Chapter 202: Mid-Autumn Massacre: Turning the Tide!
Clang! Crash! Boom!
Li Shanwen, the Purple Robe Evil Venerable, and Li Zhen, the Thunder King, clashed, their energies exploding outwards, shattering the surrounding stone pillars and cracking the cavern floor.
The eight pillars of light descended to the next level.
The Purple Robe Venerable’s heart sank… They were still stuck on the seventh level.
“The cleverest schemes often backfire”… Although he didn’t know this saying, it perfectly described his current predicament.
The Shen Ting Sect, having infiltrated the Poisonous Sunflower Sect, had used their resources to cultivate the Primordial Yellow Dao Body.
While investigating this betrayal, he had contacted Li Lian, General Shui Lei, learning about the Shen Ting Sect’s plan.
Greed had taken root in his heart, and he and the Crimson Rainbow Poison Venerable had plotted to steal both the Dao Body and the Black Phoenix Poison Pearl.
The pearl, once a treasure of the Poisonous Sunflower Sect, had been taken by the Demon Empress three hundred years ago and hadn’t been seen since.
Reclaiming it was a matter of honor.
His plan had been perfect, but Tu Baoquan and “Huang Facai,” sent to kill Shi Chongyun, hadn’t returned… Everything had gone wrong.
Although he had tried to salvage the situation with the Crimson Rainbow Poison Miasma, its effectiveness in the confined spaces of the cavern was limited.
He wanted the Dao Body and the pearl, but he also couldn’t allow Wu Gorge to be destroyed.
Even for him, a demonic cultivator who valued profit above all else, the collapse of Wu Gorge would be a devastating loss.
It would disrupt the Long River, causing floods in the Hanyang River region, crippling the Danyang Society, which they secretly controlled.
The Poisonous Sunflower Sect was ambitious, seeking power and influence in the new world order, but the destruction of Wu Gorge, potentially plunging China into further chaos, wasn’t in their best interest.
Despite his selfishness, he couldn’t allow that to happen.
He now regretted his earlier decision to let the Shen Ting Sect proceed with their plan, his greed for the Dao Body and the pearl blinding him to the potential consequences. It might have been his greatest mistake.
He couldn’t obtain either, and Wu Gorge was about to be destroyed…
“Move aside!” he roared, lunging forward, his iron palm striking like a tidal wave.
Li Zhen, the Thunder King, sneered, his true energy crackling like lightning as he unleashed a counterattack.
A resounding boom, and Li Shanwen stumbled back.
The Shen Ting Sect’s techniques, known for their raw power, although suppressed since the Sheng Dynasty, were still formidable, a legacy of a thousand years, a sect that had once led the Daoist world.
In a direct confrontation of pure power, the Shen Ting Sect feared no one.
Li Shanwen, his initial attack having failed, was now on the defensive, the Thunder King’s relentless assault pushing him back.
On the other side, the Crimson Rainbow Poison Venerable was facing the “Lightning King,” another of the Four Divine Kings.
Their fight was a blur of motion, their figures flickering, neither able to gain an advantage.
But the Shen Ting Sect had four Divine Kings.
The “Thunderclap King,” descending from the level above, quickly assessed the situation and, like a flash of lightning, joined the fight against Li Shanwen.
With Li Shanwen already at a disadvantage, the combined attack of the Thunderclap King and the Thunder King would quickly overwhelm him.
Suddenly, a small figure intercepted the Thunderclap King.
It was the young girl, her movements swift and deadly, her short sword a blur of crimson light, forcing him back.
It was Little Demonic Mother.
Although her plan had been to let the Shen Ting Sect and the Poisonous Sunflower Sect weaken each other, she couldn’t stand idly by and watch the Poisonous Sunflower Sect be defeated.
Without them, she would be alone.
Now, the four Divine Kings – Thunder, Thunderclap, Lightning, and Sky – were facing Little Demonic Mother, the Purple Robe Evil Venerable, the Crimson Rainbow Poison Venerable, and Sha Lingshan.
And the Shen Ting Sect’s Five Thunder Generals – Gold, Wood, Earth, and Fire – were facing Red Scorpion, Black Crowned Crane, Poison Crow, and Lü Shijun of the Poisonous Sunflower Sect.
However, among the lower-ranking martial artists, the Shen Ting Sect still had the advantage.
Although there was a significant difference in skill between the lower and mid-ranks, numbers could still overwhelm even powerful experts.
As more and more Shen Ting Sect warriors joined the fight, Red Scorpion, Black Crowned Crane, Poison Crow, and Lü Shijun began to feel the pressure.
Suddenly, a swarm of buzzing insects descended upon the Shen Ting Sect warriors, many collapsing, screaming.
