Chapter 108: Full Moon, Pipa’s Song
Shi Hao said, “Don’t worry, I’ll bring her back.” He turned and left.
Zhuo Mulan called after him, but he didn’t look back, his swift departure increasing her anxiety.
Shi Hao, his sword at his waist, used his movement techniques, leaping across rooftops, heading towards Dragon Head Mountain.
It was dusk. A menacing aura hung over the mountain, and shouts echoed in the distance.
Large numbers of martial artists were converging on Dragon Head Mountain. Although still far away, the scent of blood was already in the air.
The ground trembled again, shaking the nearby buildings.
This wasn’t an ordinary battle.
Shi Hao frowned and climbed onto a nearby rooftop.
A tall brothel, its roof far higher than the surrounding buildings, offered a good vantage point.
He scaled the wall, reaching the pointed roof.
Looking towards Dragon Head Mountain, he saw people, like a surging tide, converging on the mountain from all directions.
The entire mountain seemed to be shaking, the tremors emanating from its depths.
Despite the tremors, the sounds of fighting, and the darkening sky, people remained hidden inside their homes, afraid to venture out.
The setting sun, blood-red, cast an eerie glow over the land.
Numerous figures leaped across the rooftops.
At the foot of Dragon Head Mountain, blades flashed, weapons clashed, walls crumbled, buildings collapsed, and explosions echoed as powerful martial artists battled, the kind of destruction only fifth-rank experts and above could cause.
The tremors intensified, the light of the setting sun seemingly drawn towards the mountain, its peak glowing with a mysterious light, while the surrounding area grew darker.
Shi Hao saw swirling red clouds above Dragon Head Mountain.
He touched the Jade Clarity Stone in his robe.
It wasn’t dark yet, and the full moon hadn’t risen.
He looked down and saw a small figure on the wall.
The doll, pristine and beautiful, stood there, its black gemstone eyes gleaming with a cold, sinister light.
It was looking at him.
Yuejiao took Xiaoyan, he thought, but he knew that in terms of strength, Yuejiao was weaker than Xu Xiaoyan.
With Xiaoyan’s resourcefulness and the Void Traversing Brick, Yuejiao couldn’t have captured her… unless the Emerald Beauty was involved.
Shi Hao leaped down from the roof, his voice, sharp and clear like a hawk’s cry, echoing through the air.
The Emerald Beauty, however, had already turned and flown away, its rainbow robe fluttering behind it.
Although he knew it was alive, seeing the small doll flying before him was still a strangely unsettling sight.
He gave chase.
The Emerald Beauty flew through a group of martial artists.
“Who are you?” someone shouted.
Shi Hao ignored them. Two sabers slashed at him from both sides.
He quickly drew his sword, disguised as a wooden stick, and with two swift strikes, deflected the attacks, sending the attackers stumbling backwards. One dropped his saber, while the other’s blade snapped in two.
Shi Hao ran past them, glancing at the sword in his hand.
Daoist Tie Yu’s craftsmanship was indeed impressive. Even the scabbard was made of solid iron. It had deflected two saber strikes without a scratch.
This was exactly what he wanted. Sheathed, it looked like an ordinary iron rod, its true nature concealed.
But unsheathed, it was a high-quality sword!
He continued pursuing the Emerald Beauty, noticing the surrounding area growing darker, while Dragon Head Mountain seemed to be glowing.
He realized it wasn’t the setting sun’s light being absorbed by the mountain, but the sun had already set, and the mountain itself was emitting light.
As darkness fell, and Dragon Head Mountain glowed brighter, it created an illusion that the mountain was drawing all the light towards it.
But why was it glowing? What were the Ancestral Altar and the Ghost Extreme Sect fighting over? And why was the Emerald Beauty leading him here?
He touched the Jade Clarity Stone in his robe, his mind filled with unanswered questions.
A woman in red, leading a detachment of soldiers, guarded a main road leading to Dragon Head Mountain.
Her name was Jing Wuxia, a fifth-rank expert. Kelian, Yue Ya’er’s current bodyguard, was her junior sister.
She was tall but not bulky, her build athletic.
She wielded a large, heavy saber with a thick spine and a long, curved blade.
Her imposing figure radiated power.
Numerous corpses, dismembered and mangled, lay around her.
Two men approached. One was short, riding a giant python that slithered across the ground. The other was tall and burly, wielding a spiked club.
They were Yang Ji, the “Hundred Poisonous Mysterious Insects,” and Fu Xiongtu, the “Whirlwind Wolf Fang,” two of the Shark Dragon Gang’s Four Dragon Serpent Generals.
