The sky above the Imperial City was brightening, though the sun had yet to rise.
Above the East Gate, the heavens were illuminated by countless streaks of vibrantly colored energy. Terrifying shockwaves battered the city walls, sending chariots tumbling into the air. Even shops on the street a hundred meters away, still unopened, were ruthlessly destroyed.
This sudden, fierce battle had impacted many innocent people, especially the merchant caravans just arriving through the city gates. They were thrown about in disarray, but they had no time to assign blame, for the scene at the city entrance had already descended into chaos.
A chaotic melee of ten Lords raged. Anyone caught in the crossfire had only one fate: death!
"BOOM!"
With another earth-shattering sound, two figures withdrew from the fray of the ten Lords. Di Qiu, a core elder of the Weaver of Heaven Pavilion, attempted to escape through the city gates amidst the confusion. However, he was promptly intercepted by a black-robed elder wielding a Buddhist staff.
"Seeking death!"
Di Qiu was enraged. Seven against three, with the same cultivation realm, and they had been held back for so long. It was a disgrace. Now, he intended to cleave this old Royal attendant in two with his saber!
A saber wreathed in fierce flames descended. The black-robed elder let out a cold snort, raising his three-foot golden staff and bringing it down with immense force. The weight, like a mountain, collided with the thick, fiery blade of the saber, producing a roar akin to a meteorite shattering.
"—KRA-BOOM!"
The mountain peak was cleaved by this saber strike, a massive gash opening up. Rolling flames, imbued with saber intent, relentlessly carved into everything on the peak, as if to split it in two. But the mountain was simply too heavy. At the moment of contact, Di Qiu's saber bent halfway.
"Descend!"
The elder roared, his eyes bursting with a benevolent yet terrifying golden radiance, like a wrathful Vajra. The power of the staff in his hand surged, instantly crushing Di Qiu's saber intent and snapping the saber itself!
"What!"
Di Qiu's expression turned to shock. He had never expected the staff to become so heavy. After engaging them in combat numerous times, the elder had still been hiding such a trump card!
The Lords behind him watched this scene with pounding hearts. This was the might of a Grand Zhou Imperial Household attendant. Though at the same peak of the Fourth Stage, their strength was on entirely different levels. Even with a numerical advantage, they could barely hold their ground. If any of them were caught alone, they would be instantly annihilated. Di Qiu was considered strong among them, yet now even his most prized saber had been broken!
"THUD!"
The staff struck the hard black stone ground of the city gate. A hundred-meter long chasm split open in the earth, like a natural disaster. Di Qiu abandoned his saber at the last moment, but was still sent flying a hundred meters by the terrifying, oncoming force. He finally crashed into the shops lining the street, his life or death unknown.
"Di Qiu!"
"Quick, save him! If we don't run now, it'll be too late!"
The six Lords exchanged glances. Without much discussion, they simultaneously ceased their attacks and retreated a hundred meters, pulling Di Qiu from the ruins.
"Hold the gate! We cannot let them escape, even if it means death!" The middle-aged Royal attendant's black robe was splattered with blood, his body covered in wounds, half of which had been blasted to pieces. Yet, he instantly blocked the city gate, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the elder holding the golden staff.
The last elder was not as severely injured. Dark green elemental energy swirled around his hands as he landed with a pale face beside the other two. He looked at the middle-aged man with a hint of apology and said, "Thank you for drawing their fire just now. If you hadn't held off five of them alone, I truly couldn't have held on."
The middle-aged man said nothing in response. He merely stared grimly ahead at the seven figures who had reappeared on the street, glaring at their side.
"Let's not talk about that now. These are just minor injuries. If we fail to stop them from breaking through the city gates and disappoint the Third Prince, I would rather die!"
The two elders also wore grave expressions. Gazing at the seven figures charging towards them, they slowly began to gather their strength.
"You are outnumbered. If it comes to a fight to the death, you will not gain the advantage," Di Qiu said, clutching his chest, wiping blood from his lips, suppressing the urge to throw caution to the wind and fight desperately.