A woman with wild, disheveled hair darted through the swarm, her iron hook flashing, severing limbs and heads.
The hook was a strange and terrifying weapon, its touch not just cutting but separating limbs cleanly from their bodies.
And then, the Gold Thunder General found himself bound by an invisible force, unable to move.
Looking down, he saw an iron chain wrapped around him.
Red Scorpion seized the opportunity, her poisoned blade piercing his chest. He gasped, his voice hoarse, and collapsed.
Red Scorpion looked back and saw a hunched, elderly man retract the chain.
And beside him stood a beautiful young woman, her skin fair, her features delicate, wielding a sword, its light like the moon.
Her every strike unleashed invisible sword energy, like night-blooming cereus flowers, beautiful yet deadly.
The arrival of Du Yuejiao, Hou Bomin, and Xiang Gu had shifted the balance of power.
Especially the death of the Gold Thunder General, caught by Hou Bomin’s Constraining Rope, had given them a significant advantage.
However, it wasn’t enough to break the Shen Ting Sect’s defenses.
Shi Hao, standing on a high rocky outcrop, hadn’t joined the fight yet.
He stood there, his sword in hand, his expression grim.
As the eight pillars of light descended to the next level, the cavern grew darker.
The only light came from the flashes of weapons and energy, the air thick with the scent of blood, a testament to the battle’s ferocity.
The electrical energy, carrying the mountain’s spiritual essence, converged on the sixth level, the penultimate layer of the Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Array.
Below was the final layer… They were running out of time.
Both sides were fully committed, only he remaining on the sidelines.
In this chaotic battle, a single warrior, no matter how skilled, wouldn’t make much of a difference.
So he waited, observing the battlefield from above, his Primordial Energy extended, sensing every movement, every shift in the flow of battle.
Then, he moved.
He leaped from the outcrop, his body falling, his feet pushing off the rock face, his sword pointed downwards.
Like a legendary swordsman, his body and sword one, he descended, his feet not touching the ground, landing in the heart of the enemy formation.
Four warriors exploded under his sword energy. The Wood Thunder General, feeling the chilling sword intent lock onto him, was filled with dread.
He was currently fighting Poison Crow of the Poisonous Sunflower Sect.
Poison Crow’s short blade darted and weaved, its movements like a bird’s, its aura poisonous.
The Wood Thunder General, wary of his poisonous attacks, dared not be careless.
Although reinforcements were approaching, with the death of the Gold Thunder General, Hou Bomin and Red Scorpion had freed themselves and were now blocking their path.
As Shi Hao’s sword struck, the Wood Thunder General, having just exchanged blows with Poison Crow, his energy momentarily depleted, was vulnerable.
The sword pierced his chest, a resounding boom, and his body, thrown backwards, blood spraying, landed among his men.
Poison Crow, stunned by this sudden intervention, looked over and saw the young man cutting through their ranks, his presence shifting the tide of battle, the pressure on Hou Bomin and Red Scorpion easing as they surged forward.
Poison Crow, elated, joined the attack, and the Shen Ting Sect’s forces, their formation broken, began to retreat.
The Thunder King, the leader of the Four Divine Kings, stood on higher ground, observing the battle.
The terrain within the cavern was uneven, and his position offered a good view of the battlefield.
He sensed the shift in momentum, his eyes scanning the cavern, and saw a young man in blue, his movements like lightning, his sword a blur, exploiting every weakness in their defenses.
This single warrior was tearing through their lines, his presence inspiring the enemy, uniting their forces.
The Shen Ting Sect warriors, leaving a trail of corpses, retreated.
The young man’s swordsmanship was extraordinary, his strikes sometimes like the blazing sun, sometimes like a falling meteor, his power seemingly limitless.
He was not only a skilled swordsman, but also a brilliant strategist.
Skilled martial artists were common, but those who also understood strategy and tactics were rare.
As their defenses crumbled, two more of the Five Thunder Generals, Fire and Earth, were killed.
Besides the traitor, Shui Lei, all five generals were dead.
The Thunder King, enraged, wanted to intervene, to stop this young man who was single-handedly turning the tide of battle.
But the young woman he was facing, her techniques bizarre and unpredictable, her demonic power strong, kept him occupied.
With the death of the Five Thunder Generals, the slightly weaker mid-rank experts of the Poisonous Sunflower Sect, Red Scorpion, Black Crowned Crane, Poison Crow, and Lü Shijun, joined the fight against the Four Divine Kings.
The situation for the Four Divine Kings was becoming dire.
“Retreat!” the Thunder King roared.
If they didn’t leave now, they would be surrounded.
The Four Divine Kings retreated, their forces in disarray. The Shen Ting Sect was losing.
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