wu Ming said softly. He was tall and strong, wearing a white mask, only revealing his eyes and mouth. His eyes were like an ancient well, quiet with any ripples.
“It’s really you. Humph, I’ve seen your Dao-using method… Never knew the old Top Broadsword of Wind and Cloud was willing to abandon himself to vice…” Dongfang Qing, the Ancient Sword, accused angrily.
By this time, he had already landed outside the floating fighting ring, which was a sign of admitting his defeat.
“It’s all owing to what you nine major sects did to me,” Wu Ming said blandly, “Eastern Ancient Sword, if you feel wronged, you can go on the stage and fight again. I can give you a second chance.”
Dongfang Qing looked embarrassed. In the end, he did not go to the arena to fight again.
He had lost an arm, so he was no match for Wu Ming, the Knife Hut servant.
With that, the second battle came to an end.
Mount Shu had won another round.
The sun was setting, and White Emperor City was filled with a festive and relaxed atmosphere.
It could be said that today’s battle was a complete victory.
The sudden appearance and rise of the Knife Hut servant called Wu Ming was shot in the arm for the members of Mount Shu. Many lower-ranked disciples realized that there were still many hidden undiscovered talents in the Divine Sect, including such an unknown top master. The future seemed quite promising.
“I’ll continue to fight tomorrow.” In the Fairy Hall, the Knife Hut servant called Wu Ming, who rarely spoke, volunteered to battle once more.
Everyone was very surprised by his request.
“Why don’t you rest for a day or two?” Ouyang Huanyu, Head of the Sky-reaching Pavilion, suggested.
Wu Ming was very strong. As long as he remained in his best state, he could deal with any expert in the Void-breaking Realm of the nine major sects. However, if he fought two days in a row, he might lose because of depletion of strength, which was not worth the loss.
Wu Ming shook his head and said, “I don’t need a rest.”
Ye Hen, the old lady of the Moon Dao Sect, glanced at Wu Ming with a complicated look and finally nodded, saying, “All right, tomorrow, you will fight again.”
Thus, this matter was settled.
After the discussion, they once again went to the Green Lotus Pool that Li Mu was in, but they still couldn’t detect any special signs. Since the mist of the spiritual liquid had permeated the place, the inside of the pool was unperceivable.
Although they had won today, they still had a long way to go.
If Duan Shuiliu could complete his journey of “Dragon Ascension” that day, the odds of Mount Shu’s victory would be really increased.
“That scuzzball still hasn’t shown up?”
The young woman in black gauze had concealed herself in a dark hall, racking her brain. After two consecutive days of fighting, she still did not see Li Mu appear, which made her more and more convinced that Li Mu must be hiding behind the scenes and secretly plotting and manipulating something.
“Got to think of a way to force him out.”
The young woman in black gauze murmured to herself.
A moment later, Qin Rushuang, the Top Sword of West Sea, also Head of the Western Sea Sword Sect, was summoned into the hall.
“Tomorrow, you will be the one to fight, ” said the young woman in the black gauze, leaving no room for questions.
Qin Rushuang was taken aback.
The top nine sects had already made a decision that the person who would fight tomorrow would be Lu Tianhua, Lord of Central Heaven City. At that time, the black-robed fairy also agreed on the decision, but why did she suddenly change her mind without a sign?
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Though puzzled, Qin Rushuang didn’t dare to raise any question or objection.
The young woman in the black gauze was apparently satisfied with Qin Rushuang’s attitude.
She unfolded her palm, and a scarlet pill appeared.
The pill was the size of a dragon’s eye, crystal clear, and seemed to be full of flickering Taoist figures, which flowed with the mysterious power of Taoist Principles.
The young woman in the black gauze added, “This Red Jade Fate-shifting Pill is a secret magic elixir of my Black Killing Tower. Once you take it, you can stimulate the potential in your body and multiply your strength within three days. Refine it, and you will even be able to defeat an opponent at the initial stage of the Mortal Realm tomorrow.”
Overjoyed, Qin Rushuang hurriedly took the pill with both hands and said, “Fairy, thank you for giving me such an amazing elixir… It’s just that I would like to ask, what will happen to me three days later after I consume the Red Jade Fate-shifting Pill?”
The young woman in the black gauze said, “Three days later, you will feel bone-tired for a short time. But with your cultivation, you can recover in 10 days and 10 nights tops. There will be no other sequelae. You can rest assured. This is also your fate calling. As the Red Jade Fate-shifting Pill contains the figures of the alien Taoist Principles, it would be like planting a seed in your body. Later when you ascend to the galaxy and enter the world of star cultivators, you’ll fit in much faster than others.”
Upon hearing that, Qin Rushuang was profoundly relieved.
“Note this. In tomorrow’s battle, you not only have to win but also have to badly crush the morale of the Devil Cult. Torture the Devil Cult’s candidate as much as you can before you kill him. Only then can we get rid of the shadow cast by the previous two battles. Do you understand?” the young woman in the black gauze said insidiously.
“Yes, I do.” After one more bowing, Qin Rushuang retreated from the hall.
By the side of a Green Lotus Pool, the mist of spiritual liquid was pervading the air.
Everyone had left except for the old lady of the Moon Dao Sect and the Knife Hut servant, Wu Ming. They were both standing by the pool, a few paces from each other. They just stood there in silence, facing the water, surrounded by the spiritual mist. All that could be heard was their breathing.
After standing there for what felt like ages, the old lady of the Moon Dao Sect, Ye Hen, said, “You should go. Don’t get involved in this matter anymore. How many rounds can you take by yourself after all? You are not a member of the Divine Sect. And you’ve already given me too much help these years.”
Wu Ming said calmly, “I have nowhere to go, though the world is so vast. Only by being by your side can I find peace of mind. As long as I’m fighting for you, I won’t regret it, even if I die a hundred times.”