The middle-aged man said nothing. He simply, with imposing authority, unfurled his pale golden domain, firmly enclosing the city gate. The Imperial City walls were protected by a city-guarding formation; passage in or out was only possible through the gates.
As for the issue of numbers, if they truly cared, they would not have fought this long.
Besides, the enemy's numbers seemed to have decreased.
The middle-aged man seemed to have noticed something, and he looked at the seven figures with a mocking smile, saying strangely, "You have many people, but they seem to be mere fodder."
"Take a good look behind you. See how many of those lying on this long street are from your Weaver of Heaven Pavilion!"
Di Qiu and the others froze, then turned their heads with grim expressions. The street, a thousand meters wide, was littered with scattered corpses lying in all directions, their faces contorted beyond recognition.
But Di Qiu knew these were his men.
"Impossible! They formed a battle array and were protected by magical artifacts. They couldn't have been killed so easily by the aftermath of our battle!"
Di Qiu's face was grim. These subordinates were the elites of the Weaver of Heaven Pavilion. They were all dead in less than two sticks of incense, and they had no idea how they had died, being too engrossed in their own fight.
"Zhou Yuan just transmitted a message saying that the other two city gates have also encountered formidable enemies. The North Gate even encountered a Domain Lord, and losses are heavy!"
Xu Mu rolled out from a patch of shadow, his hunting knife silently stopping behind the three. He then stood up, breathing heavily, and said with a grim expression, "Zhou Yuan said that the patrolling guards must be unable to attend to us. Most of their strength has been diverted to support the South and North Gates, especially that Domain Lord. They pursued him out of the city, so we will not have reinforcements."
"No reinforcements, huh." The middle-aged man glanced at Xu Mu, who was covered in blood and radiating vitality, his expression becoming even more serious.
The enemy had seven Lords. If they could only delay them temporarily, they might manage. If they fought desperately, they might hold them for half an hour. But without reinforcements, they would eventually be overwhelmed, especially given the numerical disparity.
Di Qiu, noticing Xu Mu, seemed to realize something and asked Xu Mu incredulously, "Were my men killed by you?"
Xu Mu stood at the city gate, gripping his hunting knife, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the three. His simple cloth attire was tattered, stained with blood, as if he were severely wounded.
But only the Royal attendants, who were closer to him, could sense that despite his apparent injuries, Xu Mu's surging vitality and powerful saber intent proved that the blood was not his own.
It was all the enemy's blood.
"It was me," Xu Mu said calmly.
"Not just these men. The leader of your Weaver of Heaven Pavilion's branch in the Imperial City, Xian Er Jiu, was also captured by me last night. After interrogation, I learned who your Pavilion Master is and your detailed withdrawal plan. That's why we are standing at the city gate now."
"If you know what's good for you, surrender quickly. Everything is under our control. Resistance is futile," Xu Mu said indifferently, projecting an aura of authority. He tried to break their will with words, but to his surprise, Di Qiu, upon hearing this, merely paused for a moment before bursting into maniacal laughter.
"Hahahaha, this is hilarious!"
"You claim to have captured Xian Er Jiu and that she betrayed us. Then tell me, where is she now!"
Xu Mu frowned at this and said, "To avoid alerting the enemy, I left her at the Azure Tide Pavilion. Is there a problem?"
"Then it's even funnier!" Di Qiu swallowed a pill and sneered at Xu Mu, "Then I ask you, since she has betrayed us, why have you only sent three people?"
"Foolish child, you've been tricked by that woman! You still don't realize it, do you? Hahahahaha!"
Xu Mu's eyes narrowed slightly. Di Qiu had guessed correctly. He had been deceived, and severely so. There were indeed Weaver of Heaven Pavilion withdrawal personnel at all three city gates, but their cultivation realms differed significantly.
But why would Xian Er Jiu do this?
If she was loyal to the Weaver of Heaven Pavilion, and would rather violate her heavenly oath than betray the organization, why not give him completely false intelligence, leading to mutual destruction?
"Mutual destruction..." Xu Mu suddenly realized something and gasped.