“The Ancestral Altar has been hiding their strength. I didn’t expect them to have such a skilled warrior,” Yang Ji said, looking at the corpses, his eyes glinting.
A swarm of venomous snakes emerged from the surrounding area, slithering towards Jing Wuxia.
Jing Wuxia laughed, “In the Ancestral Altar, I’m nothing special!”
She swung her saber, its energy splitting into six arcs, like a fan, scattering the snakes.
The snakes exploded, their bodies dissolving into poisonous gas.
The giant python beneath Yang Ji inhaled the gas, then spewed it towards Jing Wuxia.
A cloud of black, poisonous gas enveloped her.
Several soldiers around her collapsed, their bodies dissolving into bloody puddles.
Jing Wuxia snorted, her saber flashing, waves of energy dispersing the poisonous mist.
At the same time, Fu Xiongtu, wielding his spiked club, created a whirlwind, carrying the poisonous gas towards Jing Wuxia.
Having taken an antidote, Fu Xiongtu was immune to the poison. The whirlwind, now a swirling vortex of toxic gas, struck Jing Wuxia with a resounding boom, sending a shockwave of dust and debris outwards.
Behind Jing Wuxia, many soldiers were either killed by the force of the impact or collapsed, convulsing, after inhaling the poison.
Yang Ji and Fu Xiongtu were both sixth-rank, but their combined attack was formidable. Jing Wuxia, struggling to breathe in the poisonous mist, clashed with Fu Xiongtu.
Their strength was immense, their weapons clashing, sparks flying, buildings collapsing around them.
Although Jing Wuxia was stronger, the poison hampered her movements, preventing her from using her full power. She was forced to retreat.
Yang Ji’s python lunged at her, its jaws wide open.
Behind them, more Shark Dragon Gang members, having also taken the antidote, charged forward, using the cover of the poisonous mist.
Jing Wuxia, unable to fight back, deflected Fu Xiongtu’s spiked club with a powerful saber strike and fled.
The defensive line had been breached.
From her position on a watchtower, Yue Ya’er whispered, “I told you she couldn’t hold them. She’s too conspicuous, her movements too flashy, practically inviting them to attack her.
“Fifth-rank? So what? She only has brute strength. No special abilities or techniques. Against a prepared enemy, even brute force is useless.”
She chattered on, while Kelian, standing beside her with her large sword on her back, remained silent… She wouldn’t criticize her senior sister.
As Jing Wuxia retreated, she suddenly turned and unleashed a powerful saber strike, a wall of force erupting outwards.
Boom! The spiked club struck the wall of force, its momentum halted. Even Fu Xiongtu, the Whirlwind Wolf Fang, was pushed back.
But before Jing Wuxia could press her advantage, another wave of poisonous gas enveloped her, forcing her to defend herself. Fu Xiongtu, regaining his footing, attacked again, and she was forced to retreat once more, her strength useless against the poison.
More Shark Dragon Gang members poured through the breach, like a flood.
Seeing the defensive line collapsing, Yue Ya’er said excitedly, “It’s my turn!”
As a member of the Ancestral Altar, she had received some training.
But her skills weren’t exceptional. However, she possessed a powerful magical weapon.
And with her status, she rarely had the opportunity to use it, which she found somewhat frustrating.
“Protect me, Sister Kelian!” She climbed onto the railing of the watchtower and took out an object from her waist.
With a flick of her wrist, a flash of light, and a jade pipa appeared in her hand.
She placed the pipa on her lap, her left hand holding the neck, her right hand cradling the body, her fingers resting on the strings. She took a deep breath.
Behind her, Kelian discreetly tore off two pieces of cloth and stuffed them into her ears. She looked down at the warriors hidden below, wondering if she should warn them.
Fu Xiongtu looked up and saw the girl in the colorful dress sitting on the watchtower.
It was hard to miss her. A beautiful young woman, amidst the chaos of battle, sitting on high ground, holding a jade pipa, about to play a song…
She was like a delicate flower blooming amidst a storm.
Following his gaze, Jing Wuxia also looked back and saw Yue Ya’er.
She suddenly screamed, turned, and fled, covering her ears… She hadn’t run so fast even when she was being pushed back earlier.
The approaching Shark Dragon Gang members also looked at the smiling girl in confusion.
Under their gazes, Yue Ya’er gently plucked a string.
The pipa’s music began, and chaos erupted—
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