Chapter 182: Heaven and Earth Have Righteous Qi
Shi Hao, carrying the iron sword, walked through the cold, desolate mountain forest.
Although autumn had arrived, many trees still clung to their green leaves, a mix of green and yellow foliage creating a vibrant tapestry against the clear blue sky. A strong wind blew, scattering the fallen leaves, revealing the remaining green even more vividly.
As he walked, he sang, “Heaven and earth possess a righteous qi, pervading all forms, high and low, in diverse array. Below, it shapes the mountains and rivers, above, the sun, moon, and stars in their cosmic endeavor. Within humans, it manifests as the Boundless Spirit of Integrity, filling the vast expanse of existence, immeasurable. The imperial path should be pure and serene, radiating harmony, illuminating the court, a beacon keen. In times of hardship, true character is revealed, each act a testament, history’s pages sealed.”
His voice, clear and strong, echoed through the mountains.
Emerging from the forest, crossing a river, he looked towards Changbai Mountain, its peak and the surrounding mountains shrouded in white mist.
He suddenly stopped and smiled, “No need to hide. I’ve seen you.”
A cold snort, a surge of killing intent, and two figures emerged from behind the trees: a burly, one-armed man and a tall, thin man.
At the same time, shadowy figures surrounded Shi Hao.
Shi Hao looked at the one-armed man and smiled, “Huang Facai?”
He had mistaken this powerful, imposing figure for the fat, jovial Huang Facai, the former leader of the Hanyang Gang?
The one-armed man glared at him, his killing intent intensifying.
He had lost his left arm in their battle in the Ba Mountains, severed by Xiang Gu’s Parting Hook.
Shi Hao then looked at the tall, thin man, his face gaunt, his forehead high and prominent, his expression cold and impassive.
“And you are…?” Shi Hao asked.
The tall, thin man said slowly, “Tu Baoquan.” A malevolent aura radiated from him, withering the grass beneath his feet.
Shi Hao sighed, “So you’re from the Poisonous Sunflower Sect.”
Tu Baoquan stared at him, “The Poisonous Sunflower Sect isn’t a well-known sect, even among the demonic sects. You’ve heard of us?”
Shi Hao smiled, “Someone warned me about you. Although the Ghost Extreme Sect is large and powerful, that’s just because they have so many members. Sects like yours, hidden in the shadows, are the truly dangerous ones, your poison withering everything it touches, your evil deeds unknown to the world.”
Tu Baoquan said, “It’s a pity. Although you’ve made an enemy of our Poisonous Sunflower Sect, the Hanyang Gang was just a tool, easily discarded. We’re not usually so… vengeful. But you possess the Demonic Qilin Blood Poison. We can’t let you go.”
Shi Hao tilted his head, “So, Madam Demonic Vine was also from the Poisonous Sunflower Sect?”
He sighed, “That explains it. I asked her why the barbarian army and the Ghost Extreme Sect knew about the Sui Marquis Pearl, and she wouldn’t tell me. It was an internal matter of your sect, a secret you didn’t want outsiders to know.”
“You lured the barbarian army there because you couldn’t defeat the Black Blood Crimson Serpent yourselves. Your poison techniques are useless against it, so you used outsiders to weaken it, hoping to take advantage of the situation.”
He shook his head, “I’m not interested in this Demonic Qilin Blood Poison, but since it’s in my body now, I can’t let you capture me.”
Huang Facai’s eyes narrowed, “You don’t have a choice.” For him, this was personal.
He had lost his arm in the Ba Mountains, a humiliation he wouldn’t forget.
And if it weren’t for this young man’s interference, they would have controlled the Ba Mountains by now.
Although they now controlled the upper Hanyang River region through the Danyang Society, their position was precarious.
Shi Hao smiled, “Is that so?” His figure flickered.
As they spoke, the Poisonous Sunflower Sect martial artists who had been hiding in the surrounding area closed in.
With Huang Facai and Tu Baoquan, both fifth-rank experts, and over a dozen other men, Shi Chongyun seemed to have no escape.
After all, Huang Facai had fought him before and knew he was only sixth-rank.
He had easily overpowered him in the Ba Mountains. It was only thanks to that strange woman, Xiang Gu, killing Zhao Xuanding that the situation had turned in their favor.
He could defeat Shi Chongyun alone, let alone with Tu Baoquan and so many others.
He was confident in his victory, eager to capture this young man and make him suffer.