Thinking along these lines, Xian Er Jiu did indeed want them to destroy each other. But what benefit would this bring her? Violating her heavenly oath meant immediate execution!
The pill's effects fully kicked in, and Di Qiu's complexion improved. He took out a handful of pills from his sleeve, his expression becoming extremely grim as he looked at the six men beside him.
"I told the Pavilion Master long ago that woman was unreliable! There was something suspicious about her origins, and that child couldn't possibly be her weakness! But no one believed me!"
Di Qiu spoke indignantly. Xian Er Jiu's motive was not hard to guess. Mutual destruction was her objective, and the reason for it was directly related to her origins.
He had always believed that he, a senior core elder, Di Qiu, should be the one to lead the Weaver of Heaven Pavilion's branch in the Imperial City.
But the Pavilion Master had promoted Xian Er Jiu instead.
Di Qiu's face darkened. Because of this, he had been secretly investigating Xian Er Jiu, wanting to see how she had risen to prominence. But inadvertently, he had uncovered a shocking secret.
Xian Er Jiu's background seemed to be fake.
She seemed to be from the Golden Tent Royal Court!
"I told the Pavilion Master then, but he refused to believe me. Now that he has orchestrated our mutual destruction, it confirms her identity."
Di Qiu sighed inwardly. Only the Golden Tent Royal Court in the world did not desire peace. The humans born on those grasslands were all war-crazed lunatics. The several wars between the Grand Zhou and Grand Xia in the past were all instigated by them. Since Xian Er Jiu was willing to do something so self-destructive, she must be from the Golden Tent Royal Court.
"What else do you know? Speak quickly, and we might spare your life!"
The middle-aged Royal attendant also seemed to realize something was wrong, his brow furrowing. He roared at Di Qiu.
Di Qiu snapped back to reality. He looked at Xu Mu and his group, a hint of mockery appearing on his face.
Both sides wanted to stall for time, hence the peaceful exchange of dialogue just now. But now he had mostly recovered, at least enough to fight. The enemy, however, still wanted to stall.
Therefore, he knew this was their best opportunity to break through. They couldn't wait any longer.
"You'll find out about her secrets in your next life!" Di Qiu gripped his saber. The seven felt a shared understanding, unleashing their strongest energies together, crushing towards the four men at the city gate.
"You retreat quickly!" The old man with the golden staff pushed Xu Mu back dozens of meters. Xu Mu, using the momentum, leaped onto the city wall with his saber, looking down with a grim expression.
In the melee between Lords, he would only find death if he participated. He was not qualified yet!
"Stop all of you!!!"
The elder stamped his foot in anger. The golden staff in his hand suddenly emanated a circle of golden Buddhist scriptures, spinning and engraving themselves onto the ground. The soil and debris along the path turned to dust, instantly isolating the seven figures.
The old monk leaped above the staff, meditating in mid-air.
"Break it!"
Di Qiu and the others charged forward like madmen, unleashing their most powerful energies to assault this golden scripture barrier. Storms roared, fiery saber intent surged, strange vortexes engulfed the scriptures, and various terrifying energies rained down consecutively.
"BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!"
A series of explosions occurred. Xu Mu on the city wall was once again flung backward by the terrifying aftermath. He was forced to retreat a hundred zhang along the wall, hiding behind a defensive cannon, his face pale.
After waiting for several dozen breaths, when the aftershock subsided, he stood up again, only to find that the golden light barrier of scriptures at the city gate had vanished.
The old monk hovered in mid-air, besieged by three Lords. Protected by golden scripture light, he could not withstand the onslaught and spat blood, instantly suffering severe injuries.
The middle-aged man faced three enemies, with roars of sound and terrifying spells erupting, fighting on even terms.
The remaining elder was the weakest, only able to contend with one Lord. While he could suppress them, it had no substantial effect, as the golden staff elder had already broken through, and the few combined their forces to attack, their formation collapsing almost instantly.
Seemingly realizing that their defeat was inevitable, that they would not be able to hold this city gate, the middle-aged man roared, repelling the three enemies before him and charging towards Di Qiu.
"Since we cannot hold back seven people, we will let four go. We must hold back three!"
"Good!"
The two elders also voluntarily withdrew their domains, yielding the position at the city gate. At the same time, they each targeted an enemy and attacked.
"Get lost!"
Di Qiu's expression was grim. He wanted to break free from the middle-aged man's attack and escape through the city gate, but the man's strength was so formidable that he could hold his ground against three enemies. Now, facing him alone, how could he escape?
The middle-aged man's expression was cold, black and white patterns flickering in his pupils. Di Qiu's movements seemed to be in slow motion, easily deciphered. He sidestepped, quickly moved behind him, and then his right hand instantly gripped Di Qiu's saber hilt, his palm grasping like an eagle's talons.
"Ah!"
Di Qiu cried out in pain, disarmed. But he still did not give up, gathering terrifying power in his knee and lunging towards the man. However, the man easily dodged, sidestepped, twisted his wrist, and then pushed with all his might, sending Di Qiu a hundred meters away from the city gate with immense force.
The remaining four Weaver of Heaven Pavilion Lords had already quickly reached the city gate. They could escape now. The four turned their heads, looking at Di Qiu, who was injured and disarmed again, and their two companions who were trapped in a fierce struggle. The expressions of the four simultaneously turned grim.
What to do? Save them or not?
If they went in to save them, they risked getting caught themselves. Honestly, the middle-aged man's strength was too terrifying. His mysterious domain rules combined with sonic energy made them hesitate. Although they had a numerical advantage, no one felt they could win decisively.
Moreover, since they could escape, there was no reason to turn back for Di Qiu and the others, as they did not have such close ties.
They were merely colleagues in a martial organization, working for money. That was all.
"Sorry, the three of you. We've done our best."
"Everyone joins the Weaver of Heaven Pavilion to make a living. No one wants to risk their lives. We'll meet again in the future. I believe the Pavilion Master won't blame us!"
The four stood outside the city gate, feigning a sigh, then turned into streams of light and vanished without a backward glance, leaving only ant-sized silhouettes.
This scene filled Di Qiu and the other two with despair.
"Bastards! I'll fight you to the death!"
Di Qiu roared, forcibly releasing his domain, and then charged towards the most severely injured Abbot. He no longer attempted to escape through the city gate. He could only pin his hopes of survival on victory, and victory required a numerical advantage. If they could kill this old monk, they might still have a chance fighting three against three!
"Careful!"
The middle-aged man frowned and rushed forward to intercept him. However, the Lord who had previously blocked the golden staff suddenly withdrew and unleashed his full power, wielding a magical artifact and charging towards him. Raging torrents roared with terrifying force, intercepting him in mid-air!
The golden staff old monk's expression turned grim. He was already severely injured. Di Qiu was charging at him with such desperation that he had no means of defense. He could only forcefully raise the golden staff.
"CLANG!"
Di Qiu's daggers, one emerald green and the other grayish-purple, seemed coated in potent poison. Even the Buddhist seals on the golden staff were smudged with a bit of dust, stained and unclean.
"STOMP STOMP STOMP!"
The old monk endured the pain in his chest, taking several steps back. Both he and Di Qiu were severely injured, but Di Qiu was decades younger. His old bones could no longer withstand it, and he could only evade his锋芒.
"Die!" Di Qiu's face twisted in ferocity. He directly twisted the troublesome golden staff into the ground, burying it in the stone pile, making it impossible to retrieve. He then himself slid along the golden staff towards the old monk, the terrifying blade aimed directly at the old monk's neck.
The old monk's face filled with terror. He retreated again and again, but his speed was no match for the two daggers. Furthermore, his protective scriptures and domain had lost their effect. Striking Di Qiu, his bones shattered and his internal organs were broken, yet he still pressed forward with his saber, determined to kill him at all costs, even if it meant taking eight hundred damages for a thousand gains!
The other two Royal attendants were unable to intervene. It seemed the old monk's death was inevitable. However, at some unknown time, Xu Mu had already been secretly gathering strength on the city wall. He stepped on the swift wind of the Xun position, his hunting knife in hand, and like a ghost, he instantly appeared before the two.