But Shi Hao suddenly moved, his speed incredible, as if pulled away by an invisible force.
Huang Facai hadn’t seen him use this technique in the Ba Mountains.
Two of the men on the side saw the young man approaching them with lightning speed, as if they themselves were being drawn towards him.
They shouted, one drawing his saber, the other his staff.
Shi Hao’s sword flashed.
His strike, carrying an overwhelming aura, was like the legendary Pangu separating heaven and earth.
Although just a single sword strike, it seemed like a thousand exploding stars, and the two men felt their lives threatened, certain they would die if they didn’t dodge.
They leaped aside, each assuming the other would intercept the attack… such a powerful strike couldn’t be a feint.
As Shi Hao passed between them, they glared at each other… Why didn’t you block him?
Then, realizing the other had also been paralyzed by the young man’s aura, they were filled with dread.
What kind of swordsmanship was that?
Huang Facai and Tu Baoquan, realizing the young man had escaped their encirclement, lunged after him.
They hadn’t expected him to break through so easily.
They pursued him relentlessly, the others following closely behind, trees blurring past them, birds taking flight.
Suddenly, Shi Hao’s body curled inwards as he crashed into a tree, then, flipping in mid-air, he kicked off the trunk, changing direction.
Huang Facai and Tu Baoquan also changed direction, trying to intercept him.
Shi Hao kicked off the tree trunk again, his speed increasing, evading them, and charged towards one of their men.
Huang Facai and Tu Baoquan, airborne and off balance, couldn’t match his speed.
Tu Baoquan, watching the young man’s almost ghostly movement towards their companion, his mind racing, remembered a similar technique used by the Evil Lotus Sect.
But the young man’s energy didn’t feel like demonic energy.
Shi Hao was now circulating both his Daoist and demonic energies simultaneously, merging them into a new, unique force.
Normally, he couldn’t achieve this, but the Demonic Qilin Blood Poison, although pushing his body to its limits, had also, due to his amnesia-induced state of mental clarity and detachment, inadvertently pushed him to a higher level of cultivation, a state of perfect harmony with the Dao.
In this state, the Blood Poison, instead of destroying him, had become a catalyst, fusing his Daoist and demonic energies.
Tu Baoquan had never encountered such a strange energy. It was powerful and vast, yet unlike any demonic energy he knew.
Although the young man’s movement technique resembled that of the Evil Lotus Sect, he wasn’t convinced he was a demonic cultivator.
“Look out!” he shouted to the man Shi Hao was approaching.
The man raised his saber, but before he could even strike, Shi Hao’s sword flashed, a line of light across his throat.
It was the “Ephemeral Sword Radiance” of the Six Immortal Lightning Strikes!
Using the demonic Soul Chasing Locking Steps while simultaneously unleashing a Daoist sword technique was something Shi Hao hadn’t been able to do before.
When he had captured Zhuo Mulan, although he had used both demonic and Daoist techniques, there had been a distinct shift between them. It was only because no one had expected him to be a dual cultivator that he had been able to catch her off guard.
Huang Facai and Tu Baoquan, recovering their balance, attacked him again.
Using the Soul Chasing Locking Steps, Shi Hao evaded them, flickering to the side and unleashing the first three strikes of the Azure Sky Immortal Thunder, combined with the Profound Wind Technique.
A whirlwind of leaves, pulled from the forest floor, swirled around him.
The martial artists, undeterred, charged through the swirling leaves.
Shi Hao retreated, then changed his technique again. With a roar, his sword flashed.
This time, he combined the Three Origins Flowing Pearl Technique and the Mysterious Charm Technique, unleashing the “Ice Crystal Phantom Sword” of the Six Immortal Lightning Strikes.
The Ice Crystal Phantom Sword, normally creating a flurry of ice shards to disorient the opponent, now unleashed a torrent of demonic fire, fueled by the Three Origins Flowing Pearl Technique.
The swirling leaves instantly ignited, a sea of flames erupting around him.
Even the Holy Jade Immortal and Su Mei, witnessing this, would have been stunned.
He had combined two seemingly incompatible techniques, not just circulating them simultaneously within his body, a feat in itself, but seamlessly integrating them into a single, powerful attack.
At least three of the attackers were engulfed in flames, their screams echoing through the forest.
The others, their faces blackened by smoke, retreated from the inferno.
Shi Hao’s encirclement had broken.
The screams of the burning men, echoing through the forest, created a chilling symphony of chaos and despair.
Leave a Reply