"CRACK!"
Xu Mu gripped his hunting knife with both hands, slashing out with all his might to create a brilliant crescent moon. The terrifying saber intent, combined with a force like a collapsing mountain, slammed onto the two daggers, causing Di Qiu's body to suddenly halt.
"KA-BOOM!"
This was a collision between saber intent and saber intent. Starting from his sleeve, Xu Mu's robes were shredded into threads by invisible saber edges, and countless tiny saber marks appeared on his arm, blood gushing out. Yet, he did not retreat an inch.
Di Qiu was also in a bad state. His internal organs had already been shattered. The brute force of Xu Mu's saber was something he could not resist. His internal injuries were infinitely magnified, and even fragments of his organs were spat out from his mouth, splashing onto the golden staff, the two men's sabers, and the daggers.
"Get out of my way!"
Di Qiu's expression turned ruthless. He forcibly suppressed the surging injuries within his body and roared as he pushed Xu Mu's saber forward by two inches. A powerfully impactful energy enveloped Xu Mu, like a blast of cold rain, causing Xu Mu to feel a sharp pain all over his body, as if being cut by knives.
Di Qiu released his domain once more. Within his domain, there were terrifying saber edges everywhere. As a cultivator of the Third Realm, he had no ability to resist, unless he used his true Demon God's Horn. But doing so would expose his identity!
"Senior, retreat!"
Xu Mu shouted, not directly confronting him. Instead, with the swift wind churning beneath his feet, he pulled the elder beside him and dodged into the sky to the side.
Di Qiu, wielding his daggers, pursued. Two terrifying saber glows, one green and one purple, streaked across the sky, as if anything that obstructed them would be torn to shreds.
Xu Mu's eyes were sharp. Ancient and majestic statues of primitive times appeared around him, armed with swords, forks, sabers, axes, halberds, hooks, and spears. Various statues circled around him, with ice, wood, water, and fire elements pouring down. Dozens of killing moves of different attributes and types converged into a torrent of saber intent, momentarily blocking the two sharp edges.
"Break through!"
Di Qiu roared and charged forward, gripping his daggers. He directly cleaved through the saber dao inheritance Xu Mu had obtained in the Sky Tree Tomb. He had no flashy techniques or abilities, only a direct suppression by realm. He was at the peak of the Fourth Realm, a full major realm higher than Xu Mu!
Xu Mu's face was pale. He had no other options. This was the strongest killing move he could think of without revealing his identity, yet it still couldn't stop Di Qiu.
"Amitabha!"
At this moment, the old monk beside Xu Mu finally recovered some strength. He took out a string of prayer beads from his robe, recited Buddhist chants, and used the prayer beads as a weapon, holding one hand in front of him.
"—CRACK!"
The daggers collided with the prayer beads inscribed with the characters "Greed" and "Ignorance." Under the gentle chanting of Buddhist scriptures, the prayer beads miraculously enlarged, blocking the saber energy.
The prayer bead inscribed with "Wrath" detached itself from the old monk's string and struck Di Qiu's chest from afar. The terrifying force instantly pierced through him, blood flowing profusely.
Di Qiu's eyes widened in horror. He forcefully held back a breath and tried to resist, but in the next second, the "Wrath" bead that pierced his chest suddenly emitted an eerie radiance. Countless specters of green-faced, fanged demons surged into his Sea of Consciousness. Unprepared, he instantly lost consciousness, his expression one of terror, his eyes turning white as he collapsed to the ground.
This scene startled Xu Mu.
Why were there so many ghosts within the prayer beads of a benevolent old Buddhist monk?
"These are the great demons I failed to completely save before," the old monk said weakly. Xu Mu supported him. His face was pale. "His Sea of Consciousness has been devoured. He is definitely going to die, but those demons will occupy his body and become even more terrifying existences."
"This is 'driving wolves to swallow tigers.' It is extremely dangerous. Hurry and cut off his head!"
